tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64946759733540734482024-02-19T01:36:57.776-06:00k-bro's baseball blogLiving life between Twins games.k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.comBlogger621125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-62835921931841257302014-03-04T23:26:00.001-06:002014-03-04T23:26:24.040-06:00Twins Fan Forum with Glen Perkins and Kurt Suzuki<i>The Twins hosted another Fan Forum phone call on Tuesday night, this time featuring closer Glen Perkins and catcher Kurt Suzuki. I took some notes, and I thought I'd kind-of, sort-of transcribe them. My usual caveat: keep in mind, I'm a horrible transcriptionist, my notes are hard to read, my hand cramped up halfway through, and my dog needed to be let out in the middle of it. All the questions and answers written here are rough estimations of what was really said, and most likely somewhat abbreviated. In other words, I apologize in advance for any mistakes in this.</i><br />
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General impressions: Both Glen and Kurt sound like great guys who I would love to go have beers with. Of course, they answered every question as positively as they could, but they genuinely sounded like they were happy to be talking with fans. And I noticed that Glen said something about fishing in just about every answer he gave; it's hard to tell if he fishes too much, or not enough. I'm going to say that he'll say "not enough."<br />
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<b>Question for Glen: </b>You stay in Minnesota all year-round, how was your winter?<br />
<b>Glen's Answer</b>: Cold! Coldest in memory, but it's a no-brainer to stay in Minnesota.<br />
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<b>Q for Kurt:</b> You're from Hawaii and California. What's it like in Hawaii in the winter?<br />
<b>Kurt's A:</b> It's always the same: about 80-85, humid, sunshine. When it rains, it rains for 10 minutes. Paradise.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: You're on a new team and taking over for Joe Mauer. Is he helping you prepare to work with a new pitching staff.<br />
<b>K's A</b>: Joe and I are locker mates. We have conversations daily about pitchers. Joe's a leader. It's never easy to replace someone. I have so much respect for his accomplishments. I'm glad I get to pick his brain and get to know the pitching staff.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: How much will you miss having Joe as your catcher?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: Joe was great, but so far I'm very impressed with Kurt's pitch framing. I like throwing to him. He'll handle the staff well. It'll also be great to get Joe's bat in the lineup more often.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: Does the fact that you faced Twins pitchers when you were with the A's help you know them now?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: Facing them helps a little, and you always have scouting reports. But it's important to get to know their personalities, who wants to be pumped up, who needs to be calmed down.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: You're a veteran on the team. How does that affect your responsibility to help the younger guys?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: I'm glad to show the young guys and new guys that the Twins do things the right way, the Twins way. Doing this is on my shoulders.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: How many offers did you get this off-season, and what was it about the Twins that made you want to sign here?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: There were some offers. I've always liked and respected the Twins organization. They do things the right way. It's a great team, great city, great fans.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: You've made the transition from a starter to a closer. Is there a difference if your off-season preparation, both mentally and physically?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: Not much mentally -- I wasn't a very good starter, so I probably didn't have a starter mentality. But physically, I focus on being able to get ready faster. I don't have to worry about having the arm strength to throw 100 pitches, so I can work on being ready faster.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: Last year the Twins hitters had a lot of strike outs. What are the coaches doing in Spring Training to reduce the number of strike outs this season?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: Not sure. The coaches do a great job of getting the guys ready. Strike outs happen. You try to reduce them, and there's a lot of talent in the room. Guys just have to stay within themselves, and good things will happen.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: What does it feel like on Opening Day?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: Cold! Nah, it's awesome. It should be a national holiday. Even though it may be chilly, the grass is so green. The stands are full, and it's a fun, festive atmosphere.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: How do you work out in the off-season?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: I play with my daughter -- lift her over my head and stuff. Just kidding. I do strength and conditioning programs. I condition like I'm preparing to play 162 games. As a catcher, I don't really expect to play 162 games, but you never know. Conditioning is a year-round process.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: You got to experience the All Star Game last year. What was it like? And what do you think about it coming to Target Field this year?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: It was the experience of a lifetime. As a kid, you dream about standing next to the best players in the game. I hope I can do what it takes to make it back there this year with Target Field hosting it. Can't describe how cool it would be to play it at home. It was a great honor last year; being able to go when it's at Target Field would be infinitely better.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: How are you dealing with the transition to a new team?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: There are challenges with leaving. I some experience with that when I went to Washington. Facing other teams helped me get to know hitters around the league.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: There are two outs in the ninth inning. Who do you most fear facing?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: The hitter that makes me most uncomfortable is Miguel Cabrera. You never know what he's looking for and he's so strong he can hit just about anything. It's hard to know what to throw him. The hitter who hits me most is Carlos Santana from the Indians. I always seem to face him, and he seems to always get a hit off me.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: How do you prepare for wear and tear on catchers, like we saw in Joe?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: It's tough, but you can't really tell with Joe's Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. But you get foul balls off the mask, your knees wear out. It's tougher than it looks. Your legs go slowly grinding away. But it drives you to remain fresh.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: How's the knee after your surgery this off-season?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: 100% It's great. A week after the surgery, I was out in a fishing boat, standing and balancing. I worked on the strength, and now it's an afterthought. It couldn't have gone any better. I injured it in July, but played through it.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: What are your strengths and weaknesses?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: Defense first. I take pride in my defense. Last couple years have been a little tough offensively. I take pride in taking starters 7, 8 innings with no runs, and get to Perk with a lead. As a hitter, I like to put the bat on the ball, I won't strike out too much. I do love to hit.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: What's it like to put on a Twins jersey every day?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: Awesome. It's an honor to put on the same uniform as the players I watched as a kid at the Metrodome -- Kirby, Hrbek, Jack Morris. I had a book as a kid about the Twins.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: Who was your least favorite pitcher to catch?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: Henry Rodriguez. He threw 100 miles an hour straight into the ground. I would've hated to stand in the box against him, and he sure was hard to catch.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: How did going to Stillwater High School help you become a Twin?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: That was a long time ago. The coaches there did a great job, but going to the University of Minnesota really helped me learn what it takes for a professional lifestyle.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: What do you think about the new play at the plate rules?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: We'll have to see how it plays out so we can get more clarity on it. It won't really affect my game because I'm not the type of guy who blocked the plate. I'm not the biggest guy, so I always give a lane to the plate and try to make tag plays.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: How do you feel about the guys who were gone and are now back?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: It's fun to have Bartlett and Kubel back. But I have a special friendship with Guerrier. It's exciting to have these guys back.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: Do you talk with managers about motivating pitchers?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: I really prefer to talk player to player, getting to know the pitchers on a personal level. I like talking, hanging out, developing a bond, and also going out in game situations.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: You played in the Metrodome as a Gopher and as a Twin. How do you feel about it being torn down?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: Sad. As a kid, I watched a lot of games there, and there was the spirit of all those great former players in the clubhouse. But Target Field is awesome, and playing baseball outside is awesome. It was time for it to go, but it's still sad.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: Have you had a chance to catch any of the young Twins pitching prospects? How are they?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: Only Kyle Gibson so far. He's pretty good. Heavy sinker, nice slider. Could be devastating for hitters. I'm impressed. He'll be in a good battle for that 5th spot.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: Do you have to adjust your mindset if you're asked to get 4 or 5 outs rather than 3? Also, is it different if you're facing the heart of the order rather than the bottom?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: You do have to adjust your mindset. [He made some fishing reference that I didn't understand -- something about going out to catch one kind of fish and actually catching another kind.] There's nothing like going out there with the game on the line, and you have to try to get yourself pumped up that much when you go in for longer.<br />
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<b>Q for both</b>: What are meals like on game days?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: I'd prefer more fish [as in fish he caught]. I like chicken breast. And Chipotle.<br />
<b>K's A</b>: I like to mix it up. Sandwiches and stuff. I don't like to eat a lot on game days -- that makes me sleepy. I don't want to get too full.<br />
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<b>Q for both</b>: Has Kurt razzed Glen yet about the homer he off you in college?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: I'll never forget that. That was huge it went into a pond outside the field or something like that.<br />
<b>K's A</b>: I hit that with my eyes closed. Just kidding. Glen mixes up his pitches really well, so you have to really focus to get a hit off him. I just focused on one.<br />
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<b>Q for G</b>: Do you use sabermetrics and PitchFx to figure out how to pitch to hitters?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: I'd like to use that stuff for more fishing. Actually those things are more for players as a whole rather than for situational stuff. Scouting reports are better for pitch selection and situations. I love sabermetrics, but they're for bigger sample sizes.<br />
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<b>Q for both</b>: What were your impressions on the expanded replay used the other day?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: Took too long.<br />
<b>G's A</b>: I was already off fishing by the time it happened.<br />
