July Awards: Gulf Coast League Twins

I will finish my series on the July awards as I will go over the Gulf Coast League Twins. The Twins played very well in July going 14-13 as they marched to a division title. Also, there was some very good individual performances in July that deserve to be recognized. I hope everyone enjoys it and if you disagree with any of my picks you can email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave me a comment in the comment box and i will get back to you as soon as is humanely possible.

• Pitcher of the Month: BJ Hermsen- Going into the season there was a lot of interest in Hermsen as the Twins paid quite a bit over slot to sign Hermsen and stop him from going to Oregon State. So there was quite a bit of pressure on him this year with the GCL Twins and he has far exceeded expectations this year. At 6'6 230 lbs Hermsen has been the beast that you would expect and in July he really stepped up his game to be the ace many Twins people expect him to be. In July BJ went 4-1 with a 1.27 era in 5 July starts working an impressive 28.1 innings which is almost 6 innings a start which is very impressive in the GCL because for most of the guys it is there first year in pro baseball so they want to limit their innings. In 28.1 innings Hermsen only gave up 4 earned runs to show the dominance that he showed in the GCL. His control was very good as he only walked 3 batters in the 28.1 innings which striking out 18. Most impressive though was he held opponents to a very good .202 batting average. BJ Hermsen is definately someone to keep your eye on and I truly hope the Twins hang onto him because he brings something that not many Twins pitchers organization possess and that is potential to be ace material if he continues to develop as he is only 19 years old and this good already.
• Others Considered: Blayne Weller, Adrian Salcedo, Zach See

• Hitter of the Month: Jairo Perez- Honestly, there wasn't alot of good performances by the GCL Twins in July as they won with their pitching. Jairp Perez had by far the best month of anybody on the team and quite honestly it was not that impressive. In July Perez hit .265 with 1 homerun and 5 rbi's along with 4 doubles. He showed a very good eye at the plate walking 8 times while only striking out 6 times in 68 at bats. He had a .354 on base percentage which is ok for a middle of the order bat. He had a .368 slugging percentage which is honestly not very good for an ops of .722. Perez joined the Twins as a free agent in 2006 out of Venezuela and is only 21 years old right now and has time to grow and get better. If he is going to take the next step next year with E-Town he really has to work extra hard this winter and improve because the numbers he is putting up this year are not that impressive and with draft picks coming on all the time he is going to find himself on the outside looking in if he doesn't improve.
• Others Considered: Kennys Vargas, Oswaldo Arcia, Nick Freitas

July Awards: Elizabethton Twins

I will continue my series on the July awards as I will go over the Elizabethton Twins. The Twins really played good in July going 20-8 as they marched to another division title. Also, there were some very good performances in July by the Twins and I want to other their accomplishments. With good accomplishment though quite a few players were promoted to Beloit so I will not be including them in the Player of the Month and Pitcher of the Month awards. I hope everyone likes it and if anyone disagrees you can either email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave me a message in the comment box and I will be sure to respond.

• Pitcher of the Month: Tom Stuifbergen: After missing all of 2008 with arm surgery Tom has really restablished himself as a Twins prospect. After a good start in June Tom really turned it on in July to put up a great month. In July Tom went 3-0 with a very good 2.79 era in 6 July starts including 1 complete game. Stuifbergen worked an impressive 38.1 innings in July which is an average of 6.1 innings which is very impressive for someone coming off an arm injury. The stat that was most impressive to me was his walk to strikeout out ratio. Tom doesn't walk anybody period and gets his fair share of strikeouts. In 38.1 inning Stuifbergen only walked 4 batters while striking out 31 which is almost 9 k's per 9 innings which is very impressive. In July he held opponents to a very impressive .243 batting average. Tom Stuifbergen has really got himself back on the map with his bounceback year at Elizabethton. You will see him skyrocketing up prospect lists and I look for him to join former teammate Liam Hendricks in the Beloit staff next spring and at only 20 years old he is very young for his level so I look for him to keep getting better and better as he moves through the Twins organization and he is definatly someone that Twins fans should keep an eye on and who will probably make his debut in 2014 with the Twins.
• Others Considered: Matthew Tone, Angelo Sanchez, Kane Holbrooks

• Hitter of the Month: Josmil Pinto- Pinto really established himself as a big time hitting in the month of July. Going into the season there was not a lot known about the 20 year old from Venezuela who the Twins signed as a 17 year old free agent in 2006. He has really showed how good of a hitter he is and especially in July. In July Pinto hit .359 with 4 homeruns and an impressive 26 rbi's along with 7 doubles and also 2 triples. Another good thing about Pinto is he does not strikeout very often as he only had 13 strikeouts in 78 July at bats. Pinto has a very good .418 on base percentage which is unheard of for a middle of the order bat. He has a very good .643 slugging percentage for a very impressive 1.057 OPS. Josmil Pinto has really established himself as a big bopper for the Twins and I look for him to continue moving through the organization as a catcher/dh/1st base type of guy that you can't keep out of the lineup because his bat is too important. If he can find one position to be full time at it would increase his chances with the Twins because the Twins like to take guys from other positions and use them as DH's and not have someone come up as strictly DH because it limits their flexibility so it should be interesting. I have high hopes for Josmil Pinto and he definately is someone to keep your eyes on in the years to come.
• Others Considered: Brian Dozier, Tobias Streich, Michael Gonzalez

July Awards: Beloit Snappers

I will continue my series on the July Awards as I will go over the Beloit Snappers today. The Snappers really struggled again in July as they went a disappointing 10-18 record in July as they faded from contention in the second half in the Midwest League. However, there were some good performances in July that need to be recognized because in the lower levels of the minors you don't hear about them as much as you do in the higher levels. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my picks so let me know by either leaving a comment in the comment box or emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Pitcher of the Month: Brad Tippett- Brad Tippett really has been good all year as he is 8-7 with a very good 3.13 era on the year. He was even better in July when he was pretty much unhittable for the Snappers. In July Tippett went 3-1 with a very good 1.57 era in 5 starts. Brad worked 34.1 innings which is just under 7 innings a start which is unbelievable for a team this bad. In 34.1 innings he only gave up 6 earned runs which is also unbelievable. He doesn't walk anybody as he only 6 batters in his 34.1 innings. He also struck out 20 batters in the 34.1 innings. Most impressive was he held opponents to a very good .208 average. Brad Tippett has had a very good season and I am shocked that he is still in Beloit because he has been a bright spot on a bad team as he has given the Snappers a chance to win just about every start. He does not project as someone that will continue to put numbers like this as he goes higher because he only has a mid 80's fastball. However, I am not going to put anything by him and look forward to seeing him in Fort Myers next year and see if he can make the next step in his career and continue pitching well.
• Others considered: Liam Hendricks, Steve Blevins, Billy Bulluck

