Rookie Samuel Deduno earned the win for the Twins Saturday night by throwing seven innings and allowing only two hits. That performance came one game after fellow Twins rookie Scott Diamond earned a win by throwing nine innings and allowing only three hits. The last time a major-league team had rookies throw back-to-back games in which they both pitched at least seven innings and allowed no more than three hits was the Pirates in July 2000 (Jimmy Anderson and Bronson Arroyo). The last American League team to do it was the Rangers in a doubleheader on July 26, 1973 (Jim Bibby and David Clyde).
Tag: Scott Diamond
It is still baseball season, isn’t it?
This morning I pick up the Star and Tribune and the front page headline is “Wild lands biggest catch”. There is no mention of the Minnesota Twins in the Sports section until page C4 and that is a short blurb titled “Gardy, Mauer join recruiting process” that talks about how they helped to recruit hockey free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to the Minnesota Wild. The Twins game story from last nights 5-1 loss to the Tigers is on the LAST page of the Sports section, page C8. Today is July 5th, the MLB All-Star game is less than a week away and the Tribune puts baseball on pages 7 and 8, that is just plain disgusting. I know that signing Parise and Suter is a big deal but this is just ridiculous. At this rate when the Vikings open their pre-season camp I might not even be able to read anything about the Twins for the rest of the year. With the Wild, Vikings, and even the Timberwolves improving their teams, interest in Twins baseball may be dropping quickly. The Twins need to do something to right the ship that is taking on water and fighting to stay afloat.
Before the 2012 season started I thought that if the Twins stayed fairly healthy that they would finish the 2012 season at 78-84 but now with the team at the half way point in the season their record stands at a disappointing 35-46 and on pace to finish at 70-92, just seven games better than last years injury plagued season 99 loss season. The sad part is that there is not a lot of reason to be optimistic in the short-term with the Twins starting pitching in such wretched shape. I know that Scott Diamond has pitched well Francisco Liriano has pitched decently the last few games but we all know that Liriano will be traded before the month is out and rightfully so. The rest of the starting staff is in shambles and I don’t see Walters or DeVries as part of the solution long-term. Scott Baker is out for the season and I like Baker but I don’t think I would throw $9 million in his direction but if I could sign him for less than that, I make it happen. The bullpen has for the most part pitched well but how long can they continue to do so if they have to throw as many innings as they have so far?
The Twins have several directions they can go, they can force feed some of their young pitchers but that would be a big gamble and could take some time and Twins season ticket-holders numbers will drop like a rock. If Twins fans quit paying to watch their home town boys then the revenue drops and we all know what that means. Ownership could go out on the free agent market and find some starters but that will take big bucks and that has not been the road that the Twins have ever traveled. It might however; be a road that ownership is forced to take if they still want fans to be willing to spend part of their hard-earned dollars on a Twins ticket. Minnesota fans will always pay to watch the Vikings and if the Wild and Timberwolves get hot the Twins will be in deep do-do. Any marketing or sales person worth his salt will tell you that it is always better and less expensive to retain a customer than it is to find a new customer. I always have been and always will be a Twins fan but there are a lot of “fair weather” fans that will drop the Twins like a hot potato if the team does not show them that they can put a fun and competitive team on the diamond. The last option is to trade some of their position players for pitching but everyone is looking for pitching so that is not an easy path either. The Twins are on the edge here, the next few weeks will begin to show us what direction this team is headed.
What would I do? It is always easy to spend other people’s money but here is my take on things. First off, I listen to any and all offers and I make any deal that I think will help me get better and that means that no player either in the big leagues or in the minors is untouchable. Not every trade works out the way you plan but some changes are necessary. It is easy to fall in love with your players but the bottom line is the won-loss record and if our players are so good, why aren’t we winning? I think the Twins need to acquire one big time starter like a Zack Greinke that can lead the staff and that will cost some money but it is something that needs to get done. The rest of the starting staff will need to be put together from with in the organization. I am not saying it will be easy but if ownership wants to keep butts in the Target Field seats they have to spend some money to make this team competitive while the Twins young stars in the minors learn the game. The fans have shown that they will support this team if they put a competitive team on the field, now it is time for the Pohlad’s to step up and show the fans that they mean business.
