Twins thoughts

I have been doing some thinking the last couple days about the Twins and thought it was a good time to write about it to see what all of my readers think about this.

This morning I was going through my prospect list and when I think they will be ready to help the Twins. I admit I was being shortsighted when it came to Casey Blake. To sign him to a 3 year deal with an option is really stupid and I was the one who was all for it. The reason is Danny Valencia everything I have read and heard from him that have seen him live tells me that by signing Casey Blake we would be blocking the top infield prospect in the whole organization from taking his rightful spot at 3rd base for the Twins. I really believe Valencia is going to be ready to take over 3rd base for the Twins on opening day 2010 when the Twins move into Target Field. I really think it is a blessing that the Dodgers overpaid for Blake because with Valencia's talent he would of found a way to get onto the field and we would be stuck with a 6 million a year utility guy. Teams like the Yankees and Red Sox can afford that but not the Twins we will always be somewhat limited in payroll so we cant afford it. I really believe that Valencia is the future for the Twins and they should not block him. However, if the Twins can find a 1 year option at 3rd base by all means i would do it. I would go back to Seattle to see if they are any more serious about trading Adrian Beltre because he would be perfect because he is a very good player and after the season they can let Beltre go and get the 2 draft picks. I would only look at 3rd basemen that are free agents after 09 because after that the future will be now for Danny Valencia.

Am I the only one who thinks that now is the time to start locking up some of these players long term before they can even sniff free agency. I have heard the names of Baker, Kubel, Liriano, Slowey and such but the guy that I really believe that we need to get signed before he can even think about free agency and that player is Joe Mauer. He is the most indispensible player on the team. I know he has 2 years left on his contract, but if you wait until next year at this team he may decide he will want to wait and become a free agent. I think you can argue that Joe Mauer is the best player in the game with 2 batting titles already in the bank and teams like the Yankees and Boston starving for a phenom at catcher. So if im the Twins I dont let him even think about leaving Minnesota I would lock him up for 6 more years. By doing that you have one less thing to worry about and you guarantee the 1-2 punch of mauer and mourneau for atleast the next 5 seasons and that totally makes sense. Don't get me wrong I would also try to lock up Scott Baker and Jason Kubel also. I would wait on Liriano for another year to see if we are looking at the Franchise or just a good Francisco Liriano. I would also like to see another year of Kevin Slowey to prove last year was not a fluke.

Lastly, looking at the farm system and who we have at the major league level we need to start thinking about the future of our outfield. We have quite a few outfielders taht I think are going to be ready by then and there are only 3 positions so we need to decide what to do with them. Look at the names that are projected as starters in the big leagues.

Denard Span
Delmon Young
Carlos Gomez
Michael Cuddyer
Aaron Hicks
Ben Revere
Angel Morales
Jason Kubel

That is 8 outfielders for 4 spots and yeah i know some of those guys will not be ready for a few years so you dont have to worry about it quite yet. However, eventually the Twins are going to have to deal with the situation. My view is probably trade Delmon Young because for whatever reason Gardy is not a fan of Delmon Young and it will just cause problems in the clubhouse. When Michael Cuddyer's contract expires after the 2010 season i would let him leave. I may be in the minority here but i view Carlos Gomez as a future star for the Twins who will learn better plate discipline. I think Aaron Hicks will be the crown jewel of the organization in a couple years I look for him to supplant Gomez in Center in 2011 and move Gomez to left field. I see Angel Morales as a star also that will be running right field beginning in 2011. I really believe with his bat and speed and being that he has played there before i see sooner or later Ben Revere to return to 2nd base for the Twins and Alexi Casilla moving to short. When it comes to Denard Span if he has another good year this year I would keep him until Hicks and Morales are ready to join the Twins then trade him. In retrospect I see our starting lineup in 2011 as

C Joe Mauer
1st Justin Mourneau
2nd Ben Revere
SS Alexi Casilla
3b Danny Valencia
LF Carlos Gomez
CF Aaron Hicks
RF Angel Morales
DH Jason Kubel

Everyone let me know what you think on this

projected twins roster for 2009

I thought it would be fun to project who I think is going to be on the Twins team next year and see if I am anywhere close to being right with the roster.

1. Joe Mauer
2. Mike Redmond
3. Justin Mourneau
4. Alexi Casilla
5. Nick Punto
6. Casey Blake
7. Denard Span
8. Carlos Gomez
9. Michael Cuddyer
10. Jason Kubel
11. Delmon Young
12. Brenden Harris
13. Matt Tolbert
14. Scott Baker
15. Francisco Liriano
16. Kevin Slowey
17. Nick Blackburn
18. Glen Perkins
19. Joe Nathan
20. Jose Mijares
21. Matt Guerrier
22. Jesse Crain
23. Craig Breslow
24. Boof Bonser
25. Philip Humber

I think there is a chance Delmon Young gets traded before Spring training but i dont think it would be a good idea. Otherwise the only changes I would make is if Casey Blake goes elsewhere that opens a spot for Brian Buscher. If they sign a reliever then likely Boof Bonser or Phil Humber would have to go so they have some tough decisions to make.

Top 50 free agents and landing spots

Im going to do my own version of a topic i saw on mlbtraderumors.com and project where i see all the players ending up next year. I am not going to do the reasoning just the projection. There are not alot of Twins news right now so i am trying to find things to write about and this is something i want to try out and welcome feedback either on the comment section or you can always email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. UPDATE: as free agents sign i will be updating where they ended up and how much they got.

1. CC Sabathia- New York Yankees 7years 160 million Signed
2. Manny Ramirez- Los Angeles Dodgers 3 years 80 million
3. Mark Texiera- New York Yankees 8 years 180 million Signed
4. A.J. Burnett- New York Yankees 5 years 83 million Signed
5. Francisco Rodriguez- New York Mets 3 years 37 million Signed
6. Derek Lowe- New York Yankees 3 years 39 million
7. Ben Sheets- Boston Red Sox 1year 12 million
8. Orlando Hudson- Chicago White Sox 4 years 40 million
9. Adam Dunn- Washington Nationals 5 years 65 million
10. Raul Ibanez- Philadelphia Phillies 3 years 30 million Signed
11. Bobby Abreu Chicago Cubs 2 years 30 million
12. Pat Burrell- Tampa Bay Rays 2 years 16 million Signed
13. Brian Fuentes- Anaheim Angels 2 years 15 million Signed
14. Andy Pettitte- Los Angeles Dodgers 1 year 15 million
15. Casey Blake- Los Angeles Dodgers 4 years 24 million Signed
16. Rafael Furcal- Los Angeles Dodgers 3 years 30 million Signed
17. Jason Giambi- Oakland A's 1 year 10 million
18. Milton Bradley- Chicago Cubs 3 years 30 million Signed
19. Orlando Cabrera- Detroit Tigers 3 years 24 million
20. Jamie Moyer- Philadelphia Phillies 2 year 10 million Signed
21. Kerry Wood- Cleveland Indians 2 years 20 million Signed
22. Randy Johnson- San Francisco Giants 1 year 5 million Signed
23. Oliver Perez- San Francisco Giants 4 years 32 million
24. Randy Wolf- New York Mets 1 year 8 million
25. Mark Grudzilenak- Kansas City Royals 1 year 4 million
26. Ray Durham- Arizona Diamondbacks 1 year 5 million
27. John Smoltz- Atlanta Braves 1 year 10 million
28. Ivan Rodriguez- Florida Marlins 1 year 7 million
29. Trevor Hoffman- Cleveland Indians- 1 year 11 million
30. Brad Penny- Boston Red Sox 1 year 8 million Signed
31. Jon Garland- Milwaukee Brewers 3 years 27 million
32. Paul Byrd- Boston Red Sox 1 year 4 million
33. Edgar Renteria- San Francisco Giants 2 years 19 million Signed
34. Braden Looper- Pittsburgh Pirates 1 year 5 million
35. Joe Crede- Texas Rangers 1 year 7 million
36. Nick Punto- Minnesota Twins 2 year 8.5 million Signed
37. Damaso Marte- New York Yankees 3 year 12 million Signed
38. Juan Cruz- Atlanta Braves 3 years 18 million
39. Mark Kotsay- Oakland A's 1 year 4 million
40. Jason Varitek- Boston Red Sox 1 year 8 million
41. Garrett Anderson- Los Angeles Angels 1 year 10 million
42. Odalis Perez- Washington Nationals- 4 years 5 million
43. Felipe Lopez- Washington Nationals- 3 years 10 million
44. Jim Edmonds- Seattle Mariners 1 year 8 million
45. Dennys Reyes- Kansas City Royals 3 years 12 million
46. Nomar Garciaparra- Los Angeles Dodgers 1 year 6 million
47. Juan Uribe- Chicago White Sox 1 year 5 million
48. Rocco Baldelli- Chicago White Sox 3 years 12 million
49. Ken Griffey Jr.- Tampa Bay Rays 1 year 10 million
50. Eddie Guardado- Texas Rangers 1 year 3 million

2009 Mock Draft 1.0

I know its early but i really enjoy looking at different situations that could make a team look at this positiion or that position. I will continue to do 1 a week until the draft and the closer it comes to the draft the closer i will get to getting the teams right. Let me know what you think

