Sunday, May, 24th

Twins Talk

• Last night was the Anthony Swarzak show for the Twins as they defeated the Brewers 6-2 to take the 2nd consecutive game from Milwaukee. With the win the Twins pulled within a 1/2 a game behind 2nd place Kansas City and 4.5 behind leader Detroit. The Star of the game though was Anthony Swarzak who was making his major league debut for the Twins. You could not ask for anything better than the outing he had. He went 7 innings and did not give up a run on only 5 hits. He walked 2 batters and struck out 3. Swarzak was in control the whole game not having a runner reach 3rd base the whole game. He changed speeds very well keeping the Brewers potent lineup offbalance the entire game. With his fastball going from 88-94 and no 2 pitches the same speed. Add in a good changeup and occasional slider with his good curveball it made for a good night. I have saw games of his on milb.com and he threw his curveball more so i am not sure if he just did not have a good feel for it because he did not use it much. Overall, a very good first start it will be interesting to see how he does Thursday against the Red Sox and if he does good that leaves a tough decision for what the Twins should do with Glen Perkins scheduled to come back in about a week or so.
• Offensively the Twins were led by who else the M&M boys. Joe Mauer and Justin Mourneau went a combined 5-5 with a homer and 3 rbi's. Joe Mauer let the attack going 3-3 with a walk and his 9th homerun of the year. It is very hard to figure out where his sudden power surge has come from because he had 9 homeruns all of last year in 536 at bats and already has 9 in only 77 at bats. The only thing I can think of is he is maturing and getting stronger and his doubles are now homeruns. I would really like to get you readers perspective on this. Joe Crede also homered, his 7th of the year and drove in 2 runs to bring his total to 20 on the year.
• Tonight, the Twins finish off their series with the Brewers as Scott Baker tries to get back on track for the Twins. It is an ESPN game tonight so it should be fun to hear some different announcers since the Twins are not on Sunday Night Baseball very often.

Rochester Wrap

• Rochester had another tough loss last night against Norfolk after fighting back from a 4-2 7th inning deficit and thanks to a Jason Pridie to run homerun to tie the score. Unfortunatly, it was not to be as Norfolk won it 5-4 in 10 innings. Pridie had 2 hits and his 2nd homerun of the year. With the 2 hits it brought his average up to .234 on the season. There was a Brock Peterson siting after spending the season either on the DL or on the bench Peterson got a chance yesterday and did not disappoint. Brock went 2-4 on the day so hopefully this will get him going because he has way more talent than he has showed.
• Philip Humber got the start and continued his struggles giving up 4 runs in only 5 innings of work to bring his era up to 6.12. Hopefully he can get it going because he is better than that. Ben Hendrickson got his first action of the year pitching a scoreless inning. Bobby Keppel picked up the loss going 3.2 innings and only giving up the 1 run so he was very good.
• Today, the Redwings finish off their series with Norfolk with Brian Duensing scheduled to pitch for Rochester.

New Britain Beat

• The Rockcats continued their hot streak as they moved their season high winning streak to 7 games with a 7-5 win against Binghamton. Matt Fox pitched 5.1 shutout innings for the Rockcats to lower his era to 3.48 on the season. Jose Lugo and Frank Mata combined for a inning and two thirds scoreless innings. Normally when you give a big lead to Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama it is game over. Well lets just say they were not at their best yesterday. In 2 innings between them they gave up 9 hits and 5 runs. The good news is they still won the game and outings like that do not happen very often and both will be fine and this outing will be nothing but a memory.
• Danny Valencia continues to show that he is ready to move up to AAA. Valencia went 3-4 along with a walk and 3 rbi's to bring his total to 20 on the year. With the 3 hits it brings his average up to .336 on the year. Its pretty obvious he is ready for a new challenge and I hope he gets a chance to prove it sometime this year. Another guy that is really on fire right now is Steve Tolleson who contributed 2 more hits and a rbi to bring his average up to .252. If he keeps this up it won't be long till he is in AAA. Whit Robbins also contributed 3 hits and hit his 6th homerun of the year. His batting average now sits at a very good .320.
• Tonight, the Rockcats continue their series with Binghamton with Jeff Manship scheduled to get the start for New Britain as they try to extend their winning streak to 8 games.

Fort Myers Minutes

• In another well pitched ballgame the Miracle won another close ballgame last night 2-1 over St. Lucie. Deolis Guerra had his best outing of the year last night going 7 strong innings and only giving up a run on only 6 hits. With the 7 strong innings it brought Guerra's era down to 5.05. It was about time for Guerra to show why everyone is so high on him because with this being his 3rd year in the fsl people want him to show the promise that he did earlier in his career. I really look for Guerra to take off now and be very good for the Miracle. Henry Arias came on in relief and pitched 2 solid innings to pick up his 2nd save of the year.
• Ben Revere continues to show why is so widely known as the top hitter in the whole Twins organization. Revere went 3-3 with his 4th and 5th doubles of the year. After the 3 hits Revere now is hitting a robust .338 after hitting .379 last year in Beloit. I really look for him to get the call up to New Britain if things keep going the way they are. Steve Singelton also contributed 2 hits for the Miracle's cause.
• Tonight, the Miracle finish the home and home series with Port Charlotte with David Bromberg getting the start for Fort Myers.

