Baseball

2010 Top 50 Twins Prospects | #49 | Joe Testa

Position | Pitcher

Bats/Throws | Left/Left

Born | December 18, 1985 (Jackson, N.J.)

School | Wagner College

Height | 5'10''

Weight | 175 lbs.

2009 Ranking | Not Ranked



Breakdown

Who ever thought that the Toronto Blue Jays would enter the ring and be in contention for one of the most hotly contested pitchers in the world? MLB Trade Rumors reports that the Blue Jays discussions with Aroldis Chapman are heating up, and met with him for a private workout on Thursday. 

Among the things that struck me with the arrival of 2010 last night (hmm...I start grad school in four days...) was a new found excitement for the opening of Target Field.

As a lifelong Twins fan, I spent many a night twisted half around in my seat to face home plate instead of somewhere between second base and the centerfielder, phenomenal seats for the Vikings game the next day, but not so great for a pitchers' duel.

In my excitement, I went looking for some press on the new stadium, and there's a lot of excitement around baseball about this new park.

I am now on the sixth installment of my series in which I am naming who I feel are the top 10 players in each MLB franchise's history, and this one is the Mariners.

With just four postseason appearances in their 33 seasons, the Mariners have had some tough times with just ten winning seasons i their history. Nonetheless, they have had some great players don the Mariners uniform.

As with any rankings list, I'm sure not everyone will agree with me.

Earlier in the offseason, I broke down the catchers in the A's organization. That article can be found at http://bleacherreport.com/articles/307963-heres-a-thought-breaking-down-....

It’s officially the new year. With 2009 in the rearview mirror and 2010 upon us, it’s time to take a look at the Houston Astros probable bench for this coming season.

Stopping to read the Jim Hendry outfield foibles over the last few seasons reads like the tale of a man who just doesn't get it. Corey Patterson, Jacque Jones, Jeromy Burnitz, Matt Lawton, Cliff Floyd, Juan Pierre, Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, and Milton Bradley, just to name a few.

In pretty much every case, the Cubs have either failed to get the production that they hoped for, and/or wildly overpaid for it. I'll let you figure out which is which.

A recent study from the New York Times concluded that air traffic controllers suffer the most stress than any other job. I beg to differ. Without a doubt, I confidently believe that being a Seattle Mariners fan is the most stressful "occupation" known to man.

Alright, my thoughts on the moves so far this offseason are late. At any rate, hate them or love them, here they are.

It would be an understatement to simply say that the Detroit Tigers have entered a rebuilding phase.

It has become a reality that we are all dealing with in our own ways. Common solutions include denial, rage, optimism, sadness, and/or the bottle of your choice.

Our offseason activity thus far has done everything but confirm that a fire sale would not be taking place.

So the Bay era is over in Boston. Probably a lot sooner than many Red Sox fans, myself included, had hoped.

Jason Bay, while no Manny Ramirez with the bat, provided the Red Sox with a very solid power stroke in a very walk-happy lineup (second in the AL with 659), hitting 36 home runs, and providing a very nice line of .267/.384/.537.

It will be interesting to see how Bay's style plays at Citi Field, as it is a very young ballpark, and while Fenway Park is noted as a hitter's park, it also can depress HR totals. Particularly for a right handed hitter.