Twins prospect list: 40-36

I will be continuing my look at the Twins top 50 prospects in the organization. Today, I wll look at prospects 40-36 as I work my way down all the way to number one. I hope all enjoy and check out prospects 50-46 and also 45-41. If you have any comments or questions you can leave a comment in the comment box or you can shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Hope all enjoy and have a great day.

• 40. Brad Tippett P (2/11/1988) 21

2009 stats: 9-8 3.21 era in 25 games including 24 starts. He worked 146 inn and only walked 25 batters while striking out 107. Held opponents to a very good .239 batting average.

2009 teams: Beloit Snappers

• Brad Tippett had one of the best years of anyone in the organization and I don't think he gets the credit that he deserves. He was the staff ace for Beloit last year and really noone is talking about him as a prospect. I get why as he doesn't throw real hard only in the mid 80's which as he goes forward may not be good enough. However, in my opinion you need to respect the season Tippett put up in 2009 as he was Beloit's best pitcher and besides David Bromberg he might of had the next best season by a pitcher in the whole Twins organization last year. He has pinpoint control as his 25 walks in 146 innings would attest to. He is just a very solid pitcher in that he finds a way to get hitters out. There are guys that have more talent than he is, but they struggle and Tippett continues to get better and better as he moves through the organization. I look for Brad to have another good and solid season in 2010 as he will join the Fort Myers pitching staff and with all the room in FSL outfields he should be able to continue putting zero's on the board. I look forward to seeing if Tippett can develop a solid second pitch to go with his control to make him a prospect to watch. The way it is right now he relies on his guile and control to get guys out, but if he could develop a very good second pitch he could be dominant.
• 2010 projection: Starting pitcher at Fort Myers
• Estimated time of Arrival: 2013

• 39. Brian Dozier SS (5/15/1987) 22

2009 stats: .349 avg 0 hr 14 rbi in 58 games. Along with 17 doubles and 3 stolen bases. Walked 25 and struck out 27. A very good .414/.422/.837 splits.

2009 teams: GCL Twins and Elizabethton Twins

• Brian Dozier had a very solid first year in the Twins organization as he was a 8th round pick out of Southern Mississippi. As most college guys that end up in Elizabethton do Dozier dominated the competion as was shown by his .349 average. However, we should not look past that as it is hard to hit .349 at any level and he should be commended for doing that along with a very good .414 on base percentage. The question is how much credit should you give him as almost everyone he played against was younger than him. Dozier played a very good shortstop for the Twins and showed some extra base power with 17 doubles even though he did not have a homerun. He showed very good plate discipline with only 27 strikeouts in 232 at bats along with 25 walks. 2010 is going to tell a lot about Dozier as he will move up to Beloit and the question was his 2009 a start of a very good career or was 2009 a by product of being a college guy. That is something that is hard to judge until he plays against some better competition so it will be interesting to see what happens.
• 2010 projection: Play shortstop at Beloit
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2013

• 38. Rob Delaney RP (9/8/1984) 25

2009 stats: 8-4 3.44 era in 62 games and 7 saves. Worked 83.2 inn and walked 21 while striking out 78. Held opponents to a very good .241 batting average.

2009 teams: New Britain Rockcats and Rochester Red Wings

• Rob Delaney had another outstanding year in 2009 for the Twins as he worked his way up to Rochester after starting the season with AA New Britain. Even though he struggled a bit when he got to Rochester overall he had another outstanding season. A very good 3.44 era in his two stops is the type of numbers that a person wants to see out of him. With his awesome month of July Delaney proved that he can get hitters out of that caliber. In July, Rob worked 12 games and 15 innings while only giving up 3 earned runs. He had his struggles, but is at the point now that he is ready to make an impact with the Twins. After the 2009 season Rob got a feather in his cap as he was added to the 40 man roster for the Twins so you know they think of him very highly. Rob has 3 very solid pitches and continues to get better and better for the Twins. He will battle in spring training for a spot with the Twins coming out of Spring Training and even if he doesn't make the team he will return to Rochester after learning a lot. The experience that he learns this spring will help him when he returns to Rochester if he does as he will be facing big league hitters and learn how to get them out. If he is smart he will pick the brain of Joe Nathan on some of the things he does to get hitters out. The future for Delaney is very bright, but the only thing about him that concerns me is does of have powerful enough stuff to get major league hitters out. He does not have lights out stuff so he needs to get by on guile and his control. Overall, I think Rob Delaney is a solid relief prospect, but does not have the upside guys like Anthony Slama, Alex Burnett, or Billy Bulluck possess and will end up a middle reliever in the big leagues while the others will be late inning guys. Overall, though Rob Delaney is someone that is worth keeping an eye and don't be shocked to see him on your Opening Day Minnesota Twins roster.
• 2010 projection: Relief pitcher for Rochester and probably make debut with Twins.
• Estimated time of Arrival: 2010

• 37. Ramon Santana INF (6/20/1986) 23

2009 stats: .295 avg 9 hr 61 rbi's along with 26 doubles and 3 triples in 386 at bats. Stole 8 bases in 107 games. Walked 51 times while striking out 97 times. Had a .383/.448/.831 split

2009 teams: Beloit Snappers and New Britain Rockcats

• Ramon Santana, a freakishly small 5 foot 9 152 lb, infielder put up a very good 2009 season up at Beloit and New Britain. For being as small as he is Santana has quite a bit of power as his 38 extra base hits would attest to. A guy that small you would not think would be able to formulate that type of power, but he does. He got off to a unbelievable start and continued it pretty much all season as he hit .295 and had a very good .383 on base percentage. He struggled a bit in the 2nd half only hitting .267 after hitting about .400 in the first half. You ask with all the good things about him that I mentioned why is he not higher on the lists and there are 2 major reasons why. First, his defense is not real great as he played 2nd, short, 3rd, and a little outfield and did not play great defense at any of the positions. Second, is with his size injuries hit him alot as he had a hamstring injury which cost him a few weeks and forced him into DH duty when he came back. Another thing that brings him down is his strikeout total is he struck out 97 times in 386 at bats which is about 33% of the times he came up he struck out which is terrible. If he doesn't figure that out the rest of his game will be forgotten. With that being said I think he has a decent future and a good future if he can stay healthy. So if he can stay healthy and cut his strikeouts down in half in 2010 I look for Ramon Santana to shoot up the prospect charts in 2010.
• 2010 projection: Play shortstop at Fort Myers
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2014

• 36. Liam Hendricks P (2/10/1989) 20

2009 stats: 5-5 3.55 era in 14 starts. Worked 83.2 innings and walked 16 batters while striking out 75 batters. Held opponents to a very good .276 batting average.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins and Beloit Snappers

