Tsuyoshi Nishioka Has Large Following in Spring Training

The Minnesota Twins have a new infielder this season. Many of us have no idea what to expect from this new infielder. Tsuyoshi Nishioka joins the Minnesota Twins and will platoon the middle infield with Alexi Casilla. One thing we know: Nishioka has a great bat, potentially. I say potentially because he hit .346 in the Japanese League last season, but I'm a tad skeptical because the MLB is the best baseball league in the world and to expect those numbers would be Ichiro like. He has speed. He has 3 Gold Gloves to his name.

Nishioka also has quite the following in Spring Training. Several of the media reporters down in Fort Myers covering the Twins have written various articles discussing how Nishioka is pretty much a superstar in his native land. He's got a translator for him and 20-30 cameramen following his journey. I, for one, am very excited to see this talented player. Can the season start already?

Spring Training Underway

The Minnesota Twins have started 2011 Spring Training. Well, kind of at least. Pitchers and catchers have reported to Fort Myers, Florida. While there are a good amount of players already there, not all position players have to report yet. The first Spring Training game is set for February 27th against the Boston Red Sox. I bet the weather is fairly warmer there than up here. It sounds like Tsuyoshi Nishioka has quite the following down there already. Check out the Minnesota Twins Schedule before the 2011 season starts!

Delmon Young Gets a Raise

The Minnesota Twins and Delmon Young avoided arbitration. The two sides agreed to a one-year contract for 2011, worth $5.375 million. Delmon Young had a breakout season last year, batting .298 with 21 home runs and a team-high 112 RBIs. He made $2.6 million last season. Congratulations to Mr. Young, you earned the raise. Hopefully Delmon can continue his pace and show he's a player to be reckoned with in baseball.

PS - Delmon Young was on the cover of MLB Sporting New Baseball last month with Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

The Future of Francisco Liriano

As a homegrown Minnesota Twins fan, I really did not know what to make of the Francisco Liriano "rumors". Joe Christensen, a well respected writer for the Star Tribune, wrote last week that the team is listening to offers and willing to possibly trade Francisco Liriano. Hence why the team agreed to a 1-year deal with Liriano and not a multi-year deal. Last season, Liriano went 14-10 and became a more reliable starter. The season before however was not so smooth.

Maybe the front office believes that Liriano still has to prove he is a pitcher that is worth millions of dollars and a multi-year contract. Here's my take: Hold on to Frankie and watch how he does this year, kind of a make or break season. If he prospers, then we sign him to a longer deal. If he falters, then we listen possibly for some offers for maybe infield/pitching prospects. Time will tell. I've always liked Frankie and hope he stays a Twin for a long time.

Joe Mauer To Appear on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"

Joe Mauer, Mr. Minnesota himself, will appear on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" tomorrow night (Tuesday, February 15th). He will be promoting the video game for which he is this year's cover boy for "MLB 11 The Show." This is the first time in awhile that I can remember a Minnesota Twin player appearing on a Late Night show, so I thought I'd remind some Twins fans to check it out. The Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is on NBC and begins at 11:35 Central Time.

MLB Network's 20 Greatest Games

Not being able to watch the Super Bowl postgame because of the winning team, I had to start channel surfing. I came across the MLB Network's Top 20 Games in MLB History. They profiled Game #16: Game 163 with Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers. It truly must be a good game if a game that happened less than two seasons ago is already considered one of the greatest baseball games played all-time. The one-hour special has Michael Cuddyer in studio analyzing the game and giving some insider information along the way. That game truly was a legendary game and if anyone has the MLB Network, check the listings and be sure to watch it!

