Terry Ryan Archives - Page 7 of 11

Twins notes and thoughts

Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar has not allowed a run yet this year. The rookie has appeared in 13 games pitching 14.2 scoreless innings allowing just five hits. According to the Twins Game Notes, the 26 year-old Minnesota native now holds the Twins record for consecutive appearances with zero runs allowed to start a MLB career as well as scoreless innings to start a Twins career. The MLB record is 29 appearances set by Brad Ziegler in 2008 with Oakland. Aaron Crow of the Royals was the last to do it when he started his career with 13 straight scoreless appearances in 2011. Thielbar is the first player named Caleb to appear in the major leagues since 2B/OF Caleb Johnson appeared in 16 games for the Cleveland Forest Citys in 1871

Congratulations to Twins prospects OF Byron Buxton (Team USA) and 3B Miguel Sano (World Team) for getting selected to play in the 2013 All-Star Futures Game. These two guys have garnered a lot of ink this year and they deserve it but I think a number of bloggers and fans have already made reservations to attend their Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. These gents are looking good but they are still in the minors and they have yet to face one big league pitch. Hopefully they will turn out to be half as good as we think they will be.

The Twins front office has recently stated that they are not sure if they should be “buyers or sellers” this year. My thoughts? They can’t be serious. This Twins team is not a .500 team much less a playoff team. The 2013 Twins will NOT be in the playoffs, As George Zimmer formerly of Men’s Warehouse would say, “I guarantee it!” If they were not sure before, maybe two losses to the worst team in baseball the last two days, the Miami Marlins will help to convince them.

There are numerous reports floating around that the New York Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira will be under going season-ending wrist surgery in the next few days. The Bronx Bombers are only 2.5 game out of the league lead, maybe Yankee GM Brian Cashman and Twins GM Terry Ryan can hook up on a deal for Justin Morneau that can help both teams. I have loved watching Morneau over the years but the Twins could help themselves and Justin by moving him to a pennant contender that needs a first baseman. Who knows, that short right field corner at Yankee Stadium might just wake up Morneau’s power swing. The Twins could solve some manpower issues by trading Morneau and making room for Chris Parmelee to play first base every day. I know that RHP Michael Pineda is on the Yankees 60 day DL right now but he sure would look good in a Twins uniform as a PTBNL. Probably just a pipe dream though.

Max Kepler recently reported to Cedar Rapids after fighting an arm injury all year. Kepler has been chomping at the bit to play some baseball and the Twins couldn’t be happier to see him get healthy and on the field again. With Brian Buxton’s recent promotion to Ft. Myers, Kepler will fit right in the Kernels line-up. In 6 games he has 25 at bats and is hitting .320 with 5 runs scored, 4 doubles, 2 home runs and 6 RBI’s. I am not positive but I think he has at least one hit in every game but his first game there. It would be great to see Max have a big season in Cedar Rapids after a late start.

Kyle Gibson was called up by the Twins on Monday and will make his major league debut on Saturday at Target Field against the Kansas City Royals. Everyone has waited for Gibson to arrive for a long time and now we finally get to see him pitch in the big leagues. It is a shame we won’t get to see that much of Gibson this year because he has that pitch limit hanging over his head due to his TJ surgery last year but at least he should get about 40 innings under his belt.

The trade deadline is just over a month away and teams are starting to get serious with their trade discussions. But almost every year that is all that happens, lots of talk and very little action. I know it takes two to tango but the Twins need to be aggressive this year and move some players to make room for some of those young prospects that are knocking on the door. The young guys need playing time if they are going to improve and learn how to play in the majors, Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire will be doing a disservice to those players and Twins fans if they sit on their hands and stay pat with their current roster. It is darkest before the dawn so let’s throw these young guys in the fire and see if they are major leaguers or just prospects. Players I would like to see moved would be Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham, Mike Pelfrey, Jamey Carroll, Trevor Plouffe and Ryan Doumit. Has anyone made more base running blunders this year then Ryan Doumit? You wonder sometimes if he has a clue on the base paths. If someone presents a nice offer for Kevin Correia I would listen. I know all these players won’t be moved in July but who knows, stranger things have happened.

Oswaldo Arcia is going to be a very nice player and deserves full-time playing time for the rest of this season but one thing that drives me crazy with Arcia is that every time he hits a ball deep he stands at home plate and admires it instead of running. He has missed out on some opportunities to stretch singles into doubles because he stands around admiring his hits. Some of the Twins veterans should take care of this problem sooner than later.

Twins Minor League Player of the Week

Brian Buxton on the fast track to Minnesota

Cedar Rapids (Single-A – Midwest League) outfielder Byron Buxton is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. In six games for the Kernels, he hit .370 (10-for-27) with three doubles, one home run, eight RBI, six runs scored and three walks. The 19-year old 2012 second overall pick is hitting .344 (85-for-247) with 15 doubles, eight triples, eight home runs, 51 RBI, 40 walks and 29 stolen bases in 63 games for the Kernels this season. How long can the Twins keep Buxton in Cedar Rapids? Ft. Myers manager Doug Mientkiewicz must be licking his chops waiting for Buxton after three of his best position players got bumped up to New Britain in the past week.

Previous winners this season include (in order): P Tyler Duffey, 3B Miguel Sano, OF Adam Brett Walker, INF Jorge Polanco, P Kyle Gibson, 1B/OF Chris Colabello, P Logan Darnell, P Taylor Rogers and P Andrew Albers.

The records for the Twins minor league teams through yesterday are listed below.

AAA – Rochester Red Wings are 33-36 and 7 games behind

AA – New Britain Rock Cats are 32-35 and 9 games out

High A – Ft. Myers Miracle are 43-21 and in 1st place

Low A – Cedar Rapids Kernels are 40-27 and 1 game behind the leader

The DSL Twins are 6-5 and a half game out of first place

The Twins 2009 first round pick Kyle Gibson continues to toil in Rochester while Twins management keeps saying that Gibson must show more consistency before they will call him up to pitch at Target Field. Gibson’s numbers are pretty darn good considering he is playing for the sub .500 (33-36) Rochester Red Wings. Gibson is 6-5 with a 3-26 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in 85.2 innings. Gibson has only given up 73 hits and he has struck out 73 batters. Not bad numbers for less than half a season of baseball. Gibson missed most of last year due to TJ surgery so the Twins have him on a pitch limit this year. The number of specific innings remains a Twins secret but you have to assume that it is probably about 160 innings so that means that Gibson is past the half way point. GM Terry Ryan has stated all along that Gibson will be pitching in a Twins uniform in 2013. You know the Twins want to give Gibson a taste of the big leagues this year and give him an opportunity to show what he can do against the big leaguers, but like sand through the hour-glass, time and innings are slipping by. I am thinking we will see Gibson in a Twins uniform shortly after the All-Star break.

In closing, I would like to wish all you fathers out there a very Happy Father’s Day!

Twins continue roster shuffle

The Twins have the day off today but Terry Ryan and his front office staff have been busy. Minnesota Twins announced after yesterday’s game that Chris Colabello has been optioned to AAA Rochester. In two stints with the Twins this year, Colabello appeared in just six games, hitting .133 (2-for-15).

This morning the Twins announced that reliever Tyler Robertson currently in Rochester has been designated for assignment to free up a spot on the 40-man roster to make room for outfielder Clete Thomas who has been recalled from Rochester and will join the team in Kansas City. The 28-year old left-handed hitting outfielder appeared in 12 games for the Twins last year hitting .143 with 16 strikeouts in 28 at-bats after being claimed off waivers from Detroit in April. In 36 games in Rochester this season, Thomas is hitting .296 with 9 home runs but history tells us that once he returns to the big leagues that things will change. I am not sure what the Twins see in Thomas but he can play some decent outfield and will make a good late inning outfield replacement until Wilkin Ramirez returns from the DL.

Robertson wore out his welcome in Minnesota earlier this year when he walked 14 batters and allowed 4 home runs in 25 innings. Robertson is only 25 and a lefty so I am sure there are teams out there that will be happy to take Robertson off the Twins hands and maybe the Twins can even get a PTBNL, who knows, stranger things have happened. I think it is interesting that in the last week or so the Twins have cut ties with two 25 year-old players like Robertson and Joe Benson that were considered promising players a short time ago. I am not sure if the Twins and Terry Ryan feel that they have much more promising players in the pipeline or if they are sending some sort of message to the entire organization, time will tell.

Twins losing streak reaches eight

Today was the first time this season I did not watch a single inning of the Twins game. My modem and router went on the blink and so I spent most of the day troubleshooting that issue and getting a replacement so I could get back on the internet.

The Twins lost in Atlanta today 8-3 and it marked their eighth loss in a row. The team is playing really poorly right now and it is hard to find any silver linings or moral victories. Moral victories are meaningless anyway, all that counts is wins and the Twins can’t find a win to save their life right now. The Twins starters keep allowing the opposition to score first and it just sucks the life out of the team and to be honest it really makes watching a Twins game a real chore. I love baseball and the Twins and I will keep watching but I want to see a team that is showing some life and making some progress towards being a competitive team and right now this bunch of players wearing the Twins uniform is doing nothing for me. These players realize they are not a very good team and they are playing to their expectations.

