UPDATE: LaVelle E. Neal III reports that Joe Mauer has a potentially serious leg injury:

Twins catcher Joe Mauer has been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left fibula. He will be treated with a bone stimulator and physical therapy and will be re-evaluated on Sunday.

Mauer came to the ballpark today complaining of soreness in the leg. An MRI was taken, which revealed the stress reaction.

A stress reaction is considered a precursor to a stress fracture. The Twins say they are optimistic that the condition was diagnosed early enough to keep it from becoming a serious long-term problem.

I'll try to post most details as they become available, but ... well, I guess it's not worth getting worked up over quite yet.

UPDATE #2: Two people with knowledge of the situation have contacted me to say that the Twins think Mauer will be able to avoid being sidelined for a significant length of time and may actually be in the Opening Day lineup. So, for now at least, disaster averted.

It's early yet, but Jason Williams' replacement at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Kelsie Smith, has been pumping out some good articles. Among them is a well-written piece that looks at the early stages of Francisco Liriano's lengthy comeback from Tommy John surgery, including how things might change once his elbow allows him to begin throwing again:

Once Liriano gets back on the mound, [pitching coach Rick] Anderson said they would work to smooth out his delivery. "We'll make some adjustments to keep him (facing) the catcher more instead of being violent and falling off (the mound)," Anderson said. "If anything is good about this, it's that he's starting over with his delivery."

Liriano said he's not going to "put away" the wicked slider ... "I'm going to throw my slider, too, you know," Liriano said, "but I'm going to throw more of my changeup, my two-seamer."

Last season, Liriano hesitated in telling manager Ron Gardenhire when his elbow was bothering him. He said he's learned now that it's more important to be honest. "I'm more open this year," Liriano said. "Last year, that was my first year, I wanted to pitch, make sure that I was going to be up the whole year with a major league team. I thought if I got hurt they might send me down to Triple-A."

Between Smith's solid start on the Twins beat and the Pioneer Press' long-overdue website redesign, it's been a good week for the Twin Cities' "other" newspaper.

The source of Alejandro Machado's ongoing shoulder problems was found to be a partially torn labrum that will sideline him well into the season and may require surgery. Machado is a Rule 5 pick, which means the Twins have to offer him back to the Nationals if they fail to keep him on the major-league roster for the entire season, but the injury allows them to stash him on the disabled list and buy some additional time to make a decision.

Between the natural amount of time needed for Machado's shoulder to heal up and the long and leisurely minor-league rehab assignment the Twins could send him on once he's reasonably healthy, the team could put off a decision for most of the year. Of course, while that makes it a little easier to keep Machado in the organization long term, it also means the Twins are without a backup middle infielder right now.

Thankfully, Ron Gardenhire appears to have softened on his initial stance about Nick Punto sticking solely to third base, indicating that he'd be willing to use Punto to back up Jason Bartlett at shortstop if necessary. Not only is that an obvious, reasonable solution, it would allow the Twins to keep Jeff Cirillo and Luis Rodriguez as the backup infielders despite the fact that neither of them can handle shortstop.

With Machado out of the picture there was briefly talk of keeping Alexi Casilla as a backup, but the Twins smartly realized that would waste development and service time. While interviewing Gardenhire at the Winter Meetings in December, I asked if Casilla "would be the guy coming up if there was an injury to an infielder." Gardenhire said Casilla "impressed the heck out of us" and "would probably be first in line." Asked a similar question by a real reporter this week, Gardenhire gave the same answer:

Casilla is one of those guys that if something happened to one of my infielders after the season starts, and it's for an extended period, he's the guy I'd want out there playing.

I suspect that both Gardenhire and Terry Ryan would ideally like to be able to keep Casilla at Triple-A until September, before handing him the starting job at second base next spring following Luis Castillo's departure. Assuming Bartlett and Castillo can stay relatively healthy, it's a plan that should work as long as Gardenhire is willing to take advantage of Punto's defensive versatility.

Apparently Sidney Ponson's relationship with the Baltimore media while playing for the Orioles was pretty horrible, because plenty of ugliness on both sides was documented by various newspapers when Ponson pitched against his former team last week. For instance, here's how the Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly began a column about Ponson:

Different uniform and different hairstyle. Same old Sidney Ponson.

