NEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fort Myers Roster

Here is a new projected Fort Myers team with just over a week until they start playing games. Everyone let me know what you think.

C- Danny Lehman
1b- Johnny Woodard
2b- Steve Singelton
SS- Yancarlos Ortiz
3b- Deibinson Romero
LF- Chris Parmalee
CF- Ben Revere
RF- Rene Tosoni
DH- Rene Leveret

Bench
C- Jair Fernandez
OF- Marc Dolenc
2b- Chris Cates
SS- Esterlin De Los Santos

Pitchers
1. Tyler Robertson
2. Deolis Guerra
3. Mike Mccardell
4. Alex Burnett
5. David Bromberg

Relievers
Closer- Danny Hernandez
Kyle Waldrop
Steven Hirschfeld
Henry Arias
Danny Santiesteban
Blake Martin
Joe Testa

Lineup
1. Ben Revere CF
2. Steve Singelton 2b
3. Rene Tosoni RF
4. Chris Parmalee LF
5. Deibinson Romero 3b
6. Rene Leveret DH
7. Johnny Woodard 1b
8. Danny Lehman C
9. Yancarlos Ortiz SS

NEW!!!!!!!!!!!! Projected New Britain Roster

I will be continuing my look at the Twins farm clubs just over a week from the teams starting to play games.

C- Wilson Ramos
1b- Whit Robbins
2b- Brian Dinkelman
ss- Steve Tolleson
3b- Danny Valencia
LF- Juan Portes
CF- Brandon Roberts
RF- Matt Moses
DH- Erik Lis

Bench
Rodolpho Palacious
Toby Gardenhire
Danny Berg
Edward Ovalle

Pitching
1. Jeff Manship
2. Jay Rainville
3. Yohan Pino
4. Cole Devries
5. Kyle Aselton

Relievers
Closer- Anthony Slama
Blair Erikson
Matt Fox
Ryan Mullins
Oswaldo Sosa
Zach Ward
Spencer Steedley

Lineup
1. Brandon Roberts CF
2. Steve Tolleson SS
3. Danny Valencia 3b
4. Erik Lis DH
5. Wilson Ramos C
6. Matt Moses RF
7. Juan Portes LF
8. Whit Robbins 1b
9. Brian Dinkelman 2b

Saturday, March 28th

Today, in Fort Myers vs the Red Sox the Twins and Francisco Liriano found out a very important lesson. When Liriano has trouble placing his fastball he is very hittable. Gone are the days when he could rely on his nasty slider when he couldn't place his fastball. I think Liriano is going to be a very good pitcher for the Twins, but I don't see him ever being the dominant Liriano of 2006 and thats ok. He will be a guy in the 3's for a era and every team needs one of those.

• Today in Fort Myers the Boston Red Sox got all over Francisco Liriano to the tune of 7 runs in only 3 innings of work. He gave up 3 homeruns in the 3rd inning in his worst start of the spring. Liriano just can not place his fastball right now and until he does that he will be a very average pitcher. Joe Nathan pitched a good inning and appears ready to go north. Philip Humber was ok giving up 1 run in his 2 innings of work. All in all everyone but Liriano did his job and all in all they appear ready for the season.
• The Twins continue to hit the ball well as they again had 8 hits in a losing cause. Joe Crede had an Rbi double and Justin Mourneau had an rbi single in a 2 run first. Matt Tolbert continued his quest to make the team with a 2 run homerun for the Twins. All in all it was a good game for the hitters as Carlos Gomez' skills were on display as he went 3-3 with 2 stolen bases. The Twins need to find a way to get him in the lineup on a consistant basis because he is a star in the making.
• The Twins made a major roster decision when they agreed on a trade with the Yankees to keep Jason Jones in the organization. They had to give up a good prospect in Charles Nolte, but he will be a good pitcher for Rochester and might make his way to the majors this season. Jones had a 2.70 era this spring and will start the season in Rochester.
• Tommorrow, the Twins welcome the St. Louis Cardinals to Fort Myers. The Cardinals are expected to bring all their regulars so it should be an exciting game. The pitching matchup should be good with Twins ace Kevin Slowey going against Chris Carpenter. Gametime is at 12:05 in Fort Myers.

NEW!!!! Projected Rochester Roster

Based on a few roster changes and other projections I am going to project who I think will be on the Rochester roster and the type of lineup.

C- Jose Morales
1b- Brock Peterson
2b- Matt Tolbert
SS- Trevor Plouffe
3b- Luke Hughes
Lf- Dustin Martin
CF- Jason Pridie
RF- David Winfree
DH- Justin Huber

Bench
Jeff Christy
Matt Macri
Alejandro Machado
Joe Gaetti

Pitching
1. Kevin Mulvey
2. Anthony Swarzak
3. RA Dickey
4. Jason Jones
5. Mike Gosling

Relief
Closer- Ben Julianel
Rob Delaney
Bobby Keppel
Jose Mijares
Tim Lahey
Armando Gabino
Sean Henn

Friday, March 27th

Today, the Twins put on their most impressive performance of the spring with a 16-2 drubbing of Tampa Bay in Fort Myers. Scott Baker got it going and the Offense pounded a very good starter in James Shields of the Rays for 11 runs and 12 hits.

• Scott Baker put up his best start of the spring giving up 2 runs in 6 innings. I wasn't real worried about Baker but it was good that he started to get the results that they were looking for come the season. With 1 more spring start Baker is just finetuning things as he gets prepared for his start April 6th vs the Mariners.
• The Twins offense continues to be on a tear as they had 18 hits today. That is 4 out of 5 games that they have had double digit hits. They appear to be ready for the season offensively so it is just about finetuning the bench. Jason Kubel went 4-4 witha homerun to pace the Twins. Justin Mourneau went 2-3 with a homerun. Michael Cuddyer also homered for the Twins as they look ready to go.
• The Twins made 5 more cuts today and are down to 32 players left in camp not counting Joe Mauer and Boof Bonser who will be placed on the DL. The guys that were cut were not surprises just part of the process.
• Jason Pridie
• Bobby Keppel
• David Winfree
• Brock Peterson
• Sean Henn

• Tommorrow the Twins continue grapefruit league as they take on the Red Sox in game 4 of 5 in the Mayor's cup and need a win to keep out hope of winning the Cup. Francisco Liriano gets the start for the Twins in Fort Myers. Gametime is at 12:05 and it should be an entertaining game.

Wednesday, March 25th

Yesterday, the Twins took the show on the road to Jupiter to take on the Marlins. Im sure the Marlin players were as high as a kite after their new ballpark was approved in Miami Dade County which meant a lot of the players will be able to stay instead of being traded. The Twins put on probably their most complete game of the spring yesterday with a very good 8-1 win. Kevin Slowey continued his strong spring and the hitters also did their part.

