Twins (and ex-Twins) in the World Baseball Classic

Twins players are in bold.  Ex-Twins are in italics.

Australia: Peter Moylan, Ryan Rowland-Smith, Brad Thomas, Brendan Wise, Allan de San Miguel, James Beresford, Justin Huber, Luke Hughes, Coach Glenn Williams

Brazil: None.

Canada: Andrew Albers, Jesse Crain, Justin Morneau, Rene Tosoni

China: Ray Chang

Cuba: None.

Dominican Republic: Samuel Deduno, Eddie Morlan

Spain: None.

Italy: Dan Serafini, Drew Butera, Chris Colabello, Nick Punto

Japan: None.

Korea: None.

Mexico: Dennys Reyes, Gil Velazquez, Coach Juan Castro

Netherlands: Shairon Martis, Tom Stuifbergen, Loek Van Mil, Coach Bert Blyleven

Puerto Rico: Jose Berrios, J. C. Romero, Eddie Rosario

Taipei: None.

United States: R. A. Dickey, Glen Perkins, Joe Mauer

Venezuela: Deolis Guerra, Jose Mijares, Juan Rincon, Alex Romero

Winterball Wrapup: How the Lads Fared--The Pitchers

THE GOOD

Tim Atherton (Sydney, Australian), 2-1, 2.44, 0.99 WHIP, 39 Ks in 44.1 innings (9 games, 8 starts).

Samuel Deduno (Aguilas, Dominican), 2-0, 0.35, 1.13 WHIP, 32 Ks in 25.2 innings (6 games, 5 starts).

Deolis Guerra (Magallanes, Venezuelan), 3-2, 3.81, 1.12 WHIP, 31 Ks in 26 innings (20 games, 0 starts).

Josh Guyer (Sydney, Australian), 0-0, 0.00, 1.26 WHIP, 4 Ks in 6.1 innings (3 games, 0 starts).

Angel Mata (Aragua, Venezuelan), 0-0, 1.32, 1.46 WHIP, 16 Ks in 13.2 innings (12 games, 0 starts).

Bruce Pugh (Anzoategui, Venezuelan), 3-0, 1.08, 1.20 WHIP, 10Ks in 16.2 innings (19 games, 0 starts).

Lewis Thorpe (Melbourne, Australian), 0-0, 1.69, 0.94 WHIP, 5Ks in 5.1 innings (1 game, 1 start).

Dakota Watts (Aragua, Venezuelan), 0-1, 1.98, 1.07 WHIP, 24Ks in 41 innings (29 games, 0 starts).

THE AVERAGE

Tyler Herr (Sydney, Australian), 3-2, 3.57, 1.42 WHIP in 17.2 innings (16 games, 0 starts).

Josue Montanez (Ponce, Puerto Rican), 0-1, 3.66, 1.07 WHIP in 19.2 innings (12 games, 2 starts).

Luis Perdomo (Aguilas, Dominican), 2-2, 3.26, 1.55 WHIP in 19.1 innings (16 games, 0 starts).

Anthony Slama (Mazatlan, Mexican), 0-1, 3.68, 1.59 WHIP in 22 innings (21 games, 0 starts).

THE BAD

Cesar Ciurcina (Aragua, Venezuelan), 0-1, 16.20, 1.80 WHIP in 3.2 innings (2 games, 0 starts).

Nelvin Fuentes (Mayaguez/Santurce, Puerto Rican), 2-0, 6.75, 1.98 WHIP in 14.2 innings (15 games, 1 start).

Sam Gibbons (Melbourne, Australian), 2-3, 6.88, 1.81 WHIP in 35.1 innings (10 games, 5 starts).

Edgar Ibarra (Aragua, Venezuelan), 1-4, 8.65, 1.92 WHIP in 26 innings (10 games, 7 starts).

Yorman Landa (La Guaira, Venezuelan), 0-1, 7.36, 2.45 WHIP in 3.2 innings (2 games, 0 starts).

Jason Lane (Oriente, Venezuelan), 0-1, 7.36, 2.73 WHIP in 3.2 innings (2 games, 0 starts).

Shairon Martis (La Guaira, Venezuelan), 1-1, 7.50, 1.67 WHIP in 18 innings (5 games, 5 starts).

