03/09/09

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Wednesday Night Notes

MIGUEL SANO UPDATE – LaVelle confirms that the Twins have offered Miguel Sano a contract. The offer is contingent upon him actually being 16 years old, which is being investigated by MLB (at the request of the Twins). He will likely sign for somewhere between $2.5 and $3.5 million.  

YOUR AYALA UPDATE – Earlier today, the Twins released Luis Ayala after being unable to trade him. Pretty much instantly, he was signed by the Florida Marlins.

HENN OUT, DUENSING BACK – The Twins announced today that Sean Henn has been outrighted to Rochester (which means he passed through waivers) and Brian Duensing will return to the Twins.

SWARZAK’S AN ALL STAR – The AAA All-Star participants were announced today, and Anthony Swarzak will be the representative for the Rochester Red Wings. 

BOOKS FOR SALE – For the 4^th of July Holiday, I have drastically reduced the price of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. The print version is now only $7.45. The e-book is now just $2.83. For a handbook like this, I think that the print versions are great for you to carry around, bring to a game, maybe get signed. The handbooks will always be available with a print version. But I have a sneaky feeling that the next book I am involved in may be available only as an e-book. The information is all the same. It is right at your computer, and it’s just much easier. What do you think? Could this be a teaser, and you’ll want to keep stopping by this site for more information??

TWO TICKETS STILL FOR SALE! - Before getting too far, I have two tickets to the Saturday, July 4^th Twins/Tigers game for sale, below the face value. If you are interested and able to go to the game and want more information, please e-mail me.

SETHSPEAKS on the Radio – At 10:00 a.m. on Thursday morning, I will appear on am710 KXMR, Bismarck-Mandan’s ESPN radio affiliate. I will be on with Jack Michaels. If you are in North Dakota, or close, you may be able to tune it in, but if you’re not, they do have a Listen Live option, so you can listen to it at your desk.

 From my Game Recap at BaseballDigest.com:

On Wednesday, the Twins beat the Royals 5-1 to take the series two games to one. The win gave the Twins a record of 6-3 on this road trip. Known for their road woes, the Twins have actually gone 10-5 in their last 15 games away from the Metrodome. With the win, the Twins also reached two games over .500 for the first time all season.

Glen Perkins made the start for the Twins. The lefty gave up one run on ten hits (but no walks) over seven innings. He was able to get three inning-ending double plays to help his cause.  It was his third straight seven inning outing since his six inning return from the Disabled List. R.A. Dickey threw the 8th inning, and got the first two outs in the 9th inning before Joe Nathan got the final out to secure his 21st save and the Twins win.

Joe Mauer led the offense. He went 3-3 with two walks to raise his average to .392. Michael Cuddyer gave the Twins a 1-0 lead when he hit his 12th home run of the season, a solo shot in the top of the 2nd inning. He would walk twice later in the game. Denard Span went 2-5.

The game was not without its concerns. Mike Redmond was hurt in the arm/wrist area by a foul tip and had to leave the game. He was replaced by Jose Morales behind the plate. Nick Punto finished a double play but was taken out hard and landed with a sore back. He was replaced by Brendan Harris at SS. The biggest concern was that Justin Morneau was replaced by Brian Buscher late in the game. Morneau left with a tight groin.  

The Twins will now enjoy a day off on Thursday before starting a three game home stand over the weekend against the division leading Detroit Tigers.

Now, a couple of thoughts beyond the game story:

1.      One thing to consider based on this game is, what would the Twins do at 1B if Justin Morneau had to go on  the 15 Day Disabled List? Hopefully he was removed solely for precautionary reasons. But I do think it begs the question. I am fine with Brian Buscher being an emergency 1B. I know that Michael Cuddyer would do just fine if he had to take over the position for a couple of weeks. But would that be idea? That would basically mean that Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez would be in the lineup most games. Would the Twins add Justin Huber to the 40 man roster and promote him? Could Danny Valencia play 1B for a couple of weeks? Whit Robbins has done a nice job all year for AA New Britain, but could he even be an option? Brock Peterson was better in June. What would they do?