• Kevin Slowey was impressive once again giving up 1 run on 2 hits in 5 innings of work. His only mistake was a long homerun by Dan Uggla in the second inning. Other than that he was impressive like usual. With the 5 innings he lowered his starter low spring era to 1.79. Since they played at a national league park the pitchers had to hit and Slowey was impressive there as well. Slowey was 2-2 with 3rbi's so basically he was a one man gang to get the win for the Twins.
• Denard Span went 0-4 to lower his average to .145 this spring. I know numbers are not that important in the spring, but since the other outfielders have had better springs that should be used in determining opening day. I think when you start playing in the regular season playing time should be based on who is hitting then, but if I was Gardy based on what he has done this spring my starting outfield would be Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez, and Michael Cuddyer with Span coming off the bench.
• The Twins put together 12 hits to continue their impressive hitting as of late. Brian Buscher, Brenden Harris and Matt Tolbert each had multi-hit games to pace the Twins in addition to Slowey. It appears the Twins offense is ready for opening day as they have double digit hits for 3 consecutive days.
• The Twins have their last day off today this spring. Tommorrow the Twins travel to Sarasota to take on the Reds for a 6:05pm game. Nick Blackburn gets his first start in a long time as the Twins try to build his arm strength back up so he is ready for the season after missing a few weeks with knee soreness.
• With the Twins having today off I will be writing the first article of a new series that I am writing so check back this afternoon when I should have it up.

Tuesday, March 24th

Yesterday, the Twins took on the Blue Jays in Fort Myers. The Twins came out on top 8-7 in the high scoring game. The Twins came out strong with the bats and like usual as of late the pitching really struggled. I am not making a big deal out of the pitching struggles as of late, but with less than 2 weeks before the season I would like to see improvement.

• Francisco Liriano was not real great again. He gave up 3 runs in 5 innings. The problem again was not him getting hit that hard, he only gave up 3 hits, the problem is he is having trouble placing his fastball. When he is right he is getting ahead with the fastball and finishing hitters off with the slider and changeup. However, when he can't throw his fastball for strikes his slider and changeup are meaningless. When he falls behind he has to groove a fastball and gets hammered. I am less worried about Liriano than I am Baker because Liriano's problems can be corrected. Because if Liriano throws strikes he is almost unhittable so keep an eye on him to see if improves.
• The hitters appear that they are ready for the season to begin as they hit a spring high 4 homeruns. They were led by Justin Mourneau who homered for the second consecutive day and Matt Tolbert, Brenden Harris and Delmon Young also homered for the Twins. The Twins put up 13 hits a day after putting up 12 hits so it appears they are ready for the season to begin.
• Matt Tolbert continued his campaign to make the Twins with 2 more hits and 3 rbi's to bring his team high 7 rbi's this spring. It will be interesting to see what Gardy does because the 3 of them Tolbert, Brenden Harris, and Brian Buscher are not making it easy becuase all 3 of them are really hitting the ball. The Twins will bring 2 of the 3 up north and I really don't know who goes to Rochester. A week ago I would of bet it would of been Tolbert, but he has gotten hot so I have no idea any more and I don't think Gardy has decided yet.
• Today, the Twins continue grapefruit league play as they travel to Jupiter to take on the Marlins. Gametime is at 12:05 with Kevin Slowey looking to continue his steller spring and get ready for the regular season. Philip Humber and RA Dickey are also expected to pitch in their battle for a bullpen spot with the Twins.

Monday, March 23rd

I am working on a bigger article that I will be starting this afternoon so keep looking back for an update on it. I think you all will really enjoy it. Yesterday, the Twins were victorious over the Blue Jays in Fort Myers 11-6.

• Justin Mourneau had his first homerun of the spring to lead the Twins who had one of their first good hitting games of the spring. Going into yesterday we had only scored like 68 runs this spring which is second to last in the grapefruit league just ahead of the Houston Astros. Mourneau had 2 hits and 3 rbi's. Joe Crede had an rbi double and Matt Tolbert really helped his case to make the team as a utility infielder by going 4-5 at the plate.
• Scott Baker continued to struggle on the mound as he gave up 4 runs and 9 hits in only 4.1 innings. The good news is he did not give up any homeruns for the first time in 3 starts. The bad news is they hit him all over the ballpark. I am not worried about him but with 2 weeks to go before opening day I would like to see Baker improve his spring numbers. I feel like the last 2 weeks of spring training is really when you should be rounding into form. So keep an eye on Baker.
• Jose Mijares had another tough outing yesterday giving up 2 runs in .2 innings before having to leave after getting spiked in the ankle. Mijares going into spring training basically had to give away his roster spot and he is doing a good job of it. The Twins would like to keep him but it is looking more and more like he will start the season in AAA.
• Today, the Twins face the Baltimore Orioles for the 3rd and final time today. Gametime is at 12:05 in Fort Myers and Francisco Liriano gets the start for the Twins with Matt Guerrier, Luis Ayala, and Craig Breslow also look to get action out of the pen today.

updated position battles

With the season scheduled to start 2 weeks from tommorrow. The roster is starting to take shape. I figure 21 out of the 25 roster spots are decided with 4 up in the air.
The 21 guarantees
1.Jason Kubel
2Mike Redmond
3Justin Mourneau
4Alexi Casilla
5Nick Punto
6Joe Crede
7Delmon Young
8Carlos Gomez
9Michael Cuddyer
10Denard Span
11 Brian Buscher
12 Scott Baker
13 Francisco Liriano
14 Kevin Slowey
15 Glen Perkins
16 Nick Blackburn
17 Joe Nathan
18 Jesse Crain
19 Craig Breslow
20 Luis Ayala
21 Matt Guerrier

• That leaves 4 roster spots 2 on the bench and 2 in the bullpen.

• Philip Humber vs RA Dickey
• A very interesting battle because they have both pitched well as of late. Humber got drilled his first outing but has been very solid since. Dickey has done a lot of good things and if things were equal he probably would win. However, things are not equal because Humber is out of options and the Twins normally do not let talented pitchers go for nothing. Added to the fact that since Dickey signed a minor league contract he can be sent to AAA until June before you need to make a decision on him. With those facts I think it is a pretty easy decision.
• Winner: Philip Humber

• Jose Mijares vs Brian Duensing
• Mijares has done nothing this spring to earn a roster spot with a era over 11 and coming into camp overweight. Duensing has done everything you can do to earn a roster spot with an era under 1. However, based on comments Gardy has made I don't think this is a fair competition. Gardy wants Mijares because when he is right he is a very good pitcher and makes the Twins better team. If the Twins were going to cut Mijares I think they already would of. If Mijares can do anything the next couple weeks I think Mijares will go north
• Winner: Jose Mijares

• Jose Morales vs Drew Butera
• With Joe Mauer starting the season on the disabled list the Twins need to find a backup to Mike Redmond. It is basically offense against defense with Morales vs Butera. Morales is a good hitter and suspect behind the plate. While Butera is very strong behind the plate but not a great hitter. At first I said it should be Morales but the fact that Redmond is going to be the starter and he is very good offensively his backup should be better defense.
• Winner: Drew Butera

• Brenden Harris vs Matt Tolbert
• I don't think this should even be in discussion. Brenden Harris is a professional hitter who is a doubles machine. He is solid at short and 3rd and if Joe Crede can not stay healthy we are going to need him. Matt Tolbert is much better defensively and a decent hitter. I don't think their is much doubt about this and if im wrong I will be shocked.
• Winner: Brenden Harris

1. Yesterday, the Twins defeated Philadephia in Clearwater 2-1. The Twins did not bring much of a lineup but were led offensively by Brenden Harris who went 3-3 on the day. The most impressive player was Glen Perkins who pitched 5 shutout innings for the Twins and looks like he is in midseason form. The Bullpen did a very good job in relief also besides a homerun given up by Philip Humber in the 9th.
2. Today, the Twins take on the Toronto Blue Jays in Fort Myers. Scott Baker tries to rebound from a couple bad starts in a row. He has given up 6 homeruns in those starts. Gametime is at 12:05 in Fort Myers

Twins Roster

I was a little preturbed reading the star tribune today and reading Patrick Reusse's column. Normally, I take his column with a grain of salt but today something he said got under my skin. He said that he doesn't think Brenden Harris should make the final roster. I don't think that is something that should even be considered. What happens if you cut him and Joe Crede gets hurt then all you have is Brian Buscher and i dont like that option. He is fine defensivly as a backup and his roster spot should not even be in question. Also I don't get why they would bypass Jose Morales for Drew Butera. Butera is a fine catcher but Morales has earned the roster spot and I hope they reward him. I am off my soapbox now and back to regular programming.