• Hitter of the Month: Angel Morales- Angel Morales showed why he is so highly thought of in July. After struggling through the first half of the season Angel really came on in July. He had probably the best month of anybody not named Joe Mauer in the whole organization this year. Morales hit an unbelievable .361 in July with a homerun and 11 rbi's along with 6 doubles, a triple and 4 stolen bases. Morales really seemed to turn the corner in July and has kept it up August to put his season totals up to .265 with 12 homeruns and 56 rbi's along with 16 stolen bases. Those numbers are pretty impressive seeing how cold he was at the beginning of the year. Back to his July numbers he had a season low 12 strikeouts in July and had a very impressive .375 on base percentage for a power guy. He also had a very good .541 slugging percentage to bring his ops up to a very good .916. Angel Morales has really stepped forward and showed how good of a player he can be and how he can lead a lineup. I really expect him to be playing in Fort Myers next year and is back at the top of the boards for prospect lists again after his phenomenel month of July.
• Others Considered: Drew Thompson, James Beresford, Danny Rams

The draft process: good or bad for baseball

There has been sometihng I have wanted to get off my chest for awhile and that is the draft process. I wanted to wait until after the deadline to sign draft picks to see how it would all turn out. Things happened pretty much just how I expected them to happen and I really don't like it. Honestly, it makes me sick to my stomach that the draft has turned into what it has and I know I am talking to a majority of people that feel the draft is fine, but I had to get this off my chest.

With the 22nd pick in the first round the Twins selected Rhp Kyle Gibson out of the University of Missouri. Going into the season he was projected as a top 5 prospect, but during the year he suffered a stress fracture in his pitching forearm which led to him dropping to number 22. There was a big disagreement between the Twins and Gibson's agent because Gibson's agent felt that Kyle should be paid like the 5th overall pick and the Twins viewed it as he was picked 22nd not 5th and should be paid accordingly. The Commissioner's office instituted a slot system a few years ago where they suggest how much of a signing bonus ever pick should get. With Gibson and the 22nd selection the commisioners office suggested 1.3 million dollars just to sign. While Gibson and his agent were thinking more on the lines of 2.5 million which is 1.2 over slot. Gibson is not the only one who wanted over slot as Stephen Strasburg the 1st overall pick by the Washington Nationals reportedly wanted a major league contract in upwards of 40 million dollars for a guy that has never thrown a professional pitch. Strasburg "settled" for 15.4 million dollars. Number 2 pick Dustin Akely signed for a major league contract worth 7.1 million dollars. There a few more contracts way over slot like Chris Dwyer a forth round pick by Kansas City getting 1.5 million, Michael Ohlman a 11th rounder by Baltimore got 995,000, Max Stassi also got 1.5 million for a 4th rounder. All those deals are way over slot and just gave Gibson's agent amunition to ask over slot from the Twins. My belief the whole time was the Twins should not have to come up from 1.3 as that is fair for the 22nd pick. But with everyteam going way over slot it wouldn't of made sense for Gibson to take 1.3. Don't get me wrong I am glad that the Twins signed Gibson as I think he is going to be a special pitcher, but the system is broken and needs to be fixed. There is no reason for players that haven't played a professional inning to get bonuses like that. I have a few suggestions that I think make sense going forward for the draft.

To start out with players have teams cornered because they have the option of going back to school and basically blackmailing the teams into giving them what they want and I don't believe it is right. If I am commisioner and can institute the new rules I would have an NBA like process where players put there name in the draft, but can't sign an agent to see where they are going to be drafted and if they don't like the spot go back to school. However, there should be a cutoff date where your in your in so the players can't blackmail the teams. I am taking another idea from the NBA and putting a hard cap on bonuses where the amount of money is predetermined by your draft spot where if you go 15th overall you get so much money and if your 345 overall you get so much money. Take the negotiation out of it and get the players playing early so they can get to the majors earlier. The draft is turning into the new free agency as teams are overpaying on young players instead of free agency and that makes the smaller market teams have to pass on the good players because you know you can't sign him. The Twins have selected guys like Ben Revere, Aaron Hicks and others because they knew they could sign them. That is not the way it should be it should be on talent alone so everyone has an equal shot every year. What does everyone else think of these ideas and the whole process in general let me know.

do you believe in miracles

Maybe I am being a little overdramtic about this, but the Twins need to flip the switch if they are going to get into the playoffs. Right now they sit 62-63 4.5 games behind first place Detroit and a game behind second place Chicago with 38 games to play. The easy answer is they are done especially the way the Twins have played, but if you dig deeper this race is not over not by a long shot. The next 2 weeks are going to be key for the Twins because if they haven't made their move in the next 2 weeks it really is probably not going to happen this year for the Twins. Look at these schedules the next 2 weeks and tell me who has the advantage.

Detroit

2 at Anaheim

4 vs Tampa Bay

3 vs Cleveland

3 at Tampa Bay

Chicago

3 at Boston

3 at New York

3 at Minnesota

1 at Cubs

4 vs Boston

Minnesota

2 vs Baltimore

3 vs Texas

3 vs Chicago

3 at Cleveland

There is really no doubt that the Twins have the advantage schedule wise as the Twins only play 6 games against a team with a winning record in this streak. Detroit on the other hand plays 9 games and Chicago has a death march as they play 11 of their next 14 against teams with winning records and the only team that doesn't is the Twins who are only 1 game under. Like I said if they don't make a run now it probably won't happen because both schedules ease up before Minnesota, Detroit, and Chicago play each other the last 10 games. More than likely what is going to determine the Central champion is head to head.