Miguel Munoz (Aragua, Venezuelan), 0-1, 13.50, 3.00 WHIP in 2 innings (2 games, 0 starts).

Gonzalo Sanudo (Guasave, Mexican), 0-1, 6.52, 1.60 WHIP in 19.1 innings (17 games, 0 starts).

WHAT IT MEANS

Again, probably not much.  The competition is uneven and the playing time is sporadic.  The most innings anyone pitched was 44.1.  But it's baseball.  It's interesting, it's fun, and it's something to help us get through the long winter.

Winterball Wrapup: How the Lads Fared: The Batters

We'll look at the pitchers tomorrow.

THE GOOD

Oswaldo Arcia (Aragua, Venezuelan), .258/.317/.475 with 10 homers in 198 at-bats.

Chris Colabello (Guasave, Mexican), .332/.399/.644 with 17 homers in 205 at-bats.

Daniel Ortiz (Mayaguez, Puerto Rican), .322/.368/.416 in 149 at-bats.

Deibinson Romero (Escogido, Dominican), .273/.333/.455 in 11 at-bats.

Eddie Rosario (Mayaguez, Puerto Rican), .338/.386/.496 in 133 at-bats.

Miguel Sano (Oriente, Venezuelan), .265/.373/.571 with 4 homers in 49 at-bats.

THE AVERAGE

James Beresford (Melbourne, Australian), .284/.324/.343 in 67 at-bats.

Pedro Florimon (Escogido, Dominican), .260/.336/.293 in 123 at-bats.

Harold Garcia (Zulia/Aragua, Venezuelan), .267/.313/.356 in 45 at-bats.

Darin Mastroianni (Zulia, Venezuelan), .256/.381/.337 in 86 at-bats.

Wilkin Ramirez (Este, Dominican), .213/.309/.362 in 47 at-bats.

THE BAD

Jhonatan Arias (Oriente, Dominican), .143/.200/.143 in 28 at-bats.

Brandon Boggs (Magallanes, Venezuelan), .197/.307/.263 in 62 at-bats.

Drew Butera (Oriente, Dominican), .189/.328/.245 in 53 at-bats.

Brian Dozier (Margarita, Venezuelan), .208/.240/.208 in 24 at-bats.

Eduardo Escobar (La Guaira/Anozategui, Venezuelan), .205/.277/.322 in 146 at-bats.

Jorge Fernandez (Carolina, Puerto Rican) .167/.167/.167 in 6 at-bats.

Aaron Hicks (Margarita, Venezuelan), .204/.306/.296 in 54 at-bats.

Angel Morales (Ponce/Carolina, Puerto Rican), .153/.219/.288 in 59 at-bats.

Ray Olmedo (La Guaira, Venezuelan), .237/.274/.288 in 59 at-bats.

Josmil Pinto (Aragua, Venezuelan), .172/.250/.345 in 29 at-bats.

Rory Rhodes (Brisbane, Australian), .250/.294/.281 in 32 at-bats.

Kennys Vargas (Mayaguez, Puerto Rican), .181/.280/.333 in 72 at-bats.

Logan Wade (Brisbane, Australian), .167/.253/.205 in 78 at-bats.

JaDamion Williams (Sydney, Australian), .218/.281/.278 in 133 at-bats.

WHAT IT MEANS

Probably not much.  It's winter ball.  The competition is uneven and the playing time is often sporadic.  The highest number of at-bats for anyone listed is 205, and most of them had less than a hundred.  Still, it's fun to follow and interesting to look at.  For me, anyway.

Coming Up Next

There are no more winter league games, but we're not going dark here.  Within the next few days, we'll have a recap of how Twins players did in the various winter leagues this year.  Then, we'll take a look at Twins and ex-Twins who are participating in the World Baseball Classic.

We haven't decided yet whether we'll do game recaps of the WBC.  We certainly could, but it may be that the games will be publicized widely enough that our recaps would be superfluous.  If you have an opinion on that, please let us know.

Once the minor league seasons start, of course, we'll be back here to report on the Twins affiliates.  We're looking forward to a great season, and we hope you'll join us!