The Twins management stubbornly hangs on to their statement that the team is doing all it can to win but I think that management is starting to realize that a major rebuild is in order here. The other day they sent starter Pedro Hernandez down and brought up reliever Caleb Thielbar to help with all the extra innings the bullpen has had to throw. Reports are that Samuel Deduno will be brought up to start in Detroit on Friday and he will probably takes Vance Worley‘s spot on the roster since he was the second starter in the last few days to change his address to Rochester. The Twins will need to make another roster change in a couple of days to get a starter to pitch on Monday in Milwaukee and you have to think that Kyle Gibson might be the guy. Trevor Plouffe took a knee to his head on Tuesday night at second base, reminiscent to Morneau getting hurt in Toronto a couple of years ago and the Twins called up last weeks Twins minor league player of the week 1B/OF Chris Colabello to fill in for Plouffe while he recuperates on the 7 day concussion DL. You can sense that the Twins will be making roster changes frequently as the season approaches the 50 game mark in the next week.

I have always liked Ron Gardenhire as a manager and Terry Ryan as the GM but right now it appears to me that they have no plan and the Twins look like a “Chinese fire drill” and the team seems to be in a death spiral. Gardy appears to be grasping at straws and trying to go with who ever was hot the day before and making them a regular part of the line-up. Mr. Ryan seems to be missing in action when he should be leading the charge to make this team better. This team is going nowhere this year! Put the young guys in the line-up day in and day out and let them make their mistakes and learn the game until they get so sick of losing that they start playing the game the right way. Gardy keep pulling players like Chris Parmelee and Brian Dozier and putting them on the bench when they struggle and he would do the same with Aaron Hicks if he had anyone that could play center field. You only hurt the long-term future of the Twins when you don’t let these guys play every day. Jamey Carroll is a utility player and a good one but I should not be seeing his name in the line-up 3 or days in a row unless he is filling in for an injury like with Plouffe.

You won’t hurt fan interest by going with the young guys, everyone knows the team isn’t going anywhere so bring us the future and let’s see what and who we can look forward to watching in the next few years. I can take short-term pain for long-term gain but if major changes are not made to this team soon we are doomed to watching a team that has no wins, no hope and no future. You kill a fan base by taking away their hope, I hope that is not where the Twins are taking us.

No one said that running a baseball team was easy but that is what Gardy and Mr. Ryan signed up for and they get paid the big bucks to make the Twins a winning baseball team. I know these gents are up to the task, but we need to see some results soon boys!

The road to Minnesota is long and hard

The 2013 MLB draft is coming up on June 6-8 and baseball fans everywhere are excited about the draft and can’t wait to see what great players their teams will draft. Some fans will agree with the home towns team picks and others will complain loud and hard about how clueless the picks may have been. Certain fans spend a lot of time studying who is available to be picked and who will drop to their favorite team when it is their turn to pick. There are even fans out there that are more interested in the minors then they are in their major league team. I enjoy following the Twins minor league teams too but unless I lived in one of their minor league cities, I don’t understand the love affair with minor league players because if the player you are cheering for does well, he moves up the ladder and you no longer get to watch him play.

From 1965 when the free agent draft first started until 2012 each professional team has drafted about 50 players each year and signed what, maybe half of them? In 2012 MLB changed the June amateur free agent draft from 50 rounds to 40 rounds. Some of the players drafted are labeled “can’t miss” prospects while others will be long-term projects, they may come out of high school, junior college, or out of a 4 year college. Some of the picks may eventually find their place to the Hall of Fame one day while others may never even get a sniff of a major league spring training invite. Regardless where they come from, they all have the same dream, to get paid for playing a game they love. The road to the big leagues is a long and torturous one and most of the players that start this long hard journey will fail. The odds are long but as long as there is a chance, there will be players willing to sacrifice everything to get there. Players are often willing to risk it all, including their future health and a long life by taking drugs just to wear a major league uniform.

Feel free to get excited about Twins draft picks in 2013 but remember that the road to Target Field is long and bumpy and full of potholes that can take a player out of action for a day, a week, a month, a year, and maybe forever. Most importantly, no matter how good the player may be, it is unlikely that they will wear a Minnesota Twins uniform before their fourth year of professional baseball unless they are a collegiate pitcher. Miracles can certainly happen but history tells us that if Joe Mauer couldn’t get here in quicker than his fourth year, then the odds are pretty slim.

How many get drafted and signed?

I am not sure that most fans understand how few draftees actually ever get the opportunity to put on the major league uniform of the team that drafted them. To give everyone a better understanding of how few make it and how long the road can be I spent some time looking at the Twins drafts for the last 15 years (1998-2012). During this time period the Twins have drafted about 758 players (about 50 a year) and they sign maybe half of them. In the case of the Twins from 1998-2012 they have signed 372 players, 49.08% to pro contracts.

Some interesting and fun facts about the drafts from 1998-2012

Of these 372 players, 41 (about 11.02%) have reached the big leagues wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform and eight more (about 2.15%) reached the big leagues wearing a uniform of another big league team. That means that as of May 17, 2013, 13.17% of the players the Twins drafted and signed from 1998-2012 have put on a big league uniform. In addition, many of these players big league careers were very short.
Of the 41 players that debuted with the Twins, 20 were drafted out of high school and the quickest to appear in a big league game were C Joe Mauer and OF Ben Revere (both first round picks) in their fourth year of pro ball. On the end other end of the spectrum it took 38th round pick Tommy Watkins until his 10th year of pro ball before he put on the Minnesota Twins uniform. You really have to love baseball to be willing to put in that many years to achieve your goal of putting on a major league uniform. The 20 players drafted from high school were 13 position players, 5 RHP and 2 LHP.
Of the 41 players that debuted with the Twins, 4 were drafted out of junior college and the quickest to debut with the Twins were Rene Tosoni (round 36) and Terry Tiffee (round 26) in year five. The longest wait was for Willie Eyre a RHP who debuted in year eight. The 4 players drafted from junior college were two position players and two RHP.
Of the 41 players that debuted with the Twins, 17 were drafted out of a 4 year college and the quickest to debut were first round picks Matt Garza and Adam Johnson, both RHP who debuted in year two of pro ball. Having said that, Johnson pitched in 9 Twins games before being released and Garza pitched in 26 Twins games before being traded. The quickest 4 year college position players to debut were SS Brian Dozier an eighth round pick and C Chris Herrmann a sixth round pick in year four. First round pick RHP Matt Fox was on the slow and steady road and debuted in his seventh season of pro ball and pitched in just 1 game in a Twins uniform. Six days after he pitched for the Twins the Red Sox claimed him on waivers from Minnesota. The 17 players drafted from a 4 year college were 5 position players, 10 RHP and 2 LHP.
Only two pitchers drafted by the Twins in this time period have started 100 or more games, Scott Baker started 159 games and Nick Blackburn started 137 games.
The most wins in a Twins uniform for a pitcher drafted by the Twins during this fifteen year period is 63 for Scott Baker, second with 43 victories is Blackburn.
The Twins have only drafted three players that made an All-Star team, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau with the Twins and Evan Meek who the Twins released made the NL All-Star team with the Pirates.
The Twins have drafted two league MVP winners (Mauer and Morneau).
The top three home run hitters drafted by Minnesota between 1998-2012 are Justin Morneau with 206, Jason Kubel with 104, and Joe Mauer with 96. You know who is fourth? Trevor Plouffe with 38. Yikes!
The perception is that the Twins draft and “grow” their own players. But, the drafts from 1998-2012 have produced just ten regular position players and six of them are on this years team. 1B Justin Morneau, OF Jason Kubel, C Joe Mauer, OF Denard Span, 3B Danny Valencia, OF/1B Chris Parmelee, OF Ben Revere, 3B Trevor Plouffe, 2B Brian Dozier, and OF Aaron Hicks.
This years Twins staff has 3 pitchers the Twins drafted and signed between 1998-2012 on the current roster and they are Glen Perkins a first rounder out of a 4 year college, Brian Duensing a 3rd rounder out of a four-year college, and Anthony Swarzak a 2nd round pick out of high school.
The draft class of 2006 has produced the most players that have gone on to wear a major league uniform, as of today, seven players have made their major league debut and all were in a Twins uniform.

