Podcasting About the Rock Cats

One of the best things about being a Twins fan is the community of Twins bloggers. On any given day, even during the off-season, there is no shortage of excellent, independent, well researched, Twins-related content that we, as Twins fans, are fortunate to have access to. And in more recent years, the online community has expanded to include podcasting.

Over the weekend, I was lucky to have the opportunity to join Cody Christie, from NoDak Twins Fan, and Eric Rolf Pleiss, who writes at Knuckleballs Blog, to talk about the Rock Cats season. We discussed the roster, predict the season, and talk about a few players to keep your eye on this season.

Please listen to/download the podcast here. I come on at about the 30 minute mark. Cody and Eric (and Paul, who is currently serving our country at sea with the United States Coast Guard) do a great job with podcast, and they deserve our support/downloads! Thanks, guys for having me on, and keep up the great work!

2013 Rock Cats Annual Welcome Home Dinner: Who is Jason Christian???

This was my second year attending the Rock Cats' Annual Welcome Home Dinner. The players attend this function shortly after arriving in Connecticut. In fact, some don't even have housing or vehicles arranged yet! It's truly a crazy time of year for these guys. Last year, I had the good fortune of sitting with Twins' top prospect Alex Wimmers at this charity event that raises funds for the Connecticut Children's Medical Center. Wimmers was kind, funny, and excited about 2012. Looking back, of course, 2012 was indeed a forgotten year for Wimmers, who is now rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. I'd like to think that I wasn't a bad omen for Wimmers. I'd also like to think that he can fool those who no longer consider him a solid prospect.

Rock Cats players, including MN's own Nate Hanson (red),
and Daniel Rohlfing (blue), awaiting introductions.

Back to 2013. I thoroughly enjoyed this event, which was held for the first time at Hawk's Landing Country Club. The food was very good -- standard banquet fare, with an inexpensive cash bar. As always, the guys were great about signing autographs, especially for kids that were very excited to see real, professional baseball players.
The player seated at our table this year was a gentleman I had never heard of: Jason Christian. I bet you probably haven't heard of him either. Originally a 5th round draft pick of the Athletics in 2008, Christian has bounced around the A's, Reds and Braves organizations, peaking at the AA level, before signing as a minor league free agent with the Twins in 2013. The lanky infielder, who will be 26 in June, prefers shortstop. He got in a couple of the major league games toward the end of Spring Training.

A top prospect Jason Christian is not. In fact, he's probably happy to be playing professional baseball for at least one more season. Speaking with Jason, a true class act, was a great reminder that, for every Miguel Sano or Aaron Hicks, there are HUNDREDS of Jason Christians trying to live out their dream against the odds. But hey, if there's one position of need in the Twins' organization, aside from starting pitching, it's quality infielders. Stranger things have happened. Recently.

I'll write more about the 2013 Rock Cats soon, but I think this could be a very interesting team. What they lost in terms of offense (Aaron Hicks, Chris Herrmann, Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Colabello) might be mitigated by the presence of excellent pitching prospects Trevor May and Alex Meyer. Additionally, I'm excited to watch Danny Santana, and firmly believe that there are going to be more than a couple pleasant surprises this season in terms of player development.

Jason Christian with the Kane County Cougars in 2010. Credit: Paul R. Gierhart

Aaron Hicks, Public Relations & the Centerfield Job

Terry Ryan announced all the way back in December that that there was an open competition for the starting centerfield job. Darin Mastroianni, Joe Benson and Aaron Hicks were the contenders. Essentially, now it is a 2-man competition, with Joe Benson struggling out of the gate. In fairness to Benson, he was injured most of 2012, and probably was rustier than the other two. As of this writing, Hicks has a .306/.352./.633 line with 4 home runs, 4 doubles, 4 walks, 13 RBIs, 3 stolen bases and 14 Ks in 49 at-bats. Mastro has a .400/.448./.560 line with 4 doubles, 3 walks, 6 stolen bases (1 caught stealing) and 3 Ks in 25 at-bats.

