Minor League Month in Review: Ft. Myers Miracle - April

Ft. Myers Miracle (8-13, tied-5th (last) in the Florida State League - South)

             Team Leaders - Hitters                  Team Leaders - Pitchers    

             Hits: Yangervis Solarte - 20            Wins: Kyle Gibson - 2
             Avg:  Yangervis Solarte - .317          ERA: Bobby Lanigan - 0.81
             OPS:  Yangervis Solarte - .783          IP: Kyle Gibson - 30.67
             HR:   5 - tied with 1                   K: Kyle Gibson - 28
             RBI:  Drew Thompson - 7                 Saves: Billy Bullock - 3
             SB:   Chris Cates - 2                   WHIP: Bobby Lanigan - 0.90

The Ft. Myers Miracle won the South division in both the first and second half in 2009, but they were ousted by the Charlotte Stone Crabs in the semifinals. Manager Jeff Smith has been promoted to New Britain, which means that Jake Mauer will have to try and fill the shoes the man that has brought two different teams to the playoffs in each of the past three years. Unfortunately, a punch-less roster makes it unlikely that Mauer will be leading the Miracle to another division title.

The Florida State League is a pitcher-friendly environment. That's no secret. But it's also no secret that the Miracle lineup is the weakest it's been in years. But despite scoring a lead-worst 60 runs, the Miracle still managed to win eight games in April.

Not enough can be said about the success of both Kyle Gibson (#5) and Bobby Lanigan. The two-headed monster has a 3-3 record and a 1.33 ERA in nine starts. Gibson was roughed up in his first start, giving up three runs (five total) in 3 2/3 innings. But since that start, the Twins 2009 first round pick is 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in four starts. He has a ground-ball/fly-ball ratio of 7.3 (51/7) thanks to inducing 16 ground-ball outs on two separate occasions. In his last start, Gibson threw a one hit, complete game shutout against the Jupiter Hammerheads. As Seth Stohs notes, Gibson was very close to hurling a no-hitter.

Without Lanigan and Gibson, the rotation would have a 4.05 ERA. While still respectable, it would rank 2nd to last in the FSL. But it's important to note that it is improving, which is the good thing. Both Mike Tarsi, Bruce Pugh and Brad Tippett (#43) have all had recent success. In three starts since joining the rotation, Tippett has a 2.51 ERA. Pugh struck out over seven scoreless innings in his last start. And Tarsi has a 3.27 ERA in his last two starts (but he's given up five unearned runs in that same span).

The bullpen has struggled, but since the season opener (when it gave up 13 runs), the bullpen has had a 3.87 ERA. The biggest improvement comes from Shooter Hunt (#48). Hunt gave up five runs in the opener, but since has a 2.02 ERA in 13 1/3 innings. He also has a 5/1 K/BB ratio over that span, which is probably the most important thing to note. 2009 2nd round pick Billy Bullock (#20) has been roughed up in two different outings, but he still leads the team with three saves.

The offense has averaged 2.9 runs/game, but when opponents are scoring an average of 4.9 runs/game, it's hard to believe that they've won any games so far.

Yangervis Solarte is at the top (or near the top) of nearly every single offensive category for the Miracle. Solarte made a couple impressive defensive plays in Spring Training, but I'm willing to bet that he's probably an unknown amongst most Twins fans. He has played second base, shortstop, third base and left field already this season, which is probably the main reason why he has four errors on the season (three of which came in one game).

Two oft-injured infielders, Paul Kelly and Drew Thompson have also made contributions on offense. Thompson is hitting .269/.324/.403 with six doubles and a home run. Kelly had a six-game hitting streak halted by an ankle injury he sustained on April 20th. He hasn't played since, but it's important to note that it is an ankle injury and not a knee injury (which is what has derailed his career up to this point).

Three players that the Miracle lineup is centered around are Evan Bigley, Chris Herrmann and Ramon Santana. But the are hitting a combined .226 (43 for 190) and have driven in only 15 of the team's 60 runs. All three are good hitters, so I'd expect them to "click" at some point, but until then, this offense will continue to flounder.

What's Next?: Aaron Hicks (#1), Angel Morales (#6) and Liam Hendriks (#42) may all be with the Miracle shortly, which should provide a big spark to both the offense and rotation. But with promotions, roster moves need to be made, which will likely mean the end of Gibson's stay in the Florida State League. They have a fairly easy schedule in May. They play both division leaders a combined nine times, but overall, their May opponents have a .488 win percentage.