<b>K's A continued</b>: As a concept, I can see how you want to get the calls right, but it takes away the human element. Sometimes you need that so you can catch some breaks that will help you win games and get you to the playoffs. But you do want to get the calls right. We'll see how it plays out. However, in Target Field in April on a cold day if takes 2 1/2 minutes to make the call, players won't like that.<br />
<b>G's A continued</b>: I've always been pro-getting the call right. But Kurt makes a good point. I never thought about a cold day. My arm would get cold in a hurry if I have to stand there for 2 1/2 minutes. They got to do what they can to keep the game moving along.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: With all the talk of concussions, what's been your experience? And what's your view on equipment and neck-strengthening exercises?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: I've never had major issues. I've had my bell rung a couple times. I don't know if there's anything to be done. You get 90mph pitches fouled off your facemask. It's part of the game. I guess that's why they call them tools of ignorance.<br />
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<b>Q for both</b>: What's it like to work with great former players like Paul Molitor and Rod Carew as coaches?<br />
<b>G's A</b>: They have this calming influence. Honored to have great players parlay their experience into coaching.<br />
<b>K's A</b>: I'm in awe to talk to them on a daily basis. They've been there before, they've been through the ups and downs. They can talk about their successes. I'm blown away to have them around, they make you a better player.<br />
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<b>Q for K</b>: What do you do when a young pitcher shakes you off?<br />
<b>K's A</b>: I'm not a fan of being adamant about my pitch selections, so I'll go talk to him to find out why he wants to throw what he wants to throw. There's no sense in making him throw something he doesn't want to. If he can't throw a pitch with conviction, it's no good to anybody. It makes all the difference in the world if his heart is in the pitch.<br />
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<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-48386033573740739532013-06-24T22:01:00.000-05:002013-06-24T22:01:14.351-05:00Injury Report: Pelfrey's Back<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVkUbNeUHjQs7gQE8TtBDyzUravYyHy6QEZ7Olh4vdqb1teyclHALM2Wqu4dEpgXjAg_R6YK7Y760uuA7bxd5QpOdvTaKindP41SMa2EAkt9hasH-ru8NfYC_r2OfGshecmQcEqioBZM/s1600/pelfreyback.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVkUbNeUHjQs7gQE8TtBDyzUravYyHy6QEZ7Olh4vdqb1teyclHALM2Wqu4dEpgXjAg_R6YK7Y760uuA7bxd5QpOdvTaKindP41SMa2EAkt9hasH-ru8NfYC_r2OfGshecmQcEqioBZM/s640/pelfreyback.png" width="344" /></a></div>
On Sunday, the Twins placed RHP Mike Pelfrey on the 15-day DL, retroactive to June 19 (the last time he pitched), with a strained back.<br />
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His back tightened up during pre-game exercising on Saturday. He couldn't get it loose before his scheduled start on Sunday, so on the DL he went.<br />
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There's no indication of whether he'll be able to return when he's eligible, but it's doubtful this injury is serious.<br />
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LHP Pedro Hernandez was recalled to start on Sunday, and then was promptly optioned back after the game. It was a good thing that Pelfrey mentioned his sore back on Saturday; it gave the Twins time to notify Hernandez so he could drive six hours from Louisville, Kentucky, (where the Red Wings were playing) to Cleveland. If Pelfrey had waited until he woke up on Sunday to report it, the Twins would have been up a creek. Anthony Swarzak normally would've been able to make a spot start, but since he had to clean up PJ Walters' horrible one-inning start on Saturday, he was unavailable.<br />
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Although the transaction hasn't been officially made yet, the Twins have announced that they're calling up Kyle Gibson to replace Pelfrey on the roster. THE Kyle Gibson.<br />
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<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-7900914161888895822013-06-10T21:07:00.000-05:002013-06-10T21:07:24.435-05:00Injury Report: Hicksey Hammey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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On Monday, the Twins placed Aaron Hicks on the 15-day DL with a left hamstring strain. He suffered it in Sunday evening's game while running to first base.<br />
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The hamstrings are the group of muscles running along the back of the thigh from the hip to the knee. If you've ever over-done lunges or weeding your garden, you've felt your hamstrings the next morning.<br />
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I haven't seen any indication how serious his injury is or how soon the Twins expect him back (probably because Monday's off-day didn't allow for the reporters to ask anyone about it). Fortunately, he didn't do that patented "shot-by-a-sniper" fall that people do when a hammie is ruptured. (I've witnessed that happening to an acquaintance, and it wasn't pretty.)<br />
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The Twins recalled Oswaldo Arcia to take Hicks' place on the roster. It sounds like Clete Thomas, who was added to the roster earlier this month, will be patrolling center field until either Hicks or Wilkin Rameriz comes off the DL.<br />
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<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-39237597608166975162013-05-30T21:00:00.000-05:002013-05-30T21:00:34.585-05:00Injury Report: From Head to Calf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Twins placed Trevor Plouffe on the 15-day DL on Thursday with a strained left calf muscle.<br />
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Poor Trevor. This is the worst of all possible luck. He was activated off the 7-day concussion DL on Wednesday, just to strain his calf in pregame warm-ups. He didn't even play in a game.<br />
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He missed a fair amount of time in Spring Training with the same injury.<br />
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The Twins don't believe it'll take the full 15 days for Plouffe to heal, but with a 13-man (!) pitching staff, they can't afford to have him sitting on the roster unavailable to play. Also, they weren't able to make the move retroactive to the beginning of the first DL stint since it's a separate incident.<br />
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The Twins recalled Chris Colabello to replace Plouffe on the roster. Colabello probably didn't even get unpacked after being optioned Wednesday to make room for Plouffe.k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-31576734792881368112013-05-27T21:45:00.000-05:002013-05-27T21:45:25.813-05:00Injury Report: Head CasesSorry about posting this so late. I treated myself to some relaxation time.<br />
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On May 22, the Twins placed 3B Trevor Plouffe on the 7-day DL with concussion-like symptoms. He suffered it during the Braves series plowing into 2B Dan Uggla trying to break up a double play. Plouffe's helmet flew off and Uggla's knee met his head with force. It kind of reminded me of Justin Morneau's collision back in 2010, which was pretty worrisome.<br />
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After Plouffe's collision, he laid on the field for a long while, holding his head. And he looked really woozy as he was escorted off the field. The Twins wasted no time and put him on the DL right after the game.<br />
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Fortunately, it appears that Plouffe is going to be ok. He's passed his concussion tests, and he's gone through some workouts with no lingering effects. He hopes to be back in the lineup as soon as he's eligible on Wednesday. I hope so too.<br />
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The Twins selected the contract of 3B Chris Colabello to replace Plouffe on the active roster and transferred Darin Mastrioanni to the 60-day DL to make room for Colabello on the 40-man roster.<br />
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Bonus reading: <a href="http://twinsdaily.com/1756-chris-colabello-promoted-twins.html" target="_blank">Here is an article</a> from my friend Seth over at Twins Daily on Chris Colabello's interesting back story.<br />
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On Monday, the Twins placed OF Wilkin Ramirez on the 7-day DL with concussion-like symptoms. He suffered it on Sunday during the Tigers series when he ran into Josh Willingham while going for a fly ball. I didn't see the play, but apparently, Ramirez's jaw hit Willingham's forearm. Apparently, Josh Willingham has forearms like lead pipes.<br />
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The Tigers' team doctor diagnosed Ramirez. Ramirez initially disagreed with the diagnosis, claiming that the only portion of the concussion test he failed was naming the months backwards from December. He insisted that he can't normally name the months any way, English or Spanish.<br />
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(Admit it, you just named the months backwards from December.)<br />
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Ramirez wanted to appeal the DL stint, until the flight to Milwaukee. He got sick. It was later revealed that the months question was not the only part of the test he failed.<br />
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While I appreciate Ramirez's drive to stay on the active roster, I sincerely hope he realizes that brain injuries are nothing to fool around with. It's too soon to tell whether he'll recover quickly or not.<br />
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Catcher Chris Herrmann was recalled to replace Ramirez.k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-1079272768049689992013-04-17T21:58:00.000-05:002013-04-17T21:58:18.139-05:00Injury Report: Mastroianni AND Wait...Who's This? Oswaldo Arcia (belated)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOoK8uRiWbk02-H0XVvDTL-YubkSnklz-FMP9j3H1dpFOuyjMbFeQskbaevgP4i7qJ24OxmohDie2Ofv635zrNHVqQnzXUwxi0CQFsXPieIzcOsEhoHKUw3lh-CcElZB3ybjJb3M-luQ/s1600/mastroianniankle.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjOoK8uRiWbk02-H0XVvDTL-YubkSnklz-FMP9j3H1dpFOuyjMbFeQskbaevgP4i7qJ24OxmohDie2Ofv635zrNHVqQnzXUwxi0CQFsXPieIzcOsEhoHKUw3lh-CcElZB3ybjJb3M-luQ/s400/mastroianniankle.png" width="265" /></a><br />
The Twins have placed Darin Mastroianni on the 15-day disabled list with a stress reaction to his left ankle.<br />
<br />
A stress reaction is an injury to the bone, but no fracture is seen on the imaging -- kind of like a "pre- stress fracture," I guess. It's usually happens with runners, often caused by the force of pounding of the feet on the ground and compounded by improper shoes. It can also be caused by bone deficiencies like osteoporosis.<br />
<br />
He's been nursing a sprained ankle and bone bruise since the last week of Spring Training. It's not clear if this is related to that, but I am willing to bet it is.<br />
<br />
And recovery doesn't sound like it's going to be a walk in the park. He needs a boot. And he needs to be non-ambulatory for a while. In fact, according to the StarTribune's Phil Miller:<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Mastroianni's injury worse than Twins thought, he'll be out 3 weeks. Foot in a boot for 10-14 days. Arcia should get a long look up here.<br />
— Phil Miller (@MillerStrib) <a href="https://twitter.com/MillerStrib/status/324670460950347776">April 17, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script><br />
The Twins will recall Oswaldo Arcia to replace Mastro's roster spot.<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<a href="http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_23038836/minnesota-twins-drop-aaron-hicks-lineup-scratch-darin">http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_23038836/minnesota-twins-drop-aaron-hicks-lineup-scratch-darin</a><br />
<a href="http://www.drpribut.com/sports/stress_fracture.html">http://www.drpribut.com/sports/stress_fracture.html</a><br />
<a href="http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cme/conferences/pdfs/RAD-2012-PDFs/02_MON-Greenspan.pdf">http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cme/conferences/pdfs/RAD-2012-PDFs/02_MON-Greenspan.pdf</a><br />
<br />
~~~<br />
<br />
<i>Note: I should have introduced you to Oswaldo Arcia before Monday, because that's when he got to play. I figured I could get to it on Tuesday, but he was sent right back down (he was up because Wilkin Ramirez was on paternity leave). But now that we'll get a good, long look at him, here he is.</i><br />
<br />
<h2>
Wait Now...Who's This?</h2>
<h3>
<b>Oswaldo Arcia</b></h3>
