Blog Comments

Nice report.

I hope they get to see Pinto or Herrmann in a long enough stretch this year so the Twins can determine if either has the defense to be a viable back up catcher for 2014.

I am not sure that the Twins can get back anything more valuable than what Doumit can provide with the bat in 2014 so he may not be an asset on the trade market. If not, he would have value as a switch hitting DH/bench bat/emergency catcher on next year's roster.

Great report. I think this is why I love pro baseball (and this site): there is so much more action and so many more stories with the minor leagues added in.

Good point -- a guy that can play 3 infield positions well has a shot to move up in this organization!

I noticed Christian at spring training. He is taller and whiter than almost all of the other middle infielders. He seems to have a pretty nice lefthanded stroke and runs pretty well. He picked the right organization if he wants to have a chance to move up.

If Hermsen adds MPH there should be steroid testing done.
It will be interesting what develops from last year's pitching selections from the draft as they get a full year under their belt. Can Bard start. Is Baxendale a legit starter. Can any of the drafted relievers become starters.

And . . . with the Ben Revere trade now official, please add Vance Worley as, I guess, a #3 starter to this list. He had similar service time to Revere, so my guess is that he is a ways from free agency, too.

Originally Posted by Jim H

I think that the oft repeated refrain that there is no pitching in the Twins system, is overstating the case. Pitching, even starting pitching, can move quickly through the system. There are several interesting guys beyond those you mentioned. I think it is a bit early to be sure that Hermsen can't add both velocity and "stuff" to his toolbox. Salcedo and some of the more recent draftees and international signing have some promise.

Good catch on Hermsen. I liked what I saw out of him for the Rock Cats last season. I'm no expert -- it's tough to project what his ceiling is. It would be great if he could add a couple MPH, though, to go along with his good control.

I think that the oft repeated refrain that there is no pitching in the Twins system, is overstating the case. Pitching, even starting pitching, can move quickly through the system. There are several interesting guys beyond those you mentioned. I think it is a bit early to be sure that Hermsen can't add both velocity and "stuff" to his toolbox. Salcedo and some of the more recent draftees and international signing have some promise.

Good call on revisiting Wimmers. Word was that he had gotten past many control issue before his injury. Lets hope that he can recover properly and find control again. Also, this will be a big year for the college relievers that we drafted last spring and are trying to convert to starters. Hopefully some of them pan out.

Too bad Span going on the DL killed his trade value. Hopefully he gets traded, Revere fills in at Center, and Hicks can take his time in AAA. Revere is an abover average centerfielder.

WIth Span, we could have an outfield of Hicks in Left, Span in Center, and Revere in Right. Arcia could DH and play the Kubel role. The hammer could be San Fran or anywhere and we could get some great pitching prospects. Boy for the 3rd worst team in the league I sure am giddy with excitement...

Now lets go out and spend 30 million on a pitcher or 2 and we will be good for 3rd in the Central

Nice article TFFA. Hicks' breakout season is probably the highlight of this season for the organization from my perspective. Last winter I was really hoping that his AFL performance was going to be a sign of things to come... and it was! It would have been nice to see him get a September call-up, but I agree with your take that there would be no playing time. Parmelee needs to play everyday.

Was Beloit's game yesterday a playoff game? or do the playoffs start soon?

Thanks for the comments, guys.
Yea, hindsight is the big thing. I was pumped for Target Field, and the 2010 lineup was pretty great compared to most other Twins teams. It's tough to think about erasing some of those memories.

I'd say it'd be worth it to have Harper instead, but this only comes with 100% hindsight. I was totally jazzed about the 2010 season as our best chance to win a World Series, especially to christen the new stadium. If they had failed in the regular season I would have been pretty sour on it, and they had such a good nucleus built from the 2009 season that I don't think they were going to fail period. But I couldn't care less about them just making the playoffs that year. We had already won a ton of division titles, and were promised that the new stadium and higher payroll would make for a team that would go deep into the playoffs. Instead, they were embarrassed by the Yankees yet again, and now have a historic 12-game playoff losing streak to break when they return to the postseason.

That being said, I still do savor the memories of Thome's stint with the Twins, especially his walk-off against the White Sox. That was fantastic.

No. Great inaugural season. Playoff appearance. Washington hasn't won anything yet. My 2 cents

Another thorough report with the always appreciated links to the box scores.

I am very happy to hear that Buxton is off to a strong start at E-Town.

You can watch almost every Twins game on Mlb TV for $20 Dollars a month.

That also includes every MLB game outside of your Market.

Good to see Gibson continue his dominance over the GCL. I hope the Twins move him up to stiffer competition soon.

Nicely put.

I would disagree with a few points. I don't think that because we didn't trade Kubel, Cuddy or Joe Nathan last year doesn't mean we won't make moves this year. Those were Bill Smith decisions, not Terry Ryan decisions. I think Smith must have taken enough criticism from the media for the Capps/Ramos trade the year before that it made him unwilling to do anything. At the same time, the Twins were on a winning streak before the deadline and he probably honestly thought that the team was back in contention. He was definitely wrong. But losing those three guys did strengthen the organization through extra draft picks. These are probably all points of a 1%'er though.

I think my long rant provided more proof of the type of people that read and post on this site.

Pretty soon it will be 100%. A complete failure!