• Liam Hendricks had a very nice bounce back season in 2009 after missing the 2008 season due to Spine issues. He did very well at Elizabethton before getting the call up to Beloit and doing well there too. At only 20 years old he is very young for his level. He started out at Elizabethton and went 2-0 with a 3.71 era in 3 starts for the Twins. He then moved up to Beloit where he did well there also going 3-5 with a very good 3.51 era in 11 starts. He has all the tools to be a very good pitcher and it will be interesting to see after getting back out there in 2009 if he takes the next step in 2010 and become the very good pitcher we all know he can be. He has all the tools all he needs to do is stay healthy. I think what helped him last year was pitching on the Australian national team and gaining that experience. I really look for Liam to be a guy that is going to take a jump in 2010 as I look for him to spend first half in Beloit and put up good numbers and then move up to Fort Myers where he will be very good as well. Liam Hendricks is one everyone should keep an eye on for the future.
• 2010 projection: Start in Beloit and midseason move up to Fort Myers
• Estimated time of arrival: 2013

Podcast: Monday 6pm

I have decided to start something new and fresh and I welcome all my loyal readers to join me on my initial podcast over at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk. I will be talking about the Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Gopher Basketball or anything in sports my listeners want to talk about. I welcome questions out of the chat room so see you all tommorrow night at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/travistwinstalk Tommorrow at 6pm and if you have and questions about it just shoot me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

Twins prospect list: Prospects 45-41

I will be continuing my look at the Twins top 50 prospects in the organization. Today I will look at prospects 45-41 as I work my way all the way down to number 1. I hope you all enjoy and check out who i had for prospects 46-50. If you have any comments or questions you can leave it in the comment box or email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Hope you all enjoy and have a great day.

• 45. Deibinson Romero 3b (9/24/1986) 23

2009 stats: .225 avg 5 hr 56 rbi's, along with 18 doubles and 3 triples. He walked 50 times while striking out 102 times along with 3 stolen bases. He had a .311/.319/.630 split.



2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Deibinson Romero had what you would call a what the heck happened 2009 season for Fort Myers. He got off to a decent start hitting .257 in april, but slumped to .163 in May highlighted by a 1-35 stretch. That stretch of bad hitting did not get much better the rest of the season. Along with the fact that his defense has continued to get worse and worse makes a person wonder how good is this kid really. You hear about all the tools that he has and having the ability to be a everyday 3rd baseman in the major leagues. However, on the field he has not shown that as he is a .268 career hitter and in the last two years he is only hitter a meager .247 hitter. Not the type of numbers you expect out of the so called 3rd baseman of the future. You add that with the fact that the Twins decided to remove him from the 40 man roster after the season so that puts his future in doubt. With that being said he has all the talent in the world and I really hope he can turn it around because at age 23 he is still a young guy for his level and he can still get to where we all thought he would be at when it is all said and done. He needs to work on his defense and offensively he needs to cut down his strikeouts and be more consistant. Look at his monthly totals and it was it was feast or famine with the guy. If he can be more consistant at the plate and improve defensively he still has the potential to be very good. The only difference is it doesn't seem like such a sure thing anymore.
• 2010 projection: Spend first half in Fort Myers and then move up to New Britain playing 3rd base.


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2013

• 44. Derek Mccallum 2b (3/22/1988) 21

2009 stats: .241 avg 5 hr 38 rbi's in 57 games. along with 11 doubles and 3 triples. He walked 23 times while striking out 55 times. he had a .310/.382/.692 splits.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins

• When the Twins drafted Mccallum in the 4th round out of Minnesota there was a belief that he could become the next great infielder in the Twins organization based on how high he was drafted. Derek had an up and down rookie season in E-town as he only hit .241 and only had a .310 obp. However, he has all the tools to become a good one. I really expect a move to Beloit this spring we will see the real Derek Mccallum. He plays a very good 2nd base with a strong arm with speed. I expect Mccallum to really bust out this year and sky rocket up the prospect charts for the Twins. He needs to work on his strikeout rate as he struck out 55 times in only 228 at bats. Which is 1 strikeout every 4 at bats so that is something he needs to get better at. I look for him to improve that and become the prospect that we all think he can be.


• 2010 projection: play 2nd base at Beloit


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2014

• 43. Chris Hermann OF (11/24/1987) 22

2009 stats: .297 avg 7 hr 30 rbi's in 59 games. He also had 14 doubles and a triple along with 2 stolen bases. He walked 33 times while striking out 40 times in 236 at bats. He had a .391/.453/.845 split.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins

• Chris Hermann came to the Twins last year as a 6th round pick and really established himself as a future star for the Twins. Hermann got off to a good start hitting .400 in six June games after signing with the Twins. He struggled a bit in July, but picked it up again in August to probably be the most consistant hitter on the E-town Twins team. He does not bring a lot defensively so he will probably end up as a DH. He is not a bad outfielder, but not on course with other outfielders in the organization. The funny thing is he was a catcher in college and the Twins turned him into an outfielder. That .391 on base percentage is awesome and it is unlikely that he will do that again because that is getting on base 4 out of 10 times he comes up. He is a good hitter who also has a good eye at the plate. With his lack of power he needs to continue to take walks and find ways to get on base and not strike out because without power you can't handle it. Chris Hermann is one of those guys that we should all keep an eye on as I think he could be one of those guys that is on the fast track.


• 2010 projection: play outfield for Beloit


• Estimated time of Arrival: 2013

42. Steve Hirschfeld P (9/8/1985) 24

2009 stats: 7-7 2.23 era in 32 games including 17 starts. Worked 117 inn along with 31 walks and 86 strikeouts. Held opponents to a .215 batting average.

2009 teams: Fort Myers Miracle

• Steve Hirschfeld really had a pretty phenomenal year this year with the Miracle. Hirschfeld started out in the bullpen and pitched very effectively for the Miracle. Then wen Carlos Gutierrez was promoted to New Britain Hirschfeld got his chance in the starting rotation for Fort Myers and he did not disappoint. With a 2.23 era it really showed that he is a quality pitcher that just knows how to get guys out. His stuff is not overpowering, but he just puts zero's on the board. He doesn't strike out many, but he also does not walk people so if you are going to beat him you are going to do it with the bats as he does you no favors. As last season showed even though you know you are going to get your whacks in does not mean that you can hit him by his .215 opponents batting average would attest to. The question is without overpowering stuff and being 24 years old when the 2010 season starts what kind of future does he have. The best comparision i can give him is a better version of Cole Devries who has made himself into a quality pitcher. I think if Hirschfeld keeps his walk total down and keeps improving you could see him in a Twins uniform in a few years as a long reliever. He is definately someone worth keeping an eye on to see if he can fufill his promise.
• 2010 projection: work out of the bullpen for New Britain
• Estimated time of Arrival: 2012

• 41. Reggie Williams INF (11/5/1988) 21

2009 stats: .271 avg 7 hr 27 rbi in 46 games along with 10 doubles and 2 triples. He walked 15 times while striking out 32 times in 166 at bats. He had a .339/482/.821 splits.