Minor League Month in Review: Beloit Snappers - April

Beloit Snappers (12-8, 3rd in Midwest League Western Division)

             Team Leaders - Hitters                     Team Leaders - Pitchers    

             Hits: Brian Dozier - 23                    Wins: Tom Stuifbergen - 3
             Avg:  Brian Dozier - .319                  ERA: Liam Hendriks - 0.41
             OPS:  Aaron Hicks - .890                   IP: Tom Stuifbergen - 26
             HR:   4 - tied with 3                      K: Liam Hendriks - 26
             RBI:  Angel Morales/Steven Liddle - 11     Saves: Steven Blevins - 5
             SB:   Angel Morales - 8                    WHIP: Liam Hendriks - 0.41

2009 is a season that the Beloit Snappers would like to forget. They finished the season with a 57-83 record, the 2nd worst record in the Midwest League. And on top of that, they finished second worst in attendance, accounting for only 2.3% of the 3,629,038 people that attended Midwest League games.

Nine players have returned from last year's roster to help turn get the team off on the right foot. And so far, they're doing just that. Through 20 games, the Snappers have the fifth best record in the Midwest League and finished off the month of April with nine wins in their last 12 games. The team's success has hinged on the pitching staff. The starters have a collective 2.38 ERA in 102 innings of work. They also have a 93/30 K/BB ratio and a 113/82 ground-ball/fly-ball ratio.

Liam Hendriks (#42) has been astonishing thus far. The 21-year-old Aussie started 11 games for the Snappers last season and is off to a hot start in 2010. Through four starts, Hendriks is 1-0 with a 0.41 ERA. He has a 13-1 K/BB ratio and has induced 24 ground-ball outs. The only run he surrendered came in his last start. He gave up a lead-off double to Sean Halton of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and he scored on a ground-ball later in the inning. He won the "Midwest Pitcher of the Week" on April 19.

Another player off to a grat start is Tom Stuifbergen (#29). The 21-year-old Dutch has a 1.38 ERA through 26 innings. He has made four starts, and has thrown at least six innings in each of them (he also made a relief appearance in the season opener). He has a ground-ball/fly-ball ratio of 33/17 and a K/BB ratio of 23/7.

Miguel Munoz struggled in has last two starts, but he still has a 2.75 ERA on the season. Dan Osterbrock, on the other hand, has been great over his last two starts. He has a 3.10 ERA on the season and was named the "Midwest Pitcher of the Week" for the week of April 19-25. He was 1-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two starts.

Having four of the five starting pitchers with an ERA of 3.10 (or under) are a main reason that the Snappers are second in the Midwest League with a 3.01 ERA. But the bullpen has been great as well. The group has an ERA of 3.84 in 77 1/3 innings pitched.

Kane Holbroooks has not allowed a run in 12 1/3 innings out of the pen while Steven Blevins has converted five saves in as many opportunities. Edgar Ibarra gave up four runs in his first outing of the season, but has not allowed a run over his last 9 2/3 innings pitched. Over that same span, Ibarra has walked just one batter while striking out 12.

The biggest struggle has come from 2009 3rd round pick Ben Tootle (#32). Tootle has given up 10 runs in 9 2/3 innings and has struggled with his control. He has given up three runs in an appearance on three different occasions. He can throw in the upper 90's, but with no sense of control, he will not make it very far. He has a team lead four wild pitches, despite pitching in the second fewest innings.

The offense, unfortunately has been a cause for concern for the Snappers. It averaged only 1.7 runs per game through the first six games, but since has averaged 5.4 runs over the last 14.

And it's no surprise that consensus top prospect Aaron Hicks (#1) has been the reason for this offensive turnaround. Since starting the season 1-31, Hicks has hit .528 (19 for 36) with three home runs, six RBI and five stolen bases since April 17th. I was able to ask Aaron what has changed and he said, "I'm just trying to stay on the ball more and watch it as long as possible."

He now how has a team high .890 OPS and has walked six times more than anyone else on the team. He began the season hitting third, but has since been moved to the top of the order, which the Twins Minor League direct Jim Rantz says is another reason for his turnaround. Hicks remains versatile in the outfield, starting 11 games in center field and five games in right field. He has two of the team's six outfield assists, both of which came in the first two games of the season.

Like Hicks, Angel Morales (#6) is also back with the Snappers and is also off to a great start. He is tied for the team lead in home runs, RBI, outfield assists and leads the team in stolen bases and slugging. He and Steven Liddle join Hicks in the outfield and the three of them have done a tremendous job so far. Liddle is also tied with Morales in each of the three categories mentioned above.

