Lucas Seehafer PT

The Minnesota Twins made pitcher Griffin Jax the first athlete from the United States Air Force Academy to reach the Majors when they selected his contract and promoted him earlier this week from Triple-A St. Paul. While his route hasn’t exactly been straight forward, he has the potential to stick around. Amateur Career Jax was named the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Colorado as well as a Louisville Slugger High School First-Team All-American after going 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA and a 57/2 K:BB ratio for Cherry Creek High School. He started 29 games on the mound for the Air Force Academy Falcons across his freshman and sophomore seasons while posting a mediocre 5.49 ERA with 115 strikeouts and 56 walks. However, he exploded onto the scene in 2016 during his junior season by going 9-2 with a 2.05 ERA and striking out 90 batters while walking only 20. He was selected as the 2016 Mountain West co-Pitcher of the Year and was named a top 100 prospect for the 2016 MLB Draft by Baseball America. The Twins selected Jax with the 93rd overall pick. Professional Career Jax’s path to the Majors has taken a circuitous route due in large part to his military commitments. You can read all about this process in a story written by Twins Daily’s Seth Stohs (link below) but the long it short of it: Jax was required to remain on active duty following his graduation, which limited him to only nine games pitched during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. However, he has since transitioned into the Air Force reserves, freeing him up to pursue his dream of becoming an MLB pitcher full-time. He spent the 2018 season with the then Ft. Myers Miracle in High-A, starting 14 games and posting a 3.70 ERA in 87 ⅔ innings. He began the 2019 season in Double-A with Pensacola and performed extremely well, registering a 2.67 ERA in 111 ⅓ innings, though his strikeout numbers were paltry (84). Jax made three starts for Triple-A Rochester where he struck out 10 across 16 innings. The two biggest criticisms often thrown at Jax as he rose through the minor leagues were his lackluster strikeout numbers as well as his lack of a true third pitch. His role in today’s MLB, where velocity and strikeouts are king, has been in question throughout his career despite his established track record of success. However, his strikeout numbers saw a surprising and encouraging bump during his 27 innings with the St. Paul Saints this spring, as he struckout 29 batters across five starts, including a career-high 10 against the Iowa Cubs. While not phenomenal by any means, his 1.1 K/IP rate is by far the highest of his career and arguably changed his trajectory from at best a Quad-A player to one who may have a chance to stick, even if his home turns out to be in the bullpen long-term. Jax’s best pitch is his slider, which he most frequently employs to pick up his strikeouts, though he’ll throw it at any point in the count. He also boasts a fastball that sits in the low-90s and occasionally reaches as high as 94 mph. Jax will mix in a changeup as well as an occasional looping curveball, but his command on both, as well as their combination of velocity and movement, or lack thereof, leaves something to be desired. The Twins made a name for themselves for pursuing hurlers with this exact pitch mix and turning them into serviceable bullpen arms. Jax’s name won’t show up on any of the Twins top prospect lists, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that he becomes something akin to last season’s Matt Wisler. Twins Daily Coverage WATCH: Tom Froemming put together some highlights from Jax’s 10 K performance with the Saints earlier this season. READ: Not only is Jax an MLB pitcher, but he’s also pursuing a Master’s degree. Read more in this article from David Youngs. READ: Here’s a dispatch from Stohs when Jax resumed his professional pitching career in 2018 after serving his time in the Air Force. READ: And here’s a Q&A between Stohs and Jax from 2017. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Jermaine Palacios came through, Louie Varland dealt, and Jhoan Duran looked...mortal? Check out what happened on Thursday night in the Twins farm system. TRANSACTIONS RHP Shaun Anderson promoted from St. Paul to Minnesota RHP Hunter McMahon to the 7-day IL with an elbow strain (Ft. Myers) SAINTS SENTINEL Louisville 6, St. Paul 3 Box Score Tomas Telis hit a 3-run home run, but the Saints’ bats were largely quiet during their loss to the Bats Thursday night. They were only able to gather two hits as a team, the other being a double off the bat of Mark Contreras. Additionally, Jhoan Duran - Twins Daily’s No. 5 prospect in the Twins system - looked like a mere mortal. He struggled with control all game, which resulted in him dishing out five walks and three hits in four innings of work. The good news was that the Saints stretched him out to 82 pitches, meaning he’s on pace for 95-100 in a week or so. The bad news was that he threw only 38 strikes; that’s a pretty putrid 46.3% strike rate. Outings like what he displayed Thursday night is the biggest factor preventing Duran from appearing in the upper-half of the league’s top 100 prospects. He’ll have nights where he’s unhittable, but he’ll also have nights where he can’t located the zone at all. That said, he was still pumping 101 mph and his ERA now registers at 3.27, so there is plenty to still be very excited about. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, Arkansas 6 Box Score The Wind Surge won a wild one against the Travelers Thursday night in Wichita. The team led 5-1 heading into the seventh inning when the Wichita bullpen was touched for five runs across the final two frames. However, Jermaine Palacios played the hero, walking it off with a single to score Jose Miranda. All nine of the Wind Surge’s hits were singles with Andrew Bechtold and Aaron Whitefield contributing the only multi-hit games. Whitefield and teammate BJ Boyd each drove in two runs. Josh Winder took the mound for Wichita and, much like Duran, didn’t have his best showing. That said, he was still able to power through 6 ⅓ innings, even though it took him 83 pitches to do so. He struck out four and allowed a season-high three runs, elevating his ERA to 2.05. Yeah, he’s still doing just fine. Jovani Moran struck out two in his one inning of work out of the pen, lowering his ERA to 1.00 and giving him 27 strikeouts in 17 ⅔ innings. Could we see him in a Twins uniform before the end of the season? KERNELS NUGGETS Fort Wayne 8, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score The Kernels scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning to make this game appear as though it were closer than it actually was. Michael Helman led Cedar Rapids at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double as well as his fifth home run of the year, which earned him Minor League Hitter of the Day recognition. Seth Gray (4) and Leobaldo Cabrera (2) also contributed homers - Cabrera brought all four runs home in the ninth with a grand