2009 teams: Elizabethton Twins and Beloit Snappers

• Reggie Williams was a 4th round pick in 2007 out of a high school in California and has been slow to develop. At only a .276 career hitter at this point in his career you ask why is he even on the rankings and the answer is potential. Williams was a speedster coming out of high school and has all the tools to be a very good player. Last year with E-town he was used more as a utility player than a starter as his 166 at bats would attest to. Maybe I am in the minority on him, but I think he can do more than be a minor league utility player. I would like to see him play every day at Beloit this year and see what he can do. His .339 on base percentage in limited duty with E-town this year was decent and with more playing time I think it would improve. Look at former Twin Tyler Ladendorf who struggled right away and given playing time he developed into a nice prospect before being traded. Williams was not given that opprotunity with E-town last year and I sincerely hope he is given that opprotunity in 2010 with Beloit. I think he can be a very good 2nd baseman for the Twins who will steal bases and has gap power who will hit a few homeruns and be a terror on the bases. In essence all Reggie Williams needs is an opprotunity and I really hope he gets that chance in 2010.
• 2010 projection: Start at 3rd base for Beloit
• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2014

Year End Twins Prospect List 50-46

I will bringing to you for the next week to a week and a half my Minnesota Twins year end prospect list. The Twins have added some quality prospects in the last 2 years so it made it really tough on who made it and who just missed the cut. Three years ago the Twins minor league system had fallen to the bottom third in the league. However, the Twins would not put up with that and with three good drafts in a row along with some high profile international signings have the Twins back up where they belong in the top third in the league in prospects. As good as the Twins have played the last month to win their 5th Central Division Championship in 8 years I am just as excited in the prospects the Twins have added since June's draft. That is because as great as the players are now the guys coming up have a chance to be even better. Along with your stars in Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Denard Span, and Jason Kubel there will be a new line of stars to help the Twins possibly win another World Series.

• 50. James Beresford SS/2b (1/19/89) 20

2009 Stats: .289 0hr 38 rbi's 15-26 stolen base attempts 11 doubles .342/.313/.656 (OB/Slug/OPS) 34bb 70k

2009 team: Beloit Snappers

• James Beresford had an outstanding season for the Snappers as he hit for a good average all year hitting near .300 pretty much all year. He missed some time due to injury, but offensively had a very solid year. He doesn't hit for any power as he had 130 hits and only 11 of them were for extra bases. So if you are looking for power you are looking at the wrong guy as he is a singles hitter that will have alot of them. On the negative side James really needs to work on his defense as he committed over 20 errors for the 2nd consecutive year. When you do not hit for a lot of power the team really needs you to play great defense at shortstop. The thing though that is working for him though is he is only 20 years old and has already proven that he can hit the ball and I truly believe the defense will come in time. He has alreay played in some high profile games as he played in the WBC and also in the World Cup for his home country of Australia. I look for that to help out alot in his development as an infielder and I truly believe the future is bright for him as I believe he will get his errors down and if he could hit for a little bit more power the Twins might have something in him.


• 2010 projection: play shortstop again for Beloit and possibly midseason promotion to Fort Myers.



• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2013

• 49. Esterlin De Los Santos SS (1/20/87) 22

2009 Stats: .290 average 1 hr 23 rbi's 11-15 Stolen Base Attempts 11 doubles 7 triples .330/.397/.727 13 bb 49 k 68 games
2009 Team: Fort Myers Miracle

• Esterlin De Los Santos has everything you are looking for in a shortstop. His only problem is for some reason he can not stay healthy. De Los Santos only played in 68 games in 2009 because of knee problems. If you look at his history that is the problem as the 68 games he played in this year were a career high and really that is only half a season. If he can't find a way to stay healthy all the promise that he posseses will be for naught. On the field there might not be a better shortstop offensively and defensively in the organization. He is a speedy guy that is capable to stealing 30-40 bases a year if he could stay on the field. Offensively, he hit the ball this year when he was in there to hit a career .290 at the plate. Defensively, he is very smooth, but makes some careless mistakes that creates errors. He missed half the season and still led the team in errors which is saying something. The bottom line is he is so smooth that if he stayed healthy for a whole year you would see his errors plummet and his batting average rise along with his stolen bases. The bottom line is if De Los Santos can stay healthy his career will rise and if he can't his career will fall.
• 2010 projection: Start season playing shortstop at Fort Myers and get midseason promotion to New Britain.


• Estimated Tim of Arrival: 2012

• 48. Cole Devries SP (2/12/1985) 24

2009 stats: 7-14 4.84 era in 26 starts including 1 complete game. 137.2 inn, 46 walks while striking out 90 batters. Opponents hit .291 off of Devries.


2009 team: New Britain Rockcats

• Cole really got off to a fast start for the Rockcats and really carried them through the first half of the season. He had a 3.53 in the first half, however as he got tired from the innings and teams started to figure him out he got hit pretty bad in the second half to a tune of a 7.43 era in 9 second half starts. The positives with Cole is he gives the team a chance to win just about every time out there. Honestly, as a undrafted free agent he has no business getting as far as he has for the Twins so what he has already done has to be looked at as a success. However, going forward I think it is going to be hard for Devries to continue to get guys out. I really hope I am wrong because Cole Devries is a great story for the Twins in that he has worked his butt off and has gradually rised through the organization and done a good job everywhere he has been. The thing about it is he doesn't throw hard enough and doesn't really have an out pitch and the better quality hitters he faces the more that will be exposed. I don't see alot of upside in Cole, but like I said what he has done his whole career is prove guys like me wrong and hopefully he can continue to do it again.


• 2010 projection: Work out of the bullpen for New Britain



• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2012

• 47. Juan Portes OF (11/26/1985) 24

2009 stats: .297 avg with 6 homeruns and 40 rbi's in 100 games and 327 at bats. He also had 21 doubles and 3 triples. He walked 34 times while striking out only 45 times. He had a .366/.434/.800 splits.

2009 teams: New Britain Rockcats

• Juan Portes really had a breakout year in 2009 for the Rockcats after toiling for 2 years in Fort Myers there was a general feeling that he was at the end of the line. They decided to move him up to New Britain even though his numbers at Fort Myers in 2007 and 2008 did not speak promotion. He rewarded the organization for the faith in him with his best season of his career. I will admit freely that I did not see this coming as I saw Juan Portes as a 4th outfielder who can play some third base. With the glut of outfielders in the Twins organization I really thought he would not be with the organization in 2010. Boy did he prove me wrong as he put up his finest season as a professional. He showed the great plate discipline we are used to seeing out of him, but added some extra base power with 30 extra base hits and a very good average. He showed his versatility by playing some at 3rd base when the injury bug hit the Rockcats and proved to be a very valuable member of the Rockcats playoff team. Going forward Juan does not have very much power as his 6 homeruns would attest to, however if he can get on base as much as he did in 2009 he will continue to hang around. I forsee him as a 4th or 5th outfielder and if he continues to improve that could be with the Twins in the future.