1. Detroit Lions- Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma

2. Cincinnatti- Andre Smith OT Alabama

3. Kansas City- Michael Oher OT Ole Miss

4. St. Louis- Eugene Monroe OT Virginia

5. Seattle- Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech

6. Oakland- Tyson Jackson DE LSU

7. Jacksonville- Vontae Davis CB Illinois

8. San Francisco- Matt Stafford QB Georgia

9. San Diego- Malcolm Jenkins CB Ohio St

10. Cleveland- Rey Maualuga LB USC

11. Houston- James Laurinitus LB Ohio St

12. Green Bay- Fili Moala DT USC

13. New Orleans- Joe Burnett CB Central Florida

14. Philadelphia- Michael Johnson DE Georgia Tech

15. Buffalo- Brian Cushing LB USC

16. Chicago- Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri

17. Miami- Aaron Curry LB Wake Forest

18. New England- Shonn Green RB Iowa

19. Washington- Percy Harvin WR Florida

20. Atlanta- Terrance Cody DT Alabama

21. Minnesota- Xavier Fulton OT Illinois

22. Arizona- Chris Wells RB OHio St

23. Denver- Knowshown Moreno RB Georgia

24. Indianapolis- Ricky Jean- Francois DT LSU

25. Detroit- Taylor Mays S USC

26. Carolina- Myron Rolle S Florida St

27. Baltimore- William Moore S Missouri

28. New York Jets- Tim Tebow QB Florida

29. Pittsburgh- Lesean Mccoy RB Pittsburgh

30. Tampa Bay- Colt Mccoy QB Texas

31. Tennessee- Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland

32. New York Giants- DJ Moore CB Vanderbilt

Bowl Season

Being that it is thanksgiving season and the College Football regular season is coming to an end I thought it would be cool to project the Bowl season this year and see how far off I am. I know I will probably be way off but I thought it would be fun.



BCS Title Game: Florida vs Oklahoma

Rose Bowl: Oregon St vs Penn St

Fiesta Bowl: Texas vs USC

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs Utah

Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs Cincinnati

GMAC Bowl: East Carolina vs Central Michigan

International Bowl: Connecticut vs Buffalo

Liberty Bowl: Tulsa vs South Carolina

Cotton Bowl: Texas Tech vs Ole Miss

Gator Bowl: Florida St. vs West Virginia

Capitol One Bowl: Georgia vs Ohio St.

Outback Bowl: Michigan St. vs Vanderbilt

Chick-fil-a Bowl: LSU vs Boston College

Insight.com Bowl: Wisconsin vs Kansas

Music City Bowl: Kentucky vs Georgia Tech

Sun Bowl: Oregon vs Pittsburgh

Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force vs Houston

Holiday Bowl: Missouri vs California

Texas Bowl: San Jose St vs Rice

Humanitarian Bowl: Boise St vs North Carolina

Alamo Bowl: Iowa vs Oklahoma St

Papajohns.com Bowl: Rutgers vs Arkansas St

Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech vs Louisiana- Layfette

Emerald Bowl: Miami vs Notre Dame

Champs Bowl: Clemson vs Northwestern

Meineke Car Care Bowl: Maryland vs South Florida

Motor City Bowl: Ball St. vs Minnesota

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii vs Arizona

Poinsettia Bowl: TCU vs Nebraska

New Orleans Bowl: Troy vs Southern Miss

Eagle Bank Bowl: Navy vs Wake Forest

Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs Arizona ST

St. Petersburg Bowl: Memphis vs Nevada

New Mexico: Colorado St vs Fresno St

What do I think needs to happen with Twins offseason

I have taken my time to think about why the Twins did not make the playoffs last year and what needs to happen for the Twins to make the playoffs this year. The Twins finished a game out of the playoffs after their 1-0 loss to Chicago in that 1 game playoff and unlike other people I think they need an addition. So i will break down every position and see if we need help at a position.

• 1st base: Justin Mourneau- I think it is pretty obvious that we dont need help at the position, but what we need is a quality backup at this spot so Justin can take a day off every once in a while because I think he tired down the stretch from Playing too much.



• 2nd base: Alexi Casilla- I think he did an outstanding job when he came up and I think he can improve as a basestealer and a bunter to get even better so im not worried about him. There is some talk about moving him to shortstop but i think him at second so I think they should leave him right there so he can get better and better.



• Shortstop: Nick Punto- Nick Punto I know gets alot of gruff but he solidified the position last year. There are a lot of negatives to be said about him, but there are also alot of good things about him. Nick Punto is probably one of the best defensive infielders in baseball. Hitting wise its hard to know what kind of a hitter he is. Is he the .210 hitter of 07 or the .280 hitter of 08. I think he is somewhere in between. What to do with him this offseason is interesting being that he is a free agent. If im the Twins I would not give up prospects to acquire a JJ Hardy or Khalil Green. Instead I would pave the way for Trevor Plouffe, thats saying he shows improvement at AAA this year, by offering Nick Punto a 1 year deal with a option and if he takes it great and if not go with Matt Tolbert and Brenden Harris .


• 3rd Base- I know there are people who disagree with me on this and think we should keep it as is with Buscher and Harris, But I think we need a little more power and experience at the position. There was nothing wrong with Buscher and Harris last year and I wouldnt be that dissapointed if they gave them the job this year, but i do think if your not going forward your going backward so thats why i think we need to make a move at third base. At first I was willing to give up starting pitching to get a Beltre, a Atkins and so on but i have changed my mind. It kind of shows you how far the Twins farm system has fallen when you have to give up major league players in trades. I think its back on the upswing but the 04-05 drafts were not very good and we are feeling it right now. I think the right guy for right now is Casey Blake. He has power averaging over 20 homeruns in Cleveland and will add the experience we need to help our young guys develop. I would not give him a long contract with the Danny Valencia's and Luke Hughes on the way but I would offer him a 2 year contract with an option year at between 8-10 per year. I think he would welcome a return to Minnesota and even though he is not a difference maker I think he would be a good contributer to the team.
• Outfield- I know there are some out there who think we need to make a trade to thin out the outfield. I think that is a mistake because all our outfielder go with reckless abandon and one slide or one hit by pitch and we are looking at Jason Pridie starting for the Twins if we trade someone. Nothing against Jason Pridie but he is not in the class with the other outfielders. So what I suggest is keeping all 5 in Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, and Jason Kubel. When I got to spring training i would explain to all of them they are going to have to give up playing time but that all 5 would play alot. Its pretty obvious to me atleast that Jason Kubel can not hit left handed pitching so i would sit him against leftys and put cuddyer at DH and put span in right. Each of them would theoreticaly play 4-5 games a week depending on the hot hand. They probably would not be happy but we are an injury away from needing them.
• Starting Pitching- I think we are pretty set in our starting 5 going into the seasonunless the Twins decide to make a trade. Im pretty happy with a Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, and Glen Perkins starting 5. In case of injury they still have Phil Humber, Boof Bonser, Kevin Mulvey, Anthony Swarzak, Brian Duensing in the wings ready to step up so starting pitching is not a concern for the Twins.
• Relief Pitching on the other hand was dealt a very tough blow with the season ending injury to Pat Neshek. I havent wrote in a while so let me be one to say good luck Pat I know you will do great and look forward to seeing you at Target Field. I think with the starting rotation more steady it will mean less innings for the bullpen which will help. I think Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain just basically wore down at the end of the season. They are good pitchers and there September numbers were not indicitive of that, but a winter of rest will reinvigerate them and allow them to show their true colors.
  You add them to Joe Nathan and you got a good 7th and 8th inning mix along with the emergence of Jose Mijares. I think he is for real and will be our top lefty along with last years surprise Craig Breslow. You add Boof Bonser and newcomer Phil Humber and I think the Twins will have an excellent bullpen once again.