Australian League: Game of February 9

CANBERRA 7, PERTH 6

Game summary: Perth took an early lead, scoring two in the top of the first on a two-run single by Michael Ohlman (Baltimore). Kody Hightower led off the bottom of the first with a homer to cut the lead to 2-1. Canberra came up with four in the second to take a 5-2 lead on a single, an error, a single, a walk, and two more singles. An RBI single by Ryan Stovall (Arizona) in the third made it 6-2, and it looked like Canberra might cruise to an easy victory. In the fifth, however, Perth came back with a four-spot of its own to tie the game. Three singles produced the first run, a two-run triple by Luke Hughes pulled Perth within one, and an Allan de San Miguel (Baltimore) single tied the score. It remained tied until the seventh, when a two-out homer by Michael Wells put Canberra back on top. Perth could not get the tying run past first base after that.

Perth: Tim Kennelly (Philadelphia) was 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch, scoring twice and driving in one. Ohlman was 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.

Canberra: Jack Murphy (Toronto) was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Aaron Sloan was 3-for-4 and scored once.

The win means Canberra sweeps the best-of-three series and is the champion of the Australian League.

Australian League: Game of February 8

CANBERRA 6, PERTH 4

Game summary: Canberra scored one in the first, three in the second, and two in the fourth to go ahead 6-0. It stayed that way through seven. Perth got two in the eighth and two in the ninth to make the final score closer, but did not get the tying run up to bat.

Perth: Corey Adamson (San Diego) was 2-for-5 with two doubles. Carter Bell (Arizona) was 2-for-5 and scored once.

Canberra: Brian Grening allowed two runs on six hits and four walks, striking out six in 7.2 innings. Kody Hightower was 3-for-5 with a double, scoring once and driving in one.

Canberra takers a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Caribbean Series: Game of February 7

MEXICO 4, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 3 (18 INNINGS)

Game summary: The Dominican Republic went up 1-0 in the third when Abraham Almonte (Yankees) doubled, took third on an error, and scored on a ground out. Mexico grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fifth on a double by Barbaro Canizares, a bunt, a walk, a ground out, and an error. It stayed that way until Ricardo Nanita (Toronto) led off the bottom of the ninth for the Dominican Republic with a home run to tie the score at two. Karim Garcia led off the top of the fourteenth with a home run to put Mexico in front 3-2, but the Dominican Republic came back to tie the score with a pair of walks and a Miguel Tejada (Kansas City) single. With one out in the eighteenth, Doug Clark hit a home run to give Mexico a 4-3 lead. Marco Carillo, in his fourth inning of relief, gave up only a two-out single to Tejada in the bottom of the eighteenth to preserve the victory.

Mexico: Rodrigo Lopez (Philadelphia) gave up an unearned run on six hits and two walks in 7.2 innings. Clark was 2-for-7 with a walk.

Dominican Republic: Angel Castro struck out seven in 7.2 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and three walks. Donell Linares was 3-for-9.

NOTES

The Dominican Republic out-hit Mexico 16-6. The teams combined to leave 31 men on base (21 by the Dominican Republic) and go 1-22 with runners in scoring position (1-16 for the Dominican Republic). They combined to use 21 pitchers, 11 by Mexico. The game ended at 2:43 a.m. local time. The time of the game was seven hours, twenty-eight minutes. There were five hundred seven pitches thrown.

The victory means the Mexico is the Caribbean Series champion.

Caribbean Series: Games of February 6

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 4, VENEZUELA 2

Game summary: Francisco Pena (Mets) hit a two-out two-run homer in the ninth inning to break a 2-2 tie and give the Dominican Republic the victory.

Dominican Republic: Carlos Pimentel (Texas) struck out four in four innings, giving up an unearned run on two hits and one walk. Luis Jimenez (Angels) was 3-for-4 with a double.

Venezuela: Sergio Perez struck out five in 5.2 innings, allowing one run on five hits and a walk. Luis Nunez was 1-for-3 with a walk.

MEXICO 10, PUERTO RICO 0

Twins: Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-3 with a double.

Game summary: Mexico scored three in the second, five in the sixth, and two in the ninth. A two-run homer by Barbaro Canizares started the scoring.

Mexico: Luis Mendoza struck out nine in 7.1 innings, giving up two hits and four walks. Marlon Byrd was 2-for-4 with two doubles, scoring twice and driving in three.

