Hi Twins fans,  Rain, rain, go away, come back again after the Twins leave spring training.  It has rained here in Fort Myers for the last 16 hours and the Twins had their Thursday night game with Baltimore shortened and their game Friday with the NY Mets cancelled.  The Mets game will not be made up.

Note and Quotes from spring training
1.  I had a great conversation with Twins C Wilson Ramos.  The young Venezulan is battling Drew Butera for the back up catchers job, behind Joe Mauer.  Ramos played at AA-New Britain last year and is generally consider to be one of the top three prospects in the Twins Organization.  Ramos is a strapping young man, and possesses great hitting skills.  Many say he has to shore up his catching skills to be a bonifide major leaguer. But durring our conversation about how his spring was coming along he told me is one of 5 in his family, all boys and that his 16 year old brother is the best baseball prospect of all, even better than Wilson himself.  I hope the Twins have a bead on the younger Ramos and get a chance to sign him when he becomes eligible.  To early to tell on who is ahead in the battle between Ramos and Butera, but I am sure it will sort out as the spring progresses.

Twins Prospect Wilson Ramos

2.  The Twins have 56 players in camp, and as yet have not made a cut.  I would expect that 8 to 10 players will be sent to the Twins minor league camp later next week.  The Twins tried to open their minor league camp today (rained out) but over 150 minor leaguers are in camp and they will have their first workout tomorrow.  Some of those who were invited to spring training and those that are first time 40 man roster players will be the prime figures to be sent down, but then you never know.  The Twins will break camp on the 1st of April (after a game with the Boston Red Sox) and they will be down to their 25 man roster at that time.  They may take a few extra players with them to the Twin Cities for the games with the Cardinals (at Target Field) but when they fly to Los Angeles for their opening game with the Angels on the 5th of April they will have to be down to the official 25 men.

3.  A lot of the pundits are trying to predict who the Twins closer might be if Joe Nathan is not ready to start the regular season.  Nathan has been sidelines for two weeks and will not hold a baseball during that time.  He is in camp still, and is going thru an extensive exercise program to strengthen his elbow.  Jon Rauch has saved games at the major league level (Washington Nationals) and Pat Neshek, recovering from Tommy John surgery was a top closer for the Twins at both New Britain and Rochester when he was in the Twins minor league system.  And I wouldn’t rule out RHP Anthony Slama.  Slama has saved 50 games in the last two seasons at New Britain and Rochester and was the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2008.  Slama has never pitched in the major leagues.  Those are some of the would-be candidates if Nathan is not able to open the regular season.

Jon Rauch

Pat Neshek

Anthony Slama

Quickies:

RHP Loek Van Mil, the tallest pitchers in baseball (he’s 7 feet, one inch tall) is still on the shelf and won’t pitch in spring training.  He’s experiencing a sore shoulder and that has kept him off the mound.  OF Juan Portes leads the Twins in home runs in the early goings of spring training.  He has hit 3 homers, including a grand slam vs the Yankees last Sunday.  Already the Twins have pitched 3 combined shutouts in Grapefruit League play and in the game Thursday night vs Baltimore a total of 5 pitchers did not walk a man.

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