Puckett's Pond » Miguel Sano

Talk to Contact w/ Jason Parks

Paul Pleiss — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:19:47 +0000

March 21, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins infielder Miguel Sano (97) in the dugout against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Episode 37 of the Twins baseball podcast, Talk To Contact (@TalkToContact), is now available for download via iTunes or by clicking here.

On Episode 37, Cody and Eric are joined by Baseball Prospectus‘ Jason Parks to talk about the Twins Minor League system. Jason Parks has plenty to say about Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, as well as some of the pitching prospects.

Before Jason Parks comes on to the show, Cody and Eric go through the Twins news, including the pitching performances of Kevin Correia, Mike Pelfrey and Scott Diamond; Joe Mauer’s Fenway expertise, and the explosion that is Oswaldo Arcia.

To close out the show the guys name a Listener of the Week, go Down on the Pond with Michael Tonkin, and regardless of what they’re drinking (juice?!) they take a quick tour of the biggest news stories around the league.

80 minutes of fun!

You can follow Cody on Twitter (@NoDakTwinsFan) or read his writing at NoDakTwinsFan. You can follow Paul on Twitter (@BaseballPirate) or read his writing at Puckett’s Pond. And of course, you can find Eric on Twitter (@ERolfPleiss) and read his writing here at Knuckleballsblog.com!

- ERolfPleiss

The Future is Blinding

Chris Holm — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:00:06 +0000

Don’t look now, but The Twins’ two class A affiliates are a combined 39-10 on the season. As if that weren’t enough to spark flames of enthusiasm toward 2016 and beyond, they’ve also played much of the early part of the season without some of their top prospects. Levi Michael just rejoined Fort Myers, while J.O. Berrios just rejoined Cedar Rapids who is still missing Max Kepler. And top prospects Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton, both already considered two to of the top prospects in baseball are far outperforming expectations thus far. Sano is leading the minor leagues in home runs and playing better than expected defense at third base and Buxton has reached base by hit or walk in every game and looking every bit a 5-tool talent, reminding people around Cedar Rapids of Mike Trout at the same stage of his career. Eddie Rosario continues to hit and is actually the top ranked defensive second baseman in the FSL, which was supposed to be a question for him. And best of all, these three are all very young for the level they are playing. Adam Walker is leading the Midwest League in homeruns and looks like a guy with as much power as anyone not named Sano. Other top prospects, Travis Harrison, Jorge Polanco, and Nico Goodrum at Cedar Rapids are also playing well. And if we look beyond class A, we’re seeing a couple young cornerstones starting to make their mark at the Major League level in Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia. Assuming at least some of this stockpile of talent pans out, the Twins look to be an offensive powerhouse in the not so distant future.

Pitching remains the big question mark for the future of this franchise in the next ten years. The Twins have yet to really see what they got out of their run on high velocity college relievers (some of whom are being converted to starters) from last year’s draft. New pickups, Alex Meyer has been impressive and Trevor May has shown signs at AA. Kyle Gibson has been inconsistent but has shown flashes of dominance at AAA. Berrios may be the crown jewel pitcher in the system but is very young still. With significantly less pitching depth in the minors, the Twins will need to do a good job of developing the talent they do have or go back to the free agency / trade / draft wells to continue to restock what had been a very bare pitching cupboard. Still it’s hard to imagine this current group not improving the Twins’ pitching significantly.

Sano, Buxton, and Arcia look like future stars. Rosario looks like a guy who’s going to hit. If he can stick at second base, he could be an All Star. Berrios and Meyer could develop into front of rotation starting pitchers. Hicks should be a solid Major League outfielder with good on base skills and decent power/speed combination. At the very least it’s going to be an exciting couple of years watching these guys develop and hoping for another class of guys to lead a franchise resurgence like the early 80′s and early 2000′s groups did. This group probably has more raw talent than both those groups.

So how long until we start seeing these guys? Here’s my predictions for a few:

2013 – Gibson (June), Meyer, May (September)

2014 – Rosario, Sano (September)

2015 – Buxton (June), Berrios (September)

2016 – Kepler

Friday Flicks: Ballplayer: Pelotero

Paula Minell — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:15:35 +0000

The offseason can be tough on baseball fans. Why not get your baseball fix through the Silver Screen? All offseason long, check out “Friday Flicks” at lunchtime for a baseball movie review. Want to suggest a movie for review? Comment below with the title.

Last week, I reviewed a lighthearted baseball classic. Today’s flick is a completely different kind of baseball film. Ballplayer: Pelotero (2011) is a documentary that engages the viewer in the life of two of the 100,000 baseball prospects in the Dominican Republic. The teens are fighting for a chance to sign a contract with a Major League Baseball franchise and provide a way to bring their families out of poverty. The pressure to sign young has lead to corruption, and corruption has created a cloud of suspicion around young players of exceptional talent.

For the Minnesota Twins fan, there is an extra draw to the film, as one of the two prospects it follows is Miguel Angel Sanó. Sanó was ranked 18th on Baseball America’s list of 2012 Top 100 Prospects and spent the 2012 season with the Beloit Snappers in the Midwest League. Despite the fact that he signed with the Twins three years ago, the film communicates the difficulties Sanó encounters and the suspense of the situation so well that it’s hard not to question the outcome as the story unfolds. The story of the second prospect, Jean Carlos Batista, illustrates the great importance of the signing bonus and the tightrope a prospect can walk when a contract is negotiated.

The documentary predated the now-infamous Fausto Carmona/Robert Hernandez Heredia scandal that broke in January 2012, an event which only underscores why this film is so compelling. The story is compelling because the drama is real. Families’ hopes and dreams rest on these strong, but very young, shoulders.

Is it a hit? I give it a triple: The documentary engages like a feature film. For a Minnesota Twins fan, that the story hits close to home serves to heighten the drama. At 77 minutes, it’s a brief glimpse into a piece of the baseball world that is usually hidden from view underrated in importance.

Come back next Friday for a review of a late ’90s flick that tells the story of the most important game in one pitcher’s life.