ftp://www.sethspeaks.net/html/Seth-Speaks-blue-banner1.jpg

 

10/08/08

 


 

 


http://www.sethspeaks.net/SethInEffect.JPG

 

SethSpeaks.net Weekly

Minnesota Twins Podcast


SethBook.JPG

ORDER THE

Minnesota Twins Prospect

Handbook – 2009 Here

 

 

E-mail Seth

About Me

Photo Album

Archives

Q&As

FB Picks 2008

 

Chris Coste Update

ftp://www.sethspeaks.net/html/costePHI07.jpg

ftp://www.sethspeaks.net/html/CC33YrOldRookie.jpg

 

Chris Coste

  Philadelphia Phillies – World Champion!

   .266/.326/.428 (72-271), 15-BB, 51-K,

      17-2B, 0-3B, 9-HR, 36 -RBI, 0/1-SB

  (through 9/27/08)

 

PROSPECT WATCH 

 

Team Sites
Official Twins Site
Rochester Red Wings

New Britain Rockcats

Ft. Myers Miracle

Beloit Snappers

Elizabethton Twins

Alexander Smit Site

Pat Neshek's Site

JustinMorneau.com

 

Twins related sites

Baseball Intellect

Aaron's Baseball Blog

Stick and Ball Guy

Taylor's Twins Talk

LaVelle's Twins Insider

JoeC's Around the Majors

Howard's A Fan's View

Marty Andrade’s Blog

TC Burger Tour

Nick & Nick's Twins Blog

Josh's Thoughts

Twins Fix

Twins Stories

Curse of Big Papi

Minn Twins Most Valuable Blogger

Twin Nation

Travis Talks

Call to the 'Pen

Alright Hamilton!

The Tenth Inning Stretch

Dome Field Advantage

Minnesota Sports Guys

Minnesota Sports Hotdish

Will's Twins Blog

Will's Organization Big Board

Twinkie Town

Twins Geek

Twins Trivia

Boof! Blogger

Jim Mandelaro's Extra Bases

The Gold Seat

RyanGlanzer.com

SharkShellFish

MN Sports Chat

Over the Baggy

On the Mark

City Pages Blog

Super Terrific Happy Hour

Ft. Myers Miracle Ramblings
Dickie Thon Fan Forum

St. Louis Twins Fan

Twins, Not Twinkies

Derek's Autographs

Twins Territory

Battle Your Tail Off

MN Twins Fan Network

Twin Killings

Third Base Line

Twins Cards

Twinin'

Lay It On The Line

The Good Life

Minnesota Twins Talk

BJ Hess Blog

Steve Abelson's Blog

Ft. Myers Baseball Site

Sports Spyder Twins Site

BrentNet

Dewey's Daily Cup

 

SethSpeaks

Brought to You By:
 

If you would like to advertise

At SethSpeaks.net, please

e-mail me.

 

Reel Adventures Fishing

 

To buy a GuardDog

Watch,

click here

  

Other Baseball related sites

The Baseball Cube

Baseball Reference

 

The Mark Cuban Weblog

College Basketball

Minnesota Vikings
 

 

 

Hit Counter

Hits since June 1, 2003

 

 

 


Other Misc. Sites

Reel Adventures Fishing Service

Restaurant Rag

 

 

 

SethBook.JPG

If you’re still looking for a copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook – 2009, click here or on any of the books you see on this page, including to the right.

 

Quick Update – The Twins released lefty reliever Jay Sawatski last week. So, those of you who have your copy of the Prospect Handbook, be sure to make this note. For those of you who pre-ordered a copy or more of the Handbook, and have not yet received it, please let me know. Thanks!

 

 

 

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Twins Notes

 

Sorry I haven’t written in a couple of days… If you missed Saturday’s Twins Chat, you can read the transcript here. I wasn’t sure if there would be much interest in a chat at that time, but I answered questions for about 2 ½ hours! Still not a lot going on with the Twins, but thought posting a few things would be good.

