Twins

It was a rough week for the Twins with nine straight losses. The club hasn't won a game since May 13th. Two fifths of the starting rotation was replaced including sending down Opening Day starter Vance Worley. Even on a night where Josh Willingham hits two home runs, the club still can't find a way to win.

Minnesota does have two of the best team's in all of the minor leagues. This can make it fun to dream about the future. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton could turn into monster MLB players. ...

Tags: aaron hicks, atlanta braves, byron buxton, chris colabello, francisco liriano, houston astros, kevin gausman, kyle gibson, nick blackburn, nick punto, oswaldo arcia, sam deduno, travis harrison, vance worley

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Other Baseball , Twins , Minor Leagues

I originally posted this story back in spring training under the title "Chris Colabello continues his fairy tale." With the recent news of his promotion to the Twins, I thought it would be appropriate to move it back to the front page of this blog. I have added in some information about his season so far.
One of the best stories in the Twins organization in 2012 was the tale of a 28-year old man that got his first taste of baseball with an affiliated club. Chris Colabello had molded himself ...

Tags: can-am association, chris colabello, new britain rock cats, rochester red wings, team italy, world baseball classic

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Twins , Minor Leagues

It has been quite the wild ride for Mr. Caleb J. Thielbar on his way to the major leagues.

The 26-year old left-hander was called-up by the Minnesota Twins on Monday after the team demoted fifth starter Pedro Hernandez. Thielbar is not a starter so the team will need to make another roster move before Friday's game to fill out the rotation. Options for this spot include Kyle Gibson, Sam Deduno, and PJ Walters.

Thielbar was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 18th ...

Tags: 2009 mlb draft, caleb thielbar, fort myers miracle, glen perkins, milwaukee brewers, new britain rock cats, rochester red wings, st. paul saints

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Twins , Minor Leagues

It wasn't the best week for the Twins as the team lost the rubber game of their three game set with the Orioles on Sunday. This was followed by losing two out of three games to the dreaded White Sox.

Even with the poor play, Joe Mauer continues to be one of the best hitters in the game (.519/.594/.704 in the last 7 days). Aaron Hicks showed off all of his skills in one game to help the team to their only win of the week. It wasn't all bad for Justin Morneau either as he hit over .460 ...

Tags: aaron hicks, adam walker, byron buxton, chris colabello, joe mauer, jorge polanco, kohl stewart, mariano rivera, mike redmond, nate hanson, niko goodrum, sean manaea, tom brunansky, torii hunter, travis harrison

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Twins , Minor Leagues , Other Baseball

On Wednesday night in Rochester, New York, Cole De Vries will take the mound for the Red Wings in what could be his final rehab start before being taken off the disable list. The right-handed hurler has been dealing with a strain on the outer part of his forearm and he has yet to appear in a game for the Twins this season.

De Vries is an interesting player in the Twins system. Last season, he was finally rewarded for his time and dedication to the ...

Tags: cole de vries, fort myers miracle, mike pelfrey, new britain rock cats, pedro hernandez, rochester red wings, vance worley

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Twins , Minor Leagues

It's getting close to the end of the first fourth of the season and the Twins are still flirting with the .500 mark. There is a lot of baseball left to play but it has been an encouraging first portion of the season for Twins fans. Some surprise pitching performances, a good offense and a stingy bullpen have the club in range of the top of the division.

So how did this Twins team get here and is this pace sustainable for the remainder of the season? ...

Updated 05-14-2013 at 01:13 PM by Kevin

Tags: aaron hicks, cole devries, joe mauer, josh willingham, justin morneau, kevin correia, kyle gibson, mike pelfrey, oswaldo arcia, pedro hernandez, scott diamond, terry ryan, vance worley

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Twins

It has been a season of streaks so far this year for Joe Mauer.

Things started well in the first couple weeks of the season. Through 14 games, he was hitting .393/.439/.574 with two home runs and five doubles. His batting average was high, he was hitting the ball out of the park, and the Twins team was surprising experts with their .500 record.

It was quite as pretty at the plate for Mr. Mauer over the next 12 games. His batting numbers ...

Tags: earl webb, fenway park, james loney, joe mauer, miguel cabrera, mike napoli, target field

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Twins

Episode 37 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.

On Episode 37, Cody and Eric are joined by Baseball Prospectus‘ Jason Parks to talk about the Twins Minor League system. Jason Parks has plenty to say about Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, as well as some of the pitching prospects.

