Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Friday, June 9, 2017

Jason Castro's home run backs Kyle Gibson's pitching in Twins victory. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 1 There's no such thing as a sure thing with top pick in MLB draft. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 2 Souhan: Twins' choice for No. 1 will speak volumes for new bosses. Star Tribune (Souhan) p. 4 Newest Twin Chris Heston is getting a career reboot. Star Tribune (Miller) p. 5 Hartman: State's MLB draft history isn't very deep. Star Tribune (Hartman) p. 6 MLB Draft: Twins considering college pitcher at No. 1, a historically spotty choice. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 7 Cano double error, Castro hit open door for Twins to beat Mariners. Pioneer Press (Krueger) p. 9 Twins poised to make Draft splash at No. 1. MLB (Bollinger) p. 10 Castro, Gibson lead way as Twins edge M's. MLB (Johns & Horton) p. 11 Gibson on a roll after 'reset' in Minors. MLB (Horton) p. 13 Heston excited for opportunity with Twins. MLB (Horton) p. 13 Santana set for first career start vs. Giants. MLB (Mason) p. 14 Is Chris Gimenez a blast from the past or a glimpse of the future? ESPN 1500 (Wetmore) p. 14 Gibson holds off Mariners, Twins avoid sweep. Associated Press p. 15 Delaware North, Twins Extend Target Field Contract. Ballpark Digest (Staff) p. 17

Jason Castro's home run backs Kyle Gibson's pitching in Twins victory

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | June 9, 2017

SEATTLE – The Twins offered Jason Castro a $24 million free-agent contract for his defense behind the plate, not his hitting at the plate. But hey, if he wants to frame some pitches with his bat, too, the Twins are more than happy to let him. Castro extended his hitting streak to 10 straight games Thursday, and while it’s an oddly modest streak — the catcher has only 11 hits during that time and has added only 23 points to his batting average — it’s an increasingly effective one. Thursday’s hit was a 400-foot home run, his third in five games, and staked the Twins to an early lead that they eventually turned into a 2-1 victory over the Mariners to avoid a three-game sweep. Kyle Gibson pitched six-plus strong innings for the Twins, now 4-3 on their 10-game trip. They avoided being swept for the first time on the road this year, and even got a new save streak started for their closer. One night after giving up a crushing walkoff home run, Brandon Kintzler worked an easy ninth inning, needing only 12 pitches to produce three quick outs and earn his 16th save. “We were encouraged that some of the work he had done over the winter would bring his offense back,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said of the veteran catcher, who turns 30 later this month. “He’s had some rough patches, but generally he’s had good at-bats.” He had a really quick one in the fourth inning to break up a scoreless game against Mariners righthander Christian Bergman. Castro watched a fastball clocked at 90 miles per hour go by for strike one, but he was sitting on a slider and got it. The ball landed more than a dozen rows deep, near the back of the right field seats, his sixth homer of the year. The Twins got another run off Bergman, but they didn’t have much to do with it. A walk to Ehire Adrianza and an error — two, actually — by Seattle second baseman Robinson Cano gave them a cushion they would need. With Adrianza on second after a walk and stolen base, Joe Mauer smacked a two-out, hard grounder at Cano, who allowed the ball to carom off his glove. Adrianza rounded third base a little too far, and Cano spotted him, picked up the ball, and fired it across the diamond. But the ball skipped past third baseman Kyle Seager, and Adrianza scored.

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Two runs haven’t been nearly enough for Gibson on most nights this season, but the righthander, trying to regain his footing after a stint in Class AAA Rochester, made it work. By emphasizing his perennial weakness, first-pitch strikes — he started 17 of the 26 hitters he faced with a strike — Gibson mostly mowed down the Mariners over six innings, his longest outing of the season. “Getting ahead is always a key for any pitcher,” Molitor said before the game. “Kyle has showed a little bit of improvement in getting the ball over the plate a little more frequently, especially early in the count.” Gibson escaped a fourth-inning jam by striking out Mike Zunino, Seattle’s walkoff hero a night earlier. And though Jarrod Dyson scorched a fastball into the right field corner for a leadoff triple an inning later, he held Seattle to only one run that inning. Byron Buxton did his part, too, snagging the third out with a running, reaching catch at the warning track to retire Cano. Gibson came out for the seventh but was removed after a leadoff single. Matt Belisle finished the inning, and Taylor Rogers pitched around two hits in the eighth, catching a Zunino line drive to start a double play. There's no such thing as a sure thing with top pick in MLB draft

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | June 9, 2017

Sometimes you wind up with Ken Griffey Jr., a player so spectacularly talented he helped save a dying franchise. Sometimes you get stuck with Steve Chilcott, a catcher so injury-prone he never played a single game in the majors. Each major professional sports league conducts a draft to divvy up talented newcomers, but in none of them is the payoff so routinely deferred — in some cases by five years or more — or so difficult to identify, even at No. 1. Barry Bonds and Derek Jeter both were selected sixth, after all, passed over at the top of their respective drafts while teams chose B.J. Surhoff and Phil Nevin instead. “In the end, all you have to go on is your collective opinion as an organization. [It’s] informed by hours upon hours of scouting and investigation and hard work, but it still is just an opinion,” said Mike Radcliff, the Twins vice president for player personnel. “And opinions can be wrong.” The Twins know that as well as anyone, having twice before in the draft’s 52-year history exercised the overall No. 1 choice, a selection they will utilize for a third time Monday. Their previous top overall picks were Tim Belcher, who never pitched a game for the Twins, and Joe Mauer, who could wind up playing more Twins games than anyone in history. So yes, it’s a crapshoot. “The growth of players can be a little bit unknowable,” said first-year Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey, who has the ultimate say in whom the team will choose. “In the draft, you’re forced to make some decisions on what you think future value is, so I recognize that’s part of the scouting conversation.” One thing that won’t be part of the conversation, though: whether the Twins can afford their top choice. That’s not to say that contract negotiations won’t take place, and it’s possible that Falvey and his staff will execute a strategy of shifting allotted draft bonuses around to lower picks. But money was a critical consideration in the drafting of Belcher and Mauer, in a manner that won’t even come up Monday. When the Twins bypassed a Texas righthander named Roger Clemens in 1983 (he went 19th to Boston) in order to take Belcher, a pitcher from Mount Vernon Nazarene University, owner Calvin Griffith believed he could sign the righthander at a bargain rate. Belcher’s adviser, an attorney named Scott Boras, let it be known that wasn’t going to happen, and Belcher told the Star Tribune on the eve of the draft that “even if I don’t comment about the money they are willing to pay, you could figure that is part of it … I’m not going to say everything is all right.” When Griffith offered him $90,000 — less than even Rick Monday received as the top pick in the very first MLB draft in 1965 — Belcher refused to sign, becoming only the second top pick ever to walk away. Catcher Danny Goodwin had done the same in 1971, turning down the White Sox’s offer, but that was because he was a high school player who wanted to attend college. Belcher, though, was made available in a supplemental draft the following January, was drafted and signed by the Yankees for $125,000 and went on to pitch 14 major league seasons. The ordeal soured Griffith on the benefit of drafting No. 1. “I hope we never have it again,” he said.

