Who is NOT Hot in the Twins minors? 2012 version 2

This is the second version of the 'who is NOT hot in the Twins' minors' series for 2012. I have been doing the Who is hot in the Minors series for a few years now and I decided that a complimentary list might be in order. I will be updating those every month or so, as well. The current "who IS hot" list can be found here and the former "who is NOT hot" list can be found here.  This list is getting smaller, but it is unfortunate to see one of the Twins' top prospects (Adrian Salcedo) in it.

Without further ado, here is the list, going from AAA to A. The clubs represented are AAA Rochester Red Wings, International League, AA New Britain Rock Cats, Eastern League, A+ Fort Myers Miracle, Florida State League, A Beloit Snappers, Midwest League (Note: Yesterday's games are not reflected) :











Catchers:

Rene Rivera (RHB, 28, AAA) .169/.250/.277 2 HR, 3 RBI, 73 PA
Kyle Knudson (RHB, 24, A) .154/.154/.154 0 HR, 1 RBI, 15 PA


Infielders:

Danny Valencia (RHB, 27, AAA) .125/.125/.188 1 RBI, 16 PA
Estarlin De Los Santos (SHB, 25, AA) .169/.233/.205 0 HR, 5 RBI, 91 PA
Andy Leer (RHB, 24, A+) .175/.246/.302 0 HR, 2 RBI, 71 PA


Outfielders:

Rene Tosoni (LHB, 25, AAA) .125/.222/.167 0 HR, 3 RBI, 55 PA
Joe Benson (RHB, 24, AA/AAA) .164/.252/.276 2 HR, 8 RBI, 131 PA
Marc Dolenc (RHB, 27, AA) .141/.176/.141 0 HR, 1 RBI, 76 PA
Danny Rams (RHB, 23, A+) .069/.206/.069 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 H, 34 PA


1st basemen/DH:

Matt Rizzotti (LHB, 26, AAA/AA) .256/.256/.282 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 H, 39 PA
Rory Rhodes (RHB, 20, A) .146/.204/.188 0 HR, 4 RBI, 54 PA


RH Starters:

Daryl Thompson (26, AAA) 4.5a ERA, 1.604 WHIP, 6.15 K/9, 1.1 K/BB
Madison Boer (22, A/A+) 6.81 ERA, 1.739 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 1.53 K/BB
Adrian Salcedo (21, A+) 5.64 ERA, 1.881 WHIP, 5.24 K/9, 0.87 K/BB
Marty Popham (24, A+) 4.66 ERA, 1.578 WHIP, 5.35 K/9, 1.21 K/BB



LH Starters:

none

RH Relievers:

Brendan Wise (26, AAA) 5.66 ERA, 1.935 WHIP, 5.23 K/9, 1.2 K/BB


LH Relievers:

Edgar Ibarra (23, A+) 4.63 ERA, 1.629 WHIP, 5.79 K/9, 1.88 K/BB

Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers for the 2012 MLB Draft: Max Fried

With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.

I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them. I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here.  I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer.  Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.

Profile 7: Max Fried

Profile/Stats:

Max Fried is a senior at Harvard-Westlake High School in Encino, CA, like another top High School pitching prospect, Lucas Giolito. Max Fried transferred there for from Montclair Prep for his senior season. It is interesting that both Fried and Giolito have committed to play for the same College, UCLA. He is listed at 6'4" and 175 lbs. He was born on January 18, 1994. He throws left handed. He is a 2012 Rollings first team All-American. In addition to pitching he has played in the OF and 1B where he compiled a .360/.455/.627 line as a Junior. As a Junior pitcher he pitched 69.2 innings, allowing 44 hits, walking 38 and striking out 100, for a 1.31 ERA.

Mini Scouting Report:

He has a plus fastball that sits at 89-90 and bursts into 92-93 with excellent movement and occasional sink. His best pitch is his plus plus curveball, which has a tight hammer-like break. His FB velocity is projected to increase as he fills up. He is throwing a changeup which is average at this point but projects to develop. His delivery mechanics are good, but he needs to maintain a consistent arm slot. He is releasing at 3/4. Has good control but needs to be able to command all his pitches better, especially low in the strike zone.

Videos/Photos:

Here is a five minute scouting video of Max Fried from a High School Game this January:







Here is an almost six minute video from his performance at the perfect game showcase last summer:







Here is a 3 minute Scouting video from this April







His Perfect Game profile page has links to 3 additional videos from his National Showcase performance in 2011

Who is Hot in the Twins minors? 2012 version 2

This is the second version of the 'who is hot in the Twins' minors' series for 2012. About a month and a half into the minor league seasons now, a lot of changes have happened on the pitching leaders from the last "who is hot" list, mainly because of promotions and because PJ Walters and Scott Diamond are now excluded from the list. Nice to see that there are reliable relief corps throughout the organization, including the AAA.

The bats have cooled considerably, but there are a lot of new bats in the minors and Wilken Ramirez and Miguel Sano continue their domination.

