The Twins and the Yankees have been at it longer than anyone can remember.

For a large fraction of the Minnesota Twins fans, the Yankees clearly represent three things:  a franchise that has a bottomless pit for a budget and can buy players and championships, a team that after the wild card was established the Twins have to face in every  post-season, and the team that the Twins (the good Twins' teams) lost to in every post-season.   So the Yankees have been the proverbial thorn on the Twins' side or a major pain on their back side.  For most fans, this relationship of the Twins-Yankees franchises is a recent one and it became apparent as the Twins got better this Millennium, since the Yankees were always in the other division.   But this cannot be further than the truth.  The two franchises have a long intertwining history that goes all the way back to the dark ages (of baseball.)

Both the Twins and Yankees franchises were founding members of the American League in 1901.  The Yankees started their American League life as the Baltimore Orioles and the Twins as the new franchise in Washington that moved from Kansas City (the Blues,) which took the name of the NL team that was there and dissolved in 1899, the Senators.   The KC Blues were part of the old Western League the predecessor of the American League.  I am digressing here, but it is important for Twins' fans.  The league was founded in 1893 and was comprised by mainly Midwestern teams.  One of the founding teams of the Western League was the Sioux City Corn Huskers.  In 1894 Charles Comiskey bought the Sioux City club and transferred to St. Paul, MN and called them the St. Paul Saints.   The Saints moved to Chicago (the time the Blues moved to Washington DC to become the Senators) and became the White Stockings aka the White Sox.   So think about that the next time the Twins decide to wear Saints' uniforms.  But I am digressing.  Back to the Twins and the Yankees...

The Yankees did not last much in Baltimore.  Just a couple years before they moved to the Bronx and became the Highlanders with pretty much a brand new squad.  The first ever game of the Highlanders, fate has it, was against the Twins nee Senators in Washington.  Promptly the Senators won 3-1:

Both teams were wallowing in mediocrity in the aughts and the teens (and the Highlanders changed their name to the Yankees in 1913 to no avail). But in the roaring twenties, the Yankees and the Senators were the 2 teams that dominated the AL. The Yankees of Babe Ruth, Wait Hoyt and Lou Gehrig went to the World Series from '21-'23 and from '26-'28 (won in '23, '27 and '28) and the Senators of Walter Johnson, Goose Goslin and Sam Rice went in '24 and '25 and won their first trip.  

 

 

 

 

With the interruption of a World Series trip by the Senators in 1933, the two franchises went in opposite ways from then on, with the Yankees (well) being the Yankees and the Senators (well) being the Senators.   Twins' fans might dislike the Yankees right now, but the two teams have had pretty good relationships at least in their front offices since day one and a lot of cross-polination.

In addition to Billy Martin who managed both the Twins and the Yankees, the following two Hall of Fame managers managed in both franchises: Clark Griffith (1903-1908 Highlanders and 1912-1920 Senators; Bucky Harris (1924-1928, 1935-1942, 1950-1954 Senators and 1947-1938 Yankees.)  Harris won World Series with both teams (1924 and 1947, which were in his first year with each team).  Griffith and Martin, in addition to managing MLB teams in the Twins and Yankees franchises, they also played for both teams.

 

Speaking about playing for both teams, there are not 2 other teams in major league baseball that have more players playing for both than the Twins and the Yankees.   The proximity and the train between New York and Washington DC helped in the early ages before the airplanes (and there were a lot of players who were going up and down the east coast try to make a living before the '40s,)  but the exchanges have continued up to now.   The following 175 players (including many All Stars and four Hall of Famers) played for both the Yankees' and the Twins' franchises (and a lot of these players got traded between the 2 franchises; look for players who played for both in the same season or in consecutive seasons) :  

 

