Eric R Pleiss

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. Last night, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout were awarded the Rookie of the Year awards, in the National and American League, respectively. Harper and Trout did amazing things as rookies, and in the case of Mike Trout, had the best season a rookie has ever had. Harper helped the Washington Nationals win their division, and Trout did his part to keep the Los Angeles Angels relevant until the final week of the season. Minnesota Twins, on the other hand, had plenty of rookies suit up for them in 2012, but outside of Scott Diamond, none of them did much of anything to help the Twins win games (in fairness, the rest of the team was not exactly doing a lot to help the Twins win games either). http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DiamondAPphoto.jpgScott Diamond (photo: Genevieve Ross/AP) MLB classifies rookies as any player with less than 130 at bats or 50 innings pitched or any player with less 45 or less days on the active roster during any part of the season other than September). Using the at bat and innings pitched limits, the Twins used 16 different players in 2012 that qualified as rookies: Brian Dozier, Chris Parmelee, Darin Mastroianni, Pedro Florimon, Matt Carson, Eduardo Escobar, Erik Komatsu, Chris Herrmann, Scott Diamond, Liam Hendriks, Sam Deduno, Cole De Vries, Tyler Robertson, Lester Oliveros, Kyle Waldrop, and Casey Fien. That's 16 out of 47 total players used in 2012 for the Twins, or a little bit more than 1 out of every 3 Twins. That is a lot of youth especially considering the Twins only called up a limited number of players in September, and just two rookies (Herrmann and Escobar). As a group, those 16 rookies accounted for a grand total of 4.1 Wins Above Replacement. They were led by Scott Diamond with 2.2 WAR, and at the other end was Liam Hendriks, -1.2 WAR. In between the Twins saw surprisingly positive performances from waiver claim Darin Mastroianni(.8 WAR) and defensive specialist Pedro Florimon (.8 WAR). The Twins were also disappointed by break-out candidate Chris Parmelee (-.6 WAR) and would-be lefty-specialist Tyler Robertson. Here, alphabetically, is a closer look at each of the Twins' 2012 rookies, including their status heading into 2013, as several players will still retain their rookie eligibility. Matt Carson - 31, OF, .227/.246/.242 (BA/OBP/SLG) - Carson exhausted his rookie eligibility in 2012, which is pretty impressive for a guy that is 31 years old and had played in parts of two previous seasons. The Twins called Matt Carson up late in the season when they were a little short on outfielders and Ron Gardenhire really seemed to enjoy having him around. He's unlikely to return to Minneapolis in 2013, as he is off of the 40 man roster, and the Twins have plenty of young outfielders just waiting to break onto the Major League roster. Cole De Vries - 27, RHP, 87.2/4.11/58/18 (IP/ERA/SO/BB) - Cole De Vries was the right guy in the right place at the right time in 2012. After signing as an undrafted free-agent in 2006 out of the University of Minnesota, De Vries spent the better part of the last six years quietly working his way through the Minnesota's farm system. De Vries struggled in 2010 (after being converted to a bullpen guy) between AA New Britain and AAA Rochester, but in 2011 he turned things around and despite starting the year back in Double-A, he finished the year in Rochester with a combined 3.40 ERA. De Vries started 2012 in Rochester (once again as a starting pitcher) and when the arms were falling off of every Twins starting pitcher with a hear beat, he was called up to the big leagues and performed better than many had expected. De Vries has lost his rookie eligibility heading into 2013, but he remains on the 40-man roster and has an outside chance of being the Twins' 5th starter this spring. Samuel Deduno - 29, RHP, 79.0/4.44/57/53 - Deduno was having himself a very surprising 2012 campaign until a string of bad starts toward the tail end of the season ballooned his ERA over 4. Deduno is a guy that has great movement on his pitches, but unfortunately not even he knows where the ball is likely to end up and as a result, Deduno finished the year with almost as many walks as strike outs. Deduno seemed to get a handle on his wildness about half way through his season, and will need to show increased control this spring but could battle De Vries for that 5th spot in the rotation. Deduno is on the 40-man roster and has exhausted his rookie eligibility. Scott Diamond - 26, LHP, 173.0/3.54/90/31 - He turned out to be the Twins' most effective starting pitcher in 2012, leading the team in innings, and providing the Twins with a reliable performance every fifth day. Without Diamond the Twins' best starter would have been Samuel Deduno, certainly not anyone's idea of a staff ace. Diamond is the only starting pitcher from the 2012 staff that has been guaranteed a spot in the 2013 rotation, and if the Twins can do enough in free agency, Diamond slots in as a solid number 3. Like Deduno, Diamond remains on the 40-man roster and is no longer eligible as a rookie. ...Continue reading at Knuckleballsblog.com -ERolfPleiss

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. It is way to early to start thinking about the MLB draft, especially with real, meaningful baseball being played. But it probably does not hurt to start familiarizing ourselves with some of the names that might be floating around the top of the pre-draft rankings. If the draft was to start today, the Twins would find themselves with the third overall selection. Here are the first 6 of 11 potential first round draft picks the Twins could take in 2013. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mark-Appel.jpg Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford Appel is back in the draft for the third time after being selected in the 15th round by the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round of the 2009 draft, and again by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (8th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has a fastball that sits in the mid 90s and a nice looping slider that devastates right handed batters. Appel will be 22 next July and with the current state of Minnesota’s pitching staff, he would instantly become one of the best pitchers in the organization. Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas Stanek was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft by the Seattle Marinersbut chose instead to attend college at the University of Arkansas.From his Arkansas Razorbacksprofile, he has a low 90s fastaball and a “tremendous” breaking ball. He was 8-4 in 2012 as a weekend starter for the Razorbacks and was an All-SEC performer. Matt Garrioch atMinorLeagueBall.com says of Stanek, “One of the best college pitches I have seen over the last 3 years.” He’ll need another strong season in the SEC to move onto the Twins’ radar at the top of the 1st round, but with a big time need for starting pitchers, you can’t count him out. Jeremy Martinez, C, Mater Dei HS (California) Jeremy Martinez is ESPN’s number 1 rated HS prospect on the ESPN 60 list. He’s committed to playing for the USC Trojans in 2013, but if the Twins are looking down the road for a guy to replace Joe Mauer, Martinez could be their man. Power showcase.com lists his pop-time from home to 2nd base at 1.86 seconds, which is pretty quick no matter who you are (MLB average is usually right around 1.8-1.9). In 2011 he was one of just two juniors on the USA 18 and Under squad so he’s been a front runner for the 2013 draft for some time now. The Twins seem to like current Minor League catcher Chris Herrmann, but Martinez would have a much higher ceiling than any catcher in the Twins organization. Austin Wilson, OF, Stanford Austin Wilson was drafted in the 12th round of the 2010 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals but found his way to onto Stanford Cardinal squad instead of going pro. As a sophomore in 2012 Wilson hit .285 and lead the team with 56 runs scored and 10 home runs. He also walked 24 times and was hit 15 more, raising his OBP to .389. Wilson will need to cut down on his strike outs (44) without sacrificing any of his power to move up the draft boards prior to the 2013 draft. ...Continue reading at Knuckleballsblog.com

