looking ahead to 2012

I know some will say that I am jumping ship by looking forward to 2012, but we need to be realistic. Only the Twins of 2006 have come back from 10 games down and won a division title since 1917 so the odds are not very high that this team will make it back into postseason play this year. Do I think Cleveland will come down to earth some and that the Twins will play much better in the summer months well of course I do. Do I think it is possible for the Twins to make it back into postseason play yes I do, but a lot of things would have to go awful right for the Twins and a lot would have to go wrong for the rest of the divison as the Twins are in celler at 12-21 a whopping 10 games out of first. This question has to be asked whether the Twins are in the playoffs or if they aren't so I thought it would be fun to look at the decisions the Twins Front Office will have after the season barring a lockout that I think is very unlikely. I will go player to player and give his contract status and also what is status is with the team.

Joe Mauer- Their is no doubt the season may have turned out differently if Mauer had not gotten injured. He likely will be back by the first of June and hopefully puts up Joe Mauer numbers. Going forward a decision has to be made about whether to move Joe Mauer off of catcher. The Twins owe Mauer 7 years 161 million so Mauer will definately be back. My idea of what to do with him is the same thing I have heard others say and that is have him catch about 90 games with another 30 games at first base and 30 games as the DH. Whenever Mauer would play first I would have Morneau be the DH. I think a key to the Twins winning in the future is keeping Joe Mauer on the field and that is the best way to do it.

Justin Morneau- I still believe that Morneau will get it going and be the Justin Morneau Twins fans have come to expect. It is only 33 games into the season, but Morneau is only hitting .212 on the year. The bottom line is Morneau will be back no matter what because the way he is hitting right now no one would take the 28 million he has on his contract after this year. The thing about it is if Morneau comes back and hits the way he has in the past then the Twins need to seriously consider extending him. The 14 million per year is very managable on the payroll, however the injury risk with Morneau is great after missing great parts of 2009 and 2010 due to injury. With that being said if Morneau keeps hitting like this it will be a moot point.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka- Nishioka will be back in 2012 on the second year of a three year contract. We still don't know what we got in Nishioka after getting hurt so early in the season. I think with his arm strength Nishioka will be the second baseman in 2012 as he tries to build on this year.

Alexi Casilla- I think Casilla is spending his final year with the Twins if he even makes it through the year. Casilla has been given opportunity after opportunity to be a key player for the Twins, but he just has not been able to do it.

Danny Valencia- Valencia has been going through somewhat of a sophmore slump so far as has been consistantly in the .220's and .230's. He has driven in a team hight 18 runs though, but he has made some baserunning lapses and his defense has been inconsistant. However, he is the best 3rd baseman since Cory Koskie so he will definatly be back.

Delmon Young- Delmon Young has two things going against him. First he has missed quite a bit of time due to a rib injury. Second and probably most important he is making 5.4 million this year and due a jump to the 8-9 million range I look for the Twins to move him to try to acquire a shortstop and possibly bullpen help. Young's value is very high after his great season in 2010 so I look for them to captalize on it to get some good prospects especially with guys like Tosoni and Revere just about ready to start next season.

Denard Span- Denard Span has reestablished himself as a cataylst in the Twins offense at the top of the lineup. I still think he would be a better left fielder than a centerfielder, but am resigned to the fact that they will keep him in center for the next few years. The Twins have Span signed to a reasonable contract as long as he keeps his high on base percentage in 37-38 percent range. Span is owed 15 million over the next 3 years with a 9 million option for 2015 so it is very reasonable and at only 27 years old he is part of the solution in the Twins likely retooling operation.

Michael Cuddyer- This is a tough one for me as I value him as a person and he is solid, but his defense is detoriating and his price tag will likely be higher than I am willing to pay. At age 32 and making 10.5 million in the last year of his deal that is too rich for my blood. If he was willing to take half of that I would look to bring him back, but that is not going to happen. The writing is on the wall when the Twins would not talk to him about an extension in the offseason so I look for the Twins and Cuddyer to go their seperate ways this offseason.

Jason Kubel- Before the season I had my mind made up that 2011 would be Jason Kubel's final year with the Twins. However, he has looked like a different hitter this year by hitting close to .350 all year. He has not tried to hit homeruns and has got big hit after big hit. There is still 4 and a half months to go but he is starting to be in my plans. The more he has played in the outfield the more comfortable I have become with him in the outfield. At age 28 he is a younger version of Cuddyer and if he can continue to do ok against lefty's I would probably bring him back on a 2-3 year deal as a part time outfielder and part time dh.

Jim Thome- The clock seems like it is running out on Thome as a player as a 41 year old it seemed like his bat was slow even before he was injured. Here is hoping he can get the 9 more homeruns he needs to get to 600 so he can walk away into the sunset as this will be Jim Thome's last year in a Twins uniform.

Drew Butera- Drew Butera is an ok backup catcher as he is fine defensively, but he absolutely can not hit. With my plan for Joe Mauer the Twins are going to need a better hitting backup catcher. Nothing against Drew Butera, but hitting .112 is just not going to get the job done so I don't look for him to be back.

Carl Pavano- I don't know if this is a early in the season thing, but Carl Pavano has looked really old as of late. Being that they owe him 8 million next year it is going to be difficult to move him but I look for the Twins to find a taker to make room for Kyle Gibson in a Twins uniform

Nick Blackburn- That was another bad contract for the Twins as Blackburn is due 11 million the next two years after this season. His pitching has been so up and down that the Twins could not move him even if they tried.

Francisco Liriano- Liriano is such a tease as his no hitter would attest to, but he is so inconsistant you can't give him a long term contract. I would make him available and see what kind of offers you can get and if a team really values him I would jump on it. I don't think the Twins are going to get the kind of offers that they want so I look for Liriano to be back.

Brian Duensing- Duensing has been a pleasant surprise for the Twins and since he is signed so cheap he definatly will be back and possibly be signed to an extension.

Kevin Slowey- With so many other holes on the team keeping Slowey is not something that should be done. They need to move him and get the best package that they possibly can.

Joe Nathan- I feel bad for him, but Joe Nathan is not getting the job done and their can be no loyalty when it comes to business. Nathan has had a great Twins career, but it will come to an end after the season.

Matt Capps- Capps is not a dominant closer, but he does get the job done so i would give him a nice 3 year deal to continue closing for the Twins.


Overview
coming off Books
I have aproximatley 40 million coming off the books after this season in the moves that I have laid out so that should be plenty to become a better team.

Tentative 2012 lineup with additions that i am suggesting
C- Mauer
1b- Morneau
2b- Freddy Sanchez
ss- Nishioka
3b- Valencia
Lf- Revere
Cf- Span
Rf- Kubel
Dh- Mike Napoli

Bench
Hughes
Tolbert
Steve Singleton
Repko

Lineup
1. Span
2. Revere
3. Mauer
4. Morneau
5. Napoli
6. Kubel
7. Valencia
8. Sanchez
9. Nishioka

Pitching Rotation
1. Liriano
2. Baker
3. Gibson
4. Duensing
5. Blackburn

Bullpen
Capps
Perkins
Mijares
Michael Wuertz
Diamond
Hoey
Burnett


Let me know what you think if you disagree with me or agree with me I would love to know what you think. You can either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

Can the Twins rebound?

The bottom line is the Twins are not playing very good right now as their 12-20 record would attest to. It is not very hard to figure out why though as they are missing Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Jim Thome, and Tsuyoshi Nishioka who combined for 55 homeruns and 246 rbi's in the 2010 season. Granted none of the guys just mentioned were off to a very good start in 2011, but you know they are going to come around. The biggest reason for concern though is the start of the pitching staff in Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano as they both have era's over six. This is not something that should be sneezed at as we are five-six weeks into the season and you would think that you would know what you got at the top of your rotation. If it was not for Scott Baker and Brian Duensing the Twins would be in much worse shape than they are and that is saying something as the Twins currently trail Cleveland by 9.5 games. Another problem has been the dismal performance of Justin Morneau. Currently Morneau is only hitting .202 on the year after being a .284 career hitter including hitting .300 three times. The thing with Morneau is none of us know what he is going through as he suffered a serious brain injury last year and he was not able to work out this winter due to the concussion. He did not swing a bat for over 8 months so is it that big of a surprise that he is not hitting. I think we all myself including were expecting too much too soon for Morneau. This was a very serious injury and I am sure he is just thankful that he is even playing. A judgement on him can not be made over 32 games and those that have given up on him are going to be wrong. With all those things that have gone wrong so far in 2011 the important thing is there is still 130 games to be played so it is too soon to give up on this team. The question is what do the Twins need to do to get back in the race.

The first and last thing that needs to happen is for the Twins to get healthy especially Joe Mauer. The Twins can not and will not win without Joe Mauer. He is the biggest contributer for the Twins and they need him. When Joe Mauer is well Joe Mauer the Twins have the capability to beat anyone and get on a run of great play. It was obvious that Mauer was not right early in the season so just as important to getting him back is getting him back when he is healthy. With Drew Butera, Steve Holm, and now Rene Rivera holding down the catching position that has been an automatic out. Getting Mauer back would take the pressure off of everyone else. Getting Delmon Young back will be big as he is coming off a career year in 2010 and adding him just deepens the lineup. Getting Nishioka back really stabalizes one of the worst positions in all of baseball in middle infield whether he plays second or short. Really a key to things is getting the players healthy.

The biggest thing that needs to improve if the Twins can rebound is the pitching staff. Other than Scott Baker, Brian Duensing, Glen Perkins, and Matt Capps the pitching staff has been awful. That has to change or there will be no turnaround. Francisco Liriano's no hitter hopefully will be the beginning of a turnaround because he has way too much talent to keep pitching like that. Carl Pavano won't pitch like he did last year, but he is a much better pitcher than he has shown lately so he is a key to getting back. The bullpen needs to become more consistant as they move forward. Joe Nathan, Alex Burnett, Jose Mijares, Jim Hoey have all been so inconsistant and they need them to develop some consistancy. Another area that needs to improve is their defense as it has shoddy at best. A great part of past Twins teams has been their defense and it has not been good this year. A big part of it has been the changing of players with all the injuries so it could help with the return of health. If some of these things happen its possible for the Twins to get back in it. The Twins dug themselves quite a whole and probably will need Cleveland and Kansas City to come back to the pack some, but the Twins can't worry about them they need to get healthy and put together some better play. If those things happen I really believe that the Twins could be in a pennant race again this summer.

