Twins Wrapping Up Grapefruit League

The Minnesota Twins will put the finishing touches on Grapefruit League play with split squad games against the Rays and Yankees Wednesday followed by one last game against their Fort Myers neighbors from Boston Thursday. Then it will be time to pack their bags and head north to the Twin Cities, as they christen Target Field with a pair of exhibition games against the Cardinals on Friday and Saturday.  As the clock winds down on another promising spring training, here are some news and notes from the Twins clubhouse:

In case you missed it, Francisco Liriano has been named the team's fifth starter. He easily won the competition by posting a 2.70 ERA, 30 strikeouts, and five walks in 20 innings of work this spring. Liriano will join Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Carl Pavano, and Nick Blackburn in the rotation and is relieved he will not be forced to take over the closer job vacated by the injured Joe Nathan, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The Twins rotation stacks up with the White Sox as the best in the division. The Sox might have a better one-two punch at the top with Mark Buehrle and Jake Peavy, but I have my doubts about their fifth starter, journeyman Freddy Garcia.

Liriano's claim to the fifth starting job means that Glen Perkins was optioned back to Triple-A Rochester and Brian Duensing will move back to the bullpen, joining Jon Rauch, Jesse Crain, Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier, Clay Condrey, and Jose Mijares. Now, there is a chance that Condrey may be forced to open the season on the disabled list because of weakness in his right shoulder. If that happens, the Twins will likely go with Ron Mahay to fill that final bullpen spot, according to Minneapolis Star Tribune Twins beat writer Joe Christensen. Speaking of the bullpen, here's some good perspective on the closer-by-committee approach the Twins plan to employ this season in the absence of Nathan, courtesy of Around the Majors.

The backup catcher to start the season will not be Jose Morales, since he was placed on the disabled list as expected. As we all know, the Twins will use Joe Mauer just about every day. However, he still needs to give his knees some occasional days off behind the dish. On those days, the light-hitting Drew Butera will be the one donning the tools of ignorance behind the plate. So why did Butera and his .174 spring batting average win the job over Wilson Ramos, who is one of the top catching prospects in baseball and added a bomb over the batter's eye in center field yesterday to complete his impressive spring with a .400 batting average? It's simple, really. The Twins want Ramos to play every day, and he won't get that chance for the next nine years in Minnesota...or until Mauer makes the switch to another position. My hunch is that any plans to acquire a new closer to replace Nathan may involve a trade of Ramos and/or Perkins, who can't be too happy with his demotion.

The Twins key bats have been en fuego for most of the spring. Mauer is hitting .429, Michael Cuddyer is hitting .458, Jason Kubel is hitting .327 with a team-high four home runs, Denard Span is hitting .310, J.J. Hardy is hitting .355, and Jim Thome is hitting .370. Then there's Justin Morneau, who takes a .171 batting average into the final three games of the spring. Morneau is understandably frustrated with his results (just ask the trash can he bashed over the weekend) but Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire doesn't seem too worried per today's Minneapolis Star Tribune.

That's all the Twins notes for now. I'll be heading to the Twins exhibition game against the Cardinals at Target Field on Friday and will have some more notes as well as some new photos (hopefully) of the stadium after that.

Second Base Sleepers

Second base is one of the thinnest positions in fantasy baseball. There are not enough top players to ensure every team in a standard, 10-to-12 team league gets one. Thus. it's an awfully good idea to have a few sleepers in mind as you head into your drafts, just in case the top few tiers (Chase Utley, Ian Kinsler, Dustin Pedroia, Aaron Hill, Robinson Cano, Ben Zobrist, and Brandon Phillips) are off the board before you get a chance to fill the spot in your lineup. No, I didn't include Brian Roberts in that list because I think his back problems are too much of a red flag. To that end, allow me to offer up my three favorite second base sleepers.

Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick has the potential to develop into one of the better hitting second basemen in the game; however, a slow start to the 2009 season and inconsistent playing time resulted in a surprising trip back to the minors last year. He was hitting .231 at the time he was sent down to the farm, but he was not playing every day and that made it difficult for him to get on track. The demotion did not last long, but it did significant damage to his fantasy value in the minds of a lot of owners, especially those who drafted him in '09.  To Kendrick's credit, though, he turned things around in a hurry after being recalled and hit a blistering .351 over his final 51 games of the season to finish at a very respectable .291. Kendrick's .302 career average is legit, and with the starting second base gig nailed down his first 500 at-bat season is very likely. Given that many at bats, he could also threaten to become a 20/20 player.

Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks has worn out fantasy owners who have been awaiting his big breakout season.  He has never played in even 130 games in a season and has only twice topped 100 games since making his big-league debut in 2003 as a 21 year-old. He's still only 27, and this could/should be the season he puts it all together. He just needs to stay healthy...where have we heard that before? Despite the number of games he has missed, Rickie has career highs of 16 home runs and 25 stolen bases (both in 2007) leading me to believe that a 20/30 season is not out of the question as he enters his prime and gets 500 at bats for the first time.  Through 49 spring training at bats, Weeks is batting .306 with two homers, three steals, and a team-high 12 runs. Best of all, he's healthy. Knock on wood.

My deep sleeper at second base is Tampa Bay's Sean Rodriguez. Yeah, I know you probably have his teammate, the aforementioned Ben Zobrist, penciled in among the upper echelon of fantasy second basemen already. That being said, Zobrist can also play in the outfield and the Rays need some help in right. For that matter, Rodriguez qualifies as an outfielder, but the current thinking as we finish up Grapefruit League play is that Zobrist might spend a lot of time in right field and Rodriguez could be the every-day second baseman. Rodriguez could also get some time in the outfield and can also play third base if Evan Longoria needs a day  off.  The bottom line is that Joe Maddon has to find a place for Rodriguez's bat in his lineup. He has been the Rays' best hitter this spring, which is saying something.  In fact, he has been arguably the Grapefruit League's best hitter. Believe me, I realize that we should never overreact to spring training stats, but it's hard to ignore when a player has a .439 batting average, 1.344 OPS, 17 runs, and a major-league best six homers through 57 at bats.  Maddon could announce his lineup plans any day now and it would stun me if S-Rod is not a big part of those plans.

Brave New World

Every new baseball season brings with it a fresh crop of talented kids looking to make a splash in The Show. More often than not the hype around some of these young prospects is just that: hype. It's not easy to make the jump from one minor league level to the next, and even tougher to clear that final hurdle to the majors. You'll often hear about players being sent back down to the farm "for more seasoning" before being installed on the 25-man roster. Oftentimes, the player really does need more experience. Other times, it's simply a case of the franchise seeking to delay the start of the clock on a player's big-league service time (see Strasburg, Stephen), thereby delaying when said player becomes arbitration-eligible, and by extension, eligible for free agency.

But while the Nationals have chosen to put off the countdown on their pitching phenom (the aforementioned Strasburg) the Braves could no longer delay the inevitable with their Next Big Thing. Anyone who has witnessed mammoth right fielder/tight end/power forward Jason Heyward and his frightening display of power and plate discipline this spring knows he's big-league ready. Apparently the Braves agree.

This morning, Atlanta skipper Bobby Cox confirmed one of the Grapefruit League's worst-kept secrets: Heyward will be on the Opening Day roster. He will be their starting right fielder. My guess is that the Braves won't need to use any options on this guy in the future; he's in Hotlanta to stay.

Heyward's legend has grown this spring and he is drawing comparisons to several greats, including but not limited to Albert Pujols, Darryl Strawberry, Fred McGriff, and Dave Parker. However, the most apt comparison I have heard is the likeness to Willie McCovey...you know, the Hall of Famer with 521 career home runs and 1,555 RBI. Yeah, I know, that's a lofty comparison, but Heyward's jaw-dropping raw ability has sparked all kinds of accolades this spring from some highly respected and reputable sources. You've probably heard some of the stories about him damaging cars in the parking lots beyond the outfield fences, or how players, coaches, and fans alike stop what they are doing and just watch when it's time for his turn in the batting cage. Or how the ball makes that unique sound when it comes off his bat...that indescribable sound that only special hitters with Ruthian power are able to produce.

Below are some of the better Heyward links so far this spring:

From MLB.com.
From the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
From The New York Times.
From The USA Today.