Outfielder<br />
Bats lefty; throws righty<br />
Almost 22 years old<br />
<br />
<h4>
What he looks like:</h4>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Minnesota+Twins+Photo+Day+8Z9qgykAbQDl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Minnesota+Twins+Photo+Day+8Z9qgykAbQDl.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Getty Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Where did he come from:</h4>
<div>
Signed as a 16-year-old free agent.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to get excited about:</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He's a highly-rated prospect</li>
<li>He's young</li>
<li>He has some power and is generally a good all-around hitter</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to temper your enthusiasm</h4>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>His strikeout and walk rates are something one would want for a pitcher, but he's a hitter</li>
<li>He's not really a center fielder (in case you're thinking he could fill in for Aaron Hicks)</li>
<li>He's still young</li>
</ul>
</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-2107610953838439372013-04-07T20:34:00.000-05:002013-04-07T23:20:23.854-05:00Injury Report: Cole DeVries and Wait Now...Who's This: Pedro Hernandez<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22j5Ar6Bog6wKDRoqIxlBNV5HVHEAv-7jfoGg_FDsJhNNCkyE_bqJWgN2Gj2I6RvZsSq5LWhQIv47B6PGzR246t2unbXeIPlbyumetvkqJ4mjreg2MKALO0vpcnUZ3QEYDF7_ikXh2oE/s1600/devriesforearm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22j5Ar6Bog6wKDRoqIxlBNV5HVHEAv-7jfoGg_FDsJhNNCkyE_bqJWgN2Gj2I6RvZsSq5LWhQIv47B6PGzR246t2unbXeIPlbyumetvkqJ4mjreg2MKALO0vpcnUZ3QEYDF7_ikXh2oE/s400/devriesforearm.png" width="255" /></a></div>
The Twins have placed Cole DeVries on the 15-day Disabled List, retroactive to March 30, with a strained right forearm.<br />
<br />
He noticed tightness during his final appearance in Spring Training. After resting it for a few days, he still felt tightness when throwing his breaking balls.<br />
<br />
He and the Twins are taking a cautious approach; they don't want it to get worse. He's scheduled to have an MRI on Monday.<br />
<br />
This is of concern to me because Nick Blackburn's woes started with forearm tightness. Here's hoping Cole's isn't as serious.<br />
<br />
The Twins have recalled lefty pitcher Pedro Hernandez to replace DeVries on the roster.<br />
<br />
In other transaction news: the Twins have activated pitcher Anthony Swarzak off the DL and optioned Tyler Robertson to AAA Rochester.<br />
<br />
~~~<br />
<br />
<br />
<h2>
Wait Now...Who's This?</h2>
<h3>
<b>Pedro Hernandez</b></h3>
Starting Pitcher<br />
Right-handed<br />
Almost 24 years old<br />
<br />
<h4>
What he looks like:</h4>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/300*450/ows_136530564595401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/300*450/ows_136530564595401.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: StarTribune</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Where did he come from:</h4>
<div>
Acquired in the Francisco Liriano trade last season. Made Twins debut on Sunday.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to get excited about:</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He had an outstanding spring (not that that matters much)</li>
<li>He's young</li>
<li>He looked pretty sharp on Sunday</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to temper your enthusiasm</h4>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He's probably going to give up too many hits</li>
<li>He's probably not going to strike out very many batters</li>
<li>He's still young</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-79032465467169392042013-04-03T22:34:00.000-05:002013-04-03T22:34:10.343-05:00Wait Now...Who's This? Wilkin RamirezThere are a few new faces on the Minnesota Twins roster. The season is starting soon, and I thought I'd introduce them to you. If you haven't had a chance to see any Spring Training games, you probably won't know who you're looking at when you're watching on Opening Day. Back in the day, the Twins had a "Get To Know 'Em" ad campaign, but I'm sure that phrase is all trademarked and stuff, and I'd get in a whole heap of trouble if I used it, and I've been pretty busy lately, and the last thing I need is a whole bunch of "cease and desist" emails and phone calls, even though my tiny little blog isn't likely to dilute their precious trademark or anything, but whatever, so I present to you...<br />
<br />
<h2>
Wait Now...Who's This?</h2>
<h3>
<b>Wilkin Ramirez</b></h3>
Outfielder and Pinch Hitter<br />
Right-handed<br />
27 years old<br />
<h4>
What he looks like:</h4>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Minnesota+Twins+Photo+Day+kL_Kutt7dJdl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Minnesota+Twins+Photo+Day+kL_Kutt7dJdl.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Getty Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Where did he come from:</h4>
<div>
Signed as a minor league free agent after the 2011 season. Spent the 2012 season in the minors.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to get excited about:</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He had an outstanding spring (not that that matters much)</li>
<li>He has some pop in his bat</li>
<li>He dominated AAA</li>
<li>On Tuesday, according to <a href="http://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2013/04/wilkin-ramirez-makes-mlbs-unofficial-5000000th-appearance/" target="_blank">Baseball Reference</a>, he was baseball's 5 millionth player appearance</li>
<li>He drove in a run on Wednesday</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to temper your enthusiasm</h4>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He's going to strike out way more than he walks </li>
<li>He might strike out more than he gets hits</li>
<li>He probably won't have a great batting average</li>
<li>He's going to be stuck on the bench for most of the season</li>
</ul>
</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-78189354464175747022013-03-29T21:19:00.000-05:002013-03-29T21:19:47.770-05:00Wait Now...Who's This? Tim Wood (with a Paper Doll)<br />
<br />
There are a few new faces on the Minnesota
Twins roster. The season is starting soon, and I thought I'd introduce
them to you. If you haven't had a chance to see any Spring Training
games, you probably won't know who you're looking at when you're
watching on Opening Day. Back in the day, the Twins had a "Get To Know
'Em" ad campaign, but I'm sure that phrase is all trademarked and stuff,
and I'd get in a whole heap of trouble if I used it, and I've been
pretty busy lately, and the last thing I need is a whole bunch of "cease
and desist" emails and phone calls, even though my tiny little blog
isn't likely to dilute their precious trademark or anything, but
whatever, so I present to you...<br />
<br />
<h2>
Wait Now...Who's This?</h2>
<h3>
Tim Wood</h3>
Relief Pitcher<br />
Right-handed<br />
<br />
<h4>
What he looks like:</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/300*450/ows_136417630242876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/300*450/ows_136417630242876.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: StarTribune</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
</div>
<h4>
Where did he come from:</h4>
<div>
Signed as a minor league free agent. Spent last season in Pirates AAA.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to get excited about:</h4>
<ul>
<li>He's not expensive</li>
<li>He's on Twitter, and he doesn't seem arrogant or otherwise unpleasant</li>
<li>He has experience closing, so he's used to high-leverage situations</li>
</ul>
<div>
<h4>
A few things to temper your enthusiasm:</h4>
<ul>
<li>He's 30, and he doesn't have very much major league experience</li>
<li>His ERA is likely to be pretty beefy, especially for a reliever</li>
<li>He kind of struggled controlling baserunners during Spring Training</li>
<li>And then there's this:</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Q9lywCRZoPUcaGwFiCzEbkOaVq1kdhUmStxwulqJ0YDGJQNhUXixEAh53hXVJfbofRSzAWOF_eEp28zUE_MWwGx3NSA4-AiTXwxxXG_EWk5uw1HQp9wG1RIPgxuTwQ8vetEMW2x8qB0/s1600/woodrotatorcuff.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Q9lywCRZoPUcaGwFiCzEbkOaVq1kdhUmStxwulqJ0YDGJQNhUXixEAh53hXVJfbofRSzAWOF_eEp28zUE_MWwGx3NSA4-AiTXwxxXG_EWk5uw1HQp9wG1RIPgxuTwQ8vetEMW2x8qB0/s640/woodrotatorcuff.png" width="361" /></a></div>
The Twins have placed RHP Tim Wood on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to March 24, with a strain to his right rotator cuff.<br />
<br />
He complained of soreness on Sunday after he pitched well on Saturday.<br />
<br />
He did not have an MRI.<br />
<br />
He's due to return mid-April. However, he may not be guaranteed a spot on the roster. But, he is out of options, so if the Twins want to send him down to AAA when he's healthy, they'll have to pass him through waivers first.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-26327876593838038172013-03-28T22:13:00.000-05:002013-03-28T22:13:16.006-05:00Wait Now...Who's This? Mike Pelfrey<br />
<br />
There are a few new faces on the Minnesota Twins roster. The season is starting soon, and I thought I'd introduce them to you. If you haven't had a chance to see any Spring Training games, you probably won't know who you're looking at when you're watching on Opening Day. Back in the day, the Twins had a "Get To Know 'Em" ad campaign, but I'm sure that phrase is all trademarked and stuff, and I'd get in a whole heap of trouble if I used it, and I've been pretty busy lately, and the last thing I need is a whole bunch of "cease and desist" emails and phone calls, even though my tiny little blog isn't likely to dilute their precious trademark or anything, but whatever, so I present to you...<br />
<br />
<h2>
Wait Now...Who's This?</h2>
<h3>
<b>Mike Pelfrey</b></h3>
Starting Pitcher<br />
Right-handed<br />
<br />
<h4>
What he looks like:</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Mike+Pelfrey+Minnesota+Twins+Photo+Day+lRVN4gjQwOGx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Mike+Pelfrey+Minnesota+Twins+Photo+Day+lRVN4gjQwOGx.jpg" width="249" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Getty Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h4>
Or Even:</h4>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/420*527/ows_136426378630210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/420*527/ows_136426378630210.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: StarTribune</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Where did he come from:</h4>
<div>
Signed as a free agent. Been with the Mets since 2006.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to get excited about:</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He's 6'7"</li>
<li>He's not likely to give up a ton of home runs</li>
<li>He'll probably get more ground ball outs than fly ball outs</li>
<li>He's just like the rest of us and<a href="http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_22791507/minnesota-twins-mike-pelfrey-sporting-slimmer-look-despite" target="_blank"> likes fried food</a></li>
</ul>
<h4>
A few things to temper your enthusiasm</h4>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He's recovering from Tommy John surgery last season</li>
<li>He had the surgery May 1st, and it usually takes more than a year to fully recover (of course, everyone heals differently, so he could be ok, but ...)</li>
<li>He probably won't strike out a ton of batters</li>
<li>Broken record alert: He's only ever been a National League pitcher</li>
</ul>
</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-47627887064326691852013-03-27T22:07:00.000-05:002013-03-27T22:07:30.670-05:00Wait Now...Who's This? Kevin Correia<br />
There are a few new faces on the Minnesota Twins roster. The season is starting soon, and I thought I'd introduce them to you. If you haven't had a chance to see any Spring Training games, you probably won't know who you're looking at when you're watching on Opening Day. Back in the day, the Twins had a "Get To Know 'Em" ad campaign, but I'm sure that phrase is all trademarked and stuff, and I'd get in a whole heap of trouble if I used it, and I've been pretty busy lately, and the last thing I need is a whole bunch of "cease and desist" emails and phone calls, even though my tiny little blog isn't likely to dilute their precious trademark or anything, but whatever, so I present to you...<br />
<br />
<h2>
Wait Now...Who's This?</h2>
<h3>
<b>Kevin Correia</b></h3>
Starting Pitcher<br />
Right-handed<br />
<br />
<h4>
What he looks like:</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/5580.png&w=350&h=254" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/mlb/players/full/5580.png&w=350&h=254" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: ESPN</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h4>
Where did he come from:</h4>
<div>
Signed as a free agent. Pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates two last seasons.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to get excited about:</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He doesn't have a history of injuries</li>