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. It is way to early to start thinking about the MLB draft, especially with real, meaningful baseball being played. But it probably does not hurt to start familiarizing ourselves with some of the names that might be floating around the top of the pre-draft rankings. If the draft was to start today, the Twins would find themselves with the third overall selection. Here are the first 6 of 11 potential first round draft picks the Twins could take in 2013. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mark-Appel.jpg Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford Appel is back in the draft for the third time after being selected in the 15th round by the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round of the 2009 draft, and again by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first round (8th overall) by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has a fastball that sits in the mid 90s and a nice looping slider that devastates right handed batters. Appel will be 22 next July and with the current state of Minnesota’s pitching staff, he would instantly become one of the best pitchers in the organization. Ryne Stanek, RHP, Arkansas Stanek was originally drafted in the 3rd round of the 2010 draft by the Seattle Marinersbut chose instead to attend college at the University of Arkansas.From his Arkansas Razorbacksprofile, he has a low 90s fastaball and a “tremendous” breaking ball. He was 8-4 in 2012 as a weekend starter for the Razorbacks and was an All-SEC performer. Matt Garrioch atMinorLeagueBall.com says of Stanek, “One of the best college pitches I have seen over the last 3 years.” He’ll need another strong season in the SEC to move onto the Twins’ radar at the top of the 1st round, but with a big time need for starting pitchers, you can’t count him out. Jeremy Martinez, C, Mater Dei HS (California) Jeremy Martinez is ESPN’s number 1 rated HS prospect on the ESPN 60 list. He’s committed to playing for the USC Trojans in 2013, but if the Twins are looking down the road for a guy to replace Joe Mauer, Martinez could be their man. Power showcase.com lists his pop-time from home to 2nd base at 1.86 seconds, which is pretty quick no matter who you are (MLB average is usually right around 1.8-1.9). In 2011 he was one of just two juniors on the USA 18 and Under squad so he’s been a front runner for the 2013 draft for some time now. The Twins seem to like current Minor League catcher Chris Herrmann, but Martinez would have a much higher ceiling than any catcher in the Twins organization. Austin Wilson, OF, Stanford Austin Wilson was drafted in the 12th round of the 2010 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals but found his way to onto Stanford Cardinal squad instead of going pro. As a sophomore in 2012 Wilson hit .285 and lead the team with 56 runs scored and 10 home runs. He also walked 24 times and was hit 15 more, raising his OBP to .389. Wilson will need to cut down on his strike outs (44) without sacrificing any of his power to move up the draft boards prior to the 2013 draft. ...Continue reading at Knuckleballsblog.com

Originally posted at Knuckleballs. Yesterday afternoon 32,261 baseball fans were treated to a 4.1 inning performance fromNick Blackburn in which more batters hit home runs (2) than struck out (1). Before he was yanked midway through the 5th inning, Blackburn faced 23 batters, and gave up 10 hits and 8 runs (all earned). Unfortunately for Twins fans, this marked Blackburn’s 8th start of 2012 in which he gave up 5 or more earned runs and failed to get through the 6th inning. In fact, Blackburn has pitched into the 7th inning just once in 2012, just last week when he went 6.2 innings and gave up just a single earned run, his best start since July 15th of 2011 when he was able to go seven full innings without giving up any runs, despite being tagged with a 2-1 loss. Originally drafted in the 29th round of the 2001 amateur draft out of Seminole State College, Blackburn made his MLB debut as a September call-up in 2007, going 0-2 in 11.2 innings spread out over 6 relief appearances. In 2008 he made the team coming out of Spring Training and has been a perennial fixture in the Twins rotation since then. Blackburn pitched fairly well in 2008 and 2009, posting ERAs just a blip over 4 in back to back seasons, and averaged almost 200 innings a year. Coming off of his 2009 season the Twins inked Blackburn to a 4 year $14 million dollar extension that included an $8 million dollar team option for 2014. Since that time he has struggled to stay healthy and seen his ERA increase, despite playing in the pitcher friendly confines of Target Field for half of his starts. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Blackburn.jpgNick Blackburn 2010 was a down year for Blackburn as his ERA rose to a career high 5.24 due in large part to career highs in HR/9 and BB/9 and a career low 3.8 SO/9. In 2011 Blackburn rebounded early in the season and had a 3.64 ERA through the end of June and looked like he had finally become the pitcher the Twins had hoped he would be. He was striking out almost 1 more batter per 9 than he was in 2010 and his BB/9 were down to a minuscule .84 walks per nine innings. However, Blackburn fell off significantly after the All-Star break and was shut down at the end of August and never made another appearance in 2011, finishing the year with just 148.1 innings pitched and an ERA of 4.49. Heading into 2012 the Twins were hopeful that Nick Blackburn would return from the arm issues that cost him the end of the 2011 season and once again be the dependable innings eater he was in 2008, 2009, and even the first half of 2011. Unfortunately things have been anything but smooth for Blackburn in 2012. His ERA is 7.46, he’s giving up more home runs than any other time in his career, and opposing teams are just spraying the ball all over the field against him. Opponents are hitting .327/.368/.566 against him, good enough for an OPS of .934, the same OPS as Melky Cabrera. Definitely not a recipe for success. ... Read on at Knuckleballs