Here is the list, going from AAA to A. The clubs represented are AAA Rochester Red Wings, International League, AA New Britain Rock Cats, Eastern League, A+ Fort Myers Miracle, Florida State League, A Beloit Snappers, Midwest League (does not include yesterday's games) :





Catchers:

Matthew Koch (RHB, 23, A) .235/.409/.353, 6 2B, 68 PA

Infielders:

Deibinson Romero (RHB, 25, AA) .264/.350/.430 3 HR, 21 RBI, 140 PA
Jairo Perez (RHB, 24, A+) .257/.367/.450 3 HR, 13 RBI, 128 PA
Miguel Sano (RHB, 19, A) .293/.410/.639 11 HR, 35 RBI, 161 PA
Eddie Rosario (LHB, 20, A) .289/.381/.467 3 HR, 21 RBI, 7 SB, 155 PA

Outfielders:

Clete Thomas (LHB, 28, AAA) .280/.333/.480, 1 RBI, 28 PA
Matt Carson (RHB, 30, AAA) .289/.367/.413, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 121 PA
Wilkin Ramirez (RHB, 26, A+/AA/AAA) .359/.388/.688, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 2 SB, 67 PA
Aaron Hicks (SHB, 22, AA) .258/.347/.414 4 HR, 21 RBI, 9 SB, 150 PA
Oswaldo Arcia (LHB, 21, A+) .286/.349/.455 2 HR, 21 RBI 127 PA
Lance Ray (LHB, 22, A+) .239/.331/.440 4 HR, 25 RBI, 130 PA

1st basemen/DH:

Chris Colabello (RHB, 28, AA) .242/.326/.442 5 HR, 21 RBI, 139 PA

RH Starters:

Liam Hendriks (23, AAA) 1.54 ERA, 0.857 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 3 K/BB (11.2 IP)
Cole DeVries (27, AAA) 4.19 ERA, 1.241 WHIP, 7.22 K/9, 4.43 K/BB (38.2 IP)
BJ Hermsen (22, A+/AA) 1.66 ERA, 0.900 WHIP, 5.19 K/9, 3.57 K/BB (43.1 IP)
Tim Shibuya (22, A) 2.83 ERA, 1.257 WHIP, 7.71 K/9, 4.29 K/BB (35 IP)

LH Starters:

Andrew Albers (26, AA) 4.50 ERA. 1.310 WHIP, 7.29 K/0, 11.33 K/BB (42 IP)
Jason Wheeler (21, A) 2.84 ERA, 1.289 WHIP, 6.16 K/9, 2.89 K/BB (38 IP)

RH Relievers:

Anthony Slama (28, AAA) 0.51 ERA, 1.132 WHIP, 14.26 K/9, 2.55 K/BB (17.2 IP)
Deolis Guerra (23,AA/AAA) 1.14 ERA, 0.761 WHIP, 9.51 K/9, 5 K/BB (23.2 IP)
Lester Oliveros (24, AA/AAA) 1.42 ERA, 0.895 WHIP, 7.58 K/9, 2.29 K/BB (19 IP)
Dan Turpen (25, AA) 3.79 ERA, 0.947 WHIP, 10.42 K/9, 22 K/BB (19 IP)
Bobby Lanigan (25, AA) 2.84 ERA, 1.211 WHIP, 8.53 K/9, 9 K/BB (23 IP)
David Bromberg (24, AA) 3.91 ERA, 1.217 WHIP, 8.61 K/9, 2.2 K/BB
Miguel Munoz (23, A+) 2.77 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, 5.54 K/9, 4 K/BB (13 IP)
Ricky Bowen (24, A+) 1.93 ERA, 1.114 WHIP, 7.33 K/9, 3.8 K/BB (23.1 IP)
AJ Achter (23, A) 0.86 ERA, 0.952 WHIP, 9.86 K/9, 4.60 K/BB (21 IP)
Michael Tonkin (22, A) 2.05 ERA, 1.136 WHIP, 9.00 K/9, 7.33 K/BB (22 IP)

LH Relievers:

Caleb Thielbar (25, A+/AA) 1.35 ERA, 0.950 WHIP, 9 K/9, 4 K/BB (20 IP)
Nelvin Fuentes (23 A/A+) 3.05 ERA, 1.210 WHIP, 9.15 K/9, 3.5 K/BB (20.2 IP)
Ryan O'Rourke (24, A) 4.08 ERA, 1.132 WHIP, 7.13 K/9, 3.5 K/BB (17.2 IP)
Matthew Tomshaw (23, A) 2.54 ERA, 0.988 WHIP, 7.31 K/9, 5.75 K/BB (28.1 IP, 4 GS)
Corey Williams (21, A) 3.77 ERA, 1.326 WHIP, 11.30 K/9, 2.57 K/BB (14.1 IP)

Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers for the 2012 MLB Draft: Zach Eflin

With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.

I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them.  I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here.  I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer.  Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.

Profile 6: Zach Eflin

Profile/Stats:

Zach Eflin is a senior at Hagerty High Scholl in Oviedo,FL. He is listed at 6'5" and 200 lbs. He was born on April 8, 1994 and he throws Right Handed. In his current season, Eflin is 5-2 with a 0.55 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched. ESPN published great article on Zach, discussing how he used baseball to escape from a difficult home situation. Eflin nissed all the month of April with tricep tendonitis, but his MRI is clear and has returned to action earlier this month. He committed to play for the University of Central Florida.

Mini Scouting Report:

Efling has good control of his above average fastball that averages 91-93 mph with occasional 94-95 mph spikes and good movement. His changeup is a plus pitch, sits from 79-82 mph and has good fade an sink. He is working on spike curveball which is a major work in progress and will probably turn into a slider as he progresses. His stamina is somewhat questionable, since the velocity and effectiveness of his fastball has been decreasing in the later innings. His delivery is effortless and his frame is projectible.

Videos/Photos:

Here is a video of Zach Eflin pitching at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, FL.







His Perfect Game Profile Page has a link to his 2011 National Showcase video.

Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits

Here is this week's installment:

• While Brian Duensing is stretched out to be a starter, I think that the Twins should fill at least one or maybe two rotation spots on an "internship"-like way: Promote a new pitcher from the minors every week to make a start. That might work pretty well, based on the recent first starts by Scott Diamond and P.J. Walters.
• One of the things I am doing these days and will finish before the draft, is to publish profiles of the top 22 pitchers available in the draft (given that the Twins will likely select pitching early and often.) I am doing this is alphabetical order, and you can find them all here in reverse alphabetical order, so check often. I am planning on doing those daily for the rest of May.
• On a sad note, Aaron Bates was released from Rochester (along with Joe Thurston) to make room for Lester Oliveros and Wilken Ramirez who were promoted to Rochester from New Britain.  Aaron was one of the last Twins' cuts this Spring Training and I always thought that he could be up with the Twins this season some time.
• Apparently the Twins cannot spell their own player's names even in the official lineup cards...
• It sounds like Ben Revere is growing.
• Kyle Gibson's rehab is going according the schedule
• On the other hand, here is another first hand testimony on the Twins' medical staff.
• Here isa great article about Miguel Sano by Jesse Temple of FSNorth.
• A Really interesting article about Twins' prospect AJ Pettersen is here. (Also form FSNorth)
• And here is a really great article about Brian Dozier and his early years in baseball. (From the St. Paul Newspaper)
• Alex Wimmers got a second opinion on his elbow and rest and rehab is the prescription.
• 23 year old Gopher Senior RP Dustin Klabunde has been opening some eyes and might be drafted in the later rounds next month.
• Apparently, the Rochester Yankees Red Wings are too poor to add nameplates on Pedro Florimon's, Clete Thomas' and Danny Valencia's jerseys as witnessed in the MLB Network nationally televised game of the Red Wings in Syracuse.  Very embarrassing.  Little League.
• Speaking of Rochester, the local Democrat & Chronicle Red Wings' Yankees' beat writer, decided to take a break from covering the Yankees on his blog and wrote this inflammatory nonsense, practically threatening the Twins, if they take the best players from Rochester to help their club. Alright... Memo to Rochester: Affiliated minor league clubs exist to serve the major league club they are affiliated with. If you do not like it, the independent leagues are just around the block.  See if that fits you all better.
• The Twins' product of the week is the Minnesota Twins Blade Sunglasses

The parting shot today is of Ryan Doumit, who has turned it up big time the last week or so:







As always you can find all the Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits Posts here, in reverse chronological order.

Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers for the 2012 MLB Draft: Ryan Burr

With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher. To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.

I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them.  I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here.I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer.  Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.

Profile 5: Ryan Burr

Profile/Stats:

Ryan Burr is a senior at Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch, CO. He is listed at 6'4" and 190 lbs. He was born on May 28th 1994. He throws right handed. He is a Perfect Game All-American. This season he started in 6 games, pitched 32 innings, had a 3.29 ERA, struck out 55 and walked 17 while holding opponents to a .195 average. He also hit 5 batters and threw 2 wild pitches. He committed to play for Arizona State University.

Mini Scouting Report:

He has a plus fastball that sits at 92-93 with good movement. He had good control and command of it and occasionally jumps at 94-95. He has a sharp curveball, which is average and a change up which is a developing pitch. His velocity is projected to increase as he fills up. His delivery mechanics are excellent and his delivery is effortless.

Videos/Photos:

Here is a six minute scouting video from a game last October:



here is a video from his perfect game showcase:



and here is a video of Burr pitching in a game at the High School Invitational late March of this year:



His Perfect Game Profile Page has links to a video from his 2011 showcase and of a game.

Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers for the 2012 MLB Draft: Chris Beck

With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher.  To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.

I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them.  I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here.I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer.  Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.


Profile 4: Chris Beck

Profile/Stats:

Chris Beck is a junior at Georgia Southern and a three-year player there. He is from Jefferson, GA and went to Jefferson High School. He is listed at 6'3" and 235 lbs. He was born of September 4, 1990. He throws Right handed. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 35th round of the 2009 Draft. In his current season he started 12 games and relieved in one and is 4-6 (84.2 IP) with a 3.72 ERA, 22 BB and 97 strikeouts allowing a .274 opponent batting average. Last summer in the Cape Cod league he had a 1.62 ERA, 52 IP, striking out 41 and walking 13. His best collegiate season was in 2011 when he went 9-5 in 103 IP, walked 40 and struck out 109, allowing a .211 OBA.


Mini Scouting Report:

His fastball averages around 93-94 mph with occasional bursts at 95 has excellent control but needs work with his command. It is an above average pitch. He has a slurve that is a plus pitch and sits at mid 80s and can be his out pitch. His changeup is at the mid 80s and needs work to be consistent but has a nice late downward movement when thrown as intended and potentially can be a plus pitch. Has a nice natural delivery.

Videos/Photos:

Here is a video of Chris Beck from the Cape Cod league:



Here is an interview post-game:

The Following is by Leslie Branch a Featured Writer:

Why Baseball is Magic

Baseball is magic because nothing is ever as it seems. For example, let’s say you have your light-hitting (but great fielding) shortstop up at the plate. It’s 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh in favor of the other team, but the inning's lead-off batter just took a 3-1 fastball high and away for ball four. In such a close game, bunting the runner over to second is probably the safest move. However, you know that a reliever coming onto the hill to start off an inning is prone to some control problems at first; moreover, he will start fastballs right over the plate to get some strikes. A pitch to hit is probably on its way in the next two pitches, and the particular player at the plate is just money when it comes to picking up base hits in the later innings of a close game. It’s the kind of intangible that permeates the whole game: The knowledge that at any moment, something unlikely, amazing, quirky, or gritty – or all of the above – is bound to happen.