2.      Could this be what it takes to get Nick Punto on the Disabled List, and Steve Tolleson playing 2B for the Twins most days? I know, Gardy would probably keep playing Tolbert!

3.      Mike Redmond was replaced by Jose Morales in the middle innings after taking a foul tip off of his arm. Could this be what it takes to get him put on the Disabled List so that Jose Morales can stay with the big league club and actually get some playing time? In early May, I was more than happy to say that Redmond deserved the opportunity to get healthy and see what he can do. Well, he isn’t able to hit and can’t really throw, and time hasn’t helped that at all. Redmond deserves to stick around, but maybe the DL allows that to happen?

4.      On Tuesday, the Pirates traded Eric Hinske to the Yankees and Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to the Nationals. In a subsequent move, they added former Twin Garrett Jones to their roster and called him up.

5.      Speaking of the Pirates, they are the other team, along with the Twins, rumored to be the front runners to sign Miguel Sano today when 16 year old international free agents can be signed. His signing bonus could go as high as $4 million. The linked article quotes a major league executive who has scouted Sano as saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a 16-year-old who could hit like that. It’s just a smooth, fluid swing and the ball jumps off his bat. There are a lot of major-league players right now who would kill for his swing and his hitting ability. The rest of his game is good, too.”

6.      Is Joe Mauer really a ‘cross between Vanilla Ice and Cypress Hill’, as Denard Span guesses? Check out this Yahoo Sports Article on Mauer.

7.      Travis announces his Twins Hitter and Pitcher of the Month.  

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Wednesday - SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Tyler Ladendorf, Elizabethton Twins

Wednesday - SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Miguel Munoz, Elizabethton Twins

NOTES AND ANOTHER TRANSACTION

·         As I posted earlier on Wednesday, the Eastern League named its All-Star teams. Five Rockcats were named All Stars.

·         Also at the Twins Page at BaseballDigest.com, be sure to read Justin Murphy’s Upstate Update, a review of the goings on with the Red Wings.

·         Twins Fix compiled a monthly review of the Twins minor league system.   

ROCHESTER REPORT

Wednesday – Rochester – No Game Scheduled.

ROCKCAT RECAP

Wednesday – Game 1 - New Britain 3, Portland 1 – Game 1 was a bullpen game for the Rockcats. Frank Mata got the start and did quite well. He gave up one run on two hits over the first 3.2 innings. He walked none and struck out two. Jose Lugo got the win as he threw 2.1 hitless innings. He walked one and struck out two. Anthony Slama recorded his 16^th save with a scoreless inning. Toby Gardenhire went 2-3. Brandon Roberts (10), Brian Dinkelman (19) and Erik Lis (12) each hit a double. 

Wednesday – Game 2 - New Britain 3, Portland 1 – The second game had the same score and the same story. It was a bullpen game, and it was very well pitched. Yohan Pino made the start. He gave up one run on five this and a walk in four innings. He struck out six. Kyle Waldrop came in and gave up just one hit over 2.2 scoreless innings. Alex Burnett got his first save by coming in and getting the final out. Rene Tosoni went 2-3 with his 16^th double. Whit Robbins singled in the first two runs. Yancarlos Ortiz gave the team a little insurance with an RBI double.

MIRACLE MEMOS

Wednesday – Ft. Myers, Lakeland – Doubleheader called due to rain. One game was postponed, the other game was cancelled.    

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Wednesday – Beloit 2, Cedar Rapids 8 – This was not a good game for the Snappers. Dan Berlind got the start, and the loss. He gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. Blake Martin then struck out four in 2.1 perfect innings. Thomas Wright gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and two walks in his inning. Michael Allen pitched a scoreless eighth inning. Bruce Pugh threw the ninth inning and gave up two runs on four hits. The Snappers managed just six hits in the game. The top four hitters (Hicks, Beresford, Santana and Lewis) combined to go 0-15 in the game. Jeff Lanning went 2-4 with his fourth double and his second stolen base. Buddy Munroe went 2-4.