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Money not an issue The Twins did 18 years later, though, and Griffith’s successor, Carl Pohlad, was just as leery of contract demands. Largely because of Boras’ influence, bonuses had skyrocketed by that 2001 draft, and Pohlad told his employees he felt an obligation to the sport and his fellow owners to take a hard line against bonus inflation. Mark Prior, the consensus top pick, was demanding more than $10 million to sign; the Twins wound up drafting Mauer and signing him for a little more than half of that. But this draft will be different for a franchise long known for its unwillingness to overspend. Under rules negotiated with the players’ union and adopted in 2011, bonuses are capped and negotiations are limited. The Twins can offer their top pick no more than $7.77 million without triggering penalties, a system that has largely ended the previous annual tradition of holdouts and brinkmanship. “Typically, when you’re talking about the top end of the draft, the top 30 picks, really, a lot of these guys are going to sign,” Falvey said, especially since all first-rounders and most second-rounders are “slotted” at $1 million or more. “That’s not a guarantee, but an expectation going in.” Too bad there are no guarantees, just expectations, about the talent and future of the top picks. Falvey and General Manager Thad Levine know this draft, their first in charge of the Twins, is an important one for the franchise’s future, especially with picks No. 35 and 37 under their control as well. Hits and misses “You don’t aspire to pick No. 1 very often — I’m pretty sure that would [follow] a tough year — but we recognize it’s an opportunity to add real talent to the organization,” Falvey said. “It’s the lifeblood of building a championship-caliber organization: scouting and player development.” Plus, it’s become such a signature statement about your organization’s ability to judge talent, good or bad. Only one overall top pick so far has been elected to the Hall of Fame: Griffey, who helped transform the Mariners from downtrodden to thriving after being drafted in 1987. Several have won MVP awards, including Mauer, Jeff Burroughs (drafted first in 1969), Chipper Jones (1990), Alex Rodriguez (1993), Josh Hamilton (1999) and Bryce Harper (2010). There have been embarrassing misses as well, of course, starting with Chilcott in 1966, the second draft ever held. He injured his shoulder, ruined his throwing arm, and never rose higher than Class AAA. Brien Taylor, a high school lefthander taken by the Yankees in 1991, is the only other top pick to fail to play in the majors, also due largely to injuries. Surely, though, the Pirates wish they had chosen Zack Greinke or Cole Hamels in 2002, rather than Bryan Bullington. Or the Padres would like a do-over on their Matt Bush pick in 2004, so they could take second pick Justin Verlander instead. Or the Royals regret the years they spent developing Luke Hochevar, when Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Tim Lincecum — and the seven Cy Young Awards they have won — were all available instead. “There are plusses and minuses to every player you look at. These are young players with unknowable futures, so there always is risk,” Falvey said. “All we can do is put ourselves in position to get the best player possible.”

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Souhan: Twins' choice for No. 1 will speak volumes for new bosses

Jim Souhan | Star Tribune | June 9, 2017

With the first pick in their first draft as the Twins’ bosses, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine probably will not take the best player available. They might try and fail to take the best player, which is how the draft usually plays out, or they might choose to not take the best player, which might cause panic in the streets for those who view the amateur draft as some kind of one-stop-shopping-quick-fix-online store. The baseball draft process is always highly risky and inscrutable, and Falvey and Levine have as many factors to weigh as did Terry Ryan’s crew when choosing between Joe Mauer, Mark Prior and Mark Teixeira in 2001. That year, the Twins made the right choice, landing an All-Star-caliber catcher who would win an MVP and who wanted to play in Minnesota instead of Prior, who didn’t want to sign with the Twins and quickly burned out with the Cubs, or Teixeira, who ended up getting drafted fifth by Texas and played for four teams in 14 seasons. This year, the Twins likely will choose between two-way high school phenom Hunter Greene, Louisville two-way player Brendan McKay and Vanderbilt pitcher Kyle Wright. Greene is the flashiest pick. He throws a 98-mile-per-hour fastball and has been compared as a shortstop to Alex Rodriguez. McKay is a pitcher and hitter. While the Twins’ most obvious need is starting pitching, McKay might be a safer pick as a left­handed bat who could become Mauer’s replacement at first base. Wright might be the best combination of what scouts call ceiling and floor, as a mature college pitcher with good stuff. Falvey said last week that his decision will reflect pricetag, which might push the Twins toward Wright. Greene and McKay are likely to push for massive signing bonuses, which would reduce the Twins’ pool of cash for signing other draftees. Looking past each of the top players’ skill sets and prices, the Twins have to ask a more basic question: What kind of player do they favor? When Theo Epstein took over the Cubs, he emphasized drafting mature position players, feeling they had the best chance of staying healthy and adapting to the big leagues. His drafts helped produce the powerhouse lineup that won the World Series last year. But the Twins are different from the Cubs in that they can’t be assured of signing top free-agent pitchers. So the Twins need to draft and develop their own pitchers even while knowing the difficulties of that approach. According to Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, “of the 92 high school pitchers drafted and signed out of the first round between 2001 and 2010,” 35 percent never pitched in the big leagues, and another 16 produced a career Wins Above Replacement player rating of below 1.0, meaning they were busts. That’s 48 out of 92 picks who did not help their teams. Then again, Clayton Kershaw was drafted out of high school. So to play the odds, the Twins might find themselves passing on a future superstar, if Greene really is that good. The odds tell the Twins to draft a college position player. Their financial model and draft strategy, which calls for them to emphasize the entire draft more than just the first pick, encourages them to take a reasonably priced college player. Greene and McKay will draw interest because of their versatility, but Falvey downplayed the possibility of a player succeeding in the majors as a pitcher and hitter because of the sheer amount of time any big-leaguer invests in developing one skill. Wright might be the most logical choice for the Twins under these parameters. McKay is the most intriguing choice, because he could move to the majors quickly as a pitcher or hitter. Greene is for dreamers, gamblers and lottery players. He could be the next A-Rod or Kershaw, or he could be the next Brien Taylor, the high school pitcher drafted first overall by the Yankees in 1991. Taylor never pitched above Class AA. Greene would be the first high school righthanded pitcher to be drafted first overall.