According to Elias
Scott Diamond, who is likely the most under appreciated rookie pitcher in the majors this season, at least on a national level, lifted his won-lost record to 7-3 with a 7-2 victory over the Royals on Saturday afternoon. Diamond is only the third rookie in the 112-year history of the franchise (beginning in Washington back in 1901) to start a season by winning at least seven of his first 10 decisions, all as a starter. Bump Hadley started 8-2 for the Senators in 1927 and Glen Perkins had a 7-3 mark for the Twins in 2008. Diamond’s 2.63 ERA is lower than the ERAs produced by either Hadley (3.04) or Perkins (4.08) through the game in which they had their 10th decision.
According to Elias
Scott Diamond allowed three runs, all unearned, in the Twins’ victory at Cleveland to improve his record to 4-1 and lower his ERA to 1.86. Diamond is the third Twins rookie since the franchise relocated to Minnesota in 1961 to win at least four of his first six starts of a season while posting such a low ERA. The others were Jim Hughes in 1975 (5-1, 1.62 ERA) and Francisco Liriano in 2006 (5-1, 1.50 ERA).
Where do starting pitchers come from?
The Twins starting pitching situation this year is in dire straights. Coming into the 2012 season the Twins starting pitchers were expected to be Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn and Jason Marquis. Not a great group of starters by any means but you had to think they would keep the Twins near the .500 mark. But things don’t always go as planned and after Monday’s game the Twins have played 35 games and their record stands at 10-25, the worst record in all of baseball.
The Twins starters are rated as last in the American League with a 7-20 record and a 6.30 ERA. The starters are pitching just slightly over 5 innings per start with no complete games. Opposing batters are hitting .315 off the Twins starting staff and the the next closest starting rotation is the Yankees starting staff and opponents are hitting them at a .282 clip, a huge difference. On the other end of the spectrum, the Chicago White Sox opponents are only hitting .226 against the Mighty Whities starters. Twins starters have given up 234 hits in just 187 innings. If you combine the hits and the walks, the Twins starting rotation has a 1.55 WHIP. Twins starters have also given up the most runs, most home runs and they have struck out the least amount of opposing hitters.
So why is Minnesota starters pitching so bad as compared to the AL teams? Where did the Twins starting pitchers come from? I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the starting staffs of the AL teams and see what we come up with.
New York Yankees
1. CC Sabathia (31) – signed by the Yankees as a free agent in December 2008. Was originally a 1st round pick, 20th over all of the Cleveland Indians in 1998 and made his major league debut in 2001.
2. Ivan Nova (25) – signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent in 2004, drafted by the San Diego Padres as a Rule 5 pick in December 2008 and returned to the Yankees in 2009 and made his major league debut in 2010.
3. Hiroki Kuroda (37) – signed by the Yankees as a free agent in January 2012. Was originally signed by the Dodgers as a free agent in December 2007 and made his major league debut in 2008.
4. Phil Hughes (26) – drafted by Yankees in round 1 and 23 over all in 2004 and made his big league debut in 2007.
5. Andy Pettite (39) – drafted by the Yankees in round 22 of the 1990 draft and made big league debut in 1995.
Boston Red Sox
1. Jon Lester (28) – drafted by Boston in the 2nd round of the 2002 amatuer free draft and debuted in 2006.
2. Clay Buchholz (27) – drafted by Boston in the 1st round and 42 pick over all in the 2005 amatuer free agent draft and made his big league debut in 2007.