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Wednesday – Elizabethton 8, Bristol 3 – Tyler Ladendorf’s fast start continued with yet another strong game. In this game he was 3-5 with his third double, third home run and four RBI. Derek McCallum went 2-3 with a walk. Anderson Hidalgo was 1-2 with two walks. Miguel Munoz threw 5.2 strong innings. He gave up one run on five hits. He didn’t walk any, and struck out four. Kyle Carr allowed one hit and one walk over the next 2.1 innings. He struck out four. Winston Marquez gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. 

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Wednesday – GCL Twins, GCL Red Sox – Doubleheader postponed by rain.

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Five Rockcats Named All Stars

The AA Eastern League named its All Stars today, and five New Britain Rockcats made the list. Congratulations to Anthony Slama, Whit Robbins, Brian Dinkelman, Matt Fox and Rene Tosoni on this honor.

·         Slama is currently 4-2 with a 2.53 ERA and 15 saves for the team. He has 59 strikeouts in 42.2 innings.

·         Robbins is hitting .307/.381/.463 with 17 doubles, seven homers and 33 RBI.

·         Dinkelman is hitting .298/.387/.433 with 18 doubles, four homers and 39 RBI.

·         Fox is 6-2 with a 2.95 ERA in 14 starts.

·         Tosoni is now hitting .279/.388/.498 with 15 doubles, ten homers and 47 RBI. You recall, last week he was named the Twins representative in the Futures Game. 

Any thoughts? Leave your Comments here.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Twins Win 2-1, and Ramblings

The Twins were able to squeak out a win last night against the Kansas City Royals to even the series at a game a piece. The two teams will meet again this afternoon to determine who wins the series. If the Twins can get a win, it will mean a 6-3 road trip, which is pretty impressive no matter who they are playing.

This game was kind of a pitcher’s dual, although not in an obvious kind of way. Brian Bannister limited the Twins to just two runs over seven innings, and just one of the runs was earned. That one came on a long, majestic home run by Justin Morneau, his 19^th of the season. But Twins starter Scott Baker had to work for the Win. He gave up just one run on five hits and two walks over five innings, which isn’t horrible. However, it took him 111 pitches to get through five innings. A couple of weeks ago, Francisco Liriano needed nearly 120 pitches to get through five innings. But unlike Liriano, Baker wasn’t wild in this game. He simply was not able to put hitters away. He had no less than three at bats in which he threw more than eight pitches. 75 of his 111 pitches were for strikes. And since the Twins scored a run in the top of the 6^th, Baker improves to 6-6, and sees his ERA drop below 5! (to 4.99!)

The story of the game, without question was the performance of Bobby Keppel. Again. After throwing four shutout innings on Saturday in St. Louis, he threw another 2.1 innings without a run in this game. The difference was that he came into a one run game in the 6^th inning in this situation and he more than got the job done. He gave up just one hit, a double that was really a catch by Denard Span. He also walked a batter. What is there to like about Bobby Keppel? So far, we have seen a decent fastball, relatively good control, and a very good sinker. What do the fielder’s behind him like? Keppel works very fast. He makes the pitch, catches the ball from the catcher, takes the sign and is in his delivery. That makes playing defense much easier!

Do I think that Bobby Keppel is a long term answer in relief? I don’t know. I kind of doubt it. But the important thing is, Who Cares? The Twins need someone right now who can get hitters out for a couple of innings, and if that’s Bobby Keppel right now, so be it! Is he a place holder for the likes of Jesse Crain, Juan Morillo, Rob Delaney, Anthony Slama or even Alex Burnett? Maybe. But hey, before this season started, I said that I thought Nick Blackburn was the starter most likely to struggle and end up in the bullpen. The beauty of baseball is that, although there are some indicators worth watching, there are always exceptions and players step up and perform, and others don’t. Bobby Keppel is being given an opportunity, and through a very small sample of TWO games, he has made a great impression. Will it last? Maybe not. But maybe. And as long as he is getting the job done, they should continue to use him. Like I said, who would have thought Nick Blackburn would be the team’s ace? How many of you thought that Matt Guerrier would take hold of the 8^th inning job this year? Maybe Bobby Keppel will become another shutdown bullpen arm for the rest of the year, or longer. We shall see!