<li>Terry Ryan says he is a "good makeup guy" (no word on whether he refers to personality or Avon)</li>
<li>He has potential to eat a lot of innings</li>
<li>He's a family man; his wife just had their third son this spring</li>
</ul>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
<h4>
A few things to temper your enthusiasm</h4>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Not one optimistic word has been written about him by either local or national press </li>
<li>There's no evidence that he has a personality or sense of humor</li>
<li>He'll probably have a beefy ERA</li>
<li>He wasn't an awesome pitcher in the National League, so he may struggle with American League batters</li>
</ul>
</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-30169600338320165272013-03-26T21:53:00.000-05:002013-03-26T22:09:33.299-05:00Wait Now...Who's This? Vance WorleyThere are a few new faces on the Minnesota Twins roster. The season is starting soon, and I thought I'd introduce them to you. If you haven't had a chance to see any Spring Training games, you probably won't know who you're looking at when you're watching on Opening Day. Back in the day, the Twins had a "Get To Know 'Em" ad campaign, but I'm sure that phrase is all trademarked and stuff, and I'd get in a whole heap of trouble if I used it, and I've been pretty busy lately, and the last thing I need is a whole bunch of "cease and desist" emails and phone calls, even though my tiny little blog isn't likely to dilute their precious trademark or anything, but whatever, so I present to you...<br />
<br />
<h2>
Wait Now...Who's This?</h2>
<h3>
<b>Vance Worley</b></h3>
Likely Opening Day Starting Pitcher<br />
Right-handed<br />
<br />
<h4>
What he looks like:</h4>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cbsminnesota.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/vance-worley.jpg?w=300" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://cbsminnesota.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/vance-worley.jpg?w=300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Getty Images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h4>
Where did he come from:</h4>
<div>
Philadelphia Phillies. He and Trevor May were traded for Ben Revere.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
A few things to get excited about:</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He'll get more ground ball outs than fly ball outs</li>
<li>He's not likely to give up a ton of walks</li>
<li>He was a fan favorite in Philly, so he might actually have a personality</li>
<li>His nickname is "Vanimal"</li>
<li>He might fill the necessary "adorable dimples quotient" the team has been lacking since Michael Cuddyer's departure</li>
<li>He wears sweet glasses</li>
</ul>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
<h4>
A few things to temper your enthusiasm</h4>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>He's coming off elbow surgery (bone chips) late last season</li>
<li>He hasn't really had a great spring (not that that matters much)</li>
<li>He doesn't have a great history of pitching deep into games (5-6 inning average)</li>
<li>He probably won't get a ton of strike outs</li>
<li>He's a former National League pitcher (the hitters in the American League tend to be better)</li>
</ul>
</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-63773647436810407022013-03-24T22:21:00.000-05:002013-03-24T22:21:04.200-05:00So Begin the Paper Dolls: Swarzak and DiamondAs expected, on March 22, the Twins placed Anthony Swarzak and Scott Diamond on the 15-day Disabled List.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7AEISe8UGMhh7swPZ3xuzDZB7JufeUhYvOopmKo2jd-GVPbTgGXs04btjFW5klIGXqEjkuacC1SBXN0Yoc0yNIOf01Jp-ZdbiU_XepyQijH9vsUfe3793uWmh05xB0fDo-m7xthCZHc/s1600/swarzakribs.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf7AEISe8UGMhh7swPZ3xuzDZB7JufeUhYvOopmKo2jd-GVPbTgGXs04btjFW5klIGXqEjkuacC1SBXN0Yoc0yNIOf01Jp-ZdbiU_XepyQijH9vsUfe3793uWmh05xB0fDo-m7xthCZHc/s640/swarzakribs.png" width="307" /></a></div>
Anthony Swarzak was placed on the DL with cracked ribs suffered at the end of January while he was in Minnesota for TwinsFest. Apparently he and some teammates were goofing around, officially stated as "horseplay" but I'm guessing wrestling, and ouch.<br />
<br />
The Twins are bringing him along slowly, making sure he heals. It probably hurts with the twisting motion of pitching. He's been pitching some live batting practices.<br />
<br />
He's due back possibly mid-April.<br />
<br />
~~~
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDPkdYzu2hSNLrRgPbTfY3i3Uv0EP-6ZeZCqokRolzBSSowSkJklI3ts50NWHzMTZ8ymDoIHuSiJwjCvAVYeTK1n-gAiaZ2YC7HczC0xaWtZ8fBNJ6wyU5XLUt17bC1W3pxMbq6Eo5A8/s1600/diamondelbow.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDPkdYzu2hSNLrRgPbTfY3i3Uv0EP-6ZeZCqokRolzBSSowSkJklI3ts50NWHzMTZ8ymDoIHuSiJwjCvAVYeTK1n-gAiaZ2YC7HczC0xaWtZ8fBNJ6wyU5XLUt17bC1W3pxMbq6Eo5A8/s640/diamondelbow.png" width="387" /></a></div>
<br />
Scott Diamond was placed on the DL because he's still recovering from bone chip removal surgery in December.<br />
<br />
He heard a crack in his elbow while jumping rope for cardio exercise. The bone chips have probably been there awhile -- he suffered discomfort in 2007 -- and they shifted. He opted to have them removed now because the doctor informed him that they were close enough to his tendon that they might damage it, which might require Tommy John surgery in a couple of years.<br />
<br />
Even though it was arthroscopic surgery, and the Twins initially believed he'd be fine by Opening Day, he's had some setbacks and he needs more time. He's been pitching live batting practices and minor league games.<br />
<br />
He's due back possibly April 12.<br />
<br />
~~~<br />
<br />
Sources:<br />
<a href="http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2013/03/22/minnesota-twins-anthony-swarzak-blows-up-bats-moves-closer-to-return/" target="_blank">Minnesota Twins: Anthony Swarzak blows up bats, moves closer to return</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/18/scott-diamond-will-begin-the-season-the-disabled-list/" target="_blank">Scott Diamond will begin the season the disabled list</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/baseball/mlb/story/2013/02/25/sp-mlb-scott-diamond-minnesota-twins.html" target="_blank">Twins' Scott Diamond enjoying brighter spring</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/fantasy/injuries/#team142" target="_blank">Injury Report</a><br />
<br />
<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-33257113382910958492013-03-19T23:03:00.000-05:002013-03-19T23:14:47.670-05:00Fan Forum Conference Call: Brunansky and SteinbachThe Twins conducted another Fan Form conference call for season-ticket holders, this time featuring new hitting coach Tom Brunansky and new bench and catchers' coach Terry Steinbach. I furiously scribbled notes as fast as a could so I can recap the call for you. As always, I'm pretty crappy at taking dictation, so please don't consider any of this true quotes, but rather regard it as paraphrases and general ideas. I apologize in advance if I get any of this wrong. Also, my phone rang a few moments after the call started, so I think I missed the first question.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Does Joe Mauer have the capability to hit for more power?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Response from Tom Brunansky: The Twins think he will. When you have a leg injury, you have doubt on the strength of the back leg. Now that his legs are healthy, he can generate more power. He's excited to start hitting because he feels good.</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What are the primary responsibilities of a bench coach (other than hoping Gardy doesn't get ejected)?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Response from Terry Steinbach: Be Gardy's right hand man. Worry about matchups between your bench guys and the opponents bullpen. Worry about your bullpen and make sure the BP coach knows who should be warming up. Double check everything. Communicate. Be like a secondary manager (emphasis on secondary).</blockquote>
<div>
Fans were sad when Bruno was traded. What brought him back to Minnesota? What's the draw?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: I was sad too. The draw is that the Twins are a family. When I decided to come back to baseball, I only called Jim Rantz. When an opportunity opened up in the minors, I took it. I didn't know if I could handle it, but I worked everything out. Now I'm hoping to catch some of that same chemistry in the big leagues.</blockquote>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Who has pleasantly surprised you the most?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: The guys competing for outfield spots, Mastrioanni, Hicks, and Benson, have been really fun to watch. Hicks has opened a lot of eyes, not only with his hitting, but also with the way he patrols center field. He makes great jumps and covers a lot of ground.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: Terry took my answer. Hicks is going about this opportunity in a great way. He carries himself well. Also, Pedro Florimon has been fun to watch play shortstop. He's been working on his offense. Dozier is also fun to watch. It's too bad we've missed watching some of the guys due to the WBC.</blockquote>
How much input do you have on deciding which guys make the roster?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: I'm a newbie, but Gardy asks my opinion and we discuss.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: Gardy wants our opinion and wants to know what we think. We can give him input on both sides of a player: from the cages and from the practice fields. </blockquote>
What's your perspective on how the starting rotation will fill out?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: It's a work-in-progress. We've got Pelfrey, Worley, and Correia ready. There's a lot of healthy competition of the rest of the spots. There are 12 games left to figure that out.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: I specialize in the hitting side, but I can see how opposing hitters approach our pitchers. A lot of guys are throwing well, they have to go grab it.</blockquote>
What's the biggest change in the game since your playing days?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: The social media. Everyone in the clubhouse is looking at their devices with their Tweeter [sic] accounts and stuff. But once they leave that on the sidelines, the game is still the same. Fundamentals are still important.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: The game itself is the same, with an emphasis on fundamentals. But I think the biggest change is the training staff, and conditioning. There's more emphasis on nutrition and diet. When I played, I always grabbed a cup of coffee and a donut. Now there's even sports psychologists.</blockquote>
<div>
If the weather doesn't warm up soon, how will the cold affect the game on Opening Day?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: No matter the weather, I'm nice and warm next to the heater in the dugout. I feel bad for Vav [Joe Vavra, third-base coach] and Scotty [Ullger, first-base coach] out there. The players bundle up to stay warm, but it's harder to move around or swing the bat. The ball doesn't carry as well. And, as a hitter, if a pitcher gets in on the hands, it hurts.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: A lot of it is mental; if you believe you're cold and miserable, then you'll be cold and miserable. But, if you go out there with a winning attitude, you're more apt to play well. Being a catcher has it's drawbacks, but it's great being a catcher on cold days with all the gear and working to keep you warm.</blockquote>
<div>
Do you think Trevor Plouffe is able to become a consistent power hitter?</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: Absolutely! A good power hitter puts back spin on the ball. Trevor became a little pull-conscious and didn't adjust. He's been working on it all off-season. His plate coverage is better. And he's beginning to believe it.</blockquote>
<div>
As much as fans appreciate manufacturing runs, is this going to be a more power-hitting club?</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: Hitting homers at the Dome was fun and it happened often. Target Field isn't as conducive for hitting homers. We're trying to encourage creating damage. Creating damage happens many ways: hitting to the gap, get extra-base hits. They still like reaching the seats, but it's about creating damage.</blockquote>
<div>
Will the club carry three catchers again? If not, who can do it in an emergency?</div>
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: We have had discussions about this, it's ultimately up to Gardy. With three, if one's starting at catcher and the other is at DH, there's another one available if one gets hurt. With two, if one's starting and the other's at DH, an one gets hurt, either you lose your DH and the pitchers have to hit, or someone comes in as an emergency catcher. Jeff Clement was drafted as a catcher, so he could do it. Escobar can do it do. Having these guys available keeps the options open.</blockquote>