• 2010 projection: Start in left field for New Britain


• Estimated Time of Arrival: 2013

• 46. Evan Bigley OF (3/9/1987) 22

2009 stats: Beloit- .307 avg, 2hr 22 rbi along with 6 doubles and a triple in 25 games and 101 at bats. With a .340/.446/.785 splits.

Fort Myers- .280 avg, 5hr 46 rbi along with 22 doubles and 2 triples in 95 games and 328 at bats. With a .336/.405/.742 splits.

2009 teams: Beloit Snappers and Fort Myers Miracle

• Evan Bigley had a pretty decent 2nd year with the Twins as he combined to hit .294 with 7 homeruns and 68 rbi's along with 28 doubles and 3 triples. Evan will not bring a lot of power to the plate, but he finds a way to get on base and do all the little things that every team needs. Without much power he needs to keep his on base percentage high so he needs to keep taking walks and working the count. He is a decent defensive outfielder with a good arm. Evan is one of those guys that just quietly goes about his business and then all of a sudden you see him in AAA with a chance to make it to the big leagues. The thing that he really needs to work on is not striking out so much. In 429 at bats in 2009 Evan struck out 90 times which is approximately 25% of the time he comes up which is obviously way too much. If he doesn't take care of that problem he will struggle because he doesn't hit a lot of homeruns so you can't look past the strikeouts. If he can cut those strikeouts in half Evan Bigley will have an outstanding 2010 season and continue his path to the big leagues.


• 2010 projection: Play left field in Fort Myers


• Estimated Time of Arrival

Those are my 50-46 picks and i will be back tommorrow with 45-41 and another 5 every day until I get to number 1. Hope you all enjoy and I welcome you to leave your comments and questions either in the comment box or by emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading.

Is Wilson Ramos ready for the major leagues

I think I would do something that is on a lot of Twins fans minds and what i get asked a lot is super prospect Wilson Ramos ready for the major leagues. In this I will give the positive and the negative for Wilson Ramos being ready for the majors and finally give my opinion. So the hypothetical question is if the Twins couldn't sign Joe Mauer and decided the best course of action was to trade him do you think Wilson Ramos is ready to take over the full time starting catcher duties for the Twins.

• Reason for Wilson Ramos being ready for the big leagues: Wilson Ramos is a stud by anyone's definition. Ramos has transformed the Eastern League playoffs into the Wilson Ramos show as he is hitting .538 in the 3 games so far going 7-13 with a homerun and 4 rbi's. Ramos' defensive game is unbelievable as he threw out an incredible 42 percent of runners attempting to steal off of him. The only negative about him is his injury history as he was limited to 54 games because of a broken finger and a pulled hamstring. However, those are freak injuries and I believe he will be fine. When he is on the field though he is a stud as he hit .317 with 4 homeruns and 29 rbi's along with 16 doubles in the 54 games he has played in. Listening to the games on the radio you year the respect has for him and when the game is on the line the other team wants nothing to do with him. He has good size and he is getting better every day. He would be the perfect replacement for Mauer as there is an aura about him that players want to be around him because they feel he is going to make them better. Given the fact that he is only 22 years old it just shows you that he is gifted way beyond his years. His offensive game is getting better and better and with the Twins he can rely on his defense until his offense comes around. I really view him as a star in the making.

• Argument for Wilson Ramos not being ready for the majors: The bottom line is Wilson Ramos has gotten injured 2 years in a row and 3 of the last 4 so there is no reason to think he is going to stay injury free at the major league level. Even though he is very advanced he is still only barely 22 years old and could use another year in the minors to develop his offense and defense. He will be much more ready after a year in AAA next year to help the Twins in 2011. With this much talent whats the rush as we all know he will be good so why rush him to the major and all that you would be doing by rushing him to the majors is hurt his confidence when he struggles and he will struggle because not very many people go from AA to the majors. So let him develop at AAA next year and in 2011 bring him up and let him be the player we know he can.

• My Feelings: I am really really high on Wilson Ramos as I think he has it all good defense, can hit for average, hit for power, has a cannon for an arm, is a doubles machine, and puts fear in the pitchers head. If the Twins lose Mauer the Twins fans need hope and that is exactly what Ramos can bring to the Twins. Is he as good as Mauer of course not and probably won't ever be, but that doesn't mean he can't be a All-Star catcher because all Twins fans know there is only 1 Joe Mauer. However, I do think another year in the minors for Ramos would do him good as he can get that injury prone label off of him and put up a huge year at AAA before coming up in September. You could start Jose Morales and sign a veteran backup or even Drew Butera and let Ramos dominate at AAA. That being said I think Wilson Ramos is going to be a superstar and someone in 10 years we are going to say yeah i thought he would be good.
• I want to say though that I would not trade Joe Mauer because he is too valuable to the future of the Twins, but if he wants crazy amounts of money I would not pay him 25 million a year or something like that. I am just throwing out there a hypothetical because my hope in 2011 the Twins have the best combo in the league in Joe Mauer and Wilson Ramos.

Yearly Awards: Fort Myers Miracle

• With the minor league season coming to an end I thought I would continue my year end awards and hand out 5 awards to each team. I will continue with the Fort Myers Miracle who have had a great season as they went 80-58 which was good enough for first place in both halves of the season. The awards that I will be giving out are hitter of the year, pitcher of the the year, Rookie of the year and the only prerequisite is you couldn't have spent any time at High A previously. Also the most surprising player and the most disappointing player of the year. I welcome everyone's thoughts on the players I have chosen and you can either leave me a comment in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.
  