Beloit Beat

• Beloit continued its run of bad baseball as they lost another not close game this time to Wisconsin 9-1. Ramon Santana was the only bright spot as the Snappers were only able to must 5 hits on the night. Santana had 2 hits to bring his team high average up to .425 on the season. I have said it before and I will say it again that Santana is the one that should of been promoted to Fort Myers instead of Nick Romero. Nothing against Nick Romero its just I think Santana is more ready for High A pitching and after 3 years in the Midwest League it is time for Santana to move on. Angel Morales contributed a hit and the only rbi of the game, his team leading 19th rbi of the year.
• The pitching for the Snappers was once again atrocious. Bobby Lanigan after starting out good has really struggled his last few starts. Last night was no difference as he gave up 10 hits and 7 runs in only 4.2 innings. Michael Tarsi came in relief and wasn't much better giving up 2 runs in 2 innings. Curtis Leavitt was the bright spot pitching 2 shutout innings. I would like to see Leavitt get another chance in the rotation after having a decent season last year at E-town. Basically, they have tried everyone else to start I think he deserves at least a chance.
• Today, the Snappers continue their weekend series with Wisconsin and Brad Tippett is scheduled to pitch for Beloit.

Ben Revere vs Aaron Hicks

1. Today's question is who is the top prospect in the Twins Organization. Ben Revere or Aaron Hicks.

• Argument for Ben Revere: Ben Revere is a hitting machine who can do it all. He is a gap hitter who has hit everywhere he has been. He was the Twins first round pick in 2007. He tore up the Gulf Coast League after quickly signing. In 50 games there he hit .325 along with 21 stolen bases in 27 attempts. He had a very respectable .388 obp. He followed that up in 2008 with an even better season. He started in Extended Spring Training, but because of an injury he arrived in Beloit at the end of April and tore it up. He hit .379 and his average was above .400 for most of the season. Along with that he also had 44 stolen bases in only 83 games. He improved his obp to .433 and was named Midwest League Player of the Year. He has it all he has speed discipline with only 51 strikeouts in 531 at bats. He is doing awesome again this year in Fort Myers as he has a .325 batting average and 17 stolen bases in only 38 games. Really his only weakness is his arm he has a very weak arm. In high school he played some 2nd base but the general feeling is the good outweighs the bad and you will get by with it with his great hitting and unbelievable speed. He will be the leadoff hitter for the Twins in about 3-4 years. He is only 21 years old so he is still quite young and only should improve.

• Argument for Aaron Hicks: It is really hard to argue with the stats that Ben Revere has put up since he has been there. What Aaron Hicks brings is potential. All Star potential, a player that reminds me of a young Carlos Beltran. Hicks was the Twins first round pick last year out of high school in southern California. He was sent to the Gulf Coast League for the rest of the season. While there he showed the 5 tools that he will be showing off at Target Field in about 5-6 years. In 45 games at GCL Hicks hit .318 with 4 homeruns and 27 rbi's and 12 stolen bases in 14 attempts. He has awesome plate discipline with 28 walks to only 32 strikeouts in 173 at bats. He also had a .409 obp so he has it all. The Speed, Power, Plate Discipline, Strong Arm, Leadership. This is how talented a player he is he throws 97 and many teams wanted him as a pitcher, but he wanted to play outfield and thats exactly what the Twins were looking for. He will more than likely start the season in E-town unless there is an injury at Beloit.

• My Take: You really can not go wrong with either of these guys and I truly believe that 5 years from now both of them will be patrolling the outfield for the Twins. The difference is the potential for Hicks who I believe has the potential to be very special. I think he could be a 30-30 guy with a cannon in Centerfield. Revere is probably a better hitter, but Hicks will be better defensively and that tips the scales in my opinion. I think Revere is going to be awesome, but I think Hicks has a chance to be very very special. The kind of player that you can build your whole team around. I view Aaron Hicks as another Joe Mauer with the way he can change the game and his teammates.

Let me know your view either email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave a comment below. Results will be revealed on Tuesday at 5pm.

Saturday, May, 23rd

Twins Talk

• The Twins picked up their 2nd straight lopsided win after dropping 6 in a row with a 11-3 win last night against the Brewers. Michael Cuddyer was the hitting star hitting for the Cycle for the Twins. In the first he hit his 7th homerun a 3 run shot that put us up for good. In the 3rd he hit a ground rule double. In the 5th he hit a single and in the 7th he hit a triple down the right field line. By going 4-5 Cuddyer brought his average up to .291 on the season. Justin Mourneau went 3-5 with 2 rbi's and Joe Mauer had his hitting streak end at 14 games, but he had 2 walks and 2 rbi's so he definatly contributed. The thing that impressed me was he came up in the bottom of the 8th in a 11-3 game and needing a hit. There were some close pitches that most hitters would of expanded their zone to get a hit, but Joe let those pitches go because they were out of his zone and took a walk. That is the reason why he wins batting titles and why the Twins offense is up about 2 runs a game since he came back
• Kevin Slowey pitched his second consecutive solid outing by going 7.2 innings and only giving up 2 earned runs for his 2nd quality start in a row. Slowey again did not walk a batter and only has 4 walks all season. He struck out 4 and was in control all evening.
• Anthony Swarzak will make his major league debut tonight against the Brewers. I am sure he will be plenty nervous, but the key is for him to be able to harness it. Folks he is a good prospect who brings a lot to the table and even if he struggles tonight his future is very bright with him only being 23 years old. I look for him to be a member of the Twins for many years to come.

Rochester Wrap

• For 7 innings last night the Red Wings were anemic to put it lightly. In the first 7 innings they were only able to scratch together 1 hit and struck out 14 times. In the 8th inning they were able to stratch 3 runs across to tie the game. The Red Wings ended up losing 4-3 to Norfolk, but they showed the kind of guts that teams in the Twins organization always show because those are the type of guys the Twins covet. Guys that will keep fighting no matter how bad it looks. The Red Wings were only able to scratch 3 hits across for the game. Luke Hughes had 1 hit and his 28th rbi of the year.
• Reid Santos got the start for Rochester and went the first 4 giving up 2 earned runs while walking 3 and striking out 2. Juan Morillo got the loss for the Red Wings working 2 innings and giving up a run and a hit, but the important thing is no walks and 2 strikeouts.
• Rochester continues its series with Norfolk tonight with Philip Humber scheduled to pitch tonight for the Red Wings.