How's Brain Dozier coming along?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: When he was sent down to Rochester last season, he was a lost ballplayer. The game had become too quick for him. I told him "just remember who you are." During the off-season, he went back to the basics. He was on his back leg too much. I want him to be an aggressive hitter, to drive the ball and hit the gaps. I don't want him to swing meekly; he should let loose.</blockquote>
Caller saw Bruno with Morneau hitting off a tee. What were they working on?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: Tee work is good for youngsters, but it's also very good for veterans. They were working on getting the feel of working on the back side and flattening the back swing until he gets a consistent feel. Then we'll move the tee out a little to get used to the feel of pulling the ball. They use all kinds of tee drills, depending on the players. With Joe Mauer, we work on the feel of his legs. With Brain Dozier, its the feel of his follow through.</blockquote>
How confident are you with the infield defense?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: A key aspect of Twins baseball has let them down the last few years. Florimon has improved at short. And Dozier moving to second has made a very healthy competition with Carroll. Every morning, they go to Tom Kelly field and work on fielding drills. They also make the pitchers watch so they can learn how the defense behind them will work.</blockquote>
What's Joe Mauer's value at calling games and handling the pitching staff?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: Joe absolutely has an impact on the pitchers and the outcome of the game. He has tremendous experience, and he's very good back there. We want him back there as much as he can be, but to keep him healthy, he can't be back there every day -- no catcher can. You just can't catch 162 games. So we'll try to make matchups accordingly and put Doumit in there when it works out. But Joe's fantastic.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: I think the two toughest positions are bench hitter and designated hitter. Most hitters do better when they can play out in the field. So we want Joe out in the field as much as possible.</blockquote>
Do you worry about the results of Spring Training games?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: I don't pay attention to win/loss records in Spring Training. I want the players to develop every day. Sometime a pitcher might be working on stuff, so we don't regard wins and losses. We still play to win so we feel like we're a winning team. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: We want to find out what the veterans need: some like to ramp up towards Opening Day, some guys like to dial it back towards the end of Spring Training. Plus with so many guys in camp, there are a lot of guys to evaluate, and they have to play. We want a winning attitude and the guys want to win. </blockquote>
Joe Mauer is a special hitter. What separates special hitters from good hitters?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: The best hitters, like Joe, make hitting look so easy. And that's saying something. First, they have a gift, but they also keep it simple. They have simple mechanics. There isn't a lot of stress. They also trust their ability. Confidence is key.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: They have to have the ability. They find a way to get it done. They can do so much with the bat. Great hitters don't get nervous regardless of the count. They trust themselves.</blockquote>
What kind of power potential do you see in Hicks and Parmelee?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: Hicks is a switch hitter. He has a good, strong core. Good base. I see 10-20 homers until he learns his true potential. Parmelee is a little more advanced, 15-25 homer potential. [He said a whole bunch more good stuff about both players, but he was talking so fast, I couldn't keep up.]</blockquote>
What are the differences in the mental approach for someone like Willingham and someone like Florimon?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: It's a different approach with each. For expample, if there's a runner at second, we're not going to ask Hammer to ground out on the right side to move the runner over. His approach is always going to be the same -- drive the ball. With Florimon, he may have to shorten his swing and avoid high pitches in order to get the grounder to move runners over. He's getting better with his command of the strike zone.</blockquote>
Asked again: what does the bench coach do?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: [Pretty much the same answer as before.] Also, keep track of the opponent's running game. Decide when to call a pitch out or a throw over to first.</blockquote>
You both took over for guys who are still with the team. How's that going?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steiny: I'm the new kid on the block, so I'm doing everything I can to tap into these guys and use them as a resource. We're good friends. I'm always asking for advice. The key is we all check our egos at the door. We always learn. Everyone wants to win.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Bruno: Yes, we check our egos at the door. We work as a staff. We use them as resources. They're different eyes, different points of view. They will be watching from the bases. We're all watching batting practice and communicating. We're pretty well bonded. </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
</blockquote>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-27687651419816754272013-02-21T21:34:00.002-06:002013-02-21T21:34:46.776-06:00Childhood HazardsWe all had a good chuckle (and by "chuckle," I mean "eye-roll") when we heard that Anthony Swarzak cracked a couple ribs when he and a teammate engaged in what the team officially calls "horseplay." Now, we're hearing that Scott Diamond's bone chips -- you know, the ones that required surgery in December -- occurred because he was jumping rope.<br />
<br />
It makes one wonder whether players participating in common children's activities is perhaps unlucky.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, I am not the only one who is concerned by this. We here at <i>k-bro's baseball blog</i> have been granted exclusive access to the following directive.*<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To: All Minnesota Twins Players and Prospects</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">From: The Minnesota Twins Training and Medical Staff</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Re: Off-field Hazards</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It has come to our attention that some players are engaging in risky behavior which has potential to result in injury. In order to mitigate this risk, we have deemed it necessary to mandate that the following activities and items are forbidden unless properly supervised by a member of the coaching or training staff.</span><br />
<ul>
<li><b style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Wrestling, tickling, tag, ghost in the graveyard, and other horseplay. </b><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's all fun and games until someone cracks his ribs.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Jump rope, double-dutch, hopscotch, dodge ball, may poles, and other playground equipment</b>. Again, it's all fun and games until someone needs bone chips removed.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>LEGO® bricks, Hot Wheels® cars, Barbie® doll shoes, jacks, and other tiny items</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">. </i>You don't know true debilitating pain until have stepped on one of these items. Also, imagine the beat-down you'd get if Gardy stepped on one of these and found out you left it on the floor.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Nerf guns, darts, Red Ryder BB guns, tracer guns, bows and arrows, and other means to launch projectiles.</b> It's a sure thing that if you play with these, you'll shoot your eye out.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Water balloons, squirt guns, water pistols, bubbles, super soakers, and other means to make the floors slippery (celebratory champagne exempted).</b> Wet floors can cause slips and falls which endanger tailbones.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Video games, hand-held game devices, and other practically useless devices. </b>Nothing irritates tendons and ligaments like repetitive stress disorders.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Paper airplanes, coloring books, paper dolls, and other things with sharp edges.</b> These things can cause paper cuts that can get seriously infected. Besides, if you play with a paper doll of yourself, that means you're already injured.<b> </b></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We here on the training staff are certain that these preventative measures will help ensure an injury-free season.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #351c75; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
So there you have it.<br />
<br />
*Special thanks to Betsy and Babs for their help in obtaining this information. :)k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-91657264603047864142013-02-05T22:01:00.000-06:002013-02-06T14:43:18.097-06:00Who Are These Guys, Anyway? Quick and Dirty 2013 Spring Training GuideIn less than a week, the Twins will officially open Spring Training camp. As of now, 66 players are expected to be there: 34 pitchers, 9 catchers (a lot of catchers needed for a lot of pitchers), 13 infielders, and 10 outfielders. There are a lot of bodies (I imagine the locker room might be a tad crowded), but there are also a lot of holes from 2012 to be filled. By the end of it, there will be 25 men ready to head north and face the Tigers on April 1.<br />
<br />
Now, if you're as tired as I am of this miserable winter, you're really looking forward to listening to the Spring Training games once they start on February 23 (you may be especially excited if you're in the Twin Cities area because now that the radio <a href="http://www.ktwin.com/" target="_blank">broadcasts will be on FM</a> you can finally get radio reception at work). So I've wrote up this handy-dandy list of all the names you'll hear.<br />
<br />
<h1>
40-Man Roster:</h1>
<div>
These are the guys most likely to land on the big league club. And those who don't will likely be next in line in case of injury or ineffectiveness. A few guys are on the 40-man simply because the front office wants to protect their future with the team -- removing them from the 40-man roster would expose them to waivers.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
Guys We Know and Love (Maybe)</h4>
<ul>
<li><i>Alex Burnett.</i> RHP. Age 25. 2012: 67 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Jared Burton</i>. RHP. Age 31. 2012: 64 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Drew Butera</i>. C. Age 29. 2012: Red Wings and 42 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Jamey Carroll</i>. IF. Age 38. 2012: 138 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Scott Diamond</i>. LHP. Age 26. 2012: Red Wings and 27 starts for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Ryan Doumit.</i> C/DH. Age 31. 2012: 134 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Brian Dozier.</i> IF. Age 25. 2012: Red Wings and 84 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Brian Duensing</i>. LHP. Age 25. 2012: 55 games (11 starts) for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Joe Mauer</i>. C. Age 29. 2012: 147 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Justin Morneau.</i> 1B. Age 31. 2012: 134 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Glen Perkins</i>. LHP. Age 29. 2012: 70 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Trevor Plouffe</i>. 3B. Age 26. 2012: Red Wings and 119 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Anthony Swarzak</i>. RHP. Age 27. 2012: 44 games (5 starts) for the Twins. Will miss time due to cracked ribs.</li>
<li><i>Josh Willingham.</i> LF. Age 33. 2012: 145 games for the Twins.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Guys We Kind of Know As Long As We Didn't Stop Paying Attention Last Season</h4>
<ul>
<li><i>Cole DeVries.</i> RHP. Age 27. 2012: Red Wings and 17 games (16 starts) for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Eduardo Escobar. </i>SS. Age 24. 2012: Red Wings, 36 games for the White Sox, and 14 games for the Twins. Acquired in the Liriano trade.</li>
<li><i>Casey Fien</i>. RHP. Age 29. 2012: Red Wings and 35 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Pedro Florimon</i>. SS. Age 26. 2012: Rock Cats, Red Wings, and 43 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Liam Hendriks</i>. RHP. Age 23. 2012: Red Wings and 16 starts for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Chris Herrmann</i>. C. Age 25. 2012: Rock Cats and 7 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Darin Mastroianni</i>. OF. Age 27. 2012: Rock Cats, Red Wings, and 77 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Chris Parmelee</i>. 1B/RF. Age 24. 2012: Red Wings and 64 games for the Twins.</li>
