Month: May 2019

Top 10 Twins draft picks this century

Position Players

Joe Mauer retires. Click on image to make it larger.
  1. Joe Mauer picked as a catcher 1st overall in 2001 and is retired with a 55.0 WAR all with the Twins from 2004-2018.
  2. Brian Dozier picked as a collegiate shortstop in the 8th round in 2009 and is currently playing for the Nationals. Current career WAR is 23.3 and WAR with Twins from 2012 to 2018 was 23.8.
  3. Denard Span picked as an outfielder in the 1st round (20th overall) in 2002 and is currently not playing. Current career WAR is 26.2 and WAR with the Twins from 2008 to 2012 was 13.2. 
  4. Eddie Rosario picked as an outfielder in the 4th round of the 2010 draft and currently playing left field for the Twins since 2015 and has a 10.2 career WAR.
  5. Trevor Plouffe was selected as a shortstop in round 1 (20th overall) of the 2004 MLB draft. Plouffe is not playing this season after being released by the Phillies and has a career WAR of 8.2. When playing for Minnesota from 2010 to 2018 his WAR was 8.6.
  6. Byron Buxton was selected as an outfielder in 2012 with the 2nd overall pick in round 1. Has played center field for the Twins off and on since 2015 and has a career WAR of 8.5.
  7. Jason Kubel was selected as an outfielder in round 12 of the 2000 draft and played for the Twins in 2004, sat out 2005 due to injury and from 2006-2011 putting up a 3.7 WAR before leaving as a FA. Career 4.1 WAR.
  8. Mitch Garver was drafted as a collegiate catcher in the 9th round of the 2013 draft and has been with the Twins off/on since 2017 and has put up a 2.6 career WAR.
  9. Aaron Hicks was drafted as an outfielder in round 1 (14th overall) and played for the Twins on/off from 2013-2015 before being traded to the Yankees. Hicks WAR with Minnesota was 2.3 and he now is up to a 10.2 career WAR with the Yankees.
  10. Danny Valencia was drafted as a collegiate third baseman in round 19 and played for the Twins from 2010 to 2012 before being traded to Boston. Valencia put up a 0.9 WAR with the Twins. I believe Valencia is not playing in 2019 and has a career WAR of 5.6.

 

Pitchers

Scott Baker – click on image to make it larger.

Scott Baker (collegiate RHP) was a 2nd round pick in 2003 and started for the Twins from 2005-2011 and had a 15.7 WAR. After TJ surgery he pitched for Cubs, Rangers and Dodgers thru 2015 and ended up with a 15.6 career WAR.

Kyle Gibson (collegiate RHP) was a 1st round pick and 22nd overall in 2009 and is currently in the Twins starting rotation (since 2013) with a current career WAR of 9.6.

Glen Perkins (collegiate LHP) was a 1st round compensation pick (22nd overall) in 2004 from the Mariners for signing Eddie Guardado as a FA. Perkins joined the Twins in 2006 and pitched thru 2017. Perkins was a starter in 2008-2009 but ended his career as a closer with a career WAR of 8.7.

Brian Duensing (collegiate LHP) was a 3rd rounder in 2005 and pitched for the Twins from 2009-2015 primarily in relief but he did some spot starting early in his career. Twins WAR was 6.3. Duensing is currently with the Cubs and has a career WAR of 6.2.

Jesse Crain (collegiate RHP) was picked in round 2 in 2002 and pitched in relief for Minnesota from 2004 thru 2010 before moving on to the White Sox where he finished his career in 2013. Twins WAR was 5.4 and career WAR was 11.4.

Jose Berrios (high school RHP) was picked in round 1 and 32nd overall as a compensation pick for the loss of FA Michael Cuddyer in 2012. Berrios is currently in the Twins starting rotation (since 2016) and has a career WAR of 5.2.

Taylor Rogers (collegiate LHP) was picked in round 11 in 2012 and has been a reliever in the Twins bullpen since 2016 and has posted a career WAR of 4.6.

Kevin Slowey (collegiate RHP) was picked in the 2nd round and 73rd overall in 2005 and was used primarily as a starter for Minnesota from 2007-2011 and had a 4.4 WAR. He finished his career with Miami 2013-2014 with a career WAR of 4.7. 

Nick Blackburn (collegiate RHP) wasn’t picked until round 29 (857th overall) in 2001 and spent his entire career with Minnesota from 2007-2012 and put up a 3.1 career WAR.

Pat Neshek (collegiate RHP) was picked by the Twins in round 45 in 1999 but didn’t sign and was again picked by the Twins in 2002 in round 6 and was a Twins relief pitcher from 2006-2010 with a year off in 2009 for TJ surgery and posted a WAR with the Twins of 3.0. Since then Neshek has pitched for six other big league organizations (currently with Philly) and has a career WAR of 10.9.

 

Some observations

Seven of the ten position players on the list were drafted out of high school.

Just one of ten pitchers on the list was drafted and signed out of high school.

Only five of the ten position players on the list are first round picks. 

Three of 10 pitchers are first round picks.

