Ben Revere Poised to Play Right Field

Minnesota Twins fans have grumbled that Ben Revere just doesn't have the arm to play in center field. He's got the stuff to be a great defensive player... except he probably couldn't throw out a guy at home.

Ron Gardenhire acknowledges this. However, he said his arm is good enough for right field. Right field at Target Field is the shortest place to throw the ball home.

Gardenhire revealed that Josh Willingham will play left field will Revere will likely be in right.

Minnesota Twins Have Surgeries

The Minnesota Twins sure know how to throw a postseason party... consider their theme: "Feel the Pain Friday."

Justin Morneau, Ben Revere and Nick Blackburn all went under the knife to clean up some of their injuries bothering them throughout the season. Mind you, these are three of many, many injuries that contributed to the Twins' almost-100-loss season. All three are expected to be ready for the start of spring training in February.

Yea... I've heard that before. Those boys better be ready considering the recent email I received from the Twins (see previous post). No matter how masochistic Twins fans are, you really shouldn't try to beat our heads into the wall. I guess they've got me right where they want me... My heart will never leave Twins Territory!

Anyway, here is to a happy recovery

Denard Span Not at 100% Yet

Twins' Outfielder Denard Span only has one hit in his 24 at bats since returning from the disabled list so the Twins gave him the day off on Tuesday to get his head straight. Ben Revere started in his place and played really well for the team. Here were manager Ron Gardenhire's thoughts on Span's day off.

"[Span's] still coming back from that [concussion]," Gardenhire said. "It's not perfect. He still has his moments. I talk to him daily, and today was a good day. Seeing the ball -- he talked about not really seeing the spin real good yet ... We'll back him off and see where we go from there."

I would like to see Span get in a little bit of a groove before the season ends. It's pretty important that he plays well because Ben Revere has played well enough to challenge for playing time and the Twins have plenty of depth in the outfield.

Denard Span Abandons DL

The Minnesota Twins have activated Denard Span from the 15-day disabled list following their most recent loss against the Oakland Athletics.

Span has been the subject of several trade deadline rumors, but will join the Twins when they travel to Anaheim to open the Twins-Angels series on Tuesday. Monday is an off day/travel day for the Twins.

Span has been on the disabled list since June 9, when he was placed on the list because of a concussion. He has appeared in 56 games with the Twins, batting .294 with nine doubles, three triples, two home runs and 15 RBIs.

Luke Hughes has been sent down to Triple-A Rochester to make room for Span on the Twins 25-man roster.

It will be interesting to see how Gardenhire handles the playing time between Ben Revere and Denard Span!

Twins Players Feel Like it's '06

Twins players have been talking about how feels like 06 because of the hot streak they're on and the confidence they are playing with. I hate to say it, but that team had ridiculous talent at the front of the rotation with Francisco Liriano (who was pitching out of his mind) and Johan Santana. This team does have the same scrappy feel to it as that 06 team.

I really think this team can compete for the playoffs. No one in the AL Central is strong and the team is really starting to hit its stride. The only team I'm a little worried about is the Detroit Tigers. They have talent at the front of their rotation with Scherzer, Verlander, and Porcello, but I don't think their line up is very good at all. The Twins lineup is going to be really good once everyone comes back, especially if Ben Revere continues to see some time in left field. With a little luck they'll be find because Detroit is going to have to stumble a little bit for this team to have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs. Thankfully the division is really weak this year, but if the Twins don't make it, it's obvious that the very slow start is to blame.

In other news, Joe Mauer is playing today! That should give the Twins a nice boost. Hopefully he has his legs back under him and the Twins can continue this hot streak with him behind the plate.

Gardenhire Facing Tough Decisions: Who Will Sit?

With Joe Mauer, Jason Kubel, Denard Span, Justin Morneau, Nishioka and Jim Thome on the DL, a lot of players have stepped in and made cases for playing time. This has been a valuable time for players such as Luke Hughes, Ben Revere, Drew Butera, and Jason Repko have earned a lot more playing time. This leaves for some uncomfortable decisions for Gardenhire. Too big decisions he'll have to make will be about Luke Hughes and Ben Revere. Hughes is clearly out playing Danny Valencia and likewise for Ben Revere over Delmon Young.

There just aren't enough at bats in this line up for Revere once Span and Kubel come back. That means the outfield is loaded with Cuddyer, who is playing very well, Kubel, Young, Span, and Revere. That's just not enough at bats for Revere. Which brings up my suggestion, sit Young for Revere. Revere is hitting so much better than Young and even though it takes away some power, Revere has been doing a great job getting on base. My guess is, the more at bats he gets, the more comfortable he'll be playing at this level. I expect Revere to be a .300 hitter on this team.