On paper, perhaps, this looks like a real competition. The reality, however, is that Hicks already has won. He won by coming out of the gates and demonstrating that 2012 -- his season of emergence as the legitimate prospect we all were waiting to see -- was not a fluke. He won by hitting 3 home runs in a game. He won by showing that his defense was major-league ready (not that Masto is any slouch!). He won by living up to the hype, and the pressure, that Terry Ryan created. He may be slowing now that the caliber of the pitching competition has increased. But make no mistake: Aaron Hicks has already won.

Mastro is, best case, a placeholder. Not to imply that he couldn't occupy centerfield for a season or two and do a -- serviceable -- job. But I don't think it should come as a shocking statement to suggest that he's not a legitimate, full-time centerfield option for most teams. Hicks, on the other hand, could -- should -- develop into a solid centerfielder.

2013 is turning into another lost season, not because of what actually looks to be a decent offense, but because of (again) another below-average pitching staff. Vance Worley is likely the opening day starting pitcher. Cole De Vries and Liam Hendriks will see time in the rotation. Kevin Correia has already been getting shellacked. And this leads me to the other reason why Hicks has won: public perception -- promises. Right now, Twins fans need something to hope for. Miguel Sano is still, best case scenario, a full year away from the bigs. Our new pitching prospects look good, but aren't yet ready for Target Field. Justin Morneau may be on his way out, either during the season as part of a trade, or as a free agent next winter. Long story short, Twins fans need something about which to be excited. After the announcement of the centerfield "competition," and Hicks' performance, fans have just that: something to be legitimately excited about.

For Terry Ryan to announce a competition, to state in no uncertain terms that service time issues will not come into consideration, and then to award the job to the "runner up," would be a disastrous PR move for the Twins. More than that, it would be a slap in the face. This fan base has suffered enough, and as I previously have suggested, I firmly believe that the front office has not been as upfront as it should have been with respect to this organization's short-term future. Luckily, Ryan's very public statements, and Hicks' very solid play, have made the centerfield decision, in my opinion, academic. If Hicks continues his solid play (yes, I admit he has slowed down), there is no reason he shouldn't be patrolling centerfield when the Twins open up the season. Anything less, at this point, is a further disservice to this fan base, whose patience has been, and continues to be, tested.

An Open Letter from the Twins Front Office

It's been a tough 2+ years to be a Twins fan. Not just the losses, but, in my opinion, the lack of candid statements from the front office about the future of the organization. I expect accountability and honesty from family/friends, from my local/state/federal government, and from businesses that I financially support. The Twins have let me down. In fact, the Twins have let all of us down.

This post is a little late coming, but maybe that's for the best. Now, we known for sure that there is no ace pitcher coming, no All-Star middle infielder on the way, and that this team will go into 2013 with a payroll of between $80-$85 million. Of course, that's well down from 2010-2012 numbers. We now know that the Twins are rebuilding, as opposed to re-tooling. We now know it's going to be a years long -- as opposed to months long -- process. What frustrates me is the lack of public disclosure of this fact from the front office. Are we supposed to buy the notion that two years of Kevin Corriea is going to turn this ship around??? Yes, Terry Ryan and Dave St. Peter certainly have made statements implying that it's going to be a longer process, but in my opinion, that falls well short of what Twins fans deserve. What follows is what I, as the President of the Twins, would have published as an open letter to Twins Territory.

Dear Twins Territory,

It's been a difficult past two seasons. When you lose 90+ games in consecutive years, especially after a sustained run of success, it becomes apparent that changes -- changes in management, changes in player development, changes in the way business is done -- need to be made.

After evaluating the Twins organization from top to bottom, it became apparent that a "quick fix" was not going to turn the organization around. In other words, signing 2-3 "top flight" free agents, including one "ace" pitcher, wasn't going to turn this 90-loss team into a 90-win team. Sure, it may have made the Twins a more competitive team in 2013 and 2014, but there was no indication that this was a problem that could be fixed by spending a quick $30 million on free agents -- and importantly, such signings wouldn't have helped this organization for the long-run. Accordingly, the decision has been made to re-build over the course of a couple of years, as opposed to re-tool over the course of a couple of months.