New Britain Beat

• The Rockcats continued their torrid play as of late by defeating Binghamton last night 3-1. Brandon Roberts was the hitting star with 2 hits and his 2nd homerun of the year along with 2 rbis. Danny Valencia went 1-4 with a triple to pace the Rockcats.
• Cole Devries was the story of the game continuing to defy experts saying he would struggle in AA. Devries pitched 7 great innings only giving up a run on 7 hits to pick up his 3rd win of the year. With the 1 run allowed it lowered his era to 2.86 on the season. Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama did what they do so well to nail down the win for the Rockcats. They went 2 innings and had 1 walk and 4 strikeouts. Slama picked up his 9th save in as many chances.
• Today New Britian continue their series with Binghamton with Matt Fox scheduled to pitch.

Miracle Minutes

• Fort Myers pulled another late inning comeback against St. Lucie to continue their hot streak as of late. Chris Parmalee went 2-3 with a walk to bring his average up to .268 on the season. Ben Revere went 1-3 with a walk and 2 stolen bases on the night. Jair Fernandez also had 2 hits to bring his average up to .171 on the season. Deibinson Romero continued his slump as of late going 0-4 to bring his average down to .217 on the season. In his last 10 games Romero is 3-36 a .084 batting average. Hopefully he can pull out of it soon because he just makes the lineup that much better when he is going good.
• Carlos Gutierrez had another awesome start not giving up a earned run again. He went 5 innings and only giving up a unearned run along with 4 walks and 4 strikeouts. With the no runs it lowers his team low era to 0.98 on the season. Spencer Steedley came in relief and was awesome as usual going 2.2 shutout innings. Fort Myers fans should appreciate both those guys because I would not expect them to be there that much longer. Probably right after the all start break in fsl. Blair Erickson came on and picked up his 5th save of the year.
• Tonight, the Miracle begin a series with Port Charlotte with Deolis Guerra getting the start for the Miracle.

Beloit Bits

• It was not a pretty game again for the Snappers who are really struggling right now. They committed 3 errors that led to 7 unearned runs in a 13-7 loss to Fort Wayne. Nathan Hansen was the hitting hero for the Snappers going 3-5 with his 2nd homerun of the year along with 4 rbi's. Ozzie Lewis went 2-3 to bring his average back over .300 along with that he also picked up an rbi.
• Dan Osterbrock was the victim of 3 Snapper errors and 7 unearned runs. Osterbrock went 2.1 innings and gave up 8 runs, but only 1 of them was earned. Right now the Snappers are not playing good baseball and they need to come out of it soon. Steve Blevins pitched 2 solid innings of relief to bring his era down to 4.68 on the season. Blake Martin got into his 2nd game of the season and was not much better than his first game giving up 3 runs in 2 innings of work.
• Tonight, the Snappers begin a series with Wisconsin with Bobby Lanigan scheduled to pitch for the Snappers.

Anthony Slama vs Rob Delaney

I am trying something new, I hope you all like it. Everyday I am going to pose a question for the readers and give a point for one side and a side for the other and finally I will give my take and ask for everyones take on the question.

1. Who is the better Twins relieving prospect Rob Delaney or Anthony Slama.

• Argument for Rob Delaney: Rob Delaney is one of best pitching prospects in the whole Twins organization. At age 24 Delaney can boast a very good minor league track record. In 2007 he set a Beloit record with 28 saves. He was the Milb relief pitcher of the year in 2007. 2008 Florida State League all star. In 3 full seasons he has compiled a 8-7 record with a 1.96 era. Along with 55 career saves. He has a low 90's fastball and good offspeed pitches to keep the hitters off balance. He has everything needed to be a very good relief pitcher for the Twins

• Argument for Anthony Slama: Anthony Slama has been absolutly dominate in his short Twins career. At 25 he is a little older than I would like for someone at AA but he has dominated every league he has been in. In 95 career games he is 8-2 with a awesome 1.31 career era. Along with that he has 46 saves in his career. What sets him apart from most pitchers is his strikeout totals he has struck out 192 batters in 123.2 innings. His only red flag is he has also walked 46 batters, which is a concern for a relief pitcher in the lower leagues.

• My take: Really there is no wrong answer for these two because I believe next season both will be with the Twins. I am a little higher on Slama because of his strikeout totals. When I am looking at a reliever I am looking for someone who can get a big strikeout to get out of an inning. Delaney is also very good but he can't get that big strikeout. Many will argue the walks well the more innings he has gotten the less walks he has committed and I expect that to continue. He throws harder than Delaney with more movement and his strikeout totals tip the scales in my opinion to Anthony Slama.

Your Take: You can give me your take either by emailing me at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave a comment in the box below. I really want some feedback on this because this is something we all have an opinion on and want to find a winner. I will keep the polls open until Monday at 5pm so let me know.

Friday, May, 22nd

Twins Talk

• The Twins rebounded from their tough 6 game losing streak in a big way yesterday winning at Chicago 20-1. There were many hitting heros for the Twins but were let by Joe Mauer who went 3-4 with his 8th homerun, a grand slam, that capped a six run sixth inning. Michael Cuddyer was also awesome going 4-6 with his 6th homerun. Joe Crede also homered for the Twins. Nick Blackburn continued his strong pitching of late pitching 7 shutout innings on only 4 hits to bring his team leading era down to 3.83 on the season. Jose Morales also had 3 hits, but was sent down to Rochester after the game because Delmon Young's time on the Family Emergency ended after the game. Young won't be there until Sunday so Friday and Saturday the Twins will be playing a player short.
• The Twins begin a 7 game homestand with a 3 game series with the first place Milwaukee Brewers at the Dome. Tonight Kevin Slowey gets the start against Manny Parra.