 

And the first thing I have to do is send my condolences to the Pohlad family. Carl Pohlad, who saved baseball in Minnesota by buying the Twins in 1984, passed away yesterday at the age of 93. He brought the Twins two World Series championships. He signed Kirby Puckett to the at-the-time biggest contract in baseball. He has done a lot for the Twins and for their fans. Sure, he was frequently charged with being “cheap” but I don’t think that is at all fair. (Howard Sinker wrote that there are few beloved sports owners.) I would say that he didn’t become a multi-billionaire by making bad decisions. He chose to run his baseball team wisely, fiscally responsibly, while still encouraging a system by which the Twins were able to compete for division titles over most of this decade. He has been willing to sign off on big contracts to the right players. He has allowed the Twins to keep big time players such as Brad Radke, Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and others to keep them beyond their free agent timing. Part of the success is the philosophy of building from within, on the field and in the front office. Part of it is continuity in the coaching ranks, with the manager, and building with a consistent philosophy. Now, I don’t know how much Carl Pohlad has been involved in the day-to-day decision-making over the last few years. I believe that his son has taken over some of that. Jerry Bell and Dave St. Peter have done a very good job. I know that many Twins fans will not forgive the whole contraction issue, and believe me, that one bothered me too. But I think if we look at what Mr. Pohlad did for the Twins and for fans in the Upper Midwest over the last quarter century, all we should do is say thank you! Again, best wishes to the Pohlad family, and all those who knew him.

 

·         Josh Johnson, at Josh’s Thoughts, has continued his Top 50 series and is up to #43, so be sure to see who he has profiled.

·         Nick Nelson makes a case for Trading Ben Revere.

·         Dan Wade posted Part 3 of his series on the Minnesota (Twins) Mentality.

·         Shocking, huh? I’m sure that many Twins fans are quite surprised (note sarcasm).

·         I thought that the Twins should make a play on Pat Burrell. I thought that he would have fit in REALLY well behind Justin Morneau. I realize that signing Burrell would likely have precipitated a trade of an OF (probably Kubel?) as Burrell is really just a DH. I thought maybe his contract demands at this time might come down to a couple of years at $10-12 million. So when Tampa Bay signed him yesterday to be their DH for two years and $16 million, it really surprised me.

·         Congratulations to Joe Christensen and his family on the new addition to their family!

·         Obviously dependent upon the price and years, I just am not certain about the Twins alleged interest in Japanese starting pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. If he was a relief pitcher, it makes sense. I guess he could be considered the “veteran starter” that we all assume that the Twins will sign at some point, but generally that wouldn’t be a guy that will likely get a multi-year deal. Who knows the Twins level of interest, but it is interesting that their name continues to arise.  Brandon Lyon isn’t worth being terribly excited about, especially if he costs a lot of money or years. Takashi Saito is intriguing though, as is Guillermo Mota.

 

Are there other Twins stories, articles or links that you’ve read, please link them in the comments. Please leave your comments or links here.

 

 

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Live Snow Day Twins Chat at 1:00!

 

If you're in Minnesota, or much of the Upper Midwest, you are getting snow, got snow and/or will be getting snow today. Since we are essentially snowed in on this Saturday, I thought it would be good to get another live chat set up. So, from 1:00 this afternoon (central time) until questions run out, you can ask me questions about the Twins, the minor leagues, baseball in general, the NFL Playoffs, whatever you like.  To do so, just click on the link provided below. I know when we did this on Tuesday, it was a lot of fun and there were a lot of great questions, so let's do it again! I will open up the chat room approximately 15 minutes beforehand with a survey question and to allow questions to start early.

 

Click here to join the chat.

 

Friday, January 2, 2009

Friday Quick Notes

 

Things are pretty slow with the Twins to this point in the offseason, at least in terms of major league moves. Likewise, things are a little slower during this time with Twins blogging as well. But there are a few things going on that people should be aware of, so here are some links and thoughts for today:

·         Josh Johnson, at Josh’s Thoughts, is working very hard on his Top 50 Twins prospects. He is trying a new format that I really like. It includes some background, stats, and video on the player, if available. He has posted his choices for #47-50, and none of the four made my Top 50, although I happen to think all four of these names are very intriguing and all about potential!