Drafts year by year

Year	Drafted	Signed	Twins Debut	Other Debut	High School	College
2012	43	27	0	0	0	0
2011	52	33	0	0	0	0
2010	50	31	0	0	0	0
2009	51	24	2	0	0	2
2008	52	24	1	0	1	0
2007	50	22	1	0	1	0
2006	51	19	7	0	3	4
2005	54	20	5	1	1	5
2004	54	25	6	0	3	3
2003	50	27	1	1	0	2
2002	50	18	3	2	3	2
2001	50	30	3	1	2	2
2000	52	25	5	0	4	1
1999	50	23	5	1	4	2
1998	49	24	2	2	1	3
TOTALS	758	372	41	8	23	26

Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision

Details year by year

2012 – zero so far

2011 – zero so far

2010 – zero so far

2009 – Chris Herrmann was drafted in the 6th round as a C after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 9/16/2012 in his fourth year of professional baseball. Herrmann has played in 7 games for the Twins and is currently in their organization.

2009 – Brian Dozier was drafted in the 8th round as a SS after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 5/7/2012 in his fourth year of professional baseball. Dozier is currently the Twins starting 2B.

2008 – Aaron Hicks was drafted in the first round (14th overall) as an outfielder out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 4/1/2013 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Hicks is currently the Twins starting center fielder.

2007 – Ben Revere was drafted in the first round (27th overall) as an outfielder out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 9/7/2010 in his fourth year of professional baseball. Played in 254 games for the Twins before being traded to Philly after the 2012 season.

2006 – Chris Parmelee was drafted in the first round (20th overall) as an outfielder out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 9/6/2011 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Parmelee is currently with the Twins and starting in right field.

2006 – Joe Benson was drafted in the 2nd round as an outfielder out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 9/6/2011 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Still in the Twins system, Benson has 24 games in the books as a Minnesota Twin.

2006 – Tyler Robertson was drafted in the 3rd round as a LHP out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 6/26/2012 in his seventh year of professional baseball. Still in the Twins system, Robertson has 42 games on his Minnesota Twins resume.

2006 – Brian Dinkelman was drafted in the 8th round as a 2B after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 6/4/2011 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Still in the Twins system, Dinkelman has 23 games on his Minnesota Twins resume.

2006 – Jeff Manship was drafted in the 14th round as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 8/15/2009 in his fourth year of professional baseball. Manship left the Twins as a free agent after the 2012 season and is currently in the Rockies system and to date has appeared in 41 big league games, all with the Twins.

2006 – Danny Valencia was drafted in round 19 as a 3B after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 6/3/2010 in his fifth year of professional baseball. After playing in 273 games for the Twins he was traded to the Red Sox in August 2012 where he appeared in just 10 games before the Red Sox sold him to the Baltimore Orioles and Valencia is in their system today.

2006 – Anthony Slama was drafted in the 39th round as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 7/21/2010 in his fourth year of professional baseball. Still in the Twins system, Slama has 7 games on his Minnesota Twins resume.

2005 – Matt Garza was drafted in the 1st round (25th overall) as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 8/11/2006 in just his second year of professional baseball. Garza pitched in 26 games for the Twins before they traded him to Tampa in November 2007. Garza was eventually traded to the Cubs where he is today. Garza has a total of 170 big league games under his belt.

2005 – Kevin Slowey was drafted in the 2nd round as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 6/1/2007 in his third year of professional baseball. Slowey pitched for the Twins in 100 games before being traded in December 2012 to the Rockies. The Rockies quickly moved him to the Indians where he spent 2012 in the Indians organization and left as a free agent after the 2012 season to sign with the Marlins where he is currently pitching.

2005 – Brian Duensing was drafted in the 3rd round as a LHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 4/10/2009 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Duensing is currently with the Twins and has pitched in 183 games wearing a Twins uniform.

2005 – Alex Burnett was drafted in round 12 as a RHP out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 4/8/2010 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Burnett pitched in 174 games for the Twins before being waived this past March and picked up by Toronto. Toronto waived Burnett after about 2 weeks and the Orioles claimed him and he is currently in their system.

2005 – Rene Tosoni was drafted in round 36 as an outfielder out of a junior college and debuted with the Twins on 4/28/2011 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Tosoni appeared in 60 games for the Twins before leaving the organization as a FA in November 2012.

2005 – Steve Tolleson was drafted by Minnesota in the fifth round as a shortstop after 4 years of college. Tolleson was claimed on waivers by the A’s in February 2010 and made his big league debut with Oakland on 4/28/2010 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Todate Tolleson has appeared 54 big league games with the A’s and Orioles now finds himself in the White Sox organization.

2004 – Trevor Plouffe was drafted in the 1st round (20th overall) as a SS out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 5/21/2010 in his seventh year of professional baseball. Plouffe is currently the Twins starting 3B.

2004 – Glen Perkins was drafted in round 1 (22nd overall) as a LHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 9/21/2006 in his third year of professional baseball. Perkins is currently the Twins closer.

2004 – Kyle Waldrop was drafted in the 1st round (25th overall) as a RHP out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 9/5/2011 in his eighth year of professional baseball. Waldrop pitched in 24 games before being granted FA in November 2012. Waldrop is currently in the Pirates organization.

2004 – Matt Fox was drafted in the 1st round (35th overall) as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 9/3/2010 in his seventh year of professional baseball. Fox pitched in one game for Minnesota before being claimed on waivers by the Reds Sox in September 2010 where he pitched only 3 times before being waived and claimed by the Mariners.

2004 – Anthony Swarzak was drafted in the 2nd round as a RHP out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 5/23/2009 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Swarzak is currently a Twins reliever.

2004 – Matt Tolbert was drafted in the 16th round as a SS after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 4/1/2008 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Tolbert appeared in 247 games as a Twins before being granted FA in October 2011. Tolbert spent a year in the Cubs organization and is now with the Phillies organization.

2003 – Scott Baker was drafted in the 2nd round as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 5/7/2005 in his third year of professional baseball. Baker pitched in 163 games for the Twins before sitting out 2012 with TJ surgery. Baker left the Twins after 2012 and signed with the Cubs but is currently on their Disabled List.

2003 – Levale Speigner was drafted in the 14th round as a RHP after 4 years of college and was selected from the Twins as a Rule 5 pick by the Nationals in December 2006 and made his big league debut with Washington on 4/2/2007 in his fifth year of pro ball. The Nats returned Speigner to the Twins in June 2007 but worked a trade with Minnesota and reacquired Speigner a few days later.

2002 – Denard Span was drafted in the 1st round (20th overall) as an outfielder out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 4/6/2008 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Span appeared in 617 games for the Twins before being traded to the Nationals after the 2012 season.

2002 – Jesse Crain was drafted in the 2nd round as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 8/5/2004 in his third year of professional baseball. Crain appeared in 376 games, all in relief, before leaving Minnesota and signing a free agent deal with the White Sox where he has pitched ever since.

2002 – Pat Neshek was drafted in the 6th round as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 7/7/2006 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Neshek pitched in relief in 132 games for the Twins before being claimed on waiver by the Padres. After leaving the Padres, Neshek was in the Orioles organization before being purchased by the Oakland’ A’s where he is currently pitching.

2002 – Evan Meek was drafted in the 11th round as a RHP out of high school. After 3 years in the Twins system in which Meek had pitched 97 innings and walked 100 batters and struck out 84, the Twins had seen enough and released him in June 2005. Meek hooked on with the Padres and eventually moved on to the Pirates where he made his big league debut on 4/2/2008 in his sixth year of professional baseball. In 2010 he made the NL All-Star team. Meek is currently in the Rangers organization.

2002 – Kyle Phillips was drafted in the 1oth round as a C out of high school but was released by Minnesota in April 2006. Phillips caught on with the Brewers but they too released him and he joined the Blue Jays and made his major league debut on 9/14/2009 in his eighth season of pro ball. In total, Phillips played in 5 games for the Blue Jays in 2009 and 36 games for the Padres in 2011 and is no longer in baseball.

2001 – Joe Mauer was drafted in the first round and first overall as a C out of Cretin-Derham Hall High School and debuted with the Twins on 4/5/2004 in his fourth year of professional baseball. Mauer has appeared in 866 games for the Twins. Mauer has been a league MVP and 5 time All-Star.

2001 – Jose Morales was drafted in the third round as a SS out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 9/8/2007 in his seventh year of professional baseball. The Twins converted Morales in to a catcher in 2003. Morales appeared in 96 games for Minnesota before being traded to the Rockies after the 2010 season. After leaving Colorado, Morales was in the Pirates organization for a while but is not currently affiliated with a major league team.

2001 – Nick Blackburn was drafted in the 29th round as an RHP out of a junior college and debuted with the Twins on 9/3/2007 in his sixth year of professional baseball. Blackburn has pitched in 145 games for the Twins, mostly as a starter. Blackburn is currently rehabbing an injury and is not currently on the Twins 40 man roster.

2001 – Kevin Cameron was drafted in the 13th round as a RHP after 4 years of college and claimed by the Padres in December 2006 as a Rule 5 draftee. Wolfe made his big league debut on 4/5/2007 with the Padres in his seventh year of professional baseball. Cameron’s big league career lasted 69 games from 2007-2009.