We understand that, as Twins fans, you have come to expect playoff caliber baseball year in and year out, and we apologize for the product on the field in 2011 and 2012. Although there were good moments and memories along the way, the past two seasons do not represent what we believe "Twins Baseball" means.

The purpose of this letter is to tell our fans that, in order to get back to a sustained period of winning baseball, the Twins organization is rebuilding. We have every confidence that, by making shrewd business decisions, including trading some veterans for exciting prospects, stocking up on talent through the amateur draft, and continuing to develop our own players, this organization can be turned around. Unfortunately, this is not an overnight fix. It is possible -- likely, perhaps -- that the next season or two may be difficult at times. It's possible -- likely, perhaps -- that the 2013 Twins may not find themselves in the playoff hunt in September.

In exchange for a present that may, at times, be trying, we at the Twins offer an exciting future. A future built around Joe Mauer and a growing list of baseball's best prospects, including Miguel Sano, Aaron Hicks, and Oswaldo Arcia. Instead of trying to convince you, our fans, that this upcoming season will be one for the record books, we want to be 100 percent honest and forthcoming. As our fans -- whose ticket purchases at Target Field pay our players' salaries, who gladly wear #7 jerseys all around the upper Midwest, and who closely watch the development in our farm system -- you deserve honesty. And you deserve a quality baseball club that, for many years to come, will be a force not only in the American League Central, but in all of Major League Baseball. We are working tirelessly to provide that club for you.

Thank you for your continued support.

Andrew Walter
President, Minnesota Twins Baseball Club

Random Thoughts

1. I have a new job. It requires a lot more work, time, and brain space than the old job did. As a result, I haven't posted here in a few months. And honestly, I don't feel like I've missed that much. As far as I can tell, there was no blockbuster signing, no stud free agent starting pitcher who's now a member of the Twins, and it looks like the Twins will go into 2013 with a payroll between $80-$85 million. So they won't be competing this season.

2. I'm not sold on Chris Parmelee. Sure, there might be many reasons to trade Justin Morneau at some point this season. I'm a fan. He's my favorite player on the Twins, and I don't want to see him leave. Ideally (in my world), he stay another couple seasons past 2013, when the Twins again are competitive. But again, there are likely financial reasons why it might make sense to trade him, and I get it. In my opinion, though, Chris Parmelee is not a reason for the Twins to get rid of Morneau. People are still sold on Parmelee's 2011 September call-up. Yes, he was pretty fantastic. And yes, he was great at AAA last season. But something tells me that he's no heir-apparent to first base for the Twins. Additionally, people forget how great -- and underrated -- of a defender Morneau became. Parmelee is not by any means awful in the field, but he's no Morneau defensively.

3. I will not pay to watch a Twins team that has Darin Mastroianni as its starting center fielder. No offense to Mastroianni. I met him last year at a Rock Cats event, and he's a stand-up, fan friendly guy. But he is no more than a 4th outfielder on a major league team. Further, if this team truly is rebuilding (which it is, notwithstanding the relative silence of the front office on that issue), it makes a lot more sense in my mind to hand the job to Joe Benson or Aaron Hicks, whoever performs better in Spring Training. Let these legitimate prospects figure out the big leagues in a season when it doesn't matter, so that they will be ready to compete when the Twins will be.

4. This might be a tough season for the Rock Cats. It's unlikely that Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Chris Herrmann, and perhaps Chris Colabello, will be returning to New Britain. That's the bulk of the 2012 Rock Cats offense. And pitcher BJ Hermsen is likely headed to Rochester. The best offensive talent in the farm system (Miguel Sano, Eddie Roasrio, etc.), still has some time to go before they are ready for AA, so it could be rough offensively for New Britain.

