Kuzul

The Twins can’t sell beer at Target Field anymore this season. Why? Because they lost the opener!

That joke is admittedly juvenile, but what the heck. In April you can joke a little bit about a 4-2 loss. In life you need to laugh, especially if your life is a baseball season. Baseball is a marathon of 162 games; if you can’t kick back and joke or relax, you’re going to drive yourself insane.

It’s not good practice to totally hinge opinion on one game, but that’s exactly what we’re going to do. Despite the Twins losing their Opening Day contest to the division rival Detroit Tigers, there were a handful of positives and a huge negative to break down.

Vance Worley Bounced Back

As the game got rolling, Twins fans’ hearts sunk to the bottom of their stomach. The optimism of a brand new season came crashing to reality when newly acquired Vance Worley gave up a run to the third batter he faced in a Twins uniform.

Worley started the game by giving up hits to Austin Jackson and Torii Hunter, before Jackson was sent home on a Miguel Cabrera fielder’s choice. Then after a wild pitch sent Cabrera to second and a Prince Fielder double scored Cabrera, the Tigers were up two runs before some fans even got their frozen bodies into the seats at Target Field.

In the Tigers’ portion of the second inning they got another run across the board on an Omar Infante single, but after that Vance Worley settled in.

What looked initially to be a long afternoon for Vance Worley quickly turned into a quality start for the former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher. After that, Worley only gave up three hits in a nice six innings of work.

Worley left the game after six innings, giving up eight hits, one walk, three strikeouts and only giving up those three early runs.

There was some initial fear that Worley would struggle after not having a strong spring, but after the initial butterflies got out of his system he turned in a nice performance. Worley needs to turn in a quality start every time he toes the rubber, if the Twins want to find success in 2013.

Bullpen Impressed

The bullpen may have proved that nobody should even care what happens during the month of March on a baseball field. The bullpen looked rough, to say the least, this spring but the trio that appeared in the game yesterday impressed.

The beautiful thing is that neither Jared Burton nor Glen Perkins was a part of said trio.

After starter Vance Worley’s six innings, Ron Gardenhire handed the ball to Casey Fien who struck out three in 17 pitches for a perfect inning. In the 17 pitches Fien tossed, only four were called as a ball.

The eighth inning started in the hands of Brian Duensing, who found trouble early by giving up a leadoff single to Prince Fielder and walking Victor Martinez. Duensing got an out on an Andy Dirks sacrifice moving the Tiger two up a bag each. Johnny Peralta was then intentionally walked to load the bases and then Duensing came through and struck out Alex Avila. That was the end of Duensing’s day when Gardenhire decided to play matchups and bring in Josh Roenicke.

Roenicke stood on the mound with bases loaded and he uncorked his first pitch as a Twin to the backstop which scored the-not-so-fleet-of-foot Fielder from third. Two pitches later Roenicke did get Omare Infante to pop up to second, but the damage was done. Instead of just a blast to tie the game for the Twins they needed a bloop and a blast.

For Roenicke’s sake he did pitch the ninth and didn’t give up a hit in his whole appearance, making his wild one the only real bad mark on the bullpen’s performance on Monday.

The bullpen finished the day only giving up one hit and two walks (one intentional), which at least for the time being quieting the questions revolving around the bullpen. It should not be looked over that this happened without using the two best guys out of the bullpen.

If the bullpen can make these kind of performance more of the norm and not more of a rarity, assuming the lineup can scratch across more runs, Minnesota’s boys of summer may be a little bit better than advertised.

Mauer Looked Good

Not only did Mauer look good, but he also turned in one heck of a ball game at the plate. Mauer strutted up to the dish five times on Monday and only once did he not get on base.

Mauer, now in the two hole in the lineup, a move that should have been made years ago by manager Ron Gardenhire, will get more at-bats and proved why he should get those on Monday.

In the first inning, Mauer reached on a ball hit to Tigers’ third baseman Miguel Cabrera that he had trouble getting a hold of, resulting in an error. Two innings later Mauer doubled to left off the flame-throwing Justin Verlander. The fifth inning resulted in a four-pitch walk for the St. Paul native and in the seventh inning he knocked a single into left. Only in the eighth inning left something to be desired from a Mauer plate appearance when he flew out to, you guessed it, left field.