But Liddle isn't the only 2009 draftee that has been a surprise for the Snappers offense. 9th round pick Brian Dozier (#44) is the team leader in hits and batting average (.319).

What's Next?: Before heading out on a grueling 13 game road trip on May 25th, the Snappers have a very favorable schedule, with no team above .500. They play state rivals the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers nine times this month, which bodes well for the Snappers since they've won five straight against them (dating back to last September). Watch out for the promotions of Hicks, Morales and Hendriks. All three are in their second season with the Snappers and all could be in the Florida State League sometime in the next 45 days. This will pose a problem for the Snappers who will have a hard time trying to fill the void of these three.

Minor League Month in Review: New Britain Rock Cats - April

New Britain Rock Cats (4-16, 6th (last) in Eastern League Eastern Division)

               Team Leaders - Hitters                   Team Leaders - Pitchers    

               Hits: Rene Tosoni - 24                   Wins: 4 - tied with 1
               Avg:  Rene Tosoni - .338                 ERA: David Bromberg - 1.13
               OPS:  Rene Tosoni - .878                 IP: David Bromberg - 24
               HR:   Juan Portes/Chris Parmelee - 2     K: David Bromberg - 19
               RBI:  3 - tied with 7                    Saves: Chris Province - 2
               SB:   Ben Revere - 5                     WHIP: Spencer Steedley - 0.75

On paper, the New Britain Rock Cats might have the best team in the entire Eastern League. But so far, they've been the worst. By a lot. The team finished April with a dismal 4-16 record, which is the worst record throughout all of baseball (in both the Major and Minor Leagues). The team certainly has great potential, having 13 players that appeared on my Top 50 Prospect list, the most out of any Twins affiliate. But a mixture of poor offensive production and disappointing pitching has resulted in winning percentage of .200.

The offense, lead by four top 13 prospects, has managed to score only 54 runs this season (or 2.7 runs/game). The only hitter that deserves praise thus far is Rene Tosoni (#9). Tosoni is hitting .338/.385/.493 with seven extra-base hits (all of which lead the team) in 19 games thus far. His OPS of .878 is 168 points higher than Mark Delonc's OPS, which is the second highest on the team. But even worse than that is the fact that Delonc doesn't have enough at-bats to qualify amongst the leagues leaders, which then puts Ben Revere's (#4).668 OPS the next highest on the team. Tosoni has cut his strikeouts down from last year, but he still has struck out nearly four times for every walk. Overall, Tosoni is a more mature player than he was last season.

Fun fact: Tosoni has started 16 of his 19 games at DH, but he leads the team with three outfield assists.

Revere, the highest-rated prospect on the Rock Cats has five of the team's 15 stolen bases this season. He has also displayed a good arm strength in center field, something he has struggled with in the past, by throwing out two runners at home plate. He has displayed good plate discipline and his average is heading north, but he will need to improve his hitting on the road as the season gets going.

The bullpen, as hard as it may be to believe it, is probably worse off than the offense for the Rock Cats. The bullpen appeared in all but one game in
April, and out of those 19 appearances, the bullpen surrendered a run in 15 of them. The bullpen has a collective ERA of 6.04 with a 1.73 WHIP and 54/40 K/BB ratio.

The only reliever to New Britain return in 2010 was Spencer Steedley (Cole DeVries was a starter in 2009), so it's no surprise that he's been the most reliable member of the Rock Cats bullpen. In 14 2/3 innings, Steedley has struck out 17 batters while allowing only two runs (both of which came in the same game). But sadly, the rest of the bullpen has struggled, a lot.

Joe Testa (#49) has appeared in seven games, but he's only been untouched in one of those appearances. He has an 0-3 record and has allowed 12 earned runs (15 total) in 7 1/3 innings for a 14.73 ERA. Chris Province, who the Twins acquired from the Boston Red Sox over the Winter in exchange for Boof Bonser has appeared in a team-high nine games, but his 10.03 ERA and 11 walks allowed are team highs. As a matter of fact, his 11 walks are the most amongst any reliever in the Eastern League.

But not all is bad in "The Hardware City." In fact, the starting rotation has been very good so far. The starters have a 3.61 ERA, but only have only factored into the decision seven times (including two victories). The starters have induced a 1.15 ground-ball/fly-ball ratio and have allowed the second-fewest home runs in the Eastern League.