Detroit

6 vs Chicago

7 vs Minnesota

Chicago

6 vs Minnesota

6 vs Detroit

Minnesota

7 vs Detroit

6 vs Chicago

So basically what I am saying whoever does the best versus the other teams in the race is going to claim the American League Central division title for 2009.

Updated Top 50

Since the draft signing period is over now I thought it was time to update my top 50 prospects. I will not be writing anything about them I am waiting until after the minor league season is over to do a much more in depth look at the top 50 prospects.(Anthony Swarzak spent a good portion of season with Twins so no longer a prospect.)

1. Aaron Hicks: CF Beloit
2. Kyle Gibson: SP ? 2009 first round pick just signed will probably go to Fort Myers next year
3. Ben Revere CF Fort Myers
4. Danny Valencia 3b Rochester
5. Angel Morales OF Beloit
6. Wilson Ramos C New Britain
7. David Bromberg SP Fort Myers
8. Deolis Guerra SP New Britain
9. Rene Tosoni OF New Britain
10. Matt Bashore SP E-Town
11. Chris Parmalee 1b/RF Fort Myers
12. Tyler Robertson SP Fort Myers
13. Carlos Gutierrez SP New Britain
14. Jeff Manship SP Twins
15. Kevin Mulvey SP Rochester
16. BJ Hermson P GCL
17. Mike Mccardell SP New Britain
18. Brian Dozier SS E-Town
19. Trevor Plouffe SS Rochester
20. Steve Tolleson 2b Rochester
21. Blayne Weller P GCL
22. Billy Bulluck RP Beloit
23. Luke Hughes 3b New Britain
24. Anthony Slama RP Rochester
25. Joe Benson OF Fort Myers
26. Brian Dinkelman 2b New Britain
27. Danny Rams C Beloit
28. David Winfree RF Rochester
29. Josmil Pinto C E-Town
30. Deibinson Romero 3b Fort Myers
31. Rob Delaney RP Rochester
32. Dustin Martin OF Rochester
33. Tom Stuifbergen P E-Town
34. Michael Gonzalez 1b E-Town
35. Ben Tootle P E-town
36. Liam Hendricks P Beloit
37. Evan Bigley OF Fort Myers
38. Steve Hirschfeld P Fort Myers
39. Jose Morales C Rochester
40. Juan Morillo RP Rochester
41. Whit Robbins 1b New Britain
42. Cole Devries P New Britain
43. Alex Burnett RP New Britain
44. Esterlin De Los Santos SS Fort Myers
45. Michael Tonkin P GCL
46. Erik Lis DH New Britain
47. Rene Leveret 1b Fort Myers
48. Loek Van Mil RP New Britain
49. Steve Blevins RP Beloit
50. Kyle Waldrop RP New Britain

July Awards: Fort Myers Miracle

Today I will be continuing my July Awards as I move on to the Fort Myers Miracle. The Miracle had a decent month as they moved into first place in the FSL South division with a 14-16 record in July. Keep in mind the Miracle already won the first half title so winning the second half title is just a bonus since they are already in the playoffs. There were some very good performances in July thought that I feel deserve to be recognized. The Miracle are probably having the best year out of any team in the organization this year. Like usual I will be naming a pitcher of the month and a hitter of the month. If anyone disagrees with me I welcome comments in the comment box or an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Pitcher of the Month: Santos Arias- Santos Arias has come from obscurity to become probably the most consistant starter for the Miracle after Mike Mccardell and Deolis Guerra got their promotions to AA. Arias started the season in the bullpen and did a great job out of there, but with those promotions he got his chance to shine and he hasn't disappointed. In July Santos Arias appeared in 9 games including 3 starts for the Miracle. Arias went 1-1 with a miniscule 1.13 era along with a save. Santos worked 24 innings and only gave up 3 earned runs. He walked only 6 batters while striking out an impressive 20 batters in 24 innings which is about 8 strikeouts per 9 innings. Most impressive though is he held opponents to a .218 opponents batting average. Arias has kept it up in July and is probably the favorite right now to win the it again in August as he is 1-0 with a 2.29 era in 3 August starts. Overall, Arias is 6-1 with a 2.02 era for the Miracle. Arias future is probably in the bullpen because of his razor thin body as he only weighs 162 lbs on his 5'11 body so he would more than likely break down if he pitched 200 innings. However, for right now he is doing awesome and you can't take him out of that starting rotation as he is trying to help the Miracle to a Florida State League title.
• Others considered: David Bromberg, Steve Hirschfeld, Michael Tarsi

• Hitter of the Month: Chris Parmalee- On the outside looking in it doesn't look like Chris Parmalee had a very good July as he only hit .235 at the plate, but if you did deeper you see he did exactly what the Miracle and really the Twins want him to do and thats hit for some power and get on base. In July Parmalee hit only .235, but he hit 5 homeruns with 16 rbi's along with 6 doubles. Those 11 extra base hits in the month is exactly what the Twins want to see out of Parmalee as he will never be a high average hitter, but if can continue to get lots of extra base hits and be able to hit .260-.270 the Twins would be estatic. In addition to his power numbers what the Twins are probably happiest about in July was that he drew 15 walks. He struck out a little too much as he struck out 26 times in 98 at bats in July. They would like to cut those strikeouts in half, but power guys like him are going to get their share of strikeouts and you need to just deal with it. The amazing thing was even though he hit only .235 he still had a .333 on base percentage which is ideal for a power hitter. He slugged .449 which is very impressive for an OPS of .782. That is pretty good for a down month out of him as on the season he has an OPS Of .826 which is very good. If Chris Parmalee can cut down on the strikeouts and keep the walk total up while getting a few more doubles he will be up with the Twins in a couple years and be the future at 1st base. Justin Morneau is awesome and still young enough, but I can't see when his contract is up the Twins being able to pay 2 max contracts with him and Mauer so in 4 years I look for Parmalee to take over taht first base job and run with it and put up Adam Dunn esque numbers for the Twins. Chris Parmalee is definately someone to keep your eye on for the future.
• Others Considered: Rene Leveret, Joe Benson, Ben Revere