Rochester Wrap

• The Red Wings won in extra innings last night 5-4 in 11 innings against first place Norfolk. Kevin Mulvey was masterful going 8.2 innings and only giving up 3 runs. He lowered his era to 3.95 on the season and very easily should of gotten the win. Mike Gosling came in relief to pickup his 5th win of the year. Bobby Keppel pitched the 11th for his first save of the year. He will probably pick up closing responsibilities with Sean Henn now with the Twins. Alexi Casilla had 3 hits and 2 rbi's to pace the Red Wings. The 3 hits brought his average up to .353 on the season. Matt Macri also had 3 hits for Rochester. Justin Huber had 2 hits and his 3rd homerun of the year. David Winfree also homered for the Red Wings, his 6th of the year.
• Transactions: Jose Morales was added to the Roster yesterday after the game along with reinstating Ben Hendrickson off the disabled list. Hendrickson will take Anthony Swarzak's spot in the rotation while he is with the Twins.
• Tonight, Rochester will continue their series with Norfolk with Ben Hendrickson getting his first start of the year.

New Britain Business

• The Rockcats continued their string of strong play with a 7-1 win against Reading. With the win New Britain pulled within 2.5 games of first place Connecticut. Ryan Mullins continued his strong pitching performances by going 6 innings and only giving up a run on 5 hits. He walked 1 batter and struck out 4 to lower his era to 4.38 on the season. Steve Tolleson continued his hot streak with 2 more hits to bring his average up to .250. But looking at how hot he has been has been unbelievable. He is 14 for his last 28 which is a .500 batting average in his l ast 7 games. The Rockcats connected for 4 homeruns on the day. Danny Valencia hit his 5th, Rene Tosoni hit his 6th, Brian Dinkelman hit his 3rd, and Erik Lis also hit his 3rd.
• Tonight, the Rockcats take on Binghamton with Cole Devries scheduled to get the Start.

Fort Myers Footnotes

• The Miracle won an old fashioned pitchers duel last night to improve their record to 25-14 on the season with a 2-1 win over St. Lucie. Mike Mccardell was masterful on the night only giving up a run in 6 innings along with 3 walks and 7 strikeouts. His strikeout to walk ration is a very good 5:1 on the season. Alex Burnett came in relief to pitch the last 3 to get the win. Nick Romero making his first start of the year at Fort Myers was the hitting hero going 2-3 with the go ahead rbi.
• Tonight, the Miracle continue their series with St. Lucie with Ace Carlos Gutierrez scheduled to start.

Beloit Beat

• The Snappers suffered another tough loss, going down 7-5 to Fort Wayne. The Big news was Michael Tarsi and Curtis Leavitt making their season debut. It did not go so well as they gave up 3 runs in 3 innings, but the important part is they are back out there pitching. Ramon Santana was the big star going 2-4 with 2 rbi's to bring his average up to .414 on the season. He really has this level mastered I really think they need to give him a new challenge at Fort Myers. Angel Morales also had 2 rbi's to bring his team high total up to 18 on the season. Dan Berlind got the start and was pretty good giving up 3 runs in 5 innings. He struck out 7 batters with only 1 walk which was very good.
• Tonight the Snappers continue their series with the Lugnuts as Dan Osterbrock gets the start for the Snappers.

I will be back later with the first edition of a new set of articles that I really think everyone is going to like so check back later this afternoon

Swarzak in; Breslow out

In a move that to me was not that surprising the Twins gambled for the third time this year and tried to get Craig Breslow down to AAA and for the first time this year they lost that battle. Breslow was claimed off of waivers by the Oakland A's. It is not surprising that they would try this because Breslow has not pitched up to standards that he set last year. However, he was starting to come around and I think he would of been ok. I knew that if they put him on waivers that some team would claim him because there is a shortage of good arms around baseball and based on what he did last year of course a team would take a chance. I really do not think this is a good move by the Twins because he was really good last year and just because he has struggled this year doesn't mean you should just get rid of him. In my opinion this reaks of ego thinking they are smarter than the rest of the teams just because they were able to sneak Philip Humber and Juan Morillo through waivers the Twins believed they could get anyone through. Breslow had improved as of late and Luis Ayala should of been the one to go instead of Breslow. With that being said to replace him the Twins called up Anthony Swarzak who definately deserved the call up and will start saturday at the Metrodome against the Brewers. Swarzak had a 2.25 era this year and I believe will make 2 good starts for the Twins until Perkins returns in 2 weeks. That is just an opinion let me know if you agree or disagree because I do not rant on the Twins very often let me know if it was warranted or unwarranted.

Unbelievable

I will more info later but I wanted to rant on something that I found utterly ridiculous. Delmon Young did what every person in his position would do. He left the Twins to be with his dying mother who was dying of cancer. First, off I want to give my condolences to the Young family I know your going through hell right now but she is in a better place now. What I have a problem with is major league baseball basically forcing a player to come back in 7 days. Thankfully, he was able to be with her until she died. However, stupid MLB is penalizing the Twins for being an understanding organization for letting him have as much time he needs before coming back. There is a rule that I had no idea about that says if a player goes for longer than 7 days the team has to play a player short until he returns. If that is not the stupidest thing I have heard. It is almost like MLB wants the teams to force the player to come back before they can instead of letting them be with their families in a tough time like this. Hopefully, MLB will realize how stupid this rule is and change it fast because it just makes them look stupid and hurts the teams. The Twins are handling this the right way because there are things way more important than baseball and thats what Delmon Young should be concentrating on now not baseball.