Spencer Adams (Senators 1925, Yankees 1926),
Bernie Allen (Twins 1962-66, Yankees 1972-73),
John Anderson (Senators 1905-07, Highlanders 1904-05),
Pete Appleton (Senators 1936-39, 1945, Yankees 1933),
Luis Ayala (Twins 2009, Yankees 2011),
Willie Banks (Twins 1991-93, Yankees 1997-98),
Walter Beall (Senators 1929, Yankees 1924-27),
Lou Berberet (Senators 1956-58, Yankees 1954-55),
Garland Braxton (Senators 1927-30, Yankees 1925-26),
Tommy Byrne (Senators 1953, Yankees 1943, 1946-51, 1954-57),
Bullet Joe Bush (Senators 1926, Yankees 1922-24),
Archie Campbell (Senators 1929, Yankees 1928),
John Candelaria (Twins 1990, Yankees 1988-89),
Roy Carlyle (Senators 1925, Yankees 1926),
Ben Chapman (Senators 1936-37, 1941, Yankees 1930-36),
Mike Chartak (Senators 1942, Yankees 1940, 1942),
Al Cicotte (Senators 1958, Yankees 1957),
Tex Clevenger (Senators 1956-60, Yankees 1961-62),
Orth Collins (Senators 1909, Highlanders 1904),
Wid Conroy (Senators 1909-11, Highlanders 1903-08),
Ron Coomer (Twins 1995-2000, Yankees 2002),
Don Cooper (Twins 1981-82, Yankees 1985),
Clint Courtney (Senators 1955-59, Yankees 1951),
Stan Coveleski, HOF (Senators 1925-27, Yankees 1928),
Herb Crompton (Senators 1937, Yankees 1945),
Roy Cullenbine (Senators 1942, Yankees 1942),
Nick Cullop (Senators 1927, Yankees 1926),
Jim Deshaies (Twins 1993-94, Yankees 1984),
Chili Davis (Twins 1991-92, Yankees 1998-1999),
Ron Davis (Twins 1982-86, Yankees 1978-81),
Rick Dempsey (Twins 1969-72, Yankees 1973-76),
Jimmie DeShong (Senators 1936-39, Yankees 1934-35),
Sonny Dixon (Senators 1953-54, Yankees 1956),
Jack Doyle (Senators 1902, Highlanders 1905),
Lew Drill (Senators 1902-04, Orioles 1902),
Kid Elberfeld (Senators 1910-11, Highlanders 1903-09),
Roger Erickson (Twins 1978-81, Yankees 1982-83),
Scott Erickson (Twins 1990-95, Yankees 2006),
Alvaro Espinoza (Twins 1984-86, Yankees 1988-91),
Alex Ferguson (Senators 1925-26, Yankees 1918, 1921, 1925),
Wes Ferrell (Senators 1937-38, Yankees 1938-39),
Tom Ferrick (Senators 1947-48 and 1951-52, Yankees 1950-51),
Pete Filson (Twins 1982-86, Yankees 1987),
Ray Fontenot (Twins 1986, Yankees 1983),
Eddie Foster (Senators 1912-19, Highlanders 1910),
Ray Francis (Senators 1922, Yankees 1925),
George Frazier (Twins 1986-87, Yankees 1981-83),
Billy Gardner (Senators/Twins 1960-61, Yankees 1961-62),
Milt Gaston (Senators 1928, Yankees 1924),
Joe Gedeon (Senators 1913-14, Yankees 1916-17),
Al Gettel (Senators 1949, Yankees 1945-46),
Lefty Gomez, HOF (Senators 1943, Yankees 1930-42),
Wayne Granger (Twins 1972, Yankees 1973),
Clark Griffith, HOF (Senators 1912-14, Highlanders 1903-07),
Randy Gumpert (Senators 1952, Yankees 1946-48),
Bump Hadley (Senators 1926-31, 1935, Yankees 1936-1940),
Jimmie Hall (Twins 1963-66, Yankees 1969),
Joe Harris (Senators 1925-26, Yankees 1914),
Harry Harper (Senators 1913-19, Yankees 1921),
LaTroy Hawkins (Twins 1995-2003, Yankees 2008),
Neal Heaton (Twins 1986, Yankees 1993),
Sean Henn (Twins 2009, Yankees 2005-07),
Steve Howe (Twins 1985, Yankees 1991-96),
Tom Hughes (Senators 1904-09, 1911-13, Orioles/Highlanders 1902, 1904),
Jackie Jensen (Senators 1952-53, Yankees 1950-52),
Don Johnson (Senators 1951-52, Yankees 1947, 1950),
Sad Sam Jones (Senators 1928-31, Yankees 1922-26),
Tim Jordan (Senators 1901, Highlanders 1903),
Jim Kaat (Senators/Twins 1959-1973, Yankees 1979-80),
Bill Keister (Senators 1902, Orioles 1901),
Roberto Kelly (Twins 1996-97, Yankees 1987-92),
Frank Kitson (Senators 1906-07, Highlanders 1907),
John Knight (Senators 1912, Highlanders/Yankees 1909-11, 1913),
Andy Kosco (Twins 1965-67, Yankees 1966),
Chuck Knoblauch (Twins 1991-97, Yankees 1998-01),
Bob Kuzava (Senators 1950-51, Yankees 1951-54),
Frank LaPorte (Senators 1912-13, Highlanders 1905-10),
Dave LaRoche (Twins 1972, Yankees 1981-83),
Lyn Lary (Senators 1935, Yankees 1929-34),
Chris Latham (Twins 1997-99, Yankees 2003),
Jack Lelivelt (Senators 1909-11, Highlanders/Yankees 1912-13),
Duffy Lewis (Senators 1921, Yankees 1919-20),
Jim Lewis (Twins 1983, Yankees 1982),
Slim Love (Senators 1913, Yankees 1916-18),
Kevin Maas (Twins 1995, Yankees 1990-93),
Danny MacFayden (Senators 1941, Yankees 1932-34),
Billy Martin (Twins 1961, Yankees 1950-57),
Tippy Martinez (Twins 1988, Yankees 1974-76),
Mickey McDermott (Senators 1954-55, Yankees 1956),
Danny McDevitt (Twins 1961, Yankees 1961),
Darnell McDonald (Twins 2007, Yankees 2012),
Mike McNally (Senators 1925, Yankees 1921-24)
Doug Mientkiewicz (Twins 1998-04, Yankees 2007),
Larry Milbourne (Twins 1982, Yankees  1981-82, 1983),
Willy Miranda (Senators 1951, Yankees 1953-54),
Chad Moeller (Twins 2000, Yankees 2010),
George Mogridge (Senators 1921-25, Yankees 1915-20),
Mike Morgan (Twins 1998, Yankees 1982),
Tom Morgan (Senators 1960, Yankees 1951-52; 1954-56),
George Murray (Senators 1926-27, Yankees 1922)
Dan Naulty (Twins 1996-98, Yankees 1999),
Denny Neagle (Twins 1991, Yankees 2000),
Graig Nettles (Twins 1967-69, Yankees 1973-83),
Bobo Newsom (Senators 1935-37, 1943, 1946-67, 1952, Yankees 1947)
Joe Niekro (Twins 1987-88, Yankees 1895-87),
Irv Noren (Senators 1950-52, Yankees 1952-56),
Jesse Orosco (Twins 2003, Yankees 2003),
Al Orth (Senators 1902-04, Highlanders 1904-09),
Champ Osteen (Senators 1903, Highlanders 1904),
John Pacella (Twins 1982, Yankees 1982),
Carl Pavano (Twins 2009-12, Yankees 2005-08),
Roger Peckinpaugh (Senators 1922-26, Yankees 1913-21),
Eddie Phillips (Senators 1934, Yankees 1932),
Sidney Ponson (Twins 2007, Yankees 2006, 2008),
Bob Porterfield (Senators 1951-55, Yankees 1948-51),
Jake Powell (Senators 1930-36, 1943-45, Yankees 1936-40),
Jerry Priddy (Senators 1943, 1946-47, Yankees 1941-42),
Pedro Ramos (Senators/Twins 1955-61, Yankees 1964-66),
Shane Rawley (Twins 1989, Yankees 1982-84),
Jeff Reardon (Twins 1987-89, Yankees 1994),
Harry Rice (Senators 1931, Yankees 1930),
Roxey Roach (Senators 1912, Highlanders 1910-11),
Eddie Robinson (Senators 1949-50, Yankees 1954-56),
Kenny Rogers (Twins 2003, Yankees 1996-97),
Jim Roland (Twins 1962-64, 1966-68, Yankees 1972),
Braggo Roth (Senators 1920, Yankees 1921),
Muddy Ruel (Senators 1923-30, Yankees 1917-20),
Dutch Ruether (Senators 1925-26, Yankees 1926-27)
Allen Russell (Senators 1923-25, Yankees 1915-19),
Mark Salas (Twins 1985-87, Yankees 1987),
Fred Sanford (Senators 1951, Yankees 1949-51),
Ray Scarborough (Senators 1942-43, 1946-50, Yankees 1952-53)
Germany Schaefer (Senators 1909-14, Yankees 1916),
Art Schult (Senators 1957, Yankees 1953),
Johnny Schmitz (Senators 1953-55, Yankees 1952-53),
Everett Scott (Senators 1925, Yankees 1922-25),
Kip Selbach (Senators 1903-04, Orioles 1902),
Hank Severeid (Senators 1925-26, Yankees 1926),
Howie Shanks (Senators 1912-22, Yankees 1925),
Spec Shea (Senators 1952-55, Yankees 1947-49, 1951),
Ruben Sierra (Twins 2006, Yankees 1995-96, 2003-05),
Roy Smalley (Twins 1976-82, 1985-87, Yankees 1982-84),
Elmer Smith (Senators 1916-1917, Yankees 1922-23),
Gabby Street (Senators 1908-11, Highlanders 1912),
Eric Soderholm (Twins 1971-75, Yankees 1980),
Jake Stahl (Senators 1904-06, Highlanders 1908),
Dick Starr (Senators 1951, Yankees 1947-48),
Bud Stewart (Senators 1948-50, Yankees 1948),
Steve Sundra (Senators 1941-42, Yankees 1936-40),
Jesse Tannehill (Senators 1908-09, Highlanders 1903),
Dick Tettelbach (Senators 1956-57, Yankees 1955),
Bob Tewksbury (Twins 1997-98, Yankees 1986-87),
Myles Thomas (Senators 1929-30, Yankees 1926-29),
Jack Thoney (Senators 1904, Orioles/Highlanders 1902, 1904),
Luis Tiant (Twins 1970, Yankees 1979-80)
Cesar Tovar (Twins 1965-72, Yankees 1976),
Bob Unglaub (Senators 1908-10, Highlanders 1903),
Elmer Valo (Senators 1960/Twins 1961, Yankees 1960),
Hippo Vaughn (Senators 1912, Highlanders 1908-12),
Bobby Veach (Senators 1925, Yankees 1925),
Jake Wade (Senators 1946, Yankees 1946),
Danny Walton (Twins 1973, 1975, Yankees 1971),
Gary Ward (Twins 1979-83, Yankees 1987-89),
Jim Weaver (Senators 1928, Yankees 1931),
Rondell White (Twins 2006-07, Yankees 2002),
Bob Wiesler (Senators 1956-58, Yankees 1951, 1954-55),
Stan Williams (Twins 1970-71, Yankees 1963-64),
Archie Wilson (Senators 1952, Yankees 1951-52),
Dave Winfield, HOF (Twins 1993-94, Yankees 1981-90),
Barney Wolfe (Senators 1904-06, Highlanders 1903-04),
Harry Wolverton (Senators 1902, Highlanders 1912),
Dick Woodson (Twins 1969-70 & 1972-74, Yankees 1974),
Butch Wynegar (Twins 1976-82, Yankees 1982-86),
Tom Zachary (Senators 1919-25, 1927-28, Yankees 1928-29),
Bill Zuber (Senators 1941-42, Yankees 1943-46). 

 

 

 

And thus the story goes...  

If you are interested, you can find more Twins history posts here.

Local baseball team gets renamed in honor of a Minnesota Twins' player. Just not who you think.

It is really wonderful to see professional baseball players to be good corporate citizens and invest in their communities, appreciating what they did for them in their earlier steps on the way to becoming stars.

From the Twins' world, local Minnesotans, Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins have donated a lot of their money and time to several local causes.  But they never had a team named after them.  A third Twins' lefty just did.

LHP Brian Duensing, a graduate of Millard South at Omaha, Nebraska (the place where he met his wife as well), has donated a large sum of money to his local High School Legion team to be used for uniforms and baseball-related expenses.   In return, the team will be named the 52s (his uniform number) in his honor.

Always good to see the players of your favorite team do the right thing.  Congratulations to Brian Duensing!

Pitching video of the Twins' second round pick Ryan Eades

Twins 2013 mock MLB Draft: Rounds 6 to 12

I started the Twins mock 2013 draft a week ago, suggesting that they should select Sean Manaea with their first round and fourth overall pick.  A couple days ago I presented the second to fifth round picks for the Twins in this mock draft, and now I am concluding with picks from the 6th to the 12 round.  

As I indicated in the first pick presentation, like every single other mock drafts out there, unless someone can see all the draft boards from all teams, this is a purely recreational endeavor.