Pitcher and hitter of the month for April

I don't have time to write any comments about my choices for each of these awards, but Ill put the winner and their April stats along with another choice that could have won the award and let you decide if I made the right decision. If you have another name that you would like to nominate let me know that too by leaving a comment in the comment box or shooting me an email to travis_aune@yahoo.com.

Twins
Scott Baker- 1-2 3.16 era 5 starts 31.1inn=6.1 per start .239 OBA

Brian Duensing-2-1 2.91 era 5starts 34inn= 6.8 per start .264 OBA

Glen Perkins- 0-0 0.75 era 11games 12 innings .225 OBA

Hitter of the Month

Jason Kubel- .351 avg 2hr 10rbi 9 doubles .392/.511/.903 stat line .278 vs leftys/.365 vs rightys

Denard Span- .298 avg 1hr 5rbi 4 doubles and a triple .354/.385/.739

Rochester Red Wings

Pitcher of the Month

Kyle Gibson- 0-1 3.15era 4 starts 2oinn= 5inn per start 4bb 21k .221oba

Scott Diamond- 1-1 3.48era 4starts 20.2inn=5.1inn per start .208 opponents batting average

Hitter of the Month

Trevor Plouffe- .282 avg 6hr 13rbi's 4 doubles and a triple 11 runs scored .344/.590/.934 stat line.

Ben Revere- .293 avg 0hr 5rbi's 2 doubles, 7 stolen bases 10 runs scored .330/.315/.645 stat line

New Britain Rockcats

Pitcher of the Month

Cole Devries- 0-0 0.00era 7 games 4 saves 14.2inn 3 hits 1bb 21 strikeouts .063 OBA

Steve Hirscfeld- 1-0 2.05era 4starts 22inn= 5.5 per start 5bb/18k .190 oba

Hitter of the Month

Yangervis Solarte- .359 avg 2 homeruns 12 rbi's 9 doubles and a triple, .367/.577/.944 line

Joe Benson- .295 avg 2homeruns 12 rbi's 8 doubles and a triple .360/.500/.860 stat line

Fort Myers

Pitcher of the Month

Kane Holbrooks- 0-4 2.43 era 5 starts 29.2 inn=5.84 per start .248 OBA

Dakota Watts- 0-1 3.12era 5 saves 8 games 8.2 inn .273 OBA

Hitter of the Month

James Beresford- .325avg 0hr 8rbi's 2 doubles and 8 runs scored .353/.350/.703 stat line

Danny Rams- .338 avg 1hr 10rbi's 4 doubles and 2 triples .392/.500/.892 stat line

Beloit Snappers

Pitcher of the Month

Adrian Salcedo- 1-1 2.78 era 4 starts 22.2 innings= 5.55 per start 6bb/19k .259 OBA

Logan Darnell- 1-1 2.78 era 4 starts 22.2inn .148 OBA

Hitter of the Month

Danny Ortiz- .377 avg 6hr 15rbi's 7 doubles and a triple with 16 runs scored .429/.768/1.197

Oswaldo Arcia- .352 avg 5hr 18 rbi's 8 doubles and a triple with 18 runs scored .420/.704/1.124

Twins Organization Pitcher of Month for April: Cole Devries

Twins Organization Pitcher of Month for April: Danny Ortiz

Stream of Consciousness

Hello everyone my name is Travis Aune and I am the author of Travis Twins Talk a blog I have had for a couple of years and sometimes the information is constant, but because I am also a college student sometimes it is not as constant. I have finals this week and then graduate on Friday with an Associates before I move on to get my Bachelors so I guess I am trying to explain why my posts have not been as often as other bloggers. That does not mean I am any less of a Twins fan because I am a huge Twins fan as I never miss a game along with Co-hosting Twins Minor League Weekly every Monday and Thursday night with Seth Stohs at 10pm central. I still try to read some other Twins blogs and listen to podcasts when I have an opportunity and I can honestly say that the amount of negativity surrounded the Twins blogging community and on Twitter is making me sick to my stomach. Twins fans should be ashamed of themselves right now. Are the Twins playing like we are accostumed to them playing right now of course not, but the amount of whining and complaining by so called Twins fans is unbelievable. I remember the 2000 season when the Twins threw guys like Matt Kinney, Sean Bergman, Hector Carrasco that was a bad pitching staff. They counted on position players like Matthew Lecroy, Jason Maxwell, Chad Allen, and last but not least Butch Huskey. That right there was a bad team, but in the darkness their was a glimmer of light as guys like Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones, Christian Guzman, Corey Koskie, Brad Radke, Johan Santana were getting their start. I remember that season all too well as day after day I sat and watched them compete their best every night and lose every night. The reason I continued to watch as a Twins fan is I knew things would get better as the Twins had a plan and that plan led to six division titles in nine years along with two mvp awards, multiple silver slugger awards, a manager of the year award, and most importantly hours and hours of enjoyment for Twins fans.

Now we are in 2011 the Twins are 12-19 and 9.5 games out of first, but instead of hearing about how can the Twins can get back in the race all I hear is about how this person sucks and that person should be replaced. Cmon guys this is the Twins they have given us so much enjoyment through the years and when they have a little bit of trouble you all jump ship and go negative. The thing I have always prided myself about being a Twins fan is we always stick by our team even when things are not going well. Right now it feels like I am cheering for the Yankees as every time they lose a game people are bitching that it was someones fault and someone should be benched, sent to the minors or released. Do I wish guys like Mauer, Young, Nishioka, and Thome were playing right now of course I do, but they are not so it doesn't help to bitch instead we should be cheering for guys like Butera, Tosoni, Revere, Hughes, Casilla to do well and not bitch everytime they get an out that they should be benched. The final two points that I feel I need to make is one, the Twins have had more success than just about any organization in baseball the last 10 years and we should trust that they will figure things out because the negativity is really getting sickening. Some nights I go on Twitter and all I see is this player sucks and that player sucks and it makes me sad. Justin Morneau didn't play for 8 months and had a very serious brain injury so I think we can give him a benefit of more than 31 games before we want to throw him overboard. All he has done for the Twins I think he has earned the Patience of Twins fans. I for one get frustrated sometimes when the Twins can't hit a pitcher, but the big picture is the Twins will figure it out they always do. Will they go to the playoffs again who knows, but its fun to find out. My final point is all the negativity towards manager Ron Gardenhire I think is the dumbest thing in the world. This is Gardy's 10th year as a manager and has taken teams to the playoffs six of those years and finally won the manager of the year award last year after many years he should have won it. Seems like the team goes through adversity every year and with Gardy's steady hand they find a way to make it through it a stronger team. The fact that some blame everything on Gardy is so stupid that I should not even answer that. So Gardy goes from the Manager of the Year to someone that should be fired that is so ridiculius. Mark my words the Twins will be in contention in August and all these tribulations will make the team stronger and more tight knit. I am going to get off my soap box now and just encourage before being critical look at the big picture and trust that the Twins know what they are doing as they haven't had a bad 10 year period and I for one am so thankful that the Twins give me hours of entertainment every week and makes me fall further in love with the great game of baseball every day. God Bless

NFL Mock Draft 3.0

1. Carolina Panthers- Cam Newton QB Auburn

2. Denver Broncos- Marcel Dareus DT Alabama

3. Buffalo Bills- Vonn Miller LB Texas A&M

4. Cincinnati Bengals- A.J. Green WR Georgia

5. Arizona Cardinals- Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri

6. Cleveland Browns- Julio Jones WR Alabama

7. San Francisco 49'ers- Patrick Peterson CB LSU

8. Tennessee Titans- Nick Fairley DT Auburn

9. Dallas Cowboys- Tyron Smith OT USC

10. Washington Redskins- Robert Quinn DE North Carolina

11. Houston Texans- Aldon Smith LB Missouri

12. Minnesota Vikings- Jake Locker QB Washington

13. Detroit Lions- Prince Amakamara CB Nebraska

14. St. Louis Rams- Cameron Jordan DE California

15. Miami Dolphins- Mark Ingram RB Alabama

16. Jacksonville Jaguars- D'Quan Bowers DE Clemson

17. New England Patriots- JJ Watts DE Wisconsin

18. San Diego Chargers- Ryan Kerrigan DE Purdue

19. New York Giants- Mike Pouncey OL Florida

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Muhammad Wilkerson DE Temple

21. Kansas City Chiefs- Anthony Castonzo OT Boston College

22. Indianapolis Colts- Gabe Carimi OT Wisconsin

23. Philadelphia Eagles- Jimmy Smith CB Colorado

24. New Orleans Saints- Brooks Reed DE Arizona

25. Seattle Seahawks- Nate Solder OT Colorado

26. Baltimore Ravens- Brandon Harris CB Miami

27. Atlanta Falcons- Cameron Hayward DE Ohio State

28. New England Patriots- Derrek Sherrod OT Mississippi St.

29. Chicago Bears- Cory Liuget DT Illinois

30. New York Jets- Phil Taylor DT Baylor

31. Pittsburgh Steelers- Danny Watkins OG Baylor

32. Green Bay Packers- Adrian Clayborn DE Iowa

NFL Mock Draft 2.0

1. Carolina Panthers- Cam Newton QB Auburn



2. Denver Broncos- Marcel Darius DT Alabama




3. Buffalo Bills- Vonn Miller LB Texas A&M



4. Cincinnati- AJ Green WR Georgia



5. Arizona Cardinals- Robert Quinn DE North Carolina



6. Cleveland Browns- Julio Jones WR Alabama



7. San Francisco 49er's- Patrick Peterson CB LSU



8. Tennessee Titans- Nick Fairley DT Auburn



9. Dallas Cowboys- Tyron Smith OT USC



10. Washington Redskins- Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri



11. Houston Texans- JJ Watt DE Wisconsin



12. Minnesota Vikings- Prince Amakumara CB Nebraska



13. Detroit Lions- D'Quan Bowers DE Clemson



14. St. Louis Rams- Aldon Smith DE Missouri



15. Miami Dolphins- Mark Ingram RB Alabama



16. Jacksonville Jaguars- Cameron Jordan DE California



17. New England Patriots- Jake Locker QB Washington

18. San Diego Chargers- Ryan Kerrigan DE Purdue

19. New York Giants- Mike Pouncey C Florida

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Anthony Castanzo OT BC

21. Kansas City Chiefs- Gabe Carimi OT Wisconsin

22. Indianapolis Colts- Nate Solder OT Colorado

23. Philadelphia Eages- Jimmy Smith CB Colorado

24. New Orleans Saints- Aldon Smith LB Missouri

25. Seattle Seahawks- Derrek Sherrod OT Mississippi St.

26. Baltimore Ravens- Torrey Smith WR Maryland

27. Atlanta Falcons- Akeem Ayers LB UCLA

28. New England Patriots- Muhammad Wilkerson,DT Temple

29. Chicago Bears- Aaron Williams CB Texas

30. New York Jets- Phil Taylor DT Butler

31. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kyle Rudolph TE Notre Dame

32. Green Bay Packers- Cameron Hayward DE Ohio State

NFL Mock Draft 1.0

It is that time of year again where all the top college players converage onto NYC for the NFL Draft. I know there is a lockout, but that doesn't mean this won't be a great day for these young men who have worked their whole life for this moment. With the draft quickly approaching I thought it was time for the first of my mock drafts. Let me know what you think.