  
  
  Hitter of the Year: Ben Revere- Ben Revere built on his great season in Beloit last year with another monster season in Fort Myers. Last year at Beloit he hit .379 in 83 games for the Snappers and there was some question whether he would be able to follow that up with another good year. If there were any doubts about Revere's longevity and if he could keep it going he answered that with another great year. He did not hit .379 again, but he should not of been expected to because of the rise in competition and the fact that the Florida State League is more of a pitchers league so you don't see the offensive stats that you see in the Midwest League. Revere hit a very good .311 in 121 games for the Miracle with 2 homeruns and 48 rbi's along with a career high 45 stolen bases along with 13 doubles and 4 triples. He showed very good plate discipline because he had more walks than strikeouts with 40 walks and only 34 strikeouts in 466 at bats. Ben had a very good .372 on base percentage which is very good for a leadoff hitter. Revere only had a .369 slugging percentage, but that should not be surprising because by and large Revere is a singles hitter who does not get many extra base hits and as he keeps developing you would like to see some more extra base hits. Revere had a .741 OPS which is pretty good for a leadoff hitter. With that being said there are things that Revere needs to work on and one of the big things is Stolen Base percentage as he gets thrown out alot. Revere had 45 stolen bases but it was on 62 attempts which is only a 73% percentage. He needs to get that up to 80-85 percent as he moves forward. Overall, Ben Revere showed he was not a 1 year thing and I look for him to move up to New Britain for the 2010 and continue his success as I think he will be a member of the Twins come September 2011

• Pitcher of the Year: David Bromberg- David Bromberg really picked it up this year after a so so last year. Not only did he win my award as Fort Myers pitcher of the year, but he also won the Florida State League Pitcher of the Year award. That is quite an accomplishment for a guy that kind of struggled last year in Beloit. He was not bad at Beloit, but nothing compared to the year he had this year in Fort Myers. After going 9-10 with a 4.44 era in 27 starts last year in Beloit. He pitched 150 inn and struck out an organization high 177 batters, but also walked 54 batters. Those numbers are pretty average and nothing in those numbers show the type of season he had this year. Bromberg moved up to Fort Myers this year and put up a heck of a season. Bromberg went 13-4 with an incredible 2.70 era in 26 starts. What an improvement as he won 4 more games and cut almost 2 runs off his era. In 153.1 innings Bromberg only gave up 52 earned runs compared to 81 last year. His walk to strikeout total even improved as he struck out 148 batters while walking 63 batters. David Bromberg has improved himself from a average pitcher to probably the best pitching prospect in the organization. It is quite unbelievable the changes that Bromberg has made this year. Look for Bromberg to start next season in New Britain pitching for the Rockcats and make his major league debut September 2011 and be a fixture in the Twins rotation for years to come.

• Rookie of the Year: Santos Arias- Santos Arias really stepped up this year after getting promoted to Fort Myers after spending last year with Beloit. Arias split last year between the bullpen and the starting rotation. He had a solid year in the rotation, but they moved him to the bullpen to protect his arm because he is razor thin as he is only 5'11 162 lbs. Last year in 30 games Arias went 5-6 with a very good 3.27 era along with 29 walks and an impressive 91 strikeouts in 110 innings. With his size and his strikeout rate when it was decided to move Arias up to Fort Myers this spring they decided to send him to the bullpen and have him as a good setup man. When Mike Mccardell was promoted to New Britain it opened a spot in the rotation and the Miracle decided that Arias was the right guy for the job and he really showed that they were right. Santos Arias went 6-3 with a very good 2.15 era in 38 games including 9 starts for the Miracle. In 100.2 innings of work Arias walked only 27 and struck out 72. Santos Arias showed that you can't judge the book by his cover because all he does is get people out and that is all that should matter not how big he is or how hard he throws. If Arias can stay healthy I look for him to continue starting going into next year and if he has a good start at Fort Myers he should be up in New Britain very soon.

• Most Surprising Player: Rene Leveret- Going into the season I did not know much about Leveret after he split last season between Elizabethton and Beloit. Last year in 58 games Leveret hit .289 with 5 homeruns and 40 rbi's along with 12 doubles and a .361/.413/.773 line last year which is very average. Not bad, but also nothing to make you think he is capable of great numbers either. Leveret moved up to Fort Myers this year and even though he cooled off in the last month or 2 there was a time during the year that Leveret really carried the Miracle when the Miracle really were not scoring very many runs so that should not be forgotten. Overall, Leveret hit .286 with 5 homeruns and 38 rbi's in 92 games and 301 at bats along with 17 doubles and a triple. His line was .363/.399/.762 which was decent once again. Overall, it was not a great year for Leveret, but it definately was unexpected for me because I did not expect hardly anything from Leveret this year and there was a time that he carried the Miracle. He will likely start next season back in Fort Myers splitting time between Dh and 1st base and should have another solid year for the Miracle and it would not surprise me to see him get a promotion to New Britain sometime next year.

• Most Disappointing player: Deibinson Romero- Going into the year I expected a bigtime bounceback performance from Romero after a injury filled 2008 season. The Twins added him to the 40 man roster and he was promoted to Fort Myers. I really expect big things out of Romero and he really did not get the job done. He got off to a good start, but went through a 1-30 streak in June and never was really to recover from it. In all Romero hit just .222 with 5 homeruns and 56 rbi's in 120 games along with 18 doubles and 3 triples in 424 at bats. His line was not very good either hitting .308/.314/.622 for the year. To make things worse Romero committed a organization high 25 errors at third base. After the season there are some that are going to wonder if it was a mistake to put Romero on the 40 man roster and there will be some that will have to rethink their plans of having Romero as 3rd baseman of the future. There are a lot more questions about Romero now than there was going into the season. He will be back at Fort Myers next year and hope that he can reestablish himself next year and make people forget about this year or he could be looking for a job with another organization. I still have some hopes that Romero can turn it around, but my hopes for him are not what they were before and I could not tell you what he is going to do next year.

A Look ahead to 2010

With the Twins struggles of late and the Detroit Tigers finding their groove I am ready to do something that I was hoping I would not have to do till the playoffs and that is close the book on the 2009 season. The Twins trail the Tigers by 7 games with only 27 games left so it would take an absolute collapse by the Tigers and unbelievable baseball for the Twins to catch them but realistically we all know it is not going to happen. Losing 3 starting pitchers because of injuries and Justin Morneau going into the tank once again was too big of a pill to swallow. So for this purpose I am looking forward to next year and who I expect to be on the opening day roster and the probable payroll going into the season. I will write a little bit about every player. So everyone let me know what you think if you disagree with me or agree with me. You can either leave me a comment in the comment box or send me a email at travis_aune@yahoo.com.