David Bromberg (#8), the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in both 2008 and 2009, is already starting to make his case for himself in 2010 by allowing only three runs in four April starts for a 1.13 ERA (fourth best in the Eastern League). But the same pitcher who lead the minor leagues with 177 strikeouts two years ago has seen his K/9 ratio fall this season. It's still very early, but his K/9 in 2010 is 7.13, which is down from 8.7 in 2009, 10.6 in 2008, and 12.5 in 2009. But while his strikeout numbers have declined, he has managed to cut down on his walks this season and has a 2.25 BB/9 ratio. Again, it's very early, but this trend is noticeable. Bromberg just knows how to pitch. As he's matured, he has worried more about movement and location than velocity. I'm sure that he'll take a sub-2.00 ERA over being the strikeout leader any day.

Tyler Robertson and Michael McCardell have also pitched well, but not without their flaws. Robertson has only pitched into the sixth inning once, and he was pulled after recording one out. McCardell has given up 31 fly-ball outs, which is by far the highest on the team (yes, I am nitpicking). Both have sub-4.00 ERA's and have been reliable starters, which can't be said for Carlos Gutierrez (#14). The first round pick in 2008 continues to struggle against Eastern League hitters, and his time in the rotation may be numbered.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Rock Cats in this young season has been the strong play from Deolis Guerra (#16). The only remaining player from the Johan Santana trade put up strong numbers through three April starts. He has gotten significantly better in each of his three starts and has not surrendered a run in the 18 innings he's pitched. Obviously, two great starts is (way) too small of a sample size to get giddy over, but the fact that Guerra is only 21-years-old and has great potential makes it hard to not feel good about it.

What's Next?: Seven of the team's nine series in May are against .500 (or better) clubs. They will face the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (the Eastern League - Eastern Division leader) eight times. With no offensive help in Fort Myers, the hitters will need to give themselves a kick start. Pitching help isn't far away, but it's unlikely that either Kyle Gibson or Bobby Lanigan are promoted before the Florida State League All-Star Break, which is June 11-13 (although with the way both are pitching, I may be eating my words very shortly). Hopefully for the Rock Cats (and my fantasy baseball team) sake, Stephen Strasburg will be promoted before the next time they'd have to face him (which if the Harrisburg Senators keep the same rotation schedule, will be May 13th). EDIT: The Nationals have announced that Strasburg will be promoted to Triple-A Syracuse. Nice break for the Rock Cats.

Is Francisco Liriano the Boogy Man?

If there is one thing that the Twins organization lacks, it's a front-of-the-rotation starter. Even in the minor leagues, very few pitchers project to be number two starters, let alone having the potential to be an ace. But one thing that has remained is that Francisco Liriano has the most potential out of of any pitcher in the system.

As a naturally optimistic person, I've dreamed of Liriano regaining his dominance. That's the reason I've gotten uncontrollably giddy whenever I've heard a report of him "turning a corner." And time, after time again, I've been disappointed by the reports not matching what Liriano does on the mound. I'm sure he's had positive bullpen sessions or positive Spring Training outings, but I couldn't help but wonder what was real and what wasn't.

And now, it looks like it's finally becoming true.

Last night, Liriano faced off against Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers. Verlander, if you don't recall, won the Rookie of the Year award in 2006; the same year Liriano broke onto the scene as a 22-year-old phenom. Had Liriano not missed the last two months with a torn ulnar collator ligament in his elbow, he not only would have ran-away with the award, but he also would have had a great shot at becoming just the second player in baseball history to win the Cy Young Award as a rookie. That's how good he was. And since that year, Verlander has gone on to have great success while Liriano has struggled to regain any sort of his 2006-self. But last night was a serious case of deja vu.

(Duane Burleson/AP Photo)

No Verlander didn't dominate, but that's not what I'm referring to. It was Liriano, who looked more like his 2006-self since, well, 2006. He didn't have a 98 mph fastball, but he threw 96 mph for the first time (at least, that I've seen) since undergoing Tommy John Surgery. He also struck out 10 batters, which was the first time that he's recorded double-digit strikeouts since July 28, 2006 against (ironically) the Detroit Tigers.

As Aaron Gleeman wrote, what can't be overlooked in Liriano's success is his regained ability to induce a high percentage of ground-ball outs. Through four starts (note: very small sample size), Liriano has a ground-ball out to fly-ball out ratio of 1.35; which is .02 points higher than it was in 2006.

In fact, many of his numbers are much better this season.

                              Year    BAA   OBPA   OPSA   P/PA

                              2006   .205   .260   .564   3.80
                              2010   .180   .255   .485   3.65

To be clear, in no way, by cherry-picking stats am I trying to imply that he's a better pitcher in 2010. Despite his success this season, he was still a more dominating presence in '06. But what I am hoping to show you is that despite striking out an average of 2.5 batters/per nine innings and having a decrease in velocity, he has learned the art of pitching, which (as Seth Stohs mentions) is a scary thought.

