The Twins' Manuel Soliman couldn't hit, but the third baseman's throws across the diamond were fast and accurate. So when he reported for his third season in 2009, it didn't take much lobbying to persuade him to put away his bat and move to the mound.
Taiwanese outfielder Wang-Wei Lin has impressed the Twins with his determination. Because of injuries, he played just 38 games in his first three seasons, but he didn't let a poor year in low Class A keep him down.
After taking 10 other pitchers, the Twins relented and drafted Texas State righthander Kane Holbrooks in the 21st round. In doing so, they may have discovered a future big leaguer.
Max Kepler, the 17-year-old German sensation, earned a reprieve in his homeland after spending the previous 16 months in the U.S. adapting to a foreign country and learning baseball from the Twins.
Lefty Tyler Robertson's career stalled after a bout of tendnitis two seasons ago. His strikeout rate fell as he climbed the ladder, so now the Twins will try to salvage his arm with a shift to the bullpen this fall.
The Twins exceeded slot recommendations for the first time in their history in order to sign 2009 first-round righthander Kyle Gibson, and he showed he was worth the extra money right away, winning best pitcher honors in the system. Correspondent Phil Miller also selects a best player and a player to keep an eye on.
Carlos Gutierrez pitched out of the bullpen in his first two pro seasons out of Miami, both times to limit his innings. This time, the Twins moved the Double-A New Britain righthander back into a relief role in order to exploit his arm strength.
The Twins were convinced that 22-year-old outfielder Joe Benson, their 2006 second-round pick, was taking his slow Double-A start too hard. So they demoted him to high Class A for a month to get straightened out.
Prior to this season, the Twins were not ready to get too excited about 19-year-old outfielder Oswaldo Arcia's impressive pitch recognition skills in Rookie ball. An eye-opening turn for Rookie-level Elizabethton had made all the difference.
Outfielder Jonathan Goncalves has been perhaps the most consistent hitter for high Class A Fort Myers this season, which is a minor miracle in itself, given that he was expected to spend the season in the Rookie-level Appalachian League.
Correspondent Phil Miller identifies the organization's notables at midseason, selecting a best player, a biggest leap forward and a biggest disappointment.
It's not the recommended way to find a baseball niche, but Twins righthander Kyle Waldrop somehow has turned shoulder surgery into a job-placement program.
The franchise that rode the offspeed pitches of Brad Radke and Johan Santana into the playoffs over the past decade displayed its preference for the changeup once more on draft day by selecting Ohio State righthander Alex Wimmers with the 21st overall pick.
It's rare enough for a pitcher to return from shoulder surgery with a sharper breaking ball. But how often is a broadcaster partly responsible? That's what has happened to Twins righthander Tom Stuifbergen.
The Twins' 22-year-old first baseman Chris Parmelee projects as the best slugger the Twins have developed since Justin Morneau. But his development hit a speed bump in Double-A.
Even the Twins were surprised by first baseman Brock Peterson's allegiance to the only organization he's ever known. He re-upped with the club last winter as a minor league free agent.
The Twins want to make this clear: 22-year-old righthander Billy Bullock is not a closer. He's a relief pitcher, and a pretty good one, but that's all.
Swift Twins outfielder Joe Benson, a second-round pick in 2006, will begin the season with Double-A New Britain. The Twins don't expect his temper to be an issue again.
Chris Herrmann played left field in his 2009 pro debut, after playing the infield as an amateur, but the Twins envision a future for him as a lefty-hitting catcher.
The usually-conservative Twins realize, in retrospect, that they may have pushed third baseman Deibinson Romero a bit too aggressively in 2009.
Baseball America