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Falvey is running the Twins because Ryan didn’t draft and develop enough quality pitching. Wright isn’t the most exciting pick available, but he could make the most sense for a franchise desperate for arms. Newest Twin Chris Heston is getting a career reboot

Phil Miller | Star Tribune | June 9, 2017

SEATTLE – Paul Molitor was standing in the dugout in the fifth inning Wednesday when someone in a Twins uniform walked up and introduced himself. I’m Chris Heston, the newcomer said, nice to meet you. “Then I headed to the bullpen,” Heston said. “Everyone out there was really nice, too.” So ended one of the more hectic days in the life of a ballplayer. Heston was relaxing in a hotel in Des Moines in the morning, expecting to start that night for the Oklahoma City Dodgers, when his cellphone buzzed with the news that he had been claimed by the Twins. He rushed to the airport, flew to Chicago, then caught a flight west to Seattle, arriving at the ballpark halfway through the game. “It happened very fast,” he said of his sudden career change. The timing of the Twins’ claim was especially favorable for the 29-year-old sinkerballer, who has pitched for two major league teams: the Giants and Mariners. Naturally, he joined the Twins in Seattle, on their way to San Francisco for the weekend. “I’ve pitched in these ballparks before. And seeing some of my buddies — I have an idea how to pitch them,” Heston said. “I think it’ll be good.” Especially on Friday, the two-year anniversary of his career highlight: The day he no-hit the Mets in Citi Field. His wife was there, as was his high school coach, and they witnessed him throwing the most effective sinkers he’s ever had. “I was able to command the sinker on both sides of the plate, and my breaking ball was keeping guys off balance all night,” Heston said of that memorable night, which included 11 strikeouts and no walks. Only three hit batters prevented a perfect game. “I wasn’t really sure it had happened [after the last out]. But my teammates made it awesome for me.” Heston, who can be optioned to the minors without passing through waivers if the Twins choose, has not pitched in a game since June 1, but he threw a get-acquainted bullpen session for pitching coach Neil Allen on Thursday. Santiago examined Hector Santiago was examined by Dr. John Steubs in the Twin Cities on Thursday, and the diagnosis was as mild as the Twins had hoped: He has a muscle strain in the back of his pitching shoulder, but no serious damage. Santiago will be eligible to pitch again June 17, when the Twins play a doubleheader against Cleveland. But that leaves the matter of Sunday’s start in San Francisco unsettled. Molitor has been consulting with General Manager Thad Levine in Minneapolis, “and we’re looking at the options within, on the club,” Molitor said, “and what options might be out there.” Heston is one possibility, since he has 33 major league starts to his name, including 16 at AT&T Park, where his ERA is 3.97. Or the Twins could call up someone from the minor leagues, though Class AA righthander Felix Jorge is the only starter on the 40-man roster, and he threw 104 pitches Wednesday. “I’m pretty familiar with what most of our guys are doing at Triple-A and Double-A,” Molitor said. Polanco back Monday Jorge Polanco attended the funeral of his grandfather, Maximo Polanco, in the Dominican Republic on Thursday, and the Twins shortstop will return from the bereavement list Monday, when the Mariners come to Target Field. “I know today was going to be a hard day for him,” Molitor said. “I’m sure we’ll find out how he’s doing.” Given that the Twins will be 3,500 miles from Polanco’s homeland this weekend, the manager said has no objection to Polanco rejoining the

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team in Minnesota. Especially since he’s not certain he would play the shortstop immediately if he flew to the West Coast. “It’s not only when he might return, but also the toll it might take on him, between the emotional toll and physically not playing a game since Sunday,” Molitor said. “He hasn’t swung a bat in a week, [so] I’m not sure about jumping right back in after four or five days.” Hartman: State's MLB draft history isn't very deep

Sid Hartman | Star Tribune | June 9, 2017

The history of Minnesota natives being taken in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft isn’t very long. Only three players from Minnesota high schools have ever been selected that early in the June amateur draft. As the Star Tribune pointed out Wednesday, there’s a good chance Burnsville pitcher Sam Carlson will be selected in the first round. Carlson, at 6-4 and 210 pounds, is 5-1 with one save, a 0.69 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 52 innings this season. Of course, the highest pick in Minnesota history is Twins first baseman Joe Mauer, selected first overall in 2001, and he is easily the greatest Minnesota prep athlete to ever play in the majors. The other two high school players drafted in the first round were Edina’s Tom Nevers, selected 21st overall by the Houston Astros in 1990; and Cretin-Derham Hall’s Chris Schwab, selected 18th overall by the Montreal Expos in 1993. Neither player ever reached the majors. The greater success for Minnesota draftees has come from the Gophers. The two top Minnesotans of all-time are St. Paul’s Paul Molitor and Dave Winfield, both Hall of Famers. Winfield, a St. Paul Central product, was selected fourth overall by the San Diego Padres in 1973, and Cretin’s Molitor was selected third overall by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1977. Those two players have the highest collective Wins Above Replacement of any Minnesota first-round pick, according to Baseball Reference, with Molitor at 75.4 and Winfield at 63.8. Mauer is currently at 50.5. Another Gophers player from a Minnesota high school that has gone on to big-league success is Twins lefthander Glen Perkins, who was drafted No. 22 overall by the Twins in 2004. The Stillwater High School product has yet to return from an injury that cost him almost all of the 2016 season, but he remains a three-time All-Star over 11 seasons, splitting his time here as a starter, reliever and a standout closer, recording 120 saves. There’s other Minnesota natives that were high draft picks that didn’t go to high school here. For example, Bill Gullickson, who pitched 14 seasons with six major league teams from 1979 to 1994, was born in Marshall, but he we was the No. 2 overall selection in the 1977 draft — one pick behind Harold Baines and one ahead of Molitor — out of Joliet Catholic Academy in Illinois. More recently, first baseman Ike Davis — born in Edina and the son of former Twins closer Ron Davis — was drafted 18th overall in 2008 out of Arizona State. He went to high school in Scottsdale, Ariz. Yes the wisdom holds true, the being a first-round pick in Major League Baseball isn’t a guarantee of anything. And many stars can be found in later rounds. One of the greatest Minnesotans ever selected out of high school was Kent Hrbek, a 16th-rounder by the Twins in 1978 out of Bloomington Kennedy. The first baseman reached the Twins in 1981 and starting a tremendous career that featured two World Series championships, an All-Star Game and 293 career home runs. There are no certainties when it comes to the draft, but one can only hope that whenever and wherever Carlson is picked, he goes on to find success. Jottings • In his first 20 games, Twins closer Brandon Kintzler posted a 1.71 ERA with 13 strikeouts and six walks in 21 innings, giving up four runs over that stretch. But with Wednesday’s blown save at Seattle, the righthander had posted a 10.38 ERA over five outings with three strikeouts, one walk, and five runs over 4⅓ innings. • Through Twins second baseman Brian Dozier’s first 51 games in 2016 he was hitting .206 with six home runs and 10 doubles, and his on-base percentage was only .299. This season through 51 games, he was at .235 with a .335 on-base percentage to go with nine home runs and 10 doubles.