• C- Joe Mauer- I project the Twins will sign Mauer to a 6 year 126 million contract with an option of 25 million for 2016. 2010 salary: 21 million

• 1b Justin Morneau- I think Justin will come back better next year and be what he has always been for the Twins. 2010 salary: 14 million

• 2b Alexi Casilla- The second half for Casilla has gotten him his job back at 2nd base as he has hit .208 compared to .180, but that is only have the story as his defense has been much better and I still look for him to hit. 2010 salary: 450,000

• SS Orlando Cabrera- I project the Twins to sign Cabrera to a 2 year 11 million dollar contract in the offseason. Cabrera has not been the offensive force he was in the first half, but the Twins like the affect he has had on Alexi Casilla and Carlos Gomez and their other options are not real appealing either. 2010 salary: 5.5 million

• 3b Brendan Harris- I project the Twins to start top prospect Danny Valencia in AAA to start the season so the majority of the time at 3rd will go to Harris who has done a decent job at 3rd this year when the many times Joe Crede has been unavailable. I look for Valencia to be up with the Twins at some point next season, but I look for Harris to be the starter on opening day. 2010 salary: 950,000

• Left Field: Denard Span- Denard Span has been everything we have been expecting out of him this year hitting .300 stealing 20+ bases and playing phenomenal defense in all 3 outfield spots. 2010 salary: 450,000

• Center Field: Carlos Gomez- With the Twins decision to keep Gomez up with the Twins all year he will be a super 2 and eligible for arbitration this winter. That being said he remains inconsistant at the plate and his plate discipline is something that he is going to have to work on to be a consistantly good hitter, but his defense continues to be awesome and he just might be the best centerfielder in the major leagues and should continue to get better as he is only 23 years old. 2010 salary: 750,000

• Right Field: Michael Cuddyer- I admit I was wrong over the winter when I said the Twins should trade Cuddyer as he has had a phenomenal not only at the plate, but also in the field as his arm scares teams from attempting to take the extra base. Even though Cuddyer is 31 years old I would keep him next year and depending on how he does next year picking up his 2011 option. 2010 salary: 8.5 million

• Designated Hitter: Jason Kubel- Jason Kubel has put together a career year this year and established himself as one of the top dh's in the league and when Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau need a DH day I am ok with putting him in the outfield because we need his bat in lineup every day. The Twins signed him cheaply this winter and if he was available this winter he would get double what the Twins paid him, but I look for him to have another big year next year. 2010 salary: 4.1 million

• Delmon Young- Delmon Young has really not done much to establish himself as a starter at this level with that being said he has shown how powerful he can be when given a chance. I look for more out of the same out of him next year as they will have a platoon between Young and Carlos Gomez going forward. 2010 salary: 1.4 million

• Nick Punto- Nick Punto is not a starter and nor should he be and his salary says he should be a starter. However, the Twins signed him to a bad contract last offseason so no team is going to take him so Punto will return to his old role of utility player where he belongs if he is going to be on the team. 2010 salary: 4 million

• Steve Tolleson- I project Steve Tolleson to beat out Matt Tolbert, Brian Buscher and others for a utility role on the team. I look for Tolleson to play 2nd base, Shortstop and maybe a little bit of outfield. 2010 salary: 390,000

• Jose Morales- I think it is safe to say that the Mike Redmond era will come to an end at the end of the month and Morales will back up Joe Mauer. Morales has some work to do defensively and he is not as good of a hitter as he is showing right now but I believe he will be a solid backup for the Twins. 2010 salary: 395,000

• Starting Pitcher: Scott Baker- In the second half Baker has established himself as the ace of the Twins by going 6-0 with a 2.64 era in 10 starts. Baker is living up to the contract that the Twins gave him this spring and will anchor the starting rotation going into Target Field next year. 2010 salary: 3 million

• Starting Pitcher: Kevin Slowey- Slowey was on pace for a career year before a bone chip in his wrist ended his season prematurely. I look for Slowey to come back next year and be the horse that we know he can be. 2010 salary : 480,000

• Starting Pitcher: Nick Blackburn- Blackburn had a terrific first half and has struggled in the second half, but he is a solid 3/4 starter who keeps you in the game most games and will be a solid pitcher in 2010. 2010 salary: 480,000

• Starting Pitcher: Francisco Liriano- I am still a believer in Liriano even though he did nothing to show that he can be The Franchise again. However, he has too much talent to give up on and I look for a bounceback performance in 2010. 2010 salary: 850,000

• Starting Pitcher: Jeff Manship- I look for Manship to win a tough hard fought battle in Spring Training for the 5th starter job over Brian Duensing and Anthony Swarzak. I think Manship has the highest ceiling of those 3 and will do a terrific job in that role for next season. 2010 salary: 410,000

• Bullpen: Joe Nathan- Joe Nathan had another very good year for the Twins and will be back anchoring the back of the bullpen for the Twins. 2010 salary: 11.25 million

• Bullpen: Matt Guerrier- Guerrier has really established himself as a very good setup man for the Twins and I look for him to get a 2 year extention for 6 million with an option for 2012 at 4 million. 2010 salary: 3 million

• Bullpen: Jose Mijares- Jose Mijares has had his ups and downs with walks and coming to camp out of shape. If he comes to camp in shape next year he will be the top left handed setup guy if not the Twins won't be pleased. 2010 salary: 430,000

• Bullpen: Jon Rauch- Rauch will be the 7th inning guy for the Twins next year and be a solid contributer to the bullpen. 2010 salary: 2.9 million

• Bullpen: Jesse Crain- This is where I have trouble because Crain has not had a good year, but he has pulled it together since his demotion to AAA. I look for him to get a paycut this year to stay with the Twins and wouldn't be surprised to see him traded this offseason if he doesn't want to take a paycut. 2010 salary: 1.5 million

• Bullpen: Boof Bonser- Boof is coming off of shoulder surgery so the Twins will take it easy with Boof and start him in long relief to see how he is coming off the major surgery, but as he becomes more comfortable they will put him in tougher situations. I look for Boof to be a big contributer next year. 2010 Salary: 455,000

• Bullpen: Brian Duensing- I look for Duensing after losing out to Jeff Manship in the rotation to find a nice niche as the second lefthander in the Twins bullpen next year and be a good spot starter if there is an injury. 2010 salary: 400,000

• According to my projections I view the Twins parting ways with Mike Redmond, Ron Mahey, and Carl Pavano. I also view the Twins taking their time with Pat Neshek and start him in Fort Myers for the first month or so while it is cold in Minnesota. Those are my picks let me know what you think.

• 2010 projected Payroll: 87 million dollars- that may be too high and if they need to cut corners it may be replacing Jesse Crain and Orlando Cabrera with Matt Tolbert and Anthony Slama which would get it down to around 80 million which is more what I think the Twins are willing to spend. Let me know what you think.

Yearly Awards: New Britain Rockcats

With the Minor League season coming to the end this weekend I thought it would be interesting to hand out 5 awards for every team in the Twins organization. I will continue with the New Britain Rockcats who have had an up and down season going 70-69 which is good enough for 2nd place 11.5 games behind first place Connecticut. However, thanks to the wildcard they have a chance to make the playoffs. They lead third place Trenton by 1 game with 2 games left against Trenton with only needing to win 1 of those to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The awards I will be giving out are Hitter of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year(prerequisite never spent a day in AA before this year), Most surprising player of the year, and most disappointing player of the year. I welcome everyone's thoughts on the players I have chosen and you can either leave me a comment in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks and enjoy.