There are more legendary depictions of his powers where these came from, but you get the picture. Heyward's average draft position in fantasy leagues for much of the spring has been somewhere north of 200. However, it has been moving upward at a pretty good pace, spiking into the 150-to-200 range in re-draft leagues and, of course, much higher in dynasty and keeper formats. You can bet that today's confirmation that he will be their starting right fielder will move the needle on his draft position quite a bit...enough that even Ron Burgundy might again quip, "That escalated quickly!"

Rounding Out the Twins Roster

Baseball's regular season starts in just a few weeks and the Twins, who entered spring training with only a few roster question marks, are in the final stages of determining who makes the 25-man roster. The team will almost certainly keep 12 pitchers, meaning there is room for the starting nine hitters and just four bats off the bench.  One of those bats will obviously be Jim Thome. Another will be whoever loses the third base competition between Nick Punto and Brendan Harris--right now it looks like it's Punto's job despite his sub-.200 batting average and Harris' .400 average this March. A third hitter will be the backup catcher, which will probably be Drew Butera until Jose Morales is ready to roll. That leaves only one bench spot.

As of this morning, the final spot on the pine appeared to belong to Alexi Casilla, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, because he is out of minor league options and, as manager Ron Gardenhire said, "If they're both about in the same place, it (lack of options) makes a huge difference because we don't want to lose Alexi Casilla." I hate to disagree with the skipper, but I fail to see the downside in losing Casilla.  Seriously, he wouldn't be a huge loss. However, the battle has not been decided yet and the struggling Matt Tolbert or even veteran outfielder Jacque Jones (who went yard today) could wind up with that final spot.

I think it will ultimately be a moot point because, barring injury, Casilla or Tolbert would be used for little more than pinch running duty (likely for Thome after he pinch hits) and Jones would only be used to spell one of the outfielders when they need a day off. Moreover, I suspect we're going to see third base prospect Danny Valencia in a Twins uniform by mid-season, meaning somebody will have to go.

Nathan's Surgery Scheduled for Friday

The surgery for injured Minnesota Twins All-Star closer Joe Nathan has been set. Nathan will undergo Tommy John surgery this Friday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The paper reports that he will have Mets team physician David Altcheck do the surgery, after which Nathan will need approximately 12 months of rehab. A ligament from his wrist (umm, make sure to use the left wrist, doc) will be removed to replace the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Joe is optimistic that he will be ready to pitch in time for Opening Day 2011, but that remains to be seen. Some pitchers need more than 12 months to rehab from Tommy John surgery and rare is the pitcher who returns to 100 percent in his first season following the procedure. It almost never happens. I have no doubt that, barring a setback, Nathan will pitch for the Twins at some point next season. However, I have to wonder whether the team will pick up his $12.5 million option for 2012 when he will be 37 years old. That's a lot of money for a closer that old (even if he didn't start pitching until he was 24) and it's an especially big number for one who has a surgically repaired elbow.

As for who will be closing games for the Twins this season, I'm not holding my breath awaiting a trade withe Padres for Heath Bell, as has been widely rumored. Don't get me wrong, that would be a great solution for the Twins. After all, Bell led the National League with 42 saves last year and posted a tidy 1.12 WHIP and 2.71 ERA to go with it. In addition, he is only due to be paid $4 million this season and has one year of arbitration left so he won't be a free agent after the season. That said, the asking price for Bell is reportedly very high--as in at least two of the Twins best prospects. That's not going to happen.

I'm not too fired up about the rumors surrounding Blue Jays reliever Jason Frasor. Yes, he's a cheap alternative with closer experience, but the Twins already have a similar guy in house in the tall form of Jon Rauch.  I don't see Frasor as that much of an upgrade, but maybe the Twins can obtain him on the cheap.
Whatever the case, I don't think Twins GM Bill Smith is content to sit back after spending nearly $100 million in payroll and possibly let the lack of a closer stand in their way of a deep postseason push. Not with a new stadium opening next month. The Twins are built to make a run now so look for them to at least kick the tires on a number of closer options from outside the organization. Nathan's contract is insured so some of that insurance money could be used to pay for a new ninth-inning guy. Stay tuned.