Puerto Rico: Miguel Mejia (Miami) struck out two in two perfect innings. Aaron Bates was 1-for-1 with a walk.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Dominican Republic finished first with a record of 5-1. Mexico is second at 3-3. Puerto Rico and Venezuela tied for third at 2-4.

OOPS

Our staff missed a format change in the Caribbean Series. In years past, the team that finished first in the six-day round robin was the champion. That is not the case this year. Instead, the first place team plays the second place team in a championship game. That means the Dominican Republic plays Mexico tonight for the championship.

Caribbean Series: Games of February 5

PUERTO RICO 4, VENEZUELA 1

Twins: Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-4 and scored once.
Game summary: Venezuela scored first, in the second inning, but Puerto Rico came back with single runs in the fourth, fifth, eighth, and ninth to take the victory.
Puerto Rico: Jesus Feliciano was 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI. Ramon Castro (Dodgers) was 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and a walk.
Venezuela: Mario Lisson was 2-for-4 with a home run. Marcos Tabata struck out three in two shutout innings, allowing one hit and no walks.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 11, MEXICO 6

Game summary: Each team scored one in the first and three in the third. Mexico tallied twice in the fourth when Alfredo Amezaga (Dodgers) hit an RBI triple and scored on a Doug Clark single. Mexico held the 6-4 lead until the eighth, when the Dominican Republic scored seven times. With two out and a runner on first, a single and two walks produced the first run. Abraham Almonte (Yankees) delivered a two-run single to put the Dominican Republic in front. An RBI single and a three-run homer by Jose Ramirez (Cleveland) followed to give the Dominican Republic the victory.
Dominican Republic: Willy Lebron struck out three in 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two walks. Miguel Tejada (Kansas City) was 2-for-5 with a two-run homer and scored twice.
Mexico: David Reyes pitched 4.1 perfect innings of relief, striking out seven of the thirteen batters he faced. Clark was 3-for-5, scoring once and driving in two.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Dominican Republic goes to 4-1 and clinches the Caribbean Series. Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela are all tied for second at 2-3, two games behind with one game to play. It appears, though, that they will still play the final games. The Dominican Republic takes on Venezuela and Mexico plays Puerto Rico.

Caribbean Series: Games of February 4

PUERTO RICO 6, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 4 (10 INNINGS)

Twins: Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was used as a reserve and was 0-for-2.
Game summary: The Dominican Republic scored single runs in the sixth and seventh to take a 4-2 lead. Puerto Rico tied it in the eighth on a two-run single by Rey Navarro (Kansas City). Navarro came through again in the tenth, hitting a two-run homer to give Puerto Rico the victory.
Puerto Rico: Carlos Rivera was 3-for-5 and scored once. Navarro was 2-for-5 with a home run and a walk, driving in four.
Dominican Republic: Alberto Rosario (Boston) was 2-for-4 with a home run. Jordany Valdespin (Mets) was 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.

MEXICO 2, VENEZUELA 0

Game summary: Mexico scored two runs in the first inning and made it hold up. An error and a two-run homer by Alfredo Amezaga (Dodgers) produced the runs. Venezuela out-hit Mexico 7-3.
Venezuela: Austin Bibens-Dirkx (Toronto) pitched seven innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk. Jose Castillo was 2-for-4.
Mexico: Rolando Valdez struck out six in seven innings, allowing five hits and no walks.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Dominican Republic took its first loss but still leads the series at 3-1. Mexico and Venezuela are tied for second at 2-2. Puerto Rico got its first win, but continues to trail at 1-3.

Caribbean Series: Games of February 3

VENEZUELA 3, PUERTO RICO 1

Twins: Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-4.

Game summary: Venezuela scored two in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie. Jose Yepez (Atlanta) hit a home run to make it 2-1 and Jose Castillo delivered an RBI single to bring in an insurance run.

Venezuela: Ken Ray struck out nine in six innings, giving up one run on six hits and no walks. Castillo was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Puerto Rico: Andy Gonzalez (White Sox) was 2-for-4 and scored once. Ramon Castro (Dodgers) was 2-for-4.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 6, MEXICO 5 (11 INNINGS)

Game summary: The Dominican Republic scored three in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. It stayed that way until the ninth, when Alfredo Amezaga (Dodgers) scored on a passed ball to tie the game. In the eleventh, a pair of singles and an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out. A force out at home made it two out, but Ricardo Nanita (Toronto) singled home the winning run.