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MLB Draft: Twins considering college pitcher at No. 1, a historically spotty choice

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | June 9, 2017

As the Twins count down the hours to Monday night and the first overall pick in baseball’s amateur draft, they continue to be connected to a pair of accomplished college pitchers. According to most informed projections, they will likely decide between Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright and Louisville left-hander Brendan McKay, the latter of whom comes with the additional intrigue of having perhaps the best power bat in the college game. A pair of high school arms, California right-hander Hunter Greene and North Carolina lefty MacKenzie Gore, also seem tantalizing, but the Twins are in no position to whiff on just their third chance at the first pick in the draft’s 53-year history. Just three high school lefties have gone first overall: David Clyde (1973), Brien Taylor (1991) and Brady Aiken (2014). Eight prep righties have been taken at No. 2, including Josh Beckett in 1999 and Tyler Kolek in 2014, but no team has ever pulled that card with the first pick. According to Wins Above Replacement, as measured by Baseball Reference, the seven most successful picks through the years have been high school position players. From Miami shortstop Alex Rodriguez in 1993 (117.7 rWAR) to Maryland first baseman Harold Baines in 1977 (38.8), the chances of getting an impact contributor at that rarefied draft location have skewed notably toward everyday prep stars. In between those two, you’ll find the likes of Chipper Jones, Ken Griffey Jr., Joe Mauer, Adrian Gonzalez and Darryl Strawberry, all drafted and signed out of high school. The highest-rated position player of that ilk in this year’s draft is California shortstop-center fielder Royce Lewis, but his bat is considered a question mark. With a slot value of $7.77 million, the No. 1 overall pick demands precision in all areas, from traditional scouting and modern analytics to historical trends and negotiating tactics. That’s partly why most expect the Twins to take either Wright or McKay, likely at a figure safely below slot in order to spread the savings around to picks 35 and/or 37. Here’s a look at the 14 college pitchers taken No. 1, ranked by career rWAR. Five of those selections have come in the past 11 years: 2007: LHP David Price, Vanderbilt Taken just ahead of California high school infielder Mike Moustakas (Kansas City Royals) in a loaded first round, Price was pitching in the World Series barely 16 months later for the previously downtrodden Tampa Bay Rays. Although he is winless in nine postseason starts, Price’s 32.3 career rWAR are tied for 10th among players taken No. 1. Just over a year into a $217 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, where he is feuding with the local media, Price has plenty of time to pad that career figure. If the Twins take Wright, he would join Price and Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson (2015) as Commodores to go No. 1, all in the past decade. 1988: RHP Andy Benes, Evansville It took Benes just 21 starts and 135 minor-league innings, all in 1989, to reach the majors with the San Diego Padres after they took him two picks ahead of Michigan high school lefty Steve Avery. A workhorse who piled up 2,000 strikeouts in over 2,500 innings across 14 big-league seasons, Benes ranks 12th with 31.7 rWAR among top overall picks. 1981: RHP Mike Moore, Oral Roberts After taking Pennsylvania high school outfielder Al Chambers three years earlier, the Seattle Mariners played it safe with a solid right-hander that would lose 15 or more games five times in his 14 seasons. Moore worked 199-plus innings 10 times, peaking with a pair of World Series wins in 1989 after signing with the Oakland A’s. 1976: LHP Floyd Bannister, Arizona State Given just 43 minor-league innings before being thrust into the Houston Astros’ rotation the follow season, the flame-throwing college baseball hall of famer worked to a 4.06 earned-run average in nearly 2,400 career innings. Traded to the Mariners after just two seasons for light-hitting shortstop Craig Reynolds, Bannister would bounce through six organizations in his 15 big-league seasons (26.9 rWAR).

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1983: RHP Tim Belcher, Mount Vernon Nazarene Finally armed with the first overall pick, the Twins failed to sign the small-college standout with a little-known former minor-league infielder named Scott Boras as his adviser. Calvin Griffith would sell the team to Carl Pohlad the following summer. While Belcher would win 146 games after signing with the New York Yankees out of the now-defunct January draft, a University of Texas pitcher taken 18 picks later in June 1983 would go on to win 354 games. His name: Roger Clemens. 1989: RHP Ben McDonald, Louisiana State Team USA’s ace in its run to Olympic gold in 1988, McDonald won just 78 games over nine big-league seasons before a torn rotator cuff ended his career. The Baltimore Orioles rushed him into their big-league bullpen after just two minor-league outings. 2009: RHP Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State Given just 74 minor-league innings before his big-league debut, Strasburg has already made it back from Tommy John surgery and a controversial Boras-endorsed shutdown in 2012 as a 98-win Washington Nationals team lost in the division series. Still just 28 and on a seven-year, $175 million contract, Strasburg (20.7 rWAR) could yet overtake Price atop this list. 1996: RHP Kris Benson, Clemson Better known for the outrageous exploits of his ex-wife Anna, Benson was another Olympic ace that fell short of expectations. Plagued by injuries early with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he never won more than 12 games in a season and finished with a 4.42 ERA in parts of nine seasons. 2011: RHP Gerrit Cole, UCLA Taken two spots ahead of Bruins teammate Trevor Bauer, Cole signed for $8 million but wouldn’t reach the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates until two full years after the draft. Seemingly poised for greatness after a 19-win season in 2015, Cole struggled through elbow problems last season and has been mentioned as a possible trade chip despite being 2 1/2 seasons away from free agency. 2006: RHP Luke Hochevar, Tennessee/Fort Worth Cats A flop as a starter for the Kansas City Royals — who passed on Evan Longoria, Andrew Miller, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer in a deep top 11 — Hochevar has made a successful conversion to the bullpen around missed seasons due to Tommy John (2014) and thoracic-outlet syndrome (2017) surgeries. 1994: RHP Paul Wilson, Florida State Expected to front a wave of young New York Mets pitching prospects, Wilson (2.2 rWAR) instead battled injuries and stuck around for just seven seasons and 942 major-league innings. 2002: RHP Bryan Bullington, Ball State Three high school right-handers went in the top six that year, including Orlando’s Zack Greinke at No. 6, but the Pirates opted to play it safe with a low-ceiling college starter they signed for $4 million. Bullington went 1-9 across 82 big-league innings while bouncing to four different organizations and stands out as one of the modern draft’s biggest busts. 1997: RHP Matt Anderson, Rice A power reliever for a Detroit Tigers club in decline, Anderson ripped through the minors in just 30 outings (41 innings) and managed 22 saves in 2001. However, command issues (5.5 walks per nine innings) and a career 5.19 ERA had him pitching in Mexico a decade later. 2013: RHP Mark Appel, Stanford Unable to live up to his $6.35 million signing bonus, Appel was shipped to the Philadelphia Phillies after 2015 in a package for reliever Ken Giles. Yet to reach the majors, Appel has a 5.01 ERA in 31 career Triple-A starts.