The Prodigal Right-hander was back at Fort Lauderdale Stadium yesterday, happily greeting old teammates, taking jabs at Orioles fans and stiffing the Baltimore media. It was like old times, except he now has a thick dark mullet, wears the Minnesota Twins stripes and hasn't posed for a mug shot in months.

It's interesting to note than Ponson appears to have a good relationship with Joe Christensen, who covered Ponson in Baltimore before joining the Minneapolis Star Tribune last year. More importantly, Ponson appears to have secured the final spot in the Twins' starting rotation, predictably beating out Matt Garza and Glen Perkins. In other words, as I've been fearing all offseason, the Twins will pay $9 million and give 60 percent of their starts to a trio of pitchers who combined for a 5.84 ERA last season.

Even Baby Dash can see the problem with that.

Justin Morneau and the Twins have ended contract negotiations without agreeing to a long-term deal. Morneau reportedly turned down a deal that was similar to the four-year, $33 million contract that Joe Mauer agreed to this offseason, but doesn't seem overly upset about it: "Oh, well. I'll just have a good year and we'll try to get something done next year." Because of Morneau's service time, he won't be eligible for free agency until after the 2010 season anyway, which means a four-year deal would have simply given the Twins some cost certainty.

A quick update on two former Twins: Willie Eyre was sent to Triple-A by the Rangers and Cristian Guzman is still fighting his way back from shoulder problems with the Nationals.

As part of their ongoing team-by-team season previews, I appeared on Baseball Prospectus Radio to discuss the Twins with Will Carroll. Click here to listen to what is, I think, the first over-the-phone radio interview I've ever agreed to do.

Friend of AG.com Tom Tango is running "community forecasts" to see if the "wisdom of crowds" can out-perform various projection systems when it comes to predicting how players will fare this season. He's specifically looking for some hardcore Twins fans to share their predictions, so go check it out.

Previous Top 50 Prospects of 2007: 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50.

Below you'll find the final installment of my fifth annual ranking of the top 50 prospects in baseball, which is not to be confused with the team-specific "Top 40 Twins Prospects of 2007" series that I completed last month. I began publishing my prospect rankings back in 2003 at the Baseball Primer site that has since become Baseball Think Factory, and the 2004, 2005, and 2006 versions can all be found at The Hardball Times.

These rankings reflect my feeling about each player's long-term chances for (and degree of) success in the major leagues and are by no means authoritative, because I'm no more an expert on prospects than anyone else who follows them closely. You'll likely find that my rankings lean more heavily towards older, established prospects than many other rankings, and a further explanation of what I base the rankings on can be found in the introduction to last year's series.

10. Tim Lincecum | San Francisco Giants | SP | Age: 23 | Throws: Right
 
YEAR     LV      G     GS      ERA        IP       H     HR      SO     BB
2006     A-      2      2     0.00       4.0       1      0      10      1
         A+      6      6     1.95      27.2      13      3      48     12

A diminutive right-hander with a unique delivery, Tim Lincecum fell to the Giants with the No. 10 pick in last June's draft despite leading college baseball in strikeouts. He destroyed the low minors after signing, combining to whiff 58 batters in 31 innings while holding opponents to a .127 batting average, and his mid-90s fastball caused a stir this spring. He has skeptics, but others make a compelling case for Lincecum's delivery as an asset and there's no denying his potential for overpowering hitters.

9. Yovani Gallardo | Milwaukee Brewers | SP | Age: 21 | Throws: Right
 
YEAR     LV      G     GS      ERA        IP       H     HR      SO     BB
2004     RK      6      6     0.47      19.1      14      0      23      4
2005     A-     26     18     2.74     121.1     100      5     110     51
2006     A+     13     13     2.09      77.2      54      4     103     23
         AA     13     13     1.63      77.1      50      2      85     28

A second-round pick out of a Texas high school in 2004, Yovani Gallardo pitched very well in the low minors during his first two pro seasons and then put together an amazing year between Single-A and Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2006. Making 13 starts at each level, Gallardo led the minor leagues with 188 strikeouts, posted a 1.86 ERA in 156 innings, held opponents to a .192 batting average, and used his ground-ball tendencies to serve up just six homers.

