February 27, 2009

Forgotten Possibilities?

With all the commotion currently surrounding the Boof Bonser injury, the Twins are really under fire by some of their fans to find a new replacement for our bullpen. Reports suggest that the Juan Cruz ship has sailed after Cruz rejected an offer from the Twins. Chad Cordero could be a possibility, a slight possibility at best. And the Philip Humber show didn't get off to a good start.

So the question is, if all else fails, who else can the Twins look at for bullpen help? The way that the current bullpen is set up, the Twins have 5 guys who really are only considered as one-inning guys. Of course any pitcher could probably pitch more than one inning, but the Twins don't want to end up like they did last year when they were forced to use up a lot of their arms early. Matt Guerrier for instance was forced to make 76 appearances and had an ERA of 5.19. If that's any indication of how our bullpen was last year, you'd understand that we cannot have a repeat of that.

Jose Mijares is one pitcher that many expect to be a real spark-plug in the bullpen, but like the other pitchers already in the bullpen, he's mostly suited as a one-inning guy. So that would leave the Twins with the need for a long-reliever or a 'mop-up guy', whichever way you look at it. Guerrier started his career as a long-reliever for the Twins and Bonser provided this for the Twins for most of last season. Although it's not a glorified position it is still a very important position on every team. Every team finds themselves out of a game early on at some point throughout the season, it's inevitable. Why would a team want to run the risk of continuing to let their starter get hurt if the game looks to be out of reach? That's when a 'mop-up guy' comes in handy. A guy who can come into a game and throw 4-5 innings and help preserve the other arms in the bullpen.

One player that everyone seems to be forgetting is R.A. Dickey. Dickey came over to the Twins this off-season for the second straight year. After the 2007 season, the Twins signed Dickey but he was later selected in the Rule V Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Then this off-season he signed a minor league deal and was invited to Spring Training by the Twins. Despite not being on the 40-man roster, Dickey is still considered as a possibility to land a spot in the Twins' bullpen, although it will take quite a bit for him to prove that he's worth the risk of losing another man already on the 40-man roster.

Dickey opened up his Spring Training with the Twins yesterday and struck out three of the four batters he faced in his only inning of action. It's certainly a great thing to see, but in no way should anyone be at all 'giddy' over this. Dickey was facing quite a few prospects in the Cincinnati Reds organization, and being that he is a knuckleball pitcher, many are very unfamiliar with the pitch itself, which is no surprise that he had three strikeouts in his solo inning of work.

Still, the Twins organization has always felt that a knuckleball pitcher would have great success in the Metrodome, and now that it's the last season in the Dome, it's really now or never to find out. That is no reason to hand Dickey a spot, but if he can impress enough people this Spring, he is a player I could very well see get a bullpen spot on this team. I know that probably doesn't sit well with a lot of people, but the Twins usually have at least one questionable move on their roster, and this could be it.

Another player the Twins also could count on as a possibility is Jason Jones. I will be the first to admit that I personally am not that familiar with Jones. Part of that reasoning is my stubbornness to even consider finding anything about him as I never felt that he had a real chance of making this team. Although that is still probably most people's gut-feeling, anything can happen in baseball.

Having done some research on Jones, I actually have some hope for him and I think that he actually has pretty good makeup. Jones stands at 6-foot, 5-inches tall and weighs about 225 pounds. He has a low-90's fastball, a good slider, a good splitter and a change-up as well. Through 637 innings of minor league ball, Jones is 43-41 with a 3.77 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.

I still believe that the job is still Humbers to loose, despite getting off to a bad start. I still have high hope for him and I think he'll still put up a good Spring. But both Dickey and Jones are players that Twins fans could hear of prior to the end of Spring Training.

On that note, I'm not sure if I'll get a post up over the weekend, but I do anticipate the start of my 2009 Top 50 MiLB Prospect list at some point next week...

February 26, 2009

No Bonser, No Cruz

Yesterday, I posted about how Boof Bonser's shoulder problems could result in a "Golden Opportunity" for Philip Humber to lock himself in for a position in the Twins' bullpen. Then later in the morning, the news broke that during arthroscopic shoulder surgery, the physicians discovered a torn labrum as well as a torn rotator cuff, which would most likely end Bonser's season.

For those that aren't aware, a torn labrum is considered by many to be the "death to pitchers." Many baseball fans still believe that Tommy John Surgery is one of the worst injuries a pitcher could endure, and although they're partially right, players that undergo that particular surgery have a very high rate of success after recovery. Surgery to repair a torn labrum on the other hand has only a slight chance of success afterward for the players.

The Twins are no strangers to pitchers with torn labrum's. In fact it is essentially what ended Brad Radke's career. Instead of undergoing surgery and face at least a year of recovery with a slight chance of ever fully recovering, Radke decided to retire at the age of 34. Another instance, one more recent in fact is Jesse Crain. Crain's tear was only partial (like Bonser's), and despite missing nearly all of the 2007 season, Crain returned to action with the Twins in 2008 with the Twins and had nearly an identical season as he had in 2006, which was prior to his injury.

Last season, Crain was 5-4 with a 3.59 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 2.08 K/BB ratio in 62 2/3 innings. Crain's numbers did not impress many Twins fans last season. In fact, Crain was often criticized for being a liability out of the pen. I personally didn't think he did as bad as many believe he did, and when considering he's putting up these numbers within a year after undergoing labrum surgery, I think that those numbers were actually quite impressive.

Crain's return also surprised many as his velocity didn't take much of a hit at all, which is something very common in any arm surgery, but particularly labrum surgery. If Bonser can try to see any "light" in this situation, he should look to Crain's success prior to surgery as he's one of the few that have any sort of success after surgery.

After the injury was announced, many Twins fans were awaiting news on some kind of progress with reliever Juan Cruz, as one would think that the Twins would be much more insistent on acquiring Cruz. As I mentioned last week, Cruz and the Twins were reportedly working on a sign-and-trade deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Instead late last night, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that the Twins have ended their pursuit of Cruz.

To me, the only explanation was that the Twins viewed Bonser as their best trade-chip to acquire Cruz and probably felt they wouldn't be willing to acquire him without him being involved.

Ron Gardenhire has talked recently about carrying only an 11-man pitching staff when the team heads North. Instead, I would personally rather see the Twins have a 12-man staff in order hopefully prevent having to rely on the same guys too many times like they did last year with Matt Guerrier early on.

The bullpen essentially only has five players considered 'locks' at this point:
  • Joe Nathan
  • Matt Guerrier
  • Jesse Crain
  • Luis Ayala
  • Craig Breslow
After those five both Jose Mijares and Humber are the only players really considered as possibilities, although that's not to say they're the only two in competition.