1. Carolina- Cam Newton QB Auburn

2. Denver- Marcel Dareus DL Alabama

3. Buffalo- Blaine Gabbert QB Missouri

4. Cincinnati- AJ Green WR Georgia

5. Arizona- Vonn Miller DE Texas A&M

6. Cleveland- Patrick Peterson CB LSU

7. San Francisco- Robert Quinn DE North Carolina

8. Tennessee- Nick Fairley DT Auburn

9. Dallas- Tyron Smith OT USC

10. Washington- Julio Jones WR Alabama

11. Houston- JJ Watt DE Wisconsin

12. Minnesota- Da'quan Bowers DE Clemson

13. Detroit- Prince Amukamara CB Nebraska

14. St. Louis- Corey Liuget DT Illinois

15. Miami- Mark Ingram RB Alabama

16. Jacksonville- Aldon Smith DE Missouri

17. New England- Cameron Jordan DE California

18. San Diego- Muhammed Wilkerson DT Temple

19. New York Giants- Mike Pouncey C Florida

20. Tampa Bay- Ryan Kerrigan DE Purdue

21. Kansas City- Phil Taylor DT Baylor

22. Indianapolis- Anthony Castonzo OT Boston College

23. Philadelphia- Gabe Carimi OT Wisconsin

24. New Orleans- Adrian Clayborn DE Iowa

25. Seattle- Jimmy Smith CB Colorado

26. Baltimore- Brandon Harris CB Miami

27. Atlanta- Nate Soldier OT Colorado

28. New England- Akeem Ayers LB UCLA

29. Chicago- Derreck Sharrod OT Mississippi State

30. New York Jets- Cameron Heyward De Ohio State

31. Pittsburgh- Aaron Williams CB Texas

32. Green Bay- Brooks Reed DE Arizona

Utility Decision

With the spring season coming to the end next week it is likely the final decisions for the Twins needs to be made. More than likely 22-23 of the roster decisions are decided so it is just those couple of decisions that have to be decided. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the final roster spots and how I think it will turn out.

• Utility spot: Luke Hughes vs Matt Tolbert- If you would have asked me this question a week to ten days ago I would have said it would be Hughes in a landslide. However, as the spring has unfolded and the Twins have saw more and more of pitchers that will start the season in major league uniforms Hughes' numbers have plummeted. He has gotten plenty of playing time as his 63 spring at bats would attest to. He went a stretch where he did not get a hit in four straight games and with Gardy wanting to see more of him he has been playing most of the game so thats some serious at bats. He hit his team leading sixth homerun of the spring yesterday along with his team leading fifteen rbi's. However, he has seen his average plummet to a high in the .350's to now just .254. On the other hand Matt Tolbert has put together a Matt Tolbert type of spring. He is Mr. Steady in that he will not put up good numbers, but he will work his butt off and he can play four to five positions so he is very versatile. He is called Nick Punto Jr. for a reason by people as he does a lot of the same things that Punto did except his defense is not in Punto's class. He actually has hit better this spring than he normally will as he is hitting .306 in 36 at bats. At the end of the day this decision is tougher than I thought it would be as Tolbert has caught up to Hughes with Luke's struggles the last week to ten days. Then there is Tolbert is great defensively compared to Hughes so that has to come into account. I could change my mind before cut day on Wednesday, but my pick is Luke Hughes slightly and here is my reason why. The Twins lineup is very lefthanded and when teams bring in a tough lefty the twins are handicapped. So by having a guy like Hughes on the bench it will allow Gardy to bring gardy to bring Hughes off the besch to get a big hit. Tommorrow I will discuss the big bullpen decision so check back tommorrow.

• Today, the Twins face the Orioles in Fort Myers and Scott Baker gets the start for the Twins as he tried to get ready for the start of the season. Gametime is at 12:05

Are the Twins done spending

With the Twins likely signing Carl Pavano today after months of hand wringing by Twins fans the question has to be asked is this the team the Twins will bring to Fort Myers with them for Spring Training in about six weeks or is there room in the payroll to sign a Jim Thome or possibly a Brian Fuentes. The best way to figure out that is look at what the Twins have on the books already and see what the future holds for the Twins going into spring training.

C. Joe Mauer- 23.0 When the Twins signed Joe Mauer to the massive 8 year 184 million dollar deal last March Twins fans knew there would always be a lack of flexibility in the payroll, but that is just something you just need to do. Unless your the Yankees when you have superstar players you need to cut corners in other parts of your team and it is no different for the Twins.

1b Justin Morneau- 14.0 The Twins owe Justin Morneau 3 years and 42 million left on his contract. If he is healthy that is a market level contract for someone of his skill set and maybe even a little below market value. However, the last two years Morneau has had difficulty staying healthy so this contract does not look as good as it did two years ago. Here's hoping that Morneau can stay healthy this year and make his contract look fair.

2b Tsuyoshi Nishioka 3.0 The Twins made their first foray into Japan by bringing in the talented middle infielder into the fold and signing him to a 3 year 9.25 deal with a team option for a fourth year. No one knows how good he is going to be for the Twins, but he hit .346 in Japan last season so there is some hope that he can hit close to .300 and play good defense. He is such an unknown that it is hard to say whether this was a good signing by the Twins or a mistake.

SS Alexi Casilla- 800,000* The asterisk means a arbitration estimate for Casilla. Alexi Casilla gets one last chance to prove that he can be a every day player for the Twins. If he struggles this year he likely will not come back in 2012. So there is some pressure on Casilla to show what he has shown in flashes over a full season. If he fails Trevor Plouffe will be waiting in AAA awaiting the call.

3b Danny Valencia- 500,000* There has not been a rookie with the kind of impact that Valencia made last year in a number of years for the Twins. Valencia proved he can hit for average with some occasional power along with playing great defense. The key for Valencia in 2011 is to prove that 2010 was not a fluke and he is the 3rd baseman the Twins have been waiting for.

LF Delmon Young- 5.25*- Delmon Young had a breakout season for the Twins last year and is entering his 2nd try at arbitration this winter. Young is under team control for two more years and will be a free agent after the 2012 season. With the season that Young put up in 2010 there is some thought that maybe the Twins should try to sign him long term right now. I would wait to see if 2010 was an abberation or a sign of things to come as Young is only 25 years old. Here is hoping that last year was just the beginning for Delmon and he is in a Twins uniform for many years to come.

CF Denard Span- 1.0 After signing a five year 16.5 deal last spring training there was hope that Denard would take his game to the next level and add some stolen bases to his game. However, Span had his worst season as a Twin in 2010 including getting picked off 9 times and having career lows in batting average, on base percentage, and OPS. Those are the only stats that matter for a guy like Span so this is a big year for him to show last season was a fluke and he can get back to being the player we all hope he can be.

RF Michael Cuddyer 10.5 Michael Cuddyer was another one that did not have as good of a year in 2010 as he did in 2009. After hitting 32 homeruns in 2009 Cuddyer's total dropped in 2010 to 14 homeruns. Cuddyer is in the last year of his contract so it is a big year for Cuddy as he heads towards free agency.

DH Jason Kubel- 5.25 Jason Kubel is another guy that is in the last year of his contract. Kubel saw his batting average drop from .300 in 2009 to .249 in 2010 and saw his OPS drop from .907 down to .750 so 2011 is a huge year for Kubel. With Chris Parmelee knocking on the door Kubel really needs to step it up in 2011 if he wants to remain with the Twins.

Bench

C Drew Butera- 500,000 Butera returns for a second season as the backup catcher for the Twins. Offensively he is not someone you count for much, but defensively there are not a lot better defensively behind the plate. He will be back in 2011 and the hope that he can improve a bit offensively.

Inf Matt Tolbert- 500,000 With the Twins on a tight budget the Twins will likely turn the utility role over to Matt Tolbert who is not good, but he is cheap.

OF- Jason Repko 600,000 Jason Repko returns for a second season with the Twins as he did an outstanding job as a extra outfielder in 2010 and will do another good job in 2011.

PH Luke Hughes- 400,000 if the Twins decide to turn the page on Jim Thome then Luke Hughes would likely get a chance to win a roster spot. Hughes has a injury history, but when healthy he is a very accomplished hitter and I believe could do well.

Offense Salaries: $65.3 million

Pitching

1. Francisco Liriano- 4.5 After being at the lows of a 5-13 season in 2009 that led him to go to winter ball after the season to regain his confidence and having to battle for a roster spot in spring training. Liriano really took a step forward in 2010 by winning a career high 14 games and a solid 3.62 era. To be honest if not for all the innings he pitched in winter leagues he may have been better as he ran out of gas towards the end of the year. It will be interesting to see Liriano rebound in 2011.