Speaking of bullpen options, there is talk that the Twins want to go back to 12 pitchers on the staff. That means that they will need to send a position player to Rochester and bring up a pitcher. Who will that player sent down be? Well, in the post game show, Ron Coomer said that it wouldn’t be Jose Morales, but it pretty much has to be Jose Morales at this point. As much as I would rather have Morales on the roster than Brian Buscher or Matt Tolbert, I just don’t understand the need for a third catcher on the roster. They have proven a couple of times that Morales can be there by the next game.

So, which pitcher would be promoted to the Twins as the 12^th pitcher? Well, again, we can name the usual suspects; Jesse Crain, Juan Morillo, Rob Delaney and Anthony Slama, and they are legitimate names. But Jesse Crain simply needs more innings and more work with the Red Wings to get back what he once had. Juan Morillo’s walk totals are just ridiculous, and overwhelm his overwhelming strikeout numbers. Rob Delaney has more to work on at AAA. Anthony Slama should move up to AAA. Of course, Anthony Swarzak is also an option. He could pitch out of the bullpen. Had Francisco Liriano not pitched well in St. Louis on Sunday, he could have been the one heading to the bullpen. So Anthony Swarzak is an option since he has pitched great since he was demoted back to Rochester. I would prefer to keep him starting at this point, until there is a need for a starter, at least at this point. The right pitcher to call up at this time is Armando Gabino. The 25 year old from the Dominican Republic struggled in April. But in May, he had a 0.63 ERA and opponents hit just .102 against him. In June, he had a 2.55 ERA in 17.2 innings during which time he had a 12:2 strikeout to walk rate. He was added to the 40 man roster right after the 2008 season, so it would be easy as well.  

MINOR LEAGUE REPORT

Tuesday - SethSpeaks.net Hitter of the Day – Josmil Pinto, Elizabethton Twins

Tuesday - SethSpeaks.net Pitcher of the Day – Brad Tippett, Beloit Snappers

NOTES AND ANOTHER TRANSACTION

·         David Shinskie was the Twins 4^th round pick in 2003 out of Mount Carmel High School in Pennsylvania. He signed and spent six seasons in the Twins organization, peaking at AA. Last winter, the Blue Jays took him in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. The Blue Jays released him in mid-May, and it appears that his baseball career is over, and he will start preparing for a future career. He is set to go to college at Boston College where he will also play a little Quarterback on the football team. He was an All-American QB in high school and hasd signed a letter of intent to play at Delaware. He figures that he has four years of eligibility, so why not play some football while getting his education.

·         LaVelle informed us that with Riccardo Ingram leaving the Red Wings (hopefully temporarily) for medical reasons and Rich Miller moving from Beloit to Rochester, the Twins hired former Twin Chris Heintz as the batting coach at Beloit. I saw in the comments section of LaVelle’s blog that some think he won’t be a good hitting coach for those young players because he hit very little at the big league level. That’s more than a little silly. What does big league success have to do with the ability to coach. Tom Kelly is generally considered an excellent manager, and his big league career consisted of 147 plate appearances in 1975. Bobby Cox had a career OPS of .617 in his two seasons with the Yankees. Tony Larussa played in six big league seasons over an 11 season period. He never had more than 123 plate appearances in a season. His second most plate appearances in a season came in 1968 when he had 53 plate appearances for the Kansas City A’s, at the age of 18. Some of the best hitting coaches in baseball history were not Hall of Fame hitters. Some weren’t even good. Not all good pitching coaches have been Hall of Fame pitchers. I would argue that the guys who had to fight just to get a big league opportunity would be much better coaches and managers than the guys who got there naturally and didn’t fail as often. Ted Williams was not a good manager, or hitting coach. Ability to coach has very little to do with ability to play. I say good for Chris Heintz.     