The pitch comes and sure enough it’s a fastball out over the plate. The experienced shortstop does not try to do too much with the pitch, but hits it soundly the other way into right-center field, allowing the leadoff walk to get to third. The aggressive move paid off: Now your team has runners on first and third with no outs, rather than one out and a man on second.

Everyone has their own take on an issue, their own preference with a certain guy at the plate. The person sitting next to you may have had a completely different preference, preferring to keep a cool head about things and play the numbers. He thinks a man hitting .210 is always going to lay down the bunt in that situation. The alternative to letting him swing away is a ground ball double play; then you would be left with two outs and nobody on. If we needed a run badly enough to go against the odds, at least wait until the bottom of the eighth or ninth.

You can see the point. A baseball game can have hundreds of potential circumstances on the field, let alone all of the intangibles provided by the six inches between every baseball player's ears. You could even study baseball in a college course: The rituals of the players in light of that which they cannot control or the relationship between a team and its community.

Another aspect of the magic of baseball is that the athletes are truly the best in the world. Baseball is the kind of sport where, in order to put it all together and put together a Hall of Fame career, the player must master many aspects that involve different traits. Obviously is the physical aspect of the game –durability, power, arm strength, and technique. However, there is the mental aspect of the game as well –one's baseball IQ so to speak, when to shade over to left-center field when a certain player is up to bat, how to deal with the inevitable slump or injury and come back stronger.

When a player can put skillfully put together baseball's mental aspect with rare physical gifts, it is magical to watch.

Sources

Sociology 101 (2012)
Baseball is Magic (2012)

Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers for the 2012 MLB Draft: Jake Barrett

With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher.  To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft. I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them.  I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day.

You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here.I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer.  Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.

Profile 3: Jake Barrett

Profile/Stats: 

Jake Dalton Barrett is a junior at Arizona State University and a three-year player there. He is from Mesa, AZ and went to Desert Ridge High School. He is listed at 6'3" and 230 lbs. Was born on July 22, 1991 in Upland, California He throws Right handed. He was a third round selection (99th overall) of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. In his freshman year he was a reliever and moved to the rotation in his sophomore season before returning to the pen this season as the closer. In his current season he appeared in 25 games, pitched 27 innings and is 1-4 (9 saves) with a 1.67 ERA, 7 BB and 32 strikeouts allowing a .181 opponent batting average. Last summer in the Cape Cod league he had a 1.62 ERA, 52 IP, striking out 41 and walking 13. His best collegiate season was in 2011 when he went 9-5 in 103 IP, walked 40 and struck out 109, allowing a .211 OBA.

Mini Scouting Report: 

His fastball averages around 92-93 mph with occasional bursts at 96-97 with good movement at the lower speeds. It is a plus pitch but needs work with command. He has a plus slider in the mid 80s which can get up to 88 mph. He has an above average change up that sits in the low 80s. In high school he used to throw a slow curve and a splitter, which he abandoned. His delivery used to be fairly violent and used to fall off towards the first base side, but has been improved. Still is a maximum effort delivery. He reminds some people of Boof Bonser on the mound.

Videos/Photos: 

The following 3 videos show the evolution of Jake Barrett as a pitcher:


Here is a video from his freshman season:




 Here is a scouting video of Jake Barrett from his sophomore season:






Here is a three minute video of Barrett Pitching in a game in the current season:

Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers for the 2012 MLB Draft: Mark Appel

With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher.  To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.

I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them.  I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here.  I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer.  Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.

Profile 2: Mark Appel

Profile/Stats: 


Mark Appel is a junior at Stanford University and a three-year player there.  He is from Houston, TX and went to Monte Vista High School.  He is listed at 6'6" and 200 lbs.  He throws Right handed.  He was drafted in the 15th round out of High School by the Detroit Tigers but he did not sign. Was a Two-year letterman in basketball and baseball. In his current season he started 11 games and is 7-1 (86 IP) with a 2.72 ERA, 20 BB and 85 strikeouts allowing a .226 opponent batting average.  Last summer, playing with Team USA, in 9 IP as a reliever (4 games) and an one game starter he had a 5.00 ERA striking out 11 and walking 2; in the Cape Cod league he had a 1.35 ERA, 20 IP, striking out 25 and walking 3.

Mini Scouting Report:

His fastball averages around 94-95 mph with occasional busts at 97-99 and he has excellent command.  It is a plus fastball.  His change up is a  circle change and sits around 82-83 mph and is a borderline plus pitch.  He is throwing a tight slider in the low 80s, which is a work in process and is working on a cutter that sits on the low 90s and touches up to 93 and so far has a nice side to side movement.  He is throwing from a three-quarters position and his height allows for a tight downward plane.  Mark Appel has been mentioned as one of the top picks on this draft and there are a lot written about him and most baseball fans who are following the draft know who he is. Here is a great analysis from Hardball Times, which is worth reading.  It analyzes his mechanics and discusses whether or not he should be a top pick.

Videos/Photos:

Here is a five minute scouting video from his Team USA pitching last summer:




and a 12 minute scouting video from the cape code league last sumemr:



Here is a current interview video, talking about himself:



and here is an interview last year, talking about his pitching:

Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers for the 2012 MLB Draft: RJ Alvarez

With the Twins having a severe need for pitching in the organization as well as six picks among the top 100, it is certain that more than one of those picks (and probably the second overall pick) will be used to draft a pitcher.  To this respect, I am presenting profiles of the top 22 pitching prospects for the 2012 MLB draft.

