Recent News

Rain wiped out two of the four Twins minor league affiliates. It rained much of the day in Boston, but the Twins and the Red Sox were able to get in the final game of their series. Rain also caused a delay in Jupiter, Florida, but the Hammerheads and the Miracle were able to finish their game.

Miguel Sano returned to the Miracle lineup on Thursday night and the team was also boosted by three players who were working in Extended Spring Training just a week ago. Somehow, the Miracle just keep winning! On Friday, The New Britain Rock Cats and the Cedar Rapids Kernels will each play a doubleheader, so tomorrow night’s report will be a little longer. ...

While Pedro Hernandez was getting beaten-up by the Boston Red Sox line-up, Kyle Gibson was showing he is ready to take his spot in the major league starting rotation. It might have been Gibson's best start as a professional and it wouldn't be surprising if he makes his MLB debut within the next week.

The rest of the Twins and Red Sox game looked like a slow pitch softball game. Minnesota scored seven runs in the second inning and Pedro Florimon did his best Babe Ruth impression with a home run and a two-run double. ...

On Tuesday, over at ESPN's Sweetspot, an article was penned about the golden age of leadoff hitters. Major League Baseball could be in the middle of one of the best years ever for the leadoff hitter. 1965, 1975, 1987, and 2004 were other great years for men at the top of the order but this year could be historic.

Players like Shin-Soo Choo, Austin Jackson, Alex Gordon, Ian Kinsler, and Carl Crawford are leading a pack of leadoff hitters that are among the best in all of baseball. These men could help make this season one of the best for the men at the top.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins have struggled to get much production from the leadoff spot. ...

On Tuesday night in Boston, Aaron Hicks compounded his issues with the manager with a seemingly innocuous action on the field in the eighth inning, with the Twins securely up by six runs.

With Jonny Gomes up at the plate, the Sox’s beefy right fielder lifted a fly ball into short center field. Hicks came racing in from the deepest regions of center field in Fenway (which is also shallow Maine) and in one motion nabs the falling sphere and flips it to second baseman Brian Dozier.
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Wednesday, May 8, was supposed to be a big night for fans that follow the top minor league prospects in professional baseball. Quad Cities shortstop Carlos Correa, selected with the No. 1 pick overall by the Astros in last June’s amateur draft, was set to go head-to-head against Cedar Rapids Kernels’ center fielder Byron Buxton, chosen as the No. 2 pick overall in the same draft by the Twins.

According to MiLB.com, it was the first time two position players of high school age were drafted in the first two spots in over 20 years. As a result, it is almost inevitable that Correa and Buxton will be compared closely to one another throughout their careers.
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Last week, Twins Director of Minor League Operations Brad Steil was in Cedar Rapids watching the Kernels play six games. In an interview with MetroSportsReport.com’s Jim Ecker, Steil said, “I think off of this team, you could easily see six to eight of those guys eventually make it to the big leagues.”

As I look at the Kernels’ current roster, I think that number could be as high as ten, with a few more high-ceiling players rehabbing in Extended Spring Training. Obviously there is a lot of attrition between low class A and the big leagues, so it’s unlikely that ten of these players will actually get to the big leagues. However, I feel I need to remind people that Cedar Rapids, and all of these future Twins, play their home games just four hours from the Twins Cities. ...