Mauer to start season on disabled list

The Twins and Joe Mauer revealed what everyone feared yesterday when he revealed that more than likely he will start the season on the Disabled List. The good news is they have a treatment plan for the inflammation in his back and the belief is they will be able to get it out so the Mauer won't have to worry about it anymore. The only problem with medication is it takes time to work and the Twins don't have enough time to wait. My only question is why did it take a month to figure out that the medication he was taking wasn't working and prescribe a new one. If they had done that we would not be having this conversation. I am just estimating here but my guess is it will take 2 weeks for the medication to get the inflammation out of his back and another 2 weeks for Joe to get into playing shape since he hasn't been able to run. Probably a week of minor league games and then should be back. My guess is that he will be back in a Twins uniform the last week in April which is not the end of the world if they get this taken care of so it doesnt flare up again.

• The Twins made 3 more cuts yesterday to bring their roster down to 42. The Cuts were expected but they were:


• Kevin Mulvey


• Mike Gosling


• Wilson Ramos

• The interesting thing about Ramos is he was optioned to AA New Britain which answers the question about where he would start the season. There were some who thought that Ramos would start the season back at Fort Myers, but obviously he will start at New Britain. That should be interesting to watch and see how he fares with a new challenge.


• On the Rochester Red Wings website it said that Dustin Martin, Rob Delaney, Jeff Manship, and Ben Julianel were on the way to Rochester. I am not sure if that means that they are going to start the season in Rochester or that eventually they will make it there. I assumed that Julianel and Martin would be in Rochester, but I was not expecting Manship and Delaney to start the season there. I will let you know when I get concrete answers on that. Also Deibinson Romero was optioned to Fort Myers and that is also a surprise because I felt like he was headed back to Beloit because of all the injuries last season.


• Today the Twins continue grapefruit action as they take on Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater. RA Dickey gets the start for the Twins as he tries to grab a bullpen spot with the Twins. Gametime is at 12:05 in Clearwater.

Opening day lineups-Joe Mauer

I thought it would be fun to put out some lineups without Joe Mauer in them to see what they will do in April until he gets back hopefully sooner than later.

vs Right Handed Pitching with Span on Bench
1. Alexi Casilla 2b
2. Nick Punto ss
3. Jason Kubel dh
4. Justin Mourneau 1b
5. Michael Cuddyer rf
6. Joe Crede 3b
7. Delmon Young lf
8. Mike Redmond c
9. Carlos Gomez cf

B. vs Righthanded pitcher with Delmon Young on bench.
1. Denard Span lf
2. Alexi Casilla 2b
3. Jason Kubel dh
4. Justin Mourneau 1b
5. Michael Cuddyer rf
6. Joe Crede 3b
7. Mike Redmond c
8. Nick Punto ss
9. Carlos Gomez cf

C. vs Righthanded Pitching with Cuddyer on bench
1. Denard Span rf
2. Alexi Casilla 2b
3. Jason Kubeld dh
4. Justin Mourneau 1b
5. Joe Crede 3b
6. Delmon Young lf
7. Mike Redmond c
8. Nick Punto ss
9. Carlos Gomez cf

D vs Righthanded pitching with Gomez on bench
1. Denard Span CF
2. Alexi Casilla 2b
3. Jason Kubel dh
4. Justin Mourneau 1b
5. Michael Cuddyer rf
6. Joe Crede 3b
7. Delmon Young lf
8. Mike Redmond c
9. Nick Punto

E. vs Lefthanded pitching
1. Denard Span rf
2. Alexi Casilla 2b
3. Joe Crede 3b
4. Justin Mourneau 1b
5. Michael Cuddyer DH
6. Delmon Young LF
7. Mike Redmond c
8. Nick Punto ss
9. Carlos Gomez CF

Everyone let me know what you think

top prospect at every position

Today with no Twins game I thought it would be fun to say a all twins prospect team and see what everybody thinks.

C- Wilson Ramos- It is probably a no brainer because Ramos does everything well. He can hit for average and hit for power. He has a rocket for an arm and calls a very good game. It will be interesting to see if the Twins challenge him at AA or start him at A for a month or so.

1b- Chris Parmalee- This was a interesting battle between Parmalee and Jonathan Waltenbury. Waltenbury has the size and strength to be a very good first baseman. The reason I picked Parmalee is his unbelieveable power. He has a chance to hit 30 homeruns a year. His defense is not great and he strikes out alot, but in a organization without a lot of power He is the future DH in a few years. I look for him to start at 1st base at Fort Myers this year.

2nd base- Steve Singelton- Now this was a tough position to pick because you have good secondbaseman at every level. From Steve Tolleson, and Brian Dinkelman. Steve is a very good glove and a good hitter. He is getting his arm strength back so you could argue that he is a shortstop, but for these purposes I have him at second and I look for him to play at Fort Myers all year and really show what he can do.

SS- Trevor Plouffe- Shortstop is a position with not alot of depth in it. Plouffe is the best by far and is a quality hitter and good fielder. Sometimes his arm gets away from him, but I think he is the shortstop of the future. This year I think he will spend the season manning shortstop for Rochester and have a good season.

3b- Danny Valencia- Danny is on a collision course for starting for the Twins when they open Target Field next season. Valencia beat out Deibinson Romero, but I am still big on Romero who I feel will bounce back this year and be highly thought of again. Valencia is solid defensively and boy can he hit. He will hit for average and also be a 20+ homerun hitter eventually. I look for Valencia to spend half the season in New Britain and then at the All-Star break get the move up to Rochester.

LF- Angel Morales- I am putting him in LF because I wanted to put the best 3 outfielders on the team. Morales was phenomenal at E-town last year. Both offensively and defensively. Based on the other talent in the organization he will likely have to move to left or right at some point. Morales hit 15 homeruns in only 54 games with a very good .301 average. He needs to cut down on the strikeouts but I expect him to be manning centerfield for Beloit this year.

CF- Aaron Hicks- the Twins first round pick last year did not disappoint in his first professional season. He hit .318 with 18 xtra base hits and 12 stolen bases in only 45 games. He has all the tools in Arm, Speed, hit for average, hit for power, and accuracy throwing. The interesting thing is he throws 97 miles per hour also and many teams looked him as a pitcher. Hicks should start the season in extended spring training and spend his summer manning centerfield for E-town and impressing there.