slam - but the remainder of the Kernels’ hits failed to produce any runs. Cedar Rapids went with an all bullpen game on the mound, with four pitchers - Owen Griffith, Tyler Palm, Melvi Acosta, and Tyler Watson - combining to strike out five and walk six. Palm was saddled with the loss after he allowed six runs over his two innings, though only two were earned. Watson was arguably the most successful of the group, tossing three innings, striking out two, allowing one hit, and not surrendering any runs. MUSSEL MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, St. Lucie 0 Box Score Louie Varland and the rest of the Ft. Myers’ squad lived up to their mascot’s namesake en route to shutting out the Mets. Varland earned Pitcher of the Day honors for his effort, as he struck out six and did not give up any runs over the span of six innings. (The game was called after eight innings due to rain.) You won’t find Varland’s name on the list of top Twins’ prospects, but thus far this season he’s accumulated 34 strikeouts in only 20 innings and owns a 3.15 ERA. He’s one to keep an eye on as the season progresses. Keoni Cavaco had a promising day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with his first career triple. Yunior Severino also contributed a multi-hit game to improve his batting average to .211 and OPS to .637. While those numbers won’t jump off the page, he is trending in the right direction having registered at least one hit in six of his last 10 contests. Catcher Kyle Schmidt went 2-for-4 on the night including his first professional home run. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day- Louie Varland: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 78 pitches (57 strikes) Hitter of the Day- Michael Helman: 3-for-4, 2B, HR(5), RBI, 2 runs PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 0-for-1, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-4, 2 K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – 2-for-3 #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 82 pitches #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 2-for-4, 3B, RBI #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-4, BB #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesota) – 0-for-3, K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 0-for-4, 3 K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 1-for-3, 2 RBI #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – Did not play #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-for-3 #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Louisville (4:35PM CST) – RHP Rob Whalen (0-1, 1.69 ERA)/G2 TBD Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Cole Sands (0-0, 2.45 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Fort Wayne (6:05PM CST) – RHP Jon Olsen (0-3, 4.61 ERA) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:00PM CST) – RHP Sean Mooney (0-1, 1.17 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Nothing solid, but this is the time of year when call-ups start cranking up. Not sure what else he can prove at High-A.

All four minor league teams won on Sunday, including the Saints who have won seven in a row. It was a Grand day in Cedar Rapids. Wichita had another late-inning comeback, and Ft. Myers got a great pitching performance. TRANSACTIONS C Ben Rortvedt called up to Minnesota Twins (from St. Paul) RHP Ryan Shreve called up to Cedar Rapids (from Ft. Myers) RHP Jonathan Cheshire to Cedar Rapids (from Wichita) SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Iowa 3 Box Score The Saints wrapped up their 6-game sweep of the I-Cubs and won their seventh game in a row Sunday afternoon. Bailey Ober started on the mound for St. Paul and was dominant the first time through the order. He struck out the first six batters he faced and had opponents looking foolish with his curveball. However, his command dropped off precipitously in the third and fourth innings which resulted in him surrendering four hits - three of them doubles - two walks and three runs. Ober’s fastball sat in the 91-93 mph range, a continuation of what he displayed during his start with the Minnesota Twins as well as what he reportedly achieved at the alternate site last summer. It would appear as if this increase in velocity is legitimate and not just the result of increased adrenaline while pitching at Target Field. An Ober with a 93 mph fastball is a rather compelling prospect, much more so than one that tops out at 89 mph. At the plate, JT Riddle led the charge with two home runs and four RBI. Brent Rooker - who upped his OPS to .836 - and Ryan Jeffers also hit a ball over the fence. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Springfield 5 Box Score A run apiece in the bottom of the seventh and eight innings pushed the Wind Surge past the Cardinals. Jermaine Palacios hit a game-tying home run in the 8th inning and David Banuelos scored the winning run on a wild pitch. Jovani Moran and Ryan Mason combined to pitch five innings in relief and struck out four while not allowing a single run; Mason was credited with the win. Jermaine Palacios went 2-for-4 and contributed his fourth homer of the year. Gilberto Celestino, Jose Miranda and David Bañuelos - all of whom hit doubles - added two hits apiece. Miranda has been one of the more promising Twins’ hitting prospects this spring as he is slashing .319/.389/.564 with six home runs and five doubles. He’s also appeared at second, third and first base and performed well at all positions. While he is likely best suited at second or third in the long run, his defensive versatility as well as his power potential makes him a valuable prospect in the Twins’ system. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Wisconsin 2 Box Score One day after nearly being no-hit twice, the Kernel bats exploded in their rout of the Timber Rattlers. Cedar Rapids hit two grand slams - one apiece from Wander Javier and Michael Helman - marking the first time the franchise has accomplished the feat since the 2018 season when two little known prospects named Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff did so in a win over Beloit. “Never,” Helman said when asked if he had ever played in a game before in which his team hit two grand slams. “I think that’s a rarity.” “I was just trying to get something in the air and in the outfield knowing there’s baseloaded and one out. I just happened to catch the jetstream up there,” Helman said of his grand slam. Helman (4) and Javier (5) combined to drive in the team’s nine total RBIs. However, not only did the bats perform well, but the pitching staff did as well. Ben Gross, Owen Griffith and Melvi Acosta combined to strikeout 13 batters and issue only one free base during the win. “When you strike out a bunch of guys and only walk one, that’s a good job by the pitching staff,” Cedar Rapids manager Brian Dinkelman told Twins Daily. MUSSEL MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Lakeland 0 Box Score The Mighty Mussels lived up to their name on Saturday, shutting out the Flying Tigers en route to pulling off the victory. Hunter McMahon started on the bump and struckout seven across five scoreless innings. Steven Cruz and Bradley Hanner each pitched two innings in relief and didn’t allow a single baserunner. Misael Urbina connected for a double and a triple and drove in the team’s lone RBI. Keoni Cavaco returned to action after missing the last week due to a shoulder injury he sustained while swinging the bat last Sunday; he went hitless in four plate appearances. Aaron Sabato sat out his first game of the season as part of a scheduled day off. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day- Hunter McMahon: 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 71 pitches Co-Hitters of the Day- Wander Javier: 2-for-4, GS (1), 5 RBI; JT Riddle: 2-for-5, 2 HR (3), 4 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 3-for-4, BB, K #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 0-for-2, RBI, BB, K #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 1-for-3, RBI, BB, 2 K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-4, K #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – Did not pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 2-for-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – 2-for-5, HR (5), RBI, K #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 2-for-4, 2B, 3B, RBI #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – 1-for-3, HR (1), RBI, K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 2-for-4, 2B, BB #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 79 pitches TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS All levels to be determined. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Twins prospects dominated on the mound...and didn't fair as well at the plate Thursday night. TRANSACTIONS Shaun Anderson added to St. Paul on rehab assignment BJ Boyd signed and added to the Wichita Wind Surge SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Iowa 0 Box Score Griffin Jax improved to 3-1 on the season and his ERA dropped to 3.33 after throwing six innings of one-hit ball. He struck out a career-high 10 batters, which brings him up to 29 on the season through 27 innings of work. Jax is an intriguing prospect. He was the Twins third round draft pick in 2016 out of the Air Force Academy and was only able to pitch part-time prior to the season due to military commitments. His fastball sits in the low- to mid-90s, though his best pitch is arguably his slider. He doesn’t possess much in the way of a third pitch, so he may end up in the bullpen long-term. Yet, it’s hard to argue with his results this season. He’s already 26-years-old, so his days being labeled as a prospect are dwindling, but of the pitchers in the Twins’ system, his performance thus far has, perhaps, been both the most surprising and encouraging. Mark Contreras and J.T. Riddle each contributed two hits at the plate and drove in two RBI combined. Ryan Jeffers also drove in a run and went 1-for-4. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 5, Wichita 2 Box Score Andrew Bechtold and Aaron Whitefield each hit their third doubles of the season, but it was Jermaine Palacios who contributed the loudest hit of the night for the Wind Surge. The Wichita pitching staff combined to allow only three earned runs, however, the team’s 11 strikeouts at the plate doomed them in this one. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 6, Cedar Rapids 2 Box Score Matt Canterino once again pitched like a future star, striking out 10 batters and not issuing a single walk over the course of his four innings of work. His command was better than his previous outing - in which he issued a couple of free passes - and his curveball was particularly sharp. After the game, Cedar Rapids manager Brian Dinkelman stated that Canterino was pulled after the fourth as he was reaching his pitch limit, though the colder weather was also a factor. I asked Dinkelman if the Kernels’ pitching staff tries to have Canterino pitch in certain parts of the zone throughout the course of the game, but he said that their focus is more or less solely on having him throw strikes. “With Matt, I think his big focus is just being in the zone because all of his pitches work so well that he gets a lot of swing-and-misses on pitches that are in the zone,” Dinkelman said. “I know him and the pitching coaches have a plan they go through for each start. So far, he’s done a good job of executing that and getting a lot of swing-and-misses.” At this point, Canterino doesn’t have much left to prove at the High-A level. He’s struck out 35 batters across 18 innings and owns a 1.00 ERA. The Twins really can’t ask for much more than that. It would be unsurprising to see him elevated in the not so distant future. The Kernels were only able to amass two hits as a team, both of which went for extra bases. Wander Javier and Leobaldo Cabrera grabbed all four of the team’s total bases. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 3, Ft. Myers 2 Box Score The Mighty Mussels scored one run each in the first two innings of the game, but were unable to get their offense rolling during their loss. Willie Joe Garry, Jr. - the Twins ninth round pick in 2018 - went 2-for-4 and picked up his first double of the season. Louie Varland started on the mound and pitched 2 2/3 innings. He struck out five, but struggled a bit with his control as he walked five as well. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Co-Pitchers of the Day- Matt Canterino: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 60 pitches; Griffin Jax: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K, 90 pitches Hitter of the Day- Mark Contreras: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – 0-for-4 #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – 1-for-1, RBI, BB #4 - Ryan Jeffers (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – Did not pitch #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – Injured List (back) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – Did not play #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 0-for-4, BB, K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – 4.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 10 K #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (elbow) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Wichita) – 0-for-4, 2 K #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – Did not play #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – Injured list (wrist) #14 - Misael Urbina (Fort Myers) – 0-for-5, 3 K #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – Did not pitch #16 - Edwar Colina (Rehab) - 60-Day IL (elbow) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (St. Paul) – 1-for-4, 3 K #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 1-for-4, RBI, BB #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – Did not pitch SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08PM CST) – RHP Chandler Shepherd (0-1, 5.87 ERA) Springfield @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) – RHP Josh Winder (1-0, 0.93 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (TBD CST) - RHP Jon Olsen (0-2, 4.50 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:05PM CST) – RHP Andrew Cabezas (1-0, 2.13 ERA) Fort Meyers @ Lakeland (5:00PM CST) – RHP Casey Legumina (1-0, 5.23 ERA) MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