Saying Mauer getting on base can only mean good things is an obvious statement to make, but it can literally only result in good things. The top part of the Twins order could be deadly for opposing pitchers: Mauer, Josh Willingham, Justin Morneau, and Ryan Doumit fill the 2-5 spots. If Trevor Plouffe and Chris Parmelee can impress that’s a heck of a middle of the lineup.

Throw in the table setters of Brian Dozier and Aaron Hicks this lineup could look like a real nice, run producing machine.

Plate Discipline

Those runs could really pour in if the Twins continually show the plate discipline they showed on Monday afternoon. The Twins drew six walks, none of which were intentional, from three different Detroit hurlers.

Right fielder Chris Parmelee drew two walks while four others all got one free pass a piece. Everyone in the starting lineup got on base during the course of the game by either drawing a walk or getting themselves in the hit column.

The Twins did make the Tigers pitchers work; the Tiger staff threw 20 more pitches (172) than the Twins staff did (152).

That being said, the Twins batting lineup did send up the big ol’ red flag of the ball game.

Lack of Clutch Hitting

Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland yanked ace Justin Verlander after 91 pitches and five innings of work due to the cold conditions, but the Twins did not take advantage at all.

Verlander wasn’t exactly unhittable, giving up three hits and two walks while striking out seven, but any time you get four innings against the bullpen in a Verlander start you need to take advantage.

The Twins only got four hits the rest of the ballgame which sounds bad in itself, until you learn more about the hitting problems in the 4-2 loss.

The Twins left 12 men on base in the ballgame, which still isn’t the worst stat of the night.

The Twins went 1-9 with runners in scoring position. Willingham, Parmelee and Plouffe all went 0-2 with runners less than 180 feet from crossing home. Pinch hitter Wilkin Ramirez grounded out with runners on second and third in the sixth inning to kill a rally. The only successful Twin was Ryan Doumit with a bases-loaded RBI single in the seventh inning and then the rally died.

After that Doumit single the bases were loaded and one out for Trevor Plouffe in the midst of a 3-2 contest. All that Plouffe had to do was to get a fly ball to the outfield to score Josh Willingham from third, but to no avail. Plouffe became a strikeout victim on the pitching of Drew Smyly.

Next up was Chris Parmelee and he was pretty much a carbon copy of the Plouffe. Parmelee struck out to end the inning and the Twins never got close to a better scoring opportunity in the remaining two innings.

It is widely assumed the Twins hitting is not going to be the issue for the 2013 campaign, but that was not the case on Monday. The script was totally flipped. If the Twins want to win more ballgames than many of the pundits say they are going to, they need to take advantage of those situations.

The Twins were just a mere sacrifice fly away from a brand new ball game, that wouldn’t again feature the former MVP Justin Verlander.

Sitting on a bar stool, tweeting like a darn fool, that’s what I’m a doing today. @CollinKottke

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In 2010, the Minnesota Twins introduced Major League Baseball to Target Field. The new stadium replaced the dump that was the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome as the home for the franchise.

It’s been hard to get a ticket to a Twins game since, as the team ranked 12th in the major leagues in total attendance in 2012, according to ESPN.

The reception for the ballpark has been great, even when the product on the field hasn’t. ESPN Magazine called Target Field the best stadium in North America in their 2010 Ultimate Standings. The stadium dropped to 13th in 2012, but it still has its reputation as one of the best in baseball.

Still, with all of the accolades, some Twins fans have a problem with the crown jewel of downtown Minneapolis:

It’s too cold in April.

Twins fans are beginning to moan as the team has their first season opener at Target Field on Monday because The Weather Channel forecast is calling for a high of 36 degrees with winds approaching 15 miles per hour.

I think Twins fans are missing the point.

They’re Midwesterners.

Whether they are from Minnesota, North Dakota or Iowa, the cold weather shouldn’t affect them when they plan to see the pageantry that is Opening Day for the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins may have a rough season overall, but Monday’s game has a lot to offer.