3. Felix Doubront (24) – signed by Boston as an amateur free agent in May 2005 and made his big league debut in 2010.
4. Josh Beckett (31) – acquired via trade. Originally a 1st round pick and 2nd over all by the Florida Marlins in 1999. Made big league debut in 2001.
5. Daniel Bard (27) – drafted by Boston in 1st round and 28 pick over all in 2006 and made big league debut in 2009.
Baltimore Orioles
1. Jake Arrieta (26) – Orioles 5th round pick in 2007 and made big league debut in 2010.
2. Tommy Hunter (25) – acquired in a trade and was originally a 1st round pick and 54th over all of the Texas Rangers in the 2007 amateur free agent draft and made his big league debut in 2008.
3. Jason Hammel (29) – acquired in a trade and was originally a 10th round pick by Tampa in 2002. Made his big league debut in 2006.
4. Wei-Yin Chen (26) – signed as a free agent in January 2012 and made his big league debut in 2012.
5. Brian Matusz (25) – drafted by Orioles in 1st round and 4th over all in 2008 and made his big league debut in 2009.
Tampa Rays
1. Jamie Shields (30) – drafted in round 16 by Tampa in 2000 and made his big league debut in 2006.
2. David Price (26) – drafted 1st over all in the 2007 draft by Tampa. Big league debut in 2008.
3. Jeremy Hellickson (25) – A Tampa 4th round pick in the 2005 draft. Made big league debut in 2010.
4. Matt Moore (22) – Tampa’s 8th round pick in 2007 and made his big league debut in 2011.
5. Jeff Nieman (29) – Tampa’s 1st round pick and 4th over all in 2004. Made big league debut in 2008.
Toronto Blue Jays
1. Henderson Alvarez (22) – signed by Toronto as an amateur free agent in 2006. Big leaqgue debut in 2011.
2. Ricky Romero (27) – 1st round pick by Toronto and 6th over all in 2005. Big league debut in 2009.
3. Brandon Morrow (27) – acquired in trade from Seattle who picked Morrow in the 1st round and 5th over all in 2006. Big league debut in 2007.
4. Kyle Drabek (24) – acquired in trade from Philly where he was their 1st round pick and 8th over all in 2006. Big league debut in 2010.
5. Drew Hutchinson (21) – Toronto 15th round pick in 2009 and made big league debut in 2012.
Texas Rangers
1. Derek Holland (25) – Texas 25th round pick in 2006, big league debut in 2009.
2. Colby Lewis (32) – Texas 1st round pick and 38th over all in 1999. Big league debut in 2002.
3. Yu Darvish (25) – purchased from Japan and signed as free agent in January 2012. Debuted same year.
4. Matt Harrison (26) – acquired in trade from Atlanta. He was the Braves 3rd round pick in 2003. Made debut in majors in 2008.
5. Neftali Feliz (24) – acquired in trade from Atlanta. He was signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent in 2005 and made big league debut in 2009.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
1. Jered Weaver (29) – Angels 1st round pick and 12th over all in 2004. Big league debut in 2006.
2. Dan Haren (31) – acquired via trade. Was a St. Louis Cardinals 2nd round pick in 2001. Big league debut in 2003.
3. CJ Wilson (31) – signed as a free agent in December 2011. Rangers 5th round pick in 2001 and made big league debut in 2005.
4. Ervin Santana (29) – signed by Angels as an amateur free agent in 2000 and made big league debut in 2005.
5. Jerome Williams (30) – signed as free agent in June 2011. Originally picked in round 1 and 39th over all by San Francisco Giants in 1999. Big league debut in 2003.
Oakland A’s
1. Bartolo Colon (39) – signed as free agent in January 2012. Originally signed by the Cleveland Indians as amateur free agent in 1993. Big league debut in 1997.
2. Brandon McCarthy (28) – signed as free agent in 2010. Originally picked by the White Sox in round 17 in 2002. Big league debut in 2005.
3. Tommy Milone (25) – acquired via a trade with Washington. Was originally a Nats 10th round pick in 2008. Big league debut in 2011.