July Awards: New Britain Rockcats

I will continuing my July awards with the New Britain Rockcats. The Rockcats really struggled with any consistancy in July as they fell out of the division title race, however they are hanging in there in the wild card race. In July the Rockcats went a very bad 12-18 to drop to 9 games out of first place, but are tied for the wild card league with Trenton a Yankees affiliate. Even though the Rockcats did not win alot of games in July they had some good individual performances and I want to recognize them because they are not that widely known. If you disagree you can either leave a comment in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks and Enjoy

• Pitcher of the Month: Kyle Waldrop- I am very glad to see the month Kyle put up at New Britain in July. As most know Waldrop missed all of last year due to arm surgery so this year was about staying healthy and getting better as the year went along. Kyle has done a terrific job at Fort Myers before moving up to New Britain. In July Kyle went 1-2 with a very good 1.69 era in 11 games. He worked 21.1 innings and only gave up 4 earned runs. He also only walked 4 batters and struck out 11. Waldrop held opponents to a very impressive .289 opponents batting average. Kyle Waldrop has improved immensely as the season has gone on and probably has found a niche working out of the bullpen for the Rockcats and I look for him to get better and better as he keeps knocking the rust off his arm and hopefully he can continue to stay healthy and pitch good innings out of the pen because as everyone has seen there is a need for relief pitching in the Twins organization.
• Others Considered: Anthony Slama, Rob Burnett

• Hitter of the Month: Erik Lis- After getting off to a slow start for the Rockcats this year Lis really stepped it up in July to put his numbers back to where we are used to seeing them. In July Lis hit .305 with an impressive 7 homeruns and 16 rbi's along with 5 doubles. He also had 12 walks along with 20 strikeouts. Lis had a very impressive .377 on base percentage. That high of a on base percentage is usually reserved for leadoff hitters not middle of the order boppers. He also had a very impressive .552 slugging percentage thanks to his 12 extra base hits. Because of that he had a very impressive .932 ops which is very good. Erik Lis has turned himself from a guy that was on the border of being released after the year to back on the prospect lists with this month. He now is hitting .292 with 15 homeruns and more importantly 20 doubles. I look for him to be promoted to AAA next year and when you get to AAA you are one phone call away from being with the Twins. Erik Lis is a natural great hitter who I think could roll out of bed and hit .300 he is that good of a hitter.
• Others considered: Rene Tosoni, Juan Portes

July Awards: Rochester Red Wings

I will be continuing my July awards with the Rochester Red Wings. The Red Wings really struggled in July going 14-15 to drop 10 games out of first place. However, there also were some good individual performances by the Red Wing players. I want to recognize some of these players because alot is not known about these guys. I again will have a pitcher of the month and a hitter of the month. Let me know if you disagree with any of my picks by leaving a comment in the comment box or emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Pitcher of the Month: Reid Santos- This may surprise many because he has been pretty anonymous for the Red Wings, but after getting off to a rough start he has gotten better every month and put his best month of the year. Santos appeared in 6 games and made 5 starts. Santos went 1-1 with a great 1.74era in 31 innings. In those 31 innings Santos only gave up 6 earned runs. He also walked only 8 batters while striking out an impressive 18 batters. The most impressive stat though was holding batters to a .265 average. Reid Santos has been a very solid pitcher for the Red Wings and in July he really turned it on to earn a starting spot in the rotation for the Red Wings. I really look for him to continue to be a solid AAA pitcher and a guy the Red Wings should really look into signing for next year, because he doesn't do anything really well but does alot of things pretty good. Should be interesting to see if Santos can build on his good July with a good August.
• Others Considered: Jeff Manship, Armando Gabino, Rob Delaney

• Hitter of the Month: Danny Valencia: Valencia joined Rochester at the end of June and got off to a good start and continued it in July. In July Valencia hit .287 with 3 homeruns and an impressive 20 rbi's along with 9 doubles and also scored 11 runs in July. He also walked 3 times and struck out 19 times in 101 at bats in July. He had a .305 on base percentage. He also had a .465 slugging percentage for a very good .770 ops. Danny Valencia came on the scene in June and has really taken the International League by storm. He has cooled off considerably this month, but he has shown he is a future Twin. He puts up good at bats and plays solid defense at 3rd base. There are some that would bring him up right now. However, I want him to finish out the year in Rochester and start next season with the Twins. I want him to go through the up and downs at AAA and come out of this slump he is in right now because he is going to go through slumps like this in the bigs. Overall, though what is there not to like about Danny Valencia he does so many things well and will be a fixture in the lineup for the Twins for years to come.
• Others Considered: Justin Huber, Brock Peterson, Jose Morales

Thursday, August, 6th

Twins Talk

Indians 8 Twins 1(53-54 3.5gb) WP: Laffey LP: Liriano(4-11)

Cabrera: 3-4 .288 avg double(27) Liriano: 5 inn 4 runs 8 hits 4bb 4k 5.63 era

Morneaus: 0-4 rbi(89)

• Today, the Twins finish off their series in Cleveland as Nick Blackburn gets the start for the Twins and will face Fausto Carmona of the Indians.

Rochester Wrap

• The Red Wings had yesterday off and will come home to start a series with Louisville tonight with Kevin Mulvey getting the start for Rochester.

New Britain Business

Erie 6 New Britain 4(53-57 11gb) WP: Weber LP: Waldrop(1-3) Save: Regas

Grudzielanek: 2-4 .333 avg Mata: 5 inn 3 runs 2 hits 1bb 5k 3.80 era

Hughes: 1-3 HR(3) 4rbi(18)

• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Erie as Cole Devries gets the start for New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

Charlotte 7 Fort Myers 6(20-19 1gb) 12 innings WP: De Los Santos LP: H. Arias(3-4)

Revere: 3-6 .308 avg 1 run 1sb(34) Hirschfeld: 6 inn 2 runs 5 hits 1bb 7k 2.14 era

Dolenc: 3-5 .282 avg HR(4) double(16) rbi(32)

De Los Santos: 2-5 .284 avg double(8)

Parmalee: 2-6 .261 double(21) 2rbi(62)

Machado: 1-2 double(1)

Bigley: 1-5 HR(3) 3rbi(24)

• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Charlotte as Michael Tarsi gets the start for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 7(15-23 7gb) Peoria 1 WP: Lanigan(9-7) LP: Shafer

Morales: 2-3 .246 avg HR(10) 3rbi(41) Lanigan: 8 inn 1 run 4 hits 1bb 6k 4.44 era

Hicks: 2-4 .245 avg

Lewis: 2-4 .277 avg double(18) rbi(45)

Harrington: 1-3 double(29) 3rbi(38)

• Today, the Snappers finish off their series with Peoria as Liam Hendricks gets the start for Beloit.

