With the regular season winding down, I’ll take this opportunity to update you on a couple of Twins pitchers and take a look back at the Minor League seasons for some of the Twins prized prospects.

Milton Returns
P Eric Milton has just returned from knee surgery. He had missed the entire 2003 season till now. Milton has started 2 games and been impressive in both. The most impressive aspects so far has been his control. He has yet to walk a man in 2 starts. Milton returned just in time as the Twins were lacking a fifth starter. Milton could be the X factor if the Twins make it to the post season.

2003 Stats – Eric Milton
2 Starts 1 Win 1.50 ERA 12 IP 7 Hits 0 BB 6 K’s 2 ER

Mays has Surgery
Pitcher Joe Mays has just ungone Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of 2003 and is expected to miss the 2004 season as well. Mays has been plagued by elbow problems the last 2 years, and it all came to a head at the end of August when Mays and the Twins were told surgery was the only option.

Minor League Review

Joe Mauer
Catcher Joe Mauer has recently been named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. Mauer split the 2003 season between High Single A and Double A. He combined for a .339 Average which was the highest by any minor leaguer under the age of 21. Mauer made the Florida State League All-Star Team (High Single A) even though he only played half a season there. The managers also voted him Best Defensive Catcher. This season Mauer threw out over 50 % of potential base stealers. Some experts have voiced their concerns about Mauer’s lack of power. Others however, point out that Mauer has such great plate discipline, that power will come. They have said that they would rather have a player have good plate discipline and then develop power, than the other way around. In Mauer’s 2 minor league seasons, he has more walks than strikeouts. Mauer did not get a call-up to the Twins in September, as he does not have to be on the 40 Man roster yet. But don’t be surprised if he makes his debut in 2004. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire stated this year that if anything happened to catcher AJ Pierzynski, he would have no problems bringing up Mauer and having him be the everyday catcher. It also appears that Mauer has a great chance to be selected to the USA Olympic qualifying team.

2003 Stats (A and AA) – Joe Mauer
.339 AVG 135 Games 172 Hits 30 Doubles 2 Triples 5 HR 85 RBI

Terry Tiffee
3b Terry Tiffee was named to the Eastern League’s All-Star Team. Tiffee just finished his 4th minor league season. Each year he has moved up the chain, so look for Tiffee to get some time at Triple A in 2004. Tiffee is an aggressive swinging switch hitter. Corey Koskie seems to have a firm hold on 3b, but has been injury plagued the past few years, so Tiffee may eventually get a look.

2003 Stats – Terry Tiffee
.315 AVG 139 Games 167 Hits 31 Doubles 3 Triples 14 HR 93 RBI

Jason Bartlett
SS Jason Bartlett was acquired by the Twins last season from the SD Padres for OF Brian Buchanan. The Twins are really lacking in middle infield depth in the minors, so Bartlett’s season was a bright spot in the organization. Bartlett was going to play in the Arizona Fall League, however he slightly injured his knee near the end of the season, so will not be participating. The Twins entered the season wondering if Bartlett could handle the everyday SS duties at Double A. Well, the Twins saw enough to be convinced that he his a legitimit prospect. Bartlett joined 3b Terry Tiffee on the Eastern League All-Star team.

2003 Stats – Jason Bartlett
.296 AVG 139 Games 162 Hits 31 Doubles 8 Triples 8 HR 48 RBI 41 SB

Luis Maza
2b Luis Maza was selected to the Florida State League All-Star Team (High Single A). Maza had a disappointing 2002 season, but came back with a very solid 2003 season. Like SS Jason Bartlett, the Twins are hoping Maza can give the Twins some solid middle infield depth in their minor league system. Maza is still a few years away from challenging Luis Rivas.

2003 Stats – Luis Maza
.290 AVG 111 Games 119 Hits 18 Doubles 6 Triples 5 HR 61 RBI

Jason Kubel
OF Jason Kubel joined Luis Maza on the Florida State League All-Star Team. One thing the Twins are not lacking is OF prospects, so Kubel will be relegated to the minors for the forseeable future. Kubel finished his 3rd minor league season and has shown good power and the ability to hit for an average each year. Look for Kubel to spend the 2004 season at Double A.

2003 Stats – Jason Kubel
.298 AVG 116 Games 125 Hits 20 Doubles 4 Triples 5 HR 82 RBI

JD Durbin
P JD Durbin split the 2003 season between Single and Double A. Durbin also joined C Joe Mauer at the 2003 Propects game held before the All-Star Game. Durbin is probably the the Twins best SP prospect. He is a power pitcher with a low 90’s fastball. Durbin, like Mauer, was not called up in September as he does not need to be on the 40 Man roster. Look for Durbin to pitch in the Arizona Fall League if he isn’t selected to the USA Olympic qualifying team.

2003 Stats (A and AA) – JD Durbin
15-5 Record 3.12 ERA 182 Innings 139 K’s 1.24 WHIP

Jesse Crain
P Jesse Crain sped through the Twins minor league system in 2003. Crain started the year in Single A and was absolutely dominating. He was then promoted to Double A were he was even more impressive than in Single A. Finally Crain was promoted to Triple A and got off to a rocky start, but finished with very good numbers. Twins scouts said that Crain struggled in Triple A because he was using his fastball all the time. Once he started mixing in some breaking pitches and off-speed pitches, he had a great deal of success. Crain will have great opportunity to make the Twins in 2004, especially if LaTroy Hawkins and Eddie Guardado leave as Free Agents.

2003 Stats (A, AA, and AAA) – Jesse Crain
6-3 Record 1.93 ERA 84 Innings 114 K’s 0.86 WHIP

September Call-ups
The Twins mainly called up position players in September. OF’s Lew Ford, Michael Ryan, Michael Cuddyer and Michael Restovich all were promoted. RF Michael Ryan has seen a lot of action the past week as he has been swinging a hot bat. OF Michael Cuddyer was actually called up on August 31 so he could be eligible for the playoff roster. 1b Justin Morneau was also called up. Ford, Restovich, and Morneau will see limited action until/if the Twins clinch the Central Division. RP Grant Balfour was also promoted and has been used occasionally. The Twins still have high hopes for Balfour as he has a great fastball, but needs to work on his control. Walks have really hurt him in his limited action.

Posted by Scott Picha at 02:16 PM | Comments (0)

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