ROCHESTER REPORT

Tuesday – Rochester, Scranton/Wilkes Barre – Postponed by Rain.

ROCKCAT RECAP

Tuesday –New Britain 9, Portland 5 – The Rockcats scored seven first run innings and held on for the rest of the game. Kason Gabbard started for Portland but gave up seven runs and got just one out. In that first inning, the Rockcats got three hits, walked four times and also had a hit by pitch. Danny Berg cleared the bases with a three run double. Two batters later, Erik Lis hit a three run homer, his sixth of the season. Rene Tosoni went 2-4 with his tenth home run. Toby Gardenhire went 2-4 with a walk and a double. Juan Portes went 2-4. Ryan Mullins picked up his fifth win thanks to the run support. The lefty went six innings and gave up three runs on four hits. He walked three and struck out eight. Jay Rainville gave up two runs on two hits in his inning. Then Alex Burnett and Anthony Slama each threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

MIRACLE MEMOS

Tuesday – Ft. Myers, Lakeland – Postponed by Rain.  

SNAPPERS SNIPPETS

Tuesday – Beloit 1, Cedar Rapids 4 – Brad Tippett had another very strong start in this game. In six innings, he gave up just an unearned run on four this. He walked four and struck out four. Curtis Leavitt struck out two in two perfect innings. With the game tied at one going into the ninth, Steve Blevins came in and gave up three runs on two hits and a walk in the inning. The Snappers bats didn’t help the cause. They had just three hits. Drew Thompson went 1-2 with a walk and his ninth double. Aaron Hicks was 1-3 with a walk.   

E-TWINS EXTRAS

Tuesday – Elizabethton 8, Bristol 7 – Billy Bullock coughed up the lead in the top of the ninth, but ended up getting the win. With two outs in the bottom of the 9^th, Derek McCallum and Chris Herrmann singled. Then there was an error, followed by an intentional walk and another error and the E-Twins had a win. McCallum went 2-4 with a walk and his first home run. Danny Rams went 1-3 with two walks and his fourth home run. Josmil Pinto went 3-4 with a double and his third homer. Reggie Williams knocked his first home run. Martire Garcia made the start and went just two innings. He gave up a run on one hit and six walks. He was replaced by Brad Stillings. The Twins 7^th round pick went the next 3.2 innings and gave up three runs (2 earned). He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three. Edgar Ibarra threw 1.2 scoreless innings. Kane Holbrooks gave up an unearned run in his 0.2 innings. Bullock allowed a Holbrook inherited runner to score and then two more runs (1 earned) in the 9^th. He struck out two.

GCL TWINS THOUGHTS

Tuesday – GCL Twins 1, GCL Reds 4 – Shooter Hunt is not over his control issues. Although he looked good in his first outing, this one was a struggle. In four innings, he gave up one run on two hits. He walked six, hit one, and threw two wild pitches. He did strike out four. Adrian Salcedo came in and gave up three runs (1 earned) over the final five innings. He gave up seven hits, walked none and struck out five. Nick Lockwood and Oswaldo Arcia each went 2-4.    

Please feel free to Send me an e-mail, or leave your questions or comments here.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

NOOO!!!!!

The struggles of the newspaper business took more victims today, local victims, and Twins fans should be upset about this one. I happened to see on Aaron Gleeman’s blog that MinnPost’s David Brauer is reporting that the St. Paul Pioneer Press has laid off Twins beat writer Phil Miller. This is just horrible news not only because Miller is a tremendous person who has taken time several times to call in to the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast, but also because he is a terrific writer who has his own style that is very enjoyable to read. I wish there was something that we could do as a Twins fan community to make the Pioneer Press reconsider their decision. Maybe an online petition or something! I’d happily put my name on that list. Until then, I obviously wish Phil Miller well as he looks to his next career endeavor.   