Mexico: Jesse Gutierrez was 2-for-4 with two doubles, scoring once and driving in one. Chris Roberson was 2-for-5 with a double and scored once.

Dominican Republic: Jose Ramirez (Cleveland) was 3-for-5 with a double and a walk, scoring twice. Jordany Valdespin (Mets) was 2-for-5 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Dominican Republic remains perfect, leading with a 3-0 record. Venezuela is 2-1, Mexico is 1-2, and Puerto Rico is 0-3. Today, Puerto Rico plays the Dominican Republic and Venezuela takes on Mexico.

Australian League: Games of February 2

PERTH 4, SYDNEY 1 IN SYDNEY (GAME 1)

Game summary: Perth scored three in the seventh to break a 1-1 tie. They put together three singles, a hit batsman, and another single.
Perth: Anthony Claggett struck out five in six innings, giving up one run on six hits and five walks. Allan de San Miguel (Baltimore) was 2-for-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch.
Sydney: Craig Anderson allowed one run on five hits and two walks in six innings. Geoffrey Klein (St. Louis) was 3-for-5.

PERTH 8, SYDNEY 6 IN SYDNEY (GAME 2)

Twins: JaDamion Williams (Sydney) was 0-for-3 and scored once.
Game summary: Perth broke a 2-2 tie with four in the third and added two in the fourth to lead 8-2. Sydney did not get back into the game until it scored one in the eighth and three in the ninth. Sydney had the tying run on base with one out, but a double play ended the game.
Perth: Warwick Saupold (Detroit) struck out seven in six innings, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk. Michael Ohlman (Baltimore) was 3-for-4 with a walk, scoring once and driving in one.
Sydney: Chris Oxspring (Detroit) struck out six in 3.2 scoreless innings of relief, allowing three hits and a walk. Zachary Penprase was 3-for-5 and scored once.

Perth sweeps the best-of-three series and will take on Canberra in the championship series next weekend.

Caribbean Series: Games of February 2

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 6, PUERTO RICO 2

Twins: Daniel Ortiz (Puerto Rico) was 1-for-3 with a double.
Game summary: The Dominican Republic scored one in the sixth to tie the game at two, one in the seventh to take the lead, and three in the eighth on a three-run homer by Donell Linares to take control.
Dominican Republic: Ricardo Nanita (Toronto) was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Jailen Peguero retired all four batters he faced, three by strikeout.
Puerto Rico: Johnny Monell (San Francisco) was 1-for-3 with a two-run homer. Efrain Nieves pitched a perfect inning.

VENEZUELA 4, MEXICO 3

Game summary: Mexico led 3-1 after seven. Venezuela scored two in the eighth to tie and one in the ninth to win. Venezuela had two out and none on in the bottom of the ninth, but Jose Castillo walked, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single by Mario Lisson.
Mexico: Rodrigo Lopez (Philadelphia) gave up one run on two hits and a walk in six innings. Barbaro Canizares was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI.
Venezuela: Lisson was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Robert Perez was 2-for-3 with a home run.

STANDINGS UPDATE

The Dominican Republic is 2-0. Trailing by a game are Mexico and Venezuela, each at 1-1. Puerto Rico is 0-2.

Australian League: Game of February 1

Postponed.  Will be made up as part of a doubleheader February 2.

Caribbean Series: Games of February 1

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 7, VENEZUELA 2

Game summary: Trailing 2-1 after four, the Dominican Republic scored four in the fifth to take control of the game and added two in the seventh to put it away. A two-run homer by Francisco Pena put the Dominican Republic in the lead.

Venezuela: Reegie Corona (Yankees) hit a home run. Rafael Cova pitched a scoreless inning, giving up no hits and one walk.

Dominican Republic: Angel Castro struck out seven in seven innings, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks. Ricardo Nanita (Toronto) was 3-for-4, scoring twice and driving in two.

MEXICO 3, PUERTO RICO 0

Game summary: Mexico scored one in the third and two in the sixth.

Puerto Rico: Johnny Monell (San Francisco) was 2-for-4 with a double. Luis Mateo (St. Louis) was 2-for-3.

Mexico: Luis Mendoza pitched six shutout innings, allowing three hits and two walks. Marlon Byrd was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and two RBIs.