Last NFL Mock Draft of the 2009 NFL DRAFT

1. Detroit Lions- Mathew Stafford QB Georgia
2. St. Louis Rams- Jason Smith OT Baylor
3. Kansas City Chiefs- Aaron Curry LB Wake Forest
4. Seattle Seahawks- Mark Sanchez QB USC
5. Cleveland Browns- B.J. Raji DT Boston College
6. Cincinnati Bengals- Eugene Monroe OT Virginia
7. Oakland Raiders- Jeremy Maclin WR Missouri
8. Jacksonville Jaguars- Michael Crabtree WR Texas Tech.
9. Green Bay Packers- Andre Smith OT Alabama
10. San Francisco 49ers- Michael Oher OT Ole Miss
11. Buffalo Bills- Brian Orakpo DE Texas
12. Denver Broncos- Tyson Jackson DE LSU
13. Washington Redskins- Aaron Maybin DE Penn St
14. New Orleans Saints- Chris Wells RB Ohio State
15. Houston Texans- Malcolm Jenkins S Ohio State
16. San Diego Chargers- Robert Ayers DE Tennessee
17. New York Jets- Josh Freeman QB Kansas State
18. Denver Broncos- Knowshaun Moreno RB Georgia
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Everette Brown DE Penn St.
20. Detroit Lions- Peria Jerry DT Ole Miss
21. Philadelphia Eagles- Percy Harvin WR Florida
22. Minnesota Vikings- Eben Britton OT Arizona
23. New England Patriots- Brian Cushing LB USC
24. Atlanta Falcons- Rey Maualuga LB USC
25. Miami Dolphins- Vontae Davis CB Illinois
26. Baltimore Ravens- Clay Mathews LB USC
27. Indianapolis Colts- Darrius Heyward-Bey WR Maryland
28. Buffalo Bills- Brandon Pettigrew TE Oklahoma St
29. New York Giants- Hakeem Nicks WR North Carolina
30. Tennessee Titans- Larry English DE N. Illinois
31. Arizona Cardinals- Ziggy Wood OT Missouri
32. Pittsburgh Steelers- Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest.

The Return of a Phenom

There was some talk this spring that Deibinson Romero had lost his top prospect status. Romero a year ago was known as a top Twins prospect before last year. Deibinson Romero is only 22 years old so he is very young for his level. The Twins signed Romero as an undrafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2004.

• In his first season with the GCL Twins he hit .313 with 4 homeruns and 38 rbi's in 50 games at the age of 19. He struggled a little defensively with 13 errors.
• In his second season Romero started the 2007 season in Elizabethton at the age of 20 he hit .316 with 9 homeruns and 52 rbi's in only 66 games. He then was promoted to Beloit to finish the season.
• In his Third season Romero start the 2008 season in Beloit at the age of 21. All I can say is it was a struggle as he struggled with injuries all season long only playing in 40 games. He hit .268 with 3hr and 18 rbi's. I think you need to forget that season and look at his past seasons.

I think Deibinson Romero is a prospect that many people are forgetting about and that is unfortunate because a year ago everybody was wondering who was going to be the better player between Valencia and Romero. Deibinson got off to a good start last night for Fort Myers going 3-5 with an rbi. His defense is a work in progress but it has gotten a little better every year. I really look for him to have a bounceback year this year and reestablish himself as a top prospect for the Twins. He won't be 23 until August so he is very young for his level and I believe in 2 years he will be challenging Danny Valencia for the starting 3rd basemen for the Twins.

The Twins farm system

I know this is a small sample size with the minor league season just getting underway but I have made a few observations so far.