4. Jarrod Parker ar(23) – acquired in a trade with Arizona. Was originally drafted by D-Backs in 1st round and 9th over all in 2007. Big league debut in 2011.
5. Tyson Ross (25) – drafted by A’s in 2nd round 2008. Big league debut in 2010.
Seattle Mariners
1. Felix Hernandez (26) – signed by Seattle as an amateur free agent in 2002 and made big league debut in 2005.
2. Jason Vargas (29) – acquired in a 3 team trade in 2008. Was originally a Florida Marlins 4th round pick in 2004. Big league debut in 2005.
3. Kevin Millwood (37) – signed as free agent in January 2012. Originally a Braves 11th round pick in 1993. Big league debut in 1997.
4. Blake Beavan (23) – acquired in a trade from Texas. Originally a Rangers 1st round pick and 17th over all in 2007. Big league debut in 2011.
5. Hector Noesi (25) – acquired in trade with the Yankees. Originally signed by Yankees in 2004 as an amateur free agent. Big league debut in 2011.
Kansas City Royals
1. Bruce Chen (35) – signed with KC as a free agent in 2009. Was originally an Atlanta Braves amateur free signee in 1993. Big league debut in 1998.
2. Luke Hochevar (28) – was drafted by Royals in 1st round and 1st over all in 2006. Big league debut in 2007.
3. Danny Duffy (23) – Royals 3rd round pick in 2007. Big league debut in 2011.
4. Jonathan Sanchez (29) – Acquired in trade with the Giants. Originally was the Giants 27 round pick in 2004 and made big league debut in 2006.
5. Felipe Paulino (28) – Purchased from Colorado Rockies in May 2011. Was originally signed by the Astros as an amateur free agent in 2001. Big league debut in 2007.
Detroit Tigers
1. Justin Verlander (27) – was the Tigers 1st round pick and 2nd over all in the 2004 draft. He made his big league debut in 2005.
2. Rick Porcello (23) – was the Tigers 1st round pick and 27th over all in 2007. Made his big league debut in 2009.
3. Max Scherzer (27) – acquired in trade with Arizona. Was originally drafted in 1st round and 11th over all by Arizona in 2006. Made his big league debut in 2008.
4. Doug Fister (28) – acquired in trade with Seattle. Was originally picked by the Mariners in round 7 of the 2006 draft. Made MLB debut in 2009.
5. Drew Smyly (23) – was the Tigers 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft. Made big league debut in 2012.
Cleveland Indians
1. Justin Masterson (27) – acquired in a 2009 trade with the Red Sox. Was originally a 2nd round pick by the Red Sox in 2006 and made big league debut in 2008.
2. Derek Lowe (39) – acquired in a 2011 trade with the Atlanta Braves. Was originally picked in the 8th round of the 1991 draft and debuted in the big leagues in 1997.
3. Ubaldo Jiminez (28) – acquired in a trade with Colorado. Originally signed as a amateur free agent back in 2001 with the Rockies. Made big league debut in 2006.
4. Josh Tomlin (27) – was drafted by the Indians in the 19th round of the 2006 draft. Made big league debut in 2010.
5. Jeanmar Gomez (24) – signed as an amateur free agent with the Indians in 2005. Made his big league debut in 2010.
Chicago White Sox
1. Jake Peavy (31) – acquired in a trade with the Padres. Originally picked by San Diego in round 15 of the 1999 draft. Big league debut in 2002.
2. John Danks (27) – acquired in a trade with Texas. Was originally a 1st round pick and 9th over all in 2003. Big league debut in 2007.
3. Gavin Floyd (29) – acquired in a trade with the Phillies. Was originally a Phillies 1st round pick and 4th over all in 2001. Made big league debut in 2004.
4. Chris Sale (23) – drafted by the White Sox in the 1st round and 13th pick over all in 2010 draft. Made big league debut just 2 months after being drafted and after pitching in just 11 minor league games.