·         Nick Nelson, at Nick & Nick’s Twins Blog, is a bit disappointed that the Twins did not acquire Mark DeRosa. Cleveland got the infielder/outfielder from the Cubs in exchange for three minor leaguers. Jeff Stevens is a reliever who apparently has better stuff than Anthony Slama. John Gaub has apparently lost some velocity since he was drafted out of the University of Minnesota. Chris Archer is the other player. None of them even ranked in Cleveland’s Top 10 prospects. Could the Twins have beat that offer, if they wanted to? Certainly, and easily. But unlike many Twins fans, this doesn’t bother me at all, for several reasons. One, Mark DeRosa hit 20 homers last year in hitter-friendly Wrigley Field, but the 34 year old has just 69 career home runs, so he isn’t the power hitter that the Twins would need. He isn’t as good as Casey Blake or Ty Wigginton. In fact, I am of the belief that if Brendan Harris got the number of at bats in 2009 that Mark DeRosa would get, Harris would have equal, if not better, numbers. I think that it would have minimally helped the Twins in 2009. That said, I think it was a great trade for Cleveland. They will be able to play DeRosa at 2B while finally being able to move Asdrubal Cabrera to SS and Jhonny Peralta to 3B. Of course, you’ll also want to check out Ubelman’s take.

·         Happy Birthday to Aaron Gleeman this weekend!

·         Over the Baggy did a really good article on The Curious Case of Matt Guerrier.

·         Jesse at Twinkie Town posted a very difficult Who Am I, Minor League edition.

·         Over at Blogonoscopy, you can read an entertaining Brief History of the Fashionability of the Moustache.

 

Are there other Twins stories, articles or links that you’ve read, please link them in the comments. Please leave your comments or links here.

 

 

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2009 Minnesota Twins Headlines

 

The clock just struck midnight in the Central Time Zone. Happy New Year to each and every one of you. I truly wish you all nothing but happiness and success.

 

Everyone makes New Years’ Resolutions, right? So, that’s no fun. I thought it would be fun to try to predict some of the big headlines related to the Twins in 2009. What do you think that the big stories will be? Here are a couple to get the ball rolling:

 

·        Twins Shock the World, Win World Series!

·        Twins Shock the World, Sign Manny Ramirez

·        Joe Mauer Becomes First to Hit .400 in 56 Years

·        Rob Delaney Replaces Nathan as Twins Closer

·        Morneau Equals MVP – Wins MVP of WBC, AL All Star Game, American League, ALCS and World Series

·        Revere Debuts in Twins OF

 

There are a few… be creative. Have fun! Make a couple of serious headline projections, throw in a couple of possibilities, and then have a couple that are unlikely. Whatever you like. Please leave your comments or headlines here.

 

 

And again, please have a Happy and Safe 2009! 

 

 

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

QOsterbrook Cinci mug.jpg&A with Dan Osterbrock

Twins Minor League Pitching Prospect

 

Good morning everyone! Thank you very much for again stopping by SethSpeaks.net. I hope you all have had a great 2008, and that 2009 brings you much more positive times.

 

In case you missed it yesterday, there is plenty of new SethSpeaks information. I did a Live Chat yesterday afternoon for about 100 minutes. I was able to answer a lot of questions, and if you want to read the entire chat, click here. Then last night, we had another SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast. By clicking here, you can listen to the whole show. Guests included Twins pitching prospects Kyle Waldrop, Jeff Manship and Twins blogger Parker Hageman of Over the Baggy.

 

And with that at your finger tips, I am excited to announce today’s Q&A with another Twins pitching prospect, lefty Dan Osterbrock. The Twins drafted him out of the University of Cincinnati in the 7th round. He went to Elizabethton and pitched so well that he was named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. He is a control artist who simply knows how to pitch. He is another successful college pitcher in the Twins system, and it will be fun to watch how he develops as he moves up through the organization. I thought it would be fun to find out more about him, and what his philosophies are on pitching. I think he did a great job responding, and hope you will enjoy it!

 

To check out the career stats of Dan Osterbrock, click here. I think you will enjoy Dan's responses. (Click here to see previous Q&As)

 

Let the Questions Begin!

SethSpeaks: Growing up in Cincinnati, do I even need to ask who your favorite team was. Who were some of your favorite players to follow?