2000 – Adam Johnson was drafted in the 1st round and second overall as a RHP after 4 years of college and debuted with the Twins on 7/16/2001 in his second year of professional baseball. Johnson appeared in 9 games for the Twins between 2001 and 2003 and was released by Minnesota after the 2004 season. Johnson played for the Arizona and Oakland organizations but never again reached the big leagues and was out of pro ball after 2006.

2000 – J. D. Durbin was drafted in the 2nd round as a RHP out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 9/8/2004 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Durbin pitched in 4 games for Minnesota before being picked up by the Diamondbacks on waivers in March 2007 where he appeared in one game. Durbin then became a waiver claim of the Red Sox but never appeared in a game there before he was again waived and picked up by the Phillies where he pitched in 18 games. 2007 was the last time that Durbin spent time in the big leagues. Durbin then spent time with the Dodgers organization, played in Mexico, Japan and several independent leagues and was once again signed by the Red Sox this past spring before again being released.

2000 – Jason Miller was drafted in the 4th round as a LHP out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 5/26/2007 in his eighth year of professional baseball. Miller appeared in just 4 games with the Twins and was out of baseball after the 2008 season.

2000 – Josh Rabe was drafted in the 11th round as an outfielder out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 7/17/2006 in his seventh year of professional baseball. Rabe appeared in a total of 38 games as a Twins and was granted free agency after the 2007 season. Played some independent ball in 2008 and then left baseball in his rear view mirror.

2000 – Jason Kubel was drafted in the 12th round as an outfielder out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 8/31/2004 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Kubel played in Minnesota through the 2011 season appearing in 753 games before leaving via free agency after the 2011 season and signing with Arizona where he is still playing today.

1999 – Rob Bowen was drafted in the 2nd round (Expos took Brian Phillips one pick later and the Pirates selected Ryan Doumit 3 picks later) as a catcher out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 9/1/2003 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Bowen appeared in just 43 games before moving on to play for the Padres, Cubs and A’s during his 5 big league seasons and 216 big league games.

1999 – Justin Morneau was drafted in the 3rd round as a catcher out of high school and debuted with the Twins on 6/10/2003 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Morneau was converted to full-time 1B duties in 2001. Morneau has been a league MVP and four-time All-Star and has appeared in almost 1,200 games for Minnesota.

1999 – Travis Bowyer was drafted in the 20th round as a RHP out of a high school and debuted with the Twins on 9/10/2005 in his seventh year of professional baseball. Bowyer pitched in 8 games for Minnesota and in December 2005 was traded to the Marlins for 2B Luis Castillo. Bowyer never pitched for the Marlins and was actually out of baseball for 7 seasons before surfacing with an independent league in 2012.

1999 – Willie Eyre was drafted in the 23rd round as a RHP out of a junior college and debuted with the Twins on 4/6/2006 in his eighth year of professional baseball. Eyre appeared in 42 games for the Twins in 2006 and was granted free agency after the season ended. Eyre went on to pitch for the Rangers and the Orioles.

1999 – Terry Tiffee was drafted in the 26th round as a 1B out of a junior college and debuted with the Twins on 9/1/2004 in his fifth year of professional baseball. Tiffee appeared in 91 games for the Twins between 2004-2006 and in 6 games for the Dodgers in 2008 but has been in the minors ever since.

1999 – Brian Wolfe was drafted in the 6th round as a RHP out of high school and released by Minnesota in May 2005. Wolfe was with the Brewers and Blue Jays organizations and debuted with the Blue Jays on 5/30/2007 in his ninth year of professional baseball. Wolfe’s big league career lasted just 72 games but Wolfe has pitched in Japan since 2010.

1998 – Kevin Frederick was drafted in the 34th round as a RHP after 4 years of college and made his big league debut with the Twins on July 15, 2002 in his fifth year of pro ball. Frederick appeared in 8 games for Minnesota before being waived and claimed by the Blue Jays in March 2003 where he appeared in 22 games but that proved to be the end of the line as far as Frederick’s big league career was concerned.

1998 – Tommy Watkins was drafted in the 38th round as a SS out of high school and made his big league debut with the Twins on August 10, 2007 in his tenth year of pro ball. Watkins appeared in just 9 games for the Twins and moved in to the Twins minor league coaching ranks after the 2009 season.

1998 – Saul Rivera was drafted in the 9th round as a RHP after 4 years of college and waived by the Twins in November 2001 and picked up by the Mets. Rivera debuted with the Nationals on May 25, 2006 in his ninth year of pro ball. Rivera pitched in a total of 249 big league games for the Nats and Diamondbacks between 2006-2010. Out of baseball today.

1998 – Juan Padilla was drafted in the 24th round as a RHP after 4 years of college and traded by the Twins to the Yankees as the PTBNL when the Twins acquired Jesse Orosco in September 2003. Padilla made his big league debut with the Yankees on July 16, 2004 in his seventh year of pro ball. Padilla appeared in 42 major league games between the Yankees, Reds and Mets.

Where do Twins players come from?

I mentioned earlier that the perception is that the Twins draft and groom the majority of their players. Let’s take a look at the players that most people today would consider the Twins top prospects. I will not include anyone here who has made his major league debut with the Twins and I will list the players in no particular order. Let’s take a look to see how the Twins acquired these up-and-coming stars. It just goes to show that the amateur free agent draft in June is not the only way to acquire talented young players.

3B – Miguel Sano – signed as an amateur free agent

OF – Byron Buxton – 1st round draft pick in 2012

P – Alex Meyer – acquired in a trade

P – Kyle Gibson – 1st round draft pick in 2009

P – Trevor May – acquired in a trade

2B – Eddie Rosario – 4th round draft pick in 2010

P – Jose Berrios – 1st round draft pick in 2012

OF – Max Kepler – signed as an amateur free agent in 2009

SS – Daniel Santana – signed as an amateur free agent in 2007

There are many ways to make up a 25 man major league roster, here is how the current 2013 Twins roster was assembled. On the position side, six players were drafted, four were signed as free agents, one was signed as an amateur free agent, one was acquired via a trade and one was picked up on the waiver wire. On the pitching side, four were signed as free agents, three were drafted, two joined the team via a trade, two were Rule 5 selections, and one was acquired via the waiver wire. The Twins line has always been that you grow the majority of your own players and you sign a few free agents to fill some holes. This years roster does not necessarily hold dear to that principal, maybe that is why the Twins will struggle to reach the .500 mark this season.

New draft strategy?

Maybe Terry Ryan and the Twins should change their draft strategy. All the so called draft experts out there are clamoring for the Twins to use their early picks on pitching help and don’t get me wrong, the Twins need good pitching. However; with the Twins poor history of drafting pitchers, maybe they should quit spending their high draft picks on pitchers and focus on drafting position players and then either put them in their line-up or trade them for proven pitching. You need to go with your organizations strength and the Twins scouts seem to find good hitting but pitching, not so much. Then you use Terry Ryan’s trading expertise to swap hitting for pitching. Then again, is the June amateur draft much different then the Powerball tickets I just bought? I spent my money knowing the odds were long but the carrot for the huge payoff was out there but this time I walked away empty handed. Fortunately, each of my Powerball tickets cost $2 and not several million dollars like a number 1 pick will probably cost the Twins. But you can bet your bippy I will try it again.

Looking back at April

The Twins finished April with an 11-12 mark playing at a .478 winning clip and in the middle of the pack in the Central Division, 3 games behind the division leading Detroit Tigers and just barely ahead of the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox. Everyone would like to see the Twins doing better but when you compare this teams play to expectations going into 2013 you can’t help but be pleasantly surprised. Before the season began I thought that if this team could put up a 74-88 (.457%) mark and improve 8 games over last season I would be satisfied that the team was making progress. The Twins have played most of their April games in questionable weather and you could argue this worked against them but then again you know that the other team was playing in that same weather so that is a wash. The Twins have played 13 of their first 20 games at home and they are slightly above .500 at Target Field at 7-6.

Although I have not yet seen a single game in person at Target Field this year, I have pretty much watched every game on TV from beginning to end. Here are my perceptions of how the Twins have played in April.

Wilkin Ramirez – (B) – has filled the difficult extra outfielder and pinch-hitter bench role well and is hitting .381.

Eduardo Escobar – (A-) – this switch-hitting utility man has already played at SS, 2B, 3B and in LF and is hitting .378 with a home run in 37 at bats. An easy player to like who makes you wonder if he could be good enough to man a regular spot in the Twins middle infield some day.

Jimmy Carroll – (B-) – the Twins forgotten man most of April but he does whatever is asked of him and almost acts like another coach out there for the Twins younger players.

Joe Mauer – (C+) – endured a long hitless streak late in the month but has played almost every day. Not sure exactly what, but something about Mauer just doesn’t look right to me this year. He is not as solid behind the plate this season and he strikes out way more than he has in the past. Almost looks like he is trying to show more power at the expense of average.

