We have one player making their big league debut in a Twins uni on July the 1st
Glenn Borgmann (C) – July 1, 1972 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (9th pick) of the 1971 amateur draft (June Secondary)
Tag: Lester Oliveros
The Twins trials and tribulations with finding starting pitching
The Minnesota Twins have a long history of problems developing starting pitching. Using 100 starts as a barometer, since 1961 the Twins have signed and developed just 11 pitchers in their system that have gone on to get 100 or more starts in a Twins uniform. The only first round pick in the bunch is Pete Redfern, three round tw0 picks, two round three picks, one fourth round pick, one fifth round pick, Brad Radke was an eighth round pick, one 29th round pick and an amateur free agent (Dave Boswell).
Since the June amateur free agent draft started in 1965 the Twins have drafted 31 pitchers in round 1 or as round 1 supplementary/compensation picks. Actually part of the Twins issues with starting pitching relates to spending money or the lack there of. The first two right-handed pitchers drafted by the Twins in round 1 were Dick Ruthven in 1972 and Tim Belcher (first overall pick) in 1983 who both refused to sign with Minnesota and went on to have long careers in MLB. The first left-handed pitcher drafted in round 1 to start any games was Eddie Bane and his Twins career lasted 25 starts. As I mentioned earlier, the draft started in 1965 but the Twins only drafted starting pitching in round 1 twice (Ruthven in 1972 and Bane in 1973) between 1965-1981. The first RHP that they drafted in round 1 that actually started a number of games (45 in Twins career) was Willie Banks who the team drafted in 1987. Since 2000 they have drafted a pitcher in round 1 a total of 17 times.
Starting pitching signed and developed by the Twins since 1961
| Rk | Player | GS | From | To | Age | G | W | L | IP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Brad Radke | 377 | 1995 | 2006 | 22-33 | 378 | 148 | 139 | 2451.0 | 4.22 |
| 2. | Bert Blyleven | 345 | 1970 | 1988 | 19-37 | 348 | 149 | 138 | 2566.2 | 3.28 |
| 3. | Frank Viola | 259 | 1982 | 1989 | 22-29 | 260 | 112 | 93 | 1772.2 | 3.86 |
| 4. | Dave Goltz | 215 | 1972 | 1979 | 23-30 | 247 | 96 | 79 | 1638.0 | 3.48 |
| 5. | Scott Baker | 159 | 2005 | 2011 | 23-29 | 163 | 63 | 48 | 958.0 | 4.15 |
| 6. | Scott Erickson | 153 | 1990 | 1995 | 22-27 | 155 | 61 | 60 | 979.1 | 4.22 |
| 7. | Dave Boswell | 150 | 1964 | 1970 | 19-25 | 187 | 67 | 54 | 1036.1 | 3.49 |
| 8. | Nick Blackburn | 137 | 2007 | 2012 | 25-30 | 145 | 43 | 55 | 818.2 | 4.85 |
| 9. | Allan Anderson | 128 | 1986 | 1991 | 22-27 | 148 | 49 | 54 | 818.2 | 4.11 |
| 10. | Pete Redfern | 111 | 1976 | 1982 | 21-27 | 170 | 42 | 48 | 714.0 | 4.54 |
| 11. | Roger Erickson | 106 | 1978 | 1982 | 21-25 | 114 | 31 | 47 | 712.0 | 4.10 |
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If you can’t find, sign, and develop your starting pitching, you only have a few options at your disposal, you could make a trade, you can sign a free agent, or you can find one on the waiver wire (ha, ha, ha).
The option I want to write about here is the Twins attempts to trade for starting pitching since the turn of the century, a total of 17 years. Trading for starters hasn’t exactly gone as planned either.
Twins Organization All-Stars
This offseason, MiLB.com is honoring players — regardless of age or prospect status — who had the best season in their organization. Today, they covered the Minnesota Twins.
The Twins ranked sixth in baseball — and fourth in the American League — with a combined .536 winning percentage across its Minor League affiliates. You can read the article by going here. If you follow young players in the Twins system you might want to check this out.
Help is on the way, or is it?
The Twins plan to add eight players to the roster now that the Rochester Red Wings season has ended. The team plans to recall LHP Logan Darnell, RHP Michael Tonkin, C Josmil Pinto, C/OF Chris Herrmann and OF Aaron Hicks. Additionally the Twins will select the contracts of RHP Lester Oliveros, RHP A.J. Achter and INF Doug Bernier.
Also joining the Twins will be Triple-A hitting coach Tim Doherty from September 2-14 while Red Wings Manager Gene Glynn will be with the Twins from September 15-28.
Not much to get excited about here, just think how different things could have been had Byron Buxton. Miguel Sano, and Alex Meyer not been injured this year. Then again maybe we would not have seen Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas step up in the way they have so far this year. It will be interesting to see if Hicks has improved, he did well in New Britain and in Rochester for a while before he cooled off. When Rochester was making a push for a wild-card spot late in the season Hicks was not always a regular in that line-up.
Twins sign Rich Harden to minor league deal
The Twins announced that they have signed right-hander Rich Harden to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. The 31-year old Canadian native missed all of 2012 with a right shoulder strain and had rotor cuff surgery on January 31, 2012.
Harden was originally drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 17th round in the 2000 amateur draft and made his big league debut in 2003 as a 21-year old. Harden pitched a career high 189.2 innings in 2004 and has never pitched more than 148 innings an any season since. Harden throws a fastball, splitter, slider, and a change-up and has a 9.2 SO/9 career mark but staying healthy has proven to be Harden’s undoing. Harden pitched for Oakland from 2003 to 2008 before being traded to the Chicago Cubs where he pitched through the 2009 season. Harden signed a FA deal with the Rangers in 2010 but only appeared in 20 games going 5-5 with a 5.58 ERA. Rejoining the A’s in 2011, Harden went 4-4 in 15 games with a 5.12 ERA.
