A Breath of Fresh Air

On September 5th, the Twins minor league season ended. The very next day, the Twins called up OF Joe Benson, 1B Chris Parmelee, and OF Brian Dinkelman. Benson and Parmelee, were being called up to the big leagues for the first time while Dinkelman had a brief stint with the team earlier in the season.

Since their arrival, the Twins haven't done much better in the win-loss column. And in the 5 months prior to their arrival, it was tough watching Minnesota Twins baseball. But, since their arrival, its been just a bit easier to turn on the Twins game.It's been ever so nice watching all three of these young players get solid playing time here in the final month. Especially when they have been able to contribute the way they have.

Dinkelman had a brief stint with the Twins back in June. In his time then, he hit .286 with 2 RBI. Since his return on September 6th, he is hitting .433 with 1 RBI. Meanwhile, his success appeared to have rubbed off on Parmelee and Benson, as they are hitting .368 and .243 respectively. Parmelee, has displayed some power while here, hitting 3 2B and 2 HR. Benson, flirted with the cycle last Friday going 4-4 with a double and two triples. Clearly, these guys are making their presence felt.

And with their continued success, it makes Bill Smith's job this offseason a little bit harder. For as long as their success goes, the more they prove they belong in the big leagues. So when looking at his team for 2012, Bill Smith will have to give these guys a look at being on the roster. It has long been the tradition of the Twins to fill roster spots by promoting from within. Its what they have lived by. And in the past decade, it has proven to be more successful than going outside the organization.

So next year, look for these guys to start out their season in AAA-Rochester. But if injuries become a factor again, I would hope that these guys would be the first to get called up and fill in. Because are making a statement that they can play here. And hopefully, the front office feels the same way too.

A Few Good Notes: Draft Picks, The Shelf, Call-Ups, and Play By Play

• Tonight the Twins lost to the Chicago White Sox 3-0, in another futile offensive effort. The loss brings the team’s record to 58-84, which puts them just percentage points behind Kansas City for last place in the American League Central Division. Tonight's loss eliminated the Twins from postseason play for the first time since 2008. The Twins could only manage to score just one run in the past three games against the Sox. Honestly, at this point, I’m more content to see the team lose and get a higher draft pick in the 2012 MLB entry draft. It feels wrong saying that, but at this point, this will positively help the Twins going forward.

• The Twins also said yesterday, that if Justin Morneau returns this season, he will mostly DH, and Joe Mauer will mostly play 1B for the remainder of 2011. I don’t understand why the team needs to keep these guys on the field at this point. They have no shot at the postseason. Please put these guys on the shelf so they can come to Spring Training next year at or close to 100%.

• This last month, we are going to get a good look at some solid young prospects the Twins have. 1B Chris Parmelee, OF Brian Dinkelman, RP Kyle Waldrop, OF Joe Benson, and SP Liam Hendriks all have received their call up to the big leagues and should receive ample playing time. As Lavelle E Neal noted yesterday, these call ups could help the Twins prepare for life after Kubel and Cuddyer. Meaning if the two leave via free agency next year, they will have some players with big league experience ready to take over.

• For those who are kind of losing interest in the Twins, I encourage you to at least listen to the team this last month on the radio. This is John Gordon’s last month behind the mic for the Twins, as he will be retiring at seasons end. So please take in as much of Gordo as you can. Haven’t heard too much as to who will be replacing Gordo in the booth next year, but you have to believe that one of the alternate play by play guys (Kris Atteberry, Bob Kurtz, Ted Robinson, and Dan Gladden) will be behind the mic full time next year. At one point this year, we have heard all of those guys do the play by play, due to Gordon’s limited schedule this season. Personally, I hope this job goes to Atteberry. He has done a great job in his time as the play by play this season, and hopefully, the powers that may be think so too.