Each year, I try to do a Minnesota Twins Top 52 Prospect list right before the draft. That way, we're looking at players who have (generally) now been in the organization for at least a year. It can also give you a sense of which positions have some strength. Through nearly two months of the season, there have been several very impressive performances throughout the organization. Many of the top prospects are in the lower levels, but when you put together this list, you see that there are a few ...
Photo Courtesy of: Jesse Johnson- USA TODAY Sports Article originally published on rantsports.com Since Joe Nathan suffered a season-ending injury prior to the 2010 season, the Twins have seen a vast array of different pitchers to audition to fill the role of closer. Even Nathan himself came back for the 2011 season to nail down a few saves, but the Twins have seen players such as Jon Rauch, Matt Capps, Jared Burton and Glen Perkins try ...
This post is a little delayed coming. Apologies. But the good news is that I've had time to process a little on Alex Meyer after having seen two of his not-so-good starts. And I've come to a conclusion: when Meyer misses it's because his pitches are high. Those misses are driving up the pitch count, gradually slowing down his fastball, causing him to tire and not go as deep into games as is necessary for the ace pitcher we expect him to become. I attended one of his recent starts, ...
I hope I can quit saying this soon, but once again Sam Deduno proves not only that he belongs but he can be dominant. He is the best starter on the Twins staff (ok I know thats not saying much) When i hear the self aggrandizing pundits proclaim, that we are desperate, to have to use the likes of Deduno and Walters...I almost puke and this shows their complete lack of knowledge. Walters maybe, but Deduno can be great if the Twins just let him.
The Twins finished off their road trip with two wins in Milwaukee over the last couple days. Now the border battle moved to Target Field for a couple of games. Trevor Plouffe was reinstated from the 7-day concussion disabled list but he was a late scratch with some left calf tightness. This meant Chris Colabello was sent back to Rochester. Maybe it was because the rookie wore the wrong jersey on Tuesday night. This leaves the Twins with three catchers on their roster including Chris ...
Who IS This Guy? Young Texan Kohl Stewart (6’ 3, 195) is widely considered the top prep pitcher in the nation. Kohl Stewart is also, according to ESPN, the 6th best high-school quarterback in the nation and is committed to Texas A&M. Stewart is equipped with a mid-90s fastball (an improvement over last summer) and a “nasty” slider. The mid-80s slider projects as – if it’s not already – a plus pitch. It’s a legitimate strikeout pitch. He’s ...
I've blogged about the disappointing offense for the 2013 Twins and pointed out three guys who are offensive tail enders. Brian Dozier--limited ceiling middle infielder, Chris Parmelee--right fielder/first baseman who has teased the Twins with good stretches, but has failed once and is failing again to secure a spot from the start of the season and now Aaron Hicks. Aaron Hicks ranks fifteenth of fifteen center fielders in OPS. He started the season as the Twins' leadoff hitter and ...
Here is my updated prospect list as the Twins head into the draft. I do this in order to provide context for my post-draft list. The post-draft list will be in detail (pre-season ranking in parentheses). 1. Byron Buxton (4) 2. Miguel Sano (1) 3. Oswaldo Arcia (3) 4. Kyle Gibson (8) 5. Alex Meyer (5) 6. Eddie Rosario (6) 7. Jose Berrios (7) 8. Jorge Polanco (28) 9. Trevor May (10) 10. Max Kepler (9) 11. Travis Harrison (12) ...
I introduced my thoughts on the Twins' failings on offense and pointed out three players who are toward the bottom of the statistical pile--Brian Dozier, Chris Parmelee and Aaron Hicks. I profiled Dozier as a low-ceiling guy in a position of need and optimistically said that he is capable of a .675-.700 OPS, which would be good enough to keep his job going forward. Chris Parmelee is my next topic. Chris Parmelee was a #1 draft choice for the Twins in 2006. He progressed slowly ...
As the season approaches the one-third mark, the Twins have slipped well below .500 and are now in a logjam of teams (a half game ahead of Toronto and Seattle, tied with KC, a half game behind the Angels) that has to look up to see respectability and only solidly ahead of one team (the woebegone Astros). Starting pitching is the main culprit, but the team hasn't produced offensively either. The Twins are 10th in runs per game, 14th (next to last) in OPS and homers and last in slugging. The offensive ...
Also posted at wgom.org Mike Stenhouse (1958) Matt Macri (1982) Outfielder/first baseman Michael Steven Stenhouse played for the Twins in 1985. He was born in Pueblo, Colorado, attended Harvard, and was drafted by Montreal in the first round of the January Secondary draft in 1980. His father, Dave Stenhouse, pitched for the Washington Senators in the 1960s. He hit very well in the minors, but never got much of a chance in the big leagues. In 1982, Stenhouse hit ...
Sorry, yesterday was a busy day. Mike Maksudian (1966) Lester Oliveros (1988) Catcher/first baseman Michael Bryant Maksudian played in five games for the Twins in 1993. He was born in Belleville, Illinois, went to high school in Parsippany, New Jersey, and attended the University of South Alabama. He was signed by the White Sox as a free agent in 1987. He was a fairly solid hitter in the minors, but did not hit well enough for a first baseman and did not ...
Through May 21, the Cedar Rapids Kernels had built up an impressive 30-13 record and held a five game lead over their closest competition in the Western Division of the Midwest League. They then left town for a quick three-game road trip to Beloit after taking three out of four games from Kane County. They had no clue at that time that they not only would get swept by the second place Snappers on that trip, but would also return home and drop all three games of a series against the ...
With the advancement of statistical analysis playing a prominent role in major league front offices, some teams have begun to gear their broadcast teams towards being able to move the dialogue forward with their fan base over the airwaves. The Houston Astros hired Robert Ford and former major league knuckler Steve Sparks to push the needle for the revamped front office, which includes plenty of brain power making decisions based on sciences rather than guts, ...
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