Category: General Blogging

This is a general blogging category.

Checking on those pitchers and catchers

Today was my first opportunity to observe all those pitchers and catchers since they started official workouts yesterday and I will tell you, there are a lot of guys out there fighting for a few open slots. Lots of pitchers were getting there throwing in and Joe Mauer was among the catchers on the receiving end. Nice to see Joe getting after it this early in camp, something he has not done for several years. There are so many pitchers out there that the Twins were even using Hammond Field as a workout area which is not something they do very often. It was nice to see Eddie Guardado out there as a spring training instructor. It was pretty much the normal stuff this morning with pitchers fielding practice taking place on several fields and some infield practice going on for some of the early reporting position players. Heck, even Tsuyoshi Nishioka was out there taking ground balls but he wasn’t getting the special attention he received from Gardy and TK last year. Last year there were so much Japanese press coverage they out numbered the Twins players, but this year, not hardly any at all.

TK giving instruction at 1B to Max Kepler (in red) and another player that I have not identified.

I wandered over to the minor league fields where coaches Steve Liddle, Scott Ullger, Tommy Watkins, and Tom Kelly were doing some infield work with Jairo Perez, Nick Lockwood, Max Kepler, Steven Liddle and a couple of others. It was interesting to watch as TK gave some of the finer points of playing 1B to a young Max Kepler who is an outfielder by trade but has been learning to play 1B too. The Twins value flexibility and the more positions you can play, the better chance you have to move up in the Twins organization.

One of the things I noticed now that spring training is officially underway is that the barricades are a few feet further away from some of the practice fields than  they have been in past years. The rosters that the Twins used to give away to the fans to track the players are now $1, but that money goes to the Twins Community Fund. Although I have not seen anything official as yet, the rumor has it that parking will now be $10 versus $5 for all Twins spring training games. Wow! with the price of gas shooting up, that is all we Twins fans need now is to pay double for parking from last year.

I have always liked and respected former Twin pitcher Jim Kaat and I follow his blog called Kaat’s Korner and I was both surprised and a bit disappointed that he said that he would be helping out his buddy and neighbor, Boston pitching coach Bob McClure of the Boston Red Sox at their spring training camp this year. I am not disappointed he is helping his friend, I am disappointed that it is those dang Red Sox he is helping when he could be lending a helping hand to his old team the Minnesota Twins. Come on over Jim, we could use your help.

I took some new pictures today that you can view by checking out my 2012 spring training pictures on the right side of the page.

What are these guys up to?

 

Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Ryo Shinkawa pound on the door to get in,

Another beautiful day in Fort Myers, Florida, it was 73 when I got up this morning and it was a sunny albeit muggy 81 degrees when I left the ballpark to go home to hit the swimming pool. No day is complete without me making some comment about the Twins star import from Japan. In the picture above you see Tsuyoshi Nishioka and his interpreter Ryo Shinkawa trying to get back into the Twins minor league complex workout facility after a half hour or so of easy jogging on one of the practice fields. As is normal, it was just Nishioka, Shinkawa and his personal trainer. Nishioka continues to work out on his own most of the time, you just never see him with his teammates until spring training officially begins. Star Tribune reporter extraordinaire La Velle E. Neal III had a quick interview with Nishioka and we asked La Velle what Nishioka had to say, La Velle laughed and said that Nishioka told him “that he doesn’t see himself in a utility role”. That is funny, I don’t either and maybe that is why no one is answering the door when Nishioka and Shinkawa pound on the door to be let in. Maybe the Twins are hoping he just goes away. Last year Nishioka was driving a big black Escalade SUV, this year he is driving a shiny white Porsche that you can see in the pictures that I took today along with the rest of my 2012 spring training pictures.

I didn’t see any pitchers doing any throwing today, maybe they are all saving themselves for this week-end when they need to officially report for training camp. The number of players working out continues to grow every day but I still see no sign of Justin Morneau who in past years (not in 2011) was always an early arrival in Fort Myers. I also have not seen Jamey Carroll, Danny Valencia, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Ben Revere, Carl Pavano or Gardy for that matter. I am sure we will see the many of them on Monday.

One guy I really like is catcher JR Towles. The man is working his butt off out there very day, you never see him standing around chatting, he is always doing something. The last couple of times I have been out here I have seen him fielding grounders at 1B, 3B and shagging flys in the outfield. I really hope that the Twins give this guy a legit shot to make this Twins team as a back-up catcher.

Let’s see what else happened today? Oh, I had a foul ball hit to me, actually it rolled up to where I was standing. The ball was stamped “official minor league baseball” and I had no use for it so I gave it to a youngster that really enjoyed getting a baseball. The ball put a smile on his face and that little boys smile made my day. I sure hope that stamp on the ball that said “official minor league baseball” is not a sign of things to come for the Minnesota Twins this year. And so another day at the ballpark is in the books.