• Hitter of the Year: Brian Dinkelman- With the Rockcats most talented hitter Wilson Ramos only playing 53 games the Rockcats needed someone to step up and Brian Dinkelman really stepped up. After struggling last year after his promotion from Fort Myers Dinkelman really stepped up this year. Brian showed his versatility as he not only played 2nd base for the Rockcats, but also spent quite a bit of time in the outfield. Offensively, Dinkelman hit a very good .297 with 8 homeruns and 65 rbi's along with an organization high 38 doubles and 2 triples. He has shown a very good eye at the plate as he had 55 walks while only striking out 73 times in 455 at bats. Dinkelman had a very good .385 on base percentage. He also had a .442 slugging percentage which should not be surprising considering he is not a homerun hitter. That being said his doubles bring his slugging percentage up and brought a very good .826 ops for a top of the order hitter. There were some doubt about his future going into the season after he hit .247 in 52 games with the Rockcats last year. His season has gotten him back on prospect lists where I look for Dinkelman to start next season up at AAA and if there is an injury or ineffectiveness at 2nd base with the Twins you would see Dinkelman making his major league debut next year with the Twins. The reason most people are down on Dinkelman is his age as he is 25 and will be 26 by the start of next season. I think Brian Dinkelman future is still bright and I look for him to reach the Twins next year and be there for stay and wouldn't surprise me if he is the starting 2nd baseman for the Twins sometime next year.

• Pitcher of the Year: Matt Fox- Matt Fox has turned around his career around with a very good season this year for the Rockcats. Going into the season there was some concern if Fox was ever going to make it because of arm surgery in 2005 and his slow progression through the system. Last year he made 14 starts with Fort Myers and went 7-7 with a 3.37 era. Going into the season this year some said it was a make or break season for Fox as he moved up to AA and got the chance to pitch in the starting rotation for the Rockcats and he did not disappoint. Fox made 26 starts and went 9-9 with a very good 3.58 era in 151 innings. He showed good control walking only 56 batters while striking out an impressive 120 batters. Matt Fox has reestablished himself as a prospect in the Twins organization and should get the promotion to AAA next spring. His future is probably as a reliever with the Twins so I think he would be best to work out of the Rochester bullpen next year. I think that he has a chance to make it to the big leagues if he continues to get better. Because the bottom line is Matt Fox has the stuff to pitch in the big leagues and you can tell he works hard based on the fact that he came back from an injury that many guys have to retire from. His age doesn't help the factor because he will be 27 when next season starts, but after the things Matt Fox has been through I will not put anything past him and I will look forward to seeing him in a Twins uniform.

• Rookie of the Year: Juan Portes- Going into the season Juan Portes was kind of on the fence going into the season because he really had not done a whole lot going into this season. He had kind of hit a snag in his Twins career as he had spent the last 2 years in Fort Myers and kind of wasn't going anywhere. So I was happy for Juan when he got promoted to AA for this year because I thought he is either going to sink or swim and we would have a better idea of what he is after stepping up in competition. Portes really showed that he is a Twins prospect and someone to keep an eye on. After hitting .270 with 12 homeruns and 54 rbi's with Fort Myers last year he put up good numbers this year at New Britain. Despite missing some time because of injuries Juan played in 99 games and is hitting .296 with 6 homeruns and 40 rbi's along with 21 doubles and 3 triples. He showed very good discipline at the plate with only 44 strikeouts along with 33 walks. He had a very good .365 on base percentage for a middle of the order bat. His slugging percentage is not real great at .435, but his overall OPS was very respectable .800. The 23 year old out of Boston has alot of potential as a outfielder. I view him as a extra outfielder in his future if he can hit good enough to stay in the lineup. I would like to see him hit a few more doubles and a few more homeruns, because honestly his Slugging percentage needs to come up to keep moving up. Overall though Juan Portes has had a very successful first year with the Rockcats and I look for him to start next season back with the Rockcats, but wouldn't surprise me to see him with Rochester sometime next year.

• Most Surprising Player: Alex Burnett- Alex Burnett really jumped up the prospect lists with the season he has put together this year. Going into the season he was viewed as a back of the rotation kind of starting pitcher. A bulldog type that would keep you in the game, but did not have lights out stuff. The decision this winter changed Alex's career and paved the way for him to have a career with the Twins. The decision was to move Alex to the bullpen as a late inning reliever. At first I thought why would they do that as he was a solid starting pitcher and turn him into a reliever I thought was a waste because Starting Pitchers have more value than relievers. However, I will be the first one to admit that I was wrong on this one. Burnett has established himself as one of the top relieving prospects in the organization and someone to keep track of. Burnett split the season between Fort Myers and New Britain and put up very good numbers. Between the 2 teams Burnett went 3-3 with a 1.85 era in 58 games along with 13 saves. Burnett worked 78 innings out of the bullpen and only gave up 16 earned runs. The most impressive stat for me was his walk to strikeout ratio of 26/78. With his 94 mile per hour fastball he has the stuff to get a lot of strikeouts. He held opponents to a very good .183 average. The 23 year old from Anaheim, CA has really turned heads with this season and I look for him to start next season as the closer for the Rockcats next year and probably get a midseason promotion to Rochester and wouldn't surprise me if he got a September callup next fall to the Twins. Alex Burnett is a shining star whose future appears pretty bright and I look for him to be the future at closer for the Twins.

• Most Disappointing Player: Matt Moses- This season was probably the last straw for the first round pick in 2003. Moses has played several different positions in his career starting at 3rd base and then finally in the outfield and has struggled everywhere he has played. Most people felt like this was going to be a make or break year for Moses as he probably needed to get up to AAA this year if he was going to stay in the organization. Truthfully, if he wasn't a first round pick and had been paid what he was paid he wouldn't still be in the organization. With that being said he is very talented in that he has good power at the plate and someone that has the talent to be a everyday player, but likely it will have to be with someone else. Matt Moses suffered a serious finger injury late in the year so here is hoping that he can recover from this and get a job with someone else because I expect the Twins to part ways with him after the season. Moses played 78 games with the Rockcats this year and hit just .224 with 7 homeruns and 43 rbi's along with 10 doubles and a triple. He posted a .274/.353/.627 (obp/slug/ops) line this year. I really expected Moses to take off this year with all the marbles on the table and disappointed he could not get it done, however I really hope his finger injury is not too serious and he is able to continue his career next year.
• I would like to congratulate the Rockcats on their first playoff appearance since the 2003 season and heres hoping they can bring a championship back to New Britain.

Yearly Awards: Rochester Red Wings

With the Minor League season coming to an end this weekend I thought it would be interesting to hand out 5 awards for every team in the Twins organization. I will start with the Rochester Red Wings who have underacheived to go 69-70 and in third place in the International League North division. However, you need to realize the Red Wings are the youngest team in the International League and should have a good portion of their team back next year as they should improve. The awards I will be giving out is Hitter of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most surprising performance, and most disappointing performance. For the Rookie of the Year award the player could not of spent any time in AAA before this year. I welcome everyone's thoughts on the players I have chosen and you can either leave me a comment in the comment box or send me an email at travis_aune@yahoo.com. Thanks and I hope you enjoy.