If I had it my way, both of these pitchers would also be heading North with the Twins come April. Even though Bonser isn't a great pitcher by any stretch of the imagination, I was fealing fairly confident in our bullpen prior to hearing this news. Bonser was the guy who despite pitching his worst season as a Twin last season was hyped-up by the organization as being a guy to show flashes of being a player who could significantly help our bullpen out this season.

Now that Cruz looks to be out of the picture as well, I again fear that our bullpen could be our Achilles Heal again in 2009, as it was in 2008.

February 25, 2009

Humber's Golden Opportunity Is Much Like Span's

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported yesterday morning that Twins reliever Boof Bonser will undergo exploratory surgery on his right shoulder which has been a cause of concern for the 27-year-old hurler.

It's too early to predict when Bonser will be able to return to action as this surgery is purely to see what exactly is wrong with his shoulder. Everyone is hoping that the results are encouraging, especially after he showed no structural damage in an MRI following last season. The problem is that he did have shoulder problems late last season and even a few months of rest couldn't fix the problem. That makes me fear the worst, which is that this 'minor procedure' could lead to significant and devastating news for both Bonser and the Twins.

Despite posting his worst numbers as a Twin last season, the season was actually somewhat encouraging for Bonser. After being ousted from the rotation, Bonser spent most of the season in the Twins bullpen, where he showed flashes of a potentially dominant reliever. Bonser has a mid-90's heater and a hammer curve ball. But despite having some of the physical requirements to potentially be a good pitcher, Bonser has spent nearly all of his career as a starter and doesn't have the mind set that many look for in relievers. The general consensus is that should Bonser develop the mentality of being a reliever, he should give the Twins a great set-up man to All-Star Closer Joe Nathan.

Leading up to Spring Training, Philip Humber's status within the organization looked fairly bleek. The 26-year-old right-hander was acquired last season in the Johan Santana, Mets trade and is currently out of options and must make the 25-man roster out of Spring Training in order to stay within the organization. Should the Twins try to send Humber to Triple-A Rochester, he'd have to be placed through waivers and it's almost a certainty that he'd be claimed by another team, thus ending his short-lived tenor with the Twins.

Humber has shown a lot of improvement this Spring as opposed to last year and it looks as if the last spot in the bullpen could be his job to lose at this point. Despite having a phenomenal 2008 season, it looks as if there's a pretty reasonable chance that Jose Mijares could start the season in Rochester instead of losing Humber as Mijares still has one more option year. I have no problem with this, as long as Humber pitches well enough to warrant such a move.

Humber's improvements on the mound are nothing new, in fact his first-half/second-half splits last season were drastic enough for some Twins fans to feel 'giddy' over the thought of Humber finally breaking out of his shell.
          AS Break   W     L     ERA     IP     K     BB     WHIP
          Pre        4     7    5.92   79.0    54     37     1.67
Post 6 1 2.67 57.1 52 12 1.08
As you can see, Humber had a really tough time getting acclimated into the Twins system and really struggled throughout the entire first-half of the season. And I don't know what it was, but something just clicked and Humber started looking like the pitcher that was drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft by the Mets.

Humber's story reminds me somewhat of another Twins player, who also was just looking for a chance to prove himself. That player is Denard Span. If we take a trip down 'Memory Lane', Span had a fairly similar first go-around in Rochester which reminds me of Humber's. Span hit sub .220 the first two months of the 2007 season, but from June on, he hit .301 with 11 doubles, 5 triples, 3 home runs and 39 RBI.

But despite the huge improvement, Span didn't gain much respect from the organization and in fact their #1 priority in any trade of Santana was to bring back a center fielder in return. Unfortunately, the Twins acquired another outfielder Jason Pridie who was also thought to challenge for the starting center field roster spot.

Span put-together an impressive Spring, but still fell short in the Twins' eyes as a starting-caliber player. All that changed though. After originally being sent to Triple-A Rochester, Span was quickly promoted after the injury of Michael Cuddyer. Span quickly became a significant piece to last seasons puzzle, and all he need was a chance to prove himself.

Humber is in the same spot, only unlike Span, Humber doesn't have any insurance with the team if he fails. Span had options remaining, Humber unfortunately doesn't, which makes this Spring even more important for Humber. Could Humber be the Twins' 2009 version of Span? Who knows? With the loss of Bonser though, he now has the perfect time to show us what he's got.

***

On a quick programming note, I briefly appeared on Seth Stohs' 'Seth Speaks Podcast' last night. Unfortunately my phone battery lasts for half the time it should, and I didn't realize I was running on one bar until it finally died. Regardless Seth did a great job covering the remainder of the time and his next guest Zach Spear also did a great job.

February 24, 2009

Is Kubel on his way to stardom?

As Twins fans are aware of, ever since the emergence of Denard Span last Spring, the Twins have had a dilemma in regards to their outfield. Unlike many other dilemma's which generally have negatives, this actually has no negatives in regards to the Twins, but in regards to the players, it does.

The Twins currently have five outfielders who should play everyday, but only four places to play them, including the Designated Hitter spot. All need to get a fair number of at bats, but there's one who should get more than anyone. Three years after missing an entire season due to a severe knee injury, Jason Kubel started to show people why he was such a highly regarded player coming up through the minor leagues. His hitting line was nothing spectacular, but Kubel made great strides at the plate and had his best season in a Twins uniform. Coming off of his best season and a new contract extension, Kubel's expectations are quite high this season but he should get the majority of the DH at bats to be able to continue proving himself. Hopefully a much more relaxed Kubel, is an even better Kubel:
"This is the first year I didn't have any pressure to get [a contract] done... I still think I can hit .300 with 25 homers and 80-85 RBI."
Hopefully he's right! His minor league career hitting line of .320/.385/.499 with good power and run production at every level would support such a prediction from Kubel. After signing a two-year $7.2 million contract, many will expect an improvement in Kubel this season. Maybe not to the extent of his predictions of himself, but at least in that direction. A more realistic prediction would be Bill James' projections for Kubel.
.282/.348/.489, 22 HR, 89 RBI
James feels nearly as optimistic as Kubel and certainly believes he'll make strides this season. Unlike other projections such as the Chone Projections, Oliver Projections or Marcel Projections who all have Kubel's overall numbers declining from last season, James feels like many Twins fans who believe Kubel will improve.

