FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE –

Hello everyone, I am about to start my long weekend, but I wanted to drop a quick note with a couple of updates.

First, I just recorded the Blogger’s Moment for Saturday’s Twins Magazine Show. With a 6:10 game time, the Twins Magazine Show will start at 4:00 on WCCO Radio and many of the Twins affiliates. The Blogger’s Moment is on at some time during that hour. Check it out on your radio or online!

Second, over the weekend, I will be recording a segment of the podcast for The Minnesota Twins Fan Network to discuss the Twins and their minor leaguers. I believe that the show will air starting on Monday, so check that out throughout the day.

Finally, Jim Mandelaro penned an excellent article on Pat Neshek. You really should read it!

Have yourself a great weekend, and have a great and safe Fourth of July!

Friday, June 30, 2006

Q&A with Caleb Moore

Beloit Snappers Catcher

2004 Twins 4th Round Draft Pick

Good morning to everyone! Well, I probably won't be back here until next Wednesday, July 5th, but we'll see. I may have some posting on the fourth of July. In any case, please have a safe and enjoyable weekend and a great holiday! Please remember that I will be taking Questions for Kevin Slowey through the weekend, but you may want to get them to me soon. Today, I have another fun Q&A with a Twins minor leaguer. I have a brief preview of the Twins weekend series with the Brewers. And finally, I have the summaries of last night's Twins minor league games including a very exciting debut by the Twins top pick.

The primary focus of today's blog entry is another Q&A with a Twins minor league player. If you would like to see what other Twins prospects and more I have had Q&As with, please be sure to look at the end of this Q&A. Today, I need to thank Caleb Moore, a first baseman for the Beloit Snappers, for taking the time to answer some questions for us! I really hope that you all enjoy the Q&As.

Caleb Moore was drafted by the Twins in the fourth round of the 2005 draft out of East Tennessee State University. He didn't have to go to far to make his pro debut. He traveled just down the road to Elizabethton. He hit .309/.361/.431 in 36 games. He has spent this season with the Beloit Snappers. In 61 games, he is hitting .282/.333/.389 with 11 doubles, three triples, two homers and 23 RBI. I think that Moore has a good chance to have a solid big league career as a backup catcher to Joe Mauer. With more playing time, I do think that he could become a very solid hitter.   

I'm sure you don't want to read any more background. Check out his minor league numbers and other information here. Let's just get to the Q&A! Thank you to Caleb Moore for taking the time to answer these questions. I hope that you will enjoy it too. If you have any comments for me or Mr. Moore, please e-mail me, and I will try to answer your questions or forward them on to him and see if we can get you an answer.

Let the Questions Begin!

SethSpeaks: Growing up in Tennessee, who was your favorite team, and who were some of your favorite players growing up?  

Caleb Moore: Cincinnati Reds and my favorite players were Chris Sabo and Rob Dibble

SethSpeaks: Tell us a little about your high school career. Where you drafted out of high school? 

Caleb Moore: I was not drafted out of high school.  I was a pretty good player in high school but didn't really develop until college.

SethSpeaks: The Twins took you in the 6th round last summer. Had you talked to the Twins' scouts much, and where were you expecting to be drafted? 

Caleb Moore: It was the 4th round.  I didn't talk to the Twins much until a day or two before the draft.  I was expecting to be 8th to 10th round.

SethSpeaks: Do you intend to finish college? If you weren't playing pro baseball, what would your career of choice be?

Caleb Moore: Yes I do. I only lack 1 semester. If I weren't playing then I would be coaching baseball.

SethSpeaks: Who were some of the coaches or people that have helped you get to this point in your career?

Caleb Moore: My dad and college coaches have really helped me get to where I am now.  Now working with Jeff Reed in the off-season is a huge plus also.

SethSpeaks: How would you describe yourself as a player. What are your strengths, and what areas would you say you most have to improve upon?

Caleb Moore: I'm a pretty athletic catcher with good arm strength, but I have a lot of areas I think I need to improve on. Defense, hitting, and calling games. So, basically my all-around game.

SethSpeaks: What was the adjustment to pro baseball like for you? I would think that adjustment to wood bats would be a big thing?

Caleb Moore: Playing every day is a big adjustment, but the wood bat is bigger.  It's a totally different swing.

SethSpeaks: What are some of your initial thoughts on the Twins organization?

Caleb Moore: Top of the line organization.  Great player development. 

SethSpeaks: What is the best part, so far, about a career in baseball?

Caleb Moore: Getting paid to live a dream of possibly becoming a major league player.

SethSpeaks: What is the most difficult part of life in baseball?