E-Town Tidbits

Johnson City 3 E-Town 1(28-12 0gb) Game 1 WP: Rada LP: Garcia(4-1) Save: Kington

Pinto: 3-4 .339 avg double(9) Garcia: 5 inn 3 runs 6 hits 4k 4.98 era

Gonzalez: 2-3 .317 avg rbi(27)

Rohlfing: 1-3 double(5)

Johnson City 6 E-Town 5(28-13 0gb) Game 2 WP: Lawler LP: Stuifbergen(4-1) Save: Terry

Dozier: 3-5 .308 avg Stuifbergen: 4 inn 6 runs 8 hits 1bb 1k 3.35 era

Klingsberg: 2-4 .288 avg 2 doubles(6) 2rbi(7)

Hermann: 2-4 .294 avg

Gonzalez: 2-3 .325 avg double(7)

Lara: 1-3 HR(3) 2rbi(14)

• The E-Town Twins continue their series with Johnson City with another doubleheader as Brad Stillings gets the start in game 1 while the E-Town bullpen will piece together game 2 for Elizabethton.

Stop the Negativity

I dont write pieces like this very often because its America and everyone has the freedom to boo who they want, cheer who they want, rip on who they want, and stick up for who they want. However, I think it is important for people to realize how good we have it in Minnesota with the Twins. Maybe this makes me a homer like many people have told me, but I just don't care because this is how I feel. I think Twins fans need to realize how people in Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Kansas City, and Baltimore would love to have the problems that the Twins are having. Granted we have had a mediocre season this year, but you also need to realize in the last 8 years of Twins baseball we have been to the playoffs 4 of those years. Besides the big market teams in New York, Boston, LA and the small market team in Oakland how many other teams can say they have done that.

In addition to that right now the Twins have probably 2 of the top 10 players in the game in Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. I went to a Twins game a week or so ago and I sat there thinking how lucky am I that I get to watch that caliber of a player in those guys. You also have great players like Jason Kubel, Michael Cuddyer, Joe Nathan and many more. Honestly, can you name 3 starting players on Washington's team I would have a hard time doing that myself. How about Pittsburgh with all the trades how would you like to be a fan of theirs and watch them get rid of players that really are not that good. All I am saying is I think some fans need to realize how good we have it here in Minnesota where we have a consistantly good team who is in the race into August and September every season.

Like Seth over at Seth Speaks said a lot of the things the Twins do I agree with such as building within and giving young players a chance to succeed. I seriously can not stand to go over to the Star Tribune blog because all it is this player sucks, that player sucks, Gardy should get fired, Anderson should get fired, Pohlaid should jump off a building. It really gets under my skin because how long do you think Gardy would be out of work before he is managing again hmmm maybe 5 minutes. Gardy does not get the credit he deserves to take a small market team to the playoffs 4 times in his first 7 years on the job. Is he perfect of course not he makes decisions that are easy to second guess, but until you have been in his shoes I don't think it is right to second guess. The one I really don't get is those that think that Rick Anderson should be fired. He has been good every season and now all of a sudden he is a bad pitching coach because the pitchers aren't performing. Where were these calls last year when he brought along a very young staff to within a game of making the playoffs.

I like the fact that the Twins are patient with their players because that is what makes them interesting to watch. Do I wish Carlos Gomez would be more disciplined at the plate of course I do, but he is the best defensive center fielder in the game and that should not be forgotten. Do I wish Nick Punto was not starting every game, of course I do, but he is a very good utility infielder. Basically, what I am saying is people need to quit bitching about the Twins and really realize how good we have it as Twins fans because there are a lot of fans that would love to be in our shoes and have the problems that the Twins have. I know I for one am thrilled to be a Twins fan and when I am dead and buried my children will be Twins fans and their children will be Twins fans and we will all have joy that the Twins bring for Decades to come.

Wednesday, August, 5th

Twins Talk

Twins 10(53-53 2.5gb) Indians 1 WP: Baker(9-7) LP: Huff

Gomez: 3-4 .240 avg HR(3) double(13) 4rbi(26) Baker: 7 inn 0 runs 3 hits 1bb 4k 4.59 era

Mauer: 3-5 .359 avg 3 doubles(19) rbi(60)

Cabrera: 2-5 .283 avg 2 doubles(26) rbi(44)

Morneau: 2-5 .309 avg double(26) 2rbi(88)

Kubel: 2-5 .304 avg HR(19) rbi(59)

Young: 2-5 .261 avg

• Tonight, the Twins continue their series with Cleveland as Francisco Liriano gets the start for the Twins against Indians pitcher Aaron Laffey.

Rochester Wrap

Lehigh Valley 7 Rochester 4(51-57 10gb) WP: Carpenter LP: Gabino(3-3) Save: Anderson

Martin: 2-4 .248 avg HR(2) 2rbi(33) Pino: 5 inn 3 runs 4 hits 2bb 3k 5.06 era

Morales: 2-3 .320 avg 2 doubles(9) 2rbi(18)

• The Red Wings have tonight off before beginning a series tommorrow night against Louisville.