This winter has definitely been Kubel's best. Not only is he coming off of his best season and a new contract, but he has also received a bode of confidence from his manager:
"He's my DH. He knows that," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I know he likes to hit. He likes to swing."
Luckily for the Twins, Kubel despite his 94 strikeouts last season, which ranked fourth on the team, he doesn't take terrible swings. Kubel's biggest flaw are like many other hitters. He has challenges hitting low, away breaking balls as well as high, inside fastballs. Kubel only chases about 22.6% of swings outside of the zone which is a considerably good number opposed to Delmon Young or Carlos Gomez who both are at nearly 40%. For the sake of argument, Joe Mauer sits at 18.4% while Morneau sits at 30.3%.

After the conclusion of last season, Kubel's improvements at the plate even lead Nick Nelson to wonder if he could be the next David Ortiz. Ortiz was another highly coveted player throughout the minor leagues but was confined to DH as well. After reaching the majors, Ortiz took too much time to get adjusted at the plate and the Twins grew impatient. After he was cut loose by the Twins, he exploded in Boston as one of the best hitters in all of baseball. Kubel's major league numbers would make one laugh at the thought, but like Ortiz, he had the numbers to back it up in the minors. It's not uncommon for a player to never be able to replicate the numbers they did in the minors, it's actually very common, but Kubel is showing the same progress that Ortiz is and although it's overly optimistic to believe he'll ever be our "Big Papi", Kubel and Ortiz do have many similarities.

As Kubel continues to prove that his legs are still getting stronger and stronger, he should continue to hit well and should get better with age. Unfortunately he'll never be a great fielder but with above average fielders throughout the system at the same position, that shouldn't bother the Twins very much. Kubel will likely see only a fraction of games against left-handed starters, which will take away some at bats, but I think that Twins fans have not yet seen all of what Kubel has to offer and I think that he'll really open quite a few eyes before the end of his career.

In the mean time, like fellow outfielder Michael Cuddyer showed us in 2006, now that Kubel's place on the team is more set this year than in the past, I believe that he should only get better at the plate. Something else that is nice for Kubel at this point. Unlike the other outfielders in competition for playing time, Kubel's defense (which is the worst of the group) will be payed very little attention to while he'll have to do most of his talking with his bat, this Spring. Gomez, Span, Cuddyer and Young will all have to showcase their defense nearly as much as their bat.

My current outfield prediction is that Young will be on the bench most of the time and will split time with Cuddyer in right field as well as Span in left. I also expect him to get quite a few of the AB's at DH against left-handed starters.

Regardless of what happens with the rest of the outfield, Kubel is my "Pick to Click" this season. Is he the bat that the Twins were looking for to help Mauer & Morneau? I think so... Even though he's not a right-handed hitter, the Twins desperately need another good all-around hitter and I think Kubel is our best bet to show us that he is that player.

February 21, 2009

Done Deal!

Joe Crede is currently on his way to Fort Myers to meet his new teammates. The Minnesota Twins and Crede's agent Scott Boras agreed to a one-year contract worth a guaranteed $2.5 million with chances to make a total of $7 including incentives. For those that aren't the greatest in math, that's $4.5 million in possible incentives.

I am shocked that we're only on the hook for a guaranteed $2.5. I did predict that there would be an option included in the deal, but that doesn't seem to be the case, which is fine by me.

It looks like this will certainly allow the Twins to make another move if they choose to do so.

Is it better late than never?

As I posted late last night, the Twins and free agent Joe Crede have reportedly come to terms that would bring the former All-Star third baseman to Minnesota. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed but it's likely that Crede had to sign under his asking price of under $7 million.

I know quite a few people around the Twins Blogosphere are probably unhappy by this move as the support for a Brian Buscher & Brendan Harris platoon has grown on most people over the winter.

Despite playing for our biggest rival, the Chicago White Sox, I've always been a big fan of Crede's. He ranks as one of the best defensive third basemen in baseball and has shown that he is also a fairly good hitter, if you're looking for home runs and RBI production (which many people are).

Unfortunately, he also features quite a few flaws as well. Currently, Crede's back issues have allowed him to only play 144 games in the past two seasons. Even with his back issues last season Crede still hit 17 home runs, 16 of which occurred prior to the All-Star Break. Crede's other biggest flaw is something that he's dealt with his entire Major League career: his inability to get on base. Crede currently has a career on-base percentage of .306, which is 34 points lower than the league average.

Crede's offensive power and defensive glove are both great, but do they make up for his health concerns and inability to get on base? My personal guess on a contract is $6 million guaranteed (midway between Crede's asking price of $7 million and the Twins' supposed price of $5 million), $3 million in incentive with a 2010 vesting option for $11 million. That could potentially bring this deal to a total of 2-years, $20 million. Total speculation on my part though. If this report is true, I am sure the terms of the deal will be released in the next day or two.

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune broke the other "big news" of Friday Night which was that free agent Juan Cruz has received an offer from the Twins. Being that Cruz is a Type-A free agent, one would think that the Twins would have to give up a first round pick for compensation. But that is not the case here. Cruz is one of many free agents this off-season who has been hurt by the current economic issues that surround baseball.

Surely losing a first-round draft pick doesn't seem like it should be a big economic issue, but in today's economy, many teams are starting to value their first round draft pick a lot more. Currently, Major League Baseball is allowing teams such as the Arizona Diamondbacks (Cruz's formal team) to take part in a "sign-and-trade" option. The option is that Cruz is free to sign with any team that he chooses, and instead of losing a first round draft pick, the Diamondbacks and the team pursuing Cruz would then have 48 hours to work out a trade.

Being that the Twins have just signed Luis Ayala to a guaranteed $1.3 million deal, I think it's safe to say that he would not be part of the deal and wouldn't be affected by it at all. I would guess that the Twins would part with reliever Philip Humber as well as a prospect like Brian Duensing or Jeff Manship (I am just purely speculating on the names).

If the Twins bring Cruz in, they would have instantly significantly upgraded arguably their weakest position from last season, their bullpen. Cruz was one of the top free agent relievers on the open market this off-season, but his Type-A free agent tag has warned off potential suitors and that is the reasoning for him still being available at the start of Spring Training.

Cruz is coming off his best season of his career, going 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA and a 12.4 K/9 ratio. He has pitched for 4 different organizations including the Cubs, Braves, Athletics and Diamondbacks. He has a career 4.00 ERA and 1.38 WHIP although those numbers have both been down in the past two seasons.