Justin Morneau – (C-) – hitting .253 with 2 home runs and 11 RBI’s. Very disappointing showing so far, Morneau used to be a solid RBI guy but that trait seems to have deserted him the last couple of years. We are watching a shell of what Morneau once was.

Pedro Florimon – (C+) – Playing as I would expect him to in his first full year at short. He and Dozier have shown they play well together. Florimon let’s some easy plays get away at times but for the most part has been solid at short. Hitting has been adequate but I was hoping to see more stolen bases from him and he is just starting to run in the last few games.

Josh Willingham – (C+) – Twins top power guy is doing what the Twins pay him to do and is hitting .250 with a team leading 13 RBI. The Hammer is also on pace to get on base 90-100 times via walks. A liability in LF but the Twins will keep sending him out there for his power. Would be nice to see Willingham get hot before the trading deadline because rest assured he will be moved to make room for Oswaldo Arcia sooner than later.

Brian Dozier – (C) – hitting better since he was moved to the lead-off role to replace Aaron Hicks and playing well at 2B. Dozier is hitting only .243 and he is a better hitter then what he has shown so far.

Trevor Plouffe – (D-) – continues to show that he can not hit big league pitching consistently nor can he play 3B. Then again he has shown he can’t play SS, 2B, or the OF either. Gardy can say what he wants to the press but he knows that Plouffe is not the Twins 3B. Things will change here soon. Problem is the Twins have no one to play here while they wait for Miguel Sano.

Oswaldo Arcia – (C ) – This power hitting lefty will make Twins fans forget trading Willingham in no time. Not a solid outfielder but then again Willingham isn’t either and Arcia is only 21 and will be a Twins fixture for years to come. Watch this guy get better every game.

Darin Mastroianni – (D) – has only 9 at bats due to injuries. This utility outfielder is a much better than what he has shown so far this year but he sure seems to get dinged up a lot.

Chris Parmelee (C) – has been disappointing so far and I expect Parmelee to turn it around soon. Parmelee is no speedster but he is a better outfielder then I expected and he finally notched his first home run of the season, maybe that will get him going.

Ryan Doumit – (C-) – disappointing start to 2013, no other way to say it. Doumit has to start producing with the bat.

Aaron Hicks – (D) – The only reason I gave him a D versus an F is his outfield play. I like Hicks and he will be a very good player but he seems in over his head right now. With no one else to play center the Twins keep sending him out there day after day but Joe Benson is starting to show signs of life so we will see how long the Twins patience lasts with Hicks. There is no shame in going back to the minors after a tough start in the big leagues, happens to almost every player. Needs to show his speed more frequently when he does get on base.

Jared Burton – (A) – the man has a 0.96 ERA with 12 KO’s and 2 walks in his 8th inning role, you can’t ask for more.

Josh Roenicke – (B) – Nice addition (stolen from the Rockies) to the relief staff giving up only 9 hits in 12 innings.

Ryan Pressly – (B) – When your Rule 5 selection sticks and has a 1.69 EA in 10+ innings in April you have to pat yourself on the back Mr. Ryan.

Anthony Swarzak – (B) – Got a late start due to his rib issues but has pitched well so far, hope he can keep it up.

Brian Duensing – (B) – doing fine in his current role but it just seems like they could get more out of this lefty then what they do.

Kevin Correia – (A+) – No one had a better month of April then Kevin Correia did. That said, most everyone knows that it is unlikely that Correia can continue pitching like he has without a few speed bumps but you have to enjoy what he is doing with the smoke and mirrors in his pitching arsenal. Keep it up Kevin, you are definitely my Twins player of the month.

Pedro Hernandez – (B-) – the mark may be a little high for this recently recalled Twin but he does what Gardy asks of him and in his two starts he has kept his team in the game.

Casey Fien – (C+) – always looks angry when he is pitching and he shows his emotion, I like that. Fien probably deserves a better mark then what I gave him but he had one real bad outing in early April when he gave up 4 earned runs and these grades are for the month of April. But look at his numbers in 2012, a 0.97 WHIP and this year his WHIP is 0.90 in spite of his bad outing, those are amazing stats.

Glen Perkins – (B) – the Twins closer shuts the door when he is called upon to save the game. The only runs he has given up have been in non-save situations.

Scott Diamond – (B) – another late starter due to surgery in the off-season but he is getting better with each start and there is no Twins starter currently on the team that I have more faith in keeping his team in the game than Diamond.

Vance Worley – (D) – is in my eyes the biggest disappointment on the team. He gives up so many runs in the first and second inning that the Twins are always playing from behind when he pitches. 46 hits in 28.2 innings with 9 walks tells you all you need to know how Worley has pitched. I’m tired of hearing too that “the pitches are coming out of my hand good”, all I care about Mr. Worley is what you put in the “W” column, the one that has a huge goose egg in it now.

Mike Pelfrey – (F) – I know he is coming off TJ surgery but the man says he is ready to pitch and yet he gives up 19 earned in his last four starts. This is unacceptable and one more bad start should cause him to give up his starting spot. Let’s see how long a leash that Pelfrey has.

In the end it is all about winning games and so far the Twins have put 11 in the win column in April. They are playing better than they have in two years and they are more fun to watch but the bottom line for judging any baseball team is how many games they win. There are no moral victories in baseball. When I look at the Twins hitting as a whole in April, I give them a “C” and when I grade the Twins pitching I come up with a “B-” for an overall team grade of “C+”. Just a month of baseball is a short time to judge anybody so I don’t lose sleep over these grades one way or another but yet there are some trends that are beginning to develop, some good, some not so much. Let’s see what May brings the Twins and their fans.

How important are 30 or more starts in a season from each starting pitcher?

The Twins and Terry Ryan have put in a lot of time this off-season to try to round up some pitchers that they can put in the starting rotation so that manager Gardenhire can hopefully call on each of them to start 30-35 games each. That will be no easy task as last season the team leader in pitching starts was Scott Diamond with 27 and he didn’t even join the starting rotation until May 8th.

If you look back through franchise history you will find that the great Hall of Fame pitcher Walter (The Big Train) Johnson pitched for the Wasinhton Senators for 21 seasons from 1907-1927 and he started 666 games, that is an average of 31.71 starts each year for 21 years. He set the the franchise games started in a season record with 42 in 1910. Twins lefty Jim Kaat equalled that mark of 42 starts in the Twins 1965 AL Championship season and followed that up with 41 starts in 1966 making him the only pitcher in franchise history to have back-to-back 40+ starts seasons.

I thought it would be interesting to review the Gardenhire era from 2002 through 2012 to see how many pitchers he has had that have started 30 or more games in a season for the Twins.

2002 – Rick Reed and Kyle Lohse

2003 – Brad Radke, Kyle Lohse, Kenny Rogers, Joe Mays (and Rick Reed chipped in 27 starts)

2004 – Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Brad Radke, and Kyle Lohse

2005 – Johan Santana and Brad Radke

2006 – Johan Santana and Carlos Silva

2007 – Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, and Boof Bonser

2008 – Nick Blackburn

2009 – Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker

2010 – Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano

2011 – Carl Pavano

2012 – None, Scott Diamond led the pack with 27

In this 11 year time frame the Twins have had 12 different pitchers provide 30 or more starts in a single season and only three of them were actually drafted by the Twins, the rest were acquired in another manner. Radke was an 8th round pick in 1991, Blackburn was a 29th round pick in 2001, and Scott Baker was a 2nd round pick in 2003.

Chart showing numbers of pitchers with 30 or more starts

(Central Division champs marked with an *)

YEAR	Twins	Tigers	Indians	WSox	Royals	Totals
2002	2*	2	1	3	2	10
2003	4*	2	1	4	1	12
2004	4*	4	3	2	1	14
2005	2	3	5	4*	2	16
2006	2*	4	3	5	0	14
2007	3	2	3*	4	1	13
2008	1	2	1	4*	3	11
2009	2*	3	0	3	1	9
2010	2*	2	1	3	2	10
2011	1	4*	2	2	2	11
2012	0	3*	2	1	2	8
Totals	23	31	22	35	17	128

How big a deal is it to get 30 or more starts out of your starting pitchers? I will let you be the judge of that but the chart seems to indicate that the numbers of pitchers you have starting on a consistent basis will determine where you finish in the standings. The Twins seem to buck the trend a bit as they are the only team to win the Central Division title with fewer than 3 starters taking the mound 30 or more times and they did it 3 times with just 2 starters taking the mound 30 or more times.

All this research made me curious as to who the Twins pitchers were over the years with the most starts in a Minnesota Twins uniform and here is what I dug up. There have only been 14 Twins pitchers that have toed the pitching rubber in the first inning in a Twins uniform 150 or more times. Some of these pitchers may have started a number of games in different uniforms including the Washington Senators prior to becoming the Twins but I am only looking for starts while wearing “Minnesota” on their chest. Of these 14 pitchers, only six (Blyleven, Viola, Goltz, Baker, Erickson, and Boswell) were actually drafted by the Minnesota Twins. The only pitcher on the list to spend his entire career as a Minnesota Twin? Brad Radke.