HE THREW 103* MPH MULTIPLE TIMES. *Realistically, 100 mph, but STILL. It was 81 degrees at CHS Field by the bottom of the third inning Saturday evening, but it wasn’t because it’s late May in Minnesota and summer is right around the corner. No, it was because St. Paul Saints starter Jhoan Duran was PUMPING HEAT. Duran - the Minnesota Twins’ #2 pitching prospect according to MLB Pipeline (#1 according to Twins Daily) - made his season debut for the Saints after being recently reinstated from the IL with a shoulder injury and touched 103 mph on multiple occasions according to CHS Field’s admittedly hot gun. He threw 63 pitches, allowed four hits and one earned run, and struck out six across three innings. (Check out the box score here.) The Twins’ right-handed, flamethrowing top prospect mixed in a fair amount of curveballs and “splinkers” - a splitter/sinker hybrid that dives down and in to right-handed batters - to go along with his four seam fastball, which, when combined with his erraticism, kept the Indianapolis batters on their heels; his fastball sat around 100 mph, while the splinker came in around the low-90s and the curveball in the low- to mid-80s. Duran used all three of his pitches to pick up six Ks over his three frames of work, though it was clear that nearly every Indianapolis batter was, understandably, sitting fastball. Even still, they couldn’t do much to prevent Duran from blowing it right past them. Even Ke’Bryan Hayes - the Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect who was in town on a rehab assignment - fell victim to his electric fastball. Duran’s delivery - out of the wind up as well as the stretch - is pretty fluid and repeatable. Unlike fellow top prospect Matt Canterino, it doesn’t force his arm into a violent whip-action, though the Twins pitching staff would probably like to see him use his legs a little more as doing so would relieve some pressure off his shoulder and elbow and may also help with his control; entering Saturday, Duran was averaging 3.2 BB/9 and owned a 2.8 K/BB ratio during his five seasons in the minors. However, it’s impossible to watch Duran pitch and not be excited about his raw stuff. Brusdar Graterol became an instant fan-favorite due to his triple-digit fastball, but what prevented him from being considered a starter in the long-term - other than his injury history - was his violent delivery in combination with his lack of a reliable second pitch. Duran checks both of those boxes and if his curveball - and more importantly, his control - continue to improve, he has the potential to be a high-end starter in the Big Leagues and relatively soon. A brief word on Nick Gordon Nick Gordon picked up two more hits Saturday night and has been primarily playing shortstop during his first eight games with the Saints. His OPS continues to hover around 1.000, though he only has four walks and two extra base hits, a home run and a triple. Still, Gordon has looked really good. He’s swinging the bat with confidence and his speed on the base paths has caused teams to keep many eyes on him, no matter what base he is on. It seems as though he has fully recovered from his rash of injuries and his scary battle with COVID-19. Defensively, he’s more than held his own. Though his arm strength will prevent him from playing at short for the Twins, he’s shown enough of an acumen there to be encouraged about his potential to play second base a la Jorge Polanco. He’ll never live up to the status of his No. 5 overall selection, but it’s becoming more and more clear with each passing day that he has the bat skills to carve out a legitimate Major League career. In many ways, he’s not all that dissimilar in profile from Luis Arráez. Should the Twins need a utilityman or should Arráez’s shoulder injury keep him out for some time, Gordon may get the nod as he has earned another call up. A briefer word on Ryan Jeffers Ryan Jeffers’ low batting average and OPS for the Saints may have some fans concerned, but the numbers aren’t as sinister as they seem at first blush. By and large, Jeffers has been doing fine at the plate, though his hits have admittedly come in fits and spurts. He’s tattooed a number of balls right at defenders and has walked eight times in 60 at-bats, both of which are encouraging signs. He even hit a walk-off home run last week. He could use a bit more seasoning at the Triple-A level, but Jeffers should find himself back across the river before too long. He hasn’t been great, but he hasn’t been terrible either. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Considering doing more articles like this if people find them worthwhile. Drop a name in the comments that you'd like to read about next!

Matt Canterino has put up some really intriguing numbers early in the season for Cedar Rapids. The Minnesota Twins own one of the deeper farm systems in all of baseball and their cupboard is chock full of intriguing pitching prospects, many of whom may find their way to Minneapolis over the next one to two seasons. One such pitcher is right-hander Matt Canterino of Southlake, Texas, a national hotbed for producing professional athletes, who is currently stashed at High-A Cedar Rapids. Canterio - the Twins’ 2019 second round pick out of Rice University - comes in at No. 7 down on the farm, according to MLB Pipeline, making him the team’s third-highest regarded pitching prospect, behind only Jordan Balazovic (No. 4) and Jhoan Duran (No. 5). Standing at 6’2” and weighing in at a robust 220 pounds, Canterino is a somewhat intimidating presence on the mound, particularly compared to his peers. While there isn’t much left in terms of projectability when it comes to the 23-year-old’s physical attributes, he owns the rubber and the surrounding area thanks to an intensity that is frequently on display, particularly after a strikeout in which he practically saunters around while waiting to get the ball back. Canterino possesses a traditional four pitch mix consisting of a four seam fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup. Through his two starts this spring for the Kernels, he has primarily relied on his fastball and slider with his curveball employed occasionally down and out of the zone to pick up strikeouts. His fastball sits in the low- to mid-90s, though you’ll just have to take MLB pipeline’s word on that as minor league broadcasts don’t usually display radar gun readings. However, his slider - which has a significant amount of bite and often leads to batters looking lost at the plate - is his best pitch. He likes to get ahead in the count with his fastball and then use his breaking balls to induce strikeouts, something that he has done with regularity during his abbreviated minor league career. (He’s only completed nine starts as the Twins elected to play it