A reminder of the picks so far:

Round 1 (4 overall) Sean Menaea  LHP, Indiana State
Round 2, (43 overall): Hunter Dozier, SS,  Stephen F. Austin State
Round 3, (78 overall) Andrew Knapp, C, Cal
Round 4 (110 overall) Edwin Diaz, SS, Ladislau Martinez Otero HS, Puerto Rico
Round 5 (140 overall) DJ Snelten, LHP, Minnesota


And the new picks:

Round 6 (170 overall) Mike Wagner, RHP, San Diego

Starter turned closer turned starter again.  Plus plus fastball (peaking at high 90s) and average slider; could be a starter if he develops a third offering and improves his slider, otherwise a solid back of the pen guy.

Here is a 10 minute scouting video:

Round 7 (200 overall) Xavier Fernandez, C, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy

 Strong righty out of Puerto Rico.  6' 210 lbs and growing.  Good hand eye coordination, projected to hit with power.  Natural in the Catcher position, but still pretty raw.  Not on many radars, but well worth the pick for an organization starved for catchers.

Round 8 (230 overall) Mike Yastrzemski, OF Vanderbilt

The Twins' love bloodlines, and nothing like that of a Hall of Famer.  Carl's grandson was drafted by the Red Sox in 2009 in the 30th round and by the Mariners last season in the same round but did not sign.  This season he will be drafted higher, because his plate discipline, fielding and contact has improved. Might be a reach in the 8th round, but he is Yaz's grandson, which beats being Liddle's nephew who was picked in the 15th round (also from Vanderbilt) by the Twins in 2009. He was raised by his grandfather, after his father died from a heart attack in 2004 (not a pretty story - )  He is a senior and will get drafted. His grandfather's size (5'10", 185) and a lefty hitter and thrower.

 

Round 9 (260 overall) Marcos Ventura OF/1B Puerto Rico Baseball Academy

This is the third Puerto Rican High School kid I project the Twins to select and for a good reason:  If Dave Ortiz is Big Papi and Kennys Vargas Little Papi, Marcos Ventura is Baby Papi.  Tremendous physique for a growing17 year old (6'3" 220) with a lot of power and potential for more.  Fielding is a work in process, like the aforementioned two, but the lefty will have a job with his bat.

Round 10 (290 overall) Weston Wilson SS/3B Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC)

6'3" 190 lbs right, committed to Clemson so he will probably have to be over slot to sign.  Good hands and good range and natural on the field, but some feel that he is already too big for a shortstop.  Pretty good with the bat utilizing all fields, but his bat needs to mature.

Round 11 (320 overall) Tyler O'Neill C/SS Maple Ridge H.S. (BC, Canada)

Strong Canadian righty who started as a SS and ended up behind the plate.  Not an unusual combination, a lot like former Minnesota Twins' C Jose Morales.  Here is a story on him from last season.  Committed to Oregon State, so a team will probably have to go over slot that late in the draft.  Needs to mature with the bat a bit

Here is a short video:

Round 12 (350 overall ) Billy Waltrip LHP Oklahoma 

Closest comparables: Scott Diamond and Pedro Hernandez.  6'2", 215 Lefty with a 87-89 mph FB with good command, above average curve and work in progress change up.   Drafted by the Orioles in the 12 round last season but did not sign.  He will this season.  Unlike 2012 he lost his starting job due to some loss of command and has been pitching out of the Sooner's pen.  Just a Twins' kind of guy that it will be hard for them to pass at this spot.   His 2013 stats are here. 

Here is a 3.5 minute video of Waltrip pitching in a game:

This post completes the 2013 Twins mock draft selections.

As a reminder, you can find all 2013 MLB draft related posts here.

Twins 2013 mock MLB Draft: Rounds 2 to 5

Last week, I discussed the reasons why the Minnesota Twins should select Sean Manaea with their first round and fourth overall pick.  This week, I am presenting potential second to fifth round picks for the Twins.  The Twins do not have compensatory picks this season.  Brief profiles of the players also are included.


Round 2, (43 overall): Hunter Dozier, SS,  Stephen F. Austin State

Would history repeat itself and the Twins will select yet another college SS (and their second Dozier recently) in the high draft rounds, even though their previous selections have not moved with the speed the Twins' hoped?   He shall see, but Hunter Dozier is not like the previous college short stops they have been selecting.  He is a Cal Ripken-sized SS (6-4, 220) with a lot of pop.  He bats right handed.  His 17 HRs  have him in the top 3 in the NCAA he is hitting .394 and has 12 SBs.  His arm is very strong and he has good hands.  Range is an issue (and this, with his size, makes some think that he will project as a 3B at the next level) but very workable in the next level.   I think that he has the tools to stick at short and this is a huge position of need in the Twins' organization.    He was named Southland conference player of the year and hitter of the year.   His up to date 2013 stats are here.

Round 3, (78 overall) Andrew Knapp, C, Berkley

Catcher is another position in need in the Twins' organization with no clear replacement for Joe Mauer down the line, other than potentially Josmil Pinto.   Knapp is not mentioned as one of the top catchers on the draft (that would be a trifecta of high school kids) but he might as well be.  An excellent game caller (he goes to Berkley for a reason) with a strong bat that projects, but would require a bit of work with his receiving skills and foot work.   He hit left-handed as is 6'1" tall and weights about 200 lbs.  Mostly a line drive doubles machine who likes to use the whole field (sounds like another Twins' catcher?) but projects to have home run power.  Can run a bit too.  Dad also a Catcher at Berkley.

Round 4 (110 overall) Edwin Diaz, SS, Ladislau Martinez Otero HS, Puerto Rico.

From Jose Morales to Eddie Rosario to Jose Berrios, the Twins have been scouting and drafting high school kids from Puerto Rico in early rounds and they will do it again this season.    Diaz is close to the top of the 2013 draft class in Puerto Rico.  He is a tall (6'2" - 180) kid who is still growing.  Diaz is a lot like Pedro Florimon, but a bit more advanced with the bat at this stage of their careers. Good with the bat, hitting line drives at all fields.  Right handed.  Slick fielder.  I think that is will be one of the first Puerto Ricans on the board.  The 2013 draft class is not that great there.

Round 5 (140 overall) DJ Snelten, LHP, Minnesota

The Twins make a point of selecting several players from the University of Minnesota.  The ones that they have been selecting in the high rounds (the jury is still out for players like AJ Pettersen who were selected in lower rounds) have not really worked out, other than a certain LHP;  so I think that they will get another.  The lesser known of the 2 U of M starters and somewhat in the shadow of Tom Windle, might actually be the better pitcher.  He is 6'7" and 230 lbs.  Plus 91-93 mph fastball that peaks at 95 with great command and control, movement and positioning; curve and change up are serious works in progress but improving.  Pitched out of the pen mostly his first 2 seasons.  Could be a dominant reliever if his secondary offerings do not improve.

Here are highlights of his complete game one hitter this season against Ohio State (you can read about it here ) :

Next: Rounds 6-12.  As a reminder, you can find all 2013 MLB draft related posts here.

Kyle Gibson and the Red Wings at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs today and it was so close...

A couple days ago I realized that the Rochester Red Wings were playing the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at my back yard.  Literally, their ballpark (Coca Cola Park) is less than half an hour away from my door, so I make a point to go and see the Red Wings every year when they play there.  This was their second game here, and by choice I went today instead of yesterday, because Kyle Gibson was pitching.  There were a lot of conflicting reports about him and I wanted to see with my own eyes how he is doing...

Not the best day for a ball game, it was in the high 50s, overcast with occasional sprinkles here and there:

 The ball park is probably the best one in the minors and always a joy to be there (ok I might have home town bias :)  ) :

 I got to see Gibson pitch at the pen before the game and was fairly impressed.  His fastball was really popping in Eric Fryer's glove and both velocity and movement was there based on my point of view:

 After about 20 pitches I went back to my seat (1st row right next to the Red Wings dugout) from the outfield bullpen and watched the game.  I was very lucky to be there because this was a magnificent pitching performance by Gibson.  I came in with an open mind and nothing to expect and I left a strong believer in that Gibson is the best starting pitcher the Twins have today.  A bit about his performance (and I am not going to get into things like numbers, which you can read elsewhere:  He had four pitches that he threw when he wanted with a great command.  His fastball was his primary pitch and was sitting from 92-94 all night long.  It spiked to 95 a few times and went to 91 a couple.  It was at 94 in the 9th inning as well.  in the first 5 inning he mostly threw his fastball and his slider, which ran from 84 to 86 and really kept the IronPig hitters off balance causing a lot of swings and misses.  Have to mention that Gibson had impeccable command of the fastball: he would locate it up and down and inside and out.  And throw it at the dirt when he wanted to.  In the latest innings he started throwing more his changeup that was running from 81-83 mph with a good late motion; also he featured a tight slow curve (78-80 mph) that I did not realize he had.  He threw that pitch a few times late in the game.  He was totally on top of his game today.  In addition to what he did on the field, a thing that really impressed me was his composure in the dugout, knowing that he was having a no-hitter:  he was sitting there cheering his teammates and clapping when they were batting, instead of being "in his own world" and apathetic about the game.  This was a dominating performance that, I think that won him his first trip to the majors.   Frankly, I thought that I will witness history and it was that close...