Originally posted at Knuckleballs. Yesterday afternoon 32,261 baseball fans were treated to a 4.1 inning performance fromNick Blackburn in which more batters hit home runs (2) than struck out (1). Before he was yanked midway through the 5th inning, Blackburn faced 23 batters, and gave up 10 hits and 8 runs (all earned). Unfortunately for Twins fans, this marked Blackburn’s 8th start of 2012 in which he gave up 5 or more earned runs and failed to get through the 6th inning. In fact, Blackburn has pitched into the 7th inning just once in 2012, just last week when he went 6.2 innings and gave up just a single earned run, his best start since July 15th of 2011 when he was able to go seven full innings without giving up any runs, despite being tagged with a 2-1 loss. Originally drafted in the 29th round of the 2001 amateur draft out of Seminole State College, Blackburn made his MLB debut as a September call-up in 2007, going 0-2 in 11.2 innings spread out over 6 relief appearances. In 2008 he made the team coming out of Spring Training and has been a perennial fixture in the Twins rotation since then. Blackburn pitched fairly well in 2008 and 2009, posting ERAs just a blip over 4 in back to back seasons, and averaged almost 200 innings a year. Coming off of his 2009 season the Twins inked Blackburn to a 4 year $14 million dollar extension that included an $8 million dollar team option for 2014. Since that time he has struggled to stay healthy and seen his ERA increase, despite playing in the pitcher friendly confines of Target Field for half of his starts. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Blackburn.jpgNick Blackburn 2010 was a down year for Blackburn as his ERA rose to a career high 5.24 due in large part to career highs in HR/9 and BB/9 and a career low 3.8 SO/9. In 2011 Blackburn rebounded early in the season and had a 3.64 ERA through the end of June and looked like he had finally become the pitcher the Twins had hoped he would be. He was striking out almost 1 more batter per 9 than he was in 2010 and his BB/9 were down to a minuscule .84 walks per nine innings. However, Blackburn fell off significantly after the All-Star break and was shut down at the end of August and never made another appearance in 2011, finishing the year with just 148.1 innings pitched and an ERA of 4.49. Heading into 2012 the Twins were hopeful that Nick Blackburn would return from the arm issues that cost him the end of the 2011 season and once again be the dependable innings eater he was in 2008, 2009, and even the first half of 2011. Unfortunately things have been anything but smooth for Blackburn in 2012. His ERA is 7.46, he’s giving up more home runs than any other time in his career, and opposing teams are just spraying the ball all over the field against him. Opponents are hitting .327/.368/.566 against him, good enough for an OPS of .934, the same OPS as Melky Cabrera. Definitely not a recipe for success. ... Read on at Knuckleballs

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. The last time the Twins were any good (2010) they were swept out of the post season once again by the New York Yankees. The Twins finished that season with 84 wins, 4th best in all of baseball. They were rewarded for their success with the 30th selection in the 2011 draft. With that pick they selected Levi Michael. At the time of the draft Levi Michael and the University of North Caroline Tar Heels were playing their way into the College World Series (where they promptly made a two game exit). Levi Michael was in the midst of a fairly strong junior season (.289/.434/.434 (BA/OBP/SLG)), but he dealt with an ankle injury early on in that season which nagged him for a good part of the year. His sophomore season at UNC was his best, hitting .343/.484/.575 and ranked as the 13th best hitter in the ACC. While Michael was never projected to be a power hitter, his on-base skills (more walks than strikeouts 47/41) and his speed, coupled with pretty decent range on the defensive side of the ball made him one of, if not the top shortstops in the draft. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Levi-Michael.jpg PHOTO BY SCOTT BUTHERUS, NAPLES NEWS Selecting Levi Michael was a departure from the Twins' usual draft strategy of drafting toolsy high schoolers (think Ben Revere and Aaron Hicks) and college arms (Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers), and was their first college position player taken since Travis Lee in 1996.* Perhaps the Twins selected Michael understanding that he was one of the best players available to them with the 30th pick and they certainly had a system void of shortstops with high upsides. The Twins signed Michael late for $1.75 million and despite not having a chance to play competitive baseball for the Twins in 2011, they started him at High A playing a combination of shortstop and second base for the Ft. Myers Miracle. Going into 2012 Baseball America rated Michael as the Twins 6th best prospect. TheTwins' rationale at the time had to be that Levi Michael was a polished college player who should not have much trouble adjusting to professional baseball, and could rise quickly through the Twins MiLB system. *The Twins whiffed on Lee in 1996, failing to sign him in the two weeks following the draft. He eventually signed a $10 million dollar 4-year contract with the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks and was their starting first basemen in their inaugural season in 1998 (and came in 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting). Lee posted a career bWAR of 5.3. Read about Levi Michael's 2012 season at Knuckleballs

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. The last time the Twins were any good (2010) they were swept out of the post season once again by the New York Yankees. The Twins finished that season with 84 wins, 4th best in all of baseball. They were rewarded for their success with the 30th selection in the 2011 draft. With that pick they selected Levi Michael. At the time of the draft Levi Michael and the University of North Caroline Tar Heels were playing their way into the College World Series (where they promptly made a two game exit). Levi Michael was in the midst of a fairly strong junior season (.289/.434/.434 (BA/OBP/SLG)), but he dealt with an ankle injury early on in that season which nagged him for a good part of the year. His sophomore season at UNC was his best, hitting .343/.484/.575 and ranked as the 13th best hitter in the ACC. While Michael was never projected to be a power hitter, his on-base skills (more walks than strikeouts 47/41) and his speed, coupled with pretty decent range on the defensive side of the ball made him one of, if not the top shortstops in the draft. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Levi-Michael.jpg PHOTO BY SCOTT BUTHERUS, NAPLES NEWS Selecting Levi Michael was a departure from the Twins' usual draft strategy of drafting toolsy high schoolers (think Ben Revere and Aaron Hicks) and college arms (Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers), and was their first college position player taken since Travis Lee in 1996.* Perhaps the Twins selected Michael understanding that he was one of the best players available to them with the 30th pick and they certainly had a system void of shortstops with high upsides. The Twins signed Michael late for $1.75 million and despite not having a chance to play competitive baseball for the Twins in 2011, they started him at High A playing a combination of shortstop and second base for the Ft. Myers Miracle. Going into 2012 Baseball America rated Michael as the Twins 6th best prospect. TheTwins' rationale at the time had to be that Levi Michael was a polished college player who should not have much trouble adjusting to professional baseball, and could rise quickly through the Twins MiLB system. *The Twins whiffed on Lee in 1996, failing to sign him in the two weeks following the draft. He eventually signed a $10 million dollar 4-year contract with the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks and was their starting first basemen in their inaugural season in 1998 (and came in 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting). Lee posted a career bWAR of 5.3. Read about Levi Michael's 2012 season at Knuckleballs