I think the Twins will have most of the players back along with a couple tweaks to hopefully get the Twins back to the playoffs in 2009

November version of Twins 25 top prospects

1. Ben Revere
2. Aaron Hicks
3. Angel Morales
4. Danny Valencia
5. Deolis Guerra
6. Tyler Robertson
7. Wilson Ramos
8. Carlos Gutierrez
9. Anthony Swarzak
10. Kevin Mulvey
11. Luke Hughes
12. Trevor Plouffe
13. Shooter Hunt
14. Rene Tosoni
15. Mike Mccardell
16. Steve Tolleson
17. Jeff Manship
18. Brian Duensing
19. Chris Parmalee
20. Brian Dinkelman
21. Joe Benson
22. Deibinson Romero
23. Jose Mijares
24. Rob Delaney
25. Anthony Slama

im back

after being busy the last few months I am back with my unique thoughts on the Twins and from now on I will have posts on other topics from the Twins,Vikings, Gophers or anything that i think is important. So hopefully everyone will come back and comment on my opinions Thanks

New Top 50 prospects list

1. Tyler Robertson
2. Ben Revere
3. Deolis Guerra
4. Shooter Hunt
5. Aaron Hicks
6. Danny Valencia
7. Jeff Manship
8. Carlos Gutierrez
9. Anthony Slama
10. Luke Hughes
11. Trevor Plouffe
12. Denard Span
13. Brian Duensing
14. Anthony Swarzak
15. Kevin Mulvey
16. Wilson Ramos
17. Chris Parmalee
18. Angel Morales
19. Mike Mccardell
20. Cole Devries
21. Steve Tolleson
22. Alex Burnett
23. Santos Arias
24. Tyler Ladendorf
25. Philip Humber
26. David Bromberg
27. Erik Lis
28. Jon Waltenbury
29. Brian Dinkelman
30. Joe Benson
31. Rob Delaney
32. Dustin Martin
33. Brandon Roberts
34. Brock Peterson
35. Rene Tosoni
36. Edward Ovalle
37. Michael Harrington
38. Steve Singelton
39. Dan Osterbrock
40. Deibinson Romero
41. Danny Rams
42. Jay Rainville
43. Juan Portes
44. Brad Tippet
45. Mike Tarsi
46. Daniel Ortiz
47. Alex Curry
48. Alex Soto
49. Steve Singelton
50. Reggie Williams

Quarterly top 50 prospects

The first 20 I have provided stats for so this will be just a list of the top 25 prospects and tommorrow i will list the next 25

1. Tyler Robertson
2. Deolis Guerra
3. Ben Revere
4. Danny Valencia
5. Kevin Mulvey
6. Jeff Manship
7. Luke Hughes
8. Aaron Hicks
9. Anthony Slama
10. Mike Mccardell
11. Jon Waltenbury
12. Brian Duensing
13. Shooter Hunt
14. Trevor Plouffe
15. Carlos Gutierrez
16. Deibinson Romero
17. Angel Morales
18. Cole Devries
19. Santos Arias
20.Philip Humber
21. Anthony Swarzak
22.Wilson Ramos
23. Ryan Mullins
24. Alex Burnett
25. Chris Parmalee

Saturday, July 5th

Twins Talk

Twins 12 Cleveland 3

Twins 48-38 1.0 games back

• POG: Delmon Young- Delmon had probably his best day of the season by going 3-5 with 4 rbi's and his 3rd homerun of the season. With the 3 hits it raised his average to a good .289 on the season. Also the 4 Rbi's brought his season total up to 33. Delmon got off to a slow start but this homestand he has really come on hitting .422 with 2 homeruns, which is what we have been waiting to see. I have been saying it all year that his numbers will be fine and at the end of the year he will put up comparable numbers that he did last year with 10-15 homerun and around 90 rbi's which is exactly what we need out of him.


• The Twins had a great game as they defeated the Indians 12-3 last night. Livan Hernandez was shaky like usual but he made it 6 innings and only gave up 3 runs for his 4th consecutive quality start. Twins pitchers have now had quality starts in 16 of the last 19 games. Offensivly there were plenty of heros as the Twins pounded out 15 hits and 12 runs. They were led by Delmon Young and Nick Punto, yes that Nick Punto. Between the 2 of them they went 5-9 with 2 homeruns and 8 rbi's. Justin Mourneau went 2-3 with his 16th and 17th doubles of the year.


• Tonight, the Twins try to extend their winning streak to 4 games at the Metrodome against the Indians. Gametime is at 6:10 with Kevin Slowey getting the start for the Twins.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 8 Buffalo 1

Rochester 42-48 15.0 games back

• POG: Trevor Plouffe- Trevor had probably his best night of the season since his callup to Rochester. He went 3-5 with his 3rd homerun of the season for the Red Wings. He also had his 4th double and his 12th rbi of the year. Trevor improved his average with the 3 hits to .244 on the year. Trevor has really started to pick it up as of late and has become a solid contributer for the Red Wings my only question is what is his position any more. I thought we had found our shortstop of the future, but since he went up to Rochester he has hardly played short mostly 3rd or 2nd. Makes me wonder does he not have the range to play ss at the major league level or what. Because if doesn't play SS the Twins are kind of weak at SS in the system so they may have to go outside the organization to find a SS.


• The Redwings won their 3rd consecutive game and 2nd consecutive against Buffalo as they went ahead of them in the standings. Brian Duensing had his best start in a while going 6 shutout innings to pick up his 5th win of the year. Offensively they were led by Trevor Plouffe and Howie Clark. Plouffe went 3-5 with his 3rd homerun and Clark went 4-4 with 3 rbi's.


• Tonight, the Redwings try to extend their winning streak to 4 games as they finish up their series with Buffalo going for the sweep. Gametime is at 6:05 with Francisco Liriano getting the start for the Redwings.

New Britain Business

New Britain 5 Connecticut 3

New Britain 36-49 15.5 games back

• POG: Brock Peterson- Brock had his best start in quite a while yesterday going 3-4 with his 8th and 9th homeruns of the year. With the 3 hits it raised his average to .257 and picked up his 46th and 47th rbi's of the year. Brock has been up and down all year and has not been as consistant as I expected him to be and that along with the good year of Randy Ruiz has kept Brock in AA so im hoping for a good second half from Brock to possibly starting next season up in Rochester.


• The Rockcats broke a 4 game losing streak with a 5-3 win versus Connecticut. Jeff Manship got the start and was very strong going 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs to lower his era to 3.91 for the season. Offensively, they were led by Brock Peterson who went 3-4 with 2 homeruns and Luke Hughes who hit his 15th homerun of the year.


• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Connecticut in New Britain. Gametime is at 6:05 with Kyle Aselton getting the start for the Rockcats.

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 2 Lakeland 1 14 innings

• POG: Cole Devries- Cole continued the unbeliveable pitching by the Miracle pitching staff by going 6 shutout innings and only giving up 3 hits along with a walk and 6 strikeouts. With the no runs it lowered Cole's era to 2.59 on the season. Cole has been really amazing the last couple months and has put himself back on the prospect list because going into the season alot of people did not think too highly of him and with the season he has put together he should be considered for a promotion to New Britain.


• The Miracle continued their hot streak by winning their 7th consecutive game. Cole Devries went the first 6 innings, but this game went on forever. 14 innings to be exact before Eddie Ovalle hit home Steve Singelton for the game winning run. Ovalle was the hitting star going 2-6 with his 7th homerun and his 42nd and 43rd rbi's.


• The big thing as of late is the Fort Myers pitching staff. Here is a stat I have never seen anything even close to and that is in the last 42 innings the Miracle pitchers have only given up 2 runs. Yes thats right only 2 runs.


• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Lakeland in Lakeland. Gametime is at 5pm with Alex Burnett getting the start for the Miracle.

Beloit bits

Clinton 4 Beloit 0

Beloit 10-6 1.0 games back

• POG: Jeanfred Brito- Brito has really asserted himself since his call up from E-town. Last night he went 1-4 with his 3rd stolen base of the season. Brito has brought some life to a lifeless Beloit team right now with Revere limping along with Benson and Parmalee out with injuries. It will be interesting to see if he can keep it up ie. Revere.
• The Snappers have had alot of success against Clinton early in the second half, but Clinton is a playoff team for a reason and they found that out last night in a 4-0 loss. Mike Mccardell was not as sharp as he had been as of late going 7 innings and giving up 4 runs to take the loss. Offensively, the Snappers were not able to get anything going against the Clinton pitching staff only able to muster 3 hits in the loss.
• Tonight, the Snappers begin a 3 game series with Wisconsin in Wisconsin. Gametime is at 7pm with David Bromberg getting the start for the Snappers.

E-town tidbits

E-town 5 Bristol 4 11innings

E-town 14-4 First Place

• POG: Shooter Hunt- Twins 1st round pick Shooter Hunt made his professional start last night and man was it impressive. Shooter went 3 innings and did not allow a hit and struck out 6 batters to get his career started. Shooter could not of asked for a better way to start his Twins career than how he did it. I look for him to skyrocket through the Twins system because he is very refined as a prospect. Before the season is up I look for Shooter to be up in Fort Myers.
• The Twins themselves had a long game last night needed 11 innings to beat Bristol. Shooter Hunt got his first professional start and was very good for 3 innings. Offensively, they were led by Angel Morales who went 3-5 with his 4th homerun of the year to put the Twins on top in the 11th inning. Also Juan Richardson and Dominic De La Osa each had 2 hits to pace the Twins attack
• Tonight, the Twins continue their series with Bristol in Bristol. Gametime is at 6:00pm with Dan Osterbrock getting the start for the Twins

Friday, July 4th

Twins Talk
off day
Twins 47-38 2.0 games back

• The Twins had yesterday off before beginning a 3 game weekend series with the Indians at the Metrodome. Gametime is at 6:10 with Livan Hernandez getting the start for the Twins vs Paul Byrd of the Indians.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 7 Buffalo 6 13 innings

Rochester 41-48 15 games back

• POG: Kevin Mulvey- Kevin had his finest start in quite a while last night. He went 7 innings and only gave up 2 runs on 5 hits along with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. With the 2 runs Kevin lowered his era to 3.94 on the season. Kevin made a really good start and it was a start that he needed for his confidence because in June he had a 4.05era. I really believe that Kevin's best days are ahead of him and he put in a big start last night that will come a long way to getting him back on track.
• Trevor Plouffe had a game winning homerun in the top of 13th to bail out the bullpen. Kevin Mulvey handed the Red Wings bullpen a 6-2 9th inning lead and it took 4 pitchers to get through the inning and before they knew it the score was 6-6. That why it was such a big homerun by Plouffe on 2 fronts. First it got them a win in a game they had to win because if they had blown this one it would of destroyed any momentum the Red Wings had gotten. Secondly, Trevor needed that for his confidence because since his promotion he has really struggled only hitting .219 and hopefully a game like that will help him get going.
• Tonight, the Red Wings continue their series with Buffalo in Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 with Brian Duensing getting the start.

