Minnesota Twins Daily Morning Dip: Ace prospects, Twins duds
Minnesota Twins Daily Dip, January 14th, 2018
Welcome to the January 14th edition of the Daily Dip, your daily piece of news and notes here on Puckett’s Pond, offseason edition. You’ll find the most recent news of the Minnesota Twins organization, stories from around the game, and links to any information you may want to know about the Minnesota Twins or baseball as we work our way through the hot stove season!
Minnesota Twins Organizational Scores
Australian Baseball League Update
Brisbane swept a double header from Melbourne on Saturday. In the first game Aaron Whitefield played in left field and went 0-3 with a strikeout. He did pick up a stolen base after reaching on a fielder’s choice.
Whitefield exploded in the second game, going 2-3 with a home run, 2 runs, 2 RBI, and a strikeout.
Dominican Winter League Update
None of the Twins reps in the Dominican played on Saturday.
Puerto Rican Winter League Update
The Indios de Mayaguez lost to Gigantes de Carolina on Saturday 8-1. Kennys Vargas went 0-2 for the Indios with 2 walks and a strikeout.
Venezuelan Winter League Update
No games were scheduled for Saturday in the VWL.
Minnesota Twins news and notes
Twins sign Reed
The Minnesota Twins were able to get a bargain in the free agent reliever market, getting Addison Reed, one of the top few relievers available at the beginning of the offseason, and arguably the best reliever left on the market, on a 2-year deal below the annual value cost that other top relievers have received this winter.
More from Puckett's Pond
- Minnesota Twins: 2022 Year in Review for Twins Baseball
- Minnesota Twins: Making the Case for the Current 2023 Rotation
- Minnesota Twins: Does the MLB or the Twins have a Spending Problem?
- Minnesota Twins: 2 Possible Free Agent Reunions for 2023
- Minnesota Twins: Holiday Wish List for the rest of the Offseason
Notes from around baseball
- Astros add Cole to staff
- Possible free agent reunions
- MLB Network top 10 lists for SS/3B
- Hendricks, Fister best pitchers at getting strikes
- Cubs players deliver baby news
- Scouts honored at awards dinner
- False alarm Hawaii missile startles Wong
- The case for Andruw for HOF
- Gonzalez reportedly to sign with Mets
- Padres, Hand sign extension
- Arb figures for unsigned players
- Cardinals plan to close with Gregerson
- McCullers plans to work on change in 2018
Next: Molitor's 2018 Resolutions
One Last Thing
Today is the birthday of two former top prospect pitchers who found their way to Minnesota and weren’t quite aces in their time with the Twins.
J.R. Graham was a notable prospect before the 2013 season, and he was actually considered strongly as the return for Denard Span before the Twins chose to go with the deal that acquired Alex Meyer instead. The Twins chose the right-hander away from the Braves in the 2014 Rule 5 draft, and he spent all of 2015 as a Rule 5 pick.
In 2015, he made 39 appearances, throwing 63 2/3 innings, with a 4.95 ERA and 1.48 WHIP, posting a 21/53 BB/K ratio. He lost his control in 2016 and was traded away to the Yankees, where he’s been unable to break out of the minor leagues in two years in the Yankees system. He’s 28 today.
Mike Pelfrey turns 34 today, and before 2006 and 2007, he was a top 50 prospect in all of baseball, rated as the #20 prospect by Baseball America before the 2007 season. Pelfrey never really turned into the strikeout starter that many projected him to be, and the Twins signed him to a fairly expensive 3-year contract before the 2013 season.
Over those three seasons, Pelfrey won just 11 games over 64 starts, posting a 4.94 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, a 7.7% walk rate, and a 13% strikeout rate in 341 innings.