	Pitcher	# of starts	Years Pitched	Avg. # of starts per season
1.	Jim Kaat	422	1961-1973	32.46
2.	Brad Radke	377	1995-2006	31.42
3.	Bert Blyleven	345	1970-1976 & 1985-1988	31.36
4.	Frank Viola	259	1982-1989	32.38
5.	Jim Perry	249	1963-1972	24.90
6.	Dave Goltz	215	1972-1979	26.88
7.	Kevin Tapani	180	1989-1995	25.71
8.	Camilo Pascual	179	1961-1966	29.83
9.	Johan Santana	175	2000-2007	21.88
10.	Eric Milton	165	1998-2003	27.50
11.	Scot Baker	159	2005-2011	22.71
12.	Scott Erickson	153	1990-1995	25.50
13.	Kyle Lohse	152	2001-2006	25.33
14.	Dave Boswell	150	1964-1970	21.43

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.

Twins active but lots of work remains to be done

It has been awhile since my last post but web site hosting issues have caused me a lot of extra work and taken me away from more fun activities like keeping up with the MLB Winter meetings and the changing Twins roster.

With the recent trades of former first round pick (2002) outfielder Denard Span to the Washington Nationals for 2011 Nats first round pick RHP Alex Meyer and just a few days later sending another former Twins first round pick (2007) outfielder Ben Revere to the Phillies for RHP’s Vance Worley and Trevor May the Twins and GM Terry Ryan have held true to their word that changes were coming and that they were going to snag as many pitchers as they could. These trades should also clear up any confusion that some Twins fans may still have had that the Twins were going to be “reload” and try to become a playoff team once again after suffering through two dismal seasons. The Twins are in a full-scale rebuilding mode but not the kind of rebuilding mode that we may have seen from the Twins in the past. In the past they would get rid of all their high salaried players and start from scratch but that is a much harder sell now days with the Twins just having moved into their new digs at Target Field in 2010. The Twins aren’t stupid, they know they can’t afford to totally alienate their fan base that they have built up with a with a new ballpark and a nice run since 2002 but they also know that they let their starting pitching fall into disrepair the last few years and in the process have lost 90+ games two years in a row. The team grew stale, changes were few and far between on the player, coaching and management sides and their “smoke and mirrors” approach to their pitching staff caught up with the team so quickly it seemed to catch the entire Twins organization off guard.

The Twins are not a huge market team but they can not plead poverty as they have in the past. The team has a decent fan base, a relatively new ballpark and ownership that has money to spend but I am not sure that they are willing to spend it. The Twins like to brag that they are one of the top organizations in baseball but when it comes to taking out their wallet to bring in some high-priced talent the team claims it is not all about the money. I understand if they can’t put Zack Greinke in a Twins uniform but I can’t get a handle on why you can’t get Joe Blanton for example if the Angels can get him for 2 years for $15 million. This team has just two starting pitchers going into 2013 and I surely don’t grasp why the team would supposedly make an offer to Francisco Liriano after his history with the team between 2005-2012. I think Terry Ryan is a very good GM but I sure don’t know what his logic is for this move. At least throw us a bone Mr. Pohlad, give us some new blood and something to at least give us some hope instead of having us pay to watch that same old crap. I understand loyalty but you can only keep hitting your head against the same old wall for so long before someone shows up to haul you away in a white coat. Show us some loyalty and a reason why we should pay big league prices to watch the Twins in 2013.

This Twins team has more holes than my fishing net but I still love baseball and every year teams come for nowhere to play winning baseball and I can only hope that the Twins will do so sooner than later. There are still serviceable pitchers out there on the FA market and I hope that Jim Pohlad lets Dave St. Peter and Terry Ryan know that his checkbook is there and he is willing to carack it open long enough to sign at least one if not two more starting pitchers. It all starts at the top. The recent splash the Twins have made in the trade market should be just the beginning of what the Twins need to do to become competitive again and not the final chapter.

Josh Hamilton is still a free agent and if Texas doesn’t resign him they could use a power hitting outfielder and if I were the Twins I would be happy to send Josh Willingham to Texas for a shortstop like Jurickson Barthelomeus Profar that could fill that shortstop hole at Target Field for many years to come. The Twins recently announced that they had signed 35-year-old pitcher Jason Lane who played the outfield for the Astros and Padres from 2002-2007 and turned to pitching in 2009. The team also signed 1B/C Jeff Clement who has played in the big leagues with the Mariner and the Pirates for parts of 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012 and hit .218 in 385 at bats. Why in %#@* do you spend the money on players like this? You don’t win with quantity, you win with quality, I am not sure the Twins look at it that way.

In the recent major league portion of the Rule 5 draft the Twins selected 23 year-old RHP Ryan Pressly from the Boston Red Sox. After starting since 2008 Pressly was turned into a reliever late in 2012 and pitched well in that role in the AFL over the last month or so.

It is still early in December and the 2013 season is several months away but the Twins brain trust needs to keep their nose to the grindstone if this team is going to break their two-year death grip on last place. If I was Ron Gardenhire, the way things looks right now, I would be signing on to the PC and updating my resume.

Twins Rule 5 draft history

The 2012 MLB Winter Meetings are just around the corner and will take place in Nashville, Tennesse December 3-6. Once you look past the trades and free agent signings you will see that one of the items on the agenda during these meetings is the annual Rule 5 draft. A lot of baseball fans get excited about this draft but a true gem is hard to find.

The Rule 5 draft has been around for many many years and the rules have changed several times over the years. The cost of drafting a player has been $50K since 1985, from 1958 to 1984 the price was $25K. Any player that is drafted must stay with his new teams 25 man roster during the entire season. Prior to sometime in the 1980’s (I can’t determine the exact year) the team only had to keep a Rule 5 draft pick on the roster for 90 days. There are also rules in place to prevent teams from stashing these Rule 5 picks on the disabled list. In order to send a player to the minors during that first season, the Rule 5 draftee must be offered back to his original club for $25K and if that clubs refuses to take him back, then that team no longer keeps his rights and Rule 5 obligations cease. In todays game it is not unusual for a drafting team to want to keep the player but not on their major league 25 man roster so they work out a trade with the players original team and then the player Rule 5 status is eliminated and he is considered to be traded and the drafting team can do with the player whatever they wish.

From 1959 to 1969 there was also a second draft called the Rule 5 “First Year Player” Draft that allowed teams to select players who had completed one year and were not yet on the club’s 40 man roster.

Later in this article you can review the entire list of Rule 5 draft picks of the Minnesota Twins going back to 1960 but first let’s sum up the Rule 5 draft since 1960 as far as the Twins are concerned. For our purposes here I will only look at regular Rule 5 picks and ignore Rule 5 picks chosen under the “First Year Player” draft portion.

From 1960-2011 which is a span of 53 years, the Twins have selected 40 players under the Rule 5 draft umbrella.
The team has made no Rule 5 selection in 20 of the 53 years (38% of the time).
21 (53%) players of the 40 selected players stayed on the roster the following season but that is kind of a deceiving stat since most of this occurred early in Twins history. 19 of the 21 actually played at least one game in a Twins uniform, two (Paul Gibson and Dave Moore) never did.
13 (33%) of the 40 selected players have simply been returned.
The Twins made a deal to keep the selected player in 4 (10%) of the 40 picks and all of those occurred fairly recently, Scott Diamond in 2010, Jason Jones in 2008, Alejandro Machado in 2006, and Johan Santana in 1999. Only Diamnond and Santana actually played for the Twins.
One player (LHP Keith Garagozzo) was kept for about 2 months and then returned.
One player (SS Jose Morban) was lost on waivers.

If you look at the Rule 5 draft for the years of 1986-2011, a span of 26 years when Andy MacPhail, Bill Smith, and Terry Ryan have sat in the GM’s chair, there were no Rule 5 selections 9 times or 35% of the time. Of the 17 selections that were made, only outfielder Shane Mack in 1989 and LHP Gary Wayne in 1988 were kept on the roster all season. In four instances, LHP Scott Diamond in 2010, RHP Jason Jones in 2008, Alejandro Machado in 2006, and LHP Johan Santana in 1999 the Twins worked out a trade to keep the player but only two of the four actually played for the Twins, Diamond and Santana. Technically Johan Santana isn’t a true Twins Rule 5 pick since they actually picked Jared Camp in 1999 and then traded him to the Florida Marlins for Johan Santana and cash. If you look at the positions selected in the 1986-2011 timeframe you will find the Twins selecting a RHP 6 times, a LHP 4 times, an OF 4 times and a shortstop on 3 occassions.