Looking Ahead: Future Pitching Rotations and a "Forgotten" Prospect

Alex Wimmers: Let's Not Forget About Him

EDIT: The Twins have traded Ben Revere to the Phillies in exchange for starter Vance Worley and a pitching prospect, Trevor May. Worley is generally considered a #3 starter, and is also going to be under team control. May, 23, was rated Baseball America's 69th best prospect pre-2012. So already my post is obsolete. Add both of these guys to the mix, and congratulate Terry Ryan on a job well done (in my opinion).

It's no secret now that the Twins are essentially punting in 2013. It's disappointing. I felt it coming months ago (as did many of you). Make no mistake -- I'm not fine with it by any means. But I more or less accept it (or I'm just mentally tired of being angry about it), provided that this organization is willing to spend next season at this time to bring this team back into contention. Honestly, it's simply too draining to continue yelling at the organization to spend more money where there is not much hope of it happening.

It's also no secret that pitching seems to win championships, or at the very least, goes a long way toward getting a team into the playoffs. And of course, it's starting pitching that the Twins lack now. The Denard Span for Alex Meyer trade is -- potentially -- a big step toward helping shore up a future rotation. With that in mind, I want to take a quick look at who could comprise the Twins' rotation in 2014 or 2015, and what will be left to purchase on the open market.

Scott Diamond. Let's hope he continues to prove that he can be a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher. Let's hope that he can improve with more experience. He would be affordable and under team control in 2014 and 2015.

Liam Hendriks/Sam Deduno: I hope one of these two players pans out as a #4 or #5 type starter. Something a little better than an "innings-eater." For the sake of this post, I'm just going to guess that one, but not both, will become a permanent starter. Again, both will be under team control and inexpensive in 2014 and 2015.

Alex Meyer: The Twins would not have made the Span trade if they did not believe that Meyer was a top-shelf prospect. I've read that he projects as a #2 or #3 pitcher. That's great. He can also throw 100 miles per hour. Accordingly, he becomes the organization's best pitching prospect. If he can stay healthy and successful and reach the majors in 2014, that is excellent. He, too, will be cheap for the next several years.

Kyle Gibson: What will 2013 bring for Gibson? In my view, a spot in the Twins' rotation is his to lose. Expectations should be low in 2013. So what if he has a little trouble adjusting to the majors? Let him get it out of his system in 2013, so that he's a better, more experienced pitcher in subsequent years, when wins will matter. Gibson is also cheap in 2014 and 2015.

And the player about whom not to forget: Alex Wimmers. I'm disappointed that he's apparently being written off by some Twins fans. Yes, he has had his share of mental (control) and physical (Tommy John) issues. So what? None of that really matters if he now has the ability to stay mentally and physically healthy. He also profiled as (probably) a #3 starter, maybe a #2 at his ceiling. He is older -- just having turned 24 last month -- so as long as he is healthy and dominant, the Twins will have no reason to hold him back in terms of development and advancement (but, of course, they would be prudent to limit his innings in his first season back after surgery). Even though Wimmers' anticipated debut was significantly delayed as a result of his surgery, he still could join the Twins' some time in 2014.

As I see it -- trying to be somewhat optimistic, but also realistic -- this organization has a few #3-type pitchers, a #2 pitcher in Meyer, and the possibility of #4 and #5 starters, all of whom could make close to league minimum in 2014 and 2015. Given these possibilities, acquiring an "ace" type pitcher for 2014, or even 2 very dominant and experienced pitchers, is absolutely doable, and affordable. And let's not forget J.R. Berrios. Because he is so new to the system, and to professional baseball, I didn't even mention him in this post as an option for 2014 or 2015. But he was successful in his first half-season of pro ball, so let's hope that he keeps it up and pushes for a spot -- whether he sticks as a starter or becomes a dominant reliever -- sooner, rather than later!

Yes, anything can happen. Diamond could prove to be a flash in the pan. Hendricks may never establish himself as a viable starter, and Deduno may never be able to sufficiently control that fastball. But for as much bad luck as the Twins have had the last couple years, just having 1 of those 3 pitchers turn into a reliable starter, and having Meyer and Wimmers reach close to their potential -- as they should be expected to -- and the 2014 or 2015 Twins' rotation, primarily composed of homegrown pitchers with hopefully a couple expensive studs, doesn't look too bad.