Aaron Hicks will make his major league debut in center field. The first-round pick in the 2008 MLB Entry Draft has had a slow rise to the top, but he beat out Darin Mastroianni and Joe Benson to show Twins fans what the future could be like with fellow top prospects following his lead.

The Twins will also throw out one of their new starting pitchers in Vance Worley.

While Worley won’t blow anyone away or compete for any Cy Young awards in the near future, he was one of the key moves for the Twins as he came over from Philadelphia in the Ben Revere trade.

Like Hicks, he also represents the future of the ballclub as the team expects him to be a solid mid-rotation starter.

And if optimism doesn’t get everyone racing out to the frigid confines of Target Field, maybe the best pitcher in all of baseball will, as Justin Verlander will take the mound for the Detroit Tigers.

But Twins fans shouldn’t need on-field motivation to come out and see the 2013 season opener.

Other cold-weather cities such as New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh will host Opening Day, and it’s a good bet that none of them are reacting as if there’s a large, shirtless man in the back of the stadium professing his love for Joe Mauer. (That would be pure horror, in case you’re wondering.)

For years, Minnesotans braved frigid temperatures at Met Stadium in Bloomington to watch the Twins and the Minnesota Vikings. Many of them are still here to tell stories about it today, so it’s a good bet that those who do endure the elements on Monday will have a good time.

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Headed into the 2012 season, the Minnesota Twins’ farm system was arguably among the worst in the game.

What a difference a year can make. Entering spring training, the organization houses five top-100 prospects with more on the way.

The team netted two of their top-10 prospects in the first round of the 2012 draft in outfielder Byron Buxton and right-hander Jose Berrios. Furthermore, numerous prospects enjoyed breakout seasons at the plate in Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler.

More importantly, the Twins finally have a few legitimate pitching prospects in recently acquired right-handers Alex Meyer (from the Nationals) and Trevor May (from the Phillies). Furthermore, last year marked the return of former No. 1-pick Kyle Gibson, who missed most of the previous season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Expect all three pitchers to play a crucial role in the team’s starting rotation as early as late 2013.

Here’s a look at the Minnesota Twins’ top-10 prospects headed into spring training.

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The number of Minnesota Twins participating in next month’s World Baseball Classic is now six.

In addition to catcher Joe Mauer (USA), closer Glen Perkins (USA), first baseman Justin Morneau (Canada), and catcher Drew Butera (Italy), pitcher Samuel Duduno and utility infielder Jamey Carroll have been added to WBC rosters. 

RHP Deduno has been added to the pitching staff representing the Dominican Republic. He was 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA for the Twins last season. Deduno, who was left off the 40-man roster last November, could use the WBC as a springboard to audition for the Twins’ pitching staff in 2013.

“He was frustrated when he was taken off the roster because he felt like he’d earned a spot, but he understands,” Paul Kinzer (Deduno‘s agent) told the Minneapolis Star Tribune last November. “He feels like he’s going to come to spring training and earn a spot in the rotation.”

The eleven-year MLB veteran Carroll, who turned 39 yesterday, was added to Team USA as a reserve and would be added to the roster in case of an injury.

Carroll, who began his MLB career with the now-defunct Montreal Expos, had a career-high 537 PA for the 66-96 Twins last season. He made 64 starts at second base, 36 at shortstop and 30 at third base.

The six players will leave spring training on March 3 to head to play for their respective countries in the third WBC.

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Justin Morneau, in the final year of a six-year, $80 million deal that will pay him $19 million this season, will likely be shopped around if the Twins fall out of contention in the AL Central.

The 2006 AL MVP told 1500ESPN.com’s Judd Zulgad that he hopes to remain with the Twins this season, and beyond…but with a hitch. 

“If it looks like there’s a chance we’re going to win, I’d love to stay here. I’ve been here my whole career and this where I hope to be in the future. It’s hard to say otherwise. But sometimes those decisions aren’t yours. So we’ll see. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Morneau also told Zulgad that he was able to go full speed with his offseason workouts and didn’t have to worry as much about his health as he did a year ago when he was coming off multiple surgeries and dealing with the concussion issues that almost forced him to retire.

