Article: Twins Minor League Playoff Preview

[Seth Stohs]

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2289-Twins-Minor-League-Playoff-Preview

[Ricola]

Thanks for the write-up, Seth.

 

With the MLB squad in the doldrums of a lost season, it's been fun to see the progress of our MiLB teams throughout the year.

 

I know I will be following the affiliate's playoff games with great interest this year, as well as dreaming of what the future might bring.

 

It's good to see a return to the culture of winning in the Twins' system!

[clutterheart]

Rochester got into the playoffs on the last day, but they seem to have home field advantage.

That strikes me as odd.

Is that because they own a better record in head-to-head matchups?

[Pitz]

Rochester got into the playoffs on the last day, but they seem to have home field advantage.

That strikes me as odd.

Is that because they own a better record in head-to-head matchups?

 

I think there may have been a typo in the article. I believe it is a best of 5 series. The first two games are in Rochester but the final 3 would all be in Pawtucket.

[Seth Stohs]

I think there may have been a typo in the article. I believe it is a best of 5 series. The first two games are in Rochester but the final 3 would all be in Pawtucket.

 

 

Correct. It is a best of five series.

[matthew0211]

Since Rochester is the wild card, why are they playing Pawtucket instead of Durham, which had the best record in the league?

[Steven Buhr]

I'm excited to see postseason baseball in Cedar Rapids and it's great that the Miracle are also in the playoffs. There's a very strong core group of players between those two rosters that should move up through the organization together much the way a couple of other groups did in the 80's and late 90's-early 00's.

 

But I'm REALLY happy for the fans in Rochester. Let's be honest, with the Twins struggling the past few years, the Red Wings have taken the brunt of things by seeing almost every player who got even a little hot elevated to Minnesota and they've had to watch some really bad baseball in Rochester, as a result.

 

There's little doubt in my mind that, if they'd had any other reasonable choice, Rochester would have opted not to renew their player development contract with the Twins during the offseason and it would have been hard to blame them.

 

Give all the credit in the world to Gene Glynn and his staff and the players who turned things around and gave their fans something to get excited about.

 

Best of luck to the Red Wings, as well as the Miracle and Kernels, in the postseason.

[exrugger9]

Wow, congrats to the Red Wings for hanging in there, and best of luck to them and the other affiliates in the playoffs. And many thanks to you, Seth, for posting all the updates and interesting news all year. It's been the one shaft of sunlight in the dark forest of yet another brutal year.

[Squirrel]

Excited to be going to the Miracle game tomorrow night!

[IdahoPilgrim]

Since Rochester is the wild card, why are they playing Pawtucket instead of Durham, which had the best record in the league?

 

That's just the way it was set up before the start of the season - the winner of the North division plays the wild card, and the South and West division winners meet. I'm guessing the thinking is that, since the North division has 6 teams and the other divisions only have 4 teams, there should be some "reward" for winning the larger-sized division - hence they get the wild card team.

[MichiganTwins]

Will Trevor May start a game? or how does his promotion play into all of this?

[matthew0211]

That's just the way it was set up before the start of the season - the winner of the North division plays the wild card, and the South and West division winners meet. I'm guessing the thinking is that, since the North division has 6 teams and the other divisions only have 4 teams, there should be some "reward" for winning the larger-sized division - hence they get the wild card team.

.

 

Awesome, thanks.

[lightfoot789]

I want to give a shout out to my favorite player / prospect (Adam Brett Walker) as he and the Kernels head into the post season. One helluva season.

HRS (27) 1st

RBI (109) 1st

Total Bases (267) 1st

Runs (83) 2nd

SLG% (.526) 2nd

OPS% (.844)

10 for 10 in stolen base attempts

Only player in MWL to have (6) or more Triples and at least 14 HRs. He had 7 Triples and 27 HRs. Buxton is by far the better Prospect, but Walker was the MWL MVP in my eyes. Walker had 65 XBH's to Buxtons 33 XHB and Walker played in 61 more games than Buck (129 to 68). The Kernels had a .588 winning percentage in 1st half of season and a .686 winning percentage post Buxton. Buxton Top Prospect - Yes!! Walker MVP - Yes!!

I'm not hating on Buxton, because I think he is the best player in minor league baseball. I just think the MWL MVP award was more deserving by Walker. Plus it would have been so cool to have my sleeper for the (2013) season and Baseball Americas 31st ranked Twins prospect win that award. Best of luck to the Kernels; Miracle; and Red Wings. The Twins could be a very special team in the next year or 2, if these players with winning tools keep developing. GO TWINS