Perkins to DL; Henn called up

This morning the Twins made a roster move that was kind of expected after the rough outing last night of Glen Perkins. Anyone that saw the game last could tell that was not the Glen Perkins that we have gotten used to seeing all year. He had no zip on the ball struggling to even hit 90 not the 92-93 we are used to seeing. In addition to that his off speed pitches did nothing so basically he had no chance last night. To replace him on the roster the Twins called up Sean Henn and minor league free agent they signed this winter from the Padres organization. He has major league experience and was pitching very good for Rochester so far this year. He had went 0-0 with a very good 1.13 era for the Red Wings along with six saves. He definatly deserved the call and If he can continue to throw strikes like he did in Rochester he will help the team very much. My question though is what are the Twins going to do about Saturday, which is Glen Perkins next scheduled start. Sean Henn is not a starter so they need to decide what to do about that start. The way I look at it is they have a few options to go with. They can either leave the roster the way it is constructed right now and insert RA Dickey into the rotation to make Perkins starts. He is probably stretched out after pitching 4.1 innings last night in relief of Perkins and who knows maybe he can give you some quality innings. My only problem with that is it feels like a band aid trying to cover up a gun shot wound. Perkins has been a very good starter for us this year and in my opinion Dickey is not good enough to pick up the slack. The other option and best option if you ask me is to bring up Anthony Swarzak who is 2-3 with a very good 2.25 era at Rochester. He has had his problems, like his drug suspension a few years ago and then his lackadasical pitching last season, but since he has been at AAA he has been lights out. In my opinion he is ready for the big leagues and would allow Dickey to stay in the right role for him and that is long man. The only question is who do you send down or release to make room for Swarzak? I think it comes down to Luis Ayala who has been a huge disappointment or Craig Breslow who also has been a huge disappointment. My guess is that Breslow will be designated for assignment hoping that he can make it to AAA because even though I think Breslow is a better pitcher than Ayala I really can't see the Twins carrying 3 left handed pitchers in the Bullpen with Jose Mijeras and Sean Henn already there. I think it is 50-50 that Breslow makes it through because even though he has been bad this year he was very good last year. There is one other option if Delmon Young is not ready to come back Friday you could send down Jose Morales and go with 13 pitchers until Young comes back, but I can't see Gardy doing that because he has said how much he detests 12 pitchers let alone 13 so I dont see that happening. I would love to hear from all you readers whats your opinion on this is. You can email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave a comment on here I would appreciate the feedback.
As many of my readers know I have been gone a few days and that is because I have been traveling back home for the summer to spend time with family and friends. I am back now so I am going to start giving daily updates on the minor league teams and there is a new series of articles that I am in the process of planning out and the first one should be up tommorrow so please come back and check it out. I want to thank you all for checking my site and I hope you all bookmark this site and come back often.

Friday, May, 15th

• First off I want to send my Prayers to Delmon Young who left the Twins yesterday to be with sick mother in California. He is expected to miss between 3 and 7 days if not longer. I really hope your mother pulls through and let God be with you and your family.
• In response to this the Twins are expected to call up Jose Morales from Rochester to take Young's spot on the roster. Morales was hitting .340 with the Twins before his demotion and was hitting .267 in 9 games with the Red Wings. What this tells me is the Twins intend to play Joe Mauer all 4 games against the Yankees or they would of brought Jason Pridie or Dustin Martin up. I expect Mauer to catch tonight, Sunday, and Monday. I think he will be the DH on Saturday afternoon with Jason Kubel moving to left field on Saturday. The reason that they brought up Morales is to play it safe with the Catching situation because if Mike Redmond got hurt while Mauer was the DH they don't want to lose the DH and this way they won't because Morales could replace Redmond if he got hurt and Mauer could keep DHing.

Rochester Wrap

• The Red Wings are getting really good at coming back late against Indianapolis as they had another comeback last night. David Winfree was the hero as he put the Red Wings on top with a 2 out 3 run homerun. Luke Hughes also hit his 6th homerun of the season. Justin Huber was 3-4 to bring his average to .328. Jason Jones had his best start in a while going 4.1 innings and giving up 3 runs. Bobby Keppell pitched 2.2 shutout innings in relief to allow the Red Wings to come back. Sean Henn picked up his 5th save of the year even though he gave up a run in the 9th.

New Britain News

• The Rock Cats had their game with Portland suspended in the 4th inning with the Rockcats trailing 8-1. They will continue the game at 4:35 with the second game 30 minutes to follow. Brian Dinkelman led the offense going 1-2 with his 7th double and his 19th rbi. Jay Rainville had his second straight rough start giving up 7 runs in only 2.2 innings to bring his era up to 6.14 on the season.

Miracle Memos

• The Miracle broke out offensively in a huge way as they defeated St. Lucie 19-4 in St. Lucie. Everyone contributed really but were led by Mark Dolenc who went 5-6 with 3 doubles and 6 rbi's to bring his average up to .337 on the year. Evan Bigley continued his strong start with the Miracle going 4-5 with 3 rbi's to bring his average up to a crazy .667 with 6 hits in 9 at bats. Ben Revere and Danny Berg also contributed 3 hits each. Lost in it was the good pitching performance of Tyler Robertson who went 5.2 innings and only gave up 2 runs to lower his era to 4.75 on the season. Alex Burnett pitched a shutout 1.1 innings and Santos Arias finished it up giving up 2 runs in 2 innings.

Beloit Beat

• The Snappers suffered a tough loss to Clinton last night in 13 innings 7-6. The Snappers were only able to must 5 hits, but were led by James Beresford who had 2 hits. Jon Waltenbury had his 3rd homerun and 3 rbis. Angel Morales also homered, his 3rd of the year. Brad Tippett continued his strong pitching this season by going 5 innings and only giving up 2 earned runs to lower his era to 2.87 on the season. Joe Testa had 2 more good innings lowering his era to 1.52 on the season. Danny Rondon took the loss giving up a run in 2.1 innings of work.