RF- Ben Revere- Revere was a 2007 first round pick by the Twins and the plan was to be cautious with him and then a couple injuries happened so they moved him up to Beloit for a little while. He didn't look back flirting with .400 all summer and finishing at .379 with 28 xtra base hits and 44 stolen Bases. His only weakness is arm strength in the outfield. He is not blessed with a very strong arm so he might have to move to either the infield or DH. I look for him to be manning centerfield for Fort Myers.

DH- Erik Lis- Erik is a doubles machine at New Britain with 36 doubles to lead the attack. He is not very good defensively, but man can he hit. I look for him to spend the season at New Britain being the primary DH for the Rock Cats

Bench
Drew Butera
Joe Benson
Steve Tolleson
Evan Bigley

Pitching
1. Kevin Mulvey
2. Deolis Guerra
3. Anthony Swarzak
4. Tyler Robertson
5. Mike Mccardell

Relievers
Closer Rob Delaney
Anthony Slama
Armando Gabino
Jose Mijares
Ryan mullins
Zack Ward
Kyle Aselton

Prospects 41-50

Today I will be concluding my top 50 Twins prospects with prospects 41-50. I will be doing another one during the All-Star Break and Another after the season.

41. Evan Bigley- Evan was a 10th round pick of the Twins last summer and put up a good impression for E-town in his short time there. Impressively he hit .300 with 14 homeruns in a short season is awesome. I am surprised he is not talked about more, but since it was only a short season he needs to do it again and if he can do that I look for him to sky rocket up the charts. I look for him to get a new challenge this season in Beloit and see how he does.
2009: Outfielder for Beloit

42. Alex Soto- Another good catching prospect that the Twins are developing. He was signed by the Twins as a free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2005. He put up solid numbers at E-town last year hitting .276 with 10 homeruns when the playing time was divided pretty good. I think he needs to step it up because he has been slow developing and being 23 and only in rookie ball and needs to move quickly or won't be known as a prospect.
2009: Primary Catcher at Beloit

43. Steve Hirschfeld- He had a solid year between the starting rotation and the bullpen for Beloit last year. He won 10 games for the Snappers with a very respectable 3.30 era. He is 23 so he is old for his level and needs to make the Twins move him up in levels to keep prospect status. I look for him to move up to Fort Myers this year and be a swing guy for them just like he was for Beloit.
2009: Starter for Fort Myers

44. Philip Humber- Philip has yet to live up to the promise that the Mets thought they were getting when they drafted him 3rd overall in the 2005 draft. He was on his way until Arm Surgery cost him a year. He is out of options so I think he will be the long man for the Twins this year, but I wouldn't expect him to be much more than a fringe major leaguer.
2009: Reliever for the Twins

45. Mitire Garcia- He is a interesting prospect who I do not know a whole lot about. I know he is only 19 years old and is a long way away. However, he was very good in the GCL last year. He went 2-2 with a 2.91era so the talent is there. I want to see how he builds off last year and see how long till he builds on what he did last year and becomes a more consistant pitcher.
2009: Starter for E-town

46. Edward Ovalle- He was very solid for Fort Myers last year. He doesn't do alot of things exceptional, but he does most things very well. Last year he hit .284 with 7 homeruns. He is a very versatile outfielder playing all 3 positions. I view him as a utility outfielder in the future.
2009: Outfielder for Fort Myers

47. Ryan Mullins- He was probably the most consistant pitcher for New Britain last year. He went 9-9 with a 4.31 era. My view of him is his future is as a lefthanded specialist. He did a good job against lefty's last year. I think he will be a starter for New Britain again and also do some relieving for the Rock Cats
2009: 4th year with New Britain

48. Tyler Ladendorf- He was a high draft pick by the Twins last year and really struggled. The Twins drafted him 2nd round last year out of Howard College. They liked his frame and athleticism. However, those qualities did not really show up last year as he hit only .204 with 1 homerun. He has all the tools and could be a good player for a long time. I'm curious how he will respond to probably his first adversity he has ever had on a baseball field.
2009: Shortstop for the GCL Twins

49. Santos Arias- He put up some pretty good numbers for Beloit last year. He started as a starter but I think he found his true calling as a closer. He has very good stuff and was much more effective coming out of the bullpen. I look for the Snappers to use him as their closer again and for him to take off in that role.
2009: Closer for Beloit

50. Zack Ward- Zack came over in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds and impressed for half the season until he ran out of gas at the end. The first 3/4 of the season he was really filthy and put up good numbers for New Britain. I look for him to continue to do what he did and only improve on it.
2009: Reliever for New Britain

Tuesday, March 17th

Today the Twins faced the Red Sox in the usual St. Patricks Day game. The Red Sox got the better of the Twins 9-5 as our pitchers continue to struggle lately. There were some good things and a few things that they need to improve on.

• Alexi Casilla and Denard Span continue to hit the cover off the ball. Casilla went 4-4 to raise his average to .438 this spring and appears ready for the season. Denard Span had 2 more hits along with his 1st homerun of the spring. He has had 4 hits the last 2 days and appears to be shaking off a slow start this spring.
• Justin Mourneau and Joe Crede continue to struggle at the plate as they combined to go 0-7 at the plate. I'm not that worried about either guy. Mourneau because you know what your going to get out of him. With Crede everyone acts like the sky is falling because he has not had a good spring. I totally disagree because he appears healthy and you have to remember that he missed the 2nd half last year so its going to take time to get his timing down.
• Scott Baker and Matt Guerrier got shelled giving up a combined 4 homeruns. With Baker im not worried at all because like Bert Blyleven Baker gives up alot of homeruns. Look at last year he gave up 20 homeruns in 173 innings. He is battling through a dead arm period and will pick it up. Im a little more concerned with Guerrier considering how he finished last year. When he is right he is a very solid pitcher, but when he is off a little bit he is meat. Overall I am happy with the spring the Twins pitchers have had.
• Brian Duensing threw 2 shutout innings in relief and has only given up 1 run all spring. I am going to start lobbying for the Twins to keep him as the second lefty along with Craig Breslow.
• Tommorrow the Twins travel to Bradenton to take on the Pirates with Francisco Liriano getting the start for the Twins. Gametime is at 12:05 with the Twins hoping to get back on track

Continued prospects 31-40

38. Yohan Pino- He is another guy who is a high effort guy who does not have alot of upside. He is a solid AA starter, but I think when he gets challenged at AAA he will really struggle. Last year at AA 7-7 with a 4.54era. The real problem for Yohan last year was injuries when he was hurt on 2 different occasions. The test for him this year is staying healthy to make 30+ starts and see what happens.
2009: Starter/Reliever for New Britain

39. Jonathon Waltenbury- I was really impressed with him at E-town last year. He hit 10 homeruns and hit .319. He has very good extrabase power and could develop really good power because he is only 21 years old. I look for him to be challenged at Beloit this season.
2009: 1st baseman for Beloit

40. Brock Peterson- Basically what you see is what your going to get with Brock. He is a very solid prospect that like Brian Duensing is a AAAA player. He is probably ready for a bench spot with the Twins just not really ready for that yet. Last year in between AA and AAA he hit 16 homeruns. Will spend another season in Rochester this year and if injury could make debut with Twins this year.
2009: 1st baseman for Rochester

Prospects 31-40

I will be continuing my top 50 prospects today with prospects 31-40. Let me know what you think.