Before Jason Parks ...

Updated 05-11-2013 at 06:11 AM by Cody Christie

Tags: baseball prospectus, byron buxton, jason parks, joe mauer, kevin correia, michael tonkin, miguel sano, mike pelfrey, oswaldo arcia, podcast, scott diamond, talk to contact

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Twins , Minor Leagues

The Twins keep finding ways to surprise as the team still sits around the .500 mark and it is close to a month and a half into the season. Minnesota's bats finally woke up in Boston with some big numbers put up in the four game series by Oswaldo Arcia and Joe Mauer. The club took three out of the four games to close out their recent road trip.

This weekend the Baltimore Orioles are coming to Target Field for a three game set. Baltimore is off to another good start after last year's ...

Tags: aaron hicks, byron buxton, carlos gomez, carlos santana, darin mastroianni, josh willingham, josmil pinto, kirby puckett, matt kemp, miguel sano, oswaldo arcia, sam deduno, scott diamond, vance worley

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Twins , Minor Leagues , Other Baseball

On Tuesday over at ESPN's Sweetspot, an article was penned about the golden age of leadoff hitters. Major League Baseball could be in the middle of one of the best year's ever for the leadoff hitter. 1965, 1975, 1987, and 2004 were some other great years for men at the top of the order but this year could be historic.

Players like Shin-Soo Choo, Austin Jackson, Alex Gordon, Ian Kinsler, and Carl Crawford are leading a pack of leadoff hitters that are among some of the best in all of ...

Updated 05-08-2013 at 06:04 PM by Cody Christie

Tags: aaron hicks, alex gordon, austin jackson, brian dozier, carl crawford, eduardo escobar, ian kinsler, jamey carroll, pedro florimon, shin-soo choo

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Twins , Other Baseball

CAUTION: This exercise is meant to be a fun. There is obviously a lot that goes into finding a starting pitcher for the top of the rotation. In the past, the Twins have had the opportunity to draft some of the top pitchers in the game.

The Twins have struggled to accumulate starting pitching. This stems from a variety of factors. Their drafting strategy, their ability to sign international players, and their willingness to spend big money on the free agent market are all factors that ...

Tags: adam wainwright, cc sabathia, denard span, james shields, jason hammel, jason kubel, jon lester, lucas harrell, matt cain, michael cuddyer, ra dickey, tim hudson, tommy milone, yovani gallardo, yu darvish

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Twins , Other Baseball

The Twins continue their longest road trip of the year so far with games in Cleveland over the weekend. A four game series with the Boston Red Sox is looming at the beginning of next week but Minnesota needs to concentrate on beating opponents from the AL Central.

To the surprise of many experts and fans, the Twins are still sitting around the .500 mark. The team recorded their 12th win on the first day of May. Last year, the Twins didn't record win number 12 until May 17 so it is ...

Tags: aaron hicks, babe ruth, bryon buxton, delmon young, fort myers miracle, francisco liriano, glen perkins, jim thome, joe mauer, liam hendriks, miguel sano, mike pelfrey, roger maris

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Twins , Other Baseball

At the end of last season, things must have been a little tense around the Ron Gardenhire household. The Twins were coming off of back-to-back 90-loss seasons and Gardenhire only had one season left on his current contract. It was inevitable for some changes to take place and almost all of Gardy's coaching staff would not be hired back or would be reassigned.

The sporting world can be cruel when a team isn't performing well on the field. Twins fans weren't used to this kind of shake-up ...

Tags: aaron hicks, alex meyer, kyle gibson, metrodome, oswaldo arcia, pohlad family, ron gardenhire, target field, terry ryan, tom kelly, trevor may

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Twins

When the Twins traded Francisco Liriano to the Chicago White Sox last July, it seemed like the club was getting a bag of balls and some chewing gum in return. There wasn't much to get excited about with names like Pedro Hernadez and Eduardo Escobar. Flashforward a couple of months later and it is starting to look more and more like the Twins got some servicable players.

Escobar has built himself a nice little niche in the Twins clubhouse. Manager Ron Gardenhire uses him as a late inning ...

Tags: chris parmelee, eduardo escobar, joe mauer, josh willingham, miguel cabrera, pedro florimon, pedro hernandez, robinson cano, ron gardenhire

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Twins