Liriano's slider has been arguably the best in baseball this season, thanks (as Parker Hagemen wrote,) to great control of his fastball. In 2009, Liriano's fastball was one of the worst in baseball. In 2010, FanGraphs shows that he's throwing an above-average fastball, despite a BAA of .310 against it. His slider has been outstanding and he proved last night that he's able to throw it for strikes, which absolutely baffled the Tigers.

Maybe he's not as electrifying as he was in 2006, but he still is dominant. Is he as dominant as he was in 2006? Maybe not. But dominance is dominance and I'll take it in any form. Liriano's success is just what the Twins needed and if he can continue to pitch like a number one starter, this team may be better than we all originally thought. And that thought is very scary.

This and that

• Francisco Liriano faces off against Justin Verlander tonight in what should be a very interesting battle. This is the first meeting between the Twins and Tigers since game 163 last October. Liriano is off to a great start while Verlander continues his April woes for the third consecutive year. Being as both players are playing out of their "norm," there's really no use in posting their career numbers against the opposition. But I'm excited to see how Liriano fairs against the hot-hitting Tigers. Detroit (as a team) has a .796 OPS over the past seven games, which is fourth highest in the Majors. Minneseota's OPS is 73 points lower over the same span, but they've scored four more runs in one less game.

(Marc Serota/Getty Images)

• Heading into Monday, the Twins were the league leader in walks drawn (96) and were tied with the Houston Astros for the fewest walks allowed (47). In 23 1/3 innings, Carl Pavano has only allowed one walk, which is the league leader amongst those who have made at least four starts. Justin Morneau, who is not only possesses a .368 batting average also leads the league in walks with 20. Denard Span is hitting a disappointing .230 from the lead-off spot (which ranks seventh out of the nine qualified lead-off hitters), but he leads all lead-off men with 14 walks drawn.

• After hitting doubles in back-to-back games this weekend, Delmon Young already has six extra-base hits on the year. In 2009, Young didn't record his sixth extra-base hit until June 20th. That's a difference of 106 at-bats (159-53). He's hit the ball well this season, driving it several times in Target Field alone that may have been home runs at the Metrodome. The cold air certainly has played a role thus far, but when the air warms up, Young may hit 13 home runs (his 2009 total) by August. He also has only struck out seven times in 53 at-bats. In 2009, Young struck out seven times in his first 19 at-bats. It's obviously too soon to tell, but 2010 is already shaping up to be a big year for Young; despite his .245/.276/.434 tri-slash line.

• Nick Nelson wrote a synopsis of the Twins Train. He and a group of other fans made the trek down 35W to Kansas City over the weekend. After hearing several reviews, it sounds like a great time and I hope to make it aboard the Twins Train at some point this season.

• I love Ryan Howard as much as the next guy, but the five year, $125 million extension that he signed with the Phillies yesterday is absurd. As usual, Rob Neyer of ESPN.com's opinion is very comparable to mine. I only note this because Joe Mauer's contract extension looks like highway robbery compared to this.

On the farm...

• Since starting out 1-31, Aaron Hicks has an eight game hitting streak, hitting .552 (16/29) with two doubles and two home runs. He has also been a better base stealer, swiping four bases in his last five attempts. Obviously it was a horrible start, but Hicks is showing why there's no use in freaking out about stats after just two weeks. For more on Hicks, click here.

• On April 7th, I wrote an article titled, "Needing A Miracle." In the article, I wrote about Shooter Hunt making the Ft. Myers Miracle roster (hence the pun). Hunt appeared as a reliever for the Miracle on Opening Day and self-destructed on the mound. The 23-year-old right-hander hit the first batter he faced, walked the next three batters and gave up a grand slam without recording an out. It was hard listening to Alex Margulies announce the game. Hunt literally couldn't find the strike zone and it was hard to not feel sorry for the guy.

But since that appearance, Hunt has been very impressive for the Miracle. In six appearances since then, Hunt has given up five runs (four last night) but what's important is that he has walked only four batters while striking out 17. He hasn't walked a batter in his last three appearances and continues to give signs of optimism. Hopefully he keeps it up.

Book Review: We're Gonna Win, Twins!

Since starting this blog, a door has been opened for several great opportunities. One such opportunity has been to review several books. As a college student, I can't tell you how much I hate reading boring material. We've all been there. But thankfully, the books I've had the honor of thumbing through have all been very thought-provoking. Obviously that's coming from a biased opinion as anything baseball-related is thought-provoking in my opinion, but I also think that some of these books would be interesting to you, which is why I'm going to share my thoughts on a few them. I will try to refrain from using cliché phrases like as "must buy" or "readable," but I wanted to apologize in advance because I'm sure they'll find there way into a review at some point.

