Seth Stohs

On Saturday, Perham resident Emmy Rosen will be celebrating a remarkable milestone with a party in her honor. However, at least some of (OK, a majority of) her focus and attention will be cheering for the Twins even though she’s not happy with them and their 2021 season right now. “I know one thing about a birthday,” said Emmy Rosen from her reclining chair in her Perham Living nursing home room. “One year older.” OK, maybe. However, turning 106 years old is a pretty big milestone! In 1915, Emmy Matz was born near Perham in west Central Minnesota. She grew up in a farming family and attended a country grade school through the eighth grade. Because their farm was 12 miles from Perham, she was done with school at that point. She married Herb Rosen and the couple were together for 45 years. Emmy’s family enjoyed baseball. She has fond memories of playing as a kid. “My dad made us a bat. It was pretty wide so we could hit good.” Back in the middle years of the 20th century, town team baseball was big. Hundreds if not more than a thousand people would attend the Sunday afternoon Perham Pirates game, especially when the legendary Roy “Fireball” Martin was pitching. “Even my mom and dad came into town from the country (for Pirates games). My dad would park the car early enough and then walk back to our house. Then mom and dad went with Herb and me.” Her mother was unable to sit in the bleachers by then, so having the car in a strategic location became very important. Others will tell you, and verify, that some people left their cars around the ball field on Saturday just to make sure that they had a good spot to watch the game. But Emmy wasn’t always a big fan of watching baseball on TV. If we’re being honest, baseball on TV simply wasn’t available for most people. However, Herb was a big fan and really enjoyed watching the Twins. “Herb liked to watch baseball, but I was never that interested in them. I thought, well, if Herb liked to watch it, I want him to watch it. He said, ‘Why don’t you just sit down and watch them. You will like them.’ I did it, and I did learn to like them a lot.” When Herb passed away in the late ‘80s, Emmy continued to watch the Twins and her love for the team only grew. She pointed out, “Baseball is the only sport I really like. I know the football games are good too, but I don’t understand them enough.” She has her favorite players over the years. “Oh, (Joe) Mauer. (Justin) Morneau. Torii Hunter. Oh gosh. Kirby Puckett, that was a long time ago. Kent Hrbek. All those guys. Dan Gladden, oh, he helped win the Series.” She remembers watching both World Series championships (1987 and 1991). “They were very exciting!” To this day, as Emmy Rosen is about to turn 106 years old young, she watches nearly every Twins game on the TV in her room. She joked, “How many games are there each year? 162? I watch a lot more than that.” “I usually watch them play if I have time… (pause for dramatic effect)... as if I’m busy.” she said with a sly chuckle. On Thursday, the Twins played an afternoon game in Chicago. Emmy likes to walk and still moves around pretty well, especially considering her age. She takes some walks with Fern, who lives across the hall at the nursing home. “I always tell her. There is a game, and when it is over, it might be 4 o’clock.” Fern is OK with that, and they walk after the game’s final out. It was surprising to hear that Emmy has only been to one Twins game, and it was over 40 years ago. As mentioned in the first paragraph, Emmy is not happy with the 2021 Twins season. She said, “I don’t like it. I don’t like that they are not very good right now. No.” She went on to talk about the tough one-run loss to the White Sox on Tuesday night in detail. She does like the team’s players though. When I asked who her favorite players on the current Twins roster are, Emmy got a big smile and said, “Oh, I like Buxton!” She just wants him to be healthy and play because she enjoys watching him so much. She continued, “Oh, and (Alex) Kirilloff. He’s good! Of course, (Nelson) Cruz is good too.” Again, on Saturday, Emmy Rosen will turn 106 years young. Asked what she would like as a gift from the Twins, she said matter-of-factly, “Win the game!” We often hear that the Twins are very popular in nursing homes around Twins Territory. I don’t know if that can truly be quantified, but here is one example of how important the Twins are to people who are no longer mobile. From what I am told, she is not the only resident at Perham Living who loves watching the Twins play almost every game. There is a reason that the Twins Winter Caravan holds so many stops at nursing homes. “The Minnesota Twins are blessed with a loyal and passionate base of fans,” Twins President & CEO Dave St. Peter said. “However no sector of that fandom is more dedicated than our beloved seniors. Simply put, Twins baseball is must-see programming – every day, all season long – in every senior living facility across Twins Territory.” Happy Birthday Emmy! Let’s hope you celebrate your 106th Birthday with a Win from the Twins! View full article

