Rosario and Sano

Any Twins fan that follows their minor league teams would surely recognise the names of Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano. This season I was lucky enough to be on the same team as these two and witness the unbelievable talent that both of them possess. Miguel signed out of the Dominican Republic for $3.15million and Eddie signed in last years draft in the 4th round out of Puerto Rico. Obviously the Twins invested a lot of money in these two and in their short careers they are producing the goods.

Over the last 10 games we were in a tight playoff race with the Kingsport Mets, and in the last 10 games, Rosario and Sano have flipped the switch and unleashed on the pitchers in the Appalachian League. In those 10 games they have hit a combined .428 average (36 hits in 84 at bats), hit 10 home runs, scored 30 runs and have 33 runs batted in. This kind of production is almost unheard of from a pair of teenagers playing only their 2nd year of professional baseball but they put their team on their back and lead the way for us before the playoffs. To go along with the last 10 games, they have also had very productive seasons, which lead to them being named in the 2011 Appalachian League All-Star Team with Eddie being named the league MVP and Miguel making the team as the utility infielder. They weren't the only Elizabethton Twins to be named as Tim Shibuya was named Pitcher of the Year and Madison Boer named the Reliever of the Year.

I'm not the only one on this team that thinks the way Sano and Rosario have been playing is out of this world, one of our catchers Matt Parker posted this on his Twitter yesterday "I have never witnessed anything like the current offensive production of Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, absolutely impressive". The things these two guys can do with the bat is amazing, Rosario has some of the fastest hands I've ever seen, and Sano is built like brick wall, and has so much raw power. They do strike out a fair bit, but they also take their fare share of walks, as they get older and begin to recognise pitches earlier, I'm sure their strikeout numbers will drop. All I know is I hope I get to play on the same team as these guys next year, cause I'm sure it will only get better.

Photo of the Day

David Hurlbut and me take pitchers b.p seriously!

The Finish Line

We're heading into September soon, and it the time of year for ball players when the season is winding down and nearly any ache or pain from injuries old or new are making themselves felt right now. I have been pitched nearly 100 innings this year and its taken its toll on my arm as I haven't thrown in 9 days because it feels so tired, those guys like Rosario, Sano and Goodrum that play every single day could definitely be feeling it much worse then I. Its the time of the year when the training room is much busier than normal, after every game players are getting ice to help recover just to be less sore to play tomorrows game, and the weight room that was once crowded at the beginning of the year isn't nearly as popular of a place as it once was in the beginning of the season since they gave us the option of working out for the last few weeks of the season. It is the last leg of the marathon and this is the time of year when the mental side of the game plays an even bigger role in every day.

This is most innings I have thrown in my career since 2009, I only threw 43 innings there, last year at the Major League Baseball Academy and Sydney Winter League I threw a total of 68 innings, and this year I have thrown 99 innings, so its slightly uncharted territory for me having thrown that much. It is a particularly exciting time of the year for us on many reasons. The playoff teams have been set, thoughts of finally returning home and seeing your friends and family are closer to becoming a reality with each passing day. It's the time of the year when things get real goofy in the clubhouse, most guys here have been playing with each other through about 130 games includeing Extended Spring Training, so the hair has been let down, everyone is comfortable with each other and probably going insane from the every day repetitions of the job which makes for a really fun time in the clubhouse and in the dugout every day.

The countdown to the end of the season has begun and there is a lot left to take care of, in the training room, in practice and most importantly in the games, before we reach our finish line.

Chemistry is a big part of any championship team, safe to say we love each other here in Etown

Photo of the Day

Miguel Sano got a bit too excited eating some cake whilst celebrating that we will be going to the playoffs

Going to the Playoffs

Last night we clinched our spot in the Appalachian League playoffs this season. There are still 3 games to go in the regular season but all the playoff spots have already been filled by the Danville Braves and Bluefield Blue Jays in the East Division and the Johnson City Cardinals and us are the teams that made it from the West Division.

This is how the playoff procedure's work in the Appalachian League:


In the first round of the playoffs, each division leader will face the second place finisher of the opposite division in a best-of-three series. The series will start the day following the conclusion of the regular season at the home of the second place finisher and will conclude with game two and game three, if necessary, at the home of the division winner. The winner of the series will earn the right to play in the Appalachian League Championship Series.

Following the completion of the first round, the two winning teams will square off in a best-of-three playoff that will begin at the home of the easternmost club in even numbered years and the home of the westernmost club in odd numbered years. The Championship Series will conclude with game two and game three, if necessary, at the opponent's park.

Right now Danville and Bluefield have the same record but Danville are in 2nd place, so that means we would have to play Bluefield in the first playoff series and Johnson City would have to play Danville. We have played both these teams in recent weeks and have done quite well against them, so if we play the way we are capable off, we should be able to perform well enough to advance to the Championship Series no matter who we play in the first round of the playoffs.

Video of the Day

This is my new team mate Corey Williams making a spectacular play while he attended college at Vanderbilt University. His knee shattered in two places and still managed to get the out at 1st base.

Quote of the Day

This quote comes from a short conversation Steven and Tim recently had.

Steven : "I feel so lazy, all I do is sit here"

Tim: "That's why we should get up and go get massages"

Steven: "So we can go be lazy somewhere else?"

I actually did laugh out loud at this one, classic Gruver.