We're Gonna Win, Twins! is a chronicle of the Minnesota Twins over the first half-century that the club has been in existence. Author Doug Grow provides a fantastic walk through time by discussing events which have unfolded during every season since the inaugural season in 1961.

As each chapter begins, there are several sections leading up to "The Season." These sections labeled "The World," "The Nation," The State," and "Pop Culture" gives the reader a snapshot of the important events outside of baseball, which helps puts things into context while reading. After "The Season," which sums up the year in Twins baseball into a short paragraph, there are pages of great stories, recaps and details of events which unfolded throughout the year in Twins baseball. And what's perhaps the greatest thing about this book is that every season of Twins baseball (from 1961-present) is accounted for in one way or another.

One chapter that I took particular interest to was "Press Box under Siege." Grow gives the reader insight into the Twins blogosphere and puts specific spotlight on John Bonnes (Twins Geek), Aaron Gleeman (AaronGleeman.com) and Anne Ursu (Batgirl). Obviously, as a Twins blogger, I take great pride in the Twins blogosphere and it's great to see other writers get the attention that they're so much deserving of. All three of the bloggers Grow mentions have been instrumental in forming one of the best blogging communities on the web and I'm elated that Grow included them.

What I find very important to note is that I truly believe it suits both younger and older generations of Twins fans perfectly. As a so-called "young fan," there area lot of events in Twins history that I had no knowledge of before reading the book. For the older fan, the events that are written could be a very pleasant to reminisce again and perhaps you'll learn something new as well.

There are some great player profiles that are quite inclusive. Players like Tony Oliva, Kirby Puckett, Bert Blyleven, Zoilo Versalles and Harmon Killebrew (as well as many others) are given particular attention. Grow also profiles the great World Series matchup between Sandy Koufax and Jim Kaat in 1965 and the chapters which cover the World Series victories in 1987 and 1991 are filled with quotes from players and great stories.

Pictures flood the book with great effect. Seeing pictures of the Met or of the parade that polluted the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul are ineffable. Especially for a fan that wasn't alive (or wasn't old enough to remember) either.

At $25.95, the price of the book may seem steep, but 328+ pages of Grow's writing will not disappoint you and the endless amount of information that you engulf will make the book seem priceless. The nostalgia runs thick and there are plenty of humorous stories to make this truly a fun book to read. We're Gonna Win, Twins! is a book that I truly and sincerely believe every Twins fan should read.

To purchase or to find out more information on the book, check out the We're Gonna Win, Twins! webpage from the University of Minnesota Press. To purchase the book, click here. It can also be purchased through Amazon.com.

Here is more information, including an event this weekend.

Saturday, April 24, 2010
2:00-4:00 pm

Town Ball Tavern
Target Field, 5th Street Gate Entrance
1 Twins Way
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Talk and signing with Doug Grow, featuring Twins memorabilia from Clyde Doepner, curator for the Minnesota Twins.

Open to the Public -- Limited Seating Available

In 1961, the Twins brought major league baseball to the upper Midwest. In We're Gonna Win, Twins! longtime sports reporter and columnist Doug Grow chronicles a half century of Twins baseball, season by season, from the scrappy stars of the Metropolitan Stadium through two World Series in the Metrodome to the opening of a new era at Target Field.

For more information, including the table of contents, visit the book's webpage:
http://www.upress.umn.edu/Books/G/grow_gonnawin.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doug Grow covered the Minnesota Twins as a sports columnist from 1979 to 1987, and as a metro columnist he wrote about the 1987 and 1991 World Series as well as the long debates over stadium funding. He is currently a journalist working for the online publication MinnPost.

PRAISE FOR WE'RE GONNA WIN, TWINS!
"Throughout his career, Doug Grow has always found the true meaning in stories large and small. This account of the history of Minnesota Twins baseball is filled with that kind of personal understanding. There will always be people who say that baseball is just a game-until they read this book." - Don Shelby, WCCO-TV

"Doug Grow's writing has always been about the people and lives, not numbers, and that's why We're Gonna Win, Twins! is a winner." - Charley Walters, Former Twins pitcher and St. Paul Pioneer Press columnist.