New Britain Business

Erie 7 New Britain 2(53-56 11gb) WP: Nickerson LP: Fox(6-8)

Grudzielanek: 2-3 .273 avg Fox: 5 inn 6 runs 8 hits 3bb 5k 4.05 era

Dinkelman: 2-4 .300 avg double(31) 2rbi(49)

Lis: 1-3 double(18)

• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Erie as Frank Mata gets the start for New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 4(20-18 0gb) Charlotte 3 11 innings WP: H. Arias(3-3) LP: Flores

Parmalee: 2-3 .260 double(20) 2rbi(60) S. Arias: 5.2 inn 3 runs 7 hits 5bb 3k 2.17 era

Machado: 2-4 .500 2 walks(2)

De Los Santos: 2-5 .280 avg double(7) rbi(14)

• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Charlotte as Steven Hirschfeld gets the start for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Peoria 7 Beloit 4(14-23 7gb) 14 innings WP: Huseby LP: Carr(0-1)

Hicks: 3-6 .237 avg HR(2) 4rbi(19) Pugh: 5 inn 0 runs 5 hits 2k 3.42 era

Thompson: 3-6 .249 avg

Lanning: 2-4 .229 avg double(5)

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Peoria as Bobby Lanigan gets the start for Beloit.

E-Town Tidbits

E-Town 10(28-10 0gb)Johnson City 6 Game 1 WP:Davis(1-2) LP:Thompson Save: Acosta(1)

Dozier: 2-3 .313 avg Garcia: 2.2 inn 3 runs 3 hits 2bb 2k 4.91 era

Mccallum: 1-3 double(8) rbi(20)

Streich: 1-4 HR(7) 2rbi(22)

Williams: 1-2 HR(4) 2rbi(14)



Johnson City 4 E-town 3(28-11 0gb) Game 2 WP: Terry LP: Sanchez(3-1) Save: Kington

Gonzalez: 2-3 .308 avg Sanchez: 4 inn 4 runs 6 hits 1bb 4k 4.98 era

Lara: 1-3 double(1) 2rbi(12)

Hermann: 1-3 double(11)

• The E-Town Twins have another doubleheader today as Tom Stuifbergen gets the start in game 1 and in game 2 the Twins will use a bullpen by committee approach in the 2nd game for Elizabethton.

July Awards: Minnesota Twins

As I have done every month this year I will continue giving out monthly awards. I will start with the Twins tonight and work my way down through all the affiliated. The Twins had a decent month in July going 14-14 and stayed in the race as they only trail first place Detroit by 3.5 games and a good couple of months and the Twins can return to postseason play. Everyone let me know what you think of my picks you can either email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave a comment in the comment box.

• Pitcher of the Month: Matt Guerrier- Normally I like to choose a starter for pitcher of the month because they pitch more innings. However, in July there was noone that deserved to not only be up for this award, but honestly deserved to be in the Majors. Look at these ERA's out of our starters. Baker- 4.45, Blackburn- 6.32, Liriano- 5.32, Perkins- 7.40, Swarzak- 3.50, but only made 3 starts. Those are some bad era's so you could see why I chose a reliever for this award. However, even if some of those starters had better numbers you could make a case for Matt Guerrier getting the award anyway as he was filthy in July. Guerrier went 2-0 with a miniscule 0.55 era in 16.1 innings of work. In those 16.1 innings Matt only gave up 1 earned run. Guerrier pitched in 13 games in July and only gave up 7 hits. Guerrier only walked 1 batter while striking out an impressive 9 batters. Most impressive to me is he held hitters to a tiny .123 opponents batting average. Matt Guerrier has turned out to be an very effective 8th inning guy and that is going to allow the Twins alot of flexibility next season. With the returns of Pat Neshek and Boof Bonser the Twins can be cautious with those guys and allow them to come back slow knowing that the 8th inning is covered. I am still concerned about Matt pitching too many games this year and it may show up in August and September, but so far so good and with more help next year he will continue to dominate.
• Others Considered: Anthony Swarzak, Joe Nathan, Jose Mijares

• Hitter of the Month: Justin Morneau- With some stiff competition for this award because quite honestly the reason for the Twins struggles this year has very little to do with the offense for a change. Justin Morneau continued his charge for his 2nd MVP in his career with another good month in the month of July. Morneau hit a very good .280 at the plate with 7 homeruns and 19 rbi's. Those are unbelievable numbers by themselves, but he added 5 doubles to bring his numbers to .280/.380/.559 for an overall OPS of .939 which was his second best month of the year just behind May when he hit 9 homeruns and added 29 rbi's. Morneau kept the Twins in the race one handed as Joe Mauer cooled down a little bit. On the year Morneau is hitting .302 with 28 homeruns and 91 rbi's with 51 games left. So he will probably on pace for a .305 average with 38 homeruns and 125 rbi's which should be good enough for his 2nd MVP with the Twins. Morneau and Mauer balance each other and that is why it is so important to keep these 2 together, because like Orlando Cabrera everyone likes some M&M's.
• Others Considered: Jason Kubel, Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer

Tuesday, August, 4th

Twins Talk

• The Twins had yesterday off and will begin a 3 game series in Cleveland tonight as Scott Baker getting the start for the Twins.

Rochester Wrap

Lehigh Valley 10 Rochester 4(51-56 10gb) WP: Savery LP: Santos(1-4) Save: Concepcion

Macri: 2-3 .233 avg rbi(33) Santos: 4 inn 7 runs 9 hits 3bb 4k 4.78 era

Pridie: 1-5 HR(6) 2rbi(39)

Valencia: 1-4 double(12)

Plouffe: 1-2 double(16) rbi(49)

New Britain Business

• The Rockcats had yesterday off and will begin a series tonight in Erie as Matt Fox gets the start for New Britain.

Fort Myers Minutes

• The Miracle had yesterday off and will begin a series tonight with Charlotte as Santos Arias gets the start for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 5(14-22 6gb) Peoria 3 WP: Allen(2-8) LP: De Leon Save: Bulluck(2)

Rams: 1-4 HR(5) 2rbi(10) Berlind: 5 inn 3 runs 5 hits 5bb 2k 4.64 era

Harrington: 1-3 double(28)

Thompson: 1-3 triple(4) 2rbi(22)

E-Town Tidbits

• The E-Town Twins had yesterday off and will begin a series with Johnson City tonight as they will finish off a suspended game and then play the second with Matire Garcia getting the start in the scheduled game.