 

Dan Osterbrock: The Cincinnati Reds have always been my favorite team ever since I began following major league baseball back in 1994. My family had a greenhouse business and some of my fondest memories as a kid were picking tomatoes with my grandpa and listening to the Reds on the radio when they made it to the playoffs in 1995. I would have to say that Bret Boone was my favorite player at that time.

 

SethSpeaks: Tell us a little about your high school career. Did you play other positions besides pitching?

 

Dan Osterbrock: I played my high school ball at Colerain High School. We were more of a football school so baseball was overlooked. I really doubt that too many of my classmates know I was drafted. We were 7-17 my senior year and I actually had a losing record as a pitcher (4-5). When I wasn’t pitching I played centerfield and some first base.

 

SethSpeaks: Did you participate in other activities in high school?

 

Dan Osterbrock: I never seriously played any other sports. I enjoy playing basketball but was never that good at it so I just played rec basketball with my friends and I would scrimmage the high school girls basketball team to help them out.

 

SethSpeaks: You stayed home and went to the University of Cincinnati. Were you heavily recruited, or was that an easy choice for you?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Going to the University of Cincinnati was an easy decision for me because I’ve always been a huge fan of the Bearcats. My dream as a kid was to play basketball at UC for Bob Huggins but unfortunately I wasn’t that good and I stopped growing. I was only recruited by colleges around the Ohio area but even if bigger schools had recruited me I still would’ve stayed home and gone to UC. A few years back I got the school’s logo tattooed on my back, so I’m a Bearcat for life.

 

SOsterbrook Cinci pitch.jpgethSpeaks:  You went 18-3 your final two seasons as a Bearcat. Those must have been some pretty solid teams playing behind you. Tell us about those seasons.

 

Dan Osterbrock: These past few years playing for the University of Cincinnati have been the greatest baseball days of my life so far. I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by great coaches and teammates. This past year we set a school record for most wins in a season and made it to the conference championship game. Even though we were one win away from making it to the national tournament we had a very successful year and I have many great memories.

 

SethSpeaks: You had good control your first two seasons in college, but during your junior season, you had 10 walks and 74 strikeouts in 99 innings pitched. Did something click mechanically or mentally that made finding that kind of control achievable?

 

Dan Osterbrock: I never really changed anything through my college career. My coaches Brian Cleary and Chris Reilly always preached that teams, no matter how good they are, are not going to hit their way into a lot of runs. Teams score their runs when pitchers give up too many walks. They would tell me that if I threw strikes and the defense did their part then I would have success. As a team we were second in the nation in fewest walks allowed and won 39 games so they were right.

 

SethSpeaks: What was your college major, and do you intend to continue your education?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Since I grew up around tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce at my family’s greenhouse business I decided I wanted to follow in my grandpa’s footsteps so I majored in horticulture in hopes to one day continue the business. Unfortunately due to rising costs in heating and decreasing demand of produce we went out of business. So right now I’m not sure if I should continue with horticulture or look for a different career path.

 

SethSpeaks: The Twins drafted you in the 7th round in June. Had you been talking to the Twins and their scouts, or were other teams talking to you a lot?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Throughout my junior year I was talking to a lot of teams but Jeremy Booth, the Twins’ scout that covered the Cincinnati area, seemed to show the most interest. As draft day neared I sat down and had lunch with Jeremy and that’s when it became evident to me that there was a strong possibility that the Twins might draft me.

 

SethSpeaks: What was the draft like for you, knowing you would be drafted sometime? Where were you expecting to be selected?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Like I said before, we had a lot of success this past year at Cincinnati so my focus wasn’t on the draft. The only thing I was concerned about was winning a Big East Championship but I did hear from a few scouts that I might get drafted in rounds 6-10 so when I went in the 7th round it didn’t come as a surprise.

 

SethSpeaksYou reported to Elizabethton and pitched incredibly. You were named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. Can you describe the on-field adjustment between Division I baseball and the Appalachian League?

 

Dan Osterbrock: After my second or third start In Elizabethton I learned that rookie ball was a lot different than college. It seemed as though the young hitters of rookie ball were trying to live up to their reputations as being power hitters or line drive hitters so I was able to take advantage of their impatience at the plate by expanding the zone and getting them to chase at bad pitches. In college, the teams played more small ball which was the complete opposite style as pro ball.