New Britain Business

Reading 6 New Britain 2

New Britain 35-49 15.5 games back

• POG: Brian Dinkelman- Brian had his finest day since his promotion to New Britain by going 2-4 with a run scored. With the 2 hits it brings Brian's New Britain average up to .218 on the season. Brian has really struggled to get going at New Britain I don't think it is something to get worried about, but it is something that you should keep an eye on, but I think he is too good of a hitter for him not to hit and I think in Time he will hit like we are used to seeing out of him.
• The Rockcats continue to struggle as of late as they lost again. The Rockcats have now lost 12 of their last 15 games. Just like usual the bad part was the pitching as Yohan Pino gave up 5 runs in only 3.1 innings. The hitters were not much better as they were only able to get 5 hits off Reading pitcher and former Twins farmhand J.D. "The Real Deal" Durbin. The only bright spots were Felix Molina picked up his 2nd triple and Toby Gardenhire picked up his 8th rbi of the year.
• Today, the Rockcats begin a 4 game series with Connecticut in New Britain. Gametime is at 3:05 with Jeff Manship getting the start for the Rockcats.

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 2 Tampa 1

Fort Myers 8-6 1.5 games back

• POG: Matt Fox- Matt continued the phenomenal pitching by the Fort Myers starters as of late going 7 innings and only giving up 1 run on 3 hits along with 1bb and 3 strikeouts. Matt has really taken off since the Miracle put him in the starting rotation after the All-Star game. With the 1 run allowed he lowered his era to 3.65 on the season and picked up his 4th win of the year. I really think that Matt is going to continue to pitch this good and will help the Miracle in their charge to a FSL title.
• The Miracle won a very close and hard fought game 2-1 over Tampa Bay. Matt Fox pitched very good going 7 innings and only giving up a run. Oswaldo Sosa and Anthony Slama pitched 2 shutout innings to protect the tight 1 run lead. His 1 run that he allowed in the 6th inning broke an unbelievable stretch. Fort Myers pitchers had gone 24 consecutive innings without giving up a run. I don't know about you but that is amazing and should not be taken lightly. Offensively they were led by Eli Tintor who went 3-3 with his 3rd homerun of the year along with 2 rbi's and a run scored.
• Today, the Miracle begin a 3 game series with Lakeland in Lakeland. Gametime is at 4pm with Jay Rainville getting the start for the Miracle.

Beloit Bits

Clinton 7 Beloit 2

Beloit 10-5 First Place

• POG: Michael Tarsi- Michael had his best start in quite a while last night as he held a good Clinton team in check. Mike went 7 innings and only gave up 2 runs on 8 hits along with a season high 11 strikeouts along with 1 walk. Mike really needed a start like this because in June he was awful going 1-2 with a 5.86era. With the 2 runs allowed last night he lowered his era to 5.48 and I think this will really help his confidence level and get him back on track.
• The Snappers had their 2 game winning streak halted by Clinton last night 7-2. Mike Tarsi put together a very nice start giving up only 2 runs in 7 innings but Loek Van Mil gave up 4 runs in only a inning and a third to get the loss. At the plate they were not able to get much going but were led by Jeanfred Brito, newly up from E-town who went 3-5 with his first rbi and his 2nd stolen base.
• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Clinton in Beloit. Gametime is at 7pm with Mike Mccardell getting the start for the Snappers

E-town tidbits

Greeneville 3 Elizabethton 0

E-town 13-4 first place

• POG: Brad Tippett- Brad continued his strong start of the season by pitching 7 strong innings and only giving up 2 runs on 5 hits along with 5 strikeouts. With the 2 runs allowed he lowered his era to 2.25 on the season. I think Brad is ready for a callup to Beloit again after some good starts for E-town.
• The Twins had their 5 game winning streak snapped with a 3-0 loss to Greenville. Brad Tippett had another good start going 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs. However, the Snappers could not get anything going as they could only muster 4 hits against Greenville pitcher. The only one who did anything was Michael Harrington who went 1-4 with his 3rd double of the season.
• Tonight, the Twins try to get back on track as they take on Bristol in Bristol. Gametime is at 6:00 with Dan Osterbrock getting the start for the Twins

Prospects 11-20

11. Aaron Hicks- .278 10-36 0homeruns 5 rbi's, 1 double, 1 triple, .395obp, .361 slug, .756ops.

12. Brian Duensing- 4-8 4.25era 18 starts 106inn, 104 hits, 22 walks, 62 strikeouts, .254oba

13. Trevor Plouffe- .257 77-300 20 doubles, 4 triples, 5 homeruns 32rbi's, .306obp, .400 slug, .706ops

14. Jeff Manship- 8-5 3.14era 16 starts, 1 complete game, 94.2inn, 85 hits, 23 walks, 82 strikeouts, .237oba

15. Cole Devries- 6-6 2.77era 14 starts, 84.1 innings, 87 hits, 22 walks, 59 strikeouts, .265oba

16. Deibinson Romero- .243 26-107 2hr 14rbi's, 7 doubles, 1triple, .276obp, .383 slug, .659ops

17. Angel Morales- .340 17-50 3hr 9rbi, 3 doubles, 1triple, .389obp, .620 slug, 1.009ops

18. Philip Humber- 4-7 6.00era 15 starts, 72 inn, 90 hits, 33 walks, 50 strikeouts, .307oba

19. Santos Arias- 4-3 2.70era 12 starts, 1 complete game, 73.1inn, 66 hits, 15 walks, 58 strikeouts, .238oba

20. Tyler Ladendorf- .200 8-40 0homeruns 2 rbi's, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 stolen bases, .304obp, .300 slug, .604ops

* I did not add anyone who hasn't appeared in a game yet or has not signed yet. IE: Shooter Hunt, Carlos Gutierrez

June

June players of the month

Twins
Pitcher of the Month: Kevin Slowey- Kevin had an outstanding month and am here eating crow and he is better than i thought he was. For the month Kevin went 4-2 with a 3.06era in 6starts. He pitched 47inn and only walked 3 batters while striking out 38 batters. He also held opponents to a .241 batting average. Previous: Nick Blackburn

Hitter of the Month: Jason Kubel- Jason had a phenomenal month and he is far outperforming the expectations I had for him. In June he hit .329 with 6 homeruns and 15rbi's along with 3 doubles and 2 triples. He had a .427obp and a .671 slugging for a 1.098ops. Previous: Justin Mourneau

Rochester
Pitcher of the Month: Francisco Liriano- The Red Wings did not really have much for good pitching for the month, but Francisco had a decent month and deserves the award. Liriano went 5-0 with a 3.93 era in 6 June starts. He pitched 36.2 innings and walked 8 and struck out a good 38 batters in June. Previous: Francisco Liriano

Hitter of the Month: Randy Ruiz- Randy continued his recent resurgence for the Red Wings by having his best month of the year. In June Randy hit .360 with 8 homeruns and 22rbi's. He also had 7 doubles and a triple. For the month he had a .437obp, and a awesome .658slug for a great 1.094ops. Randy has really turned the corner and if there is any kind of injury to Justin Mourneau or Jason Kubel it would not bother me at all to see him get the call to the Twins.

New Britain
Pitcher of the Month: Ben Julianel- Ben had an ok month, but as you can see New Britain did not pitch good at all for the month so there was limited choices to pick from. Lets not take away from Ben's month of June because it was very solid. Ben went 1-0 with a 3.31era. In 13 games he recorded 5 saves to bring his total on the season to 15. In 16.1 innings he only walked 4 batters and struck out 22. He also held batters to a .284oba. Previous: Jay Rainville

Hitter of the Month: Drew Butera- Drew really came alive in the month of June to claim this award. In June Drew hit .308 with a homerun and 10rbi's along with 8 doubles to help the Rockcats. He had a .378obs, along with a .477 slugging, for a ops of .855. They are not awesome numbers but I saw the most improvement of anybody from May to June in Drew and that is why he got the award. Previous: Steve Tolleson

Fort Myers
Pitcher of the Month: Cole Devries- Cole had a phenomenal month of June that is probably the best of anybody in the whole organization. In 4 June starts Cole went 2-2 with a tiny 0.69era. In 26 innings he only walked 7 and struck out 18. He also held opponents to a .217oba. Cole is often overshadowed in that good Fort Myers rotation, but he should not take a back seat to anybody and if he can continue it I expect a promotion to New Britain before the year is out. Previous: Cole Devries