I will be presenting these alphabetically, and at the end I will rank them.  I will be doing about one a day and I will finish before the June 4th draft day. You can find all the profiles (in reverse alphabetical order) as they are presented here.  I will start with RJ Alvarez and end with Kyle Zimmer.  Each profile with contain a bit of background information and statistics, a mini scouting report and videos and photos.

RJ Alvarez

Profile/Stats:

RJ Alvarez is a junior in Florida Atlantic University and a three-year player there.  He is from Royal Palm Beach FL and went to Cardinal Newman High School.  He was a first team all conference in both his junior and senior high school seasons and an all area selection in his senior season.  He begun his collegiate career in the pen as a Freshman, but quickly moved to the rotation.  He is listed as 6'1" and 180 lbs.  He throws right handed.  In his current season he is used in the pen and is 5-0 in 20 appearances (31.2 IP) with a 0.57 ERA, 9 BB and 42 strikeouts allowing a .156 opponent batting average.  Last summer in the Cape Cod league, as a starter, he had a 1.40 ERA, 25.2 IP, striking out 33 and walking 9, allowing only 14 Hits (.181 OBA)

Mini Scouting Report:

His fastball averages around 94 with occasional busts at 96-97 and he has good command.  His change up is a  plus pitch and his curve ball is developing.  His delivery is effortless and somewhat deceptive.  He is throwing from a three-quarters position.


Videos/Photos:

A fan video of Alvarez at the Cape Code league Last summer:



A scouting video from the same time frame:


A recent profile of him as a draft prospect:

Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits

Here is this week's installment:

• With Jayson Werth out at least 3 months, the Twins have a perfect opportunity to see what they can get from the contending Nationals for Denard Span.
• Alexi Casilla did turn the corner (Big time) with the glove. He has been by far the Twins' best fielder, using a couple of different measurements: Defensive Runs Saved above average with 8 (second best is Span with 5) and UZR with 5 (second best, Span, has 1.8). It is too early, but if he keeps it up (and hits a bit better so he can justify keep playing) he is a gold glove dark horse.
• And speaking of Alexi Casilla, the Manager of the Millennium, decided to bench him for Jamey Carroll (a lesser player this season both with the bat and on the field) and delayed the the appearance of the Twins' future middleinfield. Apparently Alexi Casilla is day to day with a sore throwing shoulder
• Jared Burton leads the Twins with a crazy 0.455 WHIP. Do not expect it to last because his BABIP is an equally crazy 0.045.
• Speaking of BABIP, of the Twins' starters not named Pavano, Jason Marquis has the lowest BABIP with .320, which indicated that luck has a role in the Twins' SP woes. Now it better turn around fast.
• Sean Burroughs was Designated for Assignment a week ago to make room for Drew Butera. Here is a picture of Sean's traveling buddy.
• Twins' middle infield (and OF recently) prospect AJ Petersen is writing about a minor leaguer's off day
• Former Twins' pitching prospect Dan Osterbrock is having surgery today to fix what was not fixed in his shoulder in his previous operation.
• Looks like either Jim Pohlad is a huge Brian Dozier fan or a statement is about to be made based on this
• Fun factoid: Eight out of the twelve pitchers on the Beloit Snappers' roster are throwing left-handed while all fourteen position players (including Nate Robers who is on the 7-day Disabled List) are throwing right-handed (including the 3 who are batting left-handed and the single switch-hitter JaDamion Williams.)
• Good to see the average age in the Twins' minor league teams (esp. in Rochester where that was not true recently) is right about League Average. Here are the numbers. Rochester: Hitters: 27.1, Pitchers: 26.5 (International League: Hitters: 27.4 Pitchers: 27.5) New Britain: Hitters: Pitchers: 25.3 (Eastern League: 24.5 Hitters: Pitchers: 25) Fort Myers: Hitters: 22.5 Pitchers: 23.2 (Florida State League: Hitters: 22.7Pitchers: 22.9) Beloit: Hitters: 21.7 Pitchers: 22.3 (Midwest League: Hitters: 21.5 Pitchers: 21.9)
• The Twins' product of the week, is the Ron Gardenhire Bobblehead that was given to the Minnesota Twins' season ticket holders in 2009.

The parting shot today is of Brian Dozier in honor of his MLB debut yesterday







As always you can find all the Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits Posts here, in reverse chronological order.

The Twins middle infield of the future opens tonight

Tonight will be the premiere in the big leagues of Twins' infielder Brian Dozier.   Dozier was the Twins' 8th round draft pick in 2009 out of the University of Southern Mississippi.  He signed right away so he had time to play pro ball in 2009.  He quickly moved through the Twins' system, playing for both rookie level teams in 2009, both A-level teams in 2010, starting in Fort Myers in 2011 and ending up in New Britain and then in the Arizona Fall league.

He was invited in the Spring Training as a non-roster invitee this year (where he was one of the last Twins' cuts) and started the season in Rochester.  He was added to the 40-man roster today.  Even though he has not hit well in Rochester so far (.276/.339/.371, 199 PA) the Twins are encouraged by his 2011 New Britain (.318/.384/.502 7 HR, 22 2B, 7 3B, 351 PA) and Arizona Fall League (.296/.358/.454. 3 HR, 8 2B, 120 PA) numbers to call him up early this season.  It is worth mentioning that with the Fall League, Brian Dozier has a full season in 2011, playing in 153 games and having 689 plate appearances.