Gibson being interviewed after the game:

 

It was Kyle Gibson's day but a few more observations about the team and a couple of players:  This looks like a close knit team with a lot of positive energy (A funny thing that happen was that when Antoan Richardson, who was the Red Wings' left fielder today, came back to the dugout, he got a hazing in jest by Clete Thomas, who did not play, and Brian Dinkelman, who was the first base coach, because the first IronPigs hit was at the left field...)

All players seemed to have fun but one.  And it was very obvious and the Twins as an organization have to do something to help him:  Joe Benson.   Joe was the starting Centerfielder today and had a great game at the field, getting to every ball that hit his way.  At the plate he had a 2-run scoring single in his third plate appearance, he almost ran out an infield hit in his fourth and struck out in his first 2 PAs against an IronPigs pitcher who threw 69-78 mph junk.  His body language was very obvious and a big sign that he is pressing and needs help.  After each unsuccessful plate appearance he went back to the dugout, slapping himself and sitting alone despondent with his head in his hands.  He needs help and coaching and needs someone of the Twins to tell him that it is not worth it.  He is still one of the top talents the Twins have and they should do something to help him.

 

Chris Colabello had another great night at the plate and played right field.  I will not be surprised if Chris Parmelee and him swap teams sometime soon.  His fielding at right was uneventful, but he is better than I thought on the base paths.  Speaking of base paths, Antoan Richardson late in the game hit a triple that would have been a double for most places and should have been an inside the park home run, if Gene Glynn (as a third base coach did not put the stop sign.)  Plenty of time to score but the Red Wings were up by ten at that point...  Chris Herrmann, another player who has been having a forgetable season so far, had a good game and looked like he enjoyed it.  Which is a good thing to see.

A few parting shots from the game:  

Chris Colabello:

 Brian Dinkelman, the first base coach:

  

Some of these guys will probably be starting for the Twins one of these days (Virgil Vasquez, Liam Hendriks, Cole DeVries) :

With the 4th pick of the 2013 MLB Draft the Twins select...

I feel that an introductory paragraph is in order here.  This is the fourth season I have been covering the Minnesota Twins' drafts (started about 2 years into the existence of this blog).  Since day one (you can see the humble 2009 beginnings here) I have been presenting potential target players' names and profiles and have been live-blogging each pick as they were happening providing mini-profiles.   This will happen this season as well, but a lot of things have changed and evolved in the internet and the Twins' blogosphere the last 4 years.  I remember that I did the 2009 live-blogging only with a radio feed of the draft.  Now mlb.com has taken over the show with clear and concise coverage so the need for live blogging those is not as much.

What is new here for this year?  The first (and hopefully) annual Twins mock draft:  I will present my mock draft results for the Twins selections in the first 12 rounds.  Yes.  Twelve.  We all have opinions and there are a lot of ideas about who the Twins might select with their first overall pick, but not many people are thinking about the later rounds, so I thought that I will give it a shot, just for fun.  Of course, like all other mock drafts out there, unless someone can see all the draft boards from all teams, this is a purely recreational endeavor.

Back to the story:  With the 4th pick of the 2013 MLB draft, the Twins select...

... Sean Manaea (pronounced mahn-EYE-ah)

Why?  Because a. he is the player with the highest upside in the draft, b. because of velocity and injury concerns will fall in their lap and c. because he represents something they are missing in their organization.

A little bit of a background:  Sean is a junior at Indiana State University.  He is a big (6'5", 240 lbs) LHP who has been starting with the Sycamores the last couple years and really made a name for himself at the Cape Code league last summer.

Here is a 10 minute video from his warmup to his pitching in one game there last summer




Sean dominated the Cape Cod league hitters, with Fastballs that were hitting 97-98 mph late in the games, sharp sliders and masterful change ups; he went 5-1 in 8 GS,  had a 1.22 ERA and broke the Cape Cod League record with  85 strikeouts in 57.1  IP.   He gave up only 7 walks and allowed 22 hits.

This sounds like a top overall pick, why would he fall down to the fourth pick?

He has not been the same as far as velocity goes this season as he has been at the Cape, he has a hip injury and scouts have been souring on him as a top pick.

Would that make him a risk for the Twins?

Every pick is a risk but there are a lot of things in Manae's favor that scouts overlook and will make him the perfect pick for the Twins:

• Cape Cod summer league aside, his 2013 performance (even though he has hip issues) is better than his 2012 performance.
• A pitcher cannot just lose "stuff".  He might lose control, but Manaea still has his control and stuff (see this, for an excellent recent scouting report that compares his performance now to his performance last summer)
• His velocity is down, but his has been the coldest spring in recent history and he is battling a hip issue (and has not lost control.)
• He has the best natural talent in the draft and the scary thing is that he has not really have much instruction (which is something that scouts avoid to say).   His mechanics are awful (as you can see in the video) and with proper instruction, the sky is the limit.
• Why he did not have much instruction?  Here is his story:  He is not a privileged kid.  He did not live in the suburbs and played in the best teams with the best coaches.   His dad, Faaloloi, immigrated to Indiana after he fought in the Vietnam war.  Both he and his mom are factory workers, settled at Wanatah, and could not afford special baseball instruction for their kid.  Sean went to a small High School, South Central Junior-Senior High School in Union Mills, where he showed his talent but was way under the spotlight to get a College scholarship.  To achieve this, he transferred to the bigger Andrean High School in Merrillville, where he flashed his excellent but raw offerings.   The only school that offered him a scholarship was Indiana State, which is not a baseball powerhouse playing in a powerhouse conference.  
• So, Manaea has incredible good stuff, despite horrible mechanics, despite his hip issue and he has never really received expert instruction.  As far as I am concerned, this makes sky proverbially the limit.
• The Twins have 4-5 RHPs who have flashed top of the rotation talent in the minors (Alex Gibson, Alex Meyer, DJ Baxendale, Trevor May, Jose Berrios) but not a lefty.  He would be the perfect top of the rotation lefty to complement some of those righties.

So you have it:  Sean Manaea, should be the Twins' 2013 first round draft pick and I think that they will pull the trigger.

Who the Twins select in the later rounds?  Check in this week to find out.

101 High School player names everyone should know before the 2013 MLB Draft

This is the third an last installment in this series.  Yesterday, I presented the names of 114 College position players who will likely be drafted and a couple days before those of 129 College pitchers likely to join an MLB organization this early June.   Today I am presenting the names of 101 High School players who are likely to get drafted (52 position players and 49 pitchers.)

The one thing that we learned from the 2012 MLB draft, the first one under the newest Collective Bargaining Agreement, which had slot bonuses implemented, was that it was harder to select and sign High School players from the mainland US and Canada at slot value.  Thus, fewer High School players were selected and even fewer signed.   Unless a player is selected on the top rounds, signability of a High School player will be an issue.

Before I present the list, I will give you a teaser about the next draft related installment here:  It will be the first ever Twins mock draft where I will be presenting the names of the players I think that the Twins will draft in the first 12 rounds of the draft, starting with the number four pick overall (and it is not a conventional wisdom pick, or consensus pick - those are listed here) in a couple days.  As always, you can find all 2013 MLB Draft-related posts here.

