Heels On The Field: A Baseball Blog

Twins Prospect Handbook Pops With Information And Heart

If you're a Minor League baseball junkie, "Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook" by Seth Stohs is your kind of book.

And it's not just because it's comprehensive, but because it's written from a unique perspective of one who is deeply dedicated to the Twins. His knowledge of  the team's farm system is vast.

"He takes great pride in getting to know the system inside and out," pens MLB.com's Twins beat writer Kelly Thesier in the introduction.

The book is as much a tribute to the Twins and their efforts to develop players as it is a sharply trained eye on every detail of the Twins current crop of minor leaguers. 

There's comprehensive reports here, but keen insight into their personalities as well. The latter speaks to the author's deep knowledge of the team's farm system.

Describing Luke Hughes, Stohs delves into the psychological aspect of the hitter.

"He's known as a supportive teammate," he writes. "But he can get down on himself."

And when he talks about pitcher Alex Burnett, he doesn't just cover the same territory regarding Burnett's conversion from starter to reliever. He goes there, but he also puts a personal touch  to it that, anyone who knows Burnett nods at when reading.

"Burnett is often described as a bulldog," he writes.

Interesting statistics, observations and insights into the Twins approach to the farm are also strong. He cites righty pitcher Dan Berlind as a "prototypical Twins draft choice... 6-7,  lanky." He also explains that the team has "a lot of control pitchers in the organization," and writes that Mike McCardell is "near the top of that list."

A statistic he uses a couple of  times - both in discussing Frederic Hanvi and Danny Valencia - is "Isolated Discipline." For stats geeks, this kind of thing is fascinating. For me, as well.

He reports that Ben Revere's "route-running greatly improved," and that catcher Wilson Ramos "does not like to take walks."

At every turn, you feel you're learning something vitally important to the Twins future, and about the mentality and ability of each player.

One of the most enjoyable sections comes at the end of  the  book when he interviews Jeff Manship and Derek McCallum, and in the profile "On The Cusp: Danny Valencia."

That's when Stohs really shines and his love of Minor League baseball takes center stage. 

When he asks second baseman McCallum what what it would be like  to put on a Twins uniform, Valencia gives an answer that could get a tough guy misty.

"That would be the experience I hoped for since I was a kid."

This is not your typical prospect handbook. It is filled with necessary data and performance reports, but the underlined element is the author's devotion to understanding the young players who play the game. His own passion and enthusiasm for Minor League baseball is unquestionable. And if you're a Twins fan, you need to read this book to acquire incomparable information on your future players.

To purchase the book check out Seth Stohs website SethSpeaks.net.

Wheels Of The Bus...New Direction For High Heels On The Field

I've thought about making my blog almost exclusively about Minor League Baseball for awhile now, and finally decided that's that. I'll also talk about my other passions: youth baseball and writing about baseball for kids for Junior Baseball Magazine. When I do a story for them on a MLB player, I'll excerpt it. It's not so different from what it's been, but MLB stories won't make their way to this blog, unless they have a Minor League slant of some kind.

In keeping with the theme, I'll be covering high school baseball in New Jersey for Wyckoff Patch starting in April and will give updates on those players and their progress. I'll continue to excerpt Junior Baseball stories about MLB players, which I'll do several assignments for this season.

I'll also be back covering my favorite league, the Eastern League, mostly the Trenton Thunder, the Yankees Double-A  affiliate for Pinstripes Plus on Scout.com.

My baseball and softball previews on Ramapo High School in Bergen County will run next week, and I'll be covering the Trenton Thunder opener on April 8th. When those stories run, check my Twitter page for content and links.

So stay tuned (or connected to the internet) and give me your ear on the bus leagues.

My heels hit the dirt of a Minor League baseball field soon.

MILB Q:

MILB has gotten more popular over the years and attendance records have been broken. With some of the most exciting prospects in the minors this season, my question is: Will you go out of your way to travel and see Strasburg? Heyward? Chapman? Posey?

Nationals Stephen Strasburg Is The Future: Why Rush It?

Stephen Strasburg will be a Major League pitcher. Relax.

It is understandable, and not just for Nationals fans, that baseball fans everywhere want to see what Strasburg will do when he finally debuts in a big league game. There's a feeling that his something special is going to make baseball more exciting after a dreary couple of years of steroid mania. It's a time to have the highest of hopes where prospects are concerned. And due in part to his record-breaking contract, there's particular attention  paid to his success.

The Nationals signed the 2009 number one draft pick to a four-year, $15 million dollar contract and sent the righty to play Arizona  Fall League. No surprise to anyone, he did well in his professional debut. His Spring Training debut had scouts clocking his fastball at no lower than 96 mph.

Also important: all indications are that Strasburg is a highly mature player, without any behavioral issues or lack of focus. He's on track to face the pressures ahead. There seems to be little concern about the 22-year old. What he needs is to log some solid innings at the professional level, to gain some arm strength and see where he's at mid-season.

The Nationals know they have a hungry, albeit small, fan base waiting for a reason to care. They need Strasburg. They need the excitement and promise he brings. What is commendable is that they are  not being wooed by that. Try as you might, you're not going to get them into bed no matter how you beg.

An exciting thought that perhaps more baseball fans could consider, is being able to see him in  a smaller setting, for little money. The Harrisburg Senators should get one heck of a boost in profit. The Eastern League is a fun and competitive league full of dedicated fans. Minor League fans are often just as interested in seeing a top prospect from another team as they are their own. Just to see, just to say they saw him before he was big time.

Strasburg stories will be plenty and exciting.

The importance  of this one player cannot be understated. For baseball and the Nationals he represents a process of rebirth for the game. Baseball is still recovering from losing much of it's integrity and fans continue to question the validity of all the records they watched broken in the 90's and early 2000's.

Strasburg has been given a huge amount of responsibility. Everyone breathe.

Twins Jim Rantz Career A Tribute To The Love Of Minor League Baseball

FORT MYERS, Fla - Baseball is always changing faces.

There are cups of coffee all over the place.

So when someone has been with a team in several capacities his entire professional life, it's worth mentioning and applauding.

Twins Farm Director Jim Rantz has not only been with the Twins for 49 years, he's also a St. Paul Minnesota native. If ever the word family applies to a relationship between a team and one individual, he might be the truest example.

The value of knowing a team so well, of being so much a part of the fabric  of it's success through the years can't be understated. Specifically someone who is on the Minor League side.

When I asked Mr. Rantz (he told me to call him Jim and I just can't), what the hardest part of the job is, not surprisingly, he said it is bringing a player in his office to tell him he's being cut. But it wasn't just that he said it, it was how. His voice quieted and he paused as he stared off a moment.

Then he perked back up and said, "I want everyone to make it!"

Trust is the element that struck me the most. A man who has been with a team that long, has to care deeply about its success, not just because it's his job. He has been there too long. His heart is invested. 

These men do not come along every day. Men who've seen it all with one team and gone through so many of baseball's structural changes.

"I remember when the signing bonuses were in the thousands and that was exciting for a player," he said, looking amused by the thought.

Rantz, who the Twins inducted in the team's Hall Of Fame in 2006, began his professional career signing a contract with the Washington Senators. He pitched and managed for five years, before joining the front office in 1965.

"I was on the media end of things then," he said. He became the team's farm director in 1986.

He says that is what he loves the most. Developing players and giving them a chance is what he understands.

Young players need a Jim Rantz in their lives. They can rest assured he gives a damn.