I edited/updated to include positions with each player's name. Not an easy one this month as several players have played several positions... which is good.

Of course, Civale, Plesac and Bieber were never "real prospects" either... So, it's also OK to hope and dream on guys like Ober, Jax and Barnes too...

Thank you!!

If I included DSL players in the book, Gil probably would have ranked toward the bottom of the Top 30... maybe. Again, they knew his talent. He was already in the upper 90s and touched 100. But he had like 7 levels to move up.

Last November, the decision was easy on Baddoo or Celestino. If the Twins had added Baddoo to the 40 man roster at that time, he would have been behind Celestino on the depth chart. He probably wouldn't have played much in spring training. He would have started this season, probably, in Cedar Rapids, but maybe in Wichita. Again, the Twins knew how good Baddoo had the potential to be. Celestino has just as much potential. And he was helpful. Of course Celestino looks overwhelmed now. He should be at Wichita, or at least St. Paul. Yes, Baddoo could have been at the alternate site. But he wasn't ready to play at the start of last season. He was in Ft. Myers during the 2020 spring training. Whitefield wasn't at the alternate site. He was on the Opening Day roster solely because of his speed and defense (pinch runner and late-inning defensive replacement) when the rosters were expanded at the start of the season. As soon as the rosters dropped, he was DFAd and sent home.

The original deal with Atlanta was for Nick Burdi, but Atlanta didn't like his medicals. In our rankings, we had them something like 17th and 18th. When the Twins have DFAd guys and been able to make a trade, they have received similar players in return too. Some potential and a LONG way to go.

Not sure if people saw this or not... I participated in the Prospects Live MLB Mock Draft on Friday. I made picks 26, 36 and 61 for the Twins. Check out who I took... and why.

Absolutely normal for AAA rosters to be like that. Before the season, I though the Saints were pretty lucky and might get prospects like Kirilloff, Larnach, maybe Jeffers, Duran... But instead, Rooker, Jax and Ober have been the prospects there. Whitefield has been very good again.

Only had to wait a couple of hours!

Done. He had a very nice June in Cedar Rapids.

Thoughts on Baddoo are above. I enjoy(ed) chatting with him and all knew his talent. Still no problem with taking that risk that he wouldn't stick. I really, really like Wade. I like his style of player, but with Buxton and Kepler there, and Kirilloff, Larnach and Rooker coming, I definitely understand trading from excess to add at a position of need. And then Jake Cave vs LaMonte Wade chat was again understandable. I liked Wade a little more, but I also think Cave was pretty good for two years as a fourth outfielder. He got overexposed earlier this year and obviously was playing hurt. Nick Anderson was absolutely a miss. I don't think any of us understood that move at that time. But... if we're being fair, we also would have added Jake Reed to the 40 man roster on several occasions. I didn't understand that Zack Littell decision as well. But we also didn't understand the decision not to bring back Matt Wisler. Luis Gil is exciting, but when you're in the process of trying to win, that's the type of deal that happens. You get a guy who helps you for 3-4 years in a role for a guy who, we knew threw upper-90s, but hadn't pitched above the DSL. Hard to get upset about that one.

I think most thought he had a very good chance of being selected in the Rule 5 draft. I don't think that many thought he would stick with the other team just because he really hadn't played more than a dozen games in High-A and hadn't played in almost two years. The decision on Baddoo was and is absolutely defensible. They knew his talent level.