"We're Gonna Win, Twins! is a winner for Twins fans! Great behind-the-scenes tales from every era of Twins baseball. IT invoked great memories for me and a lot of laughs as well. Stories about the tightfisted ways of Calvin to the 'championship era' started by Tom Kelly in '87. It's a fun read! - Jim Kaat

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #1 Aaron Hicks

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #1 | Aaron Hicks

Position | Outfielder

Bats/Throws | Switch/Right

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

School | Wilson High School

Height | 6'2''

Weight | 170 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 1



Breakdown
Aaron Hicks was taken with the 14th overall pick in the 2008 draft. He was widely considered one of the best all-around athletes in the draft. He reportedly hit 95 mph on the mound, which made several teams consider him as a pitcher, but Hicks is happy that he is playing outfield, "I liked pitching because I had to do what was best for my team at that point, but I'm truly a position player; that's my passion." He signed a week after the draft to a $1.78 million signing bonus.

After signing, Hicks was designated to the Gulf Coast League where He showed that he could do a little bit of everything. Through 45 games, Hicks hit .318/.409/.491 with 10 doubles, four triples, four home runs and stole 12 bases despite playing in a pitcher-friendly league. He also displayed a great amount of discipline at the plate, drawing 28 walks. In 2009, most believed Hicks should follow Ben Revere's footsteps by taking over center field for the Beloit Snappers. Hicks' "advanced" hitting approach and overall demeanor suggested that he probably would have handled the promotion just fine, but the Twins decided to hold Hicks back in Extended Spring Training to begin the season. The team had every intention of sending him to the Appalachian League when short-season Rookie Ball began in June, but a horrid Snappers team needed a boost, so the Twins decided to call up Hicks. He didn't have the same type of success that he had in the Gulf Coast League a year earlier, but he still managed to separate himself as the best prospect in the Twins system. Through 67 games with the Snappers, Hicks hit .251/.353/.382. Probably the biggest cause of optimism came from the fact that he got better as the year went on and he maintained great discipline at the plate.

Hicks is immensely talented, but he's also still very raw. He plays all three outfield positions very well, but his speed is best suited for center field. His history as a pitcher has helped him develop one of the best outfield arms in the minor leagues, but his bat is nowhere near as developed. He has a great awareness of the strike zone and he's shown the ability to drive the ball well, but it's still to be determined what kind of hitter he'll be. He has also had problems on the base paths. He runs the bases well, but he is not an effective base stealer as of yet. There are high expectations surrounding Hicks, especially since he has been named a top 30 prospect from major outlets such as Baseball America (19), ESPN (19) and MLB.com (29), but Twins fans shouldn't want to see him rushed through the system. Many have said he's easily comparable to Torii Hunter or Adam Jones, but it's important to remember that Hicks has a long way to go and there's little chance that he reaches the Major Leagues when he is either 20 or 21 (like Jones and Hunter).

2009 Statistics

          Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          A-        67    297    .251    .353    .382      22      4    106

2010 Outlook
Many believed that Hicks could begin the season in Advanced-A Ft. Myers, but Hicks has been sent back to the Midwest League where he'll begin the season. If everything pans out, he'll finish the season in the Florida State League.

Video

Estimated Time of Arrival
2013

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #2 Wilson Ramos

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #2 | Wilson Ramos

Position | Catcher

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | August 10, 1987 (Valencia, Venezuela)

School | U.E. Santa Ines

Height | 6'0''

Weight | 220 lbs.

2009 Ranking | 4


(Photo courtesy of Kevin Pataky of MiLB.com)

Breakdown
Wilson Ramos was signed as a non-drafted free agent on July 7, 2004. He didn't make it to the states until 2006, but he certainly has made his presence felt since. Admittedly, I flirted with ranking Ramos as the top overall prospect.

In 2006, Ramos began the season in Extended Spring Training before joining the Gulf Coast League. With the Twins, Ramos hit .286/.339/.435 with 16 extra-base hits in 154 at-bats. In 2007, Ramos again found himself in Extended Spring Training but he eventually joined the Beloit Snappers in June with the struggles of Greg Yersich. He went on to hit .291/.345/.438 with 26 extra-base hits in 292 at-bats. After the season, Ramos ranked in as my 13th best prospect in the Twins system. In 2008, Ramos moved up to the Florida State League where he hit .288/.346/.434 with 38 extra-base hits with the Ft. Myers Miracle. In 2009, Ramos continued to move through the system, this time playing for the New Britain Rock Cats in the Eastern League. He broke his finger in May and after returning in June, he missed two months with a pulled hamstring. All together, Ramos hit .317/.339/.496 with 25 extra-base hits including seven home runs in 224 at-bats. After finding himself healthy, Ramos hit .332/.397/.582 and drove in 49 runs in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Ramos' offensive prowess is mostly what he is known for, but Ramos is also a stout defender behind the plate. Pitchers like the way he calls the game and his strong arm makes it hard for base runners to steal on him. But two things stand in the way for Ramos are his history of injuries and a guy by the name of Joe Mauer. Ramos has the potential to be one of the best offensive catchers in baseball, but THE best is already on the roster, so it doesn't seem likely that he'll play an extensive role with the Twins (at least not as a catcher). The Twins could consider using using him at DH, but that seems like it'd really be diminishing his value. Ramos needs to prove in 2010 that he can stay on the field, which may be all that is separating him from being the top prospect.