31. Brian Duensing- I really like him as a prospect. He probably does not have as big of an upside as other prospects. With Brian it is what you see is what you get. He is a solid prospect who really is a AAAA prospect. Probably ready for the challenge of the Major Leagues, but probably not ready for it. Last year he went 5-11 with a 4.28era, but he was better than that he just had a bad inning in most starts.
2009: Starter for Rochester

32. Steve Tolleson- Steve is a very interesting prospect because he does everything pretty well, but none of them exceptional. He can play many different positions including short,third,2nd and the outfield. He hit .300 with 28 doubles and stole 12 bases. I think he has a chance to be a utility guy for the Twins in the future, but I wouldn't look for him to be a starter.
2009: Starter at Short in AA and then move up to AAA after a month or so.

33. Steve Singelton- Steve is a very good prospect that alot like Steve Tolleson has a chance to be a utility guy for the Twins in a few years. Last year Steve split the season between Beloit and Fort Myers. He put up good numbers at both spots last year. He hit .295 with 18 extra base hits. I look for him to spend the year playing 2nd base for Fort Myers.
2009: 2nd base for Fort Myers

34. Daniel Ortiz- He is another young prospect we do not have a very big sample size of yet. He was a 4th round draft pick last year out of Puerto Rico. He is termed a "5 tool prospect". Last year he hit .272 with 11 doubles and 2 homerun. Of course its too early to tell how good he is going to be, but he is worth keeping yoru eye on.
2009: Start in extended spring training and then spend year in Elizabethton.

35. Cole Devries- If you base it on results Cole would be much higher on the prospect list. The reason he is lower is he does not have a very big ceiling. What you see from Cole is what your going to get I don't see alot of improvement out of him. Last year he put up very good numbers at Fort Myers going 10-9 with a 2.93 era. He is a high effort guy and probably an overacheiver who when he sees better competition will start to struggle.
2009: Starter for New Britain

36. Jay Rainville- Jay is the opposite of Cole Devries in that he has a high ceiling that really underacheived last year. He started in AA and got demoted to Fort Myers for a while before going back up to New Britain. He has all the tools, but he really did not put it together last year. If he can get some of his velocity back and be more consistant he could skyrocket up the prospect list.
2009: Starter for New Britain

37. Juan Portes- I don't really know what to say about Juan. He has talent, but he really doesn't do anything exceptional. He is a solid prospect without a position. He played outfield and 3rd base primarily last year. He hit .270 with 12 homeruns and 54 last year in his 2nd consecutive year at Fort Myers. It will be interesting to see how he does against better competition.
2009: outfielder for New Britain.

Prospects 21-30

I will be continuing my top 50 prospect list with prospects 21-30. Let me know what you think.

21. Jose Mijares- He has all the talent in the world. He did not start off on the right foot by showing up to spring training out of shape. I think he will start the season in AAA but by the beginning of may will be up to stay and by the end of year will be dominant.
2009: start season in AAA and move up to Twins in May.

22. David Winfree- I know there are some doubters because of the high strikeout totals and low batting average. However, the thing that you can't deny is he drives in runs at a high rate. Last year he drove in 87 runs and hit 19 homeruns. He is 23 years old so now is the time for him to cut down on the strikeouts and pick the average up.
2009: Start season in AA and get promoted to AAA midseason.

23. Rob Delaney- He really took a big step up last year and made people think that he is the closer of the Future for the Twins. Joe Nathan has 3 years left on his contract and when thats up it might be time for Delaney to take his spot. In the meantime I think he will start the season closing for New Britain, then at midseason go up to Rochester and be a September callup for the Twins.
2009: Start out in AA, then AAA, and finally the Twins

24. Anthony Slama- Another guy that I think has huge upside in the Twins bullpen. The only downside to him is he is a little old for his level. Slama is 25 years old and never been above high A. I look for him to start the year in Fort Myers and move up to New Britain when Delaney moves to Rochester. He will be a good setup guy for the Twins next year.
2009: Start off in AA and move up to AAA midseason

25. David Bromberg- He has a big time arm who struggled a bit last year with Beloit going 9-10 with a 4.44 era. The reason people are so excited about him is he struck out a organization record 169 batters in only 150 innings. If he can keep striking out batters and get better command he will fly up the charts.
2009: Starter for Fort Myers

26. Erik Lis- Basically he is a hitting machine. He really doesn't have a position so he grades out as a DH. He hit 36 doubles last year along with 11 homeruns. He hit .277 so he needs to keep hitting to put up with the no position.
2009: DH at New Britain

27. Alex Burnett- I was really impressed with the season that Alex put up at Fort Myers last year. Going into the season I was not real impressed with him and I have to admit he outdid my expectations. He went 8-6 with a 3.77 era for Fort Myers. I don't think he has huge upside but he is a decent prospect.
2009: Starter for Fort Myers

28. Jason Pridie- He is in the wrong organization. Jason put up solid numbers in AAA but with all the outfield depth he probably will never get the chance he deserves. Last year Jason hit .303 for the season and is a very good defensive outfielder. To get the chance he will probably have to do it elsewhere.
2009: Centerfielder for Rochester

29. Dan Osterbrook- He was very impressive last year at Elizabethton. He was named Appalacian league pitcher of the year. He doesn't throw hard but gets alot of strikeouts. He is ready for a new challenge so i think he will start the season at Beloit.
2009: Starter for Beloit

30. Brian Dinkelman- I really like this kid I think he has alot of upside. He put together a very good first half at Fort Myers and then got promoted to New Britain and struggled. I was not really surprised by it, because its a big adjustment. Towards the end of the year he got better and theres no reason to believe that he can't have a big year for the Rockcats this year.
2009: 2nd base for New Britain

Prospects 11-20

I am going to do my prospects 11-20 today and for review I will list my 1-10 for review.

1. Aaron Hicks- He has all the tools that you look for in a prospect. He truly is a 5 tool prospect and with a little seasoning will be patrolling an outfield spot for the twins by 2012.2009 outlook: Centerfielder for Elizabethton

2. Ben Revere- It was a close one between Hicks and Revere for that top spot. Ben Revere is the most accomplished hitter in the whole twins organization. He reminds me of a young Kenny Lofton. His only real weakness is he does not have a very strong throwing arm and that could hold him back a bit. If it was up to me i would move him to 2nd base where you could appreciate his hitting skills and not have to worry about his throwing arm.2009 outlook: Centerfielder for Fort Myers

3. Wilson Ramos- Every year Ramos seems to be getting better and better. He calls a great game with a good arm along with being a good hitter with some power. His only problem is Joe Mauer blocking his way to the majors. However, just like with all good players the Twins will find a place for him to get his bat in the lineup. I am very high on him and think he will be the DH in 2 to 3 years and be a very good hitter for years to come.2009 outlook: Starting catcher at New Britain

4. Danny Valencia- Danny really came on last year to catch the eye of many scouts. He is now the 3rd baseman of the future and the future could happen as early as September if not sooner. He is a very accomplished hitter who will hit for some power with a very good glove. I think the Twins search for a 3rd baseman since Gary Gaetti has ended and Danny Valencia will be the 3rd Baseman when Target Field opens and beyond.2009 outlook: Start the season in New Britain and get a promotion in May to Rochester and will be one of the September callups for the Twins.