Any thoughts? Leave your Comments here.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

NOW AVAILABLE:

Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook - 2009

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your turkey, napping and football watching with family and friends.

Would you prefer to stay away from the shopping malls which are opening at crazy times in the middle of the morning? Would you like to complete your Christmas shopping for all of your Minnesota Twins fan friends and family members without leaving your home?

The Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009 is now available online at LuLu.com. You can order your copy by clicking here, the SethSpeaks Storefront. (or click on the book above) When you get to the site, you can click on the book title and see a brief preview of the book, leave reviews and more.

On the site, you can order the copy in two ways. The paperback version of the book is available for $12.95 plus shipping and handling. You can also purchase an e-book, the pdf version of the book, for $8.00.

Again, if you would like to read an excellent review of the book, please check out the Over the Baggy review here.

Here is a press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Minnesota Twins Farm System; Its Greatest Asset

Who will be the Next Joe Mauer or Justin Morneau?

Now available just before Christmas at LuLu.com is the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009. This 81 page book profiles over 175 players in the Twins minor league system. It contains a Foreword by Twins reliever Pat Neshek and several Twins prospect rankings. It is a great gift for fans of the Minnesota Twins and their minor league affiliates.

In 2008, the Twins received significant contributions from several players who have been promoted to the team within the last two years including Denard Span, Kevin Slowey, Alexi Casilla, Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins and even September call-up Jose Mijares. The staples in the middle of the Twins lineup, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Jason Kubel, and Michael Cuddyer were all drafted and developed in the Twins system.

Following players as they come up through the ranks makes the average fan feel better because losing Torii Hunter and Johan Santana can make anybody depressed. Seth is more of an optimist and adds, “Over the past several seasons, the Twins have called up a lot of players from the minor leagues. Each year there are new players. It is fun to know about those guys before they get to the big leagues. It is really just an extension of being a Twins fan.”

When asked, how much fun is it to see a player start with the Twins Gulf Coast League (GCL) team and a few years later have a locker with his name on it in the Metrodome, Seth responds, “I’m sure it’s not as much fun as a writer as it is for the player himself. But we all have had that dream, and getting to follow a player from when he is drafted and signed, through the promotions, the struggles, the successes, for them to reach that ultimate dream is a joy.”

One of the positive aspects to find and follow the next Twins All-Star is getting to interview these new players.  It is difficult to obtain a good read on players from just a box score.  Seth looks back on some of his past interviews on his www.SethSpeaks.net blog, and remembers Mike Radcliff has had a couple of really good ones. Matt Garza did one in early 2006 while he was still with the Ft. Myers Miracle. David Winfree has had a couple of very good interviews. Seth has kept in contact with players like Pat Neshek, Kevin Slowey, Jeff Manship, and others.

Seth has been writing about the Minnesota Twins and their minor league system on a daily basis since June of 2003 and now he is passing all his experience to you. Pat Neshek says of the book, “The culmination of all his (Seth’s) hard work is this book that is deeper than anything ever published on the Minnesota Twins Minor League system.”

If you would like more information about this topic or to schedule an interview with Seth Stohs, please email Seth at SethSpeaksNet@hotmail.com. 

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     Most Recent Postings (for more, check out the Archives)

7/2/09 – Wednesday Night Notes

7/1/09 – Five Rockcats Named All Stars

7/1/09 – Twins Win 2-1, and Ramblings

6/30/09 – NOOO!!!

6/30/09 – Monday Game Notes

6/26/09 – Thursday Game Notes

6/25/09 – Tosoni to Play in Futures Game

6/25/09 – Did That Just Happy? And, A No-Hitter

6/24/09 – Testa Promoted to Ft. Myers

6/24/09 – First Complete Organization Game Reports

6/23/09 – Manship Promoted to Rochester

 

 

11/27/08 – Now Available: Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook - 2009

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