Cruz would be a fantastic pick-up for the Twins if they didn't have to give up too much in a trade. As we sit in Spring Training, the current bullpen looks like this:

Locks:
  • Joe Nathan
  • Craig Breslow
  • Matt Guerrier
  • Jesse Crain
  • Luis Ayala

In Competition:
  • Boof Bonser
  • Philip Humber
  • Jose Mijares
  • Jason Jones
Neal mentioned that Gardy had talked about carrying only 11 pitchers, which would mean that only one spot is open for competition. Bonser likely has the biggest edge in the competition group. Despite having a ton of talent and probably the most upside, the general consensus is that Jose Mijares will likely start the season in Triple-A since he still has another option and wouldn't need to be placed through waivers to do so. Both Bonser and Humber are both out of options and wouldn't be back with the Twins if either had to go through the waiver process. Jason Jones on the other hand is a Rule-V draft selection and if he doesn't make the 25-man roster out of Spring Training, he would then be sent back to the Yankees. My personal guess is that in order to make room on the 40-man roster for Crede, Jones is the most likely to be sent packing.

That is why I have come to the conclusion that Humber would need to become part of any trade for Cruz. Although adding Cruz would then make it a losing situation for Bonser too, I think it would prompt Gardenhire to carry 12 pitchers to at least start out the year.

If the Twins carry 12 pitchers, that would mean that one player on the bench would then be out off the team. I would suspect it would be either Buscher or Matt Tolbert getting sent back down to Triple-A. At this point, I would suspect it would be Buscher, but it's too early to tell.

I am totally going overboard on this being that Cruz hasn't even accepted the offer and the Twins and Diamondbacks haven't yet engaged in any sort of trade at this point. Regardless, I think it's worth noting what this deal (and the Crede deal) could do to our overall roster.

Some may be upset that we're even trying to shake up our roster at all right now because we have a good foundation and some of the players we'd have to be giving up on are players many of us expect to perform better this year.

So I raise the question, in this case, is it better late than never to make a move? Or were you fine with how the way things were?

February 20, 2009

Twins reportedly sign Crede

Citing a Major League Source, Mark Gonzales of the the Chicago Tribune reports that the Twins and free agent third baseman Joe Crede have agreed to terms on a deal. The terms weren't disclosed.

I think it's hard to say whether or not this is a good signing until at the very least hearing the terms of the deal...

Twins beat writer La Velle E. Neal of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune said earlier that the Twins and Crede's agent Scott Boras were making progress on a deal. Jon Heyman of SI.com said that terms were close.

We'll see...

February 19, 2009

Thursday's Round-Up

First thing is first, I want to again thank everyone for their great feedback towards my 2009 Top 50 Twins Prospect list. It was a much larger success than I had ever thought it could be and even gave me ridiculous amounts of page views per day that this site has not been accustomed to seeing in the past. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come, and I promise that I will try to do everything on my part to make this site a must-read for Twins fans everywhere.

Also, thank you very much to Aaron Gleeman. Today on his site he mentioned that he had added me to his Blogroll and even said some very nice things about the site. Gleeman, Seth Stohs of Seth Speaks and John Bonnes of Twins Geek are considered by many as the guys that made Twins blogging a success, and really put it on the map so to speak. It's great to hear anything good about this site from any of them. I have a ton of respect for all of them for what they have done.


And speaking of Seth Stohs, if you haven't checked out his latest podcast yet, then I recommend doing so. He has a segment with Pioneer Press Reporter Phil Miller who is currently down at Spring Training and gives us a great insider's feel at both Spring Training and writing. Miller is one of my favorite Sports columnists and it's just too bad that he doesn't get the attention that he deserves. He's done a great job in the short time he's been with the Pioneer Press.

Also on the podcast, Nick Nelson and John Bonnes duke it out over both the Joe Crede issue and the outfield conundrum. They battle both sides of the issues and they both had strong feelings towards their sides. So definitely check that out.


Sounds like the Twins won't be the ones to give into Joe Crede and agent Scott Boras' contract demands as they claim that they won't budge from their current 'offer' (whatever that may be). I'm glad to hear this. Although I wouldn't mind seeing Crede come to the Twins, at $7-8 million in guarantees before another $4-5 million in incentives, I can't say I'd like that at all. It sounds like the Twins are looking at something around a one-year $7-8 million deal (including incentives). Which to me, seems about right.

I see both sides of the Crede dilemma. I too think that Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher could put up good numbers next season as a platoon. At the same time, I'm not set on the middle of our infield yet and Harris' versatility could force him to play either shortstop or second base. Could you really say you'd be OK with Buscher at third for more than a week or so? Adding the depth wouldn't hurt. Crede hit 17 home runs last season and has been hampered with a bad back for a couple years now. If he can hit 17 home runs when he's hurt, I am one of the people who are slightly optimistic as to what he can do if he is potentially healed. I also still like his defense much more than either Harris' or Buscher's. Hindsight is always 20/20. The Twins are "under budget" right now and still have money available and look willing to spend. If the deal makes sense, I wouldn't be opposed.


Today, Nick Nelson gives us his "Last-Ditch Effort" for an Orlando Hudson signing. Although I don't think such a signing is at all a likely scenario (not that he's saying it is either), but I agree with him in that Alexi Casilla sure has been overlooked this off-season and labeled as a "lock" and people need to remember that he hit 72 points lower in the second half of last season and his OPS dipped 189 points. Sure some of it was effected by a thumb injury that was originally thought to take the rest of his season. His track record is not strong enough to suggest that his early-2008 numbers will replicate in 2009 and we need to keep an eye on him this Spring.


Yesterday, upon the completion of the Luis Ayala signing, the Twins had to say goodbye to reliever Bobby Korecky to make room on the 40-man roster. Although many weren't too high on Korecky's ceiling as a Major League Reliever, I personally see him as a better fit than Jason Jones whom I'm actually surprised didn't get the boot. Especially considering that Korecky has been with the club for 5 years and has been held between Double-A and Triple-A despite having the numbers to move up another level. He finally made it to the Majors last April.

On May 19th, he had the game of a lifetime. Not only did he come in and relieve Juan Rincon in a tough spot, he also had to be used as a hitter against the Texas Rangers. He ended up hitting a single and later set down the heart of the Rangers order to pick up the win. Hopefully he can find success with the Arizona Diamondbacks.


Fransisco Liriano told reporters on Tuesday that he is leaning towards skipping the World Baseball Classic to prepare for the regular season. I can speak on behalf of most Twins fans when I say, "phew!" Under certain circumstances, I'd be all for Liriano participating. But he has just one season under his belt after undergoing Tommy John Surgery and shouldn't risk the added strain of the WBC. He's only 25-years-old and has too much of a bright future to risk anything at this time.