Caleb Moore: The mental side of the game.

SethSpeaks: Favorite baseball movie?

Caleb Moore: Bull Durham

SethSpeaks: Favorite book?

Caleb Moore: My Prison Without Bars: by the best hitter ever (and should be in the HOF, Pete Rose)

SethSpeaks: What are your goals for the rest of the 2006 season?

Caleb Moore: Not any stat goals just to have quality at bats and continue improving defensively. 

SethSpeaks: What do you think it will be like to put on a big league uniform in a regular season for the first time?

Caleb Moore: Words could never describe it.  Dream come true.

Caleb, thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions.

Do you have any thoughts or questions for Caleb Moore or me? If so, please feel free to e-mail me.

If you would like to read any previous Q&A's, here is a checklist:

6/28/06 - Q&A with Erik Lis (Twins First Base Prospect at Beloit)

6/23/06 - Q&A with Pat Neshek (Your Questions) (Twins Relief Pitching Prospect, closer in Rochester)

5/30/06 - Q&A with Trevor Plouffe (Twins minor league infielder at Ft. Myers)

5/12/06 - Q&A with Paul Kelly (Twins minor league shortstop at Beloit)

5/9/06 - Q&A with Brian Duensing (Twins minor league pitcher at Beloit)

5/5/06 - Q&A with Matt Garza (Twins minor league pitcher at Ft. Myers)

5/2/06 - Q&A with Kyle Waldrop (Twins minor league pitcher at Beloit)

4/28/06 - Q&A with David Winfree (Twins minor league infielder at Ft. Myers)

4/25/06 - Q&A with Josh Rabe (Twins minor league outfielder at Rochester)

2/24/06 - Q&A with Tommy Watkins (Twins minor league infielder at New Britain)

2/20/06 - Spring Training Q&A (Part 2) (Several Twins and former Twins answer questions about spring)

1/3/06 - Q&A with Chris Coste (Phillies backup catcher and my former college teammate)

11/29/05 - Q&A with Chris Brown (former Twins 1B prospect, spent 2005 in Beloit)

11/25/05 - Q&A with Seth (your questions for me)

11/23/05 - Q&A with Pat Neshek (Twins Relief Pitching Prospect, added to 40 man roster, 2006 in Rochester)

11/15/05 - Q&A with Jeff Dooley (the voice of the New Britain Rock Cats)

11/8/05 - Q&A with David Dorsey (local writer for The News-Press in Ft. Myers, FL)

10/25/05 - Q&A with Mark Sheldon (former Twins Beat Reporter for MLB.com)

10/18/05 - Q&A with Kevin Slowey (another top pitching prospect, Twins 2nd round pick in 2005, 2006 in Ft. Myers)

10/11/05 - Q&A with Wes Holtsclaw (local writer for the Elizabethton Twins)

10/5/05 - Q&A with Eli Tintor (Minnesota-native, catching prospect who played 2005 in E-Town, 2006 in Beloit)

7/28/05 - Q&A with Jim Mandelaro (local writer for the Rochester Red Wings)

2/28/05 - Q&A with Pat Neshek (Minnesota-native, reliever prospect who played 2005 at New Britain)

12/17/04 - Q&A with Alexander Smit (Holland-native, pitching prospect spent 2005 between Beloit and E-Town)

Twins Thoughts

The Twins had a well-deserved off day yesterday. I suppose that isn't necessarily a good thing for a team that is playing so well. Below, I will primarily get you ready for the weekend series with the Brewers with the pitching matchups as well as some thoughts on the Brewers hitters. As always, please feel free to e-mail me or leave some Comments below. 

• Shannon Stewart is set to come off of the Disabled List today. Hopefully Gardy is able to convince him that DH is the best spot for him. Also, Stewart is not much of a hitter any more, so I wouldn't mind him starting out hitting 8th or so in the lineup. I am really hoping that Stewart will allow Gardy to play him at DH because I don't trust Gardy's ability to tell Stewart what's going to happen.

• As bad as Stewart is, Luis Castillo has been absolutely horrific since he got off to a great April start. In June, Castillo is hitting .204/.250/.235. That is a .485 OPS. That is horrific! On the season, he is hitting .272/.330/.341. Now, I am going to steal from Stick & Ball Guy here, but those numbers are incredibly Rivas-like. And believe me, I was really hoping that now that Rivas is in the Tampa Bay organization, his name (and level of incompetency) would not be mentioned here again!

• Joe Mauer is good! Nothing Ordinary about this Joe!