8. Matt Garza | Minnesota Twins | SP | Age: 23 | Throws: Right
 
YEAR     LV      G     GS      ERA        IP       H     HR      SO     BB
2005     RK      4      4     3.66      19.2      14      3      25      6
         A-     10     10     3.54      56.0      53      5      64     15
2006     A+      8      8     1.42      44.1      27      3      53     11
         AA     10     10     2.51      57.1      40      2      68     14
        AAA      5      5     1.85      34.0      20      1      33      7
        MLB     10      9     5.76      50.0      62      6      38     23

A 2005 first-round pick out of Fresno State who emerged as an elite prospect last year, much was made of Matt Garza's struggles with the Twins. However, Garza seemed fatigued at the end of what was his first full season and posted a solid 4.75 ERA over 47.1 innings after an ugly debut. Before that he had a 1.99 ERA and 154-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 135.2 innings blitzing through three levels, holding opponents to a .179 batting average. A No. 3 starter now and a potential ace down the road.

7. Adam Miller | Cleveland Indians | SP | Age: 22 | Throws: Right
 
YEAR     LV      G     GS      ERA        IP       H     HR      SO     BB
2004     A-     19     19     3.36      91.0      79      7     106     28
         A+      8      8     2.08      43.1      29      1      46     12
2005     A-      3      3     5.06      10.2      17      0       6      4
         A+     12     12     4.83      59.2      76      5      45     17
2006     AA     26     24     2.75     153.2     129      9     157     43

The 31st overall pick in the 2003 draft, Adam Miller put together a strong 2004 season before an elbow injury limited him to 70.1 mediocre innings in 2005. He came back strong in 2006 as a 21-year-old at Double-A, posting a 2.75 ERA and 157-to-43 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 153.2 innings. Armed with a fastball-slider combination that produces tons of ground balls, Miller held opponents to a .226 batting average and nine homers. After impressing the Indians this spring, his time at Triple-A could be brief.

6. Andy LaRoche | Los Angeles Dodgers | 3B | Age: 23 | Bats: Right
 
YEAR     LV      AB      AVG      OBP      SLG     HR    XBH     BB     SO
2004     A-     244     .283     .375     .525     13     33     29     30
         A+     219     .237     .295     .434     10     23     17     42
2005     A+     249     .333     .380     .651     21     36     19     38
         AA     227     .273     .367     .445      9     21     32     54
2006     AA     230     .309     .419     .483      9     22     41     32
        AAA     202     .322     .400     .550     10     25     25     32

Son of former two-time All-Star pitcher Dave LaRoche and brother of current Pirates first baseman Adam LaRoche, Andy LaRoche first made a name for himself by hitting .305 with 30 homers between Single-A and Double-A in 2005. He followed that up by hitting .315 with 19 homers between Double-A and Triple-A while playing through a torn labrum, posting a fantastic 64-to-66 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 117 games. Considered a solid defensive third baseman, LaRoche's all-around game is without flaw.

5. Homer Bailey | Cincinnati Reds | SP | Age: 21 | Throws: Right
 
YEAR     LV      G     GS      ERA        IP       H     HR      SO     BB
2004     RK      6      3     4.38      12.1      14      0       9      3
2005     A-     28     21     4.43     103.2      89      5     125     62
2006     A+     13     13     3.31      70.2      49      6      79     22
         AA     13     13     1.59      68.0      50      1      77     28

The seventh overall pick in the 2004 draft out of a Texas high school, Homer Bailey began last season dominating hitters at high Single-A and then stepped it up a notch beyond that following a midseason promotion to Double-A. A 20-year-old facing much older competition, Bailey went 7-1 with a 1.59 ERA and 77-to-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 68 innings. There was talk of Bailey possibly joining the Reds in September and again this spring, but he'll begin the year in the minors to gain a little more polish.