safe with him in 2019 following his selection as Rice is notorious for overworking their starting pitchers.) Canterino owns a 16.9 K/9 and 5.0 K/BB ratio in eight innings across his two starts and 2021 and 12.6 K/9 and 4.2 K/BB for his career. However, despite the gaudy numbers, his command has been somewhat suspect early this spring, particularly in regard to his curveball. Canterino employs a herky-jerky, high-effort windup that produces a significant amount of whip action from his arm, which can lead to control issues and has many concerned about his health long-term. When he misses the strike zone, he misses the strike zone. He spiked numerous pitches - the majority of which appeared to be curveballs - during his latest start against the Quad City River Bandits, which resulted in three wild pitches and directly led to two runs crossing the plate. However, if he can gain more control of the curve and smooth out his delivery a touch (and stay healthy), his stuff carries the potential for him to be quite good at the MLB level. Matt Canterino wind up 1.m4v From the stretch, Canterino is a little slow towards the plate despite not possessing a large leg kick, not that it matters as much as it may have, say, 10 years ago as the stolen base continues to go the way of the Dodo. Canterino stretch 1.m4v All in all, Canterino has displayed plenty to be encouraged about during his first couple of starts with Cedar Rapids, though some further development is required before he’s ready for The Show. I would be surprised to see him make his debut for the Twins later this season - particularly because the team has two high-level prospects ahead of him and he’s only thrown 33 innings in the minors - however, it’s possible that he may find himself as high as St. Paul prior to season’s end. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Randy Dobnak and Lewis Thorpe threw for the St. Paul Saints on Sunday afternoon. This is how they've looked for the team thus far this spring. I witnessed the St. Paul Saints lose in Twinsian fashion live and in person Sunday afternoon after Ian Gibaut allowed eight earned runs to cross the plate in the ninth inning, but, thankfully, that’s not what this article is about. This article is about Randy Dobnak and Lewis Thorpe. Randy Dobnak made his third start for the Saints after being optioned off the Twins’ roster on May 3 with the intent of being stretched out and looked much more like his early 2020 self than he did during his previous outing. He sat 92-93 mph with his sinker on Sunday and touched as high as 96 mph with his four-seam according to the in-stadium gun, though there’s been plenty of evidence to suggest that CHS Field is running 1-2 mph hot thus far. His slider and changeup were consistently in the low- to mid-80s, which is commensurate with that he’s shown at the major league level. Dobnak’s command was much more precise on Sunday, something he struggled with mightily during the home opener. His second start of the season saw his sinker engage in its usual ridiculous movement pattern, but constantly dove down and out of the zone. Dobnak was unable to adjust and wasn’t able to locate his off-speed stuff, either, which resulted in five walks. During his third start, however, Dobnak was better able to start his sinker middle-out, allowing it to dive down and in across the plate to right handed batters. For the majority of the game, the Iowa Cubs batters appeared completely confused as to what to do with Dobnak’s sinker. This resulted in five strikeouts and five groundouts, though it could have been as many as seven, for Dobnak. (His first start for the Saints - his line is provided in the second tweet below - was nearly identical to his third.) If Dobnak can continue to locate his sinker and develop his slider, it won’t be long before he is back up with the Minnesota Twins, particularly if the team continues to lose and Matt Shoemaker continues to perform poorly. It would be nice to see Dobnak pitch further than five innings by tightening up his command even more, but two of his three starts with the Saints have shown why the Twins invested in him long-term. As for Lewis Thorpe, he remains a bit of an enigma in my eyes. His three appearances and two starts for the Twins, in which he combined for five strikeouts, five earned runs and two walks across 10 innings of work, were admirable, but largely unimpressive. His fastball averaged 89.7 mph and induced a meager 19.2% Whiff%, according to Baseball Savant, and while Thorpe is never going to be a strikeout king, one would like to see better numbers than that moving forward. While the Twins have primarily used Thorpe as a starter, the Saints have used him out of the bullpen, which may be of interest. He’s only thrown 78 pitches across five innings in his two appearances, striking out three and walking two. Thorpe’s first appearance for the Saints earlier in the week was extremely encouraging. He sat 92-93 mph with his fastball and relied heavily on his off-speed stuff during his second inning to keep batters off-guard. He was also able to locate his fastball, which is imperative for a lefty with his level of velocity. However, his second appearance, while not bad, per se, was less encouraging. Thorpe threw 32 pitches, 21 for strikes, across two innings, striking out and walking one. His fastball topped out at 91 mph, sitting at 90 (and remember the gun is likely fast), and frequently missed up and out of the zone. His command was much more iffy and likely would have been taken advantage of by better (i.e. major league) hitters. When it comes to his future with the Twins, Thorpe’s command of his fastball is of utter importance. Pitching coaches and front offices can live with some erraticism from their pitchers - whether they be starters or relievers - if the velocity and strikeout numbers are there, which hasn’t been the case with Thorpe above the Triple-A level. He doesn’t have the type of secondary stuff that can bail him out consistently if he can’t locate his fastball. Thorpe remains an intriguing prospect, but his stock may drop to that of, say, Devin Smeltzer if his command doesn’t improve and/or if his velo continues to hover closer to 88 mph than 93 mph. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