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. The last time the Twins were any good (2010) they were swept out of the post season once again by the New York Yankees. The Twins finished that season with 84 wins, 4th best in all of baseball. They were rewarded for their success with the 30th selection in the 2011 draft. With that pick they selected Levi Michael. At the time of the draft Levi Michael and the University of North Caroline Tar Heels were playing their way into the College World Series (where they promptly made a two game exit). Levi Michael was in the midst of a fairly strong junior season (.289/.434/.434 (BA/OBP/SLG)), but he dealt with an ankle injury early on in that season which nagged him for a good part of the year. His sophomore season at UNC was his best, hitting .343/.484/.575 and ranked as the 13th best hitter in the ACC. While Michael was never projected to be a power hitter, his on-base skills (more walks than strikeouts 47/41) and his speed, coupled with pretty decent range on the defensive side of the ball made him one of, if not the top shortstops in the draft. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Levi-Michael.jpg PHOTO BY SCOTT BUTHERUS, NAPLES NEWS Selecting Levi Michael was a departure from the Twins' usual draft strategy of drafting toolsy high schoolers (think Ben Revere and Aaron Hicks) and college arms (Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers), and was their first college position player taken since Travis Lee in 1996.* Perhaps the Twins selected Michael understanding that he was one of the best players available to them with the 30th pick and they certainly had a system void of shortstops with high upsides. The Twins signed Michael late for $1.75 million and despite not having a chance to play competitive baseball for the Twins in 2011, they started him at High A playing a combination of shortstop and second base for the Ft. Myers Miracle. Going into 2012 Baseball America rated Michael as the Twins 6th best prospect. TheTwins' rationale at the time had to be that Levi Michael was a polished college player who should not have much trouble adjusting to professional baseball, and could rise quickly through the Twins MiLB system. In 87 games for the Miracle, Michael has struggled to get his offensive game going. He is hitting just .237/.333/.309. He has continued to showcase a strong understanding of the strike zone at High-A, walking in more than 11% of all plate appearances. Unfortunately, he is not getting on base enough to steal bases and he has not shown any of the power he did in college, with just 15 extra base hits so far this year (his OPS of .642 does not even rank him in the top 100 of the Florida State League). Michael's batting line is held down mostly due to a poor 1st half where he batted just .216/.317/.293. He's been much better in the second half so far (.275/.365/.339) and he's cut his strike out rate nearly in half down to 12.8% from 22.6%. However, as a switch hitter he's still struggling mightily against right handed pitching, with an OPS of just .608, almost 100 points lower than against left handed pitching. At 21 years of age Levi Michael is the 3rd youngest player on the Miracle Roster, and almost two full years younger than the average Florida State League player, so even if he spends all of 2012 and part of 2013 in Ft. Myers he would still be a full year younger than the average player when he joins the Double-A Rock Cats. While his bat is still adjusting to the professional game, Michael is making most of the plays at both SS and 2B and leads the Miracle in games played and Fielding% at both positions. Michael's future in the middle infield is still up in the air as the Miracle have him splitting time between the two positions, spending slightly more time at short. I'm not going to pretend to know much of anything about his defensive abilities beyond the tidbits I have listed above. I have not seen him play in person, and I do not know if the errors he is committing are because he is getting to balls outside of his range and not making plays, or because he is just booting balls on routine plays. Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated. The biggest take-away on Levi Michael is that it is still early. He is in his first year of professional baseball and he is one of the youngest players on his team. He is going to face plenty more ups and downs in his career. Compared to the Twins' current shortstop, Brian Dozier, Michael has posted essentially the same line in his first year of High-A baseball that Dozier posted in his first full year at the same level, but Michael is two years younger and did not have the extra two years in the Twins system that Dozier had. The future might not look bright right now, but Levi Michael is still the best middle infield prospect in the Twins system not named Eddie Rosario. *The Twins whiffed on Lee in 1996, failing to sign him in the two weeks following the draft. He eventually signed a $10 million dollar 4-year contract with the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks and was their starting first basemen in their inaugural season in 1998 (and came in 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting). Lee posted a career bWAR of 5.3. -ERolfPleiss

This article was originally posted at Knuckleballsblog.com. The last time the Twins were any good (2010) they were swept out of the post season once again by the New York Yankees. The Twins finished that season with 84 wins, 4th best in all of baseball. They were rewarded for their success with the 30th selection in the 2011 draft. With that pick they selected Levi Michael. At the time of the draft Levi Michael and the University of North Caroline Tar Heels were playing their way into the College World Series (where they promptly made a two game exit). Levi Michael was in the midst of a fairly strong junior season (.289/.434/.434 (BA/OBP/SLG)), but he dealt with an ankle injury early on in that season which nagged him for a good part of the year. His sophomore season at UNC was his best, hitting .343/.484/.575 and ranked as the 13th best hitter in the ACC. While Michael was never projected to be a power hitter, his on-base skills (more walks than strikeouts 47/41) and his speed, coupled with pretty decent range on the defensive side of the ball made him one of, if not the top shortstops in the draft. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Levi-Michael.jpg PHOTO BY SCOTT BUTHERUS, NAPLES NEWS Selecting Levi Michael was a departure from the Twins' usual draft strategy of drafting toolsy high schoolers (think Ben Revere and Aaron Hicks) and college arms (Kyle Gibson and Alex Wimmers), and was their first college position player taken since Travis Lee in 1996.* Perhaps the Twins selected Michael understanding that he was one of the best players available to them with the 30th pick and they certainly had a system void of shortstops with high upsides. The Twins signed Michael late for $1.75 million and despite not having a chance to play competitive baseball for the Twins in 2011, they started him at High A playing a combination of shortstop and second base for the Ft. Myers Miracle. Going into 2012 Baseball America rated Michael as the Twins 6th best prospect. TheTwins' rationale at the time had to be that Levi Michael was a polished college player who should not have much trouble adjusting to professional baseball, and could rise quickly through the Twins MiLB system. In 87 games for the Miracle, Michael has struggled to get his offensive game going. He is hitting just .237/.333/.309. He has continued to showcase a strong understanding of the strike zone at High-A, walking in more than 11% of all plate appearances. Unfortunately, he is not getting on base enough to steal bases and he has not shown any of the power he did in college, with just 15 extra base hits so far this year (his OPS of .642 does not even rank him in the top 100 of the Florida State League). Michael's batting line is held down mostly due to a poor 1st half where he batted just .216/.317/.293. He's been much better in the second half so far (.275/.365/.339) and he's cut his strike out rate nearly in half down to 12.8% from 22.6%. However, as a switch hitter he's still struggling mightily against right handed pitching, with an OPS of just .608, almost 100 points lower than against left handed pitching. At 21 years of age Levi Michael is the 3rd youngest player on the Miracle Roster, and almost two full years younger than the average Florida State League player, so even if he spends all of 2012 and part of 2013 in Ft. Myers he would still be a full year younger than the average player when he joins the Double-A Rock Cats. While his bat is still adjusting to the professional game, Michael is making most of the plays at both SS and 2B and leads the Miracle in games played and Fielding% at both positions. Michael's future in the middle infield is still up in the air as the Miracle have him splitting time between the two positions, spending slightly more time at short. I'm not going to pretend to know much of anything about his defensive abilities beyond the tidbits I have listed above. I have not seen him play in person, and I do not know if the errors he is committing are because he is getting to balls outside of his range and not making plays, or because he is just booting balls on routine plays. Any help in this area would be greatly appreciated. The biggest take-away on Levi Michael is that it is still early. He is in his first year of professional baseball and he is one of the youngest players on his team. He is going to face plenty more ups and downs in his career. Compared to the Twins' current shortstop, Brian Dozier, Michael has posted essentially the same line in his first year of High-A baseball that Dozier posted in his first full year at the same level, but Michael is two years younger and did not have the extra two years in the Twins system that Dozier had. The future might not look bright right now, but Levi Michael is still the best middle infield prospect in the Twins system not named Eddie Rosario. *The Twins whiffed on Lee in 1996, failing to sign him in the two weeks following the draft. He eventually signed a $10 million dollar 4-year contract with the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks and was their starting first basemen in their inaugural season in 1998 (and came in 3rd in Rookie of the Year voting). Lee posted a career bWAR of 5.3. -ERolfPleiss

Originally published at www.Knuckleballsblog.com http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/172493889-194x300.jpg I recently received a review copy of Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger. The book was written by Steve Aschburner with a foreword by Jim Thome and published by Triumph Books. Steve Aschburner is a long time sports writer, covering all four major league sports and NCAA basketball. His primary area of emphasis is NBA basketball, but between this book, and his 2008 work "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Minnesota Twins", it is clear that he has a soft spot for America's Pastime and the Minnesota Twins. As a Twins fan not old enough to have seen Harmon Killebrew play for the Senators/Twins, nor old enough even to remember him calling games for the Twins on television, reading Ultimate Slugger provided an excellent opportunity to familiarize myself with one of the greatest men to ever play professional baseball. Not only did I learn a lot about Killebrew, but I learned a lot about the game of baseball as it was played nearly 50 years ago. The book is straight forward enough, it starts with a brief synopsis of Killebrew's family lineage, includes some stories about Killebrew as a young kind, and then follows his career through his early days as a "Bonus Baby" in the 1950s right through his playing days and his strong presence with the Twins up until 2011. The two things I liked best about Ultimate Slugger was the way Aschburner captured the spirit of Killebrew and the insights into Major League Baseball as it existed in the 50s and 60s. Aschburner best captured Killebrew through interviews and stories from his life long friends. He provided insight into the MLB gone-by with just enough statistical analysis to give you an idea of how the game was played and who the biggest players were, and throwing in some anecdotes that highlight the essence of the game. One thing that particularly struck me was the story of how Harmon Killebrew's first trip to the Major Leagues. Killebrew joined the Washington Senators during a 19 game road trip. A NINETEEN GAME ROAD TRIP (The Twins' longest road trip in 2012 is 10 games, and that's one of the longest road trips in MLB this year). But when Killebrew joined the Senators on that road trip, it was not just the first time he'd been to a Major League game, but the first time he'd even seen a Major League stadium. Because he was a "bonus baby" Killebrew did not have the benefit of Minor League seasoning, and his first two years he played sporadically, mostly being used as a pinch hitter or pinch runner. Pretty interesting start for a man that would become an MLB icon. The biggest drawback to the book is Aschburner's writing style. As a seasoned sports writer, his book reads more like a 230 page newspaper column than a regular biography. Aschburner uses more than his fair share of hokey transitions and cliches to chronicle the life of Harmon Killebrew, but that's really the only knock on the book. If you're a Twins fan looking to gain more insight into the life and stories that surrounded Harmon Killebrew you should definitely pick up a copy* of "Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger". *Knuckleballs will be running a contest during the upcoming All-Star break and giving away two copies of "Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger". Stay tuned!

