I attended Twinsfest 2015 which marked my 11th
year straight year of attending Twinsfest. With crowds down from previous
years, I was able to hit 10 of the 16 autograph stations on Friday night which
produced 48 signed baseball cards. I took it a bit easier on Sunday and secured
8 signed baseball cards (got 3 guys for a second time).
I almost always get a cold after Twinsfest and this year was
no exception. Now that I am feeling better, below is a list my successes with
some commentary.
Current Players (including manager):
Paul Molitor (manager), Danny Santana, Phil Hughes, Trevor
Plouffe, Oswaldo Arcia, Ervin Santana, Glen Perkins, Tommy Milone, Kurt Suzuki,
Eduardo Escobar, Jordan Schafer, Kyle Gibson, Mike Pelfrey, Brian Duensing, Tim
Stauffer, Caleb Thielbar, Carey Fien, Aaron Hicks, and Kennys Vargas
Nice to add Ervin Santana, Tim Staufer, Tommy Milone, and
Jordan Schafer to my collection of signed Twins cards. I now have signed cards
from 518 different current and former Twins players. Great to add more signed
cards from Phil Hughes, Danny Santana, and Kennys Vargas. Glen Perkins
commandeered an Eric Fryer card from a fan to add to his own collection, the
fan received an extra autograph for free from Perkins in exchange (you get only
1 autograph from each player each time you pay to go through the line). The
Torii Hunter autograph lines were the longest of the weekend which did not
surprise me as he was and still is one of the popular Twins of all-time.
Propsects:
Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Kohl Stewart, Alex Meyer, Nick
Gordon, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario, Trevor May, A. J. Achter, Logan Darnell, Max
Murphy, Treysen Vara, Tanner Vara, B. J. Hermsen, Tyler Duffey, Mark Hamburger,
Nate Hanson, Taylor Rogers, Stephen Pryor, Blake Schmit, Jason Wheeler, J. R.
Graham, Brandon Peterson, Eric Fryer, Mike Kvasnicka
The Twins have a lot of good prospects. Buxton, Sano,
Stewart, Meyer, Gordon, Polanco, and Rosario all have star potential. Stewart
signed his full name which he has not done on the certified autograph cards he
signed for the card companies. Rosario ’s
autograph is a mess, and has certainly gone down hill from when he started in
the minors. I needed Achter for my Twins collection as he spent a brief stint
up with the big club.
I expected the Buxton and Sano lines to be real long and
people did line up 2-3 hours ahead of time. However, once that group moved
through the line, there was no more line. Few if any people joined the line when
the signing started. I was able to show up at the Paul Molitor and Byron Buxton
signing with 15 minutes left in their signing time, and did not have to wait in
any line. I even got to stand around and chat with them because there was no
one behind me. I had a similar experience in the Sano line. I understand the prices
for the Buxton and Sano were higher this year, but both were signing with big
names (Sano with Twins legend Tony Oliva, Buxton with Paul Molitor). I suspect
once both men get up to the Twins and start showing what they can do, the super
long lines will be back again.
Alumni & Coaches
Tony Oliva, Tom Quinlan, Gene Larkin, Dan Gladden, J. T.
Bruett, Joe Vara, Neil Allen, Gene Glynn, Butch Davis
Pretty spares list of alumni players this year. Corey Koskie
& Roy Smalley were supposed to be there on Friday, but they cancelled out.
I wanted to get Koskie so I was disappointed to learn he had cancelled. Gladden
showed me his 87 World Series Championship ring which looks good. I had a nice
chat with new Twins pitching coach Neil Allen who seems like a nice guy.
I also got a chance to talk with Twins TV play-by-play man
Dick Bremer in the hallway. He seemed like a nice guy. He even asked my name
and where I was from.
Overall it was another good time, and I look forward to the upcoming
Twins baseball season.