5. Angel Morales- I am very excited about Morales I think he has the biggest upside of anybody in the organization. I think he will be the centerfielder for the Twins in 2012. He is another 5 tool player much like Hicks but with more power as evidenced by his 17 homeruns in Elizabethton last year. The only thing about him is he is so young you don't know how he is going to develop and how long he will take but he is definatley someone to keep your eye on because I believe he will be a keeper.2009 outlook: Centerfielder for Beloit

6. Deolis Guerra- I know a lot of people have soured on him because of last year, but I still expect big things out of him. You need to remember he is one of the youngest players on Fort Myers and the Mets pushed him to much and screwed up his mechanics. I would rather take a step back like he did last year and fix his mechanics then have him go the same way and break down in a couple years. I expect him to be the comeback kid in the organization this year. I think you will see why we wanted him so bad in the Santana trade and will find out why people think he will be the ace of the staff in a couple years2009 outlook: I think he will start out in Fort Myers and get a callup to New Britain at the all star break.

7. Kevin Mulvey- I think Kevin is a very solid prospect who doesn't get the due he deserves. He is as steady as they come and last year was about as consistant a starter as the Red Wings had. He reminds me of a young Kevin Tapani and he will be the first pitcher called up in case of injury and won't dissapoint.2009 outlook: Will be the Ace for Rochester and sometime during the year will join the Twins.

8. Carlos Gutierrez- I am pretty high on Carlos as a pitcher. With his sinkerball I think in a year he will have hitters pounding the ball into the ground at Target Field. The only thing about him is he better as a Starter or as a reliever. I believe you could go either way and it would not be a problem but i like him more as a starter because their is more value there. Either way I think Twins Fans will know him very soon.2009 outlook: Start the season in Fort Myers and get called up to New Britain at the all star break.

9. Shooter Hunt- I think Shooter could be very good for the Twins. He has dominant stuff when he has everything going. The only problem is his control because in the Twins organization if you walk people you won't be with us long. However, I do think he will get that under control and don't fool yourself when he doesn't walk batters he is one of the most dominant pitchers in the whole organization.2009 outlook: Starter for Beloit10.

Jeff Manship- I really like what he does as a pitcher. I think all he needs as innings to show how good of a pitcher he is. He adjusts well when given new challenges. Like when he got promoted to AA he struggled right away and then he adjusted and did very well. He has 3 very good pitches and I think he has a future with the Twins.2009 outlook: Start the season in New Britain and finish the season in Rochester.

11. Trevor Plouffe- He is someone that needs to take the next step in the organization. He is starting to be looked at as the dreaded utility infielder instead of the shortstop of the future. He had an up and down year between New Britain and Rochester. He needs to step it up this season as the everyday shortstop for Rochester. If not we need to look outside the organization because we don't have a lot of quality shortstops in the organization. 2009 outlook: Starting shortstop for Rochester.

12. Dustin Martin- He has really raised eyebrows after a good season in the AFL he has put together a very good spring. Honestly, he plays the wrong position because as good as he is he is blocked ahead and their are better players coming from the back. However, if something were to happen to an outfielder this year I think he would get the first callup. 2009: Start in Left Field for Rochester and be up with the Twins sometime during the year.

13. Chris Parmalee- I am pretty high on him because he has something not a lot of prospects have and that is power. I don't think he will ever be a .300 hitter but he will hit homeruns and that is what makes him special and will allow him to continue to rise in the organization. 2009: I think he will play the season in Fort Myers playing first base and some outfield.

14. Luke Hughes- He really showed me something by showing a power swing. I don't think his defense is good enough to be an everyday player, but I think by the end of this year he will be with the Twins.
2009: Start at 3rd base for Rochester then get callup to Twins in June.

15. Rene Tosoni- He is a very talented outfielder and if he wouldnt of gotten hurt he would of put up pretty impressive numbers. 2009: Start season playing right field for Fort Myers get midseason promotion to New Britain.

16. Anthony Swarzak- He really struggled last year at New Britain and then in August he got promoted to Rochester and took off. In 7 starts for Rochester he went 5-0 with a 1.80 era. After going 3-8 with a 5.67 era in AA. My only excuse for him is maybe he needed a new challenge. If he can continue what he did last year this year he might challenge for a roster spot with the Twins.
2009: Start all year for Rochester

17. Tyler Robertson- I don't know what to make out of Tyler he has Ace stuff but he can't seem to stay healthy. Last year for Fort Myers he went 5-3 with a 2.72era. If he could of stayed healthy he would of put up good numbers. The key is if he stays healthy he could take off in the organization.
2009: First half in Fort Myers and then promotion to New Britain.

18. Joe Benson- He is another one who has alot of talent but just cant seem to stay healthy. Last year in Beloit he hit only .248 but had 17 stolen bases. He has all the talent but he needs to put it together.
2009: Center Field for Beloit

19. Deibinson Romero- Another guy that needs to rebound from an injury riddled season to try to be the prospect he can be. He needs to reclaim his high prospect status.
2009: Start at 3b in Beloit

20. Mike Mccardell- He really came on after coming off the disabled list to be the Ace for Beloit. I think he will keep climbing and climbing charts for the Twins.
2009: Starter for Fort Myers

Position Battles

The Twins are pretty much set on who is going to come north with the team come April 6th. However, there is a few battles that everyone should keep their eye on the last couple weeks of spring training.

1. Who is going to be the Opening Day Catcher

1. Joe Mauer- of course if he is ready to go it will be him but its looking more and more like he won't be ready to go opening day. As today he is in Baltimore getting a second opinion.

2. Mike Redmond- He will probably start opening day but he is not a starter at his point in his career. I look for him to play more than he did last year but not starter amount.

3. Jose Morales- In my mind the most likely starter at catcher to start the season. He is adequte defense and a pretty good hitter to replace Mauer's bat.

4. Drew Butera- He is a longshot, but if they decide they want more defense he could be the guy because he is a very good defensive catcher. He is not a great hitter but defensively he is very good.

Last Bench Spot: Brian Buscher vs Matt Tolbert

1. I think its Buscher because he will be a very good bat off the bench. I think Brenden Harris can be the utility guy. I think the only way Tolbert goes north is if they only keep 11 pitchers and i dont see that happening.

Last 2 bullpen spots:

1. Jose Mijares has really taken himself out of the competion being out of shape, walking batters and having a hard time getting hitters out.

2. I think Philip Humber if he does even an ok job the rest of the spring will make it because he is out of options.

3. The last spot is interesting with the Twins having to decide if they want a second lefty or if they want to bring Jason Jones or RA Dickey up north. If they go with a second lefty they have Mike Gosling, Sean Henn, and Brian Duensing to pick from. I think Gosling and Henn are journeymen that wouldn't really help so I think I would go with Jason Jones. It wouldn't surprise me that they would keep Gosling or Henn to take the load off Craig Breslow. Whatever the case I think Jose Mijares will be back up with the Twins by the middle of May and be dominant when he gets into shape.