2013 is going to be a struggle for the Twins, who dealed outfielders Denard Span and Ben Revere for young pitching. They’re hoping the veterans they brought in (Mike Pelfrey and Kevin Correia) can help improve a pitching staff that finished with a 4.77 ERA (second worst in the American League) and was the only MLB team to not record 1000 (943) strikeouts.

Despite that, Morneau has that spring training optimism and hopes the Twins will be buyers instead of sellers come July.

“So until that comes along and it’s proved otherwise, we plan on being a team that’s going to battle and be in it in July and hopefully adding to this team whatever we need.”

The Twins have flirted with the 100-loss mark the last two seasons, losing 99 in 2011 and 96 last year. Minnesota hasn’t lost 100 games in a season since 1982: a young team that featured Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, Frank Viola, Tim Laudner and Tom Brunansky…all in their early 20s and integral cogs of the team that would win the World Series five seasons later.

The Twins also traded fan-favorite Roy Smalley to the New York Yankees for prospects (including Greg Gagne) and drafted Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett with the third overall pick in the MLB Entry Draft.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Morneau plays the part of Smalley this year.

Morneau hit .267 with 19 home runs and 77 RBI in 134 games last season. He was being shopped around the league, and appeared to be on his way to the Los Angeles Dodgers before they made the mega-deal with the Boston Red Sox involving Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and former Twin Nick Punto.

It also doesn’t bode well with Morneau with the Twins are still appearing committed to the 24-year-old Chris Parmelee, who hit .338/.457/.645 with 17 homers in 64 games at Triple-A Rochester last season. Parmelee is expected to be the starting right fielder for the Twins to get big league at-bats until the first base position is vacant, either by trade or Morneau leaving next winter via free agency.

Morneau also says the he and the Twins haven’t talked extension, which is good considering his recent injury history.

“I think from their side and my side they want to see where I’m at. The last few years there have been some difficulties with all the injuries and all that stuff. It’s not something I’m really interested in doing during the season because it can become a distraction. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I’ve never been in this situation before. Obviously a young player you make the team and you try to make it to arbitration and get some stability. And for me, I was locked up after my first year of arbitration. So it’s something I haven’t experienced before but it doesn’t change anything. The goal is still to win.” 

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As we all take our guesses on whether or not the Minnesota Twins will improve on their back-to-back last place finishes in the American League Central, the 2013 Twins already look very different from the team that took the field in 2012.

With another descent to the bottom of the AL Central, there’s reason to believe that the 2014 team will look even more different.

But how different, exactly?

Like most people with their heads screwed on straight, I don’t anticipate much of a “Cinderella” team in Minnesota this year. Rather, I think the time is now to build for 2014 and beyond.

In a division that is getting older, the Twins would be keen to part ways with some of their older cogs if they fall out of contention before the trade deadline.

That means Justin Morneau and Josh Willingham (as well as others) could be on the hot seat soon. 

Assuming the Twins do in fact fail to contend for a third straight campaign, let’s take a look at some possible moves aimed towards building a contender in the near future. Keep in mind that these scenarios are a bit unlikely, but provide a loose blueprint of what the Twins might be looking for come mid-season.

Let the discussion begin.

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The end of the National Football League season means that the sports calendar is about to give way to Major League Baseball.

This is the time of year when baseball fans’ minds start to cut through the clutter of sub-zero temperatures and blowing snow to find green grass, blue skies and warmer climates.

By the time that the last strand of confetti is swept off of the turf of the Super Bowl, optimism springs in the minds of fans across MLB‘s 30 teams, thinking that their team can be this year’s surprise team.

That optimism may be hard to come by for the Minnesota Twins, who are coming off of their second straight season at the bottom of the American League Central standings.

It’s been a cold winter under the watch of Terry Ryan, who has sent both Denard Span and Ben Revere packing while restocking a farm system that desperately needed an overhaul.

That’s good news for the future of the franchise, but 2013 can be a bumpy ride if there’s no help on the horizon.

Despite the doom and gloom that’s surrounding the Twins, there are still several storylines to keep an eye on, as the team heads to Fort Myers for the 22nd time to prepare for the season opener against the Detroit Tigers on April 1.

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Minnesota Twins prospect Alex Meyer has a tall order on his hands as he attempts to climb the ladder for his new team in 2013.