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Cano double error, Castro hit open door for Twins to beat Mariners

David Krueger | Pioneer Press | June 9, 2017

SEATTLE — Jason Castro is averaging about one hit per game during the last 10 games. On Thursday, he made that hit count. The Minnesota catcher’s latest hit — a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning — coupled with a pair of uncharacteristic errors by Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, helped the Twins hold off Seattle 2-1 and avoid a sweep at the hands of the Mariners Thursday night. Castro is 11-for-39 (.282) with three homers, seven RBI and four runs scored during his 10-game hitting streak. “I’ve been feeling good,” Castro said. “I’ve been hitting some balls (right) at guys. I think just the goal that I’m trying to stay with is just not trying to do too much and fall into that trap. A hit a day – I’ll take it.” The Twins added an unearned run in the fifth when Cano bobbled a ground ball by Joe Mauer. Cano committed his second error of the play, and just his third this season, when he threw wide to third base after Ehire Adrianza took a wide turn. Adrianza scored on the play to give Minnesota a 2-0 lead. “We responded pretty well, I think, overall to get a win,” Molitor said. “It’s a long trip out here on the coast and now we’ve got to go back down and play a Giants team that’s playing a lot better. If we go down there and win another series it’ll be a good trip.” Minnesota (30-26) is now 4-3 during its 10-game road trip that closes with three games in a weekend series at San Francisco. Kyle Gibson (3-4, 6.52 earned-run average) allowed just one run and scattered five hits over six innings to pick up the win for the Twins in the pitcher’s duel. Gibson is 3-0 with a 4.50 ERA since being recalled on May 22. “I think mindset’s had a lot to do with it,” Gibson pointed to as the biggest change since rejoining the Twins. “I’m not putting too much pressure on myself each pitch, each at bat. You’ve got to be able to let yourself focus and let yourself execute.” Mariners center fielder Jarrod Dyson led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ben Gamel to cut the Twins’ lead to 2-1. Seattle threatened again in the bottom of the eighth when Cano led off with a single and Kyle Seager singled to put runners on first and second with one out. But Mike Zunino, whose game-winning home run made him the hero in Wednesday’s contest, lined a ball right at Minnesota reliever Taylor Rogers, who quickly threw to second base to beat Cano for a double play that ended the threat. “That Zunino one was right at the pitcher’s glove,” Cano said. “That situation where you are on second, you want to be ready to score (and) take your chances. How many times (do) you see a pitcher make that catch? Maybe one out of 50 times.” A day after giving up the walk-off homer to Zunino, Brandon Kintzler closed out the game with 1-2-3 ninth against the bottom of the Mariners’ lineup for his 16th save of the season. “I think you’re always happy to get your closer back out there if you can after a little bit of a hiccup,” Molitor said. “… Our bullpen did a really nice job.” Kintzler was thankful for an opportunity to put Wednesday’s contest behind him. “The fact that (it’s) the next day, it’s huge,” Kintzler said. “You don’t want to sit around for a couple of days and dwell on it. They gave me a chance, the team fought really hard and the last thing I want to do is let them down again in that situation. “I thought about last night a little bit this morning and you move on from it.” Minnesota saw its run of winning six consecutive road series snapped on Wednesday, but improved to 18-8 on the road this season. Despite the two losses to the Mariners, the Twins are still 12-7 in their last 19 games against Seattle. Minnesota will see the Mariners again soon at Target

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Field for four games to open up an 11-game homestand on Monday. Right-hander Ervin Santana (7-3, 2.44) is scheduled to start the opening game against the Giants on Friday against San Francisco left-hander Matt Moore (2-6, 5.22). Seattle (30-31) had a five-game winning streak snapped with the loss. Mariners starter Christian Bergman (3-3, 4.03) allowed one earned run in five innings before four Seattle relievers allowed three hits the rest of the way. “Yeah, luck was not on our side tonight,” said Seattle manager Scott Servais. “It happens some nights. We have been playing really good baseball. Outside of one little miscue tonight, we played a really good ballgame. … Errors happen, they are a part of the game. No matter how great the players are, it does happen every once in awhile. You typically don’t see it out of (Cano). He has great hands – one of the most sure-handed second baseman in the league.” Twins poised to make Draft splash at No. 1

Rhett Bollinger | MLB | June 8, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins, under the new leadership of chief baseball officer Derek Falvey, have a chance to add impact talent to their organization with the No. 1 overall pick and three of the first 37 selections in the Draft. The 2017 Draft will take place from Monday through Wednesday, beginning with the Draft preview show on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6 p.m. ET. MLB Network will broadcast the first 36 picks (Round 1 and Competitive Balance Round A), while MLB.com will stream all 75 picks on Day 1. MLB.com will also provide live pick-by-pick coverage of Rounds 3-10 on Day 2, starting at 1 p.m. Then, Rounds 11-40 can be heard live on MLB.com on Day 3, beginning at noon. Go to MLB.com/draft to see the Top 200 Prospects list, projected top picks from MLBPipeline.com analysts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo, the complete order of selection and more. And follow @MLBDraft on Twitter to see what Draft hopefuls, clubs and experts are saying. Here's how the Draft is shaping up for the Twins, whose first selection is the No. 1 overall pick. In about 50 words The Twins have the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 2001, and also received a competitive balance lottery selection, giving them three of the first 37 picks in the Draft, and five of the first 106 selections. It's the first Draft for the Twins' new regime and scouting director Sean Johnson, who replaced long-time scouting director Deron Johnson, who moved into a senior advisor role. The scoop It's also the first Draft under the leadership of Falvey and general manager Thad Levine. It will likely take a year or so to see if there are any philosophical changes from what the organization was known for under former general manager Terry Ryan. The Twins were known for taking athletic outfielders and command-and-control pitchers under Ryan, but had started taking high-velocity pitchers in recent years. First-round buzz With the No. 1 overall pick, the Twins have the chance to set the tone atop the Draft, and Falvey said the club is looking at six players for the top spot. But the players who are getting the most buzz are Vanderbilt right-hander Kyle Wright, Louisville left-hander/first baseman Brendan McKay and Southern California prep star Hunter Greene. McKay and Greene, who plays shortstop and pitches, are both two-way players, although the Twins see both as pitchers. Money matters Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team has an allotted bonus pool equal to the sum of the values of that club's selections in the first 10 rounds of the Draft. The more picks a team has, and the earlier it picks, the larger the pool. The signing bonuses for a team's selections in the first 10 rounds, plus any bonus greater than $125,000 for a player taken after the 10th round, will apply toward the bonus-pool total. Any team going up to five percent over its allotted pool will be taxed at a 75-percent rate on the overage. A team that overspends by 5-10 percent gets a 75-percent tax plus the loss of a first-round pick. A team that goes 10-15 percent over its pool amount will be hit with a 100-percent penalty on the overage and the loss of a first- and second-round pick. Any overage of 15 percent or more gets a 100-percent tax, plus

