Nate’s Notes: 2013 Draft, Fish Watch, and the Three Toughest Outs

Bad news: the Twins are now losing the race for the top pick in the 2013 MLB Draft. Minnesota’s surprisingly successful road trip has coincided with a nine game losing streak for the dastardly Chicago Cubs. The San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies are not far behind (ahead?) either. We might be looking forward to a season-long game of “Suck for Luck” like the one the Vikings played last winter, except that there is probably no Andrew Luck-style superstar in this bunch. In fact, it’s hard to tell what we’d miss out on if the Twins continued to win their way out of the top of the draft, because most of the internet’s attention is on the 2012 draft, rather than next year’s draft. But Minor League Ball had a mini-preview earlier this week with profiles of five likely prospects.

Winless for Whitson? Horrible for Hollon? If you have a better slogan, please let me know!

Speaking of top prospects, former Puckett’s Pond writer/editor Wally Fish is now the editor of Seedlings to Stars, Fansided’s site for baseball prospect news and information. He has created the “Fish Watch,” a list of minor league prospects who are, if not the best and brightest, among the most interesting. You can see who made the Fish Watch from the Twins and the rest of the AL Central here.

Finally, I’d like to draw your attention to this article by Joe Posnanski about the “Three Toughest Outs” in a baseball game. Hint: they do NOT occur in the ninth inning. In fact, the three outs in the ninth inning might be the easiest outs in the entire game, despite all the mythical significance we attach to them. This article is a must read for anyone who (like me) thinks that closers are overrated and that teams spend way too much money on them. On the other hand, if you think it’s a good idea for the Twins to pick up Matt Capps’s $6 million option next season, this article will probably not be your cup of tea.