A third trip to the ballpark

I took my third trip out to Hammond Stadium today and was greeted by the continuing resurfacing work being done there. I sure don’t know why the Minnesota Twins or the city of Fort Myers would be resurfacing the roads and the parking lots at the complex when spring training is starting and people are starting to show up and park their cars. Why didn’t they do this earlier? They also seem to be digging up some of the grassy areas around some of the practice fields and putting in some “large decorator rock”, I am sure they have a plan but …..

One of the first people I saw today was Star Tribune reporter La Velle E. Neal III going about his business and interacting with some of the players. I saw Liam Hendriks and Hudson Boyd do some throwing. After they left, Scott Baker showed up to throw a bit and brought his catcher along and it turned out to be Joe Mauer. That shocked me as in all the previous times I have ever attended spring training over the years, I have never seen Joe Mauer catching a pitcher before spring training starts. Heck, it is rare any time Mauer catches during ST, usually the team leaves that boring tedious task to the minor league catchers. Never the less Joe was out there today and he looked comfortable and actually seemed to enjoy himself.

I saw Tsuyoshi Nishioka and his interpreter one of the other fields getting in a little running and then calling it a day. The same crap as last year as far as I am concerned, Nishioka hardly ever joins the rest of the players until spring training officially starts and he has no choice. What kind of message does that send? The man will be lucky to make the team, it seems to me he could use an attitude adjustment.

catcher JR Towles

I had a chance to talk with catcher JR Towles a bit today and you could not ask for friendlier guy. Born in Crosby, Texas, the 28 year-old Towles has never achieved the stardom that many predicted for him at Houston because his hitting has held him back in the back leagues but Towles did hit .295 in the minors. Towles is a good handler of pitchers and I really think he has a shot to take that 3rd catcher position with the Twins, it just depends on what he can show Twins brass during spring training.

I also spent a few minutes talking with Reggie Williams and he was very friendly and out-going as well. It sure is fun to get a chance to meet and talk with some of these young Twins on their way up. Later I met Luke Hughes and he was kind enough to pose for a picture. We got to talking about Australian baseball which interests me since I had a chance last year to interview former Twins 3B Glenn Williams who managed the Sydney Blue Sox last season. Hughes feels that the shoulder he hurt in Australia a week or so ago is coming along fine and he hopes to be able to play once spring training game action begins.

Around 11:30 or so Joe Mauer emerged from the minor league clubhouse and was asked for his autograph by 4 or 5 fans. It turns out that several of these autograph hounds were “regulars” that ask for his autograph every day on several items. Joe lectured them on the fact that he is not going to be signing multiple items for them day in and day out but I am not sure a lot of what Joe told them sunk in. I can understand ballplayer frustrations when the same collectors are there day after day and you know they are selling what ever they get signed.

I did take a few more pictures that I again posted in my 2012 spring training picture file that you can find on the right side of this page. There are numerous other players here working out each day that I do not recognize. More and more players on the practice fields each day and I am amazed at how many minor league players there are working out on their own this early at their own expense before their spring training begins.

Another trip to Hammond Stadium

I took another trip out to the Twins spring training home this morning, It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in the high 70’s. When I arrived at the Twins minor league complex and prepared to park my car I noticed that the gate was locked with a padlock but yet I could still see some players wandering around the fields. One of the fans told me that the asphalt parking area was going to be sealcoated today so the team was trying to keep the area free of vehicles and fans.

19 year old Max Kepler

Still not a lot of players around, I was lucky enough to get a couple of pictures of the German born Max Kepler and talk to him for a few minutes. He seems like a very nice kid and we even have something in common, we were both born in Germany. I didn’t know it until I started writing this post, but today is Max’s 19th birthday, I missed my opportunity to wish him a Happy Birthday. Ge’ez, 19 years old, what was I doing on my 19th birthday? Oh yes, I remember now, I was in the Navy on board the USS Shangri-La (CVA-38) in the ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) room over in the Mediterranean on one of my two Med cruises. But that is a whole different story. I introduced myself to former Reds pitchers Matt Maloney and Jared Burton and they were nice enough to pose for a picture on their way out to the practice field. I saw former GM Bill Smith leaving the Twins minor league offices and head out for his car. Not much else was going on today so I left after about 90 minutes. It is fun out there when there are only about a half-dozen fans out there. I did get a couple of pictures that I posted with the rest of my 2012 spring training photo’s that you can find in the right hand column of my home page.

Twins claim outfielder Darin Mastroianni

 

Darin Mastroianni

The Twins announced today that they have claimed outfielder Darin Mastroianni off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays who had to make roster space for recent free agent signee pitcher Francisco Cordero. The 26 year right-handed batter and thrower is 5′ 11” and 190 and was the Blue Jays 16th round pick in 2007. The fleet-footed Mastroianni has played all three outfield positions but is primarily a center fielder.  Mastroianni has worked his way up through the Blue Jays minor league system and made his major league debut this past August going 0 for 2 and to date that remains his only big league experience.