As for Hughes. He is clearly outplaying Danny Valencia. The problem here is, the Twins believe Valencia is the answer at 3rd base for the future. Well here's my opinion, he isn't the future. We need more run production from that spot and that we need more power from the position. Hughes isn't going to provide that either, but he is hitting much better than Valencia so we should play him the rest of the year. I'm not too worried about Valencia's confidence because I don't think he's the answer at 3rd base. Please prove me wrong Danny.

Gardy Loves Revere

Ben Revere has played so well during his stint in the majors that he has earned the respect of the Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire. Revere covers a lot of ground in the outfield, makes a lot of contact, and runs the bases extremely well. His growth makes other players on the Twins expendable (I'm looking at you, Michael Cuddyer). Revere replaced Span in the lineup since he has been out with a concussion. Revere has a lot of the same qualities as Span. Span claims he has a stronger arm, but knows that he can't beat Revere in one category.

"He’s quicker than I am,’’ Span said. "His first step, he gets to full speed. As for me, the third or fourth step is when I get going. I think that’s the biggest difference between the two of us.’’

Revere is a career .327 hitter in the minors, so his performance in the majors is no fluke. Look for the Twins to move either him or Span at some point considering they bring a lot of the same things to the table.

TwinsFest 2011 A Success

As you may know, TwinsFest 2011 was moved to the National Sports Complex in Blaine because of the Metrodome collapse. The festival sold out very quickly and for good reason. The Minnesota Twins continue to be one of the most popular teams in the Midwest and definitely for Minnesotans. It is a team that the people here are proud about. Many of the players were at TwinsFest including Joe Mauer, Denard Span, Danny Valencia, Kevin Slowey, Brian Duensing, Ben Revere, and Anthony Slama. If you have any good TwinsFest 2011 stories, post them here!

Minnesota Twins Top Prospects

Hey, it's the offseason right? If you paid attention, the Minnesota Twins didn't make a huge splash this offseason. It just didn't happen. I'm okay with that though because we did upgrade in the infield with "Yoshi" and the contracts that Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier got were too much in my opinion. We also gained a draft pick because of Orlando Hudson leaving and still have a chance to resign Jim Thome and Carl Pavano.

Anywho, instead of talking about who we didn't get or who we should get, how about we talk about who we have. Here are my Minnesota Twins Top Prospects currently:

1) Kyle Gibson - could make the rotation as early as this season. Big arm, big guy and hopefully can upgrade our 4/5 starter

2) Aaron Hicks - unlimited potential with high baseball IQ. Smart player that "could" be a 5 tool player, has speed, can field, can hit for average, and hopefully hit for power.

3) Miguel Sano - extremely young and raw but has scouts drooling over his game already

4)Alex Wimmers - very good command and control, a prototypical Twins arm. I feel I value him more than some other critics have given him credit for.

5) Ben Revere- saw a glimpse of him last season. You're gonna see with what you get from him, he has speed, field, and hit for average. Won't be a power guy by any means but the guy has a love for the game and can slap the ball around (Juan Pierre in my mind).

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Minnesota Twins Top Prospects

The Minnesota Twins have a philosophy that stresses promoting from within. Many of the Twins players have come up through the Minnesota Twins minor league system. That being said, here is my rankings of the Minnesota Twins top prospects going into next season.

1- Kyle Gibson - starting pitcher that rose through the ranks to AAA in his first season.
2-Aaron Hicks - enormous potential, if he develops power he is a 5 tool prospect with speed, a good arm, good fielding, and good eye at the plate
3- Miguel Sano - very young but his upside is unlimited. could be the future shortstop for the Twins in 5 years (he's 16!)
4- Ben Revere - speedy outfielder has a knack for finding a way to get on base. unfortunately lacks power but he could play well at his niche - fielding, hitting for average, and stealing bases. tasted the big leagues this season for the Twins
5- Max Kepler-Rozycki - I'm really high on this kid. He's from Germany and has the look of a big league player. He's still very young and I hope someday can be a main contributor from the outfield. He held his own in rookie ball.

The Minnesota Twins Lose 2 of 3 to Oakland A's

The Minnesota Twins hosted the Oakland Athletics over the weekend at Target Field. The Oakland A's won on Friday and Sunday, while the Twins were victorious on Saturday. A 3-1 loss on Friday night was avenged with a 4-2 victory on Saturday. Rookie third baseman Danny Valencia homered both days including a huge 3 run homer on Saturday in the 6th inning. The Minnesota Twins lost the rubber match on Sunday, where Francisco Liriano was roughed up in 5 innings. Denard Span and Jason Kubel did not play in the series and hopefully will return soon. Rookie Ben Revere got his first starts in center field and was 2-4 on Sunday for his first two hits of his career. Next up is the Cleveland Indians at home.