Here is the list of the 101 High School names you should know before the 2013 MLB draft (including those of a handful of Minnesotans) :

52 Position Players

Willie Abreu OF Mater HS (FL)
Christian Arroyo SS Hernando  HS (FL)
Cavan Biggio 3B/2B St. Thomas HS (TX) Craig's son
Ryan Boldt OF Red Wing HS (MN)
Nick Ciuffo C Lexington HS (SC)
Zach Collins C/1B American Heritage HS (FL)
JP Crawford SS Lakewood HS (CA)
Tyler Danish 3B Valrico HS (FL)
Edwin Diaz, ss, Ladislau Martinez Otero HS, (PR)
Travis Demerritte 3B Winder Barrow HS (GA)
Jon  Denney C Yukon HS (OK),
David Denson 1B La Puente HS (CA)
Xavier Fernandez, c, Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
Kevin Franklin 3B/OF Cerritos HS (CA)
Clint Frazier OF Loganville HS (GA)
Josh Hart OF Parkview HS (GA)
Connor Heady SS Prospect HS (KY)
Jan Hernandez SS/2B Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (PR)
Nick Longhi 1B/OF Venice Senior HS (FL)
Joseph Martarano 3B Fruitland HS (ID)
Jeremy Martinez C/3B Mater Dei HS (CA)
Terry McClure OF Riverwood International Charter HS (GA)
Dane McFarland OF Laguna Niguel HS (CA)
Andy McGuire SS/3B James Madison HS (VA)
Reese McGuire C Kentwood HS (WA)
Billy McKinney OF Plano West HS (TX)
Ryan McMahon 3B Mater Dei HS (CA)
Matt McPhearson OF Riverdale Baptist HS (MD)
Austin Meadows OF/1B Grayson HS (GA)
Oscar Mercado SS Gaither HS (FL)
Brian Navarreto C/OF Arlington Country Day HS (FL)
Tucker Neuhaus SS Wharton HS (FL)
Sheldon Neuse SS Fossil Ridge HS (TX)
Dom Nunez SS Elk Grove HS (CA)
Chris Okey C Eustis HS (FL),
Tyler O'Neill C Maple Ridge H.S. (BC, Canada)
Dustin Peterson 3B/SS Gilbert HS (AZ)
Corey Ray OF Simeon Career Academy (IL)
Tim Richards SS Wilson HS (CA)
Chris Rivera SS El Dorado HS (CA)
Cord Sandberg OF/1B Manatee HS (FL),
Dominic Smith 1B/LHP Serra HS (CA),
John Sternagel 3B/SS, Rockledge HS (FL)
Jake Sweaney, C, Garces Memorial High School
Rowdy Tellez 1B Elk Grove HS (CA)
Riley Unroe SS Desert Ridge HS (AZ)
Marcos Ventura OF/1B Puerto Rico Baseball Academy
Drew Ward 1B Leedey HS (OK)
Justin Williams OF/3B Terrebonne HS (LA)
Ivan Wilson OF Ruston  H. (LA)
Weston Wilson SS/3B Wesleyan Christian Academy  HS (NC)
Stephen Wrenn OF/RHP Walton HS (GA)


49 Pitchers

Trey Ball LHP/OF New Castle HS (IN)
Derick Beauprez RHP, Cherry Creek HS (CO)
Phil Bickford RHP Oaks Christian HS (CA)
Akeem Bostick, RHP, HS (SC)
Jacob Brentz LHP South Ballwin HS (MO)
Ian Clarkin LHP/1B James Madison HS (CA)
Trevor Clifton RHP, Heritage HS (TN)
Wil Crowe RHP Pigeon Forge HS (TN)
Kevin Davis RHP Tr Miller HS (AL)
Dustin Driver RHP Wenatchee HS (WA),
Zach Farmer LHP Piketon HS (OH)
Stephen Gonsalves LHP/OF Cathedral Catholic HS (CA)
Hunter Green LHP Warren East HS (KY)
Hunter Harvey, RHP, Bandys High School (NC)
Thomas Hatch RHP Jenks HS (OK)
Clinton Hollon RHP Woodford County HS (KY)
Connor Jones, RHP, Great Bridge High School (VA)
Ryder Jones, RHP/3B, Watauga HS (NC)
Rob Kaminski LHP St. Joseph Regional HS (NJ)
John Kilichowski LHP Tampa Jesuit HS (FL)
Max Knutson LHP Mounds View HS (MN)
Chris Kohler  LHP Los Osos HS (CA)
Matt Krook LHP St. Ignatius HS (CA)
Brett Morales SP KIng HS (FL)
Chris Oakley RHP, St. Augustine HS (NJ)
Ryan Olson RHP Western Christian (CA)
AJ Puk LHP/1B Washington HS (IA)
Carlos Salazar RHP Kerman HS (CA)
Kyle Serrano SP RHP Farragut (TN)
Casey Shane RHP, Centennial HS (TX)
Jordan Sheffield RHP Tullahoma (TN)
Logan Shore RHP Coon Rapids HS (MN)
Kohl Stewart SP St. Pius X HS (TX),
Dominic Taccolini RHP Kempner  HS (TX)
Blake Taylor LHP Dana Hills HS (CA)
Keegan Thompson RHP, Cullman HS (AL)
Robert Tyler RHP Crisp County HS (GA)
Matt Vogel RHP Patchogue Medford HS (NY)
Jonah Wesely LHP, Tracy HS (CA)
Devin Williams RHP Hazelwood West (MO)
Garrett Williams LHP/1B Calvary Baptist HS (LA)

114 College position player names everyone should know before the 2013 MLB Draft

A couple days ago, in preparation for the 2013 MLB Draft, I listed 129 names of College Pitchers who will get drafter in that draft and several of them will be drafted by the Minnesota Twins.   In this second segment, I am listing the names of 114 College position players who will be drafted.   The Twins will likely draft several of them.

Will they redraft LJ Mazzilli who decided to not sign and return to University of Connecticut for his Senior year?   Maybe, but not as high as they did last season, because with a below par performance, his stock really fell recently.  The Twins do like players with "bloodlines" and in addition to Mazzilli, thee are a few players whose last names are pretty famous.   (Craig Biggio's son, is a High School Senior, also eligible for this draft, but it is a different story.)

You can find all the 2013 MLB Draft content in this site here.

Without further ado, here is the list, alphabetically:


Brenton Allen, OF, UCLA
Zach Alvord 3B Tampa CC
Mario Amaral C Miami-Dade CC
Tim Anderson SS East Central Community College
Michael Arencibia OF Tallahassee CC
Pat Biondi, OF, Michigan
Aaron Blair OF Fresno St
Krey Bratsen OF Texas A&M
Colin Bray OF Faulkner
Jake Bray, 3B Feather River
Aaron Brown, OF/1B/LHP Pepperdine
Jaycob Brugman OF Brigham Young
Kris Bryant 3B/1B San Diego
Elliot Caldwell, OF South Carolina Community College
Victor Caratini C Miami-Dade CC
Dale Carey, OF, Miami
Shon Carson, OF, South Carolina
Kyle Carter, OF Miami-Dade CC
Connor Castellano 2B Santa Fe CC
Danny Collins, 3B Troy
Chase Compton, 1B Louisiana-Lafayette
Ryan Cordell, OF Liberty
Conor Costello OF Navarro
Omar Cotto, OF USC
Johnny Coy, 1B Wichita State
Dustin DeMuth, 3B Indiana
Drew Dosch, 3B Youngstown State
Hunter Dozier, 3B/SS, Stephen F. Austin State
Jeff Driskel OF Florida
Jordan Dunatov, OF  Central Arizona College
Sean Dwyer OF Florida Gulf Coast
Kaiana Eldredge, 2B, Kansas
Adam Engel, OF  Louisville
Phil Ervin OF Samford
Kyle Farmer, SS Georgia
Jacob Felts C Texas
Dominic Ficociello 1B/3B Arkansas
Johnny Field OF Arizona
Eric Filia-Snyder, OF UCLA
Billy Flamion, OF, Grossmont
Adam Frazier SS Mississippi St.
Mitchell Garver, C New Mexico
Ryan Gebhardt OF Louisiana Tech
Conrad Gregor 1B Vanderbilt
Trey Griffin, OF Tennessee Wesleyan
Cody Gunter, 3B Grayson County CC
Conner Hale 3B Manatee CC
Jordan Hankins, 2B Austin Peay
Ryon Healy, 1B/C, Oregon
Tyler Horan, 1B/OF Virginia Tech
Mott Hyde SS Georgia Tech
CK Irby, OF/RHP Samford
Eric Jagielo 3B/OF Notre Dame
JaCoby Jones 2B/OF LSU
Kevin Jordan, OF, Wake Forest
Aaron Judge OF Fresno State
Lonnie Kauppila SS Stanford
Tony Kemp 2B/OF Vanderbilt
Jared King, OF Kansas State
Andrew Knapp, C California
Kevin Koziol, SS, Parkland
Tyler Kuresa, 1B UC Santa Barbara
Hunter Lockwood, C Weatherford CC
Dylan LaVelle, 3B Everett CC
Michael Lorenzen OF/RHP Cal State Fullerton
Tyler Marincov, OF North Florida
Jamal Martin OF Santa Fe CC
Trey Mancini, 1B Notre Dame
Jacob May, SS/OF Coastal Carolina
LJ Mazzilli 2B U Conn
Joel McKeithan, 3B Vanderbilt
Jason Monda, OF Washington State
Colin Moran 3B North Carolina
Matt Moynihan OF Texas
Spencer Navin, C  Vanderbilt
Case Nixon C Alabama
Adam Nelubowich, 3B, Washington State
Kelly Norris-Jones, C, Illinois
Michael O’Neill, OF Michigan
Daniel Palka OF/1B Georgia Tech
Jordan Parr, 3B, Illinois
Mark Payton OF Texas
DJ Peterson 3B New Mexico
Chad Pinder, SS/3B, Virginia Tech
Zack Powers 3B Florida
Vickash Ramjit 1B Florida
James Ramsay OF South Florida
Brian Ragira 1B Stanford
Matt Reida SS Kentucky
Hunter Renfroe, C/OF, Mississippi State
Raph Rhymes, OF LSU
JT Riddle, 2B Kentucky
Drake Roberts 2B Navarro
James Roberts, SS, Southern California
Matt Roberts, C North Carolina
Angel Rosa SS Alcorn State
Tyler Ross, C LSU
David Schuknecht C Riverside
Michael Suiter, OF, Kansas
Christian Summers SS Angelo State
Daniel Sweet OF Florida
Ryan Tella, OF, Auburn
Brandon Thomas, OF Georgia Tech
Brandon Trinkwon, SS/2B UC Santa Barbara
Stuart Turner C Ole Miss
John Underwood 1B Palm Beach State
Josh Van Meter, SS, Norwell
Erich Weiss, 2B/SS Texas
Conor Williams, OF Utah Community College
Trey Williams 3B College of the Canyons
Austin Wilson OF Stanford
Kyle Wren, OF Georgia Tech
Mike Yastrzemski, OF, Vanderbilt
Jimmy Yezzo, IF, Delaware