While the Saints continued to struggle, the Wind Surge, Kernels and Mighty Mussels continued to play well and are over .500. There were transactions galore on Monday. And, it was Opening Day in the FCL!! Check out the Twins FCL roster. As always, I welcome your feedback on what you would like to see from these Week in Review articles, so let me know in the comments below. Of course, I also encourage you to read Nick’s Twins Week in Review from yesterday. Before we get started, the Twins made a flurry of pretty big transactions throughout the system on Monday: RHP Josh Winder promoted from Wichita to St. Paul. IF Jose Miranda promoted from Wichita to St. Paul. LHP Bryan Sammons sent from St. Paul to Wichita. OF/1B Trey Cabbage promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita. IF Spencer Steer promoted from Cedar Rapids to Wichita. IF Yeltsin Encarnacion sent from Wichita to Cedar Rapids. IF/LF Edouard Julien promoted from Ft. Myers to Cedar Rapids. With that, let’s look at Week 8 in the Twins minor leagues: RESULTS Triple-A: St. Paul Saints: Week (2-4 at Columbus), overall (21-26) Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge: Week (5-1 at Midland), overall (28-20) High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels: Week (4-2, hosting Lansing), overall (26-22) Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels: Week (3-3 at Palm Beach), overall (28-20) IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Here are the week’s Twins minor league-related articles. Twins Minor League Week in Review: Kernels Jump Over .500 Twins Claim RHP Beau Burrows off Waivers Tuesday: Mark and Miranda Mash Wednesday: Winder Wows, Rooker Rakes, Bechtold Blasts Thursday: Cabbage Crushes, Miranda Continues Success Friday: A Dismal Day on the Farm Confidence and Patience are Keys for Wander Javier Saturday: Contreras Crushes for Saints Sunday: The Surge Goes On for Wichita Highlights We will start with the Twins choices for the organizational hitter and pitcher of the week, and then mention several other Twins prospects who had good Week 8 performances too. However, kind of cool to see both of the Twins choices get promoted to Triple-A. Twins Player of the Week: Jose Miranda, Wichita Wind Surge Miranda just continues to rake, and he may have had his best week of the season. In six games and 29 plate appearances, he hit .481/.517/.778 (1.295) with two doubles and two homers. Miranda has played in 47 of 48 Wind Surge games. He has hit .345/.408/.588 (.996) with eight doubles and 13 homers. He also leads the organization with 38 RBI. Twins Pitcher of the Week: Josh Winder, Wichita Wind Surge Another repeat choice, Winder is back on the list. In his start this week, he gave up one run on four hits over seven innings. He struck out seven without issuing a walk. On the season, Winder has made 10 starts. He is 3-0 with a 1.98 ERA. In 54 2/3 innings, the 24-year-old has struck out 65 batters and walked just ten. Other Strong Performances this Week St. Paul Saints Mark Contreras was a minor league Gold Glove outfielder in 2019. This week, he put up huge numbers for the Saints. In six games and 25 plate appearances, he hit .409/.480/.909 (1.389) with two doubles and three homers. In the series in Columbus, Contreras had 20 total bases and three homers. Brent Rooker continues to hit for a low average while bashing the ball and getting on base. In five games, he hit .235/.435/.588 (1.023) with three doubles and a home run. He currently has a streak of reaching base safely in 15 consecutive games. Lefty Andrew Vasquez pitched twice and tossed 4 1/3 innings. He gave up zero runs, zero hits, walked none and struck out six batters. Long-time MLB veteran Nick Vincent joined the team and pitched twice, working a scoreless inning each time. Bryan Sammons went five innings in his start this week. He gave up just one run on two hits over five innings. However, he did walk four and struck out three. Ian Hamilton hasn't allowed an earned run since May 18th. That covers 11 games and 16 innings. The 11 outings rank tied for fifth-longest in the Triple-A East. Wichita Wind Surge Along with Miranda, BJ Boyd had a big week. The “outfielder-