And it sounds like Corey Koskie is also trying to participate in the WBC. Now that is something I'd like to see. Koskie has something to prove to teams and is hoping to latch on with a team.


Twins reliever Boof Bonser is currently having problems with tendinitis in his shoulder. The Twins think it will eventually go away. Bonser had this to say after a 30 pitch bullpen session yesterday:
“Not any better. Not any worse."
This could be good news to fellow relievers Philip Humber and Jason Jones who are both battling for roster spots. It sure would be a shame to lose 1/4th of the Santana trade this early. So hopefully Humber steps up (regardless of what happens with Bonser) and pitches well this Spring.


Right now, we're just a couple days away from the first full-squad practice, less than one week before the first Spring Training game, just over two weeks away from regular season tickets going on sale, and six-and-a-half weeks before the Twins home/season opener. Baseball season is upon us everyone! Time to celebrate!



Maybe not to this extent.

February 17, 2009

Thank you!

When I started doing my Top 50 Prospect list, it was a real toss-up for me on who our #1 prospect was. I've claimed Revere is our top prospect before (such as in Seth Stohs' 2009 Handbook), but the more and more I thought about it lead me to the conclusion that Aaron Hicks is our clear cut top prospect...

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read the site in the last month-and-a-half. I don't know when I'll start posting my 2009 Top 50 MiLB Prospect list, but I expect it to be posted in the next week or so. I will address a few Spring Training notes and regardless of when I do the next prospect list, still expect there to be some Twins-related notes to be dropped in there as well.

I've neglected a lot of Twins-related information while doing this list, but I believe that the other Twins-related sites covered them great. It also held me back from getting worked up over rumors that end up being nothing, like I tend to do.

I really appreciated the feedback I received on this list and I hope that you continue to give me feedback (good and bad) on the rest of the content on this site.

Again, thanks for reading!

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #1 Aaron Hicks

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #1 | Aaron Hicks

Position | Outfield

Bats/Throws | Switch/Right

Born
| October 2, 1989 (Long Beach, California)

School
| Wilson High School

Height
| 6'2''

Weight
| 170 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| Not Ranked



Breakdown
Aaron Hicks was drafted by the Twins in the first round of the 2008 draft. Hicks is considered by many to be equally as talented on the mound as he is at the plate. Much to Hicks' delight, the Twins had every intention of using Hicks as an outfielder despite drafting 4 outfielders in the previous two drafts in the first 3 rounds. Hicks is the best all-around athlete in the Twins system and although he's a great athlete, that doesn't mean that he's "all talk" and he proved that last year. Hicks is far and away the best prospect in the Twins' system. He possesses all five tools teams look for in players, he has outstanding speed, hits for average, hits for power, is an outstanding defender and has a cannon for an arm. On Baseball America's Top 10 Twins Prospects list, Hicks took home top honors. He also 'won' 4 out of 7 other categories in which he was eligible for:

Besides being a top-notch outfielder, Hicks was also on many draft boards as a pitcher as well. He reportedly threw 97 mph in pre-draft workouts and has a 'hammer' curveball. But Hicks wanted to play outfield all along and is getting that chance with the Twins.
"I want to play the outfield," Hicks said. "I like to hit and I love to play the outfield and go get it."
Hicks has been said to have an amazing work ethic and quite a bit of maturity for his age. He is fairly polished for his age and should give the Twins reasons to move him along in the system. I personally don't see why he'd need another half-season of Rookie Ball, but the Twins will probably move him along slowely. He'll be only 19 for all of the 2009 season, but I think that if there's room that he should definitely have a spot on the Snappers roster come Opening Day. But Beloit's outfield looks as if there could be a logjam of outfielders. I wouldn't mind seeing Hicks take the same path as Ben Revere did a year ago, and that is to start the season off in EST and after a month or so he makes the jump to Beloit. I'm all for that as well, only I don't want to see it come at the expense of an injury. Regardless, Hicks is an amazing player and I expect him to perform well at any level he plays.

2008 Statistics
Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR      BB
R         45    204    .318    .409    .491      18      4      28

2009 Outlook

Hicks should be in Beloit for all of the 2009 season, but the Twins will likely be looking to send him to Elizabethton after a couple months of Extended Spring Training.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2012

February 16, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #2 Ben Revere

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #2 | Ben Revere

Position | Outfield

Bats/Throws | Left/Right

Born
| May 3, 1988 (Lexington, Kentucky)

School
| Lexington Catholic High School

Height
| 5'9''

Weight
| 166 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| 7




Breakdown
The Twins drafted Ben Revere in the first round of the 2007 draft. The Twins were immediately criticized for drafting Revere due to the fact that many didn't believe he'd go until sometime around the 4th-5th rounds. Revere and the Twins have quieted all doubters since the draft and Revere is currently hitting .360 with an OPS of .900 to go along with 20 triples and 65 stolen bases. Revere began the 2008 season in Extended Spring Training, but an injury to third baseman D.J. Romero opened a roster spot in Beloit and Revere spent the rest of the season with the Snappers. He flirted with a .400 batting average for much of the year, but a knee injury took its tole on Revere and he missed the last few weeks of the season due to it. Revere is a highly-regarded prospect throughout the minor leagues and The Baseball Cube gave him some pretty high rankings as well:

As you can see by rankings, Revere doesn't hit for much power, although many in the Twins system feels he will someday, but he can drive the ball pretty well. I don't particularly agree with the patience ranking that Revere was given and I expect that number to go up quite a bit. Revere's greatest asset is his speed. He can stretch many singles into doubles and doubles into triples. In fact, he has 23 doubles and 20 triples thus far in his career. Once he is on base, he is a menace and although he still has some to learn about reading pitchers, he can really steal a base on a whim. He also has tremendous control of the strike zone. Revere's biggest flaws are not really at the plate, although some would say that his lack of power is a flaw. Instead, his biggest flaws come on the defensive side of the ball. Revere does not read fly balls great and often takes bad routes to balls. But still, his biggest knack is his throwing arm. Many believe that he would have made it to Ft. Myers by the end of the 2008 season if his arm was up to par. Instead, many feel his lack of arm strength is a liability and it could make him play left field in the majors despite having outstanding speed. I've always wondered if the Twins would consider moving Revere to another position such as second base, but I know a lot of people disagree with that thought including members of the Twins system. I don't think it would hurt, afterall Revere played much of his high school days as a second baseman. I doubt it would happen, but with the lack of middle infield prospects, surplus of outfield prospets and Revere's lack of arm strength could make the thought of a position switch enticing to some. Revere was worn out by the end of the 2008 season, but much of that could very well be attributed by a nagging knee injury that he endured for much of the summer. Still, I expect to see Revere in Ft. Myers at the beginning of the 2009 season and who knows? Maybe we'll see him in New Britain by the end of summer.