Byron Buxton looks like the steal of the 2012 draft by the Twins

129 College pitcher names everyone should know before the 2013 MLB Draft

Every year about this time, I present profiles of College and High School players that the Minnesota Twins might draft.   Last year, I identified pitching as a high need, so I presented the profiles of 23 pitchers, all potential Twins' draft picks.  The Twins, properly, went ahead and picked a High School outfielder instead.   I will be doing something different this year.  Like past years, I will continue to present mini-profiles of every single Twins' draftee (you can find the 2012 profiles here) but instead of profiling 20some players that the Twins might pick, I will name several players (in the hundreds) that will be drafted.

The thought behind this is that everyone knows the 4-5 players who make up the pool of talent that the Minnesota Twins will select with the 4th overall picks (for a refresher, look at the aggregate mock draft picks); however, there is little information about players in later rounds.  I hope that this fills that gap somewhat.   I am dividing it into 4 parts: College Pitchers, College Position Players, High School Pitchers and High School Position Players.   This is the first part and includes College Pitchers.  One thing that we learned from the 2012 draft, the first one under the new CBA, is that the new rules favor selecting College picks.  Thus, I am certain that the 129 names I am presenting here will all get selected sometime in this draft and that the Twins will select 4-5 of them.

This is just an naming names list; in the near future, additional one liners of information (micro scouting reports) will be added about each player, after I complete all four installments.   I know it is somewhat of a huge undertaking, but it is fun.

Here are 129 College pitcher names everyone should know before the 2013 MLB Draft, alphabetically:

Tyler Alexander, LHP Carroll
Chris Anderson RHP Jacksonville
Mark Appel RHP Stanford
Barrett Astin RHP Arkansas
Alex Balog RHP San Fransisco
Carson Baranik RHP  Miami-Dade CC
Tyler Barnette, RHP Charlotte
Cal Becker, RHP, Palm Beach State
Kirby Bellow LHP Texas
Aaron Blair, RHP Marshall
Matt Boyd LHP Oregon State
Justin Brantley, RHP, Siena
Hunter Brothers, RHP, Lipscomb
Aaron Brown, LHP Pepperdine
Shane Carle, RHP, Long Beach State
Dan Child, RHP Oregon State
Harrison Cooney, RHP, Florida Gulf Coast
Dace Kime RHP Louisville
Jonathon Crawford RHP Florida
Brady Corless, RHP Salt Lake
Dylan Covey RHP San Diego
Josh Dezse RHP/1B Ohio State
Eric Dorsch, RHP, Kent State
Calvin Drummond RHP Arizona Christian
Ryan Eades RHP LSU
Erick Eck, RHP Wofford
Kent Emanuel LHP North Carolina
Zane Evans, RHP/C Georgia Tech
Buck Farmer, RHP, Georgia Tech
Kyle Finnegan, RHP Texas State
Nathan Foriest LHP Middle Tennessee State
Scott Frazier RHP Pepperdine
Dakota Freese, RHP Des Moines Area CC
David Garner RHP Michigan State
David Gates RHP Howard
Daniel Gibson LHP Florida
Zachary Godley P
Marco Gonzales LHP Gonzaga
Alex Gonzalez RHP Oral Roberts
Nicholas Gonzalez P South Florida
Trevor Gott, RHP Kentucky
Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma
Chad Green, RHP, Louisville
Matt Grimes, RHP Georgia Tech
Jerad Grundy, LHP, Kentucky
Alex Haines, LHP  Seton Hill
Michael Howard LHP Baylor
Jason Hursh RHP Oklahoma State
CK Irby  RHP Samford
Ricky Jacquez, RHP Central Arizona
Jake Johansen, RHP Dallas Baptist
Chase Johnson RHP Cal Poly
Christian Jones LHP Oregon
Jon Keller RHP Tampa
Tanner Kiest, RHP Riverside
Dace Kime, RHP Louisville
Keenan Kish RHP Florida
Erich Knab, RHP, Spartanburg Methodist
Corey Knebel RHP Texas
Forrest Koumas, RHP North Carolina
Austin Kubitza RHP Rice
Alex Lakatos, RHP, Michigan 
Randy LeBlanc RHP Tulane
Tyler Linehan LHP Fresno State
Corey Littrell, LHP Kentucky
Ben Lively, RHP, Central Florida
Sean Manaea LHP Indiana State
Johnny Magliozzi, RHP, Florida
Trey Masek RHP Texas Tech
Kenny Mathews, LHP Riverside
Mike Mayers, RHP Ole Miss
Jake McCasland RHP New Mexico
Kurt McCune RHP LSU
Andrew Mitchell RHP TCU
Albert Minnis, LHP, Wichita State
Sam Moll LHP Memphis
Spencer Navin C Vanderbilt
Case Nixon C Alabama
Dillon Overton LHP Oklahoma
Paul Paez, LHP Rio Hondo
Jordan Patterson OF South Alabama
TJ Pecoraro RHP Vanderbilt
Nick Petree, RHP Missouri State
Philip Pfeifer LHP Vanderbilt
Adam Plutko RHP UCLA
Kayden Porter, RHP Southern Nevada CC
Cody Reed, LHP Northwest Mississippi
Tony Rizzotti RHP Tulane
Nic Pivetta, RHP New Mexico
Drake Roberts 2B Navarro
Angel Rosa SS Alcorn State
Nick Rumbelow, RHP LSU
Javier Salas RHP Miami
Lukas Schiraldi, RHP Navarro CC
Brad Schreiber, RHP Purdue (Twins' 2012 40th round pick)
Jimmie Sherfy, RHP Oregon
Braden Shipley, RHP, Nevada
John Simms RHP Rice
Tyler Skulina, RHP Kent State
Dan Slania RHP Notre Dame
DeAndre Smelter, RHP Georgia Tech
Myles Smith, RHP, Lee CC
DJ Snelten, LHP Minnesota
Ryne Stanek RHP Arkansas
Teddy Stankiewicz RHP Seminole State JC
Gandy Stubblefield RHP  Texas A&M
Colby Suggs RHP Arkansas
Stephen Tarpley, LHP Scottsdale CC
Trey Teakell, RHP, TCU
Jeff Thompson, RHP, Louisville
Andrew Thurman RHP UC Irvine
Justin Topa RHP Long Island U Brooklyn
Josh Uhen, RHP Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Nick Vander Tuig RHP UCLA
AJ Vanegas RHP Stanford
Austin Voth, RHP Washington
Konner Wade RHP Arizona
Michael Wagner, RHP San Diego
Bobby Wahl RHP Ole Miss
Billy Waltrip LHP Oklahoma
Zach Weiss, RHP, UCLA
Ben Wetzler LHP Oregon State
David Whitehead, RHP, Elon
Karsten Whitson RHP Florida
Trevor Williams RHP Arizona State
Tom Windle LHP Minnesota
Cole Wiper RHP Oregon
Rob Zastryzny, LHP, Missouri
Kevin Ziomek LHP Vanderbilt

Twins 2013 Mock Draft Aggregate Predictions

The 2013 MLB Draft is less than a month away (it takes place from June 6th until June 8th.)  The Minnesota Twins have the 4th pick this season, and there is a lot of disagreement (as is with every draft in every season in every sport) about who is the best pick for them and who they will select.  And 'tis the season for mock drafts, so I am presenting the picks experts (and non-experts) think the Twins will make, and see whether there is a consensus. I am listing all of the mock drafts to date since late March.  If a particular writer made multiple mock drafts, only the latest version is shown.   If you know of any additional mock drafts, please let me know.