5. Philip Humber (29) – selected off waivers from Oakland in January 2011. Originally drafted in 2004 in the 1st round and 3rd over all pick by the New York Mets. Made big leage debut in 2006.
Minnesota Twins
1. Francisco Liriano (28) – acquired in trade with San Francisco in November 2003. Was originally signed for the Giants as an amateur free agent in 2000. Made big league debut in 2005.
2. Carl Pavano (36) – acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Indians in 2009. Originally drafted in the 13th round by the Red Sox in 1994. Made big league debut in 1998.
3. Nick Blackburn (30) – drafted by the Twins in round 29 of the 2001 draft. Made big league debut in 2007.
4. Jason Marquis (33) – signed by Twins as a free agent in December 2011. Was originally an Atlanta Braves 1st round pick and 35th over all in 1996. Made big leaague debut in 2006.
5. Liam Hendriks (23) – signed by the Twins as an amateur free agent in 2007 and made his big league debut in 2011.
6. Anthony Swarzak (26) – drafted by the Twins in round 2 of the 2004 amateur draft and made his big league debut in 2009.
7. Scott Diamond (25) – A Rule 5 pick by the Twins from the Atlanta Braves in December 2010. Was originally signed by the Braves as an amateur free agent in 2007. Made big league debut in 2011.
8. PJ Walters (27) – Signed with the Twins as a free agent in December 2011. Was originally a St. Louis Cardinals 11th round pick in 2006 and made big league debut in 2009.
9. Scott Baker (30) – out for the 2012 season with TJ surgery. Was a Twins 2nd round pick in 2003 and made big league debut in 2005.
The Twins current starting rotation of Pavano, Marquis, Blackburn, Diamond and Walters is made up of one 1st round pick, an 11th rounder, a 13th rounder, a 29th rounder and an amateur free agent.
If you look at the rest of the current 5 man starting rotations for the 13 other AL teams you have a total of 65 pitchers and here is how they break down.
25 of the 65 (38%) were first round picks
12 of the 65 (18%) were signed as amateur free agents
5 of the 65 (8%) were 2nd round picks
3 of the 65 (5%) were Japanese baseball free agents
2 of the 65 (3%) were 3rd round picks
2 of the 65 (3%) were 4th round picks
2 of the 65 (3%) were 5th round picks
1 of the 65 (2%) was a 7th round pick
2 of the 65 (3%) were 8th round picks
2 of the 65 (3%) were 10th round picks
1 of the 65 (2%) was a 11th round pick
2 of the 65 (3%) were 15th round picks
1 of the 65 (2%) was a 16th round pick
1 of the 65 (2%) was a 17th round pick
1 of the 65 (2%) was a 19th round pick
1 of the 65 (2%) was a 22nd round pick
1 of the 65 (2%) was a 25th round pick
1 of the 65 (2%) was a 27th round pick
The AL team with the most first round picks in the starting rotation is the Chicago White Sox with four starters in Danks, Floyd, Humber and Sale and the Cleveland Indians are the only team with no first rounders in their starting rotation. But just because you are a first round pick does not mean that you will make the teams starting rotation that drafted you as only 13 of the 25 or only 52% of the first round picks end up starting for the teams that drafted them in round 1. Of course many other 1st rounders either do not make the starting rotation or do not make it to the big leagues at all.