Originally published at www.Knuckleballsblog.com http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/172493889-194x300.jpg I recently received a review copy of Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger. The book was written by Steve Aschburner with a foreword by Jim Thome and published by Triumph Books. Steve Aschburner is a long time sports writer, covering all four major league sports and NCAA basketball. His primary area of emphasis is NBA basketball, but between this book, and his 2008 work "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: Minnesota Twins", it is clear that he has a soft spot for America's Pastime and the Minnesota Twins. As a Twins fan not old enough to have seen Harmon Killebrew play for the Senators/Twins, nor old enough even to remember him calling games for the Twins on television, reading Ultimate Slugger provided an excellent opportunity to familiarize myself with one of the greatest men to ever play professional baseball. Not only did I learn a lot about Killebrew, but I learned a lot about the game of baseball as it was played nearly 50 years ago. The book is straight forward enough, it starts with a brief synopsis of Killebrew's family lineage, includes some stories about Killebrew as a young kind, and then follows his career through his early days as a "Bonus Baby" in the 1950s right through his playing days and his strong presence with the Twins up until 2011. The two things I liked best about Ultimate Slugger was the way Aschburner captured the spirit of Killebrew and the insights into Major League Baseball as it existed in the 50s and 60s. Aschburner best captured Killebrew through interviews and stories from his life long friends. He provided insight into the MLB gone-by with just enough statistical analysis to give you an idea of how the game was played and who the biggest players were, and throwing in some anecdotes that highlight the essence of the game. One thing that particularly struck me was the story of how Harmon Killebrew's first trip to the Major Leagues. Killebrew joined the Washington Senators during a 19 game road trip. A NINETEEN GAME ROAD TRIP (The Twins' longest road trip in 2012 is 10 games, and that's one of the longest road trips in MLB this year). But when Killebrew joined the Senators on that road trip, it was not just the first time he'd been to a Major League game, but the first time he'd even seen a Major League stadium. Because he was a "bonus baby" Killebrew did not have the benefit of Minor League seasoning, and his first two years he played sporadically, mostly being used as a pinch hitter or pinch runner. Pretty interesting start for a man that would become an MLB icon. The biggest drawback to the book is Aschburner's writing style. As a seasoned sports writer, his book reads more like a 230 page newspaper column than a regular biography. Aschburner uses more than his fair share of hokey transitions and cliches to chronicle the life of Harmon Killebrew, but that's really the only knock on the book. If you're a Twins fan looking to gain more insight into the life and stories that surrounded Harmon Killebrew you should definitely pick up a copy* of "Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger". *Knuckleballs will be running a contest during the upcoming All-Star break and giving away two copies of "Harmon Killebrew: Ultimate Slugger". Stay tuned!

The Twins took an early lead against the Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka but could not hold as the Yankees came storming back in the fifth inning with a couple of home runs against Phil Hughes. The Twins tried making a game of it, but the Yankees ran the score up to 7-4 and the Twins did not have enough firepower to hang in. Lots of tight games down in the Minor League system, as every full season affiliate played a one- or two-run game. Let's get to it. [attachment=7436:5118.attach] [B]Red Wings Report[/B] Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_rocaaa_pawaaa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] With Alex Meyer picking up the victory, the Red Wings have now won five straight games, their longest streak since mid-May. Alex Meyer went six innings and gave up just three hits, and a single earned run. He struck out seven but also walked four. After a couple of poor outings, Meyer put himself back on track for a mid/late-season call-up. Ryan Pressly, the 2013 Rule Five draft pick, closed out the game with three scoreless innings; he struck out one and allowed only a single hit. The Red Wings suffered a power outage from the top of their lineup, as their 1-6 hitters finished the game 0-20, with three walks. Pedro Florimon was the only hitter with multiple hits, 2-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Chris Rahl and Dan Rohlfing each had an RBI at the bottom of the line up in the eight- and nine-hole, respectively. [B]Rock Cats Review[/B] New Britain 4, Binghamton 6 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_binaax_nbraax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] The Rock Cats and the Mets were scheduled to play two seven inning games on Thursday night, but the first game went into extra frames (9 innings), the weather did not cooperate and the second game was rained out. That game will be made up in late August. Tyler Duffey was on the hill for New Britain and did not have his best stuff. He walked three, gave up three home runs, surrendered nine hits and was tagged with four runs. Duffey left the game with a no-decision thanks to a strong output from the Rock Cats hitters. Daniel Turpen pitched an inning an a third before yielding to Ryan O'Rourke who came in and walked the only hitter he faced. Cole Johnson came in to replace O'Rourke and shut down the Mets in the eighth. Johnson was back out in the ninth and was tagged with the loss after a two-run home run from Kyle Johnson. Aaron Hicks was 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs, but he also had two strike outs. The Twins' Opening Day center fielder is hitting .245/.377/.408 in 15 AA games. Eddie Rosario was 1-4 and Kennys Vargas was hitless in four plate appearances. [B]Miracle Matters[/B] Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 6 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_ftmafa_braafa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] Jose Berrios was named the Florida State League Player of the Month for June, announced Thursday by League President Chuck Murphy. Berrios was 4-1 over six starts. He pitched 41 innings, gave up only seven earned runs and posted a 1.54 ERA. He had 53 strike outs and the FLS hit just .168 against him. He takes the hill for the Miracle on Friday. Matt Tomshaw gave up 10 hits and five runs (all earned) in five and two-thirds innings but still picked up the win courtesy of seven runs off the bats of the Miracle hitters. Tomshaw was followed by Brandon Peterson and Mason Melotakis, who both earned holds, and then Tyler Jones struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his tenth save of the year. Lance Ray was the only Miracle hitter without a hit last night (0-4). Jorge Polanco was 2-5, still sharp following a brief MLB stint. Max Kepler and Nike Goodrum both had two hits of their own. Adam Brett Walker II hit another home run and now has 17 on the year. [B]Kernels Nuggets[/B] Cedar Raids 3, Wisconsin 5 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_cedafx_wisafx_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] Ryan