Hitter of the Month: Whit Robbins- With the promotions that the Miracle had of Valencia and Dinkelman they were looking for more offense and Whit really stepped up in June. He hit .323 with no homeruns and 8 rbi's in the month. He also had 2 doubles and a triple to pace the Miracle attack. He had a .371obp and a .387 slug for a .759ops which is not great but he was the best of the bunch. I was most impressed with his .323 batting average and hopefully he can get back from his injury to help the Miracle try to win the 2nd half title to go along with the 1st half title. Previous: Danny Valencia

Beloit
Pitcher of the Month: Mike Mccardell- Mike really turned it on in June and showed why the Twins are so high on him and why he probably won't make the season for the Snappers. In June Mike went 4-0 with a 2.45era in 5 june starts. In 36.2 innings Mike only walked 3 batters and struck out a very good 32 batters. He also limited the opposition to a .213oba. Mike has really turned the corner and I think if he can make 3 or 4 more good starts like this he will be in Fort Myers before he knows it. Previous: Dan Berlind

Hitter of the Month: Ben Revere- Surprise Surprise Ben wins the award for the 2nd straight month and it seems like he is getting better and better even though teams you would think would start to figure him out. In June Ben hit a even .400 with no homeruns and 7rbi's along with 2 doubles and 2 triples and 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. He had an unbelievable .481obp along with a .486 slugging for a very good .967 ops for the month. Ben just doesnt seem to slow down and I think a promotion to Fort Myers will be in the cards for him when some of his injured teammates for the Snappers return. Previous: Ben Revere

Twins Organization Pitcher and Hitter of the Month

Pitcher: Mike Mccardell

Hitter: Randy Ruiz

Everyone let me know what you think of my thoughts

top 10 prospects stats

im doing a new top 10 prospect list with their stats so far. Let me know if you disagree with any of the prospects.


1. Tyler Robertson P Fort Myers- 5-2 2.75era 14starts 1 complete game, 78.2inn, 73hits, 28bb 72strikeouts.

2. Deolis Guerra P Fort Myers- 8-4 4.32era 15starts 1 complete game, 83.1inn, 80hits, 39bb 46strikeouts

3. Ben Revere CF Beloit- .407avg 85-209 13 doubles, 8triples 1Hr 28rbi, 25sb, .459obp, 560slug, 1.018ops

4. Danny Valencia 3b New Britain- .310avg 84-271 2odoubles, 3triples, 5Hr 47rbi .381obp, .461slug, .842ops.

5. Kevin Mulvey P Rochester- 3-7 4.06era 16starts 82inn 88hits, 30bb 72strikeouts

6. Jeff Manship P New Britain- 8-5 3.14era 16starts 1 complete game, 94.2innings, 85hits, 23bb 82strikeouts

7. Luke Hughes 2b New Britain- .343avg 72-210 10doubles, 3triples, 14Hr 35rbi, .414obp, .619slug, 1.033ops.

8. Anthony Slama RP Fort Myers- 3-0 0.41era 30games 16saves, 43.2inn, 25hits, 12bb, 75strikeouts, .162oba

9. Mike Mccardell SP Beloit- 5-1 2.88era 11starts, 1complete game, 68.2inn 58 hits, 15walks, 68strikeout

10. Jon Waltenbury DH Elizabethton- .387 24-62 8doubles, 2triples, 2Hr 12rbi, .457obp, 677slug, 1.135ops.


There is my top 10 I will be doing the same thing for my next 10 tommorrow. Let me know what you think

Tuesday, July 1st

Twins Talk

Detroit 5 Minnesota 4

Minnesota 45-38 2.5 games back

• POG: Glen Perkins- Glen had is 2nd outstanding start agains the start in as many starts against them this season. Last night Glen gave the Twins a good chance to win with a quality start. Glen went 6.1 innings and only gave up 2 runs on 7 hits while walking 1 and striking out a season high 7. With the 2 runs allowed he lowered his era to a very respectable 4.31 on the season. Glen has been really solid this season giving up 3 runs or less in 10 of his 12 starts with the Twins. I really like Glen he has proven he belongs with the Twins and has developed into a very good starter for the Twins and seems to be getting better and better every start.


• Denard Span made his return to the Twins and he did not disappoint as he showed why the Twins are so high on him. Denard went 2-4 with an rbi and a brilliant catch in the outfield to prevent a big inning in the first inning. With the 2 hits it raised Denard's average to .286 on the season. The Rbi was his 3rd of the season for the Twins. As many of you know im a big Denard Span supporter and im so glad that he is getting the chance to show what he can do at the major league level. Is he as good as Carlos Gomez no, but i think Denard will be a very solid major leaguer for a good 10 years and i don't think you will see him in Rochester again.


• The Twins bullpen imploded last night giving up a 4-1 7th inning lead. They gave up 4 runs on 5 hits in 2.1 innings. The worst of the bunch were Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier. But honestly im not too worried about them because the bullpen has been a team strength all season long and if the situation happens again tonight they will get the job done.


• Tonight, the Twins try to get back on track as they play the Tigers in game 2 of their series at the metrodome. Gametime is at 7:10 with Scott Baker getting the start for the Twins vs Nate Robertson for the Tigers.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 2 Leigh Valley 1

Rochester 39-47 15.0 games back

• POG: Francisco Liriano- Francisco Liriano had by far his best start of the season last night in a win versus Leigh Valley. Liriano went 7 strong innings and not giving up any runs on only 4 hits. He walked only 1 and struck out a season high 9. With the Win Liriano improved his record to 5-2 on the season and has won 5 straight decisions. With the no runs he lowered his ERA to 4.07 on the season. Franchise is getting better and better as the season goes on and last night was by far his best start of the season. It was the first time all year he went over 100 pitches so that means he is feeling good and he only had 1 3 ball count which was his only walk. The question is when is the right time to bring Liriano up because he is very close to being ready. I would say if he can make 2 starts as dominant as this he will be ready and the Twins will have to find a way to make room for him.
• The Redwings were not able to muster much against Leigh Valley as they only recorded 3 hits on the night. They were led by Randy Ruiz who hit a rbi double for the redwings to give them all the runs they would need. The Redwings really havent been able to muster much offense lately and unless they come out of it they wont win many games in the second half especially with Casilla, Buscher, and Span probably not coming back.
• Bobby Korecky has really struggled as of late as he almost blew the lead for the Red Wings. In his 1 inning of work he gave up 2 hits and a run and barely were able to hang on for the save. Bobby is too good of a pitcher to pitch like he has as of late and i think he will turn things around and be the pitcher we all know he can be.
• Tonight, the Red Wings finish their short 2 game series with Leigh Valley in Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 with Philip Humber getting the start for the Red Wings.

New Britain Business

Reading 13 New Britain 8

New Britain 35-46 14.5 games back

• POG: Brian Dinkelman- Brian had his best game since his promotion going 2-5 with an rbi for the Rockcats. With the 2 hits it raised his average to a still bad .213 on the season. With the rbi it raised his total to 3 since his promotion. I think Brian is starting to come around at the plate he is too good of a hitter to toil in the low .200's. I look for him to get better and better and by the end of the year i look for him to be one of the best hitters on the New Britain team.
• Ryan Mullins had a rough game yesterday as he gave up 7 runs on 9 hits in only 4 innings of work. With the 7 runs allowed it brought his ERa up to 3.84 on the season. I dont look for his start to lead to anything he has had a pretty good year and i look for him to rebound from it.
• Even though they lost the game the good thing about it was that the bats came alive as they scored 8 runs on 12 hits. They were led by Brian Dinkelman, Toby Gardenhire and Drew Butera who each had 2 hits to pace the Rockcats. It will be key for the Rockcats to continue like this if they are going to get back in the race.
• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Reading in Reading. Gametime is at 6:05 with Anthony Swarzak getting the start for the Rockcats.

Fort Myers Musings

• The Miracle had the day off yesterday and begin a 3 game series with Tampa in Tampa. Gametime is at 6:05 with Deolis Guerra getting the start.

Beloit Beat

• POG: Ben Revere- Ben continued his awesome start to the season going 3-4 to bring his average up to .418 on the season. It was really great to get him back out there as he missed a few days dealing with a hamstring injury. It will be key going forward for the Snappers for Revere to continue his hot string becuase they have so many injuries that without Ben they wont be able to put up the good numbers and win games.
• David Bromberg really struggled again for the Snappers only lasting 5.1 innings and giving up 6 runs on 8 hits. David has really struggled as of late but he is too good of a pitcher for it to continue. With the 6 runs allowed to raised his ERA to 5.31 and lowered his record to 5-6 on the season.
• Tonight, the Snappers begin a series with Clinton in Beloit. Gamtime is at 7:00pm with Santos Arias getting the start for the Snappers.