2008 Statistics
Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     3B     SB
A-        83    374    .379    .433    .497      28     10     44

2009 Outlook

Revere should be in Ft. Myers with the Miracle in 2009. He could force a promotion if he continues to hit at a high-rate and shows improvement on defense.

Video


Estimated Time of Arrival
2011

February 15, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #3 Danny Valencia

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #3 | Danny Valencia

Position | Third Base

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born
| September 19, 1984 (Boca Raton, Florida)

School
| University of Miami

Height
| 6'2''

Weight
| 200 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| 16




Breakdown
The Twins drafted Danny Valencia in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. After a very successful college career at the University of Miami, Valencia has carried his success into the Twins system and has performed well at every level he has played at. Despite playing solid defense at a position of need and outhitting most of the players in the system, the Twins have been slow to promote him. There are reports about whether or not he is ready for the jump as some have described him as a player that needs to "mature a bit", but nonetheless the Twins have had a hole at third base and sure could use a player of Valencia's caliber in their lineup. Valencia doesn't have a great eye at the plate, but he makes up for it with a .305/.361/.485 hitting line that includes solid power and good run production. The Twins currently seem very committed to allowing Luke Hughes establish himself at third base in Rochester, so Valencia probably won't get a call up to the Red Wings until sometime around mid-season. Valencia could really prove people wrong this Spring and could force the Twins to promote him, but at this point the majority believe he'll be in New Britain for the beginning of the 2009 season.

2008 Statistics
Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR     RBI
A+        60    251    .336    .402    .518      27      5      44
AA 69 287 .289 .334 .485 30 10 32

2009 Outlook

Despite having a good half-season in New Britain, I find it unlikely that the Twins will move him up to Rochester until sometime around mid-season. A strong Spring Training could alter all of these plans.

Video


Estimated Time of Arrival
2009

February 14, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #4 Wilson Ramos

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #4 | Wilson Ramos

Position | Catcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born
| August 10, 1987 (Valencia, Venezuela)

School
| U.E. Santa Ines

Height
| 6'0''

Weight
| 205 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| 13




Breakdown
The Twins signed Wilson Ramos as a non-drafted free agent on July 7, 2004. Through three stops in the Twins organization, Wilson has posted a .288/.344/.434 hitting line with 24 HR's and 146 RBI in 898 AB's. Besides provide run production at the plate, Ramos has been a standout defender behind the plate and has drawn comparisons to Ivan Rodriguez. He followed up a great 2008 season with a strong winter campaign hitting .323 with 7 doubles and 4 home runs in 48 games. Perhaps Ramos' biggest flaw is that his plate discipline has been pretty bad thus far in his career. He's struck out 178 times compared to only 68 walks (2.6 K/BB ratio). Ramos should continue to be moved along steadily throughout the system and could make it to the majors in late 2010 as a September callup. Ramos played 126 games last season which is pretty high for a catcher. Although he didn't catch all 126 games, he did DH a fair amount as well. He's a great hitter and should be in the lineup everyday possible.

2008 Statistics
Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR     K
A+       126    500    .288    .346    .434      38     13   103

2009 Outlook

Ramos will more than likely be in New Britain with the Rock Cats for all of the 2009 season.

Video


Estimated Time of Arrival
2010

February 13, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #5 Jose Mijares

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #5 | Jose Mijares

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Left/Left

Born
| October 29, 1984 (Caracas, Venezuela)

School
| Not Available

Height
| 6'0''

Weight
| 230 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| 32




Breakdown
There's just so much that can be said about Jose Mijares. The Twins signed Mijares as a non-drafted free agent in March of 2002. He had OK numbers from 2004-2007 while making his way from Rookie Ball all the way up to Triple-A. Prior to the 2008 season, Mijares was involved in a car crash that hurt his shoulder and broke his left arm last January. Many originally thought that the injury could have even been potentially career-ending, but he defeated the odds and returned to action in June and not only did he come back, he dominated his competition while doing so. After stops in the Gulf Coast League, Ft. Myers and New Britain, the Twins thought Mijares was ready for the "Big Show" and recalled him from Double-A despite only having 8.2 innings of experience at Triple-A (which happened in 2007). Mijares was nothing short of spectacular in his 10 games with the Twins. Despite having erratic command throughout his career, he had a 4.2 K/BB ratio in 2008 and gave up no walks while with the Twins. He showed great command of all of his pitches and his velocity on his fastball was in the mid-90's, where it was prior to his injury. The thing that has always held Mijares back, besides his lack of command, is his attitude both on and off the field. He's clashed with coaches and right when everyone thought those days were behind him, this winter he "had a rift with manager Buddy Bailey and walked out on the team." Mijares has drawn comparisons to former Twins reliever J.C. Romero, which seems pretty accurate. Both have great stuff, but are head cases with command problems. Hopefully the Twins can "tame" Mijares better than they could Romero because they have a very talented pitcher on their hands that could be a dominating reliever, which is something this ballclub desperately needs right now.

2008 Statistics

Level      W      L      ERA      IP      K      BB      WHIP     FIP
R          2      1     2.45    11.0     16       1      1.00    0.56
A+ 0 0 2.61 10.1 8 3 0.97 2.52
AA 1 1 2.93 15.1 17 7 1.50 4.05
MLB 0 1 0.87 10.1 5 0 0.29 2.16
2009 Outlook
Mijares will have to prove that his off-field antics are behind him and win a roster spot. Despite what many think, he doesn't have a locked-spot in the bullpen.

Pitching Repertoire
  • Fastball
  • Curveball
  • Slider

Video
Sorry, it's the best I could do.