Francisco Liriano and Minnesota Twins Reach Deal

The Minnesota Twins and Francisco Liriano avoided arbitration over the weekend, agreeing to a 1-year, $4.3 million deal. The new one-year deal is a signficant raise for Liriano, who last year through arbitration with the Twins agreed to a $1.6 million deal. The two sides met exactly in the middle this time as the pitcher asked for $5 million and the club countered with an offer of $3.6 million. Liriano went 14-10 last season with a solid 3.62 ERA. He had scoreless inning streaks of 23 and 21. This is a very affordable deal. The deal leaves only Delmon Young left in the arbitration process.

John Gordon Is Retiring After the Season

The Minnesota Twins announced Friday that longtime radio announcer John Gordon will retire following the 2011 season. Gordon has done the play by play for the Minnesota Twins since being hired before the 1987 season, when the Twins won a World Series title.The 2011 season will mark the 70-year-old Gordon's 25th as a member of the Twins radio broadcast team. He will reduce some of his duties this season, announcing 15 spring training contests and 90 regular season games.

Jim Perry Elected to Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame

Jim Perry is set to join the existing 22 members of the Twins Hall of Fame this summer. The starting pitcher pitched with the Minnesota Twins from 1962 to 1973. In his 17 year career he amassed 215 wins and 1,576 strikeouts. He was a 3 time All-Star and won the 1970 American League Cy Young. His brother Gaylord is a member of the Hall of Fame as a pitcher. Welcome aboard Jim Perry!

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 System Ranked #7 in MLB

The Minnesota Twins farm system was ranked #7 in the MLB by baseball guru Keith Law last week. This is what Mr. Law wrote about the Minnesota Twins system: "A sneaky-good system, it's not loaded with big names but boasts a few impact guys and a ton of depth. This is more than just the Twins' usual assortment of strike-throwing fourth starters and speedy outfielders, a testament to good drafting and some major investments in the international arena, where they've been as aggressive as any club."

The Kansas City Royals are #1, with the Rays, Braves, Jays, Phillies, and Angels as the only teams in front of the Twins.

Bert Blyleven Will Have His Number Retired

Bert Blyleven will be receiving another honor. The new Hall of Fame pitcher Bert Blyleven will have his No. 28 jersey retired by the Minnesota Twins in July. The Twins announced on Thursday they plan to hold Bert Blyleven Day when Minnesota hosts the Texas Rangers on July 16. He'll be the 6th Twins player with his number retired, joining Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, and Kirby Puckett. Blyleven ranks first on the Twins career list in complete games (141), shutouts (29) and strikeouts (2,035) and is second in wins (149) and innings pitched (2,566 2/3). He was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1970 for Minnesota.

Minnesota Twins Payroll for 2011

The new payroll is expected to be at about $115 million in the 2011-2012 season.
After topping out around $101 million last season, a franchise high, general manager Bill Smith is shattering that mark with the most expensive team in Twins history with a payroll likely to tip $115 million. They cleared up $10.1 million in letting Hardy and Hudson go, where Alexi Casilla and Tsuyoshi Nishioka will make $3.85 million. The bulk of the payroll comes from the fact that he has 15 players under contract worth a guaranteed $89.89 million. I approve of Mr. Smith's moves this offseason.

Matt Capps and Glen Perkins Get Deal

Matt Capps and Glen Perkins avoided arbitration, signing one-year deals for $7.15 million and $700,000. The $7.15 million seems high, and it is indeed high. However, it is a contract I will take as opposed to signing Matt Guerrier or Jesse Crain to three year deals. Capps is on the book for one more season as opposed to three. I also like the $700,000 for Perkins. Clearly Perkins has struggled recently but it's a low risk potentially high reward. He was a former first round pick and I still believe in the guy.

Minnesota Twins Sign Carl Pavano to 2 Year Deal

The Minnesota Twins have agreed to resign starting pitcher Carl Pavano to a 2-year deal worth $16.5 million. This is a big boost for the rotation, as Pavano went 17-11 last season with a 3.75 ERA. Not to mention he had 7 complete games. The deal I believe is very reasonable and it isn't long term. It is a good deal for both sides. Welcome back 'stache!