2. Carl Pavano- 9.0 That is taking for granted that Pavano gets a 2 year deal for 18 million that is being reported. Pavano pitched 221 innings in 2010 which was the second most of his career so it will be interesting to see if he can do it again. By the Twins signing him they are gambling that he can.

3. Scott Baker 5.0 There was not a pitcher on the Twins last year that was as frustrating as Baker. Baker was one of the highest paid pitchers on the team last year and was not real good. Going 12-9 with an era of 4.49 is not what Twins fans were expecting out of their opening day starter. Baker has two years and 11.5 left on his deal along with a 9.5 club option for 2013 that the team is highly unlikely to pick up the way that he is pitching. Scott Baker will play a huge factor whether the Twins can win their third straight AL Central Title or not.

4. Brian Duensing- 500,000 Brian Duensing was outstanding once he joined the rotation last year and was a big reason the Twins were able to make the playoffs. With Carl Pavano likely returning Duensing will have to earn a rotation spot once again and that is nothing new for him. I look for him to come up big like he has every season at the major league level.

5. Nick Blackburn- 3.0 Nick Blackburn is as big as an enigma that I can find not only on the Twins, but in all of baseball. When Blackie is good he is very good, but when he is bad he is really bad. For example in May and August Blackburn went 6-1 with a 2.38 era. However, in April, June, and July he went 2-7 with an era over 8 which led to his demotion to AAA. So if the Twins can get the good Blackburn instead of the bad one then the Twins could be pretty good.

Bullpen

Joe Nathan- 11.25 Joe Nathan missed the entire 2010 season because of Tommy John surgery so it will be interesting to see if he is ready to start the season. Pat Neshek struggled coming back last season, but a guy like Billy Wagner came back even better. That is the biggest question mark on the Twins this year is what to expect from Nathan as that will be key in determining the AL Central race.

Matt Capps- 7.5 Matt Capps came over last season at the deadline and saved 16 games in 18 opportunities. So if Joe Nathan is not able to take back the closer's role than the Twins have a good one in Capps and even if Nathan does return to old form the Twins have a pretty good 1-2 combo at the end of games.

Jose Mijares- 500,000 Jose Mijares had a subpar 2010 season battling injuries and struggling with his weight. When he is good Mijares is a very good left handed pitcher out of the bullpen, but when he is not then he is not very good. He needs to return to the 2009 form if the Twins want to be back in postseason play.

Pat Neshek- 625,000 Pat Neshek returns to the Twins bullpen in 2011 and the hope is he can return to 2008 form. Neshek lost velocity after Tommy John surgery so the big thing is if he can get his velocity back. Another thing is his control as he was not as pinpoint as he was and that is to be expected as Liriano had the same problem.

Jim Hoey 800,000 Hoey was part of the J.J. Hardy trade and has some major league experience with the Orioles in 2006-2007 before suffering a shoulder injury. After surgery it took him a couple years to get back to possibly help at the major league level. The positive thing about him is he throws 95 and can strikeout some guys. The thing that you need to watch as he walks to many guys so he definately is a project.

Kevin Slowey- 2.75 There is some thought that the Twins might deal Slowey to get a good reliever, but with the age of Pavano and the durability issues so Slowey should stay. Slowey had a tough 2010 and the Twins really need Slowey to return to his previous form.

Scott Diamond- 400,000 The Twins selected Diamond in the first round of the rule V draft and will give him a chance to make the team out of spring training. He has a chance to be servicable for the Twins so it should be very interesting.

Pitching Payroll 43.8

Total Payroll: 109.1

• The question then has to become can the Twins afford Jim Thome or Brian Fuentes or is this the end. It really depends on what the end payroll will end up being. If the payroll is 115 million then yes they can afford one of the two, but not both. However, if the payroll is 110 the Twins are likely done. So let me put it out to you if the Twins can afford one of the two who would you sign Jim Thome or Brian Fuentes. You can leave your comments in the comment box.
  

2011 Travis Talks Minnesota Twins offseason blueprint

First to start off it has been a long time since I blogged, but with school and stuff it has been very difficult to find the time to blog. However, make no mistake I am a blogger it is what I enjoy doing and will continue to be a blogger. I don't know how frequent I will blog, but hopefully it will be atleast a couple times a week during the offseason and more during the season. So if you stopped following my blog I really hope you will tune back in as I try to get back at it and for those who are reading this thanks for sticking with me.

Withe the 2010 season over it is time to start looking ahead to the 2011 season. The Twins had another good season winning 94 games and claiming their sixth central division championship in the last nine years. However, they ran into the New York Yankees once again and once again they came on the short hand of it. However you can't forget the great seasons by Delmon Young, Joe Mauer, Jim Thome and the reemergence of Francisco Liriano. It was another gutty performance by do it all Michael Cuddyer who once again filled in admirabely for Justin Morneau who missed a chunk of the season due to a concussion. Gotta give some credit to Jon Rauch who filled in admirably for Joe Nathan who missed the season due to Tommy John surgery. Danny Valencia clearly established himself as the Twins starting 3rd baseman and most importantly Target Field turned into a true home field advantage as the Twins drew over three million people into the beautiful stadium. So to look at the 2011 season there will be many challenges as the Twins have a lot of free agents and not much money. So the Twins will have to make some difficult challenges and get help from guys on the farm once again. So without further adeiu here is my 2011 Minnesota Twins Offseason Blueprint.

1). Add Steve Singleton, David Bromberg, Joe Benson, Chris Parmelee, Rene Tosoni, Kyle Waldrop, and Tyler Robertson to the 40 man roster.

2.) Reinstate Joe Nathan and Justin Morneau from the 60 day D.L. and remove Esterlin De Los Santos from the 40 man roster.

3.) Let free agents Orlando Hudson, Nick Punto, Clay Condrey, Ron Mahey, Brian Fuentes, Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch, and Randy Flores leave as free agents.

4.) Sign J.J. Hardy to a 3 year 18 million dollar contract with a vesting option for a 4th year based on plate appearances. The Breakdown is 6-6-6-9.

J.J. Hardy is only 28 years old and is very good defensively and will be much better offensively in 2011 and by signing him you develop cost control to let a guy like James Beresford develop slowly to take over in 2014.

5.) Reach Arbitrations agreements with Matt Capps(7.5) Delmon Young(5.25) Kevin Slowey(2.75), Alexi Casilla(800,000), Pat Neshek(800,000), and Jason Repko(750,000)

6.) Don't offer Carl Pavano arbitration

I would love to offer Pavano arbitration to get that extra two draft picks, but I can't take the chance that he would accept and be on the hook for 10 million bucks. So I politely thank him for his service and wish him luck.

7.) Sign Francisco Liriano to a 4 year 42 million extension with the breakdown being 4/8/15/15

Francisco Liriano really developed into a very good number two pitcher on a good team and even though he is not an ace he will be excellent in the role that is given to him. He might never be The Franchise again, but he has the ability to be a horse for the Twins and get every penny of this contract out of him.

8.) Resign Jesse Crain to a 4 year 16 million dollar deal.

Jesse Crain has developed into one of the best set-up men in the American League and that is what top setup men are getting on the free agent market. You put him, Matt Capps, and Joe Nathan at the back of the bullpen and you are looking at a six inning game.

9.) Trade Jason Kubel, Kevin Slowey, Aaron Hicks, and Anthony Slama to the Royals for Zack Greinke.

Now this is the big trade and before you laugh me out of the building I know Greinke got lit up like a Christmas tree last year by the Twins, but his era against teams other than the Twins was a very respectable 3.73. He is a young guy who in 2009 put up unbelievable numbers to win the Cy Young award. Just think of a 1-2-3 of Zack Greinke, Francisco Liriano, and a motivated Scott Baker. Can you say Championship.

2011 Projected Lineup

C- Joe Mauer
1b-Justin Morneau
2b-Alexi Casilla
ss- J.J. Hardy
3b. Danny Valencia
Lf- Denard Span
cf- Ben Revere
Rf- Michael Cuddyer
Dh- Delmon Young

Projected lineup payroll(appr-61.38)

Bench
Drew Butera
Matt Tolbert
Jason Repko
Luke Hughes

(Brenden Harris' 1.75 million dollar contract included)

Projected bench payroll(appr-3.72)

Starting Rotation
1. Zack Greinke
2. Francisco Liriano
3. Scott Baker
4. Nick Blackburn
5. Brian Duensing

Projected Starting Rotation payroll(appr-26.0)

Bullpen
Joe Nathan
Matt Capps
Jesse Crain
Jose Mijares
Pat Neshek
Alex Burnett
Jeff Manship

Projected Bullpen payroll(appr-24.9)

Total Payroll-116 million


Summary
I feel like I have improved the pitching staff immensely and their is room for manuevering if it becomes obvious that Joe Nathan is back as Matt Capps is basically an insurance policy in case he is not ready. If Nathan is ready you can move Capps for prospects that you lost when you acquired him last season. The big key in the lineup is what can you get out of Justin Morneau who was on pace for another mvp this year before getting kneed in the head. If the Twins can get a big year out of Morneau and like seasons from Delmon Young, Joe Mauer, and Michael Cuddyer with the improved speed in the outfield the Twins will be pretty good. Add the better pitching they will get and I like the Twins chances running this team out on opening day 2011. Let me know what you think of this down in the comment box. Thanks.

Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9pm

I am back with another edition of the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight at 9 and it should be a fun show. I will start out with Darren "Doogie" Wolfson and we will talk the NBA draft and what his thoughts are for the future of the Timberwolves. I will then be joined by Dez Tobin of the great Blog of Dez Says and we will talk about the Twins and look back at the series against the Phillies and look forward to the Brewers series with maybe a little bit of minor league talk. So join us tonight at 9 for the Travis Talks Minnesota Sports Podcast tonight and you can find the show at http://blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk

Travis Talks prospect List 50-46

It is that time again to take a look at the Twins prospects and how they are doing and What i think about the future for them. I will take five at a time and give their stats in 2010 and talk a little bit about them. Don't expect a lot of info on them as it is a busy time for me, but I felt like it was important to get them down on paper and see what everyone thinks. I added the 2010 draft picks that I felt are worthy of being in the top 50. Let me know what you think by leaving comments in the comment box or shooting me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.



