Minnesota Twins Organization News

[WSU Tony]

Post all news and events about the Twins organization here....

Link to old thread.

[nicksaviking]

Plenty of teams have begun signing their draft picks; I haven't heard of one the Twins have inked. Anyone hear any news about the new batch? It'd be nice to see some of them hit the rookie ball fields this summer.

[catman]

The Twins have signed several of their draft picks, including Boer. Boer is closing games for E'Ton.
They have signed 18 picks, so far.

[nicksaviking]

That's good to see. Unfortunately I also now see that Miguel Sano has 7 errors in 10 games at 3B. Already moved from SS. Is 1B going to be his true destination?

[catman]

That's what Baseball America thinks. They have him listed as the probable 1B in 2014.

[nicksaviking]

Ha, well that's interesting considering Morneau's contract is up after 2013.

[Baldyy]

Boer's pitching well to start off his minor league career. 1-0, 3.1 IP, 0ER, 2 SV, 7K, 0BB, all while only giving up 1 hit.

[SiteWolf]

How close are Hicks, Waldrop, and Gibson?

I ask because it could have some bearing on possible trades upcoming.

We don't have much for middle infield help that's anywhere near ML ready, do we...

re Sano, I thought I read his size alone would push him to 1B..similar to Miguel Cabrera

[nicksaviking]

How close are Hicks, Waldrop, and Gibson?

I ask because it could have some bearing on possible trades upcoming.

We don't have much for middle infield help that's anywhere near ML ready, do we...

re Sano, I thought I read his size alone would push him to 1B..similar to Miguel Cabrera

Waldrop started out slowly this year but has pitched pretty well recently. He's not a strikeout pitcher, just your typical pitch-to-contact "Twinball" righty. Normally he would be a good choice for a callup, but with Slama, Hacker, Manship, James and Slowey on the 40-man roster and all with MLB experience, I can't see the Twins sacraficing someone from the roster to call him up.

Gibson was a popular bet to be the first pitcher called up this year, but he won't be going into the pen and the rotation has been very good. Even if someone goes down (Baker has just left the game with an elbow strain) Swarzak will surely get the first look. Gibson started off decently in Rochester, but has recently struggled. His control has not been as good as we should expect and he has been hit hard. He gave up 5 earned runs in 5 innings last start.

Most people think Hicks is two years away at the most optomistic; he's still in A ball. His K rate has dropped this year and if that continues to trend downward he may be a very strong OBP player as he takes a lot of walks. The discouraging thing about Hicks is that his power is not developing as expected. Average to below-average power doesn't mean he can't be an All-Star caliber player, but with 2/3 of next years expected outfield (Span and Revere) likely to combine for single digit homerun totals, you'd like to see the other guy at 25+ HR.

I don't know if Sano's size will stop him from playing 3B, but his defense surely will. He has 10 errors in 15 games. It could be a mirage as he is just barely 18-years old, but as Catman mentioned earlier, BA has said he is likely destined for 1B. His power may be legit however, and no one can shrug at a power hitting firstbaseman. We've all seen what a bat like Justin Morneau can do for a lineup.

[SiteWolf]

I guess what I was meaning was....not that those guys were necessarily near ready for a call-up....just whether people above them are more available for a trade because of the value of these guys

re Sano- the 'problem' is he's only 18...which means he's not done growing

[Mike Oxlong]

Denard Span (concussion) told Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune via text message that he has been cleared to begin a minor league rehab assignment.
The date and the location isn't yet known, but it should happen relatively soon. Span is expected to rehab for 7-10 days in the minor leagues, which puts him on pace to return during a series against the Tigers from July 21-24. This might be a good time to stash him in mixed leagues. Jul 13, 12:43 PM
Source: Joe Christensen on Twitter

http://rotoworld.com/player/mlb/653/denard-span

[VikingsWin2869]

Good News.

[catman]

Great news. Hope everything goes well for him. He'll help a lot if he's back to form.

[SiteWolf]

so what off the field issues was involved in determining Steve Singleton's release?

and why is Scott Diamond starting tomorrow instead of Kyle Gibson?

[nicksaviking]

Who ever they called up was going to be sent right down. The Twins probably didn't want to start the clock on Gibson's his first year salary and waste an option on him for one start. Also he has looked pretty bad recently, he does not look ready at all.

I am curious why Slowey isn't being called up to pitch though. It would be a good opportunity for the Twins to showcase him for a trade. They have not been shy in their desire to do so.