Harden is only 31 but he has been in the big leagues since 2003 and has a 3.76 career ERA in 928.1 innings to go with a 59-38 record. Harden along with a cast of thousands will try to make the Twins 2013 pitching staff but when a team is desperate enough to sign Harden with his medical history, you know that desperate times are at hand. To add to that desperation the Twins announced that their best pitcher in 2012, Scott Diamond has undergone clean-up elbow surgery on his pitching elbow this past Tuesday to take care of some bone chips. The ballclub states that Diamond will be ready for spring training but why would Diamond wait this long to have surgery? I can’t help but think this was another Twins cover-up so that other teams and free agents did not get a whiff of the Twins desperate pitching needs.
The Twins have also announced their list of non-roster invites to spring training and the list is long: Pitchers Nick Blackburn, Deolis Guerra, Alex Meyer, Lester Oliveros, Bryan Augenstein, and Anthony Slama; outfielders Brandon Boggs and Clete Thomas; infielders Jeff Clement, Chris Colabello, Ray Olmedo and Mark Sobolewski; and catchers Kyle Knudson, Danny Lehmann and Dan Rohlfing.
It has been reported that former Twins lefty Francisco Liriano is signing a two-year $13 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Good luck to the Pirates and Francisco Liriano.
Twins to sign another starter – Mike Pelfrey
CBSSports.com is reporting that the Twins have agreed to sign 29-year-old RHP Mike Pelfrey to a one year deal for $4 million and another $1.5 million in possible incentives. The former Mets first round pick (ninth overall) in 2005 has pitched for the Mets since 2006 and has a 50-54 record with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 149 big league starts. Pelfrey only had 3 starts in 2012 before under-going season ending TJ surgery. Prior to last season the 6’7″ Pelfrey had thrown between 184 and 204 innings from 2008-2011 but on the down side Pelfrey has always given up more hits than he has innings pitched. Sources indicate that Pelfrey throws a four-seam fastball between 92-95, a two seamer between 88-92, an 82-85 splitter, a slider between 83-87 and a 74-80 MPH curveball but then again that was before the TJ surgery so who knows what Pelfrey will show us now. History seems to show that Pelfrey has pitched well in even-numbered years but guess what, next year is 2013.
In current times $4 million for a starter is a drop in the bucket and with the Twins pitching staff in shambles I would like to say that this is nice sign but I just can’t bring myself to believe that. I have never been a Pelfrey fan and I can’t see why if GM Terry Ryan didn’t want to pay Scott Baker who was coming off TJ surgery why he would be willing to take a chance on Mike Pelfrey. Then again, Ryan is the Twins GM and I am just a fan so I will wait and see what happens but I am still one of the few that thinks that the recent Kevin Correia signing is a better deal.
No team seems to value quantity as much as the Twins do and they have been busy signing players this off-season but when I look at the list, I can’t help but think, why?
Clete Thomas – OF Kevin Correia – RHP Reynaldo Rodriguez – 1B Brandon Boggs – OF Bryan Augenstein – RHP Ray Olmedo – 3B Virgil Vasquez – RHP Michael O’Connor – LHP Scott Elarton – RHP Lester Oliveros – RHP Jason Lane – LHP Jeff Clement – 1B P.J. Walters- RHP Samuel Deduno – RHP Tom Boleska – RHP Tim Wood – RHP Jason Christian – 3B Eric Fryer – C James Beresford – 2B Josh Roenicke – RHP Tommy Field – SS (then lost on waivers)It is difficult for me to have hope for the immediate future of this team when they continue to sign players like this. With the ownership this team has and a brand new stadium at Target Field it is hard for me to understand why they continue to act like they have no money to spend. Last year they signed Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit as free agents and at least gave us something to look forward to but so far this year that has not been the case. Then again, it is still mid December.
Color Delmon Young gone
The Twins payroll reduction began yesterday when the Twins finally gave up on Delmon Young whom they had acquired from Tampa in 2007 for pitcher Matt Garza and shortstop Jason Bartlett and sent him packing to the first place Detroit Tigers of all places. The Twins acquired High-A ball pitcher Cole Nelson, a Minnesota native and a player to be named later who was announced today as minor league reliever Lester Oliveros.
Cole Nelson is a 22 year lefty and stands 6’ 7” and goes about 235. The Twins like their pitchers big and Nelson fits the mold. Nelson played baseball at Edina High School and went on to play for Des Moines Community College before moving on to Auburn. Nelson was drafted in the 10th round in 2010 by the Tigers and started his pro career in rookie ball in 2010.
Lester Oliveros was signed by the Tigers as an amateur free agent in 2005 and has been working his way up the Tigers minor league system since 2006. The 6’ 225 pound Venezuelan right-handed Oliveros has been used exclusively as a relief pitcher since 2006 and he has struck out 317 batters in 254+ innings and has a 3.22 ERA. On the down side, Oliveros averages 4 walks per 9 innings.
It would be easy to say that GM Smith should have traded Young after last season when he hit 21 home runs and knocked in 112 runs but it did not happen so now we have to hope that one or both of these prospect pitchers come through. I think that the Twins have a bad habit of holding on to players and prospects too long and then getting nothing for them when they have a bad season or do not live up to their potential. I would rather see the Twins trade a player a year or two too early verses holding on to them too long and walking away empty-handed.