Position players on the list not picked in round 1 were selected in rounds 4, 8, 9, 12, and 19.

Pitchers on the list not selected in round one were picked in rounds 2, 2, 2, 3, 6, 11, and 29.

Seems like the Twins should draft position players out of high school and pitchers out of college.

 

 

Looking at Minnesota Twins drafts this century

With the June Amateur Free Agent draft just a month or so away maybe it is time to look back and see who the Twins have drafted this century that has made an impact on the Minnesota Twins major league team. We all know that very few prospects make it to the big leagues and even fewer are stars, here is how the Twins have fared. Keep this in mind before you get overly excited about the Twins picks in this years drafts.

 

Twins draft choices since 2000

 

2000 draft – 52 drafted, 30 signed and 5 put on a Minnesota Twins uniform

Best Twins player – Jason Kubel (OF) was a 2nd round selection picked out of high school and debuted on August 31, 2004 and had a career WAR of 4.1. RETIRED

Wore a Twins uniform briefly – Josh Rabe (OF), J.D. Durbin (RHP), Adam Johnson RHP was 1st rounder and second pick overall) and Jason Miller (LHP)

2001 draft – 50 drafted, 33 signed, 3 put on a Minnesota Twins uniform and 1 played in big leagues for another team

Joe Mauer

Best Twins players – Joe Mauer (C) a Minnesota native was the number one overall pick out of Cretin High School and he debuted on April 5, 2004 and played with Minnesota throughout his career that ended after the 2018 season. Won an MVP, six time All-Star, five time Silver Slugger, three time Batting Champion and three time Gold Glove winner. Career WAR of 55.0. RETIRED

Best Twins players – Nick Blackburn was a collegiate right-handed pitcher drafted in round 29 and debuted on September 7, 2007. Blackburn pitched his entire career for the Twins from 2007-2012. RETIRED with a 3.1 career WAR.

Wore a Twins uniform briefly –  Jose Morales (drafted as a shortstop but switched to catcher).

Played in big leagues for another team – Kevin Cameron (RHP).

Continue reading Looking at Minnesota Twins drafts this century

Twins minor league players of the week – Jeffers and Schulfer

High A Ft. Myers Miracles catcher Ryan Jeffers and Low A Cedar Rapids Kernels right-handed reliever/starter Austin Schulfer have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Ryan Jeffers

The 6’4″ right-handed hitting Jeffers played in six games for the Miracle, hitting .400 (8-for-20) with two home runs, four RBI, three walks and a .478 on-base percentage. Jeffers, 21, was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and signed for a reported $800,000. Jeffers is having a solid season with Fort Myers hitting .283 with four home runs and 17 RBI in 38 games.

Austin Schulfer

The 6’2″ right-handed Austin Schulfer, who was born in Plover, Wisconsin has been used primarily as a reliever in 2019 but has also sport-started three times in the 11 games in which he has appeared this season. In his last start on May 22 Schulfer pitched five scoreless hitless innings in his longest outing of the season while walking one and striking out seven and was credited with the win. 

Season-to-date Schulfer has a 4-2 record and a 2.41 ERA. Schulfer has pitched 33.2 innings this season and has allowed just 16 hits, walked 21 and struck out 47 and batters are hitting just .139 off Schulfer. Schulfer, 23, was drafted in the 19th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and received a $1K signing bonus.

FSL All-Stars

The Florida State League announced that they are sending a league-leading eight Miracle players to the 2019 ASG on June 15 in Jupiter. Manager Toby Gardenhire will lead the South Division, along with Hitting Coach Matt Borgschulte, Pitching Coach Luis Ramirez, Athletic Trainer Ben Myers, and Strength & Conditioning Coach Chuck Bradway. Miracles players named are IF Royce Lewis, OF Trevor Larnach, C Ryan Jeffers, 1B Lewin Diaz, LHP Bryan Sammons, RHP Alex Phillips, RHP Johan Quezada and RHP Tom Hackimer.

 

Twins Minor League Report, 5-26-19

What will it take to get Minnesota Twins fans to believe in this team

Before the 2019 season began for the Minnesota Twins pretty much everyone agreed that the Twins fate this season hinged on how well Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano performed. Both were coming off a 2018 season in which they underperformed and/or were injured or both. 

Buxton played in just 28 games hitting .156 for Minnesota and finished the 2018 season in AAA and didn’t even get called up in September, he was miffed to say the least. Sano didn’t do much better appearing in just 71 games and hit .199 with 13 home runs, a career low for him. He played so poorly he was sent all the way back to High A ball in Fort Myers to lose weight and regain his batting form.

The Twins signed free agent Martin Perez on January 30th and expected him to fight for a starting spot. Twins fans were not happy with the signing since the soon to be 28-year old lefty was 2-7 with a 6.22 ERA in 15 starts for the Rangers in 2018. Twins fans wanted the front office to sign a legitimate Ace starting pitcher and some bullpen help and when that did not happen, fans were upset and just didn’t buy tickets for the 2019 season.