Target Field First Impressions

I had the good fortune of going down to Target Field two days ago to tour the new home of the Minnesota Twins. I came away awestruck, and (I'll say it) a little misty.  What else did you expect? I'm a lifelong Twins fan plus I'm sentimental to a fault and an old-school baseball traditionalist on top of it. Additionally, I was there with my 10-year-old son as well as one of my best friends, and my brother--with whom I grew playing and watching baseball.  I attended my first big league game at the old Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota in the early 1970s. We could hear the legendary Twins P.A. announcer Bob Casey introducing hitters as they came up to bat from our back yard as we played whiffle ball. That's how close we were to the old Met. And I will never forget how green the Met Stadium grass was as I came up through the tunnel and caught my first glimpse of it. I will never forget how wonderful it smelled, how blue the sky was, nor how the bat cracked in the afternoon air as it connected with 90 mph cowhide.  Wow! I think I was just channeling Ken Burns for a second there. Can someone hand me a tissue?

Anyway, after spending 28 years inside the Metrodome watching the antiseptic, plastic, roofed, version of America's Pastime in a football stadium, I could not wait for the new ballpark to be built.  I will be there alongside my wife with season tickets in section 124 this year...$7 beer in hand, and an old, fitted TC lid on my head to shield it from the sun's rays. I never had to worry about such things inside the Metrodome! Life will be good.

Target Field is everything you heard it would be and then some: part ballpark, part museum, quite cozy, 100 percent baseball, and very open. That's the thing that struck me the most, just how OPEN the place is. I guess something like that tends to stick out even more after so many years under an off-white Teflon sky. But I have been to many other big league ballparks as well and I can not remember one that is so open to the field. It seems you can see the game no matter where you are in the stadium and it practically pours right out onto the streets, especially in right field.  By the way, right field will be the site of many a future battle royal among gopher-ball chasing fans. You see, just beyond the right field seats lies an open plaza of sorts where fans will flock to take in the action when not in their assigned seats--especially when Justin Morneau or other big left-handed bats are at the plate.

I imagine the field itself will be perfect once they take the cover off the lawn in a few weeks. Only a small corner in left field was exposed when I was there. The seats are already great...not a bad vantage point in the house and some of them have wood backs just like the stadiums used to back in the 1950s. The limestone that makes up the exterior and laces throughout the interior gives the stadium a very "Minnesota" look and feel, as do the pine trees beyond the center field wall in front of the batter's eye.  The bars and restaurants inside the stadium, including the Legend's club and Metropolitan club are ridiculously cool, with great baseball memorabilia and tributes to Twins greats throughout.

We are fewer than 20 days away from the home opener against the Red Sox and I can't wait. I don't care if it's 30 degrees and windy. Baseball is meant to be played outside and I will be there with a smile on my face, hot or cold, rain or shine.

Mauer's Big Deal

The Twins made it official last night, signing their catcher Joe Mauer to the richest contract in franchise history at their spring training headquarters in Fort Myers, Florida.  The mega-deal will pay Mauer $184 million over eight years and will be tacked on to the end of his previous contract, which expires at the end of the 2010 season. In other words, Mauer, who began his storied career as the first overall pick in the draft of the Minnesota Twins back in 2001, will undoubtedly end his career as a Twin as well. Whether he will end it as a catcher remains to be seen. If the Twins want to get the most bang for their buck they will have to at least consider the idea of moving the versatile Mauer out from behind the dish at some point down the line, as catcher is by far the most physically demanding position in the game. Not too many catchers play well into their mid-30s, and the hometown hero will be 35 in the final season of his new deal.


Mauer's contract is the fourth-largest in Major League history, behind the two Alex Rodriguez deals and Derek Jeter's current contract and just ahead of the deals signed by Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia in recent seasons. Notice any patterns there? A lot of Yankees both ahead and behind Mauer. The Yankees would have been front and center in the bidding war for Mauer's services had he made it to free agency after the season. Yes, the Twins are in uncharted territory after signing the reigning AL MVP.  But at least they didn't let him get to free agency...where they almost certainly would have lost him to the Yankees or Red Sox in a bidding war that could have climbed between $25 and $30 million annually.