In a little over 2,000 minor league at bats Mastroianni has hit .279 with a .370 OBP to go along with his 200 stolen bases, getting caught just 46 times. Originally a 2B, Mastroianni became a full-time outfielder in 2009 and Baseball America rated him as having the best strike-zone judgment in the Florida State League. The Twins will have to make a roster move to find room on the 40 man roster for their newest acquisition.

UPDATE – The Twins have designated pitcher Esmerling Vasquez for assignment.

MLB Fan Cave voting is under way

The MLB Fan Cave 2012 contest has been narrowed down to 50 finalists. From now until Feb. 22, you can vote for as many of your favorite videos as you want and spread the word by sharing on social media.

How about taking a minute and voting for Lindsay Guentzel of Minneapolis. Come on now, let’s get a Minnesota Twins fan in that MLB Fan Cave!

 Vote here

 

Trip to Hammond Stadium a washout today

I took my first trip of the year out to Hammond Stadium today to see what might be going on out there. The temperature was in the low 70’s, the sky was overcast, and the threat of rain hung in the air as I arrived at the ballpark about 10:15 AM. I didn’t waste my time stopping at the Twins main workout fields but instead drove straight back to the minor league fields and parked my car. A short walk by the clubhouse and minor league fields told me that not much was happening. There were 4 other fans there when I arrived and the only player I saw working out turned out to be Fort Myers native minor league RHP Hudson Boyd. Boyd was a Twins 1st round supplemental pick, 55th overall in 2011. I had no idea who he was and introduced myself and we chatted briefly before he headed into the clubhouse. A little while later Steve Liddle came out and we exchanged pleasantries he was oon followed out by Scott Diamond, Kyle Waldrop and I believe the other player was Jeff Manship. There was a couple of other Twins minor leaguers that were also there that I did not recognize. Without uniforms this early in the spring it is often hard to know who is who, at least it is for me. I was told that Liam Hendricks was also there but I did not recognize him. I saw pitching coach Rick Anderson stop by the minor league complex but he only stayed for about 30 minutes and he left. Wayne “Big Fella” Hattaway was around and helping out where he could. About 45 minutes after I arrived the clouds darkened and a slow drizzle started and the few players that were out running were headed for the clubhouse. Not 5 minutes later, the clouds opened up and it poured down for a good 15 minutes, so I took advantage of a break in the “Florida shower” and headed for the car. That was it for today, all I saw was some conditioning and there was not even a bat, bat, or glove to be seen today. We will see what I find the next time I stop out there in a day or two. Now days, every passing day will bring more and more Twins and future Twins to the ballpark. I did manage to get a few pictures and you can see them on the right hand side of my home page along with spring training pictures from previous years.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka – where are you?

Will Nishioka be smiling in a Twins uniform in 2012? (Courtesy of MinnPost)

Leading into the 2011 season the Twins big news was the signing of Japanese star shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The man was going to solidify the infield and lead the Twins to the promised land of getting past round one of the playoffs. When I showed up in Fort Myers before spring training started all I heard from everyone I met was “have you seen Nishioka”?

When the smoke cleared, the Twins and Nishioka decided that 2B was really the position that Nishioka felt the most comfortable playing. Unfortunately for the Twins and Nishioka, a take-out slide by Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher at Yankee Stadium broke Nishioka’s fibula on April 7th in Nishioka’s sixth Twins game and Nishioka would not return again until June 16. Nishioka ended up playing shortstop when he returned but he looked like a fish out water, he just did not look like nor play like a big league shortstop. When the Twins season finally came to merciful end, Nishioka had played in 66 games and he hit .226, had a .278 OBP, stole 2 out of 6 bases and committed 10 errors. This was hardly what the Twins expected for $3 million a season. Then again, when you play for a team that wins just 63 games, there is plenty of bad play from everyone.

But now a year has gone by and you have to wonder what the future holds for Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The Twins have acquired Jamey Carroll to be their everyday shortstop and Alexi Casilla is penciled in as the starting 2B. Twins management hardly ever mentions Nishioka and it is almost like the man does not even exist or that they hope he just disappears. The Twins will be paying Nishioka $3 million in 2012 and again in 2013 and then there is the 2014 option for $250K. The Twins do not pay that kind of money for a Rochester Red Wing.

I think you have to give Nishioka a mulligan for 2011 because he can not possibly be as bad a player as he showed us last year. The man was a star in Japan and I know that major league ball is something totally different, but still, he was a very good player in Japan. He had to have shown something to the Twins scouts and management to have gotten the deal he did.