Since 1972 the Minnesota Twins have drafted 27 pitchers in the first round, 8 out of high school and 19 out of college. Three of their picks did not sign with the team. RHP Dick Ruthevan was picked in round 1 and 8 over all in 1972 but did not sign and went on to start 332 big league games. RHP Tim Belcher was the Twins 1st round and the first over all pick in 1983 but he did not sign and he went on to start 373 big league games. The Twins drafted RHP Derek Parks in round 1 and 10th over all in 1986 and turned him into a catcher. The Twins picked RHP Aaron Heilman in round 1 and 31st over all in 200o but Heilman did not sign and went on to start 25 big league games pitching maninly in relief. This may be hard to believe but since the draft started in 1972, the most career starts that any Twins 1st round pick has ever had in a Twins uniform is 45 and that pitcher was Willie Banks who the Twins picked in round 1 and number 3 over all in 1987. Banks started 45 games with a 16-17 record before being traded to the Chicago Cubs for pitcher Dave Stevens and catcher Matt Walbeck. The next higest number of starts for a Twins 1st rounder is 44 and that belongs to Minnesota native Glen Perkins who is currently a Twins top reliever. Only 10 of 27 first round pitchers picked by Minnesota in the first round ever started a game in a Twins uniform. Only 5 of 27 Twins first rounders have started 100 or more career big league games and they are Dick Ruthven, Tim Belcher, Todd Ritchie, Mark Redman, and Matt Garza. 15 of the 27 Twins first round pitchers have never started a single big league game.
With that kind of a record in taking pitchers in the first round, I have to wonder if the Twins should even try. Then again, you could argue that they are due to get a good one…..
Twins Minor League Player of the Week
Rochester Red Wings left-handed starting pitcher Scott Diamond is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week for April 21-27. Diamond, 25, made one start, April 22 vs. Lehigh Valley, earning the win as he allowed two unearned runs on four hits in 7 innings with no walks and four strikeouts. Diamond is 4-0 with a 1.07 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched with 18 strikeouts and five walks allowed in four starts for the Red Wings this season.
Diamond started 7 games for the Twins in 2011 going 1-5 with a 5.08 ERA and a WHIP of 1.74 in 39 innings while striking out 19 batters. Scott was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada and was a signed by the Atlanta Braves as a free agent in 2007. The Twins acquired Scott Diamond as a Rule 5 draft pick from the Braves in December of 2010.
How do you fix this?
The Twins pitching this season has been dismal and as I took a look at the Twins pitching stats during last nights 11-2 drubbing at the hands of the Boston Red Sox I have to wonder what Terry Ryan, Ron Gardenhire and Rick Anderson can do to fix the problem. Before the Twins had even played one game that counted this season they had already lost reliever Joel Zumaya and starter Scott Baker to Tommy John surgery. Losing Baker who I thought was the Twins top starting pitcher was a serious blow to a team that already had pitching woes. The 29 year-old Baker had started 159 games with a 63-48 record over the last 7 seasons with a 4.15 ERA and could be counted on to keep the Twins in the game when he was on the mound. With Baker out for the season the Twins went in to the 2012 season with a starting five composed of Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Jason Marquis, Nick Blackburn and either Anthony Swarzak or Liam Hendriks. Liriano who was dubbed “the Franchise” back in 2006 when he went 12-3 has been a colossal disappointment this season and now is out of the rotation to clear his head after four terrible starts when he has gone 0-4 with a 11.02 ERA and 2.36 WHIP in 16.1 innings and giving up a league leading 20 earned runs. A 2.36 WHIP, that is incredible, 2.36 runners every inning. The Twins seem to be perplexed with what to do with Liriano and plan to have him skip a start and work on the side. Personally, I think the best thing they can do with Liriano at this point is send him back to the minors and have him pitch until he proves he can get big league hitters out. Everyone keeps saying that Liriano has “great stuff” and maybe he does and maybe he doesn’t but the bottom line is that right now he is not a major league pitcher and he has no business being in the big leagues. I would rather see the Twins call up some one from the minors and have them learn how to pitch in the majors than send Liriano out start after start with little to no hope of improvement. It is not all about physical ability, you have to understand how to pitch in the big leagues and I’m afraid that Francisco Liriano may never attain that stature. Pavano and Marquis are both veterans and you get what you see with these two, journeymen at best that are filling out a starting rotation. The sinker-balling Nick Blackburn is no star but can fill the back-end of a starting rotation. I am not sure what Liam Hendriks can do in the majors but I am willing to send him out every fifth day and see what he has to offer. Swarzak is probably best suited for the role he is in right now, the long man in the pen. The 25 year-old lefty Scott Diamond who was a Rule 5 pick-up from the Atlanta Braves in December of 2010 is tearing it up in Rochester with a 4-0 mark and a 1.07 ERA in four starts is worth calling up for a big league shot. What have you got to lose?