Todays Schedule

Twins at Yankees with Francisco Liriano getting start

Indianapolis vs Rochester with Kevin Mulvey getting start.

Portland at New Britain with Ryan Mullins starting the 2nd game.

Fort Myers at St. Lucie with Mike Mccardell getting start.

Beloit at Clinton with Michael Allen getting start

if anyone has any comments or questions you can either email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com or leave a comment on here.

Big Twins win

Twins Today

• The Twins finished their 6 game homestand today in grand fashion as they defeated the Detroit Tigers today 6-5. It was a very unexpected victory today considering that they trailed 5-0 heading into the bottom of the 7th inning and Justin Verlander was cruising. He had only given up 4 hits and had struck out a very impressive 13 batters. Just look at the 7th inning shows how impressive the comeback was because everyone did their part. Joe Crede finished the comeback with a 2 run single to score Justin Mourneau and Jason Kubel to put the Twins on top.
• Speaking of Kubel he continued his hot streak of late by going 3-4 and driving in a run in the 6 run 7th inning with a double that would of tied the game had it not jumped the fence for a ground rule double. With the 3 hits it raised his average to an amazing .333 on the season.
• Scott Baker looked awesome for 5 innings and everything fell apart for him again very similiar to the Kansas City game 2 starts ago. He had runners on 1st and 3rd with no outs and got a strikeout and a popup to get 2 outs. He then gave up a fly ball that Kubel misjudged for a run and then after that all heck broke loose and by the end he had given up 5 runs and ruined an otherwise excellent start.
• On top of that the bullpen really did a good job today with Craig Breslow picking up his first major league win in relief pitching 1.2 scorless innings, then Matt Guerrier got a big out, and Joe Nathan Picked up his 6th save of the year.
• The Twins begin a 7 game road trip this weekend with 4 in New York and 3 in Chicago. Here is the Pitching Matchups this weekend

Friday Liriano(2-4 5.75era) vsPhil Hughes(1-2 8.49era)

Saturday Blackburn(2-2 4.32) vsChamberlain(2-1 3.89)

Sunday Slowey(5-1 4.91) vs Burnett(2-1 5.36)

Monday Perkins (1-2 4.27) vs Pettitte(3-1 4.00) Game on ESPN

Top 5 Disappointments thus far this season

For the second part of this series I am going to go with the 5 players in my opinion that have really underperformed what we thought they would do going into the season. Keep in mind its only six weeks into the season and its a long season so they can still have very good years.

• 5. Alexi Casilla- Going into this season the expectation for Casilla that he would continue to be a table setter for the Twins. Last season he hit .281 with 7 homeruns and 50 rbis in only 98 games. So going into this season I was really expecting more of the same. However, he hit only .167 with 4 rbi's in 24 games. The worst part is he was taking the bad at bats into the field and making mental mistakes. The Twins sent him down to Rochester to try to get him right. He is off to a good start with the Red Wings so hopefully we will see the good Alexi Casilla sometime this year.

• 4. Deolis Guerra- I really bought into the Deolis Guerra hype when he came over to the Twins in the Santana trade. I even bought into the fact that the reason he had a 5.47 era last season was because the Twins were tinkering with his mechanics so that he would not break down. So I was expecting a breakout season out of Deolis Guerra and he may because its so early. However, so far it has been more of the same as Guerra has went 2-3 with a very bloated 6.09 era. He has improved his walk to strikeout ratio. Last year he had 71walks and 71 strikeouts in 130 innings. So far this year he has 12 walks in 34 innings which is 2 walks/per 9 innings less than least year. To go with that though he has gotten hit harder so its a catch 22 thing. I still have high hopes for Guerra and really hope he can pull it together.

• 3. Angel Morales- I was really expecting big things out of Morales this year after his awesome season at E-town last year. Last year he hit .301 with 15 homeruns with a .623 slugging percentage. So the expectation was that he would move up to Beloit and build off of that. He just might, but so far he has really struggled. He is hitting only .177 with 2 homeruns and 9 rbi's with only a .333 slugging percentage. I really can't figure out why he has struggled so much this year. However, two reasons could be a lot of guys struggle getting used to a full season being he is from Latin America and probably is not used to the cold weather. Another thing is he is only 19 years old and is one of the younger players in the Midwest League. I am not panicking yet, but I would like to see improvement because I am very high on Morales and think he could be a factor with the Twins in a few years.

• 2. Steve Tolleson- Now this is a guy that I really can't figure out. Many people including myself thought he deserved to go to AAA after a very solid season last year with the Rock Cats. Last year he hit .300 with 9 homeruns and 50 rbis with 44 walks and a .382 obp playing everywhere. I really thought he was ready for the next level. However, the way he has played this year says that he is not ready. This year he is only hitting .180 with no homeruns and only 5 rbi's and a .274 obp. The only thing I can think of is he is suffering from the Anthony Swarzakitis. Last year Anthony Swarzak struggled bad at New Britain after many people thought he would be in AAA. By Default later in the year he was promoted to AAA and took off and has continued it this year. Thats the only explanation I can come up with for him I am really buffaloed by this. Another problem is Tolleson is 25 years old which is too old to be playing to AA he should be in AAA at his age. The bottom line is if he doesn't pick it up and make the Twins promote him he likely will be a offseason casualty.