4. Delmon Young | Tampa Bay Devil Rays | RF | Age: 21 | Bats: Right
 
YEAR     LV      AB      AVG      OBP      SLG     HR    XBH     BB     SO
2004     A-     513     .320     .386     .536     25     56     53    120
2005     AA     330     .336     .386     .582     20     37     25     66
        AAA     228     .285     .303     .447      6     22      4     33
2006    AAA     342     .316     .341     .474      8     34     15     65
        MLB     126     .317     .336     .476      3     13      1     24

The No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft, Delmon Young hit .326 with 45 homers and 78 walks in his first 215 games while reaching Double-A as a 19-year-old, but has since seen his power and plate discipline decline. Young continued to hit well after a promotion to Triple-A in mid-2005, batting .306 over a 168-game stretch that includes a month in the majors, but managed just 17 homers and 20 walks during that span. He's still bound for stardom, but might be a different type of hitter than he initially appeared.

3. Chris Young | Arizona Diamondbacks | CF | Age: 23 | Bats: Right
 
YEAR     LV      AB      AVG      OBP      SLG     HR    XBH     BB     SO
2004     A-     465     .262     .365     .505     24     60     66    145
2005     AA     466     .277     .377     .545     26     70     70    129
2006    AAA     402     .276     .363     .532     21     57     52     71
        MLB      70     .243     .308     .386      2      6      6     12

The most underrated elite prospect in baseball, Chris Young is an outstanding defensive center fielder with big-time power, speed, and plate discipline. With 275 strikeouts between 2004 and 2005 his main weakness had been making consistent contact, but Young made huge strides in that department last season, striking out a total of 83 times in 472 at-bats between Triple-A and Arizona. The clear favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, Young is capable of a 20-20 season right out of the gates.

2. Philip Hughes | New York Yankees | SP | Age: 21 | Throws: Right
 
YEAR     LV      G     GS      ERA        IP       H     HR      SO     BB
2005     A-     12     12     1.97      68.2      46      1      72     16
         A+      5      4     3.06      17.2       8      0      21      4
2006     A+      5      5     1.80      30.0      19      0      30      2
         AA     21     21     2.25     116.0      73      5     138     32

Taken in the first round of the 2004 draft out of a California high school, Philip Hughes has emerged as the consensus top pitching prospect in baseball thanks to electric stuff and impeccable numbers. After thoroughly dominating the low minors to begin his pro career, Hughes made the leap to Double-A as a 20-year-old, posting a 2.25 ERA, .179 opponent's batting average, and 138-to-32 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 116 innings. An extreme ground-ball pitcher, Hughes is a near-perfect pitching prospect.

1. Alex Gordon | Kansas City Royals | 3B | Age: 23 | Bats: Left
 
YEAR     LV      AB      AVG      OBP      SLG     HR    XBH     BB     SO
2006     AA     486     .325     .427     .588     29     69     72    113

After winning the Golden Spikes Award during his final season at Nebraska, Alex Gordon went No. 2 overall in the 2005 draft behind Justin Upton. He jumped all the way to Double-A for his pro debut and filled the stat sheet by hitting .325 with 29 homers, 69 total extra-base hits, 72 walks, and 22 steals in 130 games. With Mark Teahen moving to right field, Gordon is expected to begin the season as the Royals' starting third baseman and is an obvious frontrunner for AL Rookie of the Year.

I'm the type of guy who laughs at the people who get upset over talking about a no-hitter while it's going on, so I'm perfectly willing to make this announcement despite the presence of a potential jinx. Things aren't quite official just yet--there's still an inspection to conduct this afternoon and a closing to sit through--but barring a last-minute change that would make me reconsider the whole talking-during-a-no-hitter thing, I'm now the proud owner of a beautiful 2,020-square foot home.

A busy weekend filled with paperwork and negotiating kept me from producing actual written content for today, but in the absence of that I do have some nice pictures to share. In the interest of space and combating boredom I'll leave the bathrooms, dining room, utility room, and deck off the tour, but here's a room-by-room look at the place (furniture not included) ...

Front:


Living room (13 x 14):


Kitchen (9 x 18):


Family room (14 x 14):


Master bedroom (17 x 16):


Second bedroom (11 x 13):


Amusement room (23 x 12):


Patio (16 x 17):


All that and it'll only take me until May 1, 2037 to pay it off! In the meantime, if you have suggestions regarding painting, furniture, and DirecTV installation, drop me an e-mail or a note in the comments section.