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the loss of first-round picks in the next two Drafts. This year, the Twins have MLB's biggest pool at $14,156,800. Their first pick is valued at $7,770,700, down from $9,015,000 a year ago. Shopping list Falvey said he doesn't believe in the term pitching depth because you can never have too much pitching in an organization. He said he estimates that roughly half of the club's selections will be pitchers. The Twins could also look to add another catcher early in the Draft. Trend watch The Twins have been stockpiling hard-throwers in recent Drafts, marking a change from the pitch-to-contact philosophy they were known for. Left-hander Tyler Jay, their first pick in 2015, was the club's first college pitcher taken in the first round since Alex Wimmers in 2010. The Twins are expected to go with a pitcher with the No. 1 pick, and Falvey was known for his work in developing pitchers with the Indians. Recent Draft History Rising fast Shortstop Nick Gordon, the club's No. 1 overall prospect by MLBPipeline.com, has been impressive at Double-A Chattanooga, hitting .305/.374/.477 and was named a Southern League All-Star. He could be promoted to Triple-A Rochester later in the season, and is considered the club's shortstop of the future. Cinderella story Right-handed reliever Trevor Hildenberger was a 22nd-round Draft pick in 2014, but has been solid at Triple-A Rochester, posting a 2.01 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings. The side-armer could join Minnesota's bullpen as early as this season. In The Show Byron Buxton, the No. 2 overall pick in 2012, has established himself as the club's starting center fielder, while right-hander Jose Berrios, the No. 32 pick in the '12 Draft, is off to an impressive start since getting called up by the Twins in mid-May. Wimmers, a first-rounder in '10, also was recalled recently, joining 2012 fifth-rounder Tyler Duffey in the bullpen. The Twins' recent top picks 2016: Alex Kirilloff, OF, Tommy John surgery 2015: Tyler Jay, LHP, Double-A Chattanooga 2014: Nick Gordon, SS, Double-A Chattanooga 2013: Kohl Stewart, RHP, Double-A Chattanooga 2012: Byron Buxton, OF, Twins Castro, Gibson lead way as Twins edge M's

Greg Johns and Josh Horton | MLB | June 9, 2017

SEATTLE -- Kyle Gibson won his second straight start with six innings of one-run ball as the Twins topped the Mariners, 2-1, on Thursday night to snap Seattle's five-game win streak at Safeco Field. Jason Castro hit a solo homer in the fourth inning, the Twins tacked on an unearned run in the fifth and Gibson made it hold up as he limited the Mariners' red-hot offense to five hits while improving to 3-4 with a 6.52 ERA. Twins closer Brandon Kintzler, who gave up a walk-off homer on Wednesday, bounced back with his 16th save as three relievers held Seattle scoreless over the final three frames. Minnesota opened up a 1 1/2-game lead over idle Cleveland in the American League West at 30-26 and avoided its first series sweep at the hands of the Mariners since 2012. "I think we always want to get the closer back out if you can after a hiccup," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "It was a game where we had an opportunity to score more runs, which I thought would have made it a little more comfortable and we didn't take advantage. But our pitching

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was good." Seattle starter Christian Bergman gave up just four hits and two runs (one earned), but was pulled after five innings as his pitch count hit 92. The 29-year-old right-hander saw his record evened at 3-3 with a 4.03 ERA. The Mariners, who had won nine of their previous 10, missed a chance to move above .500 for the first time on the year as they slipped back to 30-31. "We continue to play really good baseball, it just wasn't our night tonight," Mariners manager Scott Servais said. "But giving two runs up against that team, we'll take that and most times be on the better side of this thing. I'm really happy with the way we're playing and hopefully we continue that through the weekend." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Not the right kind of double for Cano: Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano committed two errors on the same play in the fifth inning and it cost Seattle a critical run. After Ehire Adrianza singled and stole second, Bergman had two outs when Joe Mauer rolled a grounder to Cano. But the two-time Gold Glove Award winner didn't field the ball cleanly, then threw wide of third trying to pick off Adrianza after he rounded the bag aggressively. Adrianza sprinted home to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. Cano had just one error in his first 49 games of the season. "It took a little hop, but I should make that play," Cano said. "I've made that play before. It's part of the game. The throw, I wouldn't say I rushed it, I just got under it. I'm not perfect. You're going to make mistakes." Buxton robbery: The Mariners scored once off Gibson in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 2-1, and they were threatening with runners on first and third when Cano laced a 106 mph line drive to straightaway center that had extra bases written all over it. But Byron Buxton had other ideas, making a leaping grab at the last second to deny Cano, who has had several tough-luck outs of late. This line drive had a normal 72 percent hit probability, according to Statcast™. "He's a special athlete," Servais said. "He's as good as it gets in our game, how he runs and can run balls down. As fast as [Jarrod] Dyson is in the outfield, Buxton's strides are probably more like what Junior looked like running around here a few years ago. He's a special athlete and he made a great catch. It does happen in this game." "He's pretty good out there," said Gibson, while also tipping his cap to defensive plays made by Miguel Sano and Mauer. "I'm a guy that's going to put the ball in play a lot and they were really good tonight." QUOTABLE "I just made the one mistake to Castro. Right pitch, wrong location. Got it down and in where he likes it and he did some damage." -- Bergman on his lone earned run allowed SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Dyson flashed his speed -- again -- when he turned on the afterburners on a leadoff triple in the fifth. Dyson's home-to-third time of 10.97 seconds, per Statcast™, was the fourth-fastest in MLB this season. Dyson wound up scoring Seattle's first run on a sacrifice fly by Ben Gamel. WHAT'S NEXT Twins: The Twins begin a three-game Interleague series with the Giants in San Francisco at 9:15 p.m. CT on Friday. The Giants are the only team that the Twins' Friday starter, Ervin Santana (7-3, 2.44 ERA), hasn't faced in his 13-year career. Mariners: Rookie right-hander Sam Gaviglio (2-1, 3.13 ERA) makes his fifth start in Friday's 7:10 p.m. PT series opener against the Blue Jays at Safeco Field. The 27-year-old faced Toronto in his MLB debut on May 11 at Rogers Centre in a two-inning relief outing, allowing two hits -- including a home run -- while striking out four.

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Gibson on a roll after 'reset' in Minors

Josh Horton | MLB | June 9, 2017

SEATTLE -- As Twins manager Paul Molitor walked into the clubhouse following Minnesota's 2-1 win over the Mariners on Thursday night, he made eye contact with starter Kyle Gibson, lifted both of his fists in the air and simultaneously flexed his biceps. The gesture acknowledged another strong outing from the right-hander, who's reemerged after a rocky start to the season that warranted him being sent down to rediscover himself. "[Gibson] had a really nice night," said Molitor. "I thought he was aggressive." Gibson, who allowed one run on five hits and struck out four in six-plus innings, lowered his ERA from 7.23 to 6.52 with the outing. Posting an 8.20 ERA in his first six starts of the season prompted him being sent down to Triple-A Rochester. In his last three starts, he owns a 3.38 ERA. Was being sent down the Minors a chance for Gibson to reset himself? "100 percent," Gibson said. "For me, you never want to get sent down, but for me I think it was kind of a relief where I can go down there, hit the reset button, and starting to focus on a few things that I can do to get better. It's just really hard to do that up here. It's hard to go out there and work on things every five days and still be able to help your team win." Thursday's line was encouraging, but the little things were what impressed Gibson. Executing a two-seam fastball on a 3-2 count to strike out Mariners' catcher Mike Zunino and strand two runners was a highlight. "So many times, that exact pitch I've yanked and ended up walking guys on it," Gibson said of the crucial pitch. "I felt something in the 'pen this week that kind of helped keep my head and frontside on the ball a little better and little bit on the plate. "It's those pitches right there that I gotta to be able to execute, and to me, times early on in the year, I would have yanked that ball and it would have been ball four. I think that's really why you saw a little bit of emotion. It's just because it's a pitch I had him set up for and it's just one of those pitches I wasn't executing coming into today." The Twins hope Gibson's recent success continues as they look to retain their 1 1/2-game lead over the reigning American League champs in Cleveland. "He has lot of pride and sometimes overthinks and gets into trouble, but when he goes out there with a good aggressive mindset, the results are going to be pretty good," Molitor said. "He's given us some good starts since his return, and if you're going to plan on hang around these things, you need depth in your rotation and he certainly can be a part of that." Heston excited for opportunity with Twins