The Minnesota Twins won and now sit at 13-24. But many of the team's struggles continued to manifest on Saturday. When will the team start making changes? Boxscore José Berríos: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 6 K Home Runs: Sanó (3) Top 3 WPA: Sanó .558, Donaldson .145, Cruz .141 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Well, that's one way to win a game. Trailing 4-1 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the Minnesota Twins scored four runs — capped off by a three-run home run off the bat of Miguel Sanó — to claim their first win since defeating the Detroit Tigers 7-3 over a week ago. But — and at risk of being an brutal Debbie downer — suffice it to say that the Twins are still not playing very well right now. José Berríos was fine — his control was much improved compared to his last start, when he walked five and only struck out one — but largely unimpressive. The Athletics owned a 47.8% hard-hit percentage over Berríos’s seven innings and half of their hits — two home runs and two doubles — went for extra bases. (The below images are courtesy Baseball Savant.) But, pitching was not the Twins’ main issue Saturday. Building on a recurring theme, the Twins’ offense struggled mightily once again — the bottom of the eighth notwithstanding — going 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. As the team entering play on Saturday, the Twins owned MLB's third-worst offense, according to FanGraphs, in regard to win probability added with a cumulative total of -3.45 and the worst in regard to their Clutch metric with a -3.29. A lineup possessing as much raw talent as the Twins — regardless of the number of key contributors who are injured — should not be saddled with such consistent — and truly baffling — ineptitude. While the distant rumblings of the developing storm that is the MLB trade season are starting to become audible, the fact of the matter is that the Twins likely won’t be partaking any time soon. But it is clear that something needs to change and probably sooner rather than later. The head of the head coach — or in baseball’s case, the manager — is rarely the first to roll when teams underperform expectations. Normally, the first order of business is to tweak the lineup and engage in various call-ups and send-downs in an attempt to ignite a spark that turns the offense aflame. The Twins have tried this method and while the likes of Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, and Kyle Garlick have largely performed well, the results have not followed. The next change that occurs is usually the firing or re-assigning of various assistant coaches. The seats under Rudy Hernandez and Edgar Varela — the Twins’ two hitting coaches — must be particularly hot at the moment and one would think that either or both are the leading candidates to be the first true casualty of the season. The Twins lineup is not performing to expectations and — rightly or wrongly — the hitting coach(es) are beginning to draw the ire of the team’s faithful. Would removing Hernandez and/or Varela from their duties truly impact the team’s on-field performance? It’s difficult to say with any amount of certainty. However, an unfortunate downside of being a coach at the professional level is that your job can sometimes be renounced, even if doing so is simply akin to putting a band-aid on a festering wound. The Twins aren’t going to ship out Donaldson, Mitch Garver or Max Kepler — at least not anytime soon — and while DFAing Miguel Sano may make some sense on paper, the odds of it actually occurring are probably slimmer than none. The Twins will make moves — and perhaps sooner rather than later — but the moves are more likely to do with anyone not named Rocco Baldelli on the coaching staff rather than a significant trade. Up next The Twins will try to pry the series away from the Athletics Sunday afternoon when Kenta Maeda (2-2, 5.08 ERA) goes up against Chris Bassitt (3-2, 3.54 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet TUE WED THU FRI SAT TOT Thielbar 41 0 0 29 0 70 Law 19 13 0 35 0 67 Anderson 0 54 0 0 0 54 Robles 0 0 12 0 17 29 Alcala 12 0 16 0 0 28 Colomé 0 15 0 0 7 22 Rogers 0 0 20 0 0 20 Duffey 0 16 0 0 0 16 MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

José Berríos struggled, the bullpen struggled, the lineup struggled, but other than that, this one went great! Box score José Berríos: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB (1 HBP), 1 K Home Runs: Donaldson (3) Bottom 3 WPA: Duffey -.295, Rortvedt -.202, Sano -.146 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs? It’s often difficult to find words to describe déjà vu and déjà vu-like experiences. Sometimes it’s a nagging feeling in the back of the mind. Sometimes it takes the form of a word on the tip of the tongue that simply refuses to be uttered. Sometimes still it’s an unexplained, yet ominous, pit resting comfortably in the stomach. The Minnesota Twins are not causing their fans to experience déjà vu. They’re trapping them in a real-life manifestation of Groundhog Day. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Minnesota Twins fell to the Detroit Tigers Saturday afternoon thanks to an offense that struggled to cash in runners when they were in scoring position and a bullpen that caved in on itself. We are Bill Murray. Berríos struggles with command José Berríos - who ultimately did see his ERA drop slightly — was unusually dull on the mound. He clearly did not have his best stuff working and struggled with locating his pitches, resulting in him not earning his strikeout until his 104th — and last — pitch of the game. His start on Saturday would have been the longest of his career without recording a strikeout had he not gotten Jake Rogers to chase an off-speed pitch out of the zone in the bottom of the sixth inning. Had Berríos not done so, it would have been his first start since 2018 without registering a punchout. However, if there is a bright side to look on, it’s that Berríos was largely able to battle through his struggles and keep the Twins within reach. As intrepid co-founder of Twins Daily John Bonnes pointed on Twitter, doing so consistently is perhaps the greatest hurdle Berríos has yet to climb en route to developing into a true ace-level starter. Unfortunately for the Twins, relievers Tyler Duffey and Derek Law didn’t have their best stuff either. The two combined to pitch the final two innings of the game, striking out two, walking four and allowing five runs to cross the plate. As a staff, the Twins struck out three and walked nine, which is not conducive for winning baseball. Offensive woes continue Josh Donaldson — who also doubled — hit his third home run of the season, while Jorge Polanco, Jake Cave and Kyle Garlick doubled, however, that was largely the extent of the team’s offensive output. The Twins stranded 16 runners on base and were a combined 1-for-14 as a team with runners in scoring position. Again, not exactly a performance that will lead to many victories. Larnach makes his MLB debut On a more positive note, Trevor Larnach — who recently spoke with Twins Daily — made his Major League debut Saturday afternoon, going 0-for-4 — three of which had runners in scoring position, hence the -.143 WPA — with a HBP. However, as was often the case with Alex Kirilloff during his first handful of games, the numbers are a little misleading. Larnach hit one ball that registered an exit velocity of 107.4 mph with a .420 xBA, according to Baseball Savant; a diving Jonathan Schoop at first base was the lone force that prevented it from being an RBI double. Up next The Twins will look to win the series Sunday afternoon in the rubber match with the Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. CT and will feature Kenta Maeda (2-2, 5.02 ERA) going up against Matt Boyd (2-3, 2.27 ERA). Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email View full article