2009 Statistics

          Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          R (GCL)    5    500    .316    .316    .947       5      3    263
          AA        54    500    .317    .341    .454      20      4    120

2010 Outlook
Ramos missed a lot of time in 2009 due to injury, but he showed enough during Winter Ball and in Spring Training to make the Twins feel comfortable enough with starting him in Triple-A.

Video



Estimated Time of Arrival
2010

Target Field's impact on the Minnesota Twins

First of all, if you didn't see, I posted my #3 Twins prospect for the 2010 season. Now, onto the post...

The Twins (officially) open Target Field at 3:05 pm today against the Boston Red Sox. Carl Pavano will take the mound against southpaw Jon Lester. Both pitchers have struggled against the opposition in the past, but it will be interesting to see what kind of momentum Pavano has in his first (real) start at Target Field. Many people have discussed the ambiance of Target Field after the Twins hosted the St. Louis Cardinals in two exhibition games earlier this month, but it's safe to say that whatever the atmosphere was then will be multiplied by a considerable amount today. This is one of the most exciting days in the history of the organization, so take it all in Twins fans. With that said, I thought that now would be the best time to post this:

Ryan Maus, who has blogged at Twins Chatter since 2004 and is now a PR rep at the University of Minnesota, wanted me to pass this along. It's a very interesting video about the effects that Target Field will have on the Minnesota Twins (obviously, this was made before the Twins signed Joe Mauer, but it's still completely relevant). Hopefully you enjoy it.



If you're on Twitter, you can find Ryan at @RPMaus.

Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: #3 Miguel Sano

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #3 | Miguel Sano

Position | Shortstop

Bats/Throws | Right/Right

Born | May 11, 1993 (San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic)

School | Not Available

Height | 6'3''

Weight | 190 lbs.

2009 Ranking | Not Ranked

(Photo courtesy of Jenni Pinkley of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Breakdown
It's pretty easy to say that no Dominican prospect (or any international prospect for that matter) has ever been under more scrutiny than Miguel Sano was last summer. At just 16-years-old, Sano's enormous talent caught the eye of nearly every Major League baseball team, as did his physical stature. Standing 6-foot-3 and 190 lbs., Major League Baseball decided to investigate Sano's age to make sure he wasn't trying to appear younger than he truly was. Sano's mother, Melania Jean Sano, lost a son at birth several years after Miguel was born, which made the investigation even more extensive.

After months of trial and tribulation, the Twins signed Sano to a $3.15 million signing bonus on September 29. But the strangest part of all of this? The Twins played a leading role in Sano potentially losing out on millions of dollars. The organization is lucky that Sano didn't have a sour taste in his mouth about the investigation because that could have completely taken the Twins out of the running (even though it's likely that another team would have made the request for the investigation if the Twins hadn't).

Despite his age, Sano has drawn comparisons to players such as Alex Rodriguez, Hanley Ramirez and Albert Pujols. I understand all of these comparisons, and I'd be lying if I don't get excited when I hear that his bat compares to that of Pujols', but it's not fair to put those kind of expectations on a player his age (or any player for that matter). Sano is currently listed as a shortstop but scouts believe he'll eventually "grow out" of t he position and be forced to move to either third base or corner outfield. Regardless, his bat is what will get him to the Major Leagues and so far, all reports have been very positive.

Sano has gone on record of saying that he wants to make it to the Major Leagues sometime in the next two years, but I find that pretty unlikely. The Twins will not rush Sano and that's something I'm sure they've expressed to him since signing. Having a player like Sano in the organization is a real treat and watching him (and how the organization handles him) throughout the next few seasons will be very interesting.

2009 Statistics

Not Available

2010 Outlook
Sano will begin the season in Extended Spring Training before he joins the Gulf Coast League Twins in June. The Twins "tentative plan" is to have Sano play in the Dominican Summer League at some point in the summer.

Video



Estimated Time of Arrival
2014