• 1. Shooter Hunt- Now this is a guy that I had very high hopes for coming into the season. He was number 9 prospect in my preseason rankings. That makes it all the more troubling because he has a big league arm and did not have control problems at Tulane which is why the Twins took him with their supplementary pick last year in the draft. Last year they started him in E-town and was awesome only giving up 1 earned run in 19 innings with E-town along with only 6 walks and a awesome 34 strikeouts. That dominance led to a promotion to Beloit where many people including myself thought he would dominate again. He struggled somewhat with Beloit last year going 1-4 with a 5.46era and you started to see the walks come into play as he had 27 walks in only 31.1 innings of work. My explanation for that was he had been pitching since January and was wore out and a winter of training would see him dominate once again. Well that is not what has happened so far, let me also say its early and there is a lot of time for him to rebound. However, he has got to rebound because that is how bad it has been for him this year. Hunt went 0-1 with a 10.34 era with a crazy 30 walks in only 15.2 innings of work. It got so bad that the Twins sent all their top scouts to come watch him pitch to see if there is anything they can do to help. Now they are trying him in the bullpen to try to get him straight. Lets be serious Shooter Hunt is one of the most talented pitchers in the organization and already has a big league curveball, but right now he has no clue where the ball is going. It is totally a mental thing right now so hopefully some time in the bullpen will help him get his confidence back and he can go back to being the pitcher we all believe he can be.

5 Players who have been pleasant surprises so far

Today I thought it would be kind of fun to do a little countdown on 5 players that have been pleasant surprises so far this season.

• 5. Rene Leveret- I am pleasantly surprised with the start that Leveret has gotton off too. I was really not expecting much out of him going into the season. I thought he would have trouble getting plate appearances with a talented Fort Myers team. Honestly, though he has been the most consistant and best hitter so far. He is hitting an awesome .368 with a homer and 10rbi's. He also has contributed 11 walks and only 13 strikeouts in only 68 at bats. The most impressive stat to me was his .482 obp. His .982 ops is not too bad at all. He has been battling a quad injury, but should be back this weekend. I look for big things for Rene this season.

• 4. Anthony Swarzak- I knew that Swarzak had talent, but the promotion from New Britain has really turned his career around. This season he has 3-3 record. His 3 losses are more to do with lack of run support early in the season than anything else. The most impressive thing was his 1.70era with the Red Wings. In 37 innings of work he has only walked 9 batters and struck out 28. I really have high hopes for Swarzak and like I have said I would like to see him get the call if something happens to a Twins pitcher this summer.

• 3. Evan Bigley- Evan Bigley was the best hitter for Beloit thus far. I really did not know much about him coming into the season with the seasons last year by Morales and Waltenbury at E-town he kind of got lost in the shuffle. This season with Morales and Waltenbury struggling Bigley really took off. So much so that when Joe Benson was injured, Bigley got the call. Evan Bigley was a 10th round pick last year out of Dallas Baptist and has been very impressive. This year at Beloit he hit .307 with 2 homeruns and 22 rbis. I really look for Bigley to continue his hot streak at Fort Myers and at the end of the season we will be talking about him as a top prospect.

• 2. Carlos Gutierrez- I was not surprised that Gutierrez has been good so far. The thing that really surprised me is how good he has been. Carlos in many minds would be ready for the Twins right now. He has been lights out with Fort Myers going 2-1 with a 1.25era with the Miracle. In 36 innings he has walked 9 batters and struck out 22. The stat that impresses me the most is hitters are only hitting .158 against him. He is a ground ball machine who in my opinion is a better version of Carlos Silva. I really believe that we could be seeing him in September with the Twins much like we did out of Jose Mijeras last year.

• 1. Dustin Martin- I really did not see this coming at all. I saw him as a middling prospect at New Britain, a borderline starter for New Britain. With his promotion to Rochester I was not expecting too much out of him. He had a very solid Arizona Fall League with a very good spring training. Then when he got to Rochester he took off. He is hitting a very impressive .311 with the Red Wings with a homer and 13 rbi's along with 10 stolen Bases. My whole opinion of him has changed 360 degrees. I really think he is a very solid prospect and someone I think that could play for the Twins as early as this summer. If they decided to send Carlos Gomez to AAA I would bring up Martin up and platoon with Delmon Young in left field and see how he does. But he is someone that I have high hopes for and someone we should all keep our eye on.

Tommorrow I will have the top 5 dissapointments for the Twins organization. I decided to do the top 5 surprises first because wanted to start this on a good note. Hope you all enjoy

Tuesday, May 12th

The Big news of the Day is Evan Bigley was promoted to Fort Myers from Beloit. The reason behind that was Joe Benson punched a wall according to Lavelle and broke his hand. Bigley I think was the right choice to go up to Fort Myers. He was hitting .307 with 2 homeruns and 22 rbi's. He had a .340 obp and a .785ops. He was a 10th round pick by the Twins out of Dallas Baptist college. It was a good time to go because he is 21 years old because of college and needed to be challenged. It will be very interesting how he does.

• Rochester Wrap: The Red Wings continue to be on a hotstreak as they completed a 4 game sweep of Charlotte. Anthony Swarzak pitched an uneven 6 innings, but did not give up any runs to lower his era to 1.70 on the season. Trevor Plouffe was the hitting star with 3 rbi's and Alexi Casilla had his 2nd triple of the year.
• New Britain Beat: The Rockcats had another tough loss to connecticut. Cole Devries pitched another good game pitching 7 innings and just giving up 2 unearned runs. Danny Valencia returned from injury and did not miss a beat going 3-4. Yancarlos Ortiz went 2-3 to help Valencia.
• Fort Myers Futures: The Miracle got another win behind another masterful pitching performance out of Carlos Gutierrez. Gutierrez went the first 6 innings and only gave up 3 hits and no runs. Chris Parmalee had another good game going 2-3 with a walk and his 5th homerun of the season. Henry Arias struggled giving up 4 runs in only a third of an inning. Blair Erickson picked up the save in relief.
• Beloit Happenings: No Game

• I want to thank Seth of SethSpeaks.net for allowing me to come on his podcast last night it was fun and I hope you all enjoyed it as well. Hopefully we can do it again sometime soon.

