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On International Signing Day, the Twins locked in Dominican shortstop Amaurys Minier for $1.4 million - leaving them with approximately $1.5 million to divvy up among any other international signings.

According to Baseball America, the six-foot-two Minier ranked 12th among available prospects and was the fourth-best rated shortstop prospect. The switch-hitting Minier has a decent sized frame including a stout lower-half making many evaluators believe that he will eventually move from his original position to third base.

Here's what the scouting report on him from the Dominican Prospect League has to say: ...

On Sunday afternoon, the 2012 MLB All-Star rosters were announced for the American League and the National League. There were a few different candidates that had the opportunity to be selected to be the Twins representative. Joe Mauer is near the top of the AL in a variety of batting categories and he plays a premium defensive position. Josh Willingham started off the season on quite the run and he might be the team MVP to this point. Since his promotion at the beginning of May, Scott Diamond has been the ace of the Twins pitching staff. Glen Perkins and Jared Burton have been dominant in their appearances out of the bullpen.

In the end, the Twins will have one representative for the second year in a row. Joe Mauer was selected to his fifth career All-Star Game and he is the lone representative for his team much like Michael Cuddyer last season. ...

Since he was first called up in 2008, Denard Span has been an integral cog for the Twins. He's also been a joy to watch. He plays hard, brings a great approach to the plate, offers very solid defense in center, and is good with the fans.

Yeah, it's fair to say that I'm a big fan of Span. So I'm going to make sure to savor watching what will very likely be his final month in a Twins uniform.

There are a number of factors that lead me to believe Span's departure from the organization is imminent.
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The Big Picture
The Dodgers have a very loyal following. They attracted over 3 million fans every year from 1997-2010. Then there was an ugly divorce between owners and a multi-billion dollar sale of the team. New ownership is trying to put all of that in the rearview and make the playoffs for the first time since winning their division in 2009.

The Dodgers were the hottest team in baseball out of the gates and were 17 games over .500 as recently as June 17. A late-June swoon – losers in eleven of their last twelve games – where injuries to key players certainly played a part, dropped them back to reality and they now trail the Giants in the NL West, with the Diamondbacks quickly gaining ground.
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“Value Strategies for Building a Roster.” “Integration or Preservation? The Great Dilemma for the Black Press Presented by Negro League Baseball in the 1940s and 1950s.” “From the Diamond to the Helix: Major League Baseball and Genetic Testing in Latin America.” These were some of the presentations given to a group of hard core baseball fans in Minneapolis last week. Established in 1971, the Society for American Baseball Research is a non-profit organization that works to generate interest in the history of the game and invent new ways to judge player performance (think “Moneyball.”) As a lifelong baseball fan, I had always been vaguely aware of SABR. When perusing their booth at TwinsFest last year, the SABR representative mentioned that the convention was going to be held in Minneapolis in 2012. ...

The Twins got some great pitching on Saturday and won both games of a split double-header against the Kansas City Royals. In the first game, the Twins won 7-2 and Scott Diamond worked eight innings for the Win. In the second game, it was Cole DeVries who was promoted and who recorded his second big league win with a terrific performance. Of course, he was immediately optioned back to Rochester following the game.

There was a lot going on in the Twins system on Saturday. I had the opportunity to go to Newman Outdoor Field in Fargo, ND, to watch the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks take on the St. Paul Saints. Former Twins minor leaguer Tony Davis made his Redhawks debut with a scoreless inning in relief. Other former Twins farmhands, Kyle Carr and Matt Schuld pitch for the Saints. The night was great. The atmosphere for baseball in Fargo is incredible, and I will write more soon. ...