If I ranked the top 5 Twins Rule 5 selections I would rank them in this order, number 1 would be LHP Johan Santana even though he was not actually selected by Minnesota. Second I would go with OF Shane Mack, in third place I have RHP Doug Corbett for his record as a Twins closer and the fact that the Twins then included him in a trade that brought in Tom Brunansky. Fourth I have 1B/OF and PH Rich Reese. I have LHP Scott Diamond as number 5 right now but he could move up the list depending on how his career progresses. I think the biggest star that the Twins lost over the years in the Rule 5 draft was OF Reggie Smith when the Boston Red Sox stole him in 1963. Smith was actually signed by the Twins in June of 1963 as a shortstop and went on to have a great 17 year career with the Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers and Giants. The best Rule 5 draft selection ever has to be HOF outfielder Roberto Clemente whom the Pittsburgh Pirates picked in 1954 from the Brooklyn Dodgers. There are some pretty good Rule 5 picks playing today like Jose Bautista with the Blue Jays, free agent Josh Hamilton, free agent Joakim Soria, Dan Uggla of the Braves, free agent Shane Victorino, and the Nats Jayson Werth.

Twins historical Rule 5 picks

UPDATE – 2013 – The Twins made no selctions in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft.

UPDATE – 2012 – The Twins who had the fourth selection have selected RHP Ryan Pressly from the Boston Red Sox.

2011 – Twins picked second and took RHP Terry Doyle from the Chicago White Sox but returned him to the White Sox organization. I think he pitched in Japan in 2012.

2010 – Twins had the 12th pick and took LHP Scott Diamond from the Atlanta Braves. The Twins then worked out a trade (Billy Bullock) with Atlanta to keep him. Diamond pitched in 7 games for the Twins in 2011 going 1-5 before spending most of 2012 in Minnesota going 12-9 and was the teams best starting pitcher.

2009 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

2008 – Twins picked number 14 and took RHP Jason Jones from the New York Yankees. Twins sent Charles Nolte to the Yankees to keep Jones but they kept him for only one season and now neither Jones or Nolte is in pro ball.

2007 – Twins made no selections but lost RHP Tim Lahey (who the Twins drafted as a catcher in 2004) who was chosen number 1 by Tampa Bay who then traded him to the Chicago Cubs who then waived him and the Phillies picked him up on waivers and had him on their roster for a week or so but Lahey saw no game action and was returned to Minnesota but never got above AAA again and is out of baseball. The Seattle Mariners took RHP R.A. Dickey from the Twins with the 12th pick and eventually worked out a trade to keep Dickey by sending Jair Fernandez to Minnesota. Dickey again became a free agent after 2008 resigning with Minnesota where he pitched in 2009 before again becoming a free agent and signing with the Mets and pitching there 2010-2012 and this past season he won the NL Cy Young award. The Twins ended up losing outfielder Garrett Guzman to the Washington Nationals with the 16th pick and the Nationals ended up making some kind of an unknown deal to keep Guzman but he never reached the big leagues.

2006 – The Twins picked 15th and took infielder Alejandro Machado from the Nationals and worked out some kind of a trade to keep him and he was in the minor league system for a couple of years but never again reached the majors after playing 10 games for the Red Sox in 2005. The Twins lost RHP Kevin Cameron to the San Diego Padres with pick 13 and Cameron spent 2007 and part of 2008 with the Padres and part of 2009 in Oakland and then left baseball. The Washington Nationals took Levale Speigner from the Twins with the 17th pick and then returned him in June and then a couple of days later worked out a trade with Minnesota giving up outfielder Darnell McDonald.

2005 – The Twins drafted outfielder Jason Pridie from Tampa with the 9th pick but returned him to Tampa. Then in 2007 the Twins reacquired him in the Matt Garza for Delmon Young trade in November 2007. Pridie played in 10 games with Minnesota in 2008 and 1 game in 2009.

2004 – The Twins had the 9th pick and selected RHP Ryan Rowland-Smith from the Seattle Mariners but returned him in March 2005. The Arizona Diamondbacks had the first pick and chose RHP Angel Garcia from the Twins organization but returned him and Gracia never pitched in the big leagues.

2003 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

2002 – The Twins had the 15th pick and chose shortstop Jose Morban from the Texas Rangers. The Rangers apparently did not want Morban back so the Twins tried to slip him through waivers but the Baltimore Orioles claimed him in March 2003 and kept him on the roster all season. Morban played a total of 61 big league games for the Orioles in 2003 and never appeared in the majors again.

2001 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

2000 – Twins used the number 2 selection to take RHP Brandon Knight from the New York Yankees but then returned him in March 2001. Knight appeared in 11 games for the Yankees in 2001-2002 and in 4 games for the Mets in 2008.

1999 – The Twins had the first pick and selected RHP Jared Camp from the Cleveland Indians and the Florida Marlins chose second and took LHP Johan Santana from the Houston Astros organization. That same day the Twins traded Camp to the Marlins for Johan Santana and cash. I guess the Twins thought they could make a few bucks by taking Camp and flipping him for Santana. Camp never appeared in a big league game and we all know the Johan Santana history after spending all of 2000 with Minnesota and appearing in 30 games.

1998 – The Twins selected number 5 and took shortstop Joey Espada from the Oakland A’s organization but returned him and Espada never made a big league roster as a player. The White Sox had pick 9 and took RHP Walker Chapman from Minnesota but returned him and Walker never even got a sniff of the bigs.

1997 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1996 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1995 – The Twins used their first pick to select RHP Joe Jacobsen from the LA Dodgers organization but returned him and Jacobsen never appeared in a major league game. The Orioles used the 11th pick to select outfielder Kimera Bartee from Minnesota but then tried to slip him through waivers and lost him to the Detroit Tigers who kept him on the roster in 2006.

1994 – The Twins selected 12th and selected outfielder Brian Kowitz from the Braves organization but returned him. Kowitz appeared in a total of 10 big league games all for Atlanta.

1993 – The Twins have the 6th pick and use it to select LHP Keith Garagozzo from the Yankee system and keep him for about a month in 1994 during which time he pitches 9.1 innings in 7 games and gives up 10 earned runs on 9 hits to go along with 13 walks and the Twins send him back to the Yankees. Garagozzo never spends another day in the big leagues.

1992 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins but lose RHP Kerry Taylor when the San Diego Padres take him with the 8th pick. Taylor spends the 1993 season with San Diego and pitches in 1 game for the Padres in 1994 before being sent down and never returns to the big leagues.

1991 – The Twins select 10th and take RHP Jesse Cross from the Toronto Blue Jays but end up returning him and Cross never makes it to the big leagues.

1990 – The Twins have the first selection and use it to acquire outfielder Pat Howell from the New York Mets but then return him and Howell ends up playing 32 games for the Mets in 1992. In a tit for tat move the Mets then select LHP Doug Simons from the Twins and keep him on the roster all of 1991 before trading him to the Expos where he appeared in only 7 more big league games.

1989 – The Twins use their 5th pick to select outfielder Shane Mack from the San Diego Padres and he goes on to play for the Twins for the next five years including the 1991 World Championship team. Mack ends up having a nice 9 year MLB career.

1988 – The Twins use the 10th pick to select LHP Gary Wayne from the Montreal Expos and Wayne sticks with the Twins from 1989-1992 before spending his final 2 big league seasons in Colorado and the Dodgers.

1987 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1986 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1985 – The Twins pick last (in the 9 hole) and select RHP Tom Burns from the New York Mets but end up sending him back to the Mets.

1984 – The Twins select 7th and take catcher Mark Salas from the St. Louis Cardinals and end up keeping him in 1985-1986 and part of 1987 before trading him to the Yankees in 1987 for Joe Niekro. Salas ends up with an 8 year career in the majors. The Tigers pick 11th and take outfielder Jim Weaver from the Twins organization and keep him for almost 2 months before returning him. Weaver spends parts of 3 different seasons in the bigs with 3 different teams.

1983 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1982 – The Twins pick in the 2 hole and take Detroit Tigers LHP Paul Gibson and the Twins some how end up keeping him in the minors for 2 seasons before he is declared a free agent and resigns with the Tigers. Gibson never pitches for the Twins but spends all or part of 8 seasons pitching in the major leagues for 3 different teams.

1981 – The Twins take the third player chosen RHP Paul Boris from the New York Yankees and return him on April 2, 1982 but on April 10th they acquire Paul Boris, Ron Davis, and Greg Gagne from the Yankees and part ways with Roy Smalley. Boris appeared in 23 games for the Twins in 1982 and that was the sum total of his big league career.

1980 – The Twins selected two players that year and they took RHP Don Cooper from the Yankee organization with the number 8 pick and he spent the season with Minnesota going 1-5 with a 4.30 ERA. In 58.2 innings Cooper allowed 61 hits, 32 walks and he struck out 33. Cooper pitched briefly for the Twins in 1982, the Blue Jays in 1983, and the Yankees in 1985. Cooper has been the Chicago White Sox pitching coach since 2002. With the 15th pick the Twins selected LHP Jack O’Connor from the Montreal Expos organization and he pitched for the Twins from 1981-1984 and during that period he was 13-14 with a 4.99 ERA in 318.2 inning walking 163 and striking out 177.