Josh Horton | MLB | June 8, 2017

SEATTLE -- Designated for assignment by the Mariners two weeks ago, Chris Heston has found himself back at Safeco Field. Heston arrived back in Seattle, but this time as a member of the Twins after being claimed off waivers prior to Wednesday's game. "It's exciting. You get to see some buddies that I played with and catch up with guys," Heston said. "It's a good opportunity." Heston endured a hectic sequence of events to make it to Safeco Field during Wednesday's game. He heard the news that he was claimed at 11 a.m. in Oklahoma City, where he was scheduled to start for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, but he instead hopped on the next flight with a 2 p.m. departure and a connection in Chicago. He arrived in the Twins' bullpen during the sixth inning, just in time for late-inning work, although he wasn't needed. "It was good to get a minute to meet some of the guys and get acclimated a bit," Heston said. Seattle isn't the only stop on Heston's reunion tour. The Twins begin a three-game Interleague series Friday with San Francisco, the club that drafted and developed Heston. Friday will be the second anniversary of Heston's no-hitter against the Mets as a member of the Giants. Being familiar with the ballparks and the lineups provided a soft landing for the Twins' recently acquired right-hander.

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"It's cool to go back somewhere you're comfortable and somewhere you've pitched a little bit," Heston said. "I think that comfort level is really big." The Mariners designated Heston for assignment on May 24 following a rough start against the White Sox three days earlier, when he allowed seven runs on seven hits in three innings. The Dodgers claimed him and assigned him to the Triple-A affiliate before the Twins snatched him up. "It's been kind of a whirlwind of emotions," Heston said. "There's been some ups and downs. But I'm excited for the opportunity that's presented itself here." Heston's addition to the roster coincided with starter Hector Santiago landing on the 10-day disabled list. Manager Paul Molitor said he'll be used out of the bullpen in a long-reliever role. He's also a candidate to fill in for Santiago's scheduled start as a spot starter. The role doesn't matter to Heston. He's just elated to be on a Major League club again. "Any chance I can get to get innings and to help the team out is huge," Heston said. Santana set for first career start vs. Giants

Carson Mason | MLB | June 8, 2017

Matt Moore will get the ball on Friday when the Giants return home to take on Ervin Santana and the Twins in a three-game set. The Giants will also welcome reliever Sam Dyson to San Francisco for the first time. Manager Bruce Bochy has not determined if Dyson, who was acquired in a trade with the Rangers on Tuesday, will be active in the bullpen yet. Santana will make his first career appearance vs. the Giants, the only MLB team he's never faced. He's coming off an unusually shaky start, giving up seven earned runs over four innings against the Angels on June 3. He'll start opposite Moore, who is also coming off an off performance, giving up five runs (four earned) over four innings to the Phillies. Moore last faced the Twins in 2016 with Tampa Bay, allowing four runs on eight hits over five innings in a no-decision. The lefty has fared much better at home (2.57 ERA) than on the road (7.94 ERA) this year. Things to know about this game • The Giants were locked in a 1-1 tie with the Brewers in the third inning Wednesday when Buster Posey redirected a Jimmy Nelson breaking ball over the center-field wall for a two-run homer. Posey's homer, hit with a 106.6-mph exit velocity, set a new personal benchmark for his hardest-hit base hit of the season. Each of Posey's two hardest hits of the season (both homers) have broken ties for the Giants. • Twins pitcher Chris Heston will return to San Francisco on Friday on the second-year anniversary of his no-hitter over the Mets at Citi Field. The Twins placed Hector Santiago on the DL and claimed Heston off waivers on Wednesday. His no-hitter was the 17th in Giants franchise history. • Twins infielder and designated hitter Kennys Vargas was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday when Jorge Polanco was placed on the bereavement list. Polanco traveled to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday after the death of his grandfather. Vargas has five homers and 19 RBIs in 24 games with the Twins in 2017. Is Chris Gimenez a blast from the past or a glimpse of the future?

Derek Wetmore | ESPN 1500 | June 8, 2017

Earlier this season, the Twins were getting blown out at home against the Tigers and something unusual happened. Manager Paul Molitor, ostensibly tired of draining his bullpen after starter Kyle Gibson lasted just 2 2/3 innings, turned to backup catcher Chris Gimenez to finish the evening on the mound. Gimenez was the sixth Twins reliever to enter the game, and he got the final out after Ryan Pressly couldn’t. The Twins lost 13-4. The catcher had pitched three times in his career, and had said he’d be up for anything the team needed no matter what it meant for him personally. Still: pretty surprising!

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I remember that after that game, a horde of reporters gathered around Gimenez’s clubhouse locker — one bit of levity in an otherwise gloomy defeat for the Twins. I remember thinking to myself: What are we doing? Gimenez is a friendly guy and a position player pitching is unusual, but that was only a small fraction of the events that day at the ballpark. I might have underestimated the significance of that moment. Since that day, Gimenez has pitched three more times, and provided he hangs around all year as the backup catcher, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him add to that total. According to long-time baseball scribe Jayson Stark, Gimenez is the first “true position player” to pitch 4 tims in one season since before the Twins moved to Minnesota from Washington. Bob Bowman did it in 1959. The Senators moved and became the Twins in 1961. (In the 1960’s, Stark says, it was more typical to have two-way players, so we’re not counting those for these purposes.) @jaysonst How'd you know I'd be all over this? It's tricky! In the 1960s guys did both. I'm saying Gimenez is 1st to pitch 4x since Bob Bowman in '59 Here’s the score of every game Gimenez has pitched for the Twins this season: 13-4; 11-1; 17-6; 12-3. All Twins losses. All blowouts. In each case, Molitor apparently decided that the percentage chance of winning was so low that it didn’t make sense to continue to burn more pitches out of a bullpen that he would need to use the next day. (The way I think about it is that if you’re trailling by 6+ in the 9th inning, while your odds of winning are nonzero, they’re some very small percentage. Meanwhile, your chances of winning tomorrow hovers around 50%, and every additional reliever that gets used up that night and can’t throw tomorrow will hurt your chances for the next day.) Enter the mop-up reliever. With the upcoming MLB draft, there are at least two top talents who could start their pro career on either side of the ball. Hunter Greene plays shortstop and hits 100 mph on radar guns as a high schooler. Brenan McKay might be the best college hitter in the country and he started games on Friday nights for Lousiville. If the Twins draft either of them first overall, could they do both? I asked Stark for his opinion on the subject. “I think because both these guys — Greene and McKay — it’s not quite clear where their careers are headed,” Stark said in a radio interview on 1500ESPN. “It’s not out of the question that some team would have them try both. Hunter Greene is adamant that he wants to do both. So whoever picks him might almost find that as a condition. “The consensus from the folks I’ve talked to is that Brendan McKay really should be a hitter, not a pitcher. But depending on how much it means to him, you might see him dabble in it at least. It’s fun to me! But I don’t think it’s a viable career option–much as I’d love to see it.” If either of those two players began their pro careers as two-way players — which we haven’t really seen in earnest in decades — it would be with the idea that they could be much more than mop-up relievers on the mound. So in that way, they’re not all that similar to Gimenez. And yet, his 2017 season with the Twins might just be a glimpse into baseball’s future. Maybe. Gibson holds off Mariners, Twins avoid sweep

