Lefty pop abounds on farm

BY JASON WILLIAMS
Pioneer Press

Pitching depth might be the Twins organization's biggest strength, but there is no shortage of left-handed power hitters in the minors, either.

Switch-hitting infielder Terry Tiffee, of course, is first in line to be recalled from Class AAA Rochester when the Twins make roster room for him to be the left-handed hitter off the bench.

The big-league debut of Rochester's Garrett Jones might not be far off. He has replaced Justin Morneau as the Red Wings' full-time first baseman this season and is doing his best to follow in the likeness of his predecessor. Jones, who like Morneau is 23 years old, was batting .308 with five home runs, three doubles and 11 runs batted in through 14 games.

"This kid might have the most power of any of our minor league players," said Jim Rantz, director of minor leagues. "They talk in the range of 450 to 500 (feet on his home runs)."

It seems Atlanta might have given up too early on Jones, who was a 14th-round draft pick in 1999 and released after three mediocre seasons in the Braves system. Jones, who is on the 40-man roster, had a breakout season in 2004 with Class AA New Britain, blasting 30 homers and driving in 92 runs.

The Twins also like what they have seen from Class A Fort Myers third baseman Matt Moses, a first-round pick in 2003. Moses, who missed most of last season because of a strained lower back, was hitting .400 with two homers through 13 games. As of Friday, Moses ranked second in batting in the Florida State League.

"This guy has legitimate left-handed pop," Rantz said.

Santana-like

The Twins continue to liken 21-year-old left-hander Francisco Liriano to Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. And it's not a stretch.

Liriano had a Santana-like outing Monday for New Britain, allowing one earned run and striking out 11 batters in six innings.

"It was just a dominating performance," manager Stan Cliburn told the New Britain Herald. "I knew after that first inning when he struck out the side that he had overpowering stuff. They couldn't pick up his slider. That thing was really biting."

Liriano's fastball was clocked between 93 mph and 98 mph, and it averaged almost 96 mph. He averaged 94 mph in his first start.

"I'm not saying he's going to get any faster, but to have that kind of velocity this early in the season is a nice sign," Rantz said.

Liriano was 1-1 with a 3.18 earned-run average and 20 strikeouts in 17 innings in three starts. He probably is at least a year away from being ready to pitch in the majors.

Family first

Rochester manager Phil Roof on Wednesday decided to take an indefinite leave of absence from the team to return home to Paducah, Ky., to be with his wife, Marie, who is ill. She has been undergoing tests to detect if she has cancer.

It's uncertain when Roof will return. "It's going to be a while," Rantz said.

Hitting coach Rich Miller is the interim manager. Jim Dwyer, the Twins' minor league hitting coordinator, is helping the Red Wings staff during the current six-game homestand.

Roof, a catcher for Minnesota from 1971-75, has spent several years as a minor league coach and manager with the Twins.

Briefly

Former Gophers All-America pitcher Glen Perkins allowed two hits and struck out four in three shutout innings in his first start of the season for Fort Myers on Friday against Lakeland. Perkins, a first-round draft pick last year, began the season on the disabled list with a sore left wrist.