Monday, August, 3rd

Twins Talk

Angels 11 Twins 6(52-52 3gb) Saturday WP: Saunders LP: Swarzak(3-4)

Morneau: 3-5 .309 avg HR(27) 2rbi(85) Swarzak: 3 inn 4 earned runs 9 hits 1k 4.25era

Span: 2-5 .291 avg

Cabrera: 2-5 .282 avg double(24) rbi(42)

Redmond: 2-3 .255 avg double(5) rbi(5)

Punto: 2-4 .213 avg

Gomez: 1-4 triple(5) sb(10)


Angels 13 Twins 4(52-53 3gb) Sunday WP: Weaver LP: Perkins(6-7)

Mauer: 2-4 .355 avg double(16) rbi(59) Perkins: 4 inn 9 runs 12 hits 1bb 2k 5.95era

Morneau: 1-4 HR(28) rbi(86)

Kubel: 1-3 double(22)

Cabrera: 1-3 HR(5) rbi(43)

• The Twins have today off before beginning a 6 game roadtrip in Cleveland and Detroit with trip starting tommorrow in Cleveland.

Rochester Wrap

Lehigh Valley 7 Rochester 1(50-55 9gb) Sat. WP:Mazone LP: Manship(3-2) Save: Woods

Tolleson: 3-4 .306 avg Manship: 5 inn 7 runs 9 hits 1bb 2k 3.83 era

Butera: 2-4 .211 avg

Pridie: 1-5 triple(5)

Rochester 4(51-55 9gb) Lehigh Valley 3 Sunday WP: Delaney(5-1) LP: Taschner

Plouffe: 3-4 .254 avg Humber: 5.2 inn 3 runs 8 hits 1bb 5.63 era

Pridie: 3-5 .261 avg double(20)

Tolleson: 2-5 .308 HR(5) 2rbi(21)

Morales: 2-3 .313 avg 2 doubles(7)

Valencia: 1-2 2rbi(29)

• The Red Wings continue their series with Lehigh Valley today as Reid Santos gets the start for Rochester.

New Britain Business

Bowie 7 New Britain 4(51-55 10gb) Sat. Game 1 WP: Clark LP: Devries(6-11) Save: Thall

Portes: 3-4 .297 avg Devries: 4 inn 7 runs 10 hits 1bb 1k 4.36 era

Dinkelman: 2-3 .290 avg HR(5) double(28) 2rbi(45)

Tosoni: 2-4 .277 avg 2rbi(57)

Robbins: 2-3 .286 avg

New Britain 3(52-55 10gb)Bowie 2 Sat game 2 WP: Guerra(4-1) LP: Bascum Save:Slama(22)

Dinkelman: 3-3 .297 avg 2 doubles(30) rbi(46) Guerra: 5 inn 2 runs 4 hits 1bb 2k 4.80 era

Singleton: 2-4 .393 avg rbi(5)

Robbins: 2-3 .289 avg rbi(39)

New Britain 6(53-55 10gb) Bowie 2 Sunday WP: Mullins(7-10) LP: Johnson Save:Slama(23)

Moses: 2-3 .232 avg HR(7) 2rbi(43) Mullins: 5 inn 1 run 2 hits 1bb 2k 4.56 era

Lis: 2-4 .298 avg HR(14) rbi(53) double(17)

Singleton: 1-4 double(7) rbi(6)

Hughes: 1-3 double(5) rbi(14)

• The Rockcats have tonight off before beginning a series with Erie tommorrow night in Erie.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 5(18-18 1gb)Clearwater 4 Sat WP: Bromberg(10-1) LP: Cloyd Save: Van Mil(4)

Leveret: 3-4 .298 avg HR(4) 2rbi(34) double(15) Bromberg: 6 inn 1 run 4 hits 3bb 4k 2.63 era

Dolenc: 3-4 .278 avg 2rbi(30) 2sb(19)

Cates: 2-4 .243 avg 2 stolen bases(7)

Fort Myers 5(19-18 1gb) Clearwater 2 Sunday WP: Robertson LP: Garcia Save: Van Mil(5)

Leveret: 2-3 .303 avg HR(5) rbi(35) Robertson: 5 inn 1 run 4 hits 2bb 3k 3.49 era

Fernandez: 2-4 .224 avg double(11) rbi(18) sb(1)

Cates: 2-4 .247 avg

• The Miracle have tonight off before beginning a series with first place Charlotte tommorrow night in Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Fort Wayne 6 Beloit 5(12-22 8gb) Saturday WP: Lara LP: T. Wright(0-2)

Lewis: 2-3 .274 avg HR(7) double(16) 3rbi(43) Hendricks:5.1 inn 3 runs 5 hits 4bb 6k 3.64era

Beresford: 2-3 .294 double(7)

Morales: 1-5 double(15) rbi(37)

De La Osa: 1-4 triple(2)

Beloit 3(13-22 7gb) Fort Wayne 2 Sunday WP: B. Martin(2-1) LP: Brach Save: Blevins(2)

Beresford: 2-4 .296 double(8) rbi(26) Tippett: 7 inn 2 runs 4 hits 1bb 6k 1bb 6k 2.47era

Lewis: 2-4 .277 avg double(17)

Thompson: 1-5 double(13)

• Tonight, the Snappers begin a 3 game series with Peoria as Dan Berlind gets the start for Beloit.

E-Town Tidbits

Burlington 5 E-Town 2(26-10 0gb) Saturday WP: Fortuna LP: Kennelly(1-1) Save: Sirrett

Dozier: 1-4 double(8) Stillings: 5 inn 2 runs 8 hits 3k 3.51 era

Munroe: 1-3 double(2)

E-Town 7(27-10 0gb) Burlington 6 Sunday WP: Tone(3-1) LP: Cuevas Save: Davis(4)

Hidalgo: 1-3 HR(3) 3rbi(16) Munoz: 6 inn 5 runs 7 hits 1bb 4k 5.77era

Streich: 1-2 double(9) rbi(21)

Williams: 1-3 HR(4) rbi(13)

• The E-Town Twins have tonight off before finishing their suspended game against Johnson City followed by their regularly scheduled game on Tuesday Night.

