Twins Tuesday: Perkins nominated for prestigious Clemente Award
MINNEAPOLIS -- It wasn't until a few years ago when Glen Perkins truly felt he could give back to the community in the way he wanted.
There were plenty of question marks early in Perkins' career as he moved from a starting pitcher to a reliever, bouncing between the majors and minors along the way. But once Perkins, now a two-time All-Star closer, established himself with the Twins, the Stillwater native could truly help out the state he's always called home.
Now for his efforts in the community, Perkins is the Twins' nominee for the 2014 Roberto Clemente Award. All 30 major league teams nominate one player who "best represents the game of baseball through positive contributions on and off the field, including sportsmanship and community involvement." Justin Morneau was Minnesota's representative last season, while St. Louis' Carlos Beltran ultimately won the award.
Now that he's an established member of the Twins and the Twin Cities, Perkins has put himself in a position to be nominated for the award.
"I think you always want to be a part of it, but it's hard to start stuff the first four years of my career when I was in flux and up and down," Perkins said Tuesday. "You can't really do much. It's hard to plan something if you don't know where you're going to be. I can't plan a race in August if I don't know if I'm going to be here in August."
Perkins' annual race, Fifteen's 5K, just finished its third year of raising money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. On top of that, Perkins has also been active in the Lefties' Lunkers fishing tournament, along with fellow reliever Brian Duensing, to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He's also done work to help people with ALS and teamed up with Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph for a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
While Perkins receives the accolades for the Roberto Clemente Award nomination, he credits his wife, Alisha, for helping spark much of his charity involvement.
"This is as much about her as it is about me. She's done as much or more than I have. It's just my name on things," Perkins said. "But at the same time, I made a commitment to helping out three or four years ago. We've done a pretty good job since then. We'll hope to continue to do more in the future, but this is a recognition that means a lot to me and the mission I've been on since I've been here, and also a testament to her."
The Roberto Clemente Award has been given annually since 1971. This year's winner will be announced during the World Series. St. Paul native and former Twin Dave Winfield won the award in 1994, and former Minnesota outfielder Kirby Puckett won it in 1996.
Twins looking for new Double-A affiliate: The 2014 season marked the 20th year that the New Britain Rock Cats served as the Twins' Double-A affiliate -- and it may be the last.
The two teams officially severed their affiliation last week, and Twins general manager Terry Ryan said Minnesota is "out looking" for a new Double-A partner. There's a chance the Twins could end up back in New Britain, but uncertainty surrounding the Rock Cats -- there's a possibility they could move to Hartford -- means Minnesota will explore its options.
There are only a few current affiliates open aside from New Britain, but the Twins are willing to do their due diligence before the deadline at the end of the month. If Minnesota can't find an affiliate, it will be assigned one.
"Whether or not we end up going elsewhere, we're out looking," Ryan said. "There's a few affiliates that are open -- not a lot, but a few -- and we're exploring some things. I'm not sure exactly where we're going to land, whether or not we're going elsewhere or whether or not we might end up back in New Britain. There's possibilities."
Before partnering with New Britain in 1995, Minnesota's Double-A affiliate was located in Nashville for two seasons and Orlando from 1973 to 1992. The Rock Cats currently play in the Eastern League.
A variety of factors will play into the decision, including the geography, ownership and facilities. Ryan said he and the Twins have been happy with the facilities in New Britain, as well as the team's new ownership. But the unknown future of the club is hard to ignore.
"There's a lot of uncertainty out in New Britain right now," Ryan said. "We don't know if they're going to move to Hartford. That's the problem. . . . That's about the only reason we severed is there's a lot of uncertainty with the affiliate right now."
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