2012 Rock Cats Memories: Throwing a Ceremonial First Pitch; Meeting Terry Ryan



Steely Determination

 This past spring, when I attended the Rock Cats' annual welcome home dinner, where I was seated with (a pre-Tommy John) Alex Wimmers, I purchased $5 worth of raffle tickets and won the opportunity to throw a ceremonial first pitch before a Rock Cats game. I was pretty happy with the prize -- certainly better, and more unique, than a signed team ball or free game tickets.

I scheduled my pitch for a game in August for which I already had purchased tickets. When the day arrived, I have to admit that I was a little nervous. I have played in a softball league for a couple years now, but throwing a baseball is different, of course. I pitched in high school, too, but that was half a lifetime ago for me. Mostly, I was worried about two things: bouncing the ball and possibly causing injury to the player catching it; and throwing it wildly to the backstop.

You probably won't be surprised to hear that there are about 5-10 first pitches before a game now. Between charitable partners, season ticket holders, and drawing winners like me, there was quite a line that night. One nice thing -- the stadium was only about half full due to a late-arriving crowd. When my turn came (I was last in line, I believe, and was slightly intimidated follow a 10 year old kid who hurled a perfect strike), I decided to go with accuracy over velocity. After they called my name, I stepped up to the mound and, with a two-seam grip, was able to "fire" a strike to the catcher (who, I believe, is usually the most recent AA call-up). Just like that, it was over. No embarrassment; no Rock Cats player writhing on the ground; no popped shoulder joint. With these pictures, I'm hoping that TwinsDaily's Parker Hageman can analyze my arm action and recommend some areas for improvement (thanks in advance, Parker!).


Look at the follow-through



That same evening, Terry Ryan happened to be in town. This was a couple weeks before the end of the Rock Cats' season, and the possibility of September call-ups. Make no mistake -- Ryan was hard at work, closely charting pitchers all night while conversing with either a member of his own staff, or someone from the Rock Cats. On my way out of the stadium, I decided to say hi to Ryan. He couldn't have been nicer, especially after learning that I am a Minnesota native. We talked briefly about a few players, most notably Chris Herrmann, of whom Ryan stated, "he has plenty of bat to be a major league catcher." Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks also came up. Of course I didn't want to take up much of Ryan's time, but he was kind and courteous all evening with fans coming up to say hi, ask for an autograph, or give advice to a MLB general manager. Yet another unique aspect of Twins' minor league baseball.

Thanks to my friend, and Rock Cats season ticket holder, Sean, for the images and the company at New Britain Stadium!

Terry Ryan, pictured here trying to sign me to a MiLB
contract after watching me throw a ceremonial first pitch
strike. "Sweet Lord, we need arms," he said.

Chad Allen Joins (Rejoins?) the Rock Cats



Chad Allen, flying through the air at the Dome

 Chad Allen. There's a blast from the past. He played for the Twins from 1999-2001, and thereafter with the Indians, Marlins and Rangers until 2005. In his career, he posted a .269/.321/.389 slash line and manned all outfield positions, though was primarily a corner outfielder. He was also named in the Mitchell Report.

Coming up through the Twins' system, Allen played 30 games for the Rock Cats in 1997, and a full season of 137 games in 1998, batting .252 and .262, respectively. Allen rejoins the Rock Cats for the 2013 season as their new hitting coach. Here's the press release. It was somewhat interesting to me that this is Allen's first job in the Twins' organization, and his first season as a hitting coach, anywhere.

I'm very interested in the 2013 Rock Cats roster. Will one of Oswaldo Arcia or Aaron Hicks start in AA, or will they both be promoted (keep in mind that, although Arcia dominated, he's only played 69 games at the AA level)? Will Alex Meyer start the season at AA, or do the Twins feel more comfortable with his development if he gets in a couple months at High-A? Finally, there's Chris Colabello. He is deserving of a promotion and an opportunity to hit against AAA pitching. Will he get that chance, or will he never be considered more than AA depth?