What do I think will happen? I think Nishioka will start 2012 as a Twins bench player but when Carroll proves to the Twins why he has always been a utility player by the middle of May, Nishioka will start to see some playing time and maybe then we will find out once and for all if the man can play in the big leagues or if the Twins simply were snookered. If Nishioka turns out to be a dud, this signing should go down in Twins lore as the worst acquisition in Twins history and over the years they have made some bad ones.

I think Nishioka is a player worth watching as spring training unfolds. Will Nishioka be handled with kid gloves like he was last year or will Gardy and TK get after Nishioka when he makes a bad play? How much games will Nishioka play here in Fort Myers? Will he be off by himself and his interpreter like he was frequently last year or will he try to be part of the team? Yep, I think it will be an interesting spring training for Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

Camilo Pascual elected to Twins Hall of Fame

The Minnesota Twins announced yesterday that former pitcher and five-time All-Star Camilo Pascual has been elected to the club’s Hall of Fame. Pascual will become the 24th member of the Twins Hall of Fame when he is inducted during a special on field pre-game ceremony July 14, when the Twins host the Oakland Athletics at Target Field.

Pascual, one of the “Twins 50 Greatest Players” made his major league debut on April 15, 1954 as a Washington Senator with 3 innings of scoreless relief at Fenway Park in a 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Pascual went on to pitch in 529 big league games over 18 seasons and posted a 174-170 won/lost record while pitching for the Washington Senators from 1954-1960, The Minnesota Twins from 1961-1966, the Washington Senators from 1967-1969, the Cincinnati Reds in 1969, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970 and the Cleveland Indians in 1971.

1955 Topps card

Camilo was the first ever Twins All-Star in 1961 and has appeared in more All-Star games than any pitcher in franchise history since 1950, playing in five of six games from 1959-64 and in four straight from 1959-61. He went 145-141 with a 3.66 ERA during his time with the Twins and Senators, ranking second on the franchise All-Time list in shutouts (31), third in strikeouts (1,885), fourth in innings pitched (2,465.0) and fifth in wins (145) and starts (331). He went 88-57 with a 3.31 ERA in six seasons in a Twins uniform from 1961-66, ranking third in shutouts (18), seventh in strikeouts (994), and eighth in wins (88), innings pitched (1284.2) and starts (179). He was the Twins first ever 20-game winner, recording 20 victories in 1962 and 21 in 1963, while leading the American League in complete games, shutouts and strikeouts in nearly every season from 1959-63.

Camilo Pascual is the younger brother of former major league pitcher Carlos Pascual, whose nickname of “Potato” earned Camilo the nickname of “Little Potato”. The “Little Potato” was a workhorse pitcher for the Washington/Minnesota pitching staffs and he possessed good control with an excellent fastball but it was his outstanding curveball that was his signature pitch. Ted Williams was quoted as saying that it was easily the best curveball in baseball at the time. Although Pascual was a workhorse, stories have been told that Camilo enjoyed taking an annual “mini vacation” via the DL each season. Pascual also served as the Minnesota Twins pitching coach from 1978-1980. Pascual has lived in Miami since 1960 and since 1989 he has worked as international scout for the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, for whom he currently scouts Venezuela. Among the major leaguers Pascual has signed are Jose Canseco, Alex Cora, Omar Daal, Miguel Cairo, and Franklin Gutierrez.

Pascual is one of only five players to have played against the Athletics in Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland. Harmon Killebrew is another member of that select group. Camilo is also one of only seven players to play for both the original and expansion Washington Senators teams. The others were Don Mincher, Pedro Ramos, Johnny Schaive, Roy Sievers, Zoilo Versalles, and Hal Woodeshick.

The Havana-native ranks 55th on baseball’s All-Time wins list and is a member of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame and Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, ranking second to only Luis Tiant in strikeouts among Cuban born major leaguers. In addition to being selected as a member of the Twins 50 Greatest Players in 2010, Camilo was also selected to the Twins 25th anniversary team in 1986 and the 40th anniversary team in 2000. At 74, Pascual, one of the original Minnesota Twins becomes the oldest living member of the Twins Hall of Fame. The Twins Hall of Fame membership is permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame Gallery on the Target Field Suite Level as well as on Target Plaza.

This selection of Pascual to the Twins Hall of Fame is well deserved and it should have taken place a long time ago. We at Twins Trivia would like to add our congratulations to Camilo on this great honor. Good things come to those who wait but Camilo should not have had to wait this long. You can check out the entire Twins Hall of Fame here.

I grew up listening to WCCO as they broadcast Minnesota Twins games and Camilo Pascual was always one of my favorite players because you knew when Camilo pitched that the Twins had a good chance of winning the game. Back then I could not attend many games in person and hardly any games were on TV so the radio was the place to be if you followed baseball and the Minnesota Twins.