He will likely replace Jamey Carroll (who will assume a utility role filling in at all infield positions but at 1B) as the starting shortstop.  He was batting at the number 2 spot in Rochester most of this season, so he might replace Carroll there also.  However it is more likely that Joe Mauer will be at the number 2 spot and Dozier will slide lower in the line up.  Brian wore uniform number 77 during Spring Training but was assigned number 20 today.

The 25 year old Brian Dozier will team up with the 27 year old Alexi Casilla as the Twins' double play combination.  Hopefully Twins' fans will look at scenes like this often this season and for many seasons to come:

Twins, Gardenhire and Maritime Law

When Francesco Schettino, the captain of Costa Concordia, abandoned his sinking ship last January, it made international news . But he was not alone, to quote a very interesting Discovery channel article: "Considered one of the most infamous crimes in maritime law, [this] act of cowardice has many precedents in history.", and goes on to list several of the previous captains who have abandoned ship.

 Today, another name needs to be added to the list: Ronald Clyde Gardenhire.

With the excuse that he needs to attend his daughter's college graduation, he left his team (with the worse record in baseball) hours after a sweep was completed with a no-hitter against the Twins, to go home to Minnesota for a 4-day weekend. The Twins will join him after they finish their 3 game series at Seattle against the Mariners. He was so ready to get out of town that he caught a red-eye flight the night of the sweep and rushed reporters out off his office to make the flight.  Before the blood even dried.  Before he could have a single team meeting.

College graduation is an important personal event and the father should be there, but, looking at the details a little closer, it is obvious that it is just an excuse for Ron Gardenhire to take a break and leave the team he led to the worse record in the majors, on the very night of arguably their lowest point in the season. Let's look at the facts:

• Ron Gardenhire's daughter is attending the Southwest Minnesota State University at Marshall, MN. According to the University's web site, commencement takes place at 10 AM this Saturday. Commencement exercises of schools that size, usually take about 1.5-2 hours. The Twins are playing the Mariners at Seattle this Friday at 7:10 PM, this Saturday at 6:10 PM and this Sunday at 1:10 PM (all local, PDT times.)
• The drive to Marshall, MN home of the Southwest Minnesota State University, where his daughter is graduating at 10 AM is 2 hrs and 46 minutes according to Bing maps. The ride from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Safeco Park, where the Twins are playing this weekend, according the same source, takes 18 minutes. Also Marshall is the home of the Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport.
• It takes about 3 hrs to fly from the Twin Cities area to Seattle and vice versa

Given those facts, Ron Gardenhire had 3 options:

• Option 1: Stay with the sinking ship, making the flight to Seattle, managing the team Friday night and taking a private plane (I assume that the Pohlads or the team would allow the use of their private planes, esp if Gardenhire pitched in for gas; or he could have arranged for one) that night or early morning to Marshall arriving in plenty of time for the graduation. Also a 2 PM Marshall departure which would allow plenty of time for pictures and a lunch, would have had him back in Seattle by 3 PM local time, plenty of time to go to the ballpark and manage the 6:10 Saturday game. This way, he would have done his duty to his family and his team. There was no conflict, just inconvenience and cost.
• Option 2: Stay with the sinking ship, making the flight to Seattle, managing the team Friday night and taking the red eye commercial flight Friday night. I want to think that someone who makes millions a year can afford a private plane and that he has access to the team's plane, but let's say that he does not. Delta Airlines flight 1014 leaves Seattle at 12:30 AM local time Saturday morning and arrives in Minneapolis at 5:46 AM local time. Plenty of time to arrive at Marshall at about 8:30 for the 10:00 commencement. The ceremony ends around 11:30 AM. The ride to the airport might make the 2:20 PM flight arriving Seattle at 3:35 PM (in time to manage the whole game) a bit tight (and I assume that he is poor enough not to get private air transport from Marshall to Minneapolis), but the next flight leaving at 5:35 PM and arriving at Seattle at 7:13 PM is doable and allows him to spend an hour or two for lunch and pictures before he joins the Twins. Arriving at Seattle at 7:13 will get him at the ballpark and in uniform before 8:00 PM (the ride is only 18 minutes according to Bing Maps). That is about half way into the game. So he would have missed only half a game and do his paternal duty, but be a bit inconvenienced also.
• Option 3: Abandon the sinking ship, taking the next flight out in the middle of the night, arriving in his Minnesota home more than 2 days before he needed to be there, stay longer than he needs to be there, miss Sunday's game.  Let his team come to him in Minnesota and play alone, headless, three games at Seattle right after they were swept by the Angels, right after a no-hitter against them, while he is having a nice and comfy 4-day weekend.  That was the option chosen.

Maritime Law is stern and specific. The Twins' front office has (vaguely) been talking about "accountability" last off-season. The captain abandoned his ship. And he did not have to. The facts are there. It is more than time that the ship finds a new captain who respects his position and follows his duty, trying to right it when it is ready to break, instead of abandoning it and let it sink even further.

Twins Players of the Week

This is the fourth installment in this series. You can find all of them here in reverse chronological order. I will be doing these approximately weekly or at the end of every 2 series.  

In the last 2 series against the Royals (abbreviated 2-game series because of a rain out) and at the Angels the Twins as a team hit an underpowered .214/.276/.321 with 1 HR and scored 16 runs. This helped them finish only 1-4 in these series.  

The Twins Hitter of the Week was: 

Danny Valencia

 

.400/.400/.600 6 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 2 R in 15 plate appearances  

As with the hitting, the Twins' pitching in the last 2 series was equally responsible for their 1-4 record against the Royals and the Angels. As a team, the Twins pitched to a 5.79 ERA, allowing 49 hits (including 9 home runs, 8 doubles and a triple,) 28 Runs (all but 1 earned) in 42 innings, facing 183 batters. They threw 636 total pitches and 392 of them were strikes. The walked 11 and struck out 13. This results in a 1.43 WHIP, 2.8 K/9 and 1.2 K/BB.  