• Hitter of the Year: Justin Huber- Huber was signed as a minor league free agent this winter and the 27 year old from Australia did not disappoint this year. When you look at his stats this year you need to also take in consideration he missed the first 2 weeks of the season with visa problems. In 116 games with the Red Wings Huber is hitting .272 with 22 homeruns and 76 rbi's along with 21 doubles and 2 triples for an OPS of .834. The people of Rochester were really disappointed when the Twins let Garrett Jones go as a free agent this winter so they knew they needed to find someone who could replace his production and they found that guy in Huber. Huber played 1st base, DH and the Outfield and put up one of the best years of his career. I would like to see the Twins call him up for September as a bat off the bench, but we knew that was not going to happen when he accepted an invite to join the Australian National team in the World Cup this fall. He definately deserved the call for the Twins and it really is too bad for him, but I hope he does well in the World Cup. I know the Twins will try to resign Huber this winter, but I don't think it will happen and if I was Justin Huber I wouldn't resign with the Twins because his primary position is 1st base and his chances to get a recall up to the Twins are not very good. At 27 years old he needs to go to a team where he has a chance to make the big club and that team is not the Twins. What he did do this summer is won some games for the Red Wings and reestablished himself as a prospect once again and I look to see him in the Major Leagues sometime next year.

• Pitcher of the Year: Armando Gabino- Going into the season not many people had heard about Gabino because he had very average stats as he went up and as a reliever stats like his are usually overlooked. Gabino really turned his career around this year and even got a cup of coffee with the Twins. He is better served as a reliever, but has been making some starts for the Red Wings. The 26 year old from the Dominican Republic put up a very solid season for the Red Wings. Gabino has appeared in 37 games this year including 6 starts and has gone 6-3 with a 3.03 era along with 1 save and 1 complete game. Gabino worked 92 innings for the Red Wings. He showed good control with a 23/60 walk to strikeout ratio which means he doesn't strike out a lot of guys, but at the same time he also doesn't walk people. Armando Gabino has put himself on the map going into next season and he has the good fortune of being on the 40 man roster now so next year if there is injuries he will be one of the first call ups if he continues to pitch like this. I look for him to be in the Rochester rotation especially after the loss of Kevin Mulvey. He needs to work on a few things down in Rochester, but he changed quite of few peoples opinions of him with the season that he had this season. I could of chosen Anthony Swarzak, but Gabino has been there longer and to be honest he had the better season if you ask me. I expect that Twins fans will see Armando Gabino in a Twins uniform sometime next year and next time he might be here to stay.

• Rookie of the Year: David Winfree- There was actually quite a few people I could of picked for this award because of how young the Red Wings team is this year, but it was pretty obvious in my mind that the most deserving guy for this award is David Winfree. The 24 year old from Virginia really stepped up to the plate in AAA this year. After spending 2 years struggling in AA Winfree got the call up to AAA and did not disappoint. Winfree is out the rest of the year with a leg injury, but he hit .273 with 14 homeruns and 61 rbi's in 116 games. That is after hitting .252 in AA last year and it was a huge surprise that he was able to get off to such a great start. Many including myself expected Winfree to struggle much like he had at AA. I think that he has positioned himself that next year if there is an injury to one of the corner outfielders that he would get the call up to the Twins. Also he is only 24 years old which is very young for a AAA prospect so he has many years to make it to the Twins and stay there as a backup outfielder. I look for Winfree to spend 1 more year in AAA then in 2011 I expect Winfree to join the Twins and be there for the rest of his career.

• Most Disappointing player: Trevor Plouffe- Trevor Plouffe really got an opprotunity this year with the Red Wings and he really did not take advantage of it. Plouffe for many years has been viewed as the shortstop of the future for the Twins and many thought that 2009 would be his breakout year and would be the starting SS for the Twins when they opened up Target Field next year. In 2009 he really took a step backwards both at the plate and especially in the field. The 23 year old from California hit .260 with 10 homeruns and 60 rbi's along with 23 doubles and 5 triples in 116 games. Those numbers are not terrible if he had played good defense. However, Plouffe committed an unbelievable 22 errors at shortstop which obviously is way to many. His loosy goosy persona has reached the office of Ron Gardenhire and when the manager of the big league team is questioning how bad you want it theres a problem. There really is no question that the Twins want Plouffe to be the shortstop of the future and athletically there is not another shortstop in the Twins organization that can touch Plouffe, but until he shows how bad he wants it on the field the Twins are not going to trust him to be the shortstop. That said Plouffe is only 23 years old and loads of talent and plenty of time to turn it around. For the Twins going forward with the big contracts for Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, and Michael Cuddyer as a small market team they really need Trevor to step up and be the player we all know he can be.

• Most Surprising Player: Steve Tolleson- Tolleson has a lot of talent, but what makes him a surprising player is the start he got off to in New Britain before the promotion to Rochester. It is unbelievable how he turned it on once he got to Rochester and has kept it going the rest of the season. In 38 games at New Britain this year Tolleson hit .258 with 2 homeruns and 13 rbi's. For most of the time in his stay at New Britain this year he was hovering around .200 so he was totally underacheiving. Once he got to Rochester he took off and has been pretty consistant the time he has been there. He went through a small slump, but is still hitting .276 with 6 homeruns and 26 rbi's along with 17 doubles and a triple in 87 games with the Red Wings. Tolleson is so versatile as he can play 2nd and shortstop, the outfield and I am sure he can play third as well. He is 25 years old so he is about the right age to be in AAA. I look for Tolle to compete for a utility job next spring for the Twins and if not be the second baseman for the Red Wings and at some point next season will join the Twins due to injury. Overall, Steve Tolleson has put himself back on the map in the Twins organization and I expect some big things out of Steve Tolleson in the future.

July Awards: Gulf Coast League Twins

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

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

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

July Awards: Elizabethton Twins

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

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

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

July Awards: Beloit Snappers

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

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

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

The draft process: good or bad for baseball

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

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

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

do you believe in miracles

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

Detroit

2 at Anaheim

4 vs Tampa Bay

3 vs Cleveland

3 at Tampa Bay

Chicago

3 at Boston

3 at New York

3 at Minnesota

1 at Cubs

4 vs Boston

Minnesota

2 vs Baltimore

3 vs Texas

3 vs Chicago

3 at Cleveland

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

Detroit

6 vs Chicago

7 vs Minnesota

Chicago

6 vs Minnesota

6 vs Detroit

Minnesota

7 vs Detroit

6 vs Chicago

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

Updated Top 50

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

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

July Awards: Fort Myers Miracle

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

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

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