• The Twins have a lot of good prospects in the system but the way these teams are put together I just don't see any good teams like we had last year with Fort Myers and Elizabethton. Rochester has some good players but I don't see the role players that every team needs to be a winning team. Look at the bullpen its primarily all left handers. Also you won't know from day to day what the lineup is going to be because you have so many people of the same skill level and who are basically utility players not type A prospects.
• In New Britain I am not liking how that team is put together. Like Matt Moses are they going to give him a chance if not just release him then. I did not see the point to bring both Rene Tosoni and Juan Portes up to New Britain. They do not have a lot of hitting and it will be worse when Danny Valencia moves up to Rochester. I am not very high on Jay Rainville at all he is getting shelled again tonight. I know some people are high on him but I just don't see it he had a bad year last year and not a good start to the season this year.
• The Jeff Manship ship needs to slow down because he is struggling against AA hitters. Last year after his promotion he was not real good at New Britain and the people that wanted him to go to Rochester need to settle down and let him figure it out before we start annointing him as a future Twin.
• The Twins had a rough game today against the Mariners. Glen Perkins was awesome today only giving up 5 hits and 1 run in 8 great innings. The problem is they could not hit and the Twins have had their games like this the last couple years. The Twins take their 2-2 record to Chicago to take on the White Sox. RA Dickey gets the start tommorrow night against Jose Contreras. Gametime is at 7:11 in Chicago

Top 50 prospects and teams

Thought I would update everyone on where the players on my top 50 prospect list will be starting their 2009 season.

1. Aaron Hicks- Elizabethton Twins
2. Ben Revere- Fort Myers Miracle
3. Wilson Ramos- New Britain Rockcats
4. Danny Valencia- New Britain Rockcats
5. Angel Morales- Beloit Snappers
6. Deolis Guerra- Fort Myers Miracle
7. Kevin Mulvey- Rochester Red Wings
8. Carlos Guitteriez- Fort Myers Miracle
9. Shooter Hunt- Beloit Snappers
10. Jeff Manship- New Britain Rock Cats
11. Trevor Plouffe- Rochester Red Wings
12. Dustin Martin- Rochester Red Wings
13. Chris Parmalee- Fort Myers Miracle
14. Luke Hughes- Rochester Red Wings
15. Rene Tosoni- New Britain Rock Cats
16. Anthony Swarzak- Rochester Red Wings
17. Tyler Robertson- Fort Myers Miracle
18. Joe Benson- Fort Myers Miracle
19. Deibinson Romero- Fort Myers Miracle
20. Mike Mccardell- Fort Myers Miracle
21. Jose Mijares- Rochester Red Wings
22. David Winfree- Rochester Red Wings
23. Rob Delaney- New Britain Rock Cats
24. Anthony Slama- New Britain Rock Cats
25. David Bromberg- Fort Myers Miracle
26. Erik Lis- New Britain Rock Cats
27. Alex Burnett- Fort Myers Miracle
28. Jason Pridie- Rochester Red Wings
29. Dan Osterbock- Beloit Snappers
30. Brian Dinkelman- New Britain Rock Cats
31. Brian Duensing- Twins
32. Steve Tolleson- New Britain Rock Cats
33. Steve Singelton- Fort Myers Miracle
34. Daniel Ortiz- Elizabethton Twins
35. Cole Devries- New Britain Rock Cats
36. Jay Rainville- New Britain Rock Cats
37. Juan Portes- New Britain Rock Cats
38. Yohan Pino- New Britain Rock Cats
39. Jon Waltenbury- Beloit Snappers
40. Brock Peterson- Rochester Red Wings
41. Evan Bigley- Beloit Snappers
42. Alex Soto- Beloit Snappers
43. Steven Hirschfeld- Fort Myers Miracle
44. Philip Humber- Twins
45. Mitre Garcia- Elizabethton Twins
46. Edward Ovalle- Fort Myers Miracle
47. Ryan Mullins- New Britain Rock Cats
48. Tyler Ladendorf- Elizabethton Twins
49. Santos Arias- Fort Myers Miracle
50. Zack Ward- New Britain Miracle

Beloit Snappers

Im still waiting to get word on the roster for the Fort Myers Miracle but I was able to get ahold of the Beloit roster and it is very interesting. There is no Aaron Hicks on the roster. That was expected and I expect him to be manning centerfield for Etown. Here is the roster.

C- Alex Soto
1b- Jon Waltenbury
2b- James Beresfeld
SS- Ramon Santana
3b- Nick Romero
Lf- Evan Bigley
Cf- Angel Morales
Rf- Michael Harrington
Dh-Hank Sanchez

Bench
Eli Tintor
Dominic De la osa
Adan Severino
Nate Hansen

Pitching
1. Shooter Hunt
2. Dan Osterbock
3. Brad Tippett
4. Henry Reyes
5. Bobby Lanigan

Relievers
Closer- Danny Hernandez
Michael Allen
Steve Blevins
Danny Rondon
Joe Testa
Thomas Wrights

DL
Brian Kirwan
Michael Tarsi
Blake Matin
Curtis Leavitt

Let me know what you think

New Britain Rock Cats

The Roster for the New Britain Rock Cats has been revealed and it is very easy not to argue with it. The thing that I took from it is if your going to beat the Rockcats you better get a lead after 7 innings because with both Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama on the roster look out. Without further adeiu here you go.