<li><i>Tyler Robertson.</i> LHP. Age 25. 2012: Red Wings and 40 games for the Twins.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Guys From The Twins Minors</h4>
<ul>
<li><i>Oswaldo Arcia</i>. OF. Age 21. 2012: Miracle and Rock Cats. #93 of MLB's top 100 prospects.</li>
<li><i>Joe Benson</i>. OF. Age 24. 2012: GCL Twins, Miracle, Rock Cats, Red Wings (rehabbing injuries much of the season).</li>
<li><i>Kyle Gibson</i>. RHP. Age 25. 2012: rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. #49 in MLB's top 100 prospects.</li>
<li><i>B.J Hermsen</i>. RHP. Age 23. 2012: Miracle and Rock Cats.</li>
<li><i>Pedro Hernandez.</i> LHP. Age 23. 2012: AA and AAA of the White Sox organization, Red Wings. Acquired in the Liriano trade.</li>
<li><i>Aaron Hicks</i>. OF. Age 23. 2012: Rock Cats. #98 in MLB's top 100 prospects.</li>
<li><i>Josmil Pinto</i>. C. Age 23. 2012: Miracle and Rock Cats.</li>
<li><i>Daniel Santana</i>. IF. Age 22. 2012: Miracle.</li>
<li><i>Caleb Thielbar</i>. LHP. Age 26. 2012: Miracle, Rock Cats, and Red Wings.</li>
<li><i>Michael Tonkin.</i> LHP. Age 23. 2012: Snappers and Miracle.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Guys We Know If We Paid Attention to Other Teams</h4>
<ul>
<li><i>Kevin Correia</i>. RHP. Age 32. 2012: 32 games (28 starts) for the Pirates. Signed as a free agent.<b></b></li>
<li><i>Mike Pelfrey</i>. RHP. Age 29. 2012: rehabbing from Tommy John surgery (with the Mets). Signed as a free agent.</li>
<li><i>Vance Worley.</i> RHP. Age 25. 2012: 23 games for the Phillies. Acquired in the Revere trade from the Phillies.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h4>
Guys We Probably Don't Know But We Want to Welcome to the Twins Organization</h4>
<ul>
<li><i>Trevor May.</i> RHP. Age 23. 2012: AA in Phillies system. Acquired in Revere trade from the Phillies.</li>
<li><i>Ryan Pressly.</i> RHP. Age 24. 2012: A+ and AA in Red Sox system. Rule 5 draft from the Red Sox.</li>
<li><i>Josh Roenicke</i>. RHP. Age 30. 2012: 63 games for the Rockies. Claimed off waivers from the Rockies.</li>
<li><i>Tim Wood</i>. RHP. Age 30. 2012: AAA or Pirates system. Signed as a minor-league free agent.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h1>
Non-Roster Invitees:</h1>
<div>
While it's more likely that 40-man guys will break camp with the big-league club, these guys have earned the right to try to impress the decision-makers. A quick paperwork effort would make any of these guys a Twin. I predict one or two of these guys will impress enough to make it -- Jared Burton did it last year.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
Guys We Know and Love (Maybe)</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Nick Blackburn</i>. RHP. Age 30. 2012: Red Wings and Twins. Will miss time due to wrist surgery.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>
Guys We Know If We Didn't Stop Paying Attention Last Season</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Samuel Deduno</i>. RHP. Age 29. 2012: Red Wings and Twins.</li>
<li><i>Lester Oliveros.</i> RHP. Age 24. 2012: Rock Cats, Red Wings, and Twins.</li>
<li><i>Luis Perdomo.</i> RHP. Age 28. 2012: Rock Cats, Red Wings, and Twins.</li>
<li><i>Clete Thomas</i>. OF. Age 29. 2012: Red Wings and Twins.</li>
<li><i>Esmerling Vasquez</i>. RHP. Age 29. 2012: Red Wings and Twins.</li>
<li><i>P.J. Walters</i>. RHP. Age 27. 2012: Red Wings and Twins.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>
Guys From The Twins Minors</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>James Beresford.</i> IF. Age 24. 2012: Rock Cats.</li>
<li><i>Chris Colabello</i>. 1B. Age 29. 2012: Rock Cats.</li>
<li><i>Brian Dinkelman</i>. OF. Age 29. 2012: Red Wings.</li>
<li><i>Deolis Guerra</i>. RHP. Age 23. 2012: Rock Cats and Red Wings.</li>
<li><i>Kyle Knudson</i>. C. Age 25. 2012: Snappers and Miracle.</li>
<li><i>Danny Lehmann</i>. C. Age 27. 2012: Rock Cats and Red Wings.</li>
<li><i>Shairon Martis</i>. RHP. Age 25. 2012: AA and AAA between Pirates and Twins systems.</li>
<li><i>Wilkin Ramirez</i>. OF. Age 27. 2012: Miracle, Rock Cats, and Red Wings.</li>
<li><i>Dan Rohlfing</i>. C. Age 23. 2012: Miracle and Rock Cats.</li>
<li><i>Deibinson Romero</i>. 3B. Age 26. 2012: Rock Cats.</li>
<li><i>Anthony Slama</i>. RHP. Age 29. 2012: Red Wings.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>
Guys We Know If We Pay Attention to Other Teams</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Rich Harden</i>. RHP. Age 31. 2012: Injured (A's). Signed as a minor-league free agent.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
</div>
<h4>
Guys We Probably Don't Know But We Want to Welcome to the Twins Organization</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Bryan Augenstein</i>. RHP. Age 26. 2012: AAA of Rays system. Signed as a minor-league free agent.</li>
<li><i>Brandon Boggs</i>. LF. Age 30. 2012: AAA of Pirates system. Signed as a minor-league free agent.</li>
<li><i>Jeff Clement</i>. 1B. Age 29. 2012: AAA and Pirates. Signed as a minor-league free agent.</li>
<li><i>Eric Fryer</i>. C. Age 27. 2012: AAA and Pirates. Signed as a minor-league free agent.</li>
<li><i>Alex Meyer</i>. RHP. Age 23. 2012: A and A+ of Nationals system. Acquired in the Span trade from the Nationals. #40 in MLB's top 100 prospects.</li>
<li><i>Ray Olmedo</i>. 3B. Age 31. 2012: AAA of White Sox system. Signed as minor-league free agent.</li>
<li><i>Mark Sobolewski</i>. 3B. Age 26. 2012: AA and AAA in Blue Jays system. Rule 5 draft from Blue Jays.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h1>
Goners:</h1>
</div>
<div>
Don't be looking for these guys. They're not going to be there.</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><i>Scott Baker.</i> RHP. Signed with the Cubs.</li>
<li><i><i>Matt Capps. </i><span style="font-style: normal;">RHP. Signed a minor-league deal with the Indians.</span></i></li>
<li><i>Matt Carson. </i>OF. Signed with the Indians.</li>
<li><i>Alexi Casilla</i>. IF. Claimed off waivers by Orioles.</li>
<li><i>Carlos Gutierrez.</i> RHP. Claimed off waivers by Cubs.</li>
<li><i>Jeff Manship</i>. RHP. Signed with the Rockies.</li>
<li><i>Tsuyoshi Nishioka</i>. IF. Granted unconditional release and signed with a team in Japan.</li>
<li><i>Carl Pavano</i>. RHP. Unsigned free agent. Recovering from a splenectomy.</li>
<li><i>Ben Revere</i>. OF. Traded to Phillies.</li>
<li><i>Denard Span</i>. OF. Traded to Nationals.</li>
<li><i>Kyle Waldrop</i>. RHP. Signed with the Phillies.</li>
</ul>
</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-42471784212362669172013-01-20T17:18:00.001-06:002013-01-20T17:21:44.038-06:0010 Things to Do and See at TwinsFestThe days are beginning to get noticeably longer. Football teams are being eliminated from the playoffs one-by-one. The Twins Caravan is in full swing. So it must be almost time for TwinsFest.<br />
<br />
I know many fans enjoy going to TwinsFest yearly. Those folks already already know what they want to do. But, if you haven't been in a while, allow me to point out some of my TwinsFest traditions.<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Make a plan:</b> Be sure to visit the <a href="http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/fan_forum/twinsfest.jsp?partnerId=DC-9421474-17460521674-9933634" target="_blank">TwinsFest website</a> to view the autograph and photo schedules. If you're in to these things, you'll want to plan your arrival at the optimum time to visit with your favorite players. Now is the time to gather or purchase the items (photos, baseballs, jerseys, etc.) that you want signed. Allow plenty of standing-in-line time.</li>
<li><b>Grab Seth's book:</b> You've already ordered Seth Stohs' <i><a href="http://twinsdaily.com/1303-minnesota-twins-prospect-handbook-2013-now-available.html" target="_blank">Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013</a></i>, right? It's a must-have for all the cool Twins fans. A fun thing to do is have the prospects sign their entries in the Handbook. If you haven't ordered it, you should get on it (however, you might not get it in time if you opt for standard shipping; there are expedited shipping options). There is also an e-version available for a reduced price. Be warned that I don't recommend you have prospects sign their entries on the e-version of the book. It might ruin your device.</li>
<li><b>Decide whether you'll carry your coat, stash it, or do without</b>: If history is any predictor, it's likely to be the coldest weather in a generation during TwinsFest. This makes it worth taking pause when you're deciding whether your awesome Twins sweatshirt will be warm enough to make the dash to the Dome from your parking spot. If you do wear your coat, try to score a plastic bag when you walk in (they give bags filled with coupons, ads, and other stuff at the doors). If you trust the masses to not steal it and want to stash it among the blue seats, please be considerate to the said masses and stick it somewhere where it isn't likely that some masses will want to place their asses (i.e.: away from the ESPN1500 radio area).</li>
<li><b>Score a grab bag</b>: I love stadium giveaways. Who doesn't? And being the neat freaks that they are, the Twins clean out their closets of all the old giveaways and other treasures, bag them up, and sell them -- a couple years ago, they went for $15 for a large grocery bag. And sometimes, they'll throw in an autographed item. Be sure to get there early, though. They sell out quickly.</li>
<li><b>Get your (or your kids') pic taken with the best mascot in the bigs:</b> There is no doubt that our friend TC Bear is a great mascot. He usually hangs out in the kids' area. And if you're the one getting your picture with him, don't be afraid to butt in line in front of all those kids waiting their turn. (Joking.)</li>
<li><b>Revisit the past</b>: Make sure you take a stroll through the National Baseball Hall of Fame exhibit. They always put on an fascinating display of Twins and baseball heroes from past generations. Plus, you can say howdy to the two Twins World Series trophies.</li>
<li><b>Shop 'til you drop</b>: TwinsFest features the area's largest gathering baseball card and memorabilia vendors. So if you're looking for that elusive 1972 Charlie Manuel card or that Twins-themed Hamm's beer can, you can look for it here. The Twins Pro-shops will also be there, so you can get yourself a sweet new shirsey.</li>
<li><b>Sing your heart out:</b> They'll be holding auditions for singing the National Anthem and God Bless America for the season. So, you're at all musically inclined, you may as well give it a go. What do you have to lose? The worse they can do is point and laugh.</li>
<li><b>Take a load off:</b> It's probably been a while since you've had some horrible stadium food, so grab yourself a Dome Dog and a pop, and take a seat in front of the ESPN1500 radio booth area and listen to what some players, coaches, and other Twins folks have to say. They'll be conducting interviews throughout the event, and it's kind of fun to sit there, rest up, and listen.</li>
<li><b>Get excited for BASEBALL!</b></li>
</ol>
<div>
See you Friday, January 25th through Sunday, January 27</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-35567667335399687292013-01-01T19:54:00.000-06:002013-01-01T19:54:42.236-06:00Book Review: Out of My League<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=kbro-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0806534850&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<br />
Dirk Hayhurst. <b><i>Out of My League: A Rookie's Survival in the Bigs</i></b>. New York, NY: Kensington Publishing Corp., 2012. ISBN 978-0-8065-3553-1<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kbrobaseball.blogspot.com/2010/09/book-reveiw-bullpen-gospels.html">I loved <i>The Bullpen Gospels</i></a>, Dirk Hayhurst's first book, so much that I went out of my way to recommend it to anyone who would listen. Unfortunately, I can't muster that much enthusiasm for his follow-up book <i>Out of My League</i>. In fact, I hesitate to recommend it at all.<br />
<br />
While <i>Gospels</i> is primarily a humor book, <i>League</i> is not. I wouldn't expect him to be able to carry the accounts of minor-league baseball hijinks through a second book -- after all, locker room humor is just locker room humor no matter how many times one writes about it. However, I liked Hayhurst and his storytelling so much, I had high hopes for this story.<br />
<br />
In <i>Gospels</i>, I really appreciated how he opened himself up and shared his self doubts and family struggles, and <i>League</i> focuses on that aspect of his life. Unfortunately however, this time he comes across as whiny and weak. As far as I can recall, the timeline of the two books is about the same. I understand that minor-league life is very difficult, especially for fringe-y talent players, but I found myself just wanting to scold him to buck up and do better. He didn't become sympathetic to me until the last few chapters.<br />
