Minor League Signings

Time to report once again on Twins Minor League transactions, courtesy of Baseball America. The Twins have added two more players to the organization, a right-handed pitcher and a young outfielder. Here's an introduction:

Brian Bass - RHP
This one perplexes me, I confess. Bass is 25, and until now has spent his entire professional career in the Royals organization. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 draft, and so started his professional career at the age of 18 with the GCL Royals. Last year, he finally made it to AAA, but pitched in just 7 games and posted an ERA of 7.59. In 7 minor league seasons, he's appeared in 144 games, starting all but 4 of them. His best season was back in 2003, when he posted a 2.84 ERA in 26 starts. Unfortunately, he's back-slid a bit since then despite moving upwards in the organization. My best guess is that Bass will be assigned to AA New Britain at the start of the season - but why the Twins would sign another starter when the organization is filled with great starting pitching is a very curious question.

Courtney Billingslea - OF
Billingslea is a 21-year-old originally drafted in the 10th round of the 2005 draft by the New York Mets. He's spent both of his first two years in baseball with the GCL Mets, and posted a seriously unremarkable .184 batting average in 212 at-bats. He does have a surprisingly high 8 homeruns in that span, which is somewhat rare for a rookie-baller. The Mets obviously decided they didn't have room for him in the organization any longer, and the Twins must have seen something that interested them. I would guess that Billingslea will start the season in Extended Spring Training, with a trip to Elizabethton in order if he performs well. If not, the Twins could assign him to the GCL - but it's probably equally likely that they would cut him if he didn't show signs of improvement.