Associated Press | June , 2017

SEATTLE — Robinson Cano regularly makes the difficult look routine. So when Seattle’s star and one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball makes two errors on one play, it’s a shocking moment. “I should’ve made that play, I’ve made that play before,” Cano said. “It’s part of the game.” The Minnesota Twins took advantage of the two errors by Cano in a 2-1 win over the Mariners on Thursday night, although his mistakes weren’t the only reason Seattle’s five-game winning streak ended. Minnesota starter Kyle Gibson had his finest outing of the season — pitching one-run ball into the seventh inning — and Jason Castro extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a solo home run off Seattle starter Christian Bergman (3-3), the only mistake by the right-hander. But the difference proved to be Cano’s gaffe in the fifth inning that Seattle couldn’t overcome as the Twins avoided a three-game sweep.

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With two out in the fifth inning and a runner on second, Cano misplayed Joe Mauer’s slow grounder. He compounded the mistake by trying to catch Ehire Adrianza at third base, but Cano’s throw was low, skipped past Kyle Seager and allowed Adrianza to score. “No matter how great the players are, it does happen every once in a while,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “You typically don’t see it out of Robbie, he has great hands, one of the most sure-handed second baseman in the league. It got away from him, and the throw was off line obviously short hopped at third. Very uncharacteristic play, but it happens once in a while.” Gibson (3-4) managed to quiet Seattle’s hot bats, pitching into the seventh inning for the first time the season. The Mariners were averaging 8.17 runs per game so far in June, but were limited to Ben Gamel’s sacrifice fly to score Jarrod Dyson. Gibson lasted just one batter into the seventh, getting pulled after giving up a leadoff single to Taylor Motter. He allowed five hits and struck out four. He also got one big defensive assist thanks to another highlight catch by Byron Buxton. With two on and two out in the fifth, Cano lined a shot to deep center field. Buxton raced back and at the last moment reached above his head falling backward to make the catch and likely save two runs. “That’s an easy misread because the ball really had a lot of carry,” Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said. Seattle threatened late, getting the tying run to second base in the seventh and eighth innings. With one out in the eighth, Mike Zunino lined a shot back up the middle that reliever Taylor Rogers snared and doubled Cano off second base to end the threat. “How many times you see a pitcher make that catch? Maybe one out of 50 times,” Cano said. A day after giving up a game-winning home run in the ninth, Minnesota closer Brandon Kintzler got the final three outs for his 16th save. “You’re always happy to get your closer back out there if you can after a little bit of a hiccup,” Molitor said. SEATTLE’S CEILING For the second time since the season opener, Seattle missed a chance to climb above .500. After getting to 17-17 last month, the Mariners were immediately swept in four games by Toronto. NEW ADDITION Right-hander Chris Heston was claimed off waivers by the Twins and arrived in Seattle late Wednesday night. For now, Heston will work out of the bullpen for the Twins, manager Paul Molitor said, but Minnesota is in need of a starter for Sunday’s game at San Francisco and has a doubleheader on the horizon next week against Cleveland. Heston started one game earlier this season for Seattle. TRAINER’S ROOM Mariners: DH Nelson Cruz was out of the lineup for a second straight day due a strained right calf. Cruz wanted to play on Thursday but was held out for another day. He’s expected to be in the lineup on Friday. . . . LHP Drew Smyly (flexor strain) will throw his first bullpen session on Saturday. Smyly did light throwing from halfway up the mound on Thursday. UP NEXT Twins: Ervin Santana (7-3) looks to rebound from giving up seven runs in four innings in his last start as Minnesota opens a series at San Francisco. Mariners: Sam Gaviglio (2-1) allowed just one run in five innings in his last start. He gets the start as Seattle opener a weekend series against Toronto.

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Delaware North, Twins Extend Target Field Contract

Staff | Ballpark Digest | June 9, 2017

Delaware North Sportservice will continue to serve Target Field, as the company has agreed to a long-term contract extension with the Minnesota Twins. Since Target Field opened in 2010, Delaware North Sportservice has provided a full breadth of food and beverage services in concessions, suites, catering and premium areas, as well as retail management. “The Twins are a first-class organization, and we look forward to continuing this strong partnership,” said Carlos Bernal, president of Delaware North Sportservice. “We are extremely proud of the work we have done at Target Field, making it one of the top ballpark destinations in the country while also creating a game-day experience that reflects the very best of the Twin Cities.” Over the past several years, Delaware North Sportservice has worked with the Twins to introduce new and distinctive dining options at the ballpark, including opening Minnie and Paul’s, a popular Twins-themed pub under the iconic center field celebration sign, and CATCH, an all-inclusive club on the mezzanine level that provides a one-of-a-kind game experience. Other additions to the ballpark have included the Barrio bar inside Gate 6, which was created in partnership with a Minneapolis-based Latin restaurant and tequila bar, and the Taste of Target Field food truck, which brings popular game-day dishes outside of the ballpark to destinations all across the Twin Cities. “The Minnesota Twins are thrilled to be in partnership with Delaware North Sportservice,” Twins president & CEO Dave St. Peter said. “Delaware North is the global leader in enhancing fan experience through superior customer service and the presentation of the best in food and beverage. Their commitment to excellence has helped make Target Field one of America’s great sports destinations.” Expanding the number of local food items has also been a focus at Target Field, with regional brands such as Kramarczuk’s Sausages, Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen, Izzy’s Ice Cream and Red Cow becoming mainstays at the ballpark. The local food presence has earned praise both locally and nationally, as did the venue’s hosting of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in 2014. Beyond enhancing the game-day experience for fans, Delaware North Sportservice has worked extensively with the Twins to be a leader among professional sports teams with its sustainability efforts. Through its companywide environmental stewardship platform, GreenPath, Delaware North Sportservice has worked to achieve a nearly 80 percent waste diversion rate and helped Target Field become the first team in pro sports to achieve LEED gold certification for its operations. The Twins also partnered with Delaware North’s travel division to open the Twins Grill at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in 2017. The eatery offers a distinctive dining experience by serving classic ballpark fare in an atmosphere designed to look and feel like Target Field. Delaware North Sportservice operates food, beverage and retail operations at more than 50 sports and entertainment venues across the world — including TD Garden in Boston, Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Lambeau Field in Green Bay and Wembley Stadium in London. The company has been serving MLB fans since 1930 and currently provides hospitality services at 11 MLB ballparks.