50. Santos Arias RHP (3/17/1987) 23

2010 teams: New Britain and Fort Myers

2010 Stats: 0-7 4.50 era 22games 36 innings 20bb 25k .268 OBA

How Acquired:

• Santos Arias had a rough time of it this year who had alot of expectations going into the year after a great year in Fort Myers last year. He recently was demoted down to Fort Myers to try to get his confidence back after struggling in New Britain. Twins fans should not give up on the tiny right hander who is still a good prospect. He throws hard and when he is throwing strikes he is hard to hit. I look for a bounce back second half out of the righty from The Dominican Republic as he is too good of a pitcher to pitch this horribly for the Twins.

49. Josmil Pinto C (3/31/1989) 21

2010 teams: Beloit Snappers

2010 Stats: .235 5 homeruns 26 rbi's 11 doubles 10bb 20k .282/.395/.678

How Acquired:

• Josmil Pinto has a ton of power as you saw with his 13 homeruns in Elizabethton last season. He is struggling a little bit more this year and that is to be expected as he moved up a level to better competition. This year has been kind of a struggle as he is battling for playing time with Danny Rams and Tobias Streich so when he was playing sparingly it was hard to do much. However, since he has gotten more at bats his numbers have gradually come up. There is a lot of value in Pinto as he is one of the few hitters in the system that hits homeruns. He has tremendous power at the plate and given more time his average will improve also. His defense behind the plate is something that he is going to have to continuially work on as right now it is not great. I see him as a DH with occasionally some time at 1st base and behind the plate. He has no speed so he is going to have to do it with his bat and be a station to station player. I really think Josmil Pinto is one to keep an eye on as he moves through the system.

48. Andrei Lobanov LHP (1/25/1990) 20

2010 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

2010 stats: 1-0 2.29 era 12 games 19.2 innings 4bb 18k .269 OBA

how acquired: Signed as Free Agent in 2007 out of Moscow, Russia

• Andrei Lobanov really has come on the scene the last year and a half as he put up good numbers last year in the GCL. So the big expectation was that Lobanov would move up to Elizabethton this year and work as the closer there. However, with a combination of injuries and bad pitching in Fort Myers the 6'3 Russian walked across the parking lot and has really been good for the Miracle. He has a good demeanor on the mound and like most Twins pitchers he pitches to contact as he has given up 21 hits in 19.2 innings of work. However, he works out of situations very well and his breaking pitches are very good. I still would not be surprised to see him go to Elizabethton, but I do think he has done enough in Fort Myers to stay there for the whole season. I don't think it would be the worst thing in the world for him to go to Elizabethton, but I feel like the right place for him is Fort Myers.

47. Edgar Ibarra LHP (5/31/1989) 21

2010 teams: Beloit Snappers

2010 Stats: 4-6 4.06 era 18 games 7 starts 1save 51 inn 33bb 55k .217 oba

How aquired: signed as a free agent in 2006 out of Venezuela

• Edgar Ibarra is quite the prospect in that he has four pitches that he can throw for strikes in just about any situation. I am kind of perplexed why he hasn't had more success than he has so far. He has a good fastball along with a plus curveball and a decent slider and changeup. A friend of mine that saw him in person came away very impressed with what he brought to the table. Ibarra just turned 21 and in Beloit so he is ahead of the game and quite young for his level. He has pitched well at every level they have put him at, but for some reason every season they put him in the bullpen to start the season because he doesn't throw 95. However, he throws good enough to get guys out which is all that should matter. The one thing I think he needs to work on in the second half is his control as he has walked 33 batters in only 51 innings of work. That is just way too many walks and until he figures that out he won't get out of Beloit. I look for him to finish the season in Beloit and then next year move up to Fort Myers, but definatly Edgar Ibarra is someone to keep a close eye on as he has quite a bit of potential.

46. Brad Stillings RHP (1/20/1988) 22

2010 teams: Beloit Snappers

2010 stats: 6-3 4.15 era 13 starts 65 inn 29bb 51k .296 oba

How acquired: 7th round pick in 2009 draft out of Kent State

• Brad Stillings is another college pitchers that the Twins love to take so much. I am a little perplexed that he has struggled as much as he has so far. He has three solid pitches and is only 22 years old so he is right on track. He got off to a rough start to the season, but seems to be rounding into form. In the month of June he is 3-0 with a 1.56 era so I don't think it will be much longer before he is up in Fort Myers. He has a pretty high upside being he is an experienced college guy who had some success in college and is doing well for Beloit right now. I really look for him to take off in the second half and get up to Fort Myers before the year is out. I am very high on Stillings and believe he really has a chance to succeed in the Twins organization. He is someone that Twins fans should keep an eye on as I think he will move through the system fast and he has a real chance in my opinion and it will be fun watching him develop.

May Awards/Beloit Snappers

Today, I will finish off my look at the month of May as I look at the Beloit Snappers who did not have a great month of May, but had some decent performances that are worth looking at. The Snappers had a rough month in that they lost 12 out of 13 games in a stretch that took them out of playoff contention. After talking about the Snappers today I will begin my look at the top 50 prospects in the Twins organization. I will include the Twins 2010 draft picks in my look at the prospects so check back tommorrow for a look at that. However, today is about the Beloit Snappers and some of the good performances in the month of May. Like always you can either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com and let me know what you think.

• Hitter of the Month: Anderson Hidalgo- Talk about a guy going under the radar as not many people talk about the quality season that Hidalgo is having this year with the Snappers. After hitting .314 in April, Hidalgo followed that up with an even better month of May. In 28 games in May, Hidalgo hit .317 with a homerun and 10 rbi's along with a very impressive 13 doubles. He does not have a lot of homerun power, but he is a doubles machine as he already has 16 doubles on the season. He does not walk much as he only walked four times in 101 at bats. However, he does not strikeout much either as he only struck out 14 times along with stealing two bases. Anderson Hidalgo had a very good .349 on base percentage along with a not bad .475 slugging percentage for a very good .824 OPS for the Snappers. The 21 year old out of Venezuela that the Twins signed in 2006 is not known as a huge prospect, but he has put up numbers so far this year that some of the higher prospects would be jealous of. He is struggling a little bit in June, but he still has half a month and I expect him to get his numbers back up before the end of the month. It will be interesting if people start getting on board with the young third baseman and put them on their prospect lists because this year he deserves the recognition.
• Others Considered: James Beresford, Brian Dozier

• Pitcher of the Month: Michael Tonkin- Tonkin really made quite the impression in his debut in Beloit. There were many that felt that he was not ready for A ball and that he would be better served going to Elizabethton. However, he really did well in May as he showed that he is ready for Beloit. Tonkin made four May starts and went 0-2 due to lack of run support and a very good 3.38 era. Tonkin worked 21.1 innings in those four starts so just over 5 innings a start for the 20 year old out of Palmdale, California who the Twins drafted in the 30th round of the 2008 draft. In his 21.1 innings he only gave up eight runs. The fact that he is Jason Kubel's brother in law should not fool you as he is a very talented pitcher that you will be hearing quite a bit about his good pitching. Tonkin only walked four batters in his 21.1 innings of work while striking out 13. Tonkin held opponents to a .282 opponents batting average.
• Others Considered: Kane Holbrooks, Dakota Watts

May Awards/Fort Myers Miracle

Today, I will continue my look at the month of May in the Twins organization. Today, I look at the Fort Myers Miracle who did not have a very good month as they fell out of playoff contention in the first half. They also had a talent influx with some guys coming from Beloit and some others coming back down from New Britain. They may not have a lot of wins in May, but they had some good performances that I feel deserve to be mentioned. Let me know what you think and you can either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com and let me know what you think.

• Hitter of the Month: Joe Benson- I really wanted to choose someone that was in Fort Myers all month, but that was not possible as the offense for the Miracle in May was non-existant. Therefore I included the guys that spent half the month in Fort Myers guys like Chris Parmelee, Esterlin De Los Santos, and Joe Benson who were demoted from New Britain. Parmelee was under consideration, but since he went back up to New Britain he was disqualified and even he was still in Fort Myers I still would have gone with Benson. Joe Benson had to be upset that he was sent back to Fort Myers after hitting four homeruns and being the hottest hitter in New Britain in the month of May. However, after going down to Fort Myers he used it as a positive and not a negative to put together a good month of May. In Fort Myers in the month of May Benson hit .263 in 14 games for the Miracle. He showed his extra base power by hitting four homeruns along with five doubles along with 11 rbis. He walked eight times while striking out 14 times. He also stole four bases. Benson had a very good .364 on base percentage along with a very good .561 slugging percentage for an OPS of .925. Joe Benson really had a good month of May as he hit 8 homeruns if you combine his New Britain stats. Benson had a very good month and it won't be long until he is back in New Britain.
• Others Considered: Esterlin De Los Santos, Dan Rohlfing

• Pitcher of the Month: Liam Hendriks- After arriving from Beloit in early May Liam Hendriks kept it going all month long. After putting up a very good 1.32 in 34 innings in Beloit, he got promoted to Fort Myers and was also very good. Hendriks made four May starts and went 2-1 with a very good 2.70 era. He worked 23.1 innings so just about 6 innings a start for the Australian pitcher. In his 23.1 innings he only gave up seven runs which is very good. Now this is impressive he only walked four batters while striking out 25 batters. Hendriks held opponents to a .230 opponents batting average, which is very good. Liam Hendriks has taken huge steps in 2010 and has put his injury past behind him to become a very good prospect for the Twins. It will be interesting to see how good he becomes, because the talent is there and his arm is finally completely healthy and is finally showing it on the mound. He is definately you should keep an eye on in the years ahead as he moves through the system.
• Others Considered: Billy Bulluck, Shooter Hunt, Andrei Lobanov

May Awards/New Britain Rockcats

I will continue my look at the month of May in the Twins minor league affiliates. Today, I will talk about the New Britain Rockcats who had a terrible month of May as they continue to have a historically bad year. That is not to say that a few guys did not have solid months and I think it is good recognize their good play so that is what this posting is all about. I welcome your comments or questions whether they are positive or negative as long as they are constructive to make this blog better. You can either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading

• Hitter of the Month: Ben Revere- After getting off to a very un Ben Revere like start in April the phenom came out on fire in the month of May. After hitting only .274 in April Revere turned it on in May. In 30 games in the month of May Revere hit .336 in 119 at bats. He had six doubles, a triple, and a homerun along with a very good month of May in rbi's as he recorded 15 for the month. Revere is not usually a run producer as he is mainly a singles hitter, that is why the 15 rbi's in May is so noteworthy. Revere only struck out seven times while walking 13. You would like to see the walk total go up, but you can't complain about seven strikeouts in 119 at bats a rate of one strikeout every 17 at bats which is awesome. In May, Revere stole 12 bases that is what makes him special as in his first two full seasons he stole 90 bases as he is lightning fast. Revere had an awesome .412 on base percentage in May, while compiling a decent for him .429 slugging percentage for an ops of .840. Ben Revere is a hitting machine and it won't be long before he roaming the outfield with Denard Span and Delmon Young to form a new soul patrol.
• Others Considered: Steve Singleton, Yangervis Solarte

• Pitcher of the Month: Kyle Gibson- Although Gibson only made four starts in New Britain in the month of May after being promoted from Fort Myers he really made them count. Kyle Gibson is the real deal and will be a member of the Minnesota Twins sometime in 2011. In May Gibson was just absolutely filthy as he made four starts and went 3-0 along with a complete game and a miniscule 1.37 era in 26.1 innings. In those 26.1 innings he only gave up four earned runs. He had a very good five walks and 23 strikeouts in his 26.1 innings so almost a strikeout an inning and a little over a walk per nine innings. The most impressive stat that I found about Gibson's 3.23 ground ball to fly out rate as he is a ground ball machine. He also held opponents to a very good .208 opponents batting average. Kyle Gibson is the real deal and will be a key contributer for the Twins next season if not this year. He is going through a few bumps in early June, but I have no doubt that he will overcome them to have a very good rookie season in the Twins organization as he works his way up to the majors.
• Others Considered: Carlos Gutierrez, Michael Allen

May Awards/Rochester Red Wings

Today I will continue to look at the month of May in the Twins system. Today I will be moving to the Rochester Red Wings who did not have a very good month of May as a team, but collectively there was some solid performances. I thought I would acknowledge those performances. If you have a comment on my selections I welcome you to leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Hitter of the Month: Jose Morales- Jose Morales came on the scene in May for the Red Wings and had a very solid month at the plate. He has played mostly as the designated hitter with Wilson Ramos getting most of the catching duties. That has hurt Morales chances to make it back up to the Twins as he just has not had enough opportunities to show he ready to take over the backup catching duties for the Twins. However, swinging the bat was not a problem in May and I know he has struggled in June so far, but he is too good to not hit. He may not be a gold glove catcher or hit a lot of homeruns, but he is a 300 hitter and by years end that is where he will be if he is in Rochester that long and right now I think it is a 50-50 chance he spends the season in Rochester. In May Morales hit a very good .309 along with four doubles and five rbi's. He walked eight times while striking out eleven times. Morales had a very good .397 on base percentage which is very good for someone not taking a lot of walks. His .382 slugging percentage is pretty typical for a guy that is a singles hitter who does not hit for much power so that is not surprising. Morales OPS was a very respectable .779 at the plate and the big thing for him is if he can keep his on base percentage up he will be just fine. It will be interesting if he can bounce back the second half of June and get his average back in the 300's like it belongs. If that should happen I happen to think it would not be long before he gets called back up to the big leagues.
• Others Considered: Brock Peterson, Trevor Plouffe, Danny Valencia

• Pitcher of the Month: Kyle Waldrop- Normally I don't like to give this award to a reliever so one of two things needed to happen for a reliever to get the award. One if the starters weren't worthy of it, but that is not the case as their was a starter that was heavily considered. The second is if a reliever has an especially good month and that is totally the case in the month of May. Kyle Waldrop was filthy in the month of May and got himself in position for a promotion to the Twins if their is a need. Kyle Waldrop is a name many Twins fans are not familiar with as he has kind of came out of nowhere, but he was a 1st round pick in 2004 out of high school in Knoxville, Tennessee. He suffered a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the entire 2008 season and finally now he is completely healthy and showing what people thought of him coming out of high school. He has been awesome this year, but May was especially good for Waldrop as he put up great numbers in May for the Red Wings. In May, Waldrop went 1-0 with a miniscule 0.84 era in 11 games along with a save. Waldrop worked 21.1 innings and only gave up two earned runs. He only walked four guys while striking out 16. He held opponents to a very good .214 batting average. The stat that really stood out to me in May for Waldrop was he had a 3.27 to 1 ground ball to fly out rate which means he is a ground ball machine and that really transfers well into the Major Leagues. If Waldrop keeps it up it will not be long before he is up with the Twins.
• Others Considered: Matt Fox, Anthony Slama

May Awards/Twins

As you can see I am making some changes with the Travis Talks blog here. I have moved all my minor league talk over to http://twinstarget.com/minors. So if you want to read my material on the minor league affiliates go over there. If you want to read about Minnesota Twins material though this is the right place to be. There will be a little bit of minor league talk here as I will continue my monthly awards with all the teams in the Twins organization. Also I will after the draft next week bring the Travis Talks Minnesota Prospect Rankings. I will start my look at the month of May by looking at the Twins. I will give a hitter and pitcher of the month along with a pitcher and hitter that really struggled in the Month. Let me know what you think of it by either leaving a comment in the comment box or shooting me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• Hitter of the Month: Justin Morneau 1b- Justin Morneau had a very historic month of May that will challenge the month of May that Joe Mauer made last year. Morneau hit for average, hit for power, got on base, played great defense, and made himself the early favorite for American League MVP. In the month of May Morneau hit an unbelievable .400 in 100 May at bats along with six homeruns and 19 rbi's and 13 doubles. Morneau also walked an unbelievable 20 times in May as he would not help the pitchers out who wanted to pitch around him in key situations. Morneau only struck out 23 times in comparision to the 20 walks. Morneau had a great .496 on base percentage in May which is very impressive. Along with a .710 slugging percentage and a season high 1.206 OPS. It was a great month for Morneau and if he can keep up anything close to this going forward he will win the MVP going away and led a good Twins attack in May.
• Others Considered:Orlando Hudson, Denard Span, Delmon Young

• Pitcher of the Month: Nick Blackburn- Nick Blackburn found his groove in May for whatever reason. After really struggling in April to a 6.85 era Black Jack really came back in May and was the ace of the staff in May. He still gave up a lot of hits, but did not walk anybody and got a lot of ground balls to put up zeros on the scoreboard. In the month of May Blackburn went 5-0 with a an awesome 2.65 era in 5 starts. He worked 37.1 innings which averages over 7 innings a start. Blackburn gave up 40 hits in those 37.1 innings so he still is very hittable, but walked only 5 batters in the five starts along with 10 strikeouts. Nick Blackburn really turned it around in May to become the pitcher that most Twins fans expect out of Blackburn. I know he has gotten off to a rough start in June, but the Twins need him to be the innings eater that he has been in the first 2 years of his career if the Twins want to stay on top.
• Others Considered: Scott Baker, Brian Duensing, Alex Burnett

Tommorrow I will continue my look at the month of May as I will bring pitcher and hitter of the month in Rochester and so on for the rest of the week. After I finish that I will bring you my top 50 Twins prospect including the new Twins drafted this week. So keep checking back every day for this information.

Sunday, May, 30th

Twins Talk
Twins 8 (29-20) Rangers 3

• For 5 and a half innings it looked like it was going to be one of those games as the Twins were not able to touch Rangers starter CJ Wilson as they had one hit thru the first 5 innings. A Denard Span solid single and a Orlando Hudson homerun tied the score and broke the ice and before the 7th inning was over the Twins were ahead 8-2 and held on for a 8-3 victory over the Rangers yesterday. Most everyone will talk about the offensive outburst in the 6th and 7th innings by the Twins offense, but if it was not an excellent start by Twins starter Carl Pavano it would not have been possible. Pavano continued his strong start to the season by pitching his 7th quality start in his 10 starts. In this one Pavano went 7 innings and gave up only 2 runs on seven hits along with a walk and a strikeout. Pavano has been much better than I thought he would be as he has been the most consistant pitcher on the staff and take away a couple bad starts and his numbers would be awesome. Jesse Crain then came on for the 8th inning and gave up an unearned run along with a hit and a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 5.57. Brian Duensing pitched a scoreless ninth inning on a hit along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to a very good 1.77.

• For 5 innings the Twins offense was just dead, but somehow in the 6th and 7th innings it came alive and went crazy. In all the Twins scored 8 runs on 8 hits along with drawing 4 walks and leaving only 4 guys on base which is a stark improvement over other games. The Twins did commit two errors in the game which was surprising. JJ Hardy committed his 1st error and Jason Kubel committed his 2nd of the year. However, the Twins still only have 12 errors on the season so their defense has been unbelievable so far this season. The Twins were led offensively by Orlando "O-Dawg" Hudson who went 2-4 at the plate with his 3rd homerun of the season that tied the game at 2 in the 6th inning. Hudson also contributed his 10th double of the year and 3 rbi's to bring his season total up to 16 and his average up to .307. Hudson has been a one man demolition machine in this series by going 5-8 at the plate which is a .620 batting average. Orlando Hudson has been better than even I thought he would be as he has played gold glove defense and then hitting over .300 at the plate. I know its early but if he keeps this up I hope the Twins find a way to resign Hudson in the offseason he has been that good. Another good performance by JJ Hardy who went 2-4 at the plate with his 12th and 13th rbi's of the year and brought his average up to .244. Delmon Young went 1-4 at the plate with his 12th double of the year and drove in two runs to bring his rbi total up to 24. Michael Cuddyer went 1-4 at the plate with his 12th double of the year. Denard Span and Justin Morneau each contributed hits in the winning cause for the Twins.