Eades continues a mostly disappointing season with another loss, his eighth (to go with five wins), and his ERA is now 6.37. For a second round draft pick from a year ago and a college guy coming out of a strong LSU program, expectations were fairly high for Eades going into this year. Eades has struggled with his control, he has 32 walks in 70.2 innings, and opponents are hitting .321 against him. Another second rounder, 2014's Nick Burdi, came in in the sixth for his second appearance as a professional. Last Sunday Burdi made his MiLB debut and walked all four hitters he faced, gave up a wild pitch, and was charged with four earned runs. On Thursday night he was much better, he gave up a hit and a walk, but he struck out three and had that high-90s fastball under control. Brandon Bixler and Todd Van Steensel both pitched a scoreless inning of relief to finish the game for Cedar Rapids. Ryan Walker was 3-4 with an RBI and a run score out of the ninth spot in the lineup to pace the Kernels. Chad Christensen was 0-4 with one of the other RBIs and J.D. Williams picked up the only other RBI and was 1-3 with a double and a run scored. The rest of the Cedar Rapids team was pretty quiet, thanks to 10 strike outs from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers staff. [B] E-Town E-Notes[/B] Elizabethron 0, Bluefield 2 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_blurok_elirok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] Sam Gibbons pitched six innings, giving up only a two-run home run, and struck out eleven batters, but was still tagged with the loss. Derrick Penilla struck out four in two innings and Dereck Rodriguez finished the game with a scoreless ninth. Nick Gordon was 1-3 with a walk and a strike out and Trey Vavra was 2-3 with a walk but the E-Town Twins could not string their hits together and were shut out. [B]GCL Twins Takes[/B] GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 2 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_twirok_rayrok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] Brandon Easton pitched five innings and gave up just one unearned run and struck out five. Zach Tillery pitched two scoreless innings before turning things over to Eduardo Del Rosario. It was a 1-1 game in the ninth when Del Rosario gave up a couple of doubles to put men on second and third, and then loaded the bases with an intentional walk. Del Rosario then served up a wild pitch to Zach Marberry to end the game when Cade Gotta came home to score. Not much happening with the bats, the GCL Twins had just five hits. Rainis Silva was one of two standouts with two hits, a double and the lone RBI. Rafael P Valera was the other, 1-3 with a walk, a double, and a run scored. [B]DSL Twins Notes[/B] DSL Twins 10, DSL Diamondbacks 4 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_ddirok_dtwrok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] The DSL Twins only struck out two batters all night, but still found a way to win by limiting the DSL D-back to just five hits and three walks. Jose Martinez and Robener Cabrera each pitched four innings and gave up two runs a piece. Daulin Ramierz came on and pitched a clean ninth inning. The DSL Twins banged the ball around and ended the night with 14 hits, ten runs, and seven walks. Junior Amarante was 3-4 with a walk and two RBIs as the DH, and right fielder Jorge Parra was 3-4 with three runs scored, a triple, an RBI and a walk. Lewin Diza was on base three times with a hit and two walks. [B]Twins Daily Players of the Day[/B] Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day - Aaron Hicks, New Britain Rock Cats [B] Friday's Probable Starters[/B] [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:15 Central) – Logan Darnell ([/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=black][URL="http://www.whtk.com/main.html"]Listen[/URL][/COLOR][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E])[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]New Britain @ Portland (5:00 Central) – Virgil Vasquez ([/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=black][URL="http://www.iheart.com/live/Fox-Sports-Radio-1410-3897/?autoplay=true"]Listen[/URL][/COLOR][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E])[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (11:35 AM Central) – Jose Berrios [/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]([/COLOR][/COLOR][URL="http://media4.aicmail.net:8080/MiLB/GameAudio/LiveStreamFlash/fsl_fort_myers_miracle"][COLOR=black][COLOR=#3e3e3e]Listen[/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E])[/COLOR][/COLOR] Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (5:00 Central) - Ethan Mildren [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]([/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=black][URL="http://lightningstream.surfernetwork.com/Media/player/view/KMRY_gsl.asp?StreamingServerName=nick11y&call=KMRY&targetWidth=1000&targetHeight=800"]Listen[/URL][/COLOR][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]) [/COLOR][/COLOR]Bluefield @ Elizabethton (6:00 Central) - Chih-Wei Hu [COLOR=#3E3E3E]([/COLOR][URL="http://www.wbej.com/live/"]Listen[/URL][COLOR=#3E3E3E]) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 AM Central) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Diamondbacks (9:30 AM Central) - TBD [/COLOR] View full article

The Twins took an early lead against the Yankees and Masahiro Tanaka but could not hold as the Yankees came storming back in the fifth inning with a couple of home runs against Phil Hughes. The Twins tried making a game of it, but the Yankees ran the score up to 7-4 and the Twins did not have enough firepower to hang in. Lots of tight games down in the Minor League system, as every full season affiliate played a one- or two-run game. Let's get to it. [attachment=7437:5118.attach] [B]Red Wings Report[/B] Rochester 2, Pawtucket 1 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_rocaaa_pawaaa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] With Alex Meyer picking up the victory, the Red Wings have now won five straight games, their longest streak since mid-May. Alex Meyer went six innings and gave up just three hits, and a single earned run. He struck out seven but also walked four. After a couple of poor outings, Meyer put himself back on track for a mid/late-season call-up. Ryan Pressly, the 2013 Rule Five draft pick, closed out the game with three scoreless innings; he struck out one and allowed only a single hit. The Red Wings suffered a power outage from the top of their lineup, as their 1-6 hitters finished the game 0-20, with three walks. Pedro Florimon was the only hitter with multiple hits, 2-4 with two doubles and a run scored. Chris Rahl and Dan Rohlfing each had an RBI at the bottom of the line up in the eight- and nine-hole, respectively. [B]Rock Cats Review[/B] New Britain 4, Binghamton 6 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_binaax_nbraax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] The Rock Cats and the Mets were scheduled to play two seven inning games on Thursday night, but the first game went into extra frames (9 innings), the weather did not cooperate and the second game was rained out. That game will be made up in late August. Tyler Duffey was on the hill for New Britain and did not have his best stuff. He walked three, gave up three home