The deal that Mauer signed includes a full no-trade clause and, from what I have gleaned, says nothing about deferred money or an opt-out clause, which is good news for Twins fans. Mauer said during his contract signing press conference that the prospect of free agency made him "curious" but he quickly assured everyone that his desire all along was to stay in Minnesota and play with the team for which he grew up rooting.

It will be interesting to see what kind of impact Mauer's signing has on the next wave of big baseball contracts. Victor Martinez of the Red Sox now stands to be the best catcher on the free agency market next offseason, unless of course the Red Sox lock him up to a long term deal between now and then. Even though Martinez is generally considered the second best hitting catcher (and therefore the second best fantasy catcher) in the big leagues, he should not set his sights on getting a deal in the neighborhood of the one Mauer just inked. For one thing, Martinez is not the overall player that Joe is...not even close. Mauer's batting average dwarfs Martinez's as do his gold glove defensive skills. Moreover, Martinez is nearly five years older than Mauer and he is transitioning to first base, where he played 70 games last year.

The more intriguing case may be that of NL MVP Albert Pujols, who is due to become a free agent following the 2011 season. The Cardinals will undoubtedly pick up the $16 million option on Pujols' deal for '11, but can they afford to re-sign him after that? Picturing Pujols in a uniform other than that of the Cardinals is nearly as gross as picturing Mauer in something other than a Twins jersey. But it could happen and that's why you've been hearing the trade rumors recently from those who are connecting the dots on the future of baseball's biggest bat. Pujols will be 32 years old when he becomes a free agent, so a six or eight-year contract is not out of the question...and you can bet that he will be looking for more money per season than any player ever has. Does Pujols deserve to be the highest paid player in the game? You won't get any argument (aside from Mauer's staunchest supporters) but does that mean Sir Albert is worth $30 million per season? Maybe even (gulp) $40 million per?  If that's what the market dictates, then probably. However, the Cardinals can't afford to pay him that kind of dough. They have never had a payroll over $100 million and that kind of money would leave them scarce few resources for the rest of their roster that already includes Matt Holliday's $17 million per year through 2016. That leaves the usual big-spending suspects such as the Yankees (who already have a big money first baseman in Teixeira), Mets (who desperately need a first baseman), and the Red Sox (who may no longer have Martinez and may want to keep Kevin Youkilis at third base by 2011). Can you imagine Pujols hitting in Fenway Park?  Ugh!

Cot's Baseball Contracts has already updated their listing of the richest contracts in baseball history to reflect the Mauer deal.

ESPN.com's Jayson Stark had the best column on the Mauer signing that I have come across.

Aaron Gleeman also had a great analysis of the signing, particularly the risks involved in signing any player to a contract of more than $100 million. You can find his take at AaronGleeman.com.   

The Minneapolis Star Tribune did a nice job of detailing what kind of impact the Mauer signing will have on the Twins payroll, which just 11 years ago was $19 million and is now inching closer to $100 million.

Check out Strib columnist Joe Christensen's analysis of the Twins sky-rocketing payroll.

Reyes Gets Green Light

New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes has been cleared to return to baseball activities and will do so on Wednesday.  It's the kind of news that will prevent Reyes' sagging fantasy value from sliding further than it already has...or at least prompt a sigh of relief from those non-die-hard fantasy owners who were oblivious to the fact that he had been out of action lately and drafted him in the second round already. You know who you are.


Reyes had been sidelined since early March because of a hyperactive thyroid -- a condition that prompted doctors to prescribe rest and a change in his diet. There is still no telling when he might return to the lineup or if he will before Opening Day; however, when he does he will do so as their lead-off hitter, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. Mets manager Jerry Manuel had been tinkering with the idea of moving Jose to the third spot in the batting order. However, Reyes' inactivity this March has altered those plans.

After playing in just 36 games last year because of a torn hamstring tendon, Reyes' fantasy value was no longer that of a first-round pick as it had been prior to 2009. The thyroid issue hasn't helped, but Jose is still being selected by the middle of the third round in most standard mixed leagues. Let me just say I have my doubts. He obviously has a ton of raw talent, but I'll find my stolen bases elsewhere and avoid whatever drama may come of his return from last year's leg injury and the health weirdness he currently faces.