• Tonight, the Twins finish off their series with Texas and their homestand as Scott Baker gets the ball for the Twins and will oppose Rangers starter Derek Holland. Gametime is at 7:10pm at Target Field in Minneapolis as the Twins go for the three game sweep and their 4th win in a row overall.

Rochester Wrap

Rochester 6 (19-30) Durham 4

• The Red Wings got a well pitched game out of Jeff Manship and scored enough runs to get the victory over Durham last night by a score of 6-4. Jeff Manship got the start for the Red Wings and did an ok job not great, but not bad. Manship went 4 innings and gave up three runs on eight hits along with a walk and seven strikeouts to raise his era up to 4.37 on the year. Jeff Manship has been ok on the mound, but not what I am expecting out of him as he has way too much talent to be struggling in AAA. How is it possible that he can go up to the Twins and do well and then struggle in AAA. I hope that he can develop some more consistancy because the talent is there for him to take off and be contending for a spot in the rotation for the Twins in 2011. Tim Lahey then came on and was very good going two innings and only giving up a run on four hits along with two walks and a strikeout to lower his era to 6.55 and improve his record on the year to 4-1. Kyle Waldrop then came on and continued his strong start to the season as he pitched 1.2 scoreless innings on two hits along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 1.47. Anthony Slama then came on and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up his 10th save of the year on one hit along with a walk and three strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 1.55.

• The Red Wings had a solid night offensively as they supported good pitching to pick up the win for the Red Wings. Rochester scored 6 runs on 11 hits along with drawing 6 walks and leaving 9 guys on base. Jose Morales committed his first error of the season in the Red Wings victory. The Red Wings were led offensively by Matt Macri who went 2-4 at the plate with his 8th double of the year and his 10th rbi to bring his average up to .284. Brock Peterson went 2-4 at the plate with his 5th double to bring his average up to .243. Jason Repko went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .311 on the year. Danny Valencia went 1-3 at the plate with his 15th double and 24th rbi of the year. Matt Tolbert went 1-4 at the plate with his 10th rbi along with his 5th stolen base and 2 runs scored. Wilson Ramos, Jose Morales, and Toby Gardenhire each contributed base hits in the winning cause for the Red Wings.

• Today, the Red Wings continue their series with Durham as Deolis Guerra gets the start for Rochester. Gametime is at 4:05 in Durham as the Red Wings try to win their second straight victory over the Bulls.

New Britain Business

Portland 11 New Britain 3 (14-34)

• The Rockcats had another rough day yesterday as a close game turned into a laugher in the late innings and the Rockcats went down to Portland by the score of 11-3. After only trailing 2-0 going into the bottom of the 7th inning Portland exploded for 6 in the 7th and 3 more in the 8th to put the game away. Mike Mccardell got the start and was pretty good in this one. When Mccardell left the game there was a guy on first in a 2-0 game and took the loss to drop his record to 0-5. Mccardell went 6+ innings and gave up 3 runs on 9 hits along with a walk and three strikeouts along with a homerun to lower his era to 4.55 on the year. Michael Allen then came on and was not very good in this one. Allen only got 2 guys out and gave up 5 runs on 4 hits along with a walk to raise his era on the year to 4.09. Cole Devries made his return to AA and it was not a very good one. Devries went 1.1 innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits along with a strikeout to raise his era on the year to a very robust 5.32.

• The Rockcats really could not do much against Portland pitching until it was too late to make a difference. The Rockcats scored only 3 runs on only 5 hits along with drawing 6 walks and leaving 7 guys on base. The Rockcats did not help themselves as they committed an error. Yancarlos Ortiz committed his third error of the season for the Rockcats. The Rockcats were led offensively by Yangervis Solarte who went 2-4 at the plate with his 3rd homerun with the Rockcats and drove in three runs to bring his season rbi total up to 12 and his average up to .309. Rene Tosoni, Erik Lis, and Mark Dolenc each contributed a hit in the losing cause for the Rockcats.

• Today, the Rockcats continue their series with Portland as Tyler Robertson gets the start for New Britain. Gametime is at 12:00 in Portland as the Rockcats try to get back on the winning side of things.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 3 (21-28) Brevard County 2

• The Miracle were able to come on top in a hard fought pitchers duel and got just enough hitting to pull out a 3-2 victory over Brevard County Saturday night. Adrian Salcedo got the start for Fort Myers and had a so so start, but what he did well was damage control as he gave up 10 hits but only 2 of them scored. It is pretty obvious that Salcedo is a little above his head in Fort Myers, but he has shown some moxie to not make this a total disaster. Salcedo has shown all the talent that he posseses and it is obvious that the 19 year old is going to be something special for the Twins. In a couple weeks he will go back down to either Elizabethton or Beloit and dominate like he has the potential to do. Even though his numbers do not look great he has been everything that we could have hoped he would be and the sky is the limit for Salcedo. Salcedo went 4.2 innings in this game and gave up two runs on 10 hits along with a walk and two strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 5.27. Andrei Lobanov then came on and was awesome once again for the Miracle. Lobanov picked up his first win of the year as he went 2.1 scoreless innings on only two hits along with two walks and four strikeouts to lower his era to 1.59 on the year. The 20 year old from Moscow has really shown some good potential as he has been the Miracle's best reliever since he got to Fort Myers. Lobanov was scheduled to close for Elizabethton and it will be interesting to see if they continue that plan or keep him in Fort Myers he has been that good. Tony Davis then came on and pitched two shutout innings to pick up his first save on two hits along with three strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 2.96 for the Miracle.

• The Miracle did not do much offensively in this one, but they did not need much with the good pitching out of the Miracles pitchers. The Miracle scored 3 runs on 10 hits along with drawing 4 walks and leaving 6 guys on base. Esterlin De Los Santos committed his 3rd and 4th errors since his demotion. The Miracle were led offensively by Chris Parmelee who went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .340 on the year. Chris Hermann went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .238. Nathan Hanson went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .231. Deibinson Romero went 1-4 at the plate with his second homerun of the year and his 16th rbi. Esterlin De Los Santos, Evan Bigley, and Jon Goncalves each contributed a hit in the winning cause for the Miracle.

• Today, the Miracle finish off their series with Brevard County as Shooter Hunt gets a spot start for the Miracle as Brad Tippett gets back into form. Gametime is at 12:00 in Brevard County as the Miracle try to win their 2nd straight game as they try to get back into playoff contention.

Beloit Beat

Beloit 3 (26-24) Peoria 2 12 innings

• The Snappers needed 12 innings in order to stop their 8 game losing streak last night with a 3-2 victory over Peoria behind good pitching from Brad Stillings and a James Beresford rbi single in the top of 12th inning to pick up the win for the Snappers. Brad Stillings got the start for the Snappers and was very good. Stillings went 7 innings and only gave up an unearned run on one hit along with three walks and five strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 5.10. This was by far the best start of the year for Stillings who was a 7th round pick in the 2009 draft out of Kent State so the talent is there. Stillings needs to work on being a little bit more consistant on the mound, but the talent is obviously there and heres hoping that the 22 year old can pull it together and live up to his promise. Jhon Garcia then came on and pitched two shutout innings on a hit along with one walk and three strikeouts to lower his era to 2.08. Dakota Watts then came on pitched two innings to pick up the win and move his record on the year to 2-1. Watts worked two innings and gave up a run on a hit on a homerun with a walk and two strikeouts to raise his era to 2.16. Kane Holbrooks worked a scoreless inning to pick up his 6th save of the year on one hit to lower his era on the year to 1.23. Holbrooks has done enough in my opinion to deserve a promotion to Fort Myers as he has been utterly dominant as the Snappers closer and is ready for a new challenge.

• The Snappers could not get much going offensively, but got enough to pick up the win for the Snappers. The Snappers scored 3 runs on only 7 hits along with drawing 4 walks and leaving 9 guys on base. Brad Stillings committed his 1st and 2nd errors of the year in the Snappers win. The Snappers were led offensively by James Beresford who went 2-4 at the plate with the game winning single along with his 13th and 14th rbi's and 5th stolen base to bring his average up to .241. Angel Morales went 2-5 at the plate with his eighth double of the year to bring his average up to .259. Josmil Pinto went 1-4 at the plate with his 16th rbi. Aaron Hicks went 1-4 at the plate along with two walks. Daniel Santana also contributed a base hit in the winning cause for the Snappers.

• Today, the Snappers continue their series with Peoria as BJ Hermsen gets the start for Beloit. Gametime is at 1:00pm in Peoria as the Snappers try to win their second straight game.

Saturday, May, 29th

Twins Talk
Twins 2 (28-20) Rangers 1

• The Twins combined good pitching and great defense to pick up their second straight win this time over the Texas Rangers in a hard fought 2-1 pitchers duel that the Twins came on top in. Kevin Slowey got the start for the Twins and was very good in this one. Slowey went 6.2 innings and only gave up a run on 6 hits along with a walk and five strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 4.15 and improved his record to 6-3 on the year. Slowey finally got past the 6th inning, something he had only done in 1 start previous this year so that was a good sign. He hit his spots much better and that is what Twins fans have been waiting to see out of Slowey so it was very promising to see out of him. Slowey ran out of gas in the 7th inning loading the bases with two outs before needing help from the bullpen. The Twins turned to lefty Jose Mijares to retire Rangers slugger Nelson Cruz. There was some question putting Mijares in that situation because even at his best he can be a little bit wild and there was no room for error so it was a bit curious. However, Mijares did his job and got his batter out on a groundout. With the out Mijares lowered his era on the year to 2.89. Jose Mijares has really improved since coming off the DL and will see more and more opportunities in big situations. Matt Guerrier then came on and did his job phenomenally pitching a perfect 8th inning with a strikeout to lower his era to 1.64. Jon Rauch pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his 11th save of the year on one hit along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 2.84.

• The Twins really could not get much going offensively, but they did not need much to get the win thanks to the good pitching out of the pitching staff. The Twins scored 2 runs on only 7 hits along with drawing 5 walks while leaving 9 guys on base including having the bases loaded and nobody out and only able to score 1 run so the score could have been a bit more lopsided, but a win is a win. The Twins were led offensively by O-Dawg Orlando Hudson who went 3-4 at the plate with his 9th double of the year to bring his average up to .303 on the year. Jim Thome went 1-4 at the plate with his 6th double of the year. Michael Cuddyer went 1-4 at the plate with his 3rd triple of the year. Joe Mauer went 1-3 at the plate with his 23rd rbi and grounded into a double play that scored the winning run in the 5th inning. Denard Span went 1-4 at the plate to bring his average down to .289 on the season.