As the prospect sent over from the Washington Nationals in the Denard Span trade, Meyer was the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 MLB June Amateur Draft.

Between Low-A Hagerstown and High-A Potomac, he went 10-6 with a 2.86 earned run average in a performance that will make him a top-100 prospect on many lists this spring.

With Meyer expected to begin the season at Double-A New Britain, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to crack the major league rotation.

However, Meyer will already make an impact in 2013 at the major league level even if he doesn’t debut for the Twins.

Meyer has assumed the position of the top pitching prospect in the Twins’ farm system. For a system that used to be loaded with young talent, Minnesota has fallen on hard times.

The Twins haven’t had a premier pitching prospect race through the system since Matt Garza was selected 25th overall in the 2005 June Amateur Draft and debuted just 14 months later.

(Note: Current prospect Kyle Gibson was on a similar track in 2011, but had to be shut down after needing Tommy John surgery at the end of that season.)

If Meyer can pick up where he left off in the Nationals’ system, there’s a chance that he could make his major league debut sooner than anybody expected.

An early debut for Meyer would put pressure on the major league rotation all season long.

In 2012, the Twins finished 14th in the American League with an earned run average of 4.77. Such an awful performance by the team’s veteran starters suggests that no spot in the starting rotation is safe heading into this season.

A slow start will get the veterans looking over their shoulder if Meyer can make an early charge at the beginning of the season.

But what if the rotation is better than expected and the Twins become the surprise team of 2013? Then Alex Meyer becomes their secret weapon.

More pitching prospects are starting to make their debut out of the bullpen despite being considered high-ceiling starting pitchers. Neftali Feliz, Adam Wainwright and Matt Moore all made their major league debuts out of the bullpen in recent years.

With a 9.7 strikeout-per-nine ratio in 2012, the Twins will have to give serious thought to using Meyer out of the bullpen in intense situations if it means capturing the American League Central Championship.

All of this assumes that both Meyer and the Twins have a healthy and successful season. But with Meyer’s track record, it can be assumed that he’ll continue his rise toward the major league club and at the least have some people looking over their shoulders in 2013. 

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It’s a travesty. It’s a downright shame. Why is minor league closer Anthony Slama still just that—a minor leaguer?

In six seasons spanning from rookie ball to Triple-A Rochester, Slama has put up a ridiculous 1.99 ERA. He’s racked up 100 saves and 446 strikeouts in 325 innings. His career WHIP sits at a cool 1.089. 

The Twins have always preferred pitch-to-contact pitchers, but even the Twins cannot deny Slama‘s 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings. 

The crazy thing? His stats hold up at every level. There is no reason to believe that this 26-year-old career minor leaguer can’t get major league hitters out.

He hasn’t even had the opportunity.

Since being drafted in 2006, Slama has tossed a grand total of seven innings at the major league level.

Is it the mentality of the front office? Players that haven’t gelled with the “Twins way” have found their tickets out of Minnesota in the past (see: Delmon Young), but there clearly isn’t anything wrong with Mr. Slama.

Maybe he’s trying to date Bill Smith’s daughter. I’m grasping at straws at this point.  

Even with current setup man Jared Burton on a tear and closer Glen Perkins set to entrench himself in the closer’s role, there should be room enough on any major league roster for a guy like Anthony Slama.

So here is my message to the Twins front office: It’s now or never. Give Slama the major league shot he deserves or trade him and give him a chance (where he will most likely succeed) elsewhere. The least we could do is receive some legit talent in return.

An arm like this wasting away in the minors does nobody any good. Not the Twins, not Anthony Slama, not the fans.

It’s time for this young closer to make his jump to the majors—for good.  

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The Minnesota Twins‘ crop of young players in 2013 is much more exciting than years prior simply because they won’t be filling in for injured or ineffective big leaguers. Instead, there will be a team full of healthy, young competition vying for spots on the major-league roster.

Nearly every position player will have a battle on their hands during spring training. This is good, because competition breeds success—and success is something Minnesota needs dearly.

So who’s most likely to jump out as a new everyday player?

2013’s roster could be full of surprises both on the field and on the mound. But only a few will step up and leave an indelible mark on the franchise.  

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