The Twins' Pitcher of the Week was:  

Jared Burton

   
2 Games, 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 K

Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits

Here is this week's installment:

• Tonight Fransisco Liriano will make his next start after he has been skipped in the rotation. I hope the gods of Fastball grand him command, control and deceitfulness
• Luke Hughes was designated for assignment by the Athletics yesterday to make room for Brandon Inge. The Twins have the opportunity to re-sign him and right a wrong
• Interesting to see Jason Marquis being the Twins' most reliable starter so far in this young season and that he only has walked 2 (and struck out 18) in 31.3 IP. If this continues, the Twins will be in for a pleasant surprise.
• One of the newest Twins because the newest daddy in the Twins six days ago.
• Today is the deadline for potential international free agents to declare with MLB their intention to potentially sign with a team, per the new collaborative agreement. These are players like Miguel Sano, who can sign anytime after July 2nd when they turn 16 years old. The declaration of intend with MLB is new, it creates a more even playing field and gets the "handlers" out of the equation. At some point there will be a list of players who declared, so there will be better profiles and presentations before July 2nd.
• Few interesting pieces of trivia about the current Twins' broadcaster (and former SS) Roy Smalley: a. he was drafted 4 times but did not singed until he was drafted first overall by the Texas Rangers. b. He was traded to the Twins from the Rangers for the man who he replaced on the booth (Bert Blyleven). c. he was traded from the Twins to the Yankees for Ron Davis and Greg Gagne.
• A great writeup about Danny Valencia in his home town paper
• Meanwhile, a Twins' player was engaged last Sunday, and Twins' prospect RHP Ryan O'Rourke writes about Minor Leaguers and housing.
• Wonder whether that stuffed animal in a particular Twins' player's locker has any significance.
• Add another misguided release of a minor leaguer to those of Danny Osterbrock and Pedro Guerra: The Twins released Tony Davis last Friday, while they keep signing up 30-something never had beens and assigning them to Rochester. In fact, the Twins' organization has been so class-less in the treatment of its minor leaguers that released Davis while having a broken thumb and stopped his medical insurance. I hope that they do the right thing, because I am not sure that I am liking the new Twins' way... And apparently he is not the only Twins' minor leaguer who was released while injured and the only unhappy one.
• Speaking of Minor League transactions, there were several promotions this week, the 2 most notable with Twins MLB implications: Deolis Guerra (of Johan Santana trade fame) was promoted from New Britain to Rochester and BJ Hermsen was promoted from Fort Myers to New Britain. Why would those promotions have MLB implications? Guerra and Hermsen have been the best relief and strating pitcher respectively in the organization so far in 2012. Guerra will be out of options in 2013, so he will have to be in the TWins' pen or gone in 2013. He is on the 40-man roster, so it is almost certain that sometime this season he will play in Minnesota. BJ Hermsen, 23, is a starter whose career development path resembles that of Liam Hendriks. If he continues well in New Britain this season he likely would be in the conversation for one of the many openings in the Twins' rotation in 2013.
• Speaking of Rochester, May has been proclaimed Baseball Month in Rochester. There are some cool things going on there and this involves the Red Wings and not the Empire State Yankees, so it should be fun if you are a local Twins' or Wings' fan.
• It is amazing that even some or the biggest Ron Gardenhire supporters and Minnesota Twins' traditionalists out there are started to look at the Manager situation similar to me. Sample number 1 and Sample number 2.
• Twins who had birthdays the last week: Adrian Salcedo (21st), Ryan O'Rourke (24th) and Luis Perdomo (28th)
• The Twins are ranked as the worse team in the majors by the big sports web site this week.
• The Twins' product of the week, is a really cool book. A bucket list: 100 Things Twins Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die

The parting shot today is of BJ Hermsen who was promoted to AA New Britain Rock Cats a couple days ago






As always you can find all the Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits Posts here, in reverse chronological order.

Breaking: Looks Like Luke Hughes was DFA'd by the Athletics

It looks like former Twins' IF Luke Hughes was designated for assignment by the Oakland Athletics who picked him off waivers from the Twins.  They A's DFA'd Luke Hughes to make room for Brandon Inge who was released by Detroit.

Details to follow once the announcement is official

EDIT:  The Oakland Athletics announced it on twitter  (2:30 EDT)

Twins Players of the Week

This is the third installment in this series. You can find all of them here in reverse chronological order. I will be doing these approximately weekly or at the end of every 2 series.  

In the last 2 series against the Rays and Red Sox the Twins as a team hit an underpowered .241/.326/.310 with 1 HR and scored 21 runs. This helped them finish only 1-5 in these series.  

The Twins Hitter of the Week was: 

Joe Mauer 

 

.409/.500/.409 9 H, 4 RBI, 2 R in 26 plate appearances  

As with the hitting, the Twins' pitching in the last 2 series was equally responsible for their 1-5 record against the Rays and the Red Sox. As a team, the Twins pitched to a 6.23 ERA, allowing 58 hits (including 9 home runs, 11 doubles and a triple,) 38 Runs (all but 2 earned) in 52 innings, facing 224 batters. They threw 891 total pitches and 553 of them were strikes. The walked 17 and struck out 40. This results in a 1.44 WHIP, 6.9 K/9 and 2.4 K/BB.  