• Today, the Twins continue their weekend series with Texas as Carl Pavano gets the start for the Twins against CJ Wilson of the Rangers. Gametime is at 3:10 at Target Field in Minneapolis as the Twins try to make it 3 wins in a row.

Rochester Wrap

Durham 4 Rochester 2 (18-30)

• The Red Wings suffered a tough loss to Durham last night as they haven't gotten any consistancy out of the Red Wings as they lost 4-2 last night to Durham. The Wings got a great start out of Matt Fox, but the bullpen could not hold a 2-0 lead going into the 7th inning in the game. Matt Fox went the first 6 innings and did not give up a run on only 3 hits along with three strikeouts. With the 6 shutout innings Fox lowered his era on the year to 2.44. Matt Fox has been solid all year long for the Red Wings and besides a rough start or 2 he has been very good whether the Red Wings have chosen to have him start or come in relief. Jose Lugo then came on and saw his season long struggles continue in this one. Lugo got only one out and gave up two runs on two hits along with a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 7.03. It is amazing that a lefty that can throw 94 can struggle as much as Lugo has this year. It was just a couple years ago that he was taken in the rule V draft and now he is on the verge of either being demoted down to AA or even possibly being released all together. Rob Delaney then came on and had a rough outing which is surprising as he has pitched so good this year. Delaney picked up the loss and dropped his record on the season to 5-2. Delaney went 1.2 innings and gave up two runs on two hits along with a strikeout and a homerun to raise his era on the year to 4.39.

• The Red Wings could not do much offensively as they tried to hang on to a 2-0 lead and were unable to do just that. The Red Wings scored 2 runs on 11 hits along with drawing a walk and leaving an unbelievable 8 guys on base. Brock Peterson committed his 4th error of the year in the loss. The Red Wings were led offensively by Brian Dinkelman who went 2-4 at the plate with his 10th and 11th doubles of the year to raise his average up to .279. Danny Valencia went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .302. Wilson Ramos possibly might be breaking out of his slump by going 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .167. Jacque Jones continued his hot May by going 2-4 at the plate with his 7th double of the year and his 10th rbi to bring his average up to .312. Jones has really caught fire in the month of May hitting .317. If the Twins need a corner outfielder it would not shock me at all if Jones did not get the call. Dustin Martin went 1-4 at the plate with his 8th double of the year and 33rd rbi. Matt Tolbert and Trevor Plouffe each added base hits in the losing cause for the Red Wings.

• Tonight, the Red Wings continue their series with Durham as staff ace Jeff Manship gets the start for Rochester. Gametime is at 6:05 in Durham as the Red Wings try to get back on the winning track.

New Britain Business

New Britain 3 (14-33) Portland 2

• The Rockcats got a big win last night as they finally made Cats starter Carlos Gutierrez a winner after being a tough luck loser in quite a few starts this year. The Rockcats did not do much against Portland pitching, but did just enough to get the win. Carlos Gutierrez continued his strong May for the Rockcats in this one. Gutierrez went 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs on 4 hits along with 2 walks and 6 strikeouts to lower his era on the year to 3.65 and improved his record to 2-3. Gutierrez really has had a good month of May and not much to show for it. In the month of May Gutierrez has gone 2-2 with a great 2.15 era in 6 starts. If Gutierrez keeps it up it won't be long before he is up in AAA knocking on the door for the Twins. Joe Testa then came on and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings on only two hits along with two strikeouts to lower his era 7.15 on the year. Chris Province then came on and got the last two outs, but made it interesting as he walked two batters and a strikeout before getting out of the jam to get the win and pick up his 4th save of the year for the Rockcats.

• The Rockcats did not get much going on offense, but they got enough offense to pick up the win. The Rockcats scored three runs on seven hits along with drawing four walks and leaving seven guys on base. Yangervis Solarte committed his first error of the year and Steve Singleton committed his 7th. The Rockcats were led offensively by Chris Cates who went 2-4 at the plate to bring his average up to .158. Yangervis Solarte went 1-4 with his 5th double of the year. Erik Lis went 1-3 at the plate with his 4th homerun and 11th and 12th rbi's. Brandon Roberts, Rene Tosoni, and Steve Singleton each contributed base hits in the winning cause for the Rockcats.

• Today, the Rockcats continue their series with Portland as Mike Mccardell gets the start for New Britain. Gametime is at 12:00pm in Portland as the Rockcats try to win their second consecutive victory over the Sea Dogs.

Fort Myers Minutes

Fort Myers 6 (20-28) Brevard County 0

• The Miracle got back on the winning track with a nice 6-0 victory over Brevard County behind a wonderful pitching performance by Dan Osterbrock and good hitting and defense in this one. Dan Osterbrock got the start for the Miracle and went 6.2 innings with only one measly hit allowed along with three walks and three strikeouts to lower his era to 4.20 and picked up his first FSL win. Osterbrock is an interesting case that he does not throw hard at all and you wonder sometimes how he gets by. That is why sometimes he gets drilled because he only throws a mid 80's fastball. However, when he hits his spots with his fastball and gets his curveball over for a strike he can be very good. Jose Gonzalez then came on and pitched the last 2.1 innings of relief along with 4 strikeouts to finish off the shutout for the Miracle.

• The Miracle did not do a whole lot offensively in this one, but just enough to get the job done. The Miracle scored 6 runs on 7 hits along with drawing 7 walks and leaving 9 guys on base. Deibinson Romero committed his 4th error of the year in the victory for the Miracle. The Miracle were led offensively by Deibinson Romero who went 2-5 at the plate with his 14th and 15th rbi's of the year to bring his average up to .203. Evan Bigley went 1-5 at the plate with his 13th double of the year. Joe Benson went 1-3 at the plate with his 11th rbi and 4th stolen base. Jon Goncalves went 1-3 at the plate with his 6th rbi and 2nd stolen base. Esterlin De Los Santos went 1-4 at the plate with his 4th stolen base of the year.

• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with Brevard County as 19 year old phenom Adrian Salcedo gets the start for Fort Myers. Gametime is at 6:05 in Brevard County as the Miracle try to pick up another win.

Beloit Beat

Peoria 10 Beloit 4 (25-23)

• The Snappers have seen their promising first half go by the wasteside in another loss for the Snappers. The 10-4 loss to Peoria was the Snappers 8th consecutive loss that put them from first place to out of playoff contention. Miguel Munoz got the start for Beloit and pitched effectively the first 3 innings and then did not even make it out of the 4th inning in the loss. Munoz went 4 innings and gave up 9 runs on 8 hits along with 2 walks and 3 strikeouts to raise his era on the year to 4.89 and drop his record on the year to 1-4. Peter Kennelly then came on and pitched 2 scoreless innings on only a walk to lower his era on the year to 6.18. Matt Tone then came on and worked an inning and gave up a run on two hits along with a walk and a strikeout to raise his era on the year to 4.15. Kane Holbrooks finished the game with a scoreless inning of relief along with a strikeout to lower his era on the year to 1.27. If Holbrooks keeps it going it will not be very long before Holbrooks is up in Fort Myers.

• The Snappers could not get much going offensively in this one as they lost their 8th straight game. The Snappers scored 4 runs on only 5 hits along with drawing 3 walks and leaving 4 guys on base. Danny Rams committed his 2nd error of the year and Reggie Williams committed his 7th. The Snappers were led offensively by Aaron Hicks who went 1-3 at the plate with his 10th double along with a walk and two runs scored. Angel Morales went 1-4 at the plate with his 4th triple of the year. Danny Rams went 1-4 at the plate with his first triple of the year and his 11th rbi. James Beresford and Anderson Hidalgo each contributed hits in the losing cause for the Snappers.

• Tonight, the Snappers continue their series with Peoria as Brad Stillings gets the start for Beloit. Gametime is at 6:30pm in Peoria as the Snappers try to break out of their 8 game losing streak.

April player awards: Rochester Red Wings

I will be continuing to look at the month of April as I take a look at the Rochester Red Wings. They did not have a great month record wise, but they still had some very good performances that I feel deserve to be recognized. If you agree or disagree with me let me know who you think should be the players of the month. If you have any comments or questions you can either leave a comment in the comment box or shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo so enjoy and let me know what you think.

• Pitcher of the Month: Anthony Slama- For a guy that really did not have much to prove in AAA Slama really outdid himself in April. For a closer to win pitcher of the month that means either that he pitched extroidanary or the starters did not do anything that really stood out. In this case it is a little bit of both as the starters did nothing to really stand out and Slama was very good in April. Slama pitched in 12 April Games with 5 saves. Slama pitched 15.1 innings and only gave up 2 earned runs in those 15.1 innings for an era of 1.17. He struck out 19 while walking 7 so he needs to work on the walks as he continues to struggle a bit with the bases on balls. That is the only thing really keeping him out of the major leagues and if he could take care of that he will be up with the Twins sooner rather than later. The most impressive stat that I saw in Anthony Slama was he held opponents to a .102 batting average.
• Others considered: Jeff Manship, Kyle Waldrop

• Hitter of the Month: Dustin Martin- Dustin Martin really stepped up in April to really show that he is still a prospect. After hitting only .254 in 2009 there were some thought that Martin's prospect status was a thing of the past. However, those that thought that could not have been more wrong. It is possible that not getting invited to spring training with the Twins this year put a spark in him. At the start of the year Martin was going to be a backup in the outfield and by the end of April he was starting for the Red Wings. In 18 April games Martin hit .338 with 4 homeruns along with 17 rbi's and scored 13 runs. Martin had two doubles along with a triple while walking 9 times and striking out only 13 times in 65 at bats. He had a phenomenal .419 on base percentange along with a good .585 slugging percentage for a very good 1.004 OPS. It will be interesting to see if Martin can keep it going all season long or if April was just a hot month and will come back down to earth.
• Others Considered: Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dinkelman