runs, surrendered nine hits and was tagged with four runs. Duffey left the game with a no-decision thanks to a strong output from the Rock Cats hitters. Daniel Turpen pitched an inning an a third before yielding to Ryan O'Rourke who came in and walked the only hitter he faced. Cole Johnson came in to replace O'Rourke and shut down the Mets in the eighth. Johnson was back out in the ninth and was tagged with the loss after a two-run home run from Kyle Johnson. Aaron Hicks was 2-4 with a home run and two RBIs, but he also had two strike outs. The Twins' Opening Day center fielder is hitting .245/.377/.408 in 15 AA games. Eddie Rosario was 1-4 and Kennys Vargas was hitless in four plate appearances. [B]Miracle Matters[/B] Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 6 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_ftmafa_braafa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] Jose Berrios was named the Florida State League Player of the Month for June, announced Thursday by League President Chuck Murphy. Berrios was 4-1 over six starts. He pitched 41 innings, gave up only seven earned runs and posted a 1.54 ERA. He had 53 strike outs and the FLS hit just .168 against him. He takes the hill for the Miracle on Friday. Matt Tomshaw gave up 10 hits and five runs (all earned) in five and two-thirds innings but still picked up the win courtesy of seven runs off the bats of the Miracle hitters. Tomshaw was followed by Brandon Peterson and Mason Melotakis, who both earned holds, and then Tyler Jones struck out the side in the ninth to pick up his tenth save of the year. Lance Ray was the only Miracle hitter without a hit last night (0-4). Jorge Polanco was 2-5, still sharp following a brief MLB stint. Max Kepler and Nike Goodrum both had two hits of their own. Adam Brett Walker II hit another home run and now has 17 on the year. [B]Kernels Nuggets[/B] Cedar Raids 3, Wisconsin 5 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_cedafx_wisafx_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] Ryan Eades continues a mostly disappointing season with another loss, his eighth (to go with five wins), and his ERA is now 6.37. For a second round draft pick from a year ago and a college guy coming out of a strong LSU program, expectations were fairly high for Eades going into this year. Eades has struggled with his control, he has 32 walks in 70.2 innings, and opponents are hitting .321 against him. Another second rounder, 2014's Nick Burdi, came in in the sixth for his second appearance as a professional. Last Sunday Burdi made his MiLB debut and walked all four hitters he faced, gave up a wild pitch, and was charged with four earned runs. On Thursday night he was much better, he gave up a hit and a walk, but he struck out three and had that high-90s fastball under control. Brandon Bixler and Todd Van Steensel both pitched a scoreless inning of relief to finish the game for Cedar Rapids. Ryan Walker was 3-4 with an RBI and a run score out of the ninth spot in the lineup to pace the Kernels. Chad Christensen was 0-4 with one of the other RBIs and J.D. Williams picked up the only other RBI and was 1-3 with a double and a run scored. The rest of the Cedar Rapids team was pretty quiet, thanks to 10 strike outs from the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers staff. [B] E-Town E-Notes[/B] Elizabethron 0, Bluefield 2 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_blurok_elirok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] Sam Gibbons pitched six innings, giving up only a two-run home run, and struck out eleven batters, but was still tagged with the loss. Derrick Penilla struck out four in two innings and Dereck Rodriguez finished the game with a scoreless ninth. Nick Gordon was 1-3 with a walk and a strike out and Trey Vavra was 2-3 with a walk but the E-Town Twins could not string their hits together and were shut out. [B]GCL Twins Takes[/B] GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 2 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_twirok_rayrok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] Brandon Easton pitched five innings and gave up just one unearned run and struck out five. Zach Tillery pitched two scoreless innings before turning things over to Eduardo Del Rosario. It was a 1-1 game in the ninth when Del Rosario gave up a couple of doubles to put men on second and third, and then loaded the bases with an intentional walk. Del Rosario then served up a wild pitch to Zach Marberry to end the game when Cade Gotta came home to score. Not much happening with the bats, the GCL Twins had just five hits. Rainis Silva was one of two standouts with two hits, a double and the lone RBI. Rafael P Valera was the other, 1-3 with a walk, a double, and a run scored. [B]DSL Twins Notes[/B] DSL Twins 10, DSL Diamondbacks 4 [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2014_07_03_ddirok_dtwrok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box[/URL] The DSL Twins only struck out two batters all night, but still found a way to win by limiting the DSL D-back to just five hits and three walks. Jose Martinez and Robener Cabrera each pitched four innings and gave up two runs a piece. Daulin Ramierz came on and pitched a clean ninth inning. The DSL Twins banged the ball around and ended the night with 14 hits, ten runs, and seven walks. Junior Amarante was 3-4 with a walk and two RBIs as the DH, and right fielder Jorge Parra was 3-4 with three runs scored, a triple, an RBI and a walk. Lewin Diza was on base three times with a hit and two walks. [B]Twins Daily Players of the Day[/B] Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Alex Meyer, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day - Aaron Hicks, New Britain Rock Cats [B] Friday's Probable Starters[/B] [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:15 Central) – Logan Darnell ([/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=black][URL="http://www.whtk.com/main.html"]Listen[/URL][/COLOR][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E])[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]New Britain @ Portland (5:00 Central) – Virgil Vasquez ([/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=black][URL="http://www.iheart.com/live/Fox-Sports-Radio-1410-3897/?autoplay=true"]Listen[/URL][/COLOR][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E])[/COLOR][/COLOR] [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (11:35 AM Central) – Jose Berrios [/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]([/COLOR][/COLOR][URL="http://media4.aicmail.net:8080/MiLB/GameAudio/LiveStreamFlash/fsl_fort_myers_miracle"][COLOR=black][COLOR=#3e3e3e]Listen[/COLOR][/COLOR][/URL][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E])[/COLOR][/COLOR] Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (5:00 Central) - Ethan Mildren [COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]([/COLOR][/COLOR][COLOR=black][URL="http://lightningstream.surfernetwork.com/Media/player/view/KMRY_gsl.asp?StreamingServerName=nick11y&call=KMRY&targetWidth=1000&targetHeight=800"]Listen[/URL][/COLOR][COLOR=#3E3E3E][COLOR=#3E3E3E]) [/COLOR][/COLOR]Bluefield @ Elizabethton (6:00 Central) - Chih-Wei Hu [COLOR=#3E3E3E]([/COLOR][URL="http://www.wbej.com/live/"]Listen[/URL][COLOR=#3E3E3E]) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 AM Central) - TBD DSL Twins @ DSL Diamondbacks (9:30 AM Central) - TBD [/COLOR] View full article