 

SethSpeaks: What were the adjustments off the field to becoming a professional baseball player and that lifestyle (bus rides, pay checks, etc.)?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Moving to Elizabethton was the first time I ever moved out of Cincinnati so I was a bit nervous but more eager to get away and see what life outside of Cincinnati was like. I lived in a house with Shooter Hunt, and three Australians, James Beresford, Jarrod Eacott, and Brad Tippett. This was also the first time I’ve ever played with Hispanics but it was fun trying to learn some Spanish while playing with them. Getting my first pay check was an unusual feeling because I was being paid to do something that I’ve always loved but it’s something I can get use to.

 

SethSpeaks: 8 walked, 104 strikeouts in 75 innings. Again, those numbers are amazing at any level. Obviously "control" and not allowing free passes is a big part of your pitching style. Tell us a little more about your pitching philosophy. What are you thinking when you're preparing for a game and then on the mound?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Well I haven’t been an overpowering pitcher since high school so in college I learned how to pitch rather than just throw the ball. So my philosophy is simple: Throw the ball over the plate while not letting them hit it too hard and then let my defense make the play. It has worked so I don’t plan on changing anytime soon. My goal every time I take the mound is to put my team in a position where they can win the game without doing too much.

 

SethSpeaks: What pitches do you throw? Which pitches are you working on, and which pitch do you consider your "out-pitch?"

 

Dan Osterbrock: I throw a fastball, change-up, slider, and curve. This past summer I started trying a new grip for my curve so I can locate it better and my out pitch is the change. I like to pitch backwards a lot. Start off with a couple change-ups then finish them with a fastball.

 

SethSpeaks: What were your goals coming into the Appy League, and how did you feel about your pro debut?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Coming into the Appy League I had no idea what the competition would be like so if I told you I was expecting to be pitcher of the year then I’d be lying. I didn’t set my goals high, I just wanted to compete and fit in. I’m very proud of my accomplishments this past year but I’m aware that one good year isn’t going to guarantee me a shot at the majors so I have to continue to work hard and stay healthy and hope for many more years like this one.

 

SethSpeaks: The E-Twins had another remarkable season, and you were instrumental in the team winning the Appy League championship. Talk a little about the talent on the team and what it was like to be a part of it?

 

Dan Osterbrock: This E-Town team was probably the most talented team that I’ve ever played on. We did not have a single weak link on the team. Almost every guy on the team had some college experience so whenever a player got hurt we had another skilled player right behind him. This was the first ever championship I’ve ever won so this was a memorable team.

 

SethSpeaks: What have you done during the offseason? After a long year of baseball, were you able to get away from the game for awhile, and when do you start preparing for the 2009 season?

 

Dan Osterbrock: After the long year I definitely had to get away so I went back to work at Spring Grove Cemetery where I’ve been working for the past five years. It’s the second largest cemetery in the nation (733 acres) so there’s plenty of grass to cut or trees to plant or people to bury to keep my mind off baseball. I’ve already started running to get my body in shape and I’m going to start throwing again in January.

 

SethSpeaks: The Twins have had a lot of success drafting college pitchers (Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, Matt Garza, etc.). They are known as an organization that does a great job of developing pitchers. Is that exciting for you, or a challenge, something that you look forward to?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Knowing that the Twins have a reputation of finding talented pitchers and making them great is definitely exciting and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of pitcher I turn out to be.

 

SethSpeaks: Have you set any goals for yourself for 2009? Are there certain statistics that you look at?

 

Dan Osterbrock: I haven’t set any goals yet but I would like to stay healthy and put up the same numbers as I did this past year while trying to lower my ERA. A statistic that I think is overlooked a lot is WHIP because it takes into consideration not just how many hits you give up in an inning but also walks so I look at that one a lot and try to keep it as low as possible.

 

SethSpeaks: Favorite Baseball Book?

 

Dan Osterbrock: Never read one.

 

SethSpeaks: Favorite Baseball Movie?

 

Dan Osterbrock: The Natural.

 

SethSpeaks: Is there anything else you think that Twins fans might find interesting about you?

 

Dan Osterbrock: If baseball doesn’t work out I might consider a career being a mortician.