Twins Claim Outfielder Jordan Schafer

Earlier this month the Minnesota Twins claimed outfielder Jordan Schafer off waivers. The former Braves Center Fielder provides the team with additional  outfield depth, something they needed after the departure of Sam Fuld.

 Selected in the third round by the Braves in 2005, Schafer was at one time considered one of the better prospects in baseball. In 2008 and 2009 prospect lists, he was considered the number 25 and 42 for Baseball American in those years and number 17 and number 50 for MLB.com.

Hopefully Schafer can put his talent to use in a Twins uniform and live up to his potential.

Meet Jason Adam

In trading Josh Willingham to the Kansas City Royals, the Twins acquired pitching prospect Jason Adam. Now just who is Jason Adam, let’s take a look by seeing what others had to say.

Twinkie Town: "As an 18-year old out of Blue Valley Northwest High School in Kansas, Adam was drafted by the team he'd been a fan of his entire life. He would debut for Kansas City's A-ball affiliate in 2011, starting 21 games and posting a 4.23 ERA in 104.1 innings. Later that autumn, in the Arizona Fall League, Adam blew up...in a good way. Scouts were glowing over his 98 mph fastball and his curveball. But those reports hadn't extended to his performance for Kane County, where his fastball sat in the upper 80s and lower 90s."

ESPN: “The 23-year-old Adam, who grew up in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, was 5-9 with a 4.67 ERA with Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha this season. And while the Royals had toyed with making him a reliever, the Twins intend to convert him back to a starter.”

But more importantly here is what Terry Ryan had to say about Adams in the Star Tribune Article: “He’s a young kid with a good arm,” Twins General Manager Terry Ryan said of Adam, who grew up 20 minutes from Kauffman Stadium. “His stuff is pretty impressive. You look at his bio, his numbers aren’t really eye-popping, but we’ve seen him quite a bit. A number of our people have put in good reports on him.”

So here is to hoping that Adam is a solid starter with the Twins in the future and the trade pays off.

Byron Buxton Promoted To Double-A

Byron Buxton was promoted to Double-A in New Britain today, making the Twins prospect and future franchise savior one step closer to making his Major League debut.

The Twins expect Buxton to play well, but even if he doesn’t, according to Mike Beradino of the Pioneer Press, “Even if Buxton, 20,  can’t turn on the jets for New Britain — which graduated Aaron Hicks on to Triple-A Rochester last Monday — these final three weeks should prepare him well for a return engagement at the Arizona Fall League, where play begins Oct. 7. That would be the best way for Buxton to reclaim some of the 300 or so at-bats he lost due to injury this year, not counting his time at extended spring training.”

Here’s to Buxton getting back into the groove of things!

Glen Perkins Likes Advance Stats

As a fan of baseball sabermetrics it’s always refreshing to hear about a player using these advance stats as a tool to improve their game. But hearing that one of these players also happens to play for the Twins, well – that’s the type of news that warms my TC Lovin’ heart up.

In an article written today on the Twin’s website, it takes a look at the relationship pitcher Glen Perkins has with sabermetrics. If you are a fan of sabermetrics, this is a must read as lets you delve into the psyche of a player who isn’t ignorant towards numbers.

A link to the article is here. Do yourself a favor and check it out.