In any event, congratulations to Allen on the beginning of a coaching career. He was never a great player, and was never a great hitter, which is interesting given his new job. But then again, many of the best coaches were marginal full-timers or off-the-bench guys. As the saying goes, "those who can, do, and those who can't, teach."

Getting Left Behind



Bleak: The outlook for the weather, and probably
for the Twins in 2013

 I've had a tough time posting lately. There is no real Rock Cats news, and quite frankly, it's difficult to be optimistic about the 2013 Twins. Instead of generating negative Twins content, I had decided to just keep my mouth shut for a while. That proved a difficult task when, in back-to-back days, Scott Baker left for the Cubs and a little extra money, and the Marlins and Blue Jays completed a blockbuster trade the likes of which many Twins fans can only dream about.

Although I have been quiet on the posting front, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading JC at Knuckleballs lately. In fact, I am in such agreement with his content that it seemed unnecessary to write on those topics that he so wonderfully covered. But today, I want to piggyback on his piece from Monday opining about the Twins, their management, the payroll, and the fact that money can help solve problems. I commented on his blog about the Twins' perceived success at developing MLB outfielders, but their comparative failures at developing pitching and middle infielders, and how the success in the one area should be utilized -- one way or the other -- to fill the holes in the other. 

Over the past several years, we’ve been blessed (more or less) with the ability to field a competitive outfield without having to pay a guy $20 million/year to play center field. Kirby, Torii, Denard, and even Ben Revere have done well in that position and never completely broke the bank. And when a guy like Hunter reached free agency and decided to leave for greener pastures, there was at least someone ready to take his place, even if there was a dropoff in talent. In other words, we haven’t had to grossly overpay for outfielders, and by and large, they have been good and affordable ballplayers. And it’s a trend that I think will continue in coming years with guys like Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks, (hopefully) Joe Benson, and perhaps Miguel Sano if he is unable to make it at third base. It's something that makes comparatively expensive players like Denard Span and Josh Willingham unnecessary at some point in 2013 or 2014. Make no mistake: our outfield "problem" is a nice problem to have.

But what do you do when you consistently cannot develop MLB average or above-average talent at a position? You have to pay market price, whatever that currently is, or you have to trade away prospects that you highly value in order to make up that deficit — if you want to be competitive, that is.
With the Twins, of course, it’s the inability to develop starting pitchers that is extremely problematic (and middle infielders, too, but to a somewhat lesser extent). It hurts as a Twins fan to think that we could have a cost-controlled outfield for the next few years, but that ownership is seemingly unwilling to spend some of that financial surplus on starting pitching.

Yes, we’re hardly into the offseason, and I hope that I’m wrong. But I am a little nervous that Joe Blanton is going to be our prized starting pitching pick-up this winter. It hurt to see Scott Baker walk away over an extra million (or so) and a 2014 option upon which the Twins were insisting -- even if, as many believe, the contract was too much guaranteed money for a guy coming off of Tommy John surgery. It hurt to see the Blue Jays trade away a few good prospects for some major leaguers that instantly made that Toronto club an AL East contender. It hurts that, if the season started today, Kyle Gibson would be our #2 starter. It hurts that this team needs 3 starting pitchers who can miss bats, and it hurts that I believe that we wouldn't even enter a free agency hunt for a guy like Zack Greinke, who would help this team both immediately and for years to come. It hurts that the Twins haven't publicly stated that they need to be more aggressive on the free agent pitching market than they ever have been. Finally, it hurts that Twins fans are likely going to have to deal with another season, or two or three, of losing baseball, while management is unable to admit that either: 1) a more complete rebuild is necessary and prudent; or 2) tens of millions of dollars need to be sunk into the pitching staff and the middle infield this winter in order to field an AL Central competitor.

Again: Yes, it's early in the off-season. The Twins don't play their first Spring Training game until the end of February. There is plenty of time for deals to be made to make this team more competitive for 2013 -- and more importantly -- competitive for 2014 and beyond. But right now I can't help but feeling that the Twins, and their fans, are on the verge of getting left behind.