The Twins' Pitcher of the Week was:  

Anthony Swarzak

   
2 Games, 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 4K

Who is NOT Hot in the Twins minors? 2012 version 1

This is the first version of the 'who is NOT hot in the Twins' minors' series for 2012. I have been doing the Who is hot in the Minors series for a few years now and I decided that a complimentary list might be in order.  I will be updating those every month or so, as well.   The current who IS hot list can be found here

Without further ado, here is the list, going from AAA to A.  The clubs represented are AAA Rochester Red Wings, International League, AA New Britain Rock Cats, Eastern League, A+ Fort Myers Miracle, Florida State League, A Beloit Snappers, Midwest League:

Catchers:

J.R. Towles (RHB, 28, AAA) .111/.200/.222 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 H, 31 PA
Jairo Rodriguez (RHB, 23, A+) .100/.182/.167 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3 H, 35 PA

Infielders:

Tsuyioshi Nishioka (SHB, 27, AAA) .203/.299/.237 0 HR, 3 RBI, 3/5 SB, 68 PA
Estarlin De Los Santos (SHB, 25, AA) .231/.250/.231 0 HR, 1 RBI, 40 PA
Angerson Hidalgo (RHB, 23, A+) .143/.200/.286 0 HR, 0 RBI, 31 PA
Andy Leer (RHB, 24, A+) .074/.167/.111 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2H, 30 PA
Tyler Grimes (RHB, 21, A) .145/.288/.236 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2/4 SB, 66 PA


Outfielders:

Darin Mastroianni (RHB, 26, AAA/AA) .207/.258/.224 0 HR, 1 RBI, 63 PA
Ben Revere (LHB, 24, MLB/AAA) .211/.211/.211 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB, 38 PA
Marc Dolenc (RHB, 27, AA) .182/.217/.182 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2/4 SB, 44 PA
Danny Rams (RHB, 23, A+) .069/.206/.069 0 HR, 1 RBI, 2 H, 34 PA

1st basemen/DH:

Matt Rizzotti (LHB, 26, AAA) .256/.256/.282 0 HR, 5 RBI, 2 H, 39 PA
Rory Rhodes (RHB, 20, A) .146/.204/.188 0 HR, 4 RBI, 54 PA

RH Starters:

Marty Popham (24,A+) 5.40 ERA, 1.800 WHIP, 6.6 K/9, 1.57 K/BB
Matt Summers (22, A) 7.36 ERA, 1.636 WHIP, 4.91 K/9, 0.89 K/BB

LH Starters:

Logan Darnell (23,AA) 5.21 ERA, 1.632 WHIP, 4.74 K/9, 1.00 K.BB

RH Relievers:

Brendan Wise (26, AAA) 5.40 ERA, 2.100 WHIP, 2.70 K/9, 0.4 K/BB
David Bromberg (24, AA) 15.00 ERA, 2.833 WHIP, 3 K/9, 0.5 K/BB
Bruce Pugh (23, A+) 9.45 ERA, 2.700 WHIP, 10.80 K/9, 1.6 K/BB

LH Relievers:

Tony Davis, (24, A+) 15.19 ERA, 2.438 WHIP, 6.75 K/9, 1.33 K/BB
Bart Carter (24, A) 6.43 ERA, 1.857 WHIP, 11.57 K/9, 2.25 K/BB
Clint Dempster (22, A) 3.68 ERA, 1.909 WHIP, 6.14 K/9, 0.83 K/BB

Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits

Here is this week's installment:

• Very disappointing loss to the Red Sox last night, but some highlight reel plays and lots of near misses. Unfortunately that left the Twins with a 5-12 record, seven games under .500 and 5.5 games behind the Tigers.
• The official rule 4 MLB draft order has been announced and the Twins have 6 picks in the top 100, including the second overall pick
• Phillip Humber, another player discarded by the Twins, pitched a perfect game last Saturday. Add that to his performance for the White Sox in 2011 and the Johan Santana package looks better for the Twins. They just did not know what to do with what they got...
• If you wonder about some of the activities of some of the Twins' top prospects, you got to see this
• And if you wonder how life on the road is for minor leagues, make your you read this blog by AJ Petterson who is playing for the Beloit Snappers
• This is a great writeup for another Ballpark that has an anniversary this year, albeit closer to the Twins' home
• Next Saturday at Target Field is "Ben Revere Bat Giveaway Day". Great planning.
• Twins' fans, if you are into running or even thought about getting into running (there is plenty of time), make sure that you register for the Fiteens5K this August. A great charity, run by Glen Perkins and his wife Alisha and a great downtown Minneapolis race which includes a free ticket to a Twins game in the Rays' series and lots of Twins giveaway goodies. And to sweeten the deal the race ends at Target Field, every finisher will receive a medal and Twins' players will be hanging out those medals. Just do it! I might even consider flying to the Cities for this race.
• This is very sad: A particular former Twins' prospect (was released before the season begun) started with this tweet and then started digging himself deeper... his timeline is here. Amazing. Not what you do when you look for a job, kiddo. An apology came later but still...
• The Twins' product of the week, is the MLB Men's Minnesota Twins 3/4 Sleeve Crew Neck Featherweight Tech Fleece Pullover by Majestic I saw a couple of players were those in Fort Myers and are a killer look.

The parting shot today is of Josh Burris. The Folks over at Twins' Daily have started an "adopt a prospect" theme and Josh Burris its the Twins' prospect I adopted. You can read all about it here (and adopt your own prospect) and can follow my Josh Burris updates here.

   As always you can find all the Random Tuesday Twins Thoughts and Tidbits Posts here, in reverse chronological order.