<br />
This book lacked balance. He spent so much energy concentrating on his demons and fears, that his joys and successes seemed out of place and unappreciated. He does share his relationship with his girlfriend/fiancee, but he makes himself seem like such a jerk, I had a hard time believing they're really a happy couple.<br />
<br />
I found this book very difficult to get through. My grade: C-.<br />
<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-78970949871674936742012-12-17T21:36:00.001-06:002012-12-17T21:36:42.476-06:00Quick Notes - Dec. 17 and the WABAC MachineIt's been a while since I've updated, and addition to the Span and Revere trades that I did write about, there's been some activity I need to mention.<br />
<br />
When I last did an update, it was right before the contract-tender deadline and the Winter Meetings. Let's go back in time three weeks to catch up.<br />
<br />
Sherman, set the WABAC machine ...<br />
<br />
<i>bo beep boop bo beep</i><br />
<br />
<b>November 30, 2012</b><br />
Contract-tender Day. This was the date when teams had to decide whether to tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, ensuring that the players stay with the team and likely get a pay raise. <br />
<br />
The Twins tendered contracts to Brain Duensing, Jared Burton, and, to my surprise, Drew Butera. However, they declined to offer a contract to Lester Oliveros, who then became a free agent. But then he turned around and re-signed a minor-league contract with the Twins, so it's all good.<br />
<br />
And, yes, I didn't even know Lester Oliveros was arbitration-eligible. I had done a fair amount of research, but apparently not enough.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>bo beep boop bo beep</i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>December 3, 2012</b></div>
<div>
Fifth anniversary of this very blog. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I remember one of the first posts was something about stressing over Bill Smith's first Winter Meetings where I expected Johan Santana was going to be traded. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also remember a few days later the Tigers acquiring Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These things I remember. Where my cheater glasses are...not so much.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>bo beep boop bo beep</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<b>December 6, 2012</b><br />
Rule 5 Draft Day. The Twins select RHP Ryan Pressly from the Boston Red Sox.<br />
<br />
He's 23 and most likely going to be in the bullpen. It's hard to get excited about Rule 5 draftees; there's a reason they weren't placed on their original team's 40-man roster. But he's young and seems kind of promising.<br />
<br />
At any rate, he'll have to be on the Twins' active roster for the entire 2013 season. If the Twins want to take him off the active roster, they'll have to offer him back to the Red Sox or work out a trade.<br />
<br />
No one takes any players away from the Twins.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>bo beep boop bo beep</i><br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>December 7-11, 2012</b><br />
Twins sign a whole bunch of players I've never heard of, and Clete Thomas, to minor-league contracts.<br />
<br />
<i>bo beep boop bo beep</i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>December 13, 2012</b><br />
Twins sign free agent RHP Kevin Correia.<br />
<br />
When I first saw this news, I thought, well, this probably isn't another another Jason Marquis situation. Then I did some research...strictly National League pitcher, in his 30s, beefy ERA, doesn't strike anyone out.<br />
<br />
Yeah, it's another Jason Marquis situation.<br />
<br />
Crossing fingers that it'll all turn out ok.<br />
<br />
<i>bo beep boop bo beep</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b>Today</b><br />
The Twins reportedly are in agreement to sign free agent RHP Mike Pelfrey, pending a physical.<br />
<br />
Ok, the Twins may fool me once with signing Jason Marquis redux, but they're not going to fool me twice. This time, research before opinion.<br />
<br />
Hmm...strictly National League pitcher, 28, beefy ERA, doesn't strike anyone out. Oh, and he's coming off Tommy John surgery.<br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
Crossing toes now too.k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-76017579503665155852012-12-06T22:13:00.000-06:002012-12-06T22:13:28.992-06:00Bye, BennyIn the span of one week, the Twins have traded two speedy centerfielders. And both times, I've had mixed feelings about the deals.<br />
<br />
Just when Twins fans handed over the responsibilities of centerfielder, lead off hitter, and 'big brother' to the up-and-coming outfielders to Ben Revere, he was traded to the Phillies for two right-handed pitchers. And just when fans were getting past losing Denard Span, another fun-to-watch, popular player was torn away from us.<br />
<br />
Once again, many fans are upset. But for the front office to take this shambles of a ball club somewhere close (or closer, at least) to contention is going to be risky, and messy, ... and painful. And necessary.<br />
<br />
Sure, having popular players around puts a few butts in the seats. However, winning baseball games puts a lot more butts in the seats. And for the current state of the Twins, talented starting pitching is more useful to the organization than popularity.<br />
<br />
I like the Revere trade more than the Span trade, merely because the Twins received more in return. The Twins received starting pitcher Vance Worley and pitching prospect Trevor May.<br />
<br />
Worley will be in the starting rotation right away. He recently had minor elbow clean-up surgery, but he claims he's already fully healed. He didn't have the greatest season in 2012, but he was actually outstanding in 2011. And his nickname is "Vanimal."<br />
<br />
May is a highly-regarded prospect, although probably not quite as high as Alex Meyer, whom they got for Denard Span. He didn't have the best numbers in AA last season, so I can't really tell if he'll start 2013 in AAA or repeat AA for a bit.<br />
<br />
It's still unclear who will be the centerfielder for the Twins now. The official corporate line is that Darin Mastroianni, Joe Benson, and Aaron Hicks will have opportunities to earn the spot in Spring Training.<br />
<br />
I wish Ben all the best in Philly. And, of course, I hope his new fans take good care of him.<br />
<br />
I guess I'm not as worried as I was about Ben's ability to get on base.<br />
<br />
<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-55127706169353000282012-11-29T22:24:00.000-06:002012-11-29T22:24:12.675-06:00Adieu DenardYou've most likely heard by now that the Twins have traded center-fielder Denard Span to the Washington Nationals for RHP prospect Alex Meyer today.<br />
<br />
Being a fan of a sports team has its downfalls. I wouldn't have much fun being a fan if I didn't get a little emotionally attached to some of the guys. The risk of that, of course, is that it's a bummer when they go away. I will certainly miss Denard.<br />
<br />
All the things I've seen on Twitter and websites today about Alex Meyer has been positive. He's a top prospect with the potential to be a front-of-the-rotation guy. That's great for the Twins of 2015. He'll likely start 2013 in AA, and it should be fun to follow his progress. Terry Ryan stated that he still hasn't decided if he'll give Meyer an invitation to Spring Training.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, for casual fans who don't really follow the minor-leaguers, and maybe some hard-core fans who do, this move is less than satisfying. A popular and classy player is gone, and, so far, there hasn't been any desperately-needed improvement to the team for next season. This move kind of hurts for the time being.<br />
<br />
Nationals fans should be pretty excited about acquiring Denard. All the national reporters are saying that he is a perfect fit into their lineup. They needed a good lead-off hitter and centerfielder (Bryce Harper will be moving to LF).<br />
<br />
Denard should be pretty excited, too. He's now on a team that is a legitimate contender. They're a likable team that should be a factor in the playoffs for a while. I wish him all the best. Nationals fans had better take good care of him.<br />
<br />
This apparently means the centerfield and lead-off reins are handed to Ben Revere. That's fine, I can live with that. In fact, I think he's more suited for center than left or right. But I do have an off-season assignment for him: get better at getting on base.k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-24529804007510079472012-11-27T22:05:00.001-06:002012-11-27T22:05:51.892-06:00Quick Notes - Nov. 27<b>The Admitting of Errors and Omissions:</b><br />
The Twins haven't really erred or omitted -- as far as I can tell -- but I have. Specifically, I've omitted (although there's a better than even chance that I've erred as well, but I'm not aware of what it is yet).<br />
<br />
Last time, I totally forgot to mention that Alexi Casilla was claimed off waivers by the Orioles. I not only forgot this event happened, but I also forgot Alexi Casilla existed. Not to be mean or anything, but I've always had a hard time remembering that he's on the team. It's not that I don't recognize him when I see him, or know the name when I hear it. I do. But when I was challenged to name the roster, I was pretty likely to leave him off the list. And this is a guy who was with the team for six years.<br />
<br />
This is sort of fitting, I suppose. He always would come oh-so-close to being a respectable big leaguer, but he never amounted to anything to get excited about. Sure, he'd show flashes of awesome defense, and the few hits he did get seemed to come at highly clutch times, but he didn't really impress me much.<br />
<br />
Best of luck to him.<br />
<br />
<b>The Tendering of Contracts:</b><br />
Teams have until 11 pm Central Time November 30 to decide if they'll offer their arbitration-eligible players contracts. The Twins players are:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Drew Butera</li>
<li>Brian Duensing</li>
<li>Jared Burton</li>
</ul>
<div>
I really can't envision keeping Drew Butera around with all the other catchers currently on the 40-man roster. But it would be just like the Twins to keep him. I fully expect Burton and Duensing to be offered contracts. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyone not tendered a contract will become a free agent.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The Meeting of General Managers in the Winter:</b></div>
<div>
MLB's Winter Meetings will take place December 3-6 in Nashville. All the General Managers get together to talk shop, eat and drink, and maybe discuss trading players. And the media folk hang out in lobbies, hallways, elevators, and public restrooms to see if they can get a nugget of a hint of an inkling of a rumor.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In addition to the other shenanigans, the Rule 5 draft will take place on December 6. Any player who is not currently on a team's 40-man roster and who has been with his team for four or five years (depending on how old he was when he was drafted) is eligible to be drafted by other teams under Rule 5. And if a player is drafted under Rule 5, he must be on the new team's 25-man roster for the entire next season or be offered back to his original team -- or a trade could be worked out (that's what happened with Scott Diamond).</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To prepare for the Rule 5 draft, the Twins added a bucket-load of players to the 40-man roster to protect them from being drafted:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>RHP Kyle Gibson</li>
<li>RHP BJ Hermsen</li>
<li>OF Aaron Hicks</li>
<li>C Josmil Pinto</li>
<li>IF Daniel Santana</li>
<li>LHP Caleb Thielbar</li>
<li>LHP Michael Tonkin</li>
<li>RHP Tim Wood</li>
</ul>
<div>
That fills up the 40-man roster, so there's no room to add anyone should the Twins want to draft someone, unless, of course, one or more of the arbitration-eligible players above are non-tendered.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's it for now. I think. Hmm...pretty sure I didn't forget anything. We'll see.</div>
k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-35419728468031126692012-11-14T22:50:00.000-06:002012-11-14T22:50:22.606-06:00Quick Notes - Nov. 14I've been out of blogging commission for a while; I've been laptopless (not to be confused with topless -- or lapless for that matter). That's been resolved, so here I am again. Not that there's much shocking news to write about, but here it is anyway.<br />
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<b>New Guys</b><br />
The Twins have added a few new players, but no one to get really excited about.<br />