Continue reading What will it take to get Minnesota Twins fans to believe in this team

Twins minor league players of the week – Diaz and Cabezas

High A Ft. Myers Miracle first baseman Lewin Diaz and Low A Cedar Rapids Kernels right-handed pitcher Andrew Cabezas have been named Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Ft. Myers Miracle Lewin Diaz (11) bats in the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Palm Beach Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., Sunday, May 5, 2019. (Gordon Donovan)

Diaz played in six games for the Miracle, hitting .333 (9-for-27) with one double, three home runs, six RBI and a 1.037 OPS. Diaz, 22, was signed out of Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic in July of 2013 for reported $1.4 million.  Actually all three of his home runs this week came in one game when he became the first Miracle player to ever hit three home runs in a single game. Diaz played in 79 games for the Miracle in 2018 hitting six home runs with a batting average of  just .224 along with an OPS of .598. In his second go around this year, he has appeared in 32 games hitting six home runs while putting up an average of .322 and an .881 OPS. I saw him this past January doing extra work at the ballpark long before spring training started. The man can hit the ball a long way and his first base play is coming along very nicely. 

Cabezas made the start on Wednesday versus Quad Cities, pitching 7 shutout innings with one hit allowed, no walks and nine strikeouts. Cabezas Collars Bandits in Combined Shutout . Cabezas, 22, was drafted by the Twins in the 18th round of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Miami and signed for a reported $90,000 according to Twins Daily.

 

Twins Minor League Report, 5-19-19

Did you know?

“Leader of the Pack” Eddie Rosario hits one out with credit to Michael Layton/Getty Images

With four more home runs yesterday, the 2019 Minnesota Twins have homered in 11 straight games, their longest streak of the season. It marks their longest stretch since homering in 16 straight games twice in 2017 and again in 1979. The Twins have hit 76 home runs, third most in baseball, trailing Seattle and Houston, both with 83. What I find interesting too is that only one AL team (Angels) have struck out fewer times than the Twins.

Twins minor league players of the week – Larnach and Balazovic

High A Fort Myers Miracle outfielder Trevor Larnach and High A Fort Myers Miracle right-handed pitcher Jordan Balazovic have been named as the Twins minor league Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Trevor Larnach (click on image to make larger)

In six games for the Miracle, Larnach hit .440 (11-for-25) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI, seven runs scored, three walks and a 1.260 OPS. Larnach, 22, was drafted by the Twins in the first round (20th overall) in the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Oregon State University and signed for a $2.55 million signing bonus. Larnach in his second season of pro ball is entering the 2019 season as the fifth best prospect in the Twins system by Baseball America.

Jordan Balazovic (click on image to make larger)

 

The Canadian born Balazovic made his FSL debut in start on Sunday at Palm Beach, pitching 7.0 no-hit innings with no walks and 10 strikeouts. Balazovic, 20, was drafted by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2016 First-Year Player Draft out of  St. Martin Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario and signed for a reported $515,000 signing bonus. The 6’4″ right-hander has been used as a starter since he began pro ball and is rated as the Twins 19th best prospect.

 

Miracle’s Balazovic perfect in FSL debut

Twins Minor League Report, 5-12-19

Twins $5 Ticket Idea Proves To Be a Winner

I have gotten on the Minnesota Twins case over the years for their high ticket prices but the flash sale $5 ticket plan announced by the ballclub on May 7 that all upper deck (Home Run Porch and Grandstand) tickets for remaining Twins games in May would be sold for $5 with no processing fees is a winner. The Twins reported that approximately 20,000 tickets were available and they sold out in under 24 hours.

The next day the Twins announced another flash sale for $5 ballpark access only tickets again with no processing fees for the remaining May home games. With these tickets you get in the ballpark but have no seat.

Continue reading Twins $5 Ticket Idea Proves To Be a Winner

Did you Know?

NOTES FROM REMARKABLE, FROM INSIDE EDGE:

Kyle Gibson
Jonathan Schoop
Byron Buxton

 

 

 

 

 

(Click on images to make them larger)

The Twins have used a defensive shift 245 times in 426 plate appearances (57.5% shift rate) vs right-handed batters this season — highest in MLB; League Avg: 22.5%.

Kyle Gibson has induced opposing right-handed batters to ground into 21 double plays in 83 opportunities (25.3%) since the start of last season — best among qualified SPs in MLB; League Avg: 12.1%.

Kyle Gibson has walked 3 of 75 left-handed batters (4.0%) this season — 4th best among qualified SPs in MLB; League Avg: 9.0%.

Kyle Gibson has recorded 10 of his 15 strikeouts (66.7%) vs right-handed batters with his slider this season — 7th highest in MLB among starting pitchers with at least 16.0 IP; League Avg: 26.2%.

Jonathan Schoop has not drawn a walk in his last 72 PA’s against a RHP dating back to April 13th — Manuel Margot has the longest active streak at 97.

Byron Buxton has 16 Extra-Base hits out of 22 total hits (72.7%) against RHP this season — best in MLB; League Avg: 39.0%

Source: Twins GameNotes 05/08/19.