• Good OLD Sid titles his column "Newman Likes in Mauer and Twins ace lefties." Creative... and duh! I bet Al Newman isn't the only one!

• Here are the pitching matchups for the weekend series at the Dome:

  • Friday - 7:10 - Brad Radke (6-7, 5.40, 1.65, .339) vs Carlos Villanueva (0-0, 2.65, 1.26, .243)

  • Saturday - 6:10 - Carlos Silva (4-8, 6.43, 1.52, .331) vs Chris Capuano (9-4, 3.10, 1.16, .249)

  • Sunday - 1:10 - Francisco Liriano (8-1, 2.21, 1.02, .212) vs Zach Jackson (1-0, 4.70, 1.57, .333)

• Here are several thoughts or updates on some of the Brewers hitters:

  • Rickie Weeks is one of my personal favorite prospects. The 2B is not a good defensive player, but he can hit, hit for power and run. However, in his past four games, he is just 2-16.

  • Billy Hall is a guy that I thought the Twins should have tried to get last offseason from the Brewers. On the year, he is hitting .272 with 16 homers. He has a slugging percentage of .576. However, he is also just two for his last 16.

  • Geoff Jenkins, the veteran with the swing that I could watch all day, is just two for his last 19.

  • Carlos Lee is one of the most underrated players in baseball. I can not believe that his name is in trade rumors at this stage of the season. Maybe the Twins should make a move for him! Wishful thinking. Anyway, he is hitting .276/.339/.576 with 25 homers, 63 RBI and ten stolen bases. He is 8-16.

  • Prince Fielder is another prospect with tremendous upside. So far this season, he is hitting .288 with 16 homers. In his last ten games, he is 8-36 (.222).

  • Former Twins fan favorite Corey Koskie came cheaply to the Brewers before the season started. On the year, he is hitting .267 with ten homers. In his last eight games, he is 7-30 (.233).

  • Another former Twin, catcher Damien Miller, is in the midst of a five game hitting streak during which he is 6-18 (.333). However, over his last nine games, he is just 7-32 (.219).

  • Another former Twin catcher, Chad Moeller, is the Brewers backup catcher again this season. He is hitting just .196 on the season. In his last nine games played, he is 3-31(.097).

  • Brady Clark was such a big surprise player last year. In his last 11 games, he is 5-31 (.161).

  • Gabe Gross made the team out of spring primarily as a pinch hitter. He has been getting more and more playing time lately. In his last six games, he is 8-15 (.533).

• The Brewers are 40-40 on the season. That is 4.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central, and 3.5 behind 2nd place Cincinnati Reds.

• The Twins are 42-35 on the year. They are 11 games behind the Tigers in the AL Central, and 8.5 games behind the White Sox.

• Here is a great article by AP writer Dave Campbell on the Twins lefty tandem of Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano. 

Do you have any thoughts on the Twins, the Dodgers, or anything else? If so, send me an e-mail, or post some Comments below.               

TWINS MINOR LEAGUE NOTES

ELIZABETHTON UPDATE

Thursday - Game 1 - E-Twins 7, Bluefield 0 – Alex Burnett got the start for E-Town and got his first win of the year. He went all seven innings for the shutout and allowed just two hits and two walks. He struck out six. With the bat, Brian Dinkelman went 2-3 with a walk and two RBI. Henry Sanchez had a double and three RBI.

Thursday - Game 2 - E-Twins 7, Bluefield 1 – Jose Lugo started game two and got the win by pitching the first five innings. He gave up one run on six hits and four walks. He struck out seven. Matt Fox went the final two innings and struck out five! Steven Singleton went 2-5 with two RBI. Richard Sojo was 2-4 with a double. Brian Dinkelman was 2-5 with two RBI.

 

GCL TWINS REPORT

Thursday - GCL Twins 5, GCL Pirates 2  – David Bromberg started and gave up no runs in four innings. He gave up just a hit and walked three. Jakob Toufar went the next 1.2 innings and gave up two runs on five hits and a walk. Robert Delaney struck out three over 2.2 perfect innings to record the win. Brad Tippett recorded the save with a scoreless inning. The story of this game, however, was the debut of 1st round draft pick Chris Parmalee. He batted fourth and played RF. In his first at bat, he his a long home run. He walked in his next two at bats before striking out. Mark Dolenc went 2-3 with a double.

Do you have any further thoughts on any Twins prospects, minor leaguers, or these summaries? I would love any input, or ideas to make it better. Thanks! E-mail me, or also feel free to leave comments below.

Let me know what you think.  Send me an e-mail, or let's talk about it in the Comments here. That is it for today!