The Twins have to do something, but what? They are 5-13 and 5.5 games out and we are still in April. How much improvement can Gardy and Ryan expect from a pitching staff that is putting up these kinds of numbers?
| Twins | Opponent | |
|---|---|---|
| IP | 146 | 151 |
| H | 161 | 148 |
| R | 91 | 63 |
| ER | 87 | 56 |
| HR | 26 | 13 |
| BB | 42 | 47 |
| SO | 86 | 117 |
| ERA | 5.36 | 3.34 |
| WHIP | 1.39 | 1.29 |
| Oppenent batting avg. | .283 | .256 |
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.
Arizona Fall League 2011
August 31, 2011 – The league begins its 20th season on Tuesday, October 4. The six-team league plays six days per week (Monday-Saturday) in six Cactus League stadiums in the Phoenix area. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick has been added as the new home of the Rafters in 2011, joining Mesa Hohokam Stadium (Solar Sox), Peoria Sports Complex (Javelinas), Phoenix Municipal Stadium (Desert Dogs), Scottsdale Stadium (Scorpions) and Surprise Stadium (Saguaros) as the league venues. Twins players joining the Mesa Solar Sox this year will be: pitchers Cole DeVries, Scott Diamond, Bruce Pugh and Brett Jacobson; Catcher: Chris Herrmann; Infielder: Brian Dozier; Outfielder: Aaron Hicks.
Another visit to Hammond Stadium
March 16, 2011 – I headed out to the Hammond Stadium today hoping to meet up with JC of Knuckleballs who just got into town the other day. Since we had not met before I had no idea who I was looking for and I had no cell number to reach JC but I did give JC my cell number and I was hoping he would call me. Well, to make a long story short, I ended up in a nice conversation with former GM Terry Ryan and during that conversation someone else joined us but we never introduced ourselves. After the conversation we each ended up going our separate ways and when I got back to the house I sent JC an e-mail saying it was too bad we did not hook up. This evening I checked my e-mail and I have a note from JC with a picture attached, the picture was of Ryan and I talking and JC was the guy that had joined us. What a small world indeed.
The conversation with Terry Ryan was very interesting, the man has been on the road all spring and today was the first day that he had really spent any time at Hammond Stadium at all. He said he is doing way more traveling than he did when he was the GM. I asked him a number of questions about numerous players but since I did not tell him up front that I was a blogger I do not think it is fair to write what he had to say in detail. But I think it is fair for me to say that he feels that Revere needs to keep playing and not sit on a Twins bench. Ryan mentioned that the Twins are not looking to trade a starting pitcher unless a need develops that needs to be corrected at some position because the chance of injury to starters is always there. Ryan reemphasized that the Twins like Diamond and that you need to be patient with Rule 5 pick-ups, using Johan Santana as an example. Terry also went into detail explaining that Alexi Casilla has all the tools to do the job at short, he just needs to grab the bull by the horns and get it done (my words). I really enjoy talking to Terry Ryan whenever I get the chance, he will always tell you what he thinks and he will challenge you if he thinks you are off base.
Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary going on since the Twins were playing the Mets at home today. I spent some time watching TK and Rick Anderson hold some pitcher fielding drills but other than that most of my time was spent watching the minor leaguers. We are getting to a point in spring training now where the open position battles are going full tilt and the Twins walking wounded are starting to see some game action, the only non participant so far continues to be Michael Cuddyer but hopefully he will be in action soon too.