The picks are presented by mock draft date, mock draft place & name of the writer (with links to their web pages) and the name, school and position of the Twins' likely draftee.  Regardless whether the Twins will pick any of these players, all these players are "names to know" for the 2013 draft:

May:

5/11/13: MLB Draft Site (ebowser18) :  Ryne Stanek, RHP, University of Arkansas
5/10/13: Sports Illustrated (Dave Perkin) : Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville High (GA)
5/9/13: Baseball America (Jim Callis) : Kohl Steward, RHP, St. Pius X High (TX)
5/9/13: My MLB Draft :  Austin Meadows, OF/1B, Grayson HS (GA)
5/9/13: 85% Sports (Eugene Tierney) : Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State University
5/7/13: Scout.com (Kiley McDaniel) : Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville High (GA)
5/7/13: Bleacher Report (Tim Rapp) :  Austin Meadows, OF/1B, Grayson HS (GA)
5/7/13: MLB Unique:  Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville High (GA)
5/6/13: MLB Draft Insider (Chris Crawford) :  Austin Meadows, OF/1B, Grayson HS (GA)
5/6/13: Bleacher Report (Adam Wells) : Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State University
5/6/13: Bleacher Report (Mike Rosenbaum) : Kris Bryant, 3B/1B, University of San Diego
5/2/13: Crawfish Boxes (Anthony Boyer) :  Kris Bryant, 3B/1B, University of San Diego
5/2/13: MLB Draft Prospects (Matt Garrioch) : Sean Manaea, LHP, Indiana State University
5/1/13: Boyd's Bets (Jim Boyd) :  Kris Bryant, 3B/1B, University of San Diego

 April:

4/28/13: Through The Fence (Dan Kirby) :  Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville High (GA)
4/18/13: Minor League Rundown :  Austin Meadows, OF/1B, Grayson HS (GA)
4/18/13: Sports City:  Ryne Stanek, RHP, University of Arkansas
4/13/13: BH Picks:  Ryne Stanek, RHP, University of Arkansas
4/12/13: The Baseball Draft Report: Clint Frazier, OF, Loganville High (GA)
4/11/13: Big League Futures (Kevin R) : Ryne Stanek, RHP, University of Arkansas
4/2/13 : Big League Futures (Matt Grabusky) : Austin Meadows, OF/1B, Grayson HS (GA)

March:

3/23/13: Minor League Ball (John Sickels) :  Jonathan Denney, C, Yukon HS (OK)


Based on this there are 5 names (alphabetically: Bryant, Frazier, Manaea, Meadows, Stanek) that rotate in most of the mock drafts as the Twins' pick.  John Sickels and Jim Callis made different picks (HS C Denney and HS P Steward, respectively.)  I do like Sickels' pick because Catcher is a position of need in the Twnis' organization at this point.   Also, the conventional consensus wisdom is that RHPs Mark Appel (Stanford) and Jonathan Gray (Oklahoma) will be taken with the first 2 picks and will not be available for the Twins.

I will probably update this at the end of the month as the draft nears.

The Youngest Active Players in the Minnesota Twins' Organization

The full season leagues are well under way and it is a good time to look at the youngest active players in the Twins' organization.   For all players listed here, it is a big milestone to play in A ball at that young age, because most of their age peers are in Extended Spring Training or still at school.   I am listing all players 21 and younger in the Twins organization, and it is not a surprise that all of them are either in the A or high A teams.  

The youngest Twins player, Jose Berrios, is just 18 and more than half of the players listed here are below legal drinking age in the US.  There is an about equal mix of Latin American players and players from several states in the US.  Georgia is the most represented state and San Pedro de Macoris is the most represented town.

Here is the list, from youngest to oldest:

Jose Berrios, RHP (Cedar Rapids, A) - 18 - May 27, 1994 in Bayamon, PR

Byron Buxton, OF (Cedar Rapids, A) - 19 - December 18, 1993 in Baxley, GA
Jorge Polanco, IF (Cedar Rapids, A) - 19 - July 5, 1993 in San Pedro de Macoris,DO

Miguel Sano, 3B (Fort Myers, A+) - 20 - May 11, 1993 in San Pedro de Macoris, DO
Hudson Boyd, RHP (Cedar Rapids, A) - 20 - October 18, 1992 in Fort Myers, FL
Travis Harrison, 3B, (Cedar Rapids, A) - 20 - October 17, 1992 in Aliso Viejo, CA


Niko Goodrum, SS, (Cedar Rapids, A) - 21 - February 28, 1992 in Fayetteville, GA
Josue Montanez, LHP (Cedar Rapids, A) - 21 - January 15, 1992 in San Juan, PR
Josh Burris, RHP (Cedar Rapids, A) - 21 - November 28, 1991 in Baton Rouge, LA
Adam Walker, OF (Cedar Rapids, A) - 21 - October 18, 1991 in Milwaukee, WI
Eddie Rosario, IF, (Fort Myers, A+) - 21 - September 28, 1991 in Guayama, PR

The Twins minors' top 25 - 4/24/13

For a few years now, I have been doing a feature, pretty much on a monthly basis, which was called "Who is hot in the Twins' minors" (you can see last seasons' versions here.)   This included a list of the best players in the Twins' system, based on cumulative performance year to date, broken down by position.

I am giving it a new twist this year:  I am listing the best team of 25 players in the Twins' organization, by position based on cumulative performance.  This is listed as a 25-man roster squad with starters and bench and a rotation an a pen.  No batting order.  Ages, handedness and team are also listed along with the stats. This is the first one and I will be doing those every 3-4 weeks.

This first version of the Twins' top 25 in the minors is dominated by players from the Fort Myers Miracle and Cedar Rapids Kernels teams that dominate their leagues, but there is a good representation from the Rochester Red Wings and New Britain Rock Cats squads.   This is pretty small sample size and the results can be skewed, especially on the pitching side.  And of course there are some surprises.

The 2013 Twins minors' best 25 are:

 Starters:

C - Josmil Pinto (RHB, 24, AA) : .294/.400/.544, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 80 PA
1B - Chris Colabello (RHB, 29 AAA) : .328/.377/.642, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 77 PA
2B - Eddie Rosario (SHB, 21, A+) : .338/.368/.500, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB, 87 PA
3B - Miguel Sano (RHB, 20, A+) : .384/.439/.740, 7 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB, 82 PA
SS - AJ Petersen (RHB, 24, A+) : .345/.418/.448, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB, 68 PA
OF - Byron Buxton (RHB, 19, A) : .404/.514/.614, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 7 SB, 70 PA
OF - Clete Thomas (LHB, 29, AAA): .347/.448/.571, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB, 58 PA
OF - Danny Ortiz (LHB, 23, AA): .313/.356/.582, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 73 PA
DH - Mike Gonzales (LHB, 25, A+) : .238/.338/.476, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 77 PA

Bench:

C - Kyle Knudson (RHB, 25, A+) : .432/.512/.649, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 43 PA
IF - Nate Hanson (RHB, 26, AA/AAA) : .317/.405/.429, 2 HR, 11 RBI
1B - DJ Hicks (LHB, 23, A): .310/.385/.586, 3 HR, 12 RBI
OF - JD Williams (SHB, 22, A): .270/.429/.514, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 6 SB, 49 PA
UT - Matt Koch (RHB, 24, A+) : .405/.490/.548, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 49 PA


Rotation:

Tyler Duffey (RHP, 22, A) : 2-1, 2.29 ERA, 3 GS, 19.2 IP, 3 BB, 17 K, 0.661 WHIP (.184 BABIP), 7.78 K/9, 5.67 K/BB
DJ Baxendale (RHP, 22, A+) : 2-0, 1.04 ERA, 3 GS, 17.1 IP, 3 BB, 15 K, 0.750 WHIP (.200 BABIP), 7.79 K/9, 5 K/BB
Alex Meyer (RHP, 23, AA) : 1-0 , 1.69 ERA, 3 GS, 16 IP, 7 BB, 19 K, 1.250 WHIP (.317 BABIP), 10.69 K/9, 2.71 K/BB
Kyle Gibson (RHP, 25, AAA) : 0-1, 4.43 ERA, 4 GS, 20.1 IP, 1.279 WHIP (.321 BABIP), 8.41 K/9, 2.71 K/BB
Andew Albers (LHP, 27, AAA): 0-0, 3.09 ERA, 3 GS, 11.2 IP, 1.286 WHIP (.314 BABIP), 8.49 K/9, 2.75 K/BB


Bullpen:


Corey Williams (LHP, 22, A+) : 2.08 ERA, 7 G, 8.2 IP, 4 Sv, 0 BB, 3 K, 0.692 WHIP (.231 BABIP), 3.12 K/9 INF K/BB
Adrian Salcedo (RHB, 22, A+): 4.82 ERA, 6 G, 9.1 IP, 0 BB, 11 K, 1.179 WHIP (.407 BABIP) 10.61 K/9, INF K/BB
Caleb Thielbar (LHP, 26, AAA) : 3.68 ERA, 8 G, 14.2 IP, 2 BB, 18 K, 1.364 WHIP (.405 BABIP), 11.05 K/9, 9 K/BB
Steven Gruver (LHP, 24, A) : 0.64 ERA, 4 G, 1 GS, 14 IP, 1 Sv, 2 BB, 16 K, 0.714 WHIP (.258 BABIP), 10.29 K/9, 8 K/BB
Tyles Jones (RHB, 23, A) : 0.96 ERA, 5 G, 9.1 IP, 2 Sv, 2 BB, 11 K, 0.750 WHIP (.217 BABIP), 10.61 K/9, 5.50 K/BB
Ryan O'Rourke (LHP, 25, A+) : 0.00 ERA, 5 G, 9 1P, 1 BB, 7 K, 0.333 WHIP (.100 BABIP), 7 K/9, 7 K/BB
Zach Jones (RHB, 22, A+) : 1.00 ERA, 7 G, 9 IP, 5 Sv, 2 BB, 13 K, 0.667 WHIP (.176 BABIP), 12 K/9, 4 K/BB

Complete List of all Minnesota Twins Prospects who participated in the Arizona Fall League since 1992

The timing of this might seem out of season, despite the fact that winter weather forgot that it is Spring, but there is a very good reason for posting this now:  I am starting a series of features on Twins' prospect retrospectives (so check in soon for the first one) and the list of AFL participants is about as good place to start for a baseline as any.   

As far as the Minnesota Twins go, (with some exceptions like Jacque Jones) this is the list of the non-Latin American prospects (who go to play winter ball home in the Dominican and Venezuela usually to be with their families) who the Twins brass thinks that it is the top talent in the organization. 

Since the Arizona Fall League started in 1992, this list contain 21 years of top prospects in the Twins' organization and it covers pretty much the post-championship Terry Ryan era of the Minnesota Twins.  I am not including players, like Boof Bonser and Ryan Pressly, who were or are parts of the Twins organization but participated in the AFL with other teams (the San Fransisco Giants and the Boston Red Sox for the two above.)

Without further ado, here is the full list of the 123 Twins' minor leaguers from Scott Baker to Nate Yeskie, and from AJ to JJ to JD, in alphabetical order, with the team and the year each prospect participated listed as well.  

A couple of trivia based on this list:  The Twins' champion of AFL appearances is Rob Bowen with 4; and "They both played in the AFL" is the answer to:  "What do Dan Perkins and Glen Perkins have in common other than the name (and the fact that they both pitched for the Twins?)"   I am sure that you can find many more.

Scott Baker, Grand Canyon 2004
Grant Balfour, Grand Canyon 2001
Ricky Barrett, Grand Canyon 2005
Jason Bartlett, Grand Canyon 2004
Jayson Bell, Scottsdale 1996
Joe Benson, Peoria Sag 2010
Evan Bigley, Peoria 2012
Nick Blackburn, Phoenix 2007
Henry Bonilla, Grand Canyon 2003
Rob Bowen, Grand Canyon 2001, 2003, 2004; Phoenix 2002
Travis Bowyer, Grand Canyon 2005
David Bromberg, Peoria 2010
Alex Burnett, Mesa 2009
Drew Butera, Phoenix 2007
Anthony Byrd, Tempe 1993
Kevin Cameron, Mesa 2006
Dan Cey, Grand Canyon 1999
Marty Cordova, Chandler 1994
Jesse Crain, USA 2003; Grand Canyon 2004
Mike Cuddyer, Grand Canyon 1999, 2001
Logan Darnell, Peoria 2012
Doug Deeds, Mesa 2006
Rob Delaney, Phoenix 2008
Rex Delanuez, Grand Canyon 1992
Cole DeVries, Mesa 2011
Brian Dozier, Mesa 2011
Brian Duensing, USA 2007
Michael Durant, Tempe 1993
J.D. Durbin, USA 2003; Grand Canyon 2004
Willie Eyre, Phoenix 2002
Pete Fisher, Grand Canyon 2001
Kevin Frederick, Grand Canyon 2001
Gus Gandarillas, Chandler 1994
Sean Gavaghan, Tempe 1993
Kyle Gibson, Peoria 2012
Tom Gourdin, Sun Cities 1997
Carlos Gutierrez, Peoria 2010
Chip Hale, Grand Canyon 1992
Jeff Harris, Scottsdale 1997
LaTroy Hawkins, Peoria 1995
Jon Henry, Phoenix 1992
Chris Herrmann, Mesa 2011; Peoria 2012
Aaron Hicks, Mesa 2011
Steve Hirschfeld, Mesa 2009
Brent Hoard, Phoenix 2002
Dennis Hocking, Tempe 1993
David Hooten, Grand Canyon 1999
Torii Hunter, Phoenix 1998
Brett Jacobson, Mesa 2011
J.J. Johnson, Scottsdale 1996
Garrett Jones, Grand Canyon 2005
Bobby Kielty, Grand Canyon 2000
Matt Kinney, Grand Canyon 1999, 2000
Corey Koskie,Sun Cities 1997
Tim Lahey, Phoenix 2008
Matt Lawton, Peoria 1995
Matt LeCroy, Grand Canyon 2000, 2001
Mike Lincoln, Phoenix 1998
Kyle Lohse, Grand Canyon 2000
Matt Macri, Phoenix 2007
Jeff Manship, Phoenix 2008
Lee Marshall, Grand Canyon 2000
Dustin Martin, Phoenix 2008
Joe Mauer, USA 2003
Jake Maurer, Grand Canyon 2003
Mike McCardell, Mesa 2009
Doug Mientkiewicz, Phoenix 1998
Ryan Mills, Grand Canyon 2000
Chad Moeller, Sun Cities 1997; Grand Canyon 1999
Mike Moriarty, Sun Cities 1997
Eduardo Morlan, Phoenix 2007
Justin Morneau, Phoenix 2002
Matt Moses, Grand Canyon 2005, Mesa 2006
Ryan Mullins, Phoenix 2007
Dan Naulty, Peoria 1995
Pat Neshek, Grand Canyon 2003
Brad Niedermaier, Sun Cities 1997
Jamie Ogden, Peoria 1995; Scottsdale 1996
Kevin Ohme, Peoria 1995
Ray Ortiz, Phoenix 1992
Derek Parks, Sun Cities 1992
Chris Parmelee, Mesa 2009; Peoria 2010
Dan Perkins, Sun Cities 1997
Glen Perkins, Grand Canyon 2005
A.J. Pierzynski, Phoenix 1998
Trevor Plouffe, Phoenix 2007
Bruce Pugh, Mesa 2011
Brian Raabe, Chandler 1994
Mark Redman, Scottsdale 1996
Mike Restovich, Grand Canyon 2001; Phoenix 2002
Ben Revere, Peoria 2010
Todd Ritchie, Tempe 1993; Scottsdale 1996
Nate Roberts, Peoria 2012
Tyler Robertson, Peoria 2010
Benj Sampson, Sun Cities 1997
Jay Sawatski, Mesa 2006
Dan Serafini, Chandler 1994; Scottsdale 1996
Errol Simonitsch, Mesa 2006
Mitch Simons, Peoria 1995
Steve Singleton, Mesa 2009
Anthony Slama, Phoenix 2008
Kevin Slowey, Mesa 2006
Denard Span, Grand Canyon 2005
Scott Stahoviak, Chandler 1994
Spencer Steedley, Mesa 2009
Brent Stentz, Phoenix 1998
Anthony Swarzak, Phoenix 2007
Caleb Thielbar, Peoria 2012
Terry Tiffee, Grand Canyon 2003
Matt Tolbert, Mesa 2006
Steve Tolleson, Phoenix 2008
Michael Tonkin, Peoria 2012
Rene Tosoni, Mesa 2009
Danny Valencia, Phoenix 2008
Kyle Waldrop, Peoria 2010
Todd Walker, Peoria 1995
Scott Watkins, Chandler 1994
Dakota Watts, Mesa 2011
Kevin West, Grand Canyon 2004
David Winfree, Mesa 2006
William Wissler, Tempe 1993
Brian Wolfe, Grand Canyon 2003
Nate Yeskie, Grand Canyon 1999