Everyone let me know what you think

Thursday, March 12th

Yesterday the Twins finally got their hitting going accumilating 17 hits against the Orioles in a 4-3 win. Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel each had 3 hits. Joe Crede finally had his first grapefruit league hits going 2-4. The Twins pitchers continue to get ready for the season as Glen Perkins got the start. Perk went 3 innings and gave up 2 runs and wiggled out of a bases loaded jam in the 3rd inning. Nick Blackburn came in relief and pitched a clean 4th inning. Blackburn will make his return to the starting staff on Sunday against the Marlins. Joe Nathan struggled a bit giving up a run in his one inning of work.

• The Twins got some good news on Joe Mauer front. It was revealed that he has inflammation in his back. The good news is this has nothing to do with his kidney surgery. The plan is they are intensifying his anti-inflammatory medicine hoping to get the inflammation out. If the medicine work he might be ready for opening day. My feeling is take care of it and if it takes 2 weeks great. If it takes a month thats fine too just take care of it so we won't have to worry about it in July and August.

• Today the Twins bring in their 10-3 spring record to Bradenton to take on the Pirates. Scott Baker gets the start for the Twins. Gametime is at 12:05pm this afternoon.

Mauer backup plans

Joe Mauer is having an MRI today to determine why he is still having back discomfort more than 3 months after surgery for a kidney obstruction. I am not going to pretend like I know what a kindney obstruction is but everything I have heard says he should be close to returning by now and he really is not. I read the Star Tribune this morning and it said the only time he has pain is when he runs so they don't think its real serious. However, there is a big chance that he will have to start the season on the DL and if that is the case I think the Twins have 3 choices what to do with the catching situation.

1. They could sign Ivan Rodriguez to a 1 year contract and that way they would have a veteran who can hit on a regular basis. He has not been very good the last couple years and I don't think it is a good idea to sign him for maybe a month. So when Mauer comes back in a few weeks what do you do with Rodriguez he will not be happy being a backup. With all the info I think I would pass on Pudge.
2. They could make Mike Redmond the starter and bring either Jose Morales or Drew Butera north as the backup. I think Redmond could do a fine job as the starter, but I am not sure how his body would react from going from 2 games a week to 4-5 games a week. You need to remember Reddog is 38 years old and the last thing you need is to get him hurt.
3. The third and final option is what I would do. I would bring up Jose Morales and make him the starter on Opening day. I would not do it like they did it last year where Mauer played 4 games and sat 2. I would have Morales play 3 games and Redmond play 3 games. You could keep both catchers fresh and you could get good production out of the catcher position until Mauer gets back.

The Twins had yesterday off and kept their spring record at a very good 9-3 on the spring. Today the Twins continue grapefruit league play as they take on Baltimore in Fort Lauderdale. Glen Perkins will get the start as he tries to continue his strong spring. In good news Nick Blackburn will come in relief today in his first work since having to be skipped because of knee soreness. Gametime is at 12:05 between the Twins and the Orioles.

• Justin Mourneau, Jesse Crain, and Nick Punto will be returning to camp after Canada and Italy were eliminated from WBC competition. It will be good to have them back and get them ready for the season.
• Anybody watch that Netherlands-Dominican Republic game last night. All I can say is wow the intensity of the game was amazing. It was almost like a playoff game. When it started I was not a big fan of the WBC, but I have to admit I have changed my mind and really enjoy it. The drama between the US and Canada was awesome. Nothing though was as intense as last nights game. After the game Harold Reynolds said it was it was the biggest upset in Baseball history. I really can't argue with him looking at the all-star roster of the Dominican compared to the kids on the Netherlands. All I know is I will be rooting for the Netherlands in the next round.

What is it going to cost to sign Joe Mauer

I think it is pretty obvious that the Twins need to do everything in their power to sign Joe Mauer to a long term contract. The question is how much and for how many years. I don't think its clearcut I would not give him a 7 or 8 year contract because honestly we need to face the facts that he has been hurt 3 times if you count this kidney thing. He has 2 years and 23 million left on his contract he signed 2 years ago. Another problem is do you want to set a precident with Justin Mourneau because Mauer is going to want more money than the Twins gave Justin Mourneau. The Twins are going to have to decide if it will cause friction between the two if Mauer makes more than Mourneau even though Mourneau hits more homeruns and drives in more runs. I think the Twins will decide that yes because Joe Mauer does so much for the team. He is probably one of best pure hitters in baseball and defensively he doesn't have a rival. I think the right course of action would be to give Mauer a 4 year extension on top of the 2 years he already is signed for. It would be 6 years and 83 million total which is not much more than the total value of Mourneau's contract. Here is how I would do it.

• 2009: 10.5 mil
• 2010: 12.5 mil
• 2011: 15.0 mil
• 2012: 15.0 mil
• 2013: 15.0 mil
• 2014: 15.0 mil
• 2015: 20.0 mil team option

Sunday, March 8th

Yesterday the Twins were brought down to earth with a beatdown by the hands of the Pirates. They lost the game 8-1 and really wasn't even that close. There were a few positives, but many more concerns than good things from yesterday.

• Scott Baker after signing his new contract pitched 4 good innings and only giving up a solo homerun to Adam Laroche in 4 innings of work. From then on the only pitchers that pitched good was RA Dickey who pitched a shutout inning and Mike Gosling with 2/3 of a inning. Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares, Ben Julianel, and Rob Delaney had outings they would like to forget.
• The Twins continue to struggle at the plate only getting 5 hits. Alexi Casilla finally got going with 2 hits in 3 at bats. Michael Cuddyer had a triple and scored on a sacrafice fly by Brian Buscher. Joe Crede continues to slump going 0-3 and now is 1-15 on the spring. Im not worried yet but he needs to get going.
• Today, the Twins travel to Fort Lauderdale to take on the Orioles at noon. Francisco Liriano gets his 3rd spring start today for the Twins. In good news Joe Nathan is expected to pitch in relief for the Twins. Hopefully, that will put to rest concerns about his shoulder.
• More good news for the Twins is the Twins could soon be getting back some of their WBC players. Today Canada with Justin Mourneau and Jesse Crain take on Italy with Nick Punto with the loser going home. Probably both countries will be eliminated by Monday and they can get back to spring training.

Beloit Snappers

Today I will have my final installment of my projected team rosters. Today I will be doing the Beloit Snappers who are looking for a better season this year.

C- Danny Lehman
1b- Jonathon Waltenbury
2b- Dominic De la Osa
SS- Esterlin De Los Santos
3b- Deibinson Romero
LF- Angel Morales
CF- Joe Benson
RF- Evan Bigley
DH- Michael Harrington

Bench
Drew Thompson
Nick Romero
Andrew Schmeising
Greg Yersich


Pitching
1. Carlos Gutierrez
2. Shooter Hunt
3. Dan Osterbrock
4. Bobby Lanigan
5. Brad Tippett

Bullpen
Closer- Michael Allen
Michael Tarsi
Santos Arias
Henry Reyes
Chris Anderson
Joe Testa
Curtis Leavitt

Twins Sign Baker

The Twins made a huge move to solidify their pitching staff for years to come yesterday when they inked Scott Baker to a 4 year 15.25 million dollar deal with a team option for the 5th season. This is how it breaks down:

• 2009: 750,000
• 2010: 3.0 million
• 2011: 5.0 million
• 2012: 6.5 million
• 2013: 9.25 million team option no buyout

I think its a no-brainer because if they had taken the arbitration rout i guarantee you he would of made more money and they can have him for his first free agency year at a cheap salary compared to what he will probably accomplish the last 5 years. All in all a good move by the Twins. It made me think who would I approach next if anyone about a long term contract.

