Over the Baggy

Joe Mauer carries a lot of pressure on his knees, both physically and metaphorically speaking.

Some of that is pressure a few of us can relate to, like being a newly married man with a family on the way (twins, no less). Most of it, however, we can’t. Like checking your bank account and seeing a figure which includes multiple commas or getting buzzed by a Chris Sale fastball followed by a slider that seems to bend through space and time. And the scrutiny ...

About a year ago, the Minnesota Twins left Florida with a roster of 25, bound for the Twin Cities and, ultimately, the basement of the American League Central.

Quite a bit of turnover has occurred from that collection of individuals – a whopping 12 from the 2012 Opening Day roster are no longer with the organization. Several of those players caught on elsewhere but have deemed unfit to place on another team’s 40-man roster. A few of those are out of major ...

On Thursday night, the Minnesota Twins showcased two of their potential starters for their remaining rotation vacancy – Liam Hendriks and Cole Devries.

Together, the pair silenced the Yankees’ bats over eight innings, allowing just one unearned run over eight innings.

Of course, spring training is not about the results but the process. For Hendriks, that process included peppering in more non-fastballs. As was discussed during the Fox Sports ...

Tags: cole devries, liam hendriks, minnesota twins, roster, rotation

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It is probably an indictment of the Minnesota Twins’ rotation when the biggest conversation of the month of March is focused on the performance of a pitcher who is currently not on the team’s 40 man roster.

As Mike Pelfrey, Vance Worley and Kevin Correia continue to turn in clunkers in the Grapefruit League, Samuel Deduno’s sometimes sloppy, sometimes dominating but always energetic outings in the World Baseball Classic -- including last night’s five inning, ...

Tags: kevin correia, mike pelfrey, minnesota twins, samuel deduno, vance worley

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Technology is amazing, isn’t it?

Sure, we’re missing the flying cars, moon colonies and hover boards but the fact that we all basically carry around personal computers/television sets that can make phone calls in our pocket is pretty mind-blowing.

Baseball, while it may seem archaic with the bats made from trees and game play which doesn’t involve a time clock, is actually progressive and embracive of new technologies off the field. Not long ...

Tags: baseball america, hit f/x, joe mauer, josh willingham, matt eddy, minnesota twins

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Don’t look now, but Samuel Deduno has not walked a batter yet this spring.

I know, I know: It has been five meaningless spring innings. Give it time, right? And, sure, four of those innings were against Spain in the World Baseball Classic, a team whose lineup was littered with players lacking even minor league deals. Pump the brakes, Parker.

The reality is that last year he handed out more free passes than the gals standing out front of Dream ...

Tags: samuel deduno, world baseball classic

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Liam Hendriks could very well be one of the five starting pitchers the Minnesota Twins take north when camp breaks at the end of the month.

He has the minor league numbers to show that he capable of retiring batters. He just needs to do the same against major league hitters. One area he needs to improve on in 2013 is achieving better result when he releases a slider from his fingertips.

Coming off the season he had last year, no one would blame ...

Tags: liam hendriks, mechanics, minnesota twins, slider

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Vance Worley is poised for his second unofficial start for the Minnesota Twins today.

Compared to the other recent additions to the rotation, the 25-year-old right-hander’s first outing in the Grapefruit League was very positive. He worked two innings, allowed a pair of hits but didn’t allow any runs. Feedback from his new manager was good.

“I like him. He looks like a gunslinger with that windup,” Ron Gardenhire told reporters following the team’s 5-4 victory over the ...

Tags: changeup, minnesota twins, phillies, pirates, ron gardenhire, roy halladay, vance worley

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Ryan Pressly’s odds of making the bullpen when the Minnesota Twins break camp in April appear somewhere between slim and none.

On a liberal guess, there are likely three spots open and two of those may already belong to Alex Burnett and Anthony Swarzak. The remaining vacancy? That’s competition between a Twins’ bullpen incumbent in Casey Fein, baseball’s relief innings leader last season in Josh Roenicke, and two former major leaguers trying to re-establish their careers in Rich Harden ...

Tags: minnesota twins, phil miller, rhett bollinger, rule 5, ryan pressly

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Last year, as Brian Dozier’s offensive season sank deeper in the abyss, Andrew Bryz-Gornia at TwinkieTown pointed out how many different stances Dozier displayed.

While the frequent changes in his batting stance acted as a visual barometer to his overall hitting struggles – the constant alteration a sign that he never was comfortable at the plate – his front side mechanics may have been one of the sources that led to his poor numbers.

In 2012, Dozier’s swing contained a ...

Tags: brian dozier, josh willingham, minnesota twins, scouting

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Mike Pelfrey, or “the Big Pelf’ as he is called, towers at six feet, seven inches tall.

Because of his substantial stature, it is likely that when Pelfrey starts saying that he will be ready to pitch by April this year, there is nary a person around to tell him otherwise. Even the Minnesota Twins figure that Pelfrey, who had Tommy John surgery in May 2011, will be ready by the opener, less than a year after the procedure.

“If the season started ...

Tags: chicago cubs, mike pelfrey, minnesota twins, scott baker, tommy john

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Age: 21 (DOB: 05/09/1991)
2012 Stats
(A+/AA): .320/.388/.539, 17 HR, 98 RBI, 76 R, 4/9 SB
ETA: 2013

It has been a while since the Minnesota Twins had major league ready offensive talent in their farm system knocking on the door of the big club. Outfielder Oswaldo Arcia appears to be wiping his feet at the welcome mat.

Of course, there are just a few more steps - and players - ahead of him.

One of ...

Tags: minnesota twins, oswaldo arcia, top prospects

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Age: 21 (DOB: 09/28/1991)
2012 Stats
(RK/A): .299/.347/.499, 13 HR, 74 RBI, 62 R, 11/22 SB
ETA: 2015

So far, Eddie Rosario’s minor league career has been largely overshadowed by Miguel Sano.

It’s a common phenomenon with any pairing. One emerges as the fan favorite and the other continues doing valuable if underappreciated work. Maris had Mantle. Oates had Hall. Colmes had Hannity. The guy on the left of Milli Vanilli had the guy ...

Tags: eddie rosario, minnesota twins, top prospects

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Age: 23 (DOB: 09/23/1989)
2012 Stats (AA): 10-13, 149.2 IP, 4.87 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 151/78 K/ BB
ETA: 2014

On paper, Trevor May has all the makings of an elite pitcher. At six-foot-five and 215 pounds, the 22-year-old right-hander has the stature of a legit workhorse.

“Just his build, he is built just like a pitcher,” remarked Dusty Wathan, May’s manager at Reading (AA) last year. “If you were going to build a starting pitcher ...

Tags: ben revere, minnesota twins, top prospects, trevor may, twins daily

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