Estimated Time of Arrival
2008

February 12, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #6 Angel Morales

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #6 | Angel Morales

Position | Outfield

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born
| November 24, 1989 (Caguas, Puerto Rico)

School
| Puerto Rico Baseball Academy

Height
| 6'1''

Weight
| 180 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| 45




Breakdown
The Twins drafted Angel Morales in the second round of the 2007 draft. After selecting a light-hitting outfielder in the first round, many weren't too enthused with drafting Morales in the second round after some reports claimed he had "well below-average power" as well. 2008 really shushed many of those doubters after he hit 15 home runs in just 218 plate appearances as an 18-year-old in the Appalachian League. He is now in the same group as Evan Bigley and Chris Parmelee as guys with the most raw power potential in the system. Morales is a potential 5-tool player who is not only a masher at the plate, but also a stout defender as well. Morales was considered by many to be one of the best draftees to come out of Puerto Rico since Carlos Beltran was drafted in 1995. Morales brings a lot of the same things to the plate as Beltran does. Both are incredibly quick with quite a bit of power despite having a slimmer body frame. Comparing an 18-year-old who hasn't played above Rookie Ball to an All-Star at the Major League level is probably putting too much pressure on a player, but it's hard to not see some of the comparisons. One thing that is certainly a reason to be optimistic is that Beltran never displayed much power until he was already 20-years-old while Morales has shown it at 18-years-old. The sky's the limit for Morales, the Twins just need to hope that he can work on his eye-at-the-plate, but I'm sure it'll get better with age.

2008 Statistics
Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR    ISO
R         54    218    .301    .413    .623      28     15   .322

2009 Outlook

Morales is a standout defender and a great hitter, there's no reason he shouldn't be in Beloit in 2009.

Video


Estimated Time of Arrival
2012

February 11, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #7 Kevin Mulvey

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #7 | Kevin Mulvey

Position Pitcher

Bats/Throws Right/Right

Born
May 26, 1985 (Parlin, New Jersey)

School
Villanova University

Height
6'2''

Weight
190 lbs.

2008 Ranking
5




Breakdown
Kevin Mulvey came to the Twins prior to the 2008 season along with a few other prospects in exchange for Johan Santana. Originally a 2nd round pick back in 2006, the Mets gave him one start in rookie ball before moving him up to Double-A the next day. Mulvey has a low-mid 90's fastball with a good changeup. He still has work to do on both his curveball and slider though, which is what holds him back the most. Mulvey had a great season for a 23-year-old pitcher, considering he's pitching in the International League and is learning a new system. He may have not wow anyone, but he is just an all-around solid pitcher that projects well as a major leaguer. Mulvey only has only been in professional baseball for two-and-a-half years now and has pitched well in every level he's been at. Mulvey is probably ready right now to start in the major leagues, but he will likely be back in Rochester at least to start the 2009 season. Should an injury come up, I'm sure Mulvey will be one of the first arms brought up from Triple-A. The bullpen is not completely set, but I find it unlikely that he'd land a spot on the roster unless if it's as a starter.

2008 Statistics

Level      W      L      ERA      IP      K      BB      WHIP     FIP
AAA        7      9     3.77   148.0    121      48      1.35    4.06
2009 Outlook
Mulvey will probably be in Rochester to begin the season. He'll be one of the Twins' first options should they need an arm from Triple-A.

Pitching Repertoire
  • Fastball
  • Curveball
  • Change-up
  • Slider

Video
Not Available

Estimated Time of Arrival
2009

February 10, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #8 Shooter Hunt

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #8 | Shooter Hunt

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born
| August 16, 1986 (Westwood, New Jersey)

School
| Tulane University

Height
| 6'3''

Weight
| 200 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| Not Ranked




Breakdown
Shooter Hunt was drafted in the Supplemental 1st Round of the 2008 draft. Originally thought to be a top 10-15 pick, the Twins got great value with this pick and is considered by many to be the steal of the draft. Hunt has three above average pitches which make him an instant top 10 prospect by many people's standards. He features an electrifying fastball that generally sits in the low-mid 90's but can touch the mid-high 90's on occasion. He has a hard 12-6 curveball with a good changeup. Hunt's biggest downfall is his lack of command.

His Scouting Report on The Baseball Cube show that while he is outstanding in some aspects of his game, his control has a lot of work. Partially the problem with his control is that he's throwing the ball so hard with so much movement that his control becomes very inconsistent. He began his professional career with the Elizabethton Twins but after four dominating starts, he moved up to Beloit and finished the season in the Midwest League with the Snappers. By the time he reached the Snappers, he was worn down which was evident by his terrible numbers from mid-August to the end of the season. He was 1-2 with a 3.26 in his first 4 starts. His last 3 didn't go so well, going 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. I expect Hunt to move quickly through the organization much like another pitcher did with the Twins a few years ago (Matt Garza). He'll probably start the season in Low-A Beloit but I expect him to be in at least Advanced-A Ft. Myers by the end of the season. The sky's the limit for Hunt.

2008 Statistics
Level      W      L      ERA      IP      K      BB      WHIP      WP
R          0      0     0.47    19.0     34       6      0.53       3
A- 1 4 5.46 31.1 34 27 1.69 6

2009 Outlook

Hunt should move quickly through the system, but he'll likely begin the season in Beloit before moving up to Ft. Myers (hopefully) around mid-season.

Pitching Repertoire
  • Fastball
  • Curveball
  • Change-up
Video


Estimated Time of Arrival
2010

February 9, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #9 Anthony Swarzak

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #9 | Anthony Swarzak

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born
| September 10, 1985 (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

School
| Nova High School

Height
| 6'3''

Weight
| 230 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| 3




Breakdown
Anthony Swarzak was drafted in the second round of the 2004 draft. He has had a rough last couple of years in the Twins system, but hopefully he's finally on the right track. After serving a 50 game suspension in 2007 for a "drug of abuse" (likely Marijuana), Swarzak lit up his competition and went 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA after his return. Unfortunately for him, Rochester had a surplus of capable arms heading into the season last year which meant that Swarzak would be sent back to New Britain. Piece of cake right? Unfortunately the 2008 season didn't go as well as anyone had hoped for the 22-year-old right-hander. Swarzak ended up going 3-8 with a 5.76 ERA in 20 starts in New Britain. Despite his horrendous numbers, the Twins still decided to promote him to Rochester in late July and he impressed everyone in the organization by going 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA the rest of the way. Swarzak has a great fastball which can hit around 96-97 MPH and a hammer curveball. Many think his pitching repertoire should fair well in the majors. He has control problems, but I think that'll get better with age. Remember, despite repeating Double-A, he's still only 22-years-old and is and has been much younger than the rest of his competition.

2008 Statistics
Level      W      L      ERA      IP      K      BB      WHIP     LOB%
AA         3      8     5.76   101.2     76      37      1.60    63.7%
AAA 5 0 1.80 45.0 26 14 1.22 84.3%

2009 Outlook

Swarzak will likely make it to Minnesota at some point in 2009, but he should be begin the year starting near the top of the Red Wings rotation. Some think he could land a bullpen spot, but that's highly unlikely.