Twins acquire Cabrera/Lose Ladendorf/Demote Buscher

Sorry I haven't been able to give my take on how the trade deadline went for the Twins just had a couple hectic days. Anyways, the Twins yesterday traded promising shortstop Tyler Ladendorf to Oakland in exchange for shortstop Orlando Cabrera and cash considerations. Don't get me wrong Orlando Cabrera is an upgrade at short over Nick Punto, but of course he is a 2 month rental who if he does well will want a much bigger contract and I can't see the Twins paying him his 7 or 8 million a year that he is going to want if he has a good 2 months. Cabrera is hitting .280 on the season with 4 homeruns and 41 rbi's along with 11 steals so you are getting a solid contributer that should help the Twins. The big reason I think they did it was to please Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau, and Joe Mauer who had been complaining that the Twins never do anything at the deadline. My feeling is if this gets Joe Mauer to sign long term than this will go down as the best trade in Twins history that is how important I think it is that they get Mauer signed. I went to the Twins and the White Sox game on Monday and I bet 80% of the jersey's the kids were wearing were Joe Mauer jersey's he is that important to the future of the Twins. If they let Mauer go as a free agent you might as well say goodbye to Morneau as well because he has said on many occasions he has no interest in playing with the Twins without Joe Mauer. So if that gets him signed I have no problem with the trade.I really don't think it makes the team better though because Cabrera was hitting .230 before the month of July so a hot month got his average up to .280. Also in other stops Cabrera has been known as a selfish player and that will not fly in the Twins clubhouse.

Meanwhile, I was very high on Tyler Ladendorf and am very disappointed to see him leave. Ladendorf had a rough season last year after putting a full season of college baseball in. However, he came in this year and dominated Elizabethton and hit .410 with 4 homeruns and 17 rbi's in only about a month in Elizabethton. He was putting up awesome numbers and that got him promoted to A ball at Beloit. He was struggling a bit hitting only .233, but it was way early and I have no doubt that by the end of the year he would of been hitting close to .300. The bottom line is Ladendorf's upside is huge and he would of been very good offensively in my mind. He probably would of projected out as a 3rd baseman so the comparison that some are making of trading away all our shortstops does not hold water because in a couple years he probably would of been a 3rd baseman anyway. True we don't have a whole lot at SS with the struggles of Trevor Plouffe and the injury problems of Esterlin De Los Santos, but Ladendorf would not of been a shortstop anyway.

However, though he would of been a top 10 prospect for me at the end of the season and that is a high price to pay for 2 months of a solid major leaguer, but if that gets Mauer signed than it is worth it. To make room for Cabrera the Twins optioned IF Brian Buscher to AAA Rochester which surprised quite a few people because most people thought Alexi Casilla would get the call. In my opinion in a couple weeks Casilla will join Buscher in AAA when secondbaseman Mark Grudzielanek joins the Twins and mans 2nd base and moves Nick Punto to utility role that he is much better at. My only hope that is with the waiver deadline not until the 31st of this month that the Twins will find a way to acquire a right handed reliever, because it is quite obvious that Jesse Crain and Bobby Keppel are not going to be able to handle the 6th and 7th innings for the Twins. So Billy Smith find a way to get something done because the Twins still need help.

Saturday, August, 1st

Twins Talk

Angels 11 Twins 5(52-51 2gb) 11 innings WP: Jepson LP: Keppel(0-1)

Mauer: 3-4 .359 avg HR(18) 3rbi(57) Blackburn: 6.2 inn 4 runs 12 hits 4k 3.83 era

Span: 2-5 .289 avg double(6) rbi(38)

Gomez: 1-5 double(12)

Crede: 1-5 double(14)

Punto: 1-5 triple(1) rbi(24)

• The Twins continue their series with the Angels tonight as Anthony Swarzak gets the start for the Twins and will face Angels pitcher Joe Saunders.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 4(50-54 7.5gb) Gwinnett 2 WP: Mulvey(4-6) LP: Venters Save: Delaney(5)

Plouffe: 2-5 .247 avg 2rbi(48) Mulvey: 6 inn 2 run 4 hits 4bb 9k 4.33 era

Huber: 2-4 .277 avg 2 doubles(17)

Pridie: 2-5 .258 avg double(19)

Morales 2-4 .306 avg

• The Red Wings begin a series tonight with Lehigh Valley as staff ace Jeff Manship gets the start for Rochester.

New Britain Business

New Britain 0 Bowie 0 Rained out

• The Rockcats had their game with Bowie rained out last night and will be made up as part of a doubleheader today with Cole Devries getting the start in game 1 and Frank Mata getting the spot start in game 2.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 6(17-18 1gb) Clearwater 1 WP: Tarsi(3-1) LP: Velasquez

Leveret: 2-5 .290 avg double(14) 2rbi(32) Tarsi: 5 inn 0 earned runs 4 hits 2bb 2k 3.45 era

Parmalee: 2-5 .260 avg double(19) rbi(58)

De Los Santos: 2-5 .277 avg rbi(13)

• The Miracle continue their series with Clearwater as staff ace David Bromberg gets the start for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 3(12-21 8gb) Fort Wayne 2 WP: Lanigan(8-7) LP: Davis Save: Bulluck(1)

Hanson: 2-4 .252 double(16) rbi(24) sb(4) Lanigan: 8.1 inn 2 runs 6 hits 2bb 10k 4.68 era

Thompson 2-5 .246 HR(1) rbi(20)

Lewis: 2-4 .270 avg double(15) sb(2)

Rams: 2-3 .276 avg double(6)

Hicks: 1-4 double(8)

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with first place Fort Wayne as Liam Hendricks gets the start for Beloit.

E-Town Tidbits

E-Town 2(26-9 0gb) Burlington 1 WP: Stuifbergen(4-0) LP: Kelley Save: Davis(3)

Mccallum: 2-4 .273 avg double(8) rbi(20) Stuifbergen: 8 inn 0 earned runs 3 hits 7k 2.90 era

Dozier: 2-4 .309 avg

Streich: 1-4 double(8)

• Tonight, the E-Town Twins continue their series with Burlington as Matt Bashore makes his professional debut for Elizabethton.