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Infielder Tommy Field (yes, a fielder named Field) and right-handed pitcher Josh Roenicke were claimed off waivers. Relief pitcher Tim Wood and catcher Eric Fryer signed minor-league deals with invitations to Spring Training.<br />
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Field and Roenicke are currently on the 40-man roster, but they may be designated for assignment prior to the Rule 5 draft in December (they would have to go through waivers again in order to be assigned to AAA).<br />
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<b>Current Guy</b><br />
Samuel Deduno was outrighted to AAA. He was briefly a minor-league free agent, but he quickly re-signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training.<br />
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<b>Old Guys</b><br />
Free agent pitcher Scott Baker signed a 1-year deal with the Cubs for $5.5 million with another $1.5 million in incentives. Baker and the Twins had been interested in a contract reunion, but they weren't close enough to get it done. Joe Christensen of the StarTribune reported that the Twins wanted an option for 2014, but Baker wanted to be a free agent again next off season. It's not often when you see the team wants more years than the player. I also think the Cubs paid more than what the Twins should have paid. Anyway, best of luck to Scott.<br />
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Former Twin and Angel Torii Hunter is back in the AL Central. He signed a nice, fat contract with the Detroit Tigers for 2 years, $26 million. Wow. I know he's a good player and all, but he's not a youngster any more. I'd wish him the best of luck, but I don't want a division rival to have any luck.<br />
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Former Twin and new Marlins manager Mike Redmond will have an interesting first season with the team. The Marlins sent away a number of their star players to the Blue Jays for cheaper players. It was a 11-player affair. I have to believe that a deal this complicated takes a long time, and it was in the works when he interviewed for the job. At least, for his sake, I hope so. Best of luck to him.<br />
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Hearty congratulations to former Twin and current Met RA Dickey for winning the NL Cy Young award. Now before Twins fans get all in a snit about how we no longer have a guy who's good enough to win the Cy Young, remember that his knuckleball was still very much a works-in-progress back in those days. In fact, when he signed with the Mets, it was a minor-league deal. At any rate, he had a great season; best of luck for next season.k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-76486127820408550872012-11-01T20:38:00.001-05:002012-11-01T20:38:36.226-05:00Quick Notes -- Nov. 1Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants for winning the World Series. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who was surprised that the Tigers weren't able to make a better series out it, especially after they mopped up the Yankees so handily. But it's just as well; the weather wouldn't have cooperated in Detroit for a game 5. Silly old Sandy.<br />
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~~~ <br />
<br />
Now that the World Series is over, players who qualify have become free agents. Friday at 11 pm Central time is the deadline for the former teams to have exclusive negotiating rights with free agents. After that time, the players may discuss contracts with any team.<br />
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Teams won't get an additional draft pick if their former players sign with other teams unless they offer a qualifying one-year deal first. The dollar amount for the qualifying deal is the average of the top 125 salaries in MLB. That wound up being higher than expected -- originally it was believed to be about $12.5 million; turns out it's something like $13 million. This qualifying offer thing doesn't affect the Twins at all.<br />
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The Twins free agents are Carl Pavano, Matt Capps, and Scott Baker.<br />
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Carl Pavano pitched in only 11 games in 2012 due to a bum shoulder. Too bad, too. Just when everyone started believing he could be durable (after two-plus solid years for the Twins), he's not any more. I haven't heard any indications that the Twins are interested in re-signing him. I did, however, see on some lame rumor site that "sports talkers in the Twin Cities have been speculating that Pavano is planning to hang up his glove this winter...." Ok, I had not heard that at all; I guess I don't listen to the right "sports talkers." While I wouldn't be terribly surprised if Pavano does retire, I'm not going to rely on some South Florida gossip monger to give me reliable baseball news. Here's the link to the site: <a href="http://gossipextra.com/2012/10/25/carl-pavano-florida-house-1952/">http://gossipextra.com/2012/10/25/carl-pavano-florida-house-1952/</a><br />
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Matt Capps had a $6 million team option, but the Twins declined it and paid him a $250,000 buyout. Capps' 2 1/2 years in Minnesota didn't go as well as everyone had hoped due to injury and ineffectiveness. He's not a horrible pitcher, but he just isn't a good closer. He seemed like a really nice guy; I hope he hooks on with another team.<br />
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Scott Baker had a $9.25 million team option, but the Twins declined it. There was no buyout. However, the scuttlebutt around town is that both Baker and the Twins are interested in hashing out a deal that would be less money but a lot of incentives. Baker missed all of 2012 due to surprise Tommy John surgery (the surgery wasn't the surprise, the fact that it had to be ligament replacement was). I'd be cool with him coming back.<br />
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~~~<br />
<br />
The Twins are preparing their 40-man roster for the off-season; a bunch of guys got outrighted right off of it. Matt Carson, Carlos Gutierrez, Jeff Manship, Luis Perdomo, Esmerling Vasquez, Kyle Waldrop, and PJ Walters were designated for assignment to the minor leagues.<br />
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The players have to pass through waivers, and Gutierrez didn't clear; the Chicago Cubs claimed him. So he's gone.<br />
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Players with a certain amount of service time may decline the assignment, thereby becoming minor-league free agents. Walters did just that, but then he turned right around and re-signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. I don't really get why he declined a minor-league assignment just to re-sign a minor-league contract, but I guess the new deal is better somehow.<br />
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~~~<br />
<br />
The Twins announced their 2012 Diamond Awards. Josh Willingham was named Twins MVP, Scott Diamond was named Pitcher of the Year and Outstanding Rookie, and Ben Revere was named Best Defensive Player and Most Improved. I figured that Joe Mauer was the more valuable player, but I don't have a problem with Willinghammer winning it. He had pretty good numbers, and I really like him. So, good for these guys for being the few bright spots in a dim season.<br />
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~~~<br />
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Hearty congratulations to our old friend Mike Redmond. He's just been hired as the manager of the Miami Marlins, replacing Ozzie Guillen. I'm so happy for Red-dog. I really miss his personality around the Twins team. I'm glad he can take his legendary "naked walkabout" to bigger and better clubhouses.<br />
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Way to go, Mike. Smell 'em.<br />
<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6494675973354073448.post-51452506176195428212012-10-06T11:45:00.000-05:002012-10-06T11:45:57.996-05:00Chicks Dig The Infield Fly Rule -- Somtimes<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>An <strong>INFIELD</strong> <strong>FLY</strong> is a fair fly ball (not including a line drive nor an attempted bunt) which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort, when first and second, or first, second and third bases are occupied, before two are out. The pitcher, catcher and any outfielder who stations himself in the infield on the play shall be considered infielders for the purpose of this rule.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>When it seems apparent that a batted ball will be an Infield Fly, the umpire shall immediately declare Infield Fly for the benefit of the runners. If the ball is near the baselines, the umpire shall declare Infield Fly, if Fair.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball. If the hit becomes a foul ball, it is treated the same as any foul.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>If a declared Infield Fly is allowed to fall untouched to the ground, and bounces foul before passing first or third base, it is a foul ball. If a declared Infield Fly falls untouched to the ground outside the baseline, and bounces fair before passing first or third base, it is an Infield Fly.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Rule 2.00 (Infield Fly) Comment: On the infield fly rule the umpire is to rule whether the ball could ordinarily have been handled by an infielder, not by some arbitrary limitation such as the grass, or the base lines. The umpire must rule also that a ball is an infield fly, even if handled by an outfielder, if, in the umpires judgment, the ball could have been as easily handled by an infielder. The infield fly is in no sense to be considered an appeal play. The umpires judgment must govern, and the decision should be made immediately.</em></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>When an infield fly rule is called, runners may advance at their own risk. If on an infield fly rule, the infielder intentionally drops a fair ball, the ball remains in play despite the provisions of Rule 6.05 (L). The infield fly rule takes precedence.</em></span> <br />
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I love the Infield Fly Rule. I love it because everyone knows about it, but no one really understands it. It's my go-to for smacking down knowledge on doofuses who don't believe that a chick can really understand baseball. <br />
<br />
Whether you're a die-hard or casual fan, after Friday's Braves-Cardinals game, you've thought and heard more about the Infield Fly Rule than you ever expected. Probably more than you wanted.<br />
<br />
Let's recap what happened: Braves had two runners on base with one out. The batter, Andrelton Simmons, lifted a pop up to short left field. Neither the Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma nor left fielder Matt Holliday caught the ball. Bases loaded with one out, right? Wrong! The Infield Fly Rule was called; batter's out and the runners go back to their original bases. Also, a fan riot ensues.<br />
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Infield Fly Rule?! In the outfield?! Really?!<br />
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Was it the right call? According to the rule, a ball "which can be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort" is called an Infield Fly. It specifically doesn't state <em>where</em> the ball should be caught, only that an infielder, or other player positioned in the infield, should be catching it -- as long as it's in fair territory. So, under the letter of the rule, it's not an incorrect call.<br />
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Did this call make a difference in the game? After I saw some replays, it looks to me like Kozma was camped under the ball, and when the umpire called the Infield Fly, Kozma believed Holliday was calling him off and he ducked away. If the umpire, Sam Holbrook, would have zipped his mouth, Kozma would have remained under the ball, and made the catch. Batter's out and the runners go back to their original bases. Just the same thing, without all the chaos afterward.<br />
<br />
But (and it's a big but), with all that being said, I believe it was a bad ball. It wasn't necessary wrong, but it was poorly applied.<br />
<br />
The spirit of the rule is to protect the base runners from the infielder intentionally dropping the ball and initiating a double play. That wasn't at all at risk of happening in Atlanta.<br />
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Also, what does "ordinary effort" really mean? Ordinary for whom? Even though the Kozma appeared to be camped under the ball at one point, I believe that it still took more than ordinary effort for him to get there. I'm not familiar with how he plays, but he seemed pretty speedy on that play.<br />
<br />
Because this is an "umpire's discretion" call, no amount of appealing, or replaying, or robo-umpiring will change it. And it shouldn't. But the umpires need to make more sound decisions.<br />
<br />k-brohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11767485845479339809noreply@blogger.com0