Pitching Repertoire
  • Fastball
  • Curveball
  • Change-up
Video


Estimated Time of Arrival
2009

February 8, 2009

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #10 Tyler Robertson

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #10 | Tyler Robertson

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Left/Left

Born
| December 23, 1987 (Simi Valley, California)

School
| Bella Vista High School

Height
| 6'5''

Weight
| 220 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| 4




Breakdown
The Twins drafted Tyler Robertson in the 3rd round of the 2006 draft. He has been a consistent top performer the last couple of years and has now posted an impressive 18-10 record and a 2.86 ERA in 44 games (41 starts) through three levels of play. He also has a 1.22 WHIP and a 3.2 K/BB ratio as well. Overall his numbers are very impressive considering he just turned 21-years-old and has already pitched successfully in Advanced-A which could warrant a promotion. Robertson has a good slider which is complimented with a fastball, curveball and change-up that are all great solid considering his age. The worst part about Robertson is that he lacks velocity and looks to be an injury waiting to happen. He only throws in the mid-high 80's on his fastball which isn't bad when you hear he has quite a bit of life still on it, but with his mediocre control I don't think that he'll be a great pitcher in the majors with a fastball like that. He also has an unorthodox delivery which you can see in the video. I don't know how he has avoided a major injury up to this point and although his numbers alone should put him higher, I guess I just cannot get past either his mechanics and velocity. At 6'5'' and 220 lbs., he has great size and one would think that he should be able to develop more velocity, but I don't know if his mechanics will allow him to throw any harder. At least without really hurting himself.

2008 Statistics
Level      W      L      ERA      IP      K      BB      WHIP      FIP
A+         5      3     2.72    82.2     73      31      1.32     3.10

2009 Outlook

Robertson is young and although he had great numbers last year in Ft. Myers, he may be back there again for a second season in a row. He had arm problems last season, which limited him to only 15 starts and could probably use a pitcher-friendly environment to get everything back.

Pitching Repertoire
  • Fastball
  • Curveball
  • Change-up
  • Slider
Video


Estimated Time of Arrival
2011

February 7, 2009

Once again, Jose Canseco is right...

Once again, Jose Canseco has made Major League Baseball and the rest of the world look like idiots after the media found out of Alex Rodriguez's failed drug test back in 2003. Canseco supposedly had "other stuff" on Rodriguez in a sequel to the book "Juiced," which brought steroids in baseball to a forefront.

Many (including myself) thought at the time, "Yeah right, why wouldn't he have dropped the ball on Rodriguez in the first one? Canseco is full of ****!" Perhaps he was trying to protect a friend? Who knows but the fact of the matter is is that Canseco was right.

Canseco is looking smarter and smarter by the minute right but we still all love to hate him. But why? Is it because we want to remain naive that our favorite players and heroes have good-hearts people and don't cheat?

I am like many others in which I cannot stand the talk of steroids and wished that it had never came up. But the fact of the matter is that everyone thought about it in the back of their minds and Canseco was one of the only people with the cojones big enough to do something about it. We all wanted to stay naive, but we all knew it wasn't right.

I still think Canseco is an egotistical jack***, but I cannot say that I don't like the guy for what he's done. If it wasn't him, I am sure it would have been someone else. We all love to hate Canseco, but the fact of the matter is that he is making all of us looking like fools for not believing in him.

Seriously? This guy is making us look like fools? Sad, but true.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2009: #11 Luke Hughes

2009 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #11 | Luke Hughes

Position | Second Base/Third Base

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born
| August 2, 1984 (Perth, Australia)

School
| Hampton High School

Height
| 5'11''

Weight
| 200 lbs.

2008 Ranking
| Not Ranked




Breakdown
Luke Hughes signed with the Twins as a non-drafted free agent back in 2002. He really broke out in 2008 with outstanding power and run production despite his sub six-foot frame. The biggest knacks against Hughes are that he is not great defensively at any position, which is why many believe he is most likely suited as a bench player. The Twins really like Hughes' potential at the plate which is why they sent him to Venezuela this winter to work on his defense at third base. He will most likely go into Spring Training with a chance to make the roster, but I think he'll have to display standout defense and continue to impress with his bat if he wants a chance to crack the Twins roster out of Spring Training. I don't personally see him as a third baseman in the majors, with Danny Valencia likely a year away from the majors as well, I think Hughes' future will most likely be at second base. Valencia is a much more sound defender at third whereas Hughes is more comfortable at second base. Regardless, I don't buy the "bench player" title Hughes has received and I think he'll land a starting role somewhere.

2008 Statistics
Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR    RBI
AA        70    319    .319    .385    .551      33     15     40
AAA 29 118 .283 .325 .453 11 3 21

2009 Outlook

Hughes will likely be getting most of the starts at third base in Rochester and could be in Minnesota by mid-season if he gets off to a good start. Otherwise I expect him to spend most of the season in Rochester with a September call-up being likely.

Video
(Best I could do)


Estimated Time of Arrival
2009

February 6, 2009

Twins, Ayala reach deal

The Twins and free agent reliever Luis Ayala have agreed to a one-year $1.3 million deal according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Ayala, 31, has a career 3.44 ERA in 350 innings along with a 2.9 K/BB ratio and a 1.25 WHIP. He has really struggled the last two years and hasn't been the same since he underwent Tommy John Surgery in 2006.

He has closing experience and setup experience, but I personally see him more in the Juan Rincon mold which is a mop-up guy.

We'll see...

Pohlad: "It does (make sense) to me"

La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Twins "CEO" Jim Pohlad believes that a "significant move" could still be made between now and the start of the season.

When asked if adding Joe Crede makes sense, he responded:
"It does to me."
He then went on to say that the final say comes from the rest of the Twins' Front Office. That has been something that the Twins Organization has done in the past and something that will continue to happen in the future. I don't see a Hank Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman fiasco going on between Pohlad and Bill Smith.

Many in the Twins blogosphere are against the thought of adding Crede. I cannot say that I agree with them. Nor will I say I disagree with them. Honestly, I really haven't decided on whether I am for or against adding Crede. The reported $5.1 million does seem like a lot considering that he'll likely require incentives which could make the deal probably close to twice that much, but I love his defense and I think that the added power would be nice. At the same time, I think Brendan Harris will be improved from last year and should be a fine third baseman.

I'll leave the decision on whether to add Crede or not up to you. I thought I would just pass this along as I think it's something worth noting when an owner *cough* I mean "CEO" talks about adding a player.

I also thought that it was great to see him address the fact that the payroll will "significantly" increase next year with many players going into arbitration. Hopefully the Twins are able to lock a few of them up between now and then, as well as Joe Mauer...