Monday, June 30th

Twins Talk

Twins 5 Brewers 0

Minnesota 45-37 1.5 games back

• POG: Kevin Slowey- Kevin had his finest game as a professionally shutting out a very good offensive team in the Brewers. Kevin went all 9 innings for his first complete game shutout of his career. In the 9 innings Kevin only gave up 3 hits and struck out 8 Brewer batters. With the no runs allowed Kevin picked up his 5th win of the year and lowered his team leading ERA to 3.47. It is time for me to eat some humble pie and admit that i was wrong about Kevin Slowey he is going to be an outstanding pitcher after seeing him a while. I didn't realize how pinpoint his control is and if he continues to hit his spots he will be a tough guy to beat. The thing though about Slowey is that he doesn't throw that hard so he needs to hit his spots or he will get drilled. He is alot like Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker in that when they hit their spots they are good, but when they dont they are awful.
• Delmon Young had a big 2 run homerun in the 6th inning to pace the Twins hitters as they got to Ben Sheets a little bit. It was his 2nd homerun of the season and hopefully it is the beginning of something good for Delmon. Everyone else contributed for the Twins as they got a big win to rebound from thier loss to the Brewers Saturday.
• Micheal Cuddyer had to go on the DL after the game yesterday due to a torn tendon on his left hand. To replace Cuddyer on the roster the Twins called up outfielder Denard Span from Rochester. I think its a great move for the Twins becuase I think Denard has proven that he belongs on a major league team and i look for him to take the ball and run with it and his days in Rochester will be over.
• Tonight, the Twins begin a huge series at the Metrodome versus the Detroit Tigers. Gametime is at 7:10 with Glen Perkins getting the start for the Twins vs Armando Galarraga for the Tigers.

Rochester Wrap

Pawtucket 10 Rochester 0

Rochester 38-47 15.0 games back

• POG: Brian Duensing- This will be quick because it was a dreadful game for the Red Wings as they showed no life and got pummelled. The best of the bunch was probably Brian Duensing as he only gave up 4 runs in 5 innings to take the loss. Brian's record dropped to 4-8 on the season and his ERA rose to 4.25 on the season. Brian atleast kept his team in the game and the Rochester bullpen made the score worse than it had to be.
• The Red Wings were only able to muster 2 hits against the Red Sox in a terribly played game for the Red Wings. The hits came from Darnell Mcdonald and Randy Ruiz with 1 hit apiece. If the Red Wings want to get back in the race they are going to have to stop having these type of efforts.
• The Red Wings lost another player after Denard Span was called up to the Twins and i dont think they will replace him for now. Look for Jason Pridie to move into center field for the Red Wings and old faithful Tommy Watkins to get plenty of playing time in the outfield until a replacement is found.
• The Red Wings try to get back on track as they begin a series with last place Leigh Valley in Leigh. Gametime is at 6:05 with Francisco Liriano getting the start for the Red Wings.

New Britian Business

New Britain 1 New Hampshire 0

New Britain 3 New Hampshire 2

New Britain 35-45 13.5 games back

• POD: Felix Molina- Felix had a very nice day for the Rockcats by going 3-6 with an Rbi in the 2 games. With the 3 hits it raised his average to .238 on the season. And the Rbi was his 19th of the year. Felix has been doing an outstanding job when called upon as of late for the Rockcats and I look for more and more playing time for him.
• The Rockcats got 2 well pitched games by Kyle Aselton and Jeff Manship each going 6 innings and Aselton not giving up a run and Manship not far off only giving up 2 runs and keeping the Rockcats in the game
• Danny Valencia and Brian Dinkelman continue to struggle going a combined 1-11 on the day with an rbi by Valencia. Dianna told me that they are struggling with the speed of the game, but my view is you need to be patient with these guys a demotion would not do either of these guys any good because they have mastered the FSL and need this challenge to see how well they will develop. If they are still struggling like this a month from now maybe we can talk, but honestly i dont see that happening I think they will do fine and a month from now we will be talking how Valencia and Dinkelman are pacing the Rockcats attack.
• Tonight, the Rockcats begin a series with Reading in Reading. Gametime is at 6:05 with Ryan Mullins getting the start for the Rockcats.

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 3 Brevard County 2

Fort Myers 5-6 2.5 games back

• POG: Alex Burnett- Alex Burnett continued the hot pitching out of the Miracle as of late as they battle to get back to the .500 mark in the second half. Alex went 7 innings and only gave up a run on 5 hits along with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Alex has continued to get better and better for the Miracle as the season has taken shape. I think he will be with Fort Myers all season, but him and the rest of them will try to bring back a FSL title for the Miracle.
• Steve Singelton has done a very good job with the Miracle since his callup from Beloit by hitting .273 which is not bad when the consider the changes you have to go through when your called up. I look at Steve as a good prospect who if given a chance and his arm strenght continues to come back will be a key contributer for the Miracle and in a few years possibly the Twins.
• Oswaldo Sosa came in relief yesterday and did ok he gave up a run and made the Miracle come back, but he continues to work hard and try to get back up to New Britain. There is no excuse for the way hes pitching because he has filthy stuff when he throws strikes so they need to get him right and right in a hurry.
• The Miracle have today off before beginning a series with Tampa.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 2 Cedar Rapids 1

Beloit 8-3 First Place

• POG: Mike Mccardell- Mike continues his hot roll that he has been on since him coming off the disabled list a month ago. Mike threw a complete game to pick up his 5th win of the year and lowered his ERA to 2.88 on the season. Whatever Mike did when he was injured has sure worked becuase right now he is unhittable and I think he is ready for a promotion to Fort Myers to coincide with a Fort Myers pitcher getting promoted to New Britain. I really like how he is pitching right now and I think he is ready to take the next step in his career.
• The Snappers are really struggling with the bats as of late as they were only able to scratch together 6 hits off Cedar pitching and that is something they are need to get fixed and fixed in a hurry if the Snappers want to continue to contend for a second half playoff spot and a spot in the Midwest league playoffs.
• The injury bug has really hit the Snappers as Chris Parmalee is out 6 weeks with a broken wrist, Joe Benson is out a month with a back fracture and Jair Fernandez is out too with a undisclosed injury. To take their spots the Snappers called up Rene Leverat and Andrew Schmeissing from E-town to take their place. Alot of their offensive struggles as of late is due to those guys being out because they are 3 of Beloits best hitters and the Snappers will have to try to keep their head above water until they get back.
• Tonight, the Snappers finish off their series with Cedar Rapids in Beloit. Gametime is at 7:00 with David Bromberg getting the start for the Snappers.

E-town tidbits

• The Twins game with Burlington last night was rained out and will be made up as part of a doubleheader today in Burlington. The pitchers for the Twins will be Dan Osterbock and Bobby Lanigan.

Saturday, June 28th

I am back i was on vacation seeing some family and friends for the last 6 weeks in Minnesota. I just got back last night and it was so nice to sleep in my own bed last night. The weather is beautiful here and so glad to be home. Enough of that im excited to get back into Twins organization baseball. Give me a break though because i may not be up on everything that happened so give me your patience as i get caught up.



Twins Talk

Twins 7 Milwaukee 6

Twins 44-36 0.5games back

• POG: Joe Mauer- Joe continued his hot streak with the Twins by going 2-4 with a HUGE homerun in the bottom of the 8th inning to lead the Twins to the victory. With the 2 hits it raised Joe's average to a very good .326 on the season and with the homerun it was the 3rd homerun of the season. With the rbi with the homerun it brings his total to 32 on the season which ranks 4th on the team. Joe really is the heart and soul of the Twins and i know people criticize his lack of homeruns, but i will take his .330 any day of the week and if he hits 10 homeruns it is good enough for me.


• The Twins found a way to win a game that they trailed throughout and were behind 6-3 in the 5th inning. With the win it extends the Twins season high winning streak to 10 games. The thing about this streak that i really like is the fact that everyone is contributing with it. From your usuals of Mauer and Mourneau to surprising players in Harris and Buscher so its totally a team effort.


• Nick Blackburn had the worst start he has had in a very long time only making it 4.2 innings and gave up 6 runs on 10 hits with 4 homeruns. With the 6 runs allowed it raised his ERA to 4.05 on the season. I am not worried at all about Nick becuase i look at it as an anomaly and not something he will make a habit of doing. You could tell early on that Nick did not have it because he was not getting his trademark groundballs. But, in his defense Milwaukee has a very powerful lineup and any pitcher could get beat up a bit with that lineup.


• Tonight, the Twins continue their 3 game series with the Brewers at the Metrodome. Gametime is at 6:10 with Livan Hernandez getting the start for the Twins as they try to extend their winning streak to 11 games and will be going against Manny Para of the Brewers.

Rochester Wrap

Pawtucket 4 Rochester 2

Rochester 37-46 15.0 games back

• POG: Danny Graves- Danny probably had his best start of the season last night, but was a tough luck loser. Danny went 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs on 9 hits while not walking a batter and striking out 2. With the 2 runs it lowered Danny's ERA to 5.10 on the season for the Red Wings. Danny is what he is he is not a great pitcher and I really think the Twins need to make a decision on him one way or another. If they want him to come to the majors move him to the bullpen, but if they are not going to do that they miles well just release him and let some young guy get a chance at the AAA level someone like Ryan Mullins.


• The guy that most everybody gave up on a while ago is Randy Ruiz who struggled mightily early in the season and has come on like crazy the last 2 months. Last night Randy had 1 of the Red Wings 4 hits with his 11th homerun of the season along with his 46th rbi of the season. Those are really good numbers along with a .298 averag with the 11homeruns and 46rbi's. He has been very good this year for the Red Wings and if something happened to Justin Mourneau or Jason Kubel i would have no problem giving Randy a chance with the Twins to see how he can do at the major league level. I admit at the beginning of the season i was not much of a fan but he has proved me wrong and deserves a chance at the major league level.