1979 – There were 10 players chosen in the Rule 5 draft this year and the Twins took three of them. With the 4th pick they chose infielder Guy Sularz from the San Francisco Giants but returned him before the season started. Sularz spent time with the GIants from 1980-1983. The Twins selected RHP Dave Moore with the 9th overall pick from the Cincinnati Reds and must have worked out some kind of a deal with the Reds because Moore spent the 1980 season with AAA Toledo but moved on after that never reaching the majors. With the last pick, number 10 overall the Twins selected RHP Doug Corbett from the Reds and Corbett was actually a decent reliever for the Twins from 1980-1982 saving 43 games and posting a 2.49 ERA before being traded to the Angels as part of the Tom Brunansky acquisition. In 1982 Corbett led the league in pitching appearances with 54.

1978 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1977 – With the third overall selection the Twins chose RHP John Sutton from the St. Louis Cardinals. Sutton appeared in 17 games for the Twins in 1978 and never again pitched in a big league game.

1976 – With the sixth pick the Twins took outfielder Rich Chiles from the Houston Astros who spent the 1977-1978 seasons in Minnesota in a utility role. Chiles previously had brief big league appearances with the Astros in 71, 72 and 76 and with the Mets in 73.

1975 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1974 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1973 – With the fifth overall pick the Twins selected shortstop Sergio Ferrer from the Dodger organization. Ferrer played sparingly for the Twins in 1974 and again in 1975 before being traded. Ferrer played briefly for the Mets in 78 and 79.

1972 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1971 – The Twins made no Rule 5 selections this year but lost outfielder Brant Alyea when the Oakland A’s took him with the 9th pick. Alyea had big league experience with the Washington Senators in 1965, 1968, 1969 and the Twins in 1970 and 1971. Alyea played a few games for the A’s and Cardinals in 1972.

1970 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1969 – The Twins had the number 7 pick and selected RHP Hal Haydel from the San Francisco Giants and Haydel pitched in 4 games for the Twins in 1970 and in 31 games in 1971 and that was the sum total of his big league career. An interesting footnote is that Haydel is the only Twins pitcher to hit a home run (his one and only) in his first big league game. Haydel also hit a double in his first big league plate appearance. With the 19th and last pick the Giants then selected catcher Mike Sadek from the Twins. I am not sure what transpired here but the Giants kept Sadek but he did not play for them until 1973 and again from 1975-1981.

1968 – The Twins did not select any players but they did lose RHP Moe Ogier whom the LA Angels selected with the fourth overall pick. Ogier never reached the big leagues.

1967 – With the 4th overall pick the Twins selected catcher Bruce Look from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Look appeared in 59 games in 1968. The Twins also picked fifth and took outfielder Jim Holt from the Oakland A’s. Holt played for Minnesota off and on from 1968-1974 before the Twins traded him back to Oakland. The Twins lost outfielder Sandy Valdespino when the Atlanta Braves selected him with the 10th overall pick. Valdespino had played for Minnesota from 1965-1967. The Twins also lost RHP Bob Castiglione when the Atlanta Braves chose him second overall in the “First Year Rule” portion of the draft. Castiglione never reached the majors.

1966 – The Twins lost shortstop Orlando Martinez to the Atlanta Braves when they selected him 6th overall. Martinez had previously played in 37 games for Minnesota back in 1962. Martinez had a 6 year big league career as a utility player for six different teams in 1962, and 1967-1972. The Twins only selection was in the “First Year Rule” portion of the draft when they selected infielder Greg Werdick who never got above AA ball and was probably returned by the Twins since I can’t find him appearing in any minor league games for the Twins either.

1965 – No rule 5 selections for the Twins

1964 – The Twins neither acquired nor lost any players in the regular portion of the draft but in the “First Year Rule” part of the draft they acquired shortstop Jim Jenkins from the Dodgers, shortstop Dennis Reeve from the Cardinals, 2B Ron Theobald from the Cubs, 2B Lewis Nelson from the Houston Col 45’s, and 2B Leonard Boryca from the Red Sox. From this group of infielders, only Theobald reached the majors when he played for the Milwaukee Brewers in 1971-1972. In this same portion of the draft the Twins lost RHP Pete Magrini to the Red Sox and he appeared in 3 games there in 1966. They lost shortstop Thomas Dix to the White Sox but he never got to the big leagues. They lost RHP Daryl Farnsworth to the Cleveland Indians who also never attained major league ball. The Twins lost LHP Fred Scherman to the Detroit Tigers and he had an 8 year big league career with three different teams from 1969-1976. The Twins lost LHP John French to the LA Angels but French never got above “A” ball. The Twins also lost outfielder Gary Cortopassi to the Cubs, RHP Edward Hill to the Reds, RHP Jerry Lyscio to the Colt 45’s, and catcher Joe Beck to the Atlanta Braves but none of these guys had a sniff of the big leagues.

1963 – With the 7th selection the Twins chose 33 year-old RHP Bill Fischer from the Kansas City A’s. Fischer had 8 seasons of big league experience by the time Twins selected with this pick and he pitched in just 9 games for Minnesota in 1964. One of the teams that Fischer had previously pitched for was the Washington Senators. While pitching for the Kansas City A’s, Fischer went almost 2 months and 84.1 innings without issuing a base on balls, a record that still stands today. In the “First Year Rule” part of the draft the Twins selected infielder Bill Bethea from the Cardinals and he played in 10 games for the Twins and that was the sum toal of his big league career. The Twins then selected infielder Jim Glover from the Tigers organization who then spent the next 8 years in the Twins system but never achieved big league status. Their next choice was LHP Jim Ollom who pitched in Minnesota in 66-67. Their final selection was 1B/OF Jeff Talbott but he left baseball after a couple of seasons never getting above “A” ball. In this same part of the draft the Twins lost Reggie Smith to the Red Sox. Smith actually started out as a shortstop with the Twins but the Red Sox moved him to the outfield. Smith went on to become a seven time All-Star who had a wonderful 17 year career. Smith is probably the best player the Twins have ever lost in the Rule 5 draft. The next player the Twins lost in this same draft was LHP Rudy May to the Chicago White Sox who ended up winning 152 big league games over 16 seasons with the Angels, Yankees, Expos and Orioles. May was in the Twins, White Sox and Phillies organizations before making his major league debut with the Angels. The Twins lost 2B John Donaldson to the Kansas City A’s and he went on to have a 6 year major league career with the A’s in Kansas City and Oakland and with the Seattle Pilots. The Twins also lost RHP Larry Bohannon to the Colt 45’s but he never pitched in the majors. The New York Mets selected LHP Rob Gardner from the Twins and he pitched in the majors for all or parts of 8 years while winning a total of 14 games.

1962 – In 62 there were actually three Rule 5 drafts, the regular one and two “First Year Rule” drafts, one for players signed prior to December 3, 1961 and one for players signed after that date. In the normal Rule 5 the Twins selected 1B Charlie Keller Jr. with the 4th selection from the New York Yankees. Keller Jr. never amounted to anything and was returned. In Part I of the “First year Rule” draft the Twins took LHP Marvin Mecklenburg from the Cradinals but he never attained the major leagues. The Twins also selected 1B/OF Rich Reese from the Detroit Tigers and Reese had a nice 10 year big league run, nine years in a Twins uni. In the second portion of the “First Year Rule” draft the Twins selected RHP Wyatt Ross and LHP Richard Taaffe both from the Pirates but neither got above “A” ball. In the same portion of the draft the Twins lost outfielder Roger Sorenson to the Orioles but he too never played in the majors.

1961 – The Twins selected 3B George Banks from the Yankees and he played for the Twins briefly from 1962-1964. The Twins selected 2B John Goryl from the Dodgers and Goryl played a utility role for Minnesota from 1962-1964. Goryl also served as the Twins manager in 1980 and 1981. The Twins selected RHP Georges Maranda from the San Francisco Giants and he went 1-3 for the Twins in 1962. The Twins also took RHP Bruce Swango from the Yankees but he never reached the major leagues.

1960 – After playing as the Washington Senators in 1960 the team moved and became the Minnesota Twins and in the 1960 Rile 5 draft they took catcher Ron Henry from the Milwaukee Braves and he played in Minnesota briefly in 1961 and again in 1964. The Twins also selected LHP Gerry Arrigo who had a nice 10 year big league career and spent all or part of 1961-1964 with the Twins. The Twins also took LHP Gary Dotter from the Cardinals and he pitched in a total of 7 games for the Twins in 1961, and 1963-1964 and that was his entire big league career and his record was 0-0. The only player the Twins lost was RHP Jack Baldschun to the Phillies where he pitched from 1961-1965 before moving on to the Reds in 1966 and 1967 and the Padres in 1969 and 1970.

Tag: Terry Ryan

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Twins Rule 5 draft history

Twins historical Rule 5 picks

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Twins historical Rule 5 picks

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