1. Joe Mauer- another no brainer but I think its going to be a long process because they need to consider if it will hurt the team to pay Mauer more than Mourneau. However, I think it will end up getting done because I believe both sides want it to get done. However, I wouldn't expect it till next winter.

2. Jason Kubel- They signed him to a 2 year extension and I think that is plenty because they bought out 1 free agency year so i think thats ok.

3. Justin Mourneau- he signed 6 year deal last year so he is good.

4. Alexi Casilla- I need to see more out of him before I would even consider it. Make sure last year was not a fluke. If he has another good year I would definatly consider signing him long term.

5. Nick Punto- they signed him for 3 years so he is good.

6. Joe Crede- My gut feeling says no matter how he does he is a one and done player for the Twins with Danny Valencia just about ready to take over. It will be interesting the outcry if he had a all-star season and the Twins let him go. Honestly, I don't see the Twins signing him long term no matter how he does this year.

7. Delmon Young- I need to see alot more to suggest signing him long term. I would probably need to see 2 good years in a row before i would pursue it.

8. Carlos Gomez- Same as Delmon Young

9. Michael Cuddyer- He is signed for 3 years and thats good enough for me.

10. Denard Span- Same as Alexi Casilla I need to see some more to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

11. Francisco Liriano- Honestly, I dont know that you can sign him long term because of his injury history. I think I would need atleast 2 year injury free years before i would consider it and even then your taking on a risk.

12. Kevin Slowey- I am almost ready to go after him but i need one more year because whats the hurry he only has 1 year of service time so if he has another good season I would sign him next winter.

13. Glen Perkins- I have no interest in signing him long term right now. He needs to improve to hang onto his rotation spot with Mulvey, Swarzak, and Duensing on his heels so no interest.

14. Nick Blackburn- same as Perkins

15. Joe Nathan- Signed for 3 more seasons so im fine with that.

16. Pat Neshek- I was ready to sign him but now the surgery changes all that like Liriano I need atleast 2 healthy seasons before i would consider extending him.

17. Jesse Crain- He is signed for 2 years and im happy with that because he needs to improve to keep job.

18. Matt Guerrier- He has 2 years left before he becomes a free agent and i think i would let him become one and see how he does.

19. Luis Ayala- He is one if he has a good year I could see the Twins extending him durning the season.

Thats all the players that I would even consider it let me know what you think.

Saturday, March 7th

Yesterday, the Twins continued their winning ways beating the Reds by a 3-0 score. I know this is redundent but the pitching continues to impress as they only gave up 4 hits.

• Glen Perkins got the start and went 4 innings and continues to impress only giving up 1 hit. In 9 innings this spring he has not allowed a run. I really think Perk is going to be the starter to make the biggest jump and compete with the top 3 for best pitchers this year.
• The bullpen really pitched good with Kevin Mulvey continues to make a case to make the team. Craig Breslow looks like he is ready for the season to start and has a roster spot locked up.
• The Twins didn't do much on offense again only scratching 3 runs again. Jason Kubel had an RBI single in the bottom of the 1st to get the team off to a good start. I would really like the Twins to get going offensively because right now we are really struggling with the bat.
• Got some good news though Joe Nathan threw batting practice yesterday and reported no discomfort and is scheduled to pitch on Sunday against Baltimore in Fort Lauderdale. Nick Blackburn reported his knee is feeling better so that is also good news for the Twins. Joe Mauer continues to plug along after having a minor setback so things are good on the injury front.
• Today, the Twins continue grapefruit league play as they host the Pittsburgh Pirates to Fort Myers. Scott Baker will get the start for the Twins. Also scheduled to pitch are RA Dickey and Matt Guerrier. Gametiem is at 12:05 in Fort Myers

Fort Myers Miracle

Here is the latest projections for the minor league rosters. Take a look at my Twins, Rochester, and New Britain rosters and let me know what you think.

C- Wilson Ramos
1st- Chris Parmalee
2nd- Steve Singelton
SS- Yancarlos Ortiz
3b- Garrett Olson
Lf- Yangervis Solarte
CF- Ben Revere
RF- Rene Tosoni
DH- Rene Leveret

Bench
Jair Fernandez
Paul Kelly
Chris Cates
Mark Dolenc


Pitching
1. Tyler Robertson
2. Deolis Guerra
3. Mike Mccardell
4. Alex Burnett
5. David Bromberg

Bullpen
Closer Danny Hernandez
Kyle Waldrop
Charles Nolte
Blake Martin
Steve Hirschfeld
Henry Arias
Danny Santiestian

Friday, March 6th

Yesterday the Twins improved their spring record to a very impressive 6-2 on the season. The pitching continues to impress as the pitching staff came within 4 outs of a combined no-hitter. However, the hitting continues to be a problem because the Twins had only 3 hits until the 7th inning. It's way early to be concerned about the hitting, but you would like to see some progress as the spring continues.

• Kevin Slowey was impressive again for the Twins going 3 perfect inning with 2 strikeouts. I was not high on him going into last season, but he has really proved me wrong. You could make an argument that he truly is the Twins ace right now and you wouldn't get a lot of argument from me. So there you go I admit I was wrong about Slowey. This spring he has pitched 5 shutout innings and looks like he is in midseason form already.
• The hitting was another story as the starters only contributed 3 hits. Thats not to say there wasn't some good hitting performances. Dustin Martin continues to impress this spring with 2 more hits to lead the Twins. Toby Gardenhire put the Twins ahead to stay with a rbi single in the 7th inning.
• Talk about a bad line for a pitcher. Dutch reliever Berry Van Driel faced 5 hitters and gave up 4 hits and walked a batter and gave up 3 runs.
• Today, the Twins host the Cincinnati Reds as they get back into grapefruit league play. Glen Perkins tries to build on his solid spring thus far. Also expected to pitch are Jason Jones, Kevin Mulvey, Anthony Swarzak, Brian Duensing, and Craig Breslow. Gametime is at 12:05 in Fort Myers as the Twins try to build on their very good 6-2 spring record.

New Britain Rock Cats

I am going to project who I think will be on the New Britain roster to start the season. I wasn't sure about the catching situation as you could tell by my Rochester projections. Everyone let me know what you think of this.

C- Drew Butera
1st- Whit Robbins
2nd- Brian Dinkelman
SS- Steve Tolleson
3b- Danny Valencia
LF- Juan Portes
CF- Brandon Roberts
RF- David Winfree
DH- Erik Lis

Bench
Matt Moses
Toby Gardenhire
Edward Ovalle
Allan De san Miguel

Pitching
1. Jeff Manship
2. Jay Rainville
3. Oswaldo Sosa
4. Yohan Pino
5. Cole Devries

Bullpen
Closer- Anthony Slama
Zach Ward
Kyle Aselton
Blair Erikson
Matt Fox
Bobby Keppel
Spencer Steedley