• I have been really disappointed in Trevor Plouffe since his promotion to AAA hitting only .241 so far with the Red Wings. I really thought he was ready for the promotion, but im beginning to think that he is not ready. I was a big believer in him as the shortstop of the future and now i am having my doubts about that too. I hope im wrong and he turns it around and makes me look stupid, because that is something i will be happy to be wrong about.


• Tonight, the Redwings continue their series with first place Pawtucket in Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 with Kevin Mulvey getting the start for the Redwings

New Britain Rockcats

New Hampshire 3 New Britain 2

New Britain 33-45 13.5 games back

• POG: Zach Ward- Zach made a spot start for the Rockcats and was very good giving them a chance to win. Zach went 6 innings and only gave up 1 earned run on 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 5. With the good 6 innings it lowered Zach's era to a very good 2.41 on the season. I am a big Zach Ward supporter I think he is ready to make the jump up to AAA and help the RedWings win some games. However, if you are going to keep him in AA keep him in the bullpen that way he can concentrate on one thing instead of wondering if he is a starter or a reliever and his future is out of the bullpen. Zach has not been lights out like he was early in the season teams have got to him a little bit, but he has rebounded nicely of late to put up good numbers and he is someone we should keep an eye on.
• The new additions for the Rockcats have really struggled to get going and that has really surprised me. Danny Valencia got only his 2nd rbi since his promotion last night and is only hitting .211. Brian Dinkelman is hitting a robust .189 and Rob Delaney gave up a homerun last night. I don't have any doubts that they will figure it out, but i guess i was expecting them to hit the ground running. I think by the end of the year they each will be doing what they do and this rough start will be just an afterthought.
• It was good to see Luke Hughes make his return to the Rockcats lineup after missing 24 days due to a pulled hamstring swinging on a cold night. I think he brings a dimension to the New Britain lineup that is just missing when he was not in there. It will be interesting to see how they mix and match Valencia, Dinkelman, Tolleson, and Hughes at 2nd,ss,and 3rd. But besides that he had a successful return going 1-4 with 2 runs scored for the Rockcats.
• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with New Hampshire in New Hampshire. Gametime is at 6:05pm as the Rockcats try to break out of their 5 game losing streak. Kyle Aselton will be on the mound for New Britain

Fort Myers Musings

Fort Myers 2 Brevard County 1

Fort Myers 3-6 2.5 games back

• POG: Cole Devries- Cole showed his good stuff once again by going 6 shutout innings for the Miracle. In the 6 innings he only gave up 2 hits while walking 4 and striking out 5 on the night. With the 6 shutout innings it lowered his ERA to a very good 2.77 and brought his win total up to 6 on the season. Cole has really impressed me all year he has probably been the most consistant pitcher that is currently on the Miracle's roster. I think he is ready for a promotion to AA but i dont think he will get one so all he can do is keep dominating the FSL until he gets the promotion he deserves.
• Eli Tintor was the only Miracle hitter who was able to do anything as he went 2-2 with 2 doubles and a rbi along with a run scored. With the 2 hits it raises his average up to .220 on the season and could be a sign of things to come. I am not a big Eli Tintor fan I dont think he is very good but if he keeps hitting like this I could be wrong.
• Anthony Slama pitched the last 1.1 innings to pick up his team high 15th save on the year so far. With the outing he lowered his crazy era down to a minischule 0.43 on the season. He struck out 4 of the 6 batters he faced to bring his strikeout total up to 72 in only 42 innings of work. I have been high on Anthony all season and he keeps getting better and better as the season goes on. I think they need to promote him at some time this season and when they do i think he will dominate their also.
• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with the Mantanees in Fort Myers. Gametime is at 6:05 with Jay Rainville getting the start for the Miracle

Beloit Beat

Cedar Rapids 8 Beloit 5

Beloit 7-2 First Place

• POG: Greg Yersich- Greg probably had his best game of the season last night in the loss. He went 3-3 with a double and a rbi along with a run scored. With the 3 hits it raised Greg's average to .195 on the season and his Rbi total up to 14 on the season. Greg has really struggled all season at the bat that is why he has lost playing time to other players that is why it was so important for him to have a night like that to get the confidence of the players and coaches.
• It is good to see Ben Revere back in the lineup even though it is just as a DH. Ben went 1-4 to lower his average to .412. The Snappers did something interesting that i want to see if they will continue they hit him 3rd in the lineup. It is a risk with his speed to not being on base at the beginning of the lineup, but the way he is hitting there is a logical reason to have him hit 3rd and drive in some more runs.
• The Snappers pitching was dreadful last night especially Steven Hirschfeld and Chis Anderson. Combined between the 2 they went 5 innings and gave up 11 hits and 7 runs and they need better pitching if the Snappers are going to continue their run.
• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Cedar Rapids in Beloit. Gametime is at 7:00pm with Mike Tarsi getting the start for the Snappers

E-town trials

Johnson City 14 Elizabethton 4

Elizabethton 8-3 First Place

• POG: Alex Soto- Alex got the start at catcher for the Twins and didnt disappoint. He went 1-3 with his 4th homerun of the year along with 3 rbi's and a run scored for pretty much the only offense for the Twins. I look for Alex to get more and more playing time for the Twins and should split time with Danny Rams catching and give them a potent 1-2 punch behind the plate for the Twins.
• Dan Berlind was the opposite to Alex Soto he had a game that he would just as soon forget. In only 2.1 innings he gave up a whopping 11 runs on only 7 hits. He walked 5 batters along with 4 strikeouts. With the terrible outing it raised Dan's era to 10.13 on the season. For someone who is trying to get back to Beloit it is not a real appealing outing, however it will be easy to forget about and can go out next time to get back on track.
• Angel Morales had another outstanding game going 2-4 to raise his average to a team high .361 on the season. I am really high on him and look forward to see how he does going forward and if he can keep getting better and better.
• Tonight, the Twins continue their series with Johnson City in Johnson City. Gametime is at 6pm with Brad Tippett getting the start for the Twins.

Wednesday, June 11th

Sorry I haven't been on the last week lifes been crazy. I will try to add stuff more often now that i got a little more time. Today I am going to start a series on comparing Twins organization players to see who the better player is. Today I am going to start with Kevin Slowey vs Scott Baker. I welcome your comments to let me know if you agree or disagree.

• Kevin Slowey: Major League Numbers: 19 starts 6-7 4.89ERA
• Minor League Stats: 55 starts 21-13 1.94 ERA

• Scott Baker: Major League Stats: 56 starts 19-21 4.56 ERA
• Minor League Stats 78 starts 27-23 3.01 ERA

They both had very good minor league careers with Kevin Slowey much better in the minor leagues. The only problem I see with Slowey is i do not think he has a strikeout pitch and he pitches it down the middle way too often he won't pitch inside. He is a control pitcher that pitches to contact, who has very good control and did all he could in the minor leagues. Scott Baker on the other hand has that good slider to get hitters out and he throws a little bit harder than Slowey. I don't think there is a big difference between the 2 of them but i see Scott Baker as a Brad Radke clone and i see Slowey as a backend of the rotation guy. They are both good pitchers but I see more upside with Baker than I do with Slowey. With Baker when he came up he thought he could get hitters out up here with his high fastball and quickly found out that hitters in the big leagues thrive on that. It took him a couple of years of up and down in the minors for him to get it. Some time last season he got it and ever since he has been awesome for the Twins. A groin injury slowed him down this year but i think the sky is the limit for Scott Baker. Kevin Slowey on the other hand I dont see him getting a whole lot better then he is now. I don't really have alot of facts to base it just a gut feeling. Don't get me wrong I look at him as a major league pitcher but he will always give up alot of hits and will have to get out of alot of jams. He is a AAAA pitcher because he is not elite in the Majors, but there is no sense putting him in the minors because he dominates down there. I would consider if the Twins could get the right offer to trade Slowey for some good prospects because I think alot of teams value him and you could get a nice return.

Overall I would take Scott Baker in a heartbreak I look at him as a #2 starter and Slowey as a 4 or 5 and with Baker's potential him and Liriano could make up the new version of Santana and Radke.

part 2 of roster changes

Fort Myers Miracle

C. Wilson Ramos

1st Johnny Woodard

2nd Steve Singelton

SS Yancarlos Ortiz

3b Daniel Berg

Lf Juan Portes

Cf Ben Revere

Rf Edward Ovalle

DH Whit Robbins

Reserves
Allan de se Miguel C
Rodolpho Palacious C
Danny Santiesteban OF
Eli Tintor OF

Pitchers
1. Deolis Guerra
2. Tyler Robertson
3. Alex Burnett
4. Cole Devries
5. Santos Arias

Relievers
Blair Erickson
Matt Fox
Jose Lugo
Frank Mata
Matt Williams
Charles Nolte
Loek Van Mill

Beloit Snappers
C Greg Yercich
1st Chris Parmalee
2nd Yangervis Solarte
ss Ramon Santana
3b Garrett Olson
Lf Ozzie Lewis
cf Joe Benson
rf Mark Dolenc
DH Jair Fernandez

Reserves
SS Chris Cates
C Daniel Lehman
inf Paul Kelly
inf Andrew Thompson

Pitchers
1. David Bromberg
2. Michael Tarsi
3. Dan Berlind
4. Brian Kirwan
5. Mike Mccardell

Danny Hernandez
Steve Hirschfeld
Spencer Steedley
Bradley Tippett
Mark Hamburger
Omar Alcala
Daniel Latham


These 2 teams were very difficult to figure hopefully someone with more knowledge then me can put a better light on this because these are just guesses.