Kansas City’s Danny Duffy silenced the Minnesota Twins’ hot bats en route to an easy win for the Royals. Read more about the game in today's recap.Boxscore Matt Shoemaker: 3.1 IP, 8 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 0 K Home Runs: Alex Kiriloff (3), Nelson Cruz (8) Bottom 3 WPA: Shoemaker -.347, Garlick -.045, Buxton -.039 Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs): Download attachment: chart.png Well, the Minnesota Twins’ winning streak was fun while it lasted. The Twins dropped to 9-16 following their drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Royals Saturday afternoon. The long and short of the team’s loss was that Royals’ pitcher Danny Duffy dealt, while Twins’ pitcher Matt Shoemaker decidedly did not. Duffy threw seven innings of one run ball and allowed only six runners to reach base, three coming via walk and two via hit, including Alex Kiriloff’s third home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh. Unfortunately for the Twins, for as effective as Duffy was, Shoemaker was equally ineffective. He allowed two runs in the top of the first inning, in large part due to Byron Buxton coming up short on a dive on a sinking line drive off the bat of Salvador Pérez that resulted in a double, and things only went downhill from there. Shoemaker exited in the middle of the fourth inning after serving up two home runs and allowing eight runners to cross the plate. Shoemaker — whose ERA ballooned to 7.83 during the loss — had difficulty locating his pitches all afternoon. His fastball sat in the low-90s and was frequently placed in the middle-middle portion of the zone, which isn’t exactly a great recipe for success, particularly when the sinker and splitter aren’t missing bats, either. Nelson Cruz’s two run home run in the bottom of the eighth after Willians Astudillo singled was the only other source of offense for the Twins. Cody Stashak provided 1.2 solid innings of relief after Shoemaker exited, striking out two and bringing his strikeout to walk ratio to 15:4 on the season. Randy Dobnak also appeared out of the pen, pitching three innings and allowing two home runs, both to Andrew Benintendi. The Twins and Royals will meet Sunday afternoon for the rubber match of the series. José Berríos is set to face off against Brad Keller with first pitch slated for 1:10 p.m. CT. Postgame Interview Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet Click here to see the bullpen usage over the past five days (link opens a Google Sheet). Click here to view the article

Byron Buxton is currently playing out of his mind. Let's enjoy this fact by exploring some of his gaudy numbers.Although they currently find themselves in the midst of a one (1) game winning streak, it’s safe to say that things have not gone overly well for the Minnesota Twins thus far this season. They are only 0.5 games up on the Detroit Tigers for the worst record in baseball and have run into a number of roadblocks, both self-inflicted and virtually random. However, the same cannot be said about center fielder Byron Buxton, who is playing at a level that has rarely been seen before in the history of baseball. Now, I can hear you saying, “Lucas, chill. He only has 68 at-bats,” and, while that criticism is fair and there is no way Buxton will be able to sustain his current level of productivity all season, my response to you, dear reader, is, “I CAN CHILL WHEN I’M DEAD.” Let us take the briefest of moments to simply revel in the pure awesomeness that has been Byron Buxton this season. Lord knows we could use our fair share of positivity at the moment. A picture worth 1.000 OPS For starters, peep this. *weeps* It’s beautiful. WAR, WAR never changes (except for this season for Byron Buxton) Entering the 2021 MLB season, Buxton’s career high for WAR — wins above replacement, for the uninitiated — according to FanGraphs was 3.6. He posted that number during 2017 — his lone healthy season — when he played in 140 games, hit a career-high 16 home runs and won the Platinum Glove. For a bit of reference, an MVP-caliber season is generally considered to be one in which a player accumulates upwards of eight or nine WAR. As of this writing, Buxton has accumulated 2.3 WAR across 17 games, the third-highest of his career if the season ended today. Let’s assume that Buxton appears in 140 games this season — perhaps a big assumption, but one we’re taking in this exercise nonetheless because we’re being positive — he is currently on pace to accumulate 18.9 WAR. Again, his current pace is unsustainable, however, Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers posted a WAR of 10.4 in 2018 when he was a member of the Boston Red Sox, which was the highest since Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels posted one of 10.2 in 2013. Even if his bat slows down significantly as the season progresses, a WAR of 10.0 shouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for Buxton as long as he stays healthy. *HOMER SIMPSON VOICE* NEEERD (numbers) Buxton currently owns career-best marks* in (amongst others): Isolated power (slugging% - batting average): .500K%: 20.6%BABIP: .476OPS: 1.409HardHit%: 66.0%Max Exit Velo: 114.1 mphBarrel%: 24.0%BA versus fastballs: .586 (*Note: Buxton has hit six homers off fastballs, while only striking out against them on five occasions)Swings on balls out of the zone: 35.5% (down 13.4% from last season)Again, Buxton’s current rate of offensive production is unsustainable, however, a few of these numbers serve to highlight a change in his approach at the plate. For instance, his propensity to chase balls out of the zone has dropped dramatically this season, which implies a less defensive approach at the plate. This also likely correlates with his decreased strikeout rate, which, in turn, is likely correlated with his improved ability to hit fastballs. *** The Twins have not been good, but Byron Buxton has and his numbers are simply asinine at the moment. They will come down to Earth at some point — they always do, no matter how good the player — but if he can remain healthy, Buxton may have a real chance at being the team’s first league MVP since Joe Mauer in 2009. *These numbers were gathered from FanGraphs as well as Baseball Savant. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I caught up with Larnach after Sunday’s simulated game, in which he belted a “double” to left center field that one-hopped the wall — there was no defense in the field, but it would have been a double if a real game was being played — and also pulled a hard hit ball down the right field line. Below is a transcript of our conversation that was mildly edited for clarity.When the Minnesota Twins selected Trevor Larnach with the 20th overall pick in the 2018 draft, they did so with dreams of his powerful, left handed swing slotting in the middle of their order for years to come. While he may still be a year or so away from reaching The Show and turning his team’s dreams into reality, the former Oregon State Beaver — and the Twins’ third-best prospect according to MLB.com — is spending his spring days at the alternate training site at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul, preparing for what will likely be his Triple-A debut. I caught up with Larnach after Sunday’s simulated game, in which he belted a “double” to left center field that one-hopped the wall — there was no defense in the field, but it would have been a double if a real game was being played — and also pulled a hard hit ball down the right field line. Below is a transcript of our conversation that was mildly edited for clarity. Lucas Seehafer: I guess what I want to know most, and I think what the fans would want to know most, is what it’s like to be a minor league baseball player, especially at the higher levels. Trevor Larnach: I guess ...There’s almost two questions to that: You have pre-COVID and you’ve got post-COVID. Post-COVID, I think I could probably say this for everyone, when you don’t have a season it feels more or less like a job than anything else. You’re not necessarily competing every day against other teams and there’s no stat sheet and there’s no schedule. It’s just practice, almost. When you’re practicing aimlessly and you don’t really know where it’s going, that can get kind of tedious. But, at the moment, we’re on schedule for a season, so it’s kind of an in-between. We’ve got an alternate site right now and a season we’re getting ready for, so it’s pretty nice. This is my second year here, so I kind of have a feel, an understanding, of the ballpark and the city and everything else. It’s been a lot of fun. I think we’ve got a super good group of guys and I think we’re ready for a season. We’re hoping it doesn’t get pushed back or anything, but I think I can speak for those guys on that. Lucas: Yeah, I was going to say, how’s it going to feel to be on the field again and playing actual baseball again that matters? Trevor: It’s going to be awesome. I think everyone’s going to be a lot more excited than just having practices every single day. I’m assuming there’s going to be fans everywhere we go. It’s just going to be awesome to face other pitching, other teams, just travel again, you know? It’s just going to be a refreshing feeling to be able to play a season and knowing that you can adjust what you’re doing on the field in comparison to, like, how you’re failing against other teams and stuff. When we’re facing each other, we’re facing guys that are working on their stuff to get to the big leagues and we’re hitting to get to the big leagues at the same time, but it’s just completely different, you know? It’s just very different. Lucas: Kind of speaking more personally about yourself, anywhere you look, you’re one of the highest ranking Twins’ prospects in the system. Do you pay attention to that kind of stuff? Trevor: No. Zero attention. I have social media accounts, but I don’t run them. I’m barely online. I think there’s a lot of technology and a lot of information nowadays that can cause a lot of drama, per se, especially amongst yourself, teammates, family. I have family members that come to me all the time and say, “Hey, I saw this about you.” and I’m like, “Well, there’s been no season, so I wouldn’t take it with all the greatest credibility.” Not to say any website like you guys or whoever else aren’t credible, it’s just different. There’s no situation where there’s a season and you can actually judge people off of what they’re doing. Me, personally, I stay away from it. I think, especially a lot of people are negative on places like Twitter and Instagram even. I just stay away from it. Lucas: When you get to see teammates like [Alex Kiriloff] or [Nick Gordon] or [Travis Blankenhorn] or whoever, when they do get to go to the big leagues, how’s it feel knowing that sooner or later that’s going to be your name that’s going to be called. Trevor: It’s exciting. I think the younger guys, per se, like the guys you just mentioned, I’m a lot closer with, so it’s a lot more exciting when guys go up. You’re cheering for them, you’re rooting for them and I’m hoping there’s a day in a year or however long it might be that we’re all up there together and we’re all competing. I know we have a lot of chemistry together, I know what each and every one is capable of and they’re all good guys, so I’d love to play with them all at once in the big leagues. But it’s not really under my control. Lucas: What do you think you have to work on the most in order to get to that level? Trevor: That’s a good question. [long pause]. You know, I wouldn’t be so hesitant if there was a season beforehand because I would be able to tell you , like, what are my weaknesses, playing other teams, other pitching? But just based off of what I’ve done here, Spring Training, the alternate site last year, I would just say consistency. Just continue to be consistent in the batter’s box, continue to be consistent in the field, consistently being a good teammate. All of those things. I feel like if I stick with that, stick with my routines and my processes and doing everything right, I feel like it will fall into place. I’m in a great mindset. Whether I get a call or not, I’m very positive and when that call does come, I’ll be very, very excited. Very ready as well. Lucas: I’ve got one more for you. When people think of the minor leagues, I think it’s kind of hard to say to what level that level is at. If you were to compare, Double-A, Triple-A, whatever, to what you played against at the Division I level, how would those levels compare? Trevor: Let’s just say this: I’d compare college ball to low-A. That’s what I would compare it to. It’s a little different, though. You can’t necessarily compare it with that much justification, just saying it’s going to be “Low-A is college ball”, because you’re playing every day, you have different arms, you have different people from every different place in the world. Scouting reports are different. The atmosphere is completely different as well, but I would say the competition level, more or less, from the offensive side and maybe the pitching side, here and there, I think it would be low-A. High-A I think is a step above. High-A is closer to Double-A. I mean, obviously, they’re right next to each other. But once you get to High-A, the velo starts jumping a little bit more, the stuff starts getting a little bit nastier, but the command isn’t necessarily there. But when you get to Double-A, that’s when both of those two things — the velo and the command — and the nasty pitching, that all starts to be in the zone. They know what they’re doing with it. Triple-A, from what I’ve heard, I can’t speak on experience, I’ve never been in Triple-A, but, from what I’ve heard, it’s you’ve got guys that have big league time, guys that have a chance at getting in the big leagues and they know what they’re doing. Everybody knows what they’re doing. Everyone’s a very high-level player at Triple-A. Depending on an opportunity, most Triple-A guys could play in the big leagues, but I can’t speak from experience because I haven’t been there yet. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article