• Tonight Shooter Hunt gets back on the horse for Beloit so lets all pull for him to get back on track after the short term in the bullpen.

Part II

New Britain

• Hitter of the Month: Brian Dinkelman- Brian really rebounded after a slow start with the Rockcats to hit .293 for the month. Along with that he had a homer and 10 rbi's. Most impressive were his .400 on base percentage and his .848 ops. He has continued that get numbers into may and is now hitting .333. I really look for his days in New Britian to be numbered. I look for him to get a promotion to Rochester sometime this season and you could see him with the Twins sometime next season.
• Runner-up: Danny Valencia

• Pitcher of the month: Anthony Slama- This was a tough decision between Slama, Rob Delaney, and Cole Devries. In the end however Slama's dominance took the cake. Take a look at the numbers he put together in April. A miniscule 0.84 era along with 2 saves. The reason the saves were not there was because to be all honest the Rockcats did not win too many games in April. He walked 6 batters, also had an awesome 19 strikeouts in only 10.2 innings of work. Some will argue that it is too many walks which it is but his strikeout total overshadowed that. Also hitters only hit .211 against him. Slama is a future Twin i would bet anybody on that. If things don't improve in the majors his time may come this summer.
• Runner-up: Cole Devries, Rob Delaney

Fort Myers

• Hitter of the Month: Rene Leveret- Leveret put up some amazing numbers in April for the Miracle. Leveret is not a home run hitter, but he hit an amazing .333 at the plate along with a homer and 10 rbi's. More impressive was his obp at .457 and his ops of .913. That is amazing to have an ops that high without hitting many homeruns that just doesn't happen very often. Right now he is out with an ankle problem, but hopefully he gets back soon because the Miracle really miss him in the lineup.
• Runner-ups: Ben Revere, Deibinson Romero

• Pitcher of the Month: Carlos Gutierrez- This was a tough decision because the pitching at Fort Myers has been phenomenal. Gutierrez was the class of the staff in April though. He went 0-1 in 4 starts with a tiny 0.78 era. In 23 innings of work Carlos only gave up 2 earned runs. He is a groundball machine much in the mold of Carlos Silva when he was good. What I found the most impressive of all was opposing hitters only hit .135 off of him. Gutierrez in my opinion is on the fast track to the major leagues and could be up there as quickly as September.
• Runner-ups- David Bromberg, Steven Hirschfeld, Spencer Steedley.

Beloit

• Hitter of the Month: Ramon Santana- Santana really caught me and im sure many others off guard in April with the authority he hit the ball. He hit an unbelievable .393 in April along with 3 homeruns and 10 rbi's. For someone that was thought to be more glove than bat he could of fooled me. He had a very good .493 obp and an out of this world 1.135 OPS. Just when things were going great for Santana he was hurt with a sprained ankle that landed him on the Disabled list. Hopefully he can get off soon and continue his career year. The Twins have high hopes for Santana and the start he had this year will not temper those hopes one bit.
• Runner-up: Nick Romero

• Pitcher of the Month: Bobby Lanigan- It was really hard to pick a pitcher that had a good month of April. Lanigan probably had the best month of the staff. He went 2-0 with a very respectable 3.68era for the Snappers. He has had a couple bad starts in May but I really think he can turn it around and have his April numbers the whole year long. For a staff looking for leadership Bobby has been the best pitcher for Beloit all season long.

Pitcher and Hitter of the month

I am a little behind I have had finals for the last week so my brain was fried. Im done with school for the year so i am back in the Twins blog world. I will be writing more regularly now. Today I am starting with the April Awards.

Twins

• Hitter of the Month: Justin Mourneau- Justin had a very good April hitting a very solid .318 with 6 homeruns and 18 rbi's. He is right on pace with his career averages. What makes it more impressive is he did this without the protection of Joe Mauer hitting ahead of him and having to move up in the lineup to 3rd instead of his customary 4th. It looks like this is the beginning of another MVP caliber season for Mourneau with a stat line like this. .318 average, .365 obp, and a robust .922 ops for the month.
• Runnerups: Denard Span, Jason Kubel, Jose Morales.

• Pitcher of the Month: Glen Perkins- Glen Perkins had an outstanding month for the Twins. He only had only 1 win in the month, that had alot to do with the limited run support he received. A better sign of his success was his 3 straight 8 inning performances to start the season. Also his 2.48 April ERA was phenomenal. I really think this is the breakout year that we have been waiting for with Perkins.
• Runnerup: Joe Nathan

Rochester

• Hitter of the Month: Luke Hughes- For a team that really did not hit up to their capabilities Hughes held the team together. His batting average was not great at .255, but he mashed the ball. He had 3 homeruns and drove in 14 runs. He had a .344 obp which is solid and a very robust .853 OPS. He is getting better in May so it would not surprise me at all if he repeats. The only question mark is his glove as he committed 5 errors in April which is too much, but I think those totals will come down if they stick him at 3rd and keep him there and not move him around.
• Runner-up: Dustin Martin

• Pitcher of the Month: Anthony Swarzak: He was the most dominant pitcher on the Red Wings going 0-3 with a 1.59 era. He looks to be turning the corner into being the prospect we all knew he could be. In 17 innings he allowed only 4 runs on 13 hits. He only walked 2 batters with 11 strikeouts. He seems to be getter better from start to start and if the Twins need a starter this season my vote would be on Swarzak getting the call for the Twins.
• Runner Up: Sean Henn

Thats all for today I will be bringing you the New Britain, Fort Myers and Beloit awards tommorrow so talk to you then

2009 NFL Draft

With the NFL Draft today I will be giving my thoughts on all the picks in the first round. Enjoy

1. Detroit Lions- Mathew Stafford QB Georgia

My Take: I think its a solid pick because the Lions need a QB and he has a strong arm and I think he will be very good.

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