May Awards

Minnesota Twins

• Pitcher of the Month: Nick Blackburn- Nick had another very good month in his rookie campaign for the Twins. Nick went 2-2 with a 3.24 ERA in May. In 5 starts Nick went 33.1 innings and only walked 5 batters and struck out 10. Nick has been the biggest surprise for the pitching staff this season. Not many people myself included thought he would make this type of impact on the team and man has he. Through the first 2 months he is 4-3 with a 3.32 ERA which are very good numbers and should put him in the discussion for Rookie of the Year if he can keep it up. Previous: Nick Blackburn

• Hitter of the Month: Justin Mourneau- Justin had another really good month for the Twins. Justin hit .336 in May with 4 homeruns and 20 rbi's. He also had 4 doubles and a triple with a obp of .405 and a ops of .901. The ridiculious thing is it is just the tip of the iceberg for Justin he is capable of so much more. That is saying alot since he has way better numbers this year than he did in '06 when he went on to win the MVP award. Justin means so much to that Twins lineup and with Mike Cuddyer starting to get going it is going to mean better and better pitches for Justin and look for his numbers to keep going up as he chases another MVP award. Previous: Justin Mourneau

Rochester Red Wings

• Pitcher of the Month: Francisco Liriano- Liriano has shown some real signs that the Twins are getting back The Francise of old. Liriano went 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA in May with 10 walks and 27 strikeouts in 39 innings for May. The biggest thing is he brought his walk total down and his strikeout total up. In May he averaged less then 3 walks per 9 innings which was huge for him because in April that was his big problem. I think Liriano has 1 more full left in Rochester before he joins the Twins sometime after the All-Star break. The biggest thing for him is he is walking less which allowed him to go deeper into games which is huge when you get back to the show. In May he averaged 6 and a half innings a start which is getting higher every start and has been the stopper the Red Wings have sorely needed. Previous: Kevin Mulvey

• Hitter of the Month: Jose Morales- Now this is something I did not see coming because I was not a huge Jose Morales supporter and he proved me wrong. In May he hit .382 with a homer and 6 rbi's along 4 doubles and a triple. In May he had a .402 obp and a pretty decent .885 ops. Jose will never be a power hitter but he is a singles machine who if he could improve defensively could have a job with the Twins someday as Joe Mauer's backup. Previous: Jason Pridie

New Britain

• Pitcher of the Month: Jay Rainville- Now this was a surprise for me because I had all but given up on the tall righty. I think I was justified by Jay's 10.12 April ERA. However, Jay rebounded in May and went 4-2 with a much better 3.42 ERA. In 6 May starts Jay went 34.1 innings and only walked 9 and struck out 24 along with holding the other team to a .237 oba. I really think Jay has turned the corner and will have a very good season with the Rockcats and along with Ryan Mullins and Anthony Swarzak will make up a very good top of the rotation. Previous: Anthony Swarzak

• Hitter of the Month: Steve Tolleson- Steve had a phenomenal May after a pretty good April. In May Steve hit a awesome .375 average with 2 homeruns and 21 rbi's along with 10 doubles and a triple. In May Steve had a .460 obp and a phenomenal 1.023 ops. Steve really turned the corner and May and should be considered for a promotion to Rochester with his good start of the season. I look for him to someday be wearing a Twins uniform and it is probably time for a new challenge for the Rock Cats 2nd baseman. Previous:


• Luke Hughes

Fort Myers

• Pitcher of the Month: Cole Devries- Cole really turned it around for himself in May. He was not awful in May but he had the best month for the Miracle and thats saying alot with the good months put in by Jeff Manship and Tyler Robertson. He was ok in April with a 5.08 ERA and majority of that was in a couple bad outings. However, in May Cole was awesome going 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA. In 5 starts he went 30 innings with only 8 walks and 14 strikeouts. The best part was he held opponents to a .250 oba. Cole is a very interesting prospect because he doesn't have shutdown stuff, but he finds a way to get hitters out and really thats all you want out of your starter to give yourself a chance to win the game. I'm not sure he will ever have Major League stuff, but overall he is a very good pitcher who will probably help Fort Myers compete for a league championship this season. Previous: Jeff Manship

• Hitter of the Month: Danny Valencia- No big surprise here as he won the award last month also. He had a .286 with 19 rbi's and then in May he just exploded. In May he hit .402 with 2 homeruns and 25 rbi's along with 12 doubles and 3 triples. His obp was a whopping .431, but thats nothing compared to his slugging at .663 for a ops of 1.094. Danny is a doubles machine who impresses me every night when I hear about his game. Danny will be up in New Britain in a couple weeks after the All Star game i guarantee you. The only thing that he has major work on his defense which is adequate, but he has the size and arm strength to be a very good defensive 3rd basemen. I think he will be with the Twins in 2010 when that new ballpark opens and will be the starting 3rd basemen for the Twins for years to come. Previous: Danny Valencia

Beloit Snappers

• Pitcher of the Month: Dan Berlind- Dan had a very solid month to go on top of his solid April. In April he had a 5.40 ERA and exploded in May. In May he went 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA with only 10 walks and 20 strikeouts. The best part was he help opposing batters to a .202 average off of him. Dan put together a good month and could be in line for a promotion to Fort Myers with a few good starts in June because not only does he deserve it, but I think there is going to be some openings in the Fort Myers rotation. I don't know how he grades as a prospect, but all I know is he gets batters out and thats all thats important he reminds me of Cole Devries and if he can do that he will be fine. Previous: Spencer Steedley

• Hitter of the Month: Ben Revere- Really was there any doubt who would get this award. Ben came onto the scene at the end of April after spending the first month in EST after being the Twins first round draft pick in 2007. Ever since he arrived he has tore it up and unlike some people I think this is a big deal and deserves a promotion to Fort Myers. In May Ben hit .433 with 1 homerun and 18 rbi's along with 14 stolen bases. He hit an awesome 11 doubles and 5 triples for the month. His obp is crazy at .469 and an ops that is out of this world at 1.1o2. Ben has done everything that was expected out of him and more.

Minnesota Twins organization Player and Pitcher of the Month

Player: Ben Revere

Pitcher: Jay Rainville

everyone let me know what you think

The Future

I thought it would make for some good discussion so I am going to fast forward the Date for a month until July 1st and who i predict will be on what teams. I look forward to your opinions on this.

Twins
C- Joe Mauer
1st- Justin Mourneau
2nd- Alexi Casilla
SS- Nick Punto
3b- Mike Lamb
LF- Delmon Young
Cf- Carlos Gomez
Rf- Michael Cuddyer
Dh- Jason Kubel

Bench
C- Mike Redmond
of- Craig Monroe
inf- Matt Macri
inf- Brenden Harris

Pitchers
1. Glen Perkins
2. Nick Blackburn
3. Scott Baker
4. Kevin Slowey
5. Francisco Liriano

Bullpen
Boof Bonser
Craig Breslow
Brian Bass
Dennys Reyes
Jesse Crain
Matt Guerrier
Joe Nathan

Juan Rincon- Released, Livan Hernandez- Traded

Rochester Red Wings
C- Jose Morales
1st- Brock Peterson
2nd- Steve Tolleson
SS- Sergio Santos
3b- Luke Hughes
LF- Darnell Mcdonald
CF- Denard Span
RF- Jason Pridie
DH- Brian Buscher

reserves
inf Howie Clark
C- Ryan Jorgenson
Released- Randy Ruiz, Garrett Jones, Tommy Watkins, Chris Basak

Pitchers
1. Brian Duensing
2. Kevin Mulvey
3. Philip Humber
4. Ryan Mullins
5. Danny Graves

Bobby Korecky
Tim Lahey
Mariano Gomez
Casey Daigle
Heath Totten
Ricky Barrett
Carmen Cali
Zach Ward
Released- Julio Depaula

New Britain
C- Drew Butera
1st-Erik Lis
2nd- Brian Dinkelman
SS- Trevor Plouffe
3b- Danny Valencia
LF- Matt Moses
CF- Brandon Roberts
RF- David Winfree
DH- Dustin Martin

Promoted- Brock Peterson, Steve Tolleson, Luke Hughes
Bench
inf Felix Molina
C- Jeff Christy
inf Toby Gardenhire

Pitchers
1. Jay Rainville
2. Oswaldo Sosa
3. Yohan Pino
4. Jeff Manship
5. Anthony Swarzak

bullpen
Robert Delaney
Kyle Aselton
Anthony Slama
Ben Julianel
Robert Gabino
Jay Sawtaski
Jason Miller


Thats half of my projections I will have the other half later let me know what you think