C- Wilson Ramos
1b- Whit Robbins
2b- Brian Dinkelman
SS- Yancarlos Ortiz
3b- Danny Valencia
Lf- Juan Portes
Cf- Brandon Roberts
Rf- Rene Tosoni
Dh- Erik Lis

Bench
Steve Tolleson
Allan De San Miguel(Jeff Christy will replace him when Joe Mauer returns to the Twins.)
Joe Gaetti
Matt Moses
Toby Gardenhire

Pitchers
1. Jeff Manship
2. Jay Rainville
3. Ryan Mullins
4. Cole Devries
5. Matt Fox

Bullpen
Closer- Rob Delaney
Anthony Slama
Jose Lugo
Zach Ward
Frank Mata
Yohan Pino

Everyone let me know what you think.

Rochester Red Wings

The 2009 Rochester Red Wings roster has been revealed and I guess the thing that surprises me is no Rob Delaney. I thought he would make it but I guess they are being cautious with him. I don't think it will be very long till you see him up with the Red Wings.
C- Drew Butera
1st- Brock Peterson
2nd- Matt Tolbert
SS- Trevor Plouffe
3b- Luke Hughes
Lf- Dustin Martin
Cf- Jason Pridie
Rf- David Winfree
Dh- Justin Huber

Reserves
Jeff Christy
Alejandro Machado
Matt Macri
Tommy Watkins

Pitching- Here is my projected starting 5 for the first week or so until Scott Baker comes off the DL.
1. Kevin Mulvey
2. Anthony Swarzak
3. Jason Jones
4. Mike Gosling
5. Bobby Keppel
6* Ben Hendrickson will be in the rotation when he comes back from the DL. The starting 5 when he comes back and Baker goes back to the Twins will be Mulvey, Swarzak, Jones, Hendrickson, and Duensing or Dickey.


Bullpen
Closer: Jose Mijares
Armando Gabino
Ben Julianel
Tim Lahey
Carmen Pignatiello
Sean Henn
Reid Santos

What does everyone think about the Rochester roster

2009 Minnesota Twins

With the cut of Matt Tolbert today and with Scott Baker going to the disabled list this is your opening day Minnesota Twins. I see Dickey if he pitches good in Chicago staying as a reliever with Duensing going down but without any furth adieu here is the Minnesota Twins 2009 opening day roster.
C- Mike Redmond
1st- Justin Mourneau
2b- Alexi Casilla
ss- Nick Punto
3b- Joe Crede
Lf- Delmon Young
Cf- Carlos Gomez
Rf- Michael Cuddyer
Dh- Jason Kubel

Bench
Denard Span
Brian Buscher
Brendan Harris
Jose Morales

Pitchers
1. Francisco Liriano
2. Nick Blackburn
3. Kevin Slowey
4. Glen Perkins
5. RA Dickey

Bullpen
Closer- Joe Nathan
Jesse Crain
Craig Breslow
Luis Ayala
Matt Guerrier
Philip Humber
Brian Duensing

• Today, the Twins had their final spring road game in Bradenton against the Pirates and it ended up in a tie 4-4.
• Kevin Slowey pitched his last start of the spring and was good as always going 5 innings and only giving up a run on 3 hits. His Spring ERA was an awesome 2.02. I really look forward to his season this year because I think he is in for a jump in wins and lower his era by a run.
• The Twins were led by Brian Buscher who went 2-3 with a 3run homerun that put the Twins ahead. Michael Cuddyer also had 2 hits to pace the Twins.
• Tommorrow the Twins host the Pirates in the final spring training game of the year as the Twins try to get to 20 wins for the spring. Glen Perkins will get the start for the Twins in Fort Myers. Gametime will be at 12:05.

Wednesday, April 1st

The Twins are closing in on their 25 man roster as they made 3 cuts yesterday 2 of them were expected and one that took me off guard.

• Jose Morales beat out Drew Butera for the backup catchers job for a few weeks until Joe Mauer gets healthy. I have to admit I had that wrong I was pretty sure that they would go with Butera because of his strong defense and ability calling a game. However, Morales got it because he is a superior hitter and has improved behind the plate. Being that he has spent the last couple years in AAA he is probably better able to hit major league pitching. It is a short term thing because the Twins are adament that Mauer will be playing sometime in April so im happy for Morales to get the chance with the Twins.
• In an expected move Jose Mijares was sent to AAA. As much as it was expected I am sure it was a blow for the Twins because there was a lot expected out of Mijares this year after letting Dennys Reyes go after last season. He did not allow them to keep him this spring because first he showed up at camp out of shape and then had a 9.90era this spring. This move does not guarantee that Brian Duensing is going to make the team all it means is Jose Mijares won't. With RA Dickey and Philip Humber still in camp there is a chance they could go with Dickey and Humber with Craig Breslow as the only left handed pitcher in the bullpen.
• As expected Alejandro Machado was reassigned to minor league camp and is expected to come off the bench for Rochester. Jeff Christy was told he will be cut but stay in camp until Saturday to help with catching the pitchers.
• According to Lavelle E. Neal the Twins are looking at trades to settle their roster problems. He said it is possible that either Brenden Harris or Philip Humber could be traded or both. I really hope that doesn't happen because as much as I like Matt Tolbert I would really be disappointed if they got rid of Brenden Harris because you really don't know if Joe Credes back is going to hold up on the turf. I know everyone says bring up Luke Hughes or Danny Valencia. I would not bring up Valencia because why rush him let him spend the year in between New Britain and Rochester and be ready for next year. As for Hughes has anyone seen his defense it is horrible almost as bad as Brian Buscher's so I would not be too happy with that platoon. Humber on the other hand if they believe that RA Dickey gives them a better arm in the bullpen then I would try to get something for him before I would release him.
• Yesterday, the Twins got 19 hits and a good outing by Nick Blackburn to get a nice 12-8 win.
• Nick Blackburn made his final start of the spring going 5 innings and only gave up 2 runs. He appears ready to pitch next Friday night in Chicago.
• Joe Testa had the line of the spring and not in a good way. Testa was brought up for the day because of the cuts the Twins have been making. Testa faced 7 batters and gave up 3 hits and walked 3 while only retired 1 batter. At the end he gave up 5 runs for an era of 135. That is not a line he won't soon forget and im sure his teammates with the Miracle won't let him forget it. Im sure when he makes it with the Twins he will remember his first outing with Twins.
• The Twins are a little nickedup so they had quite an outfield yesterday. Delmon Young has a sore shoulder and didn't play. Carlos Gomez had to take his pregnent wife to the doctor so he wasn't there. Michael Cuddyer had to go to the Twin Cities for a follow up appointment on his surgically repaired finger. So the outfield consisted of Jason Kubel in left, Denard Span in Center, and former first round pick Chris Parmalee in right.
• Matt Moses was very impressive in his start yesterday going 3-5 with an rbi. That was huge because hopefully that will be the start of a big season for Matt because he is in danger of being released if he doesn't have a good year. Im really pulling for him because he has alot of talent and a former 1st round pick in 2003.
• The Twins are getting close to the end with only 4 spring games left. Today, the Twins take on the Pirates in Fort Myers at 12:05. RA Dickey gets the start today as he tries to solidify a roster spot with the Twins. It should be interesting if he comes out and has a good outing. The good news is only 5 more days until the opener.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bench
Rodolpho Palacious
Toby Gardenhire
Danny Berg
Edward Ovalle

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

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

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

Saturday, March 28th

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

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

NEW!!!! Projected Rochester Roster

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

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

Bench
Jeff Christy
Matt Macri
Alejandro Machado
Joe Gaetti

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

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

Friday, March 27th

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

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

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

Wednesday, March 25th

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

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

Tuesday, March 24th

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

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

Monday, March 23rd

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

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

updated position battles

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Twins Roster

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

Mauer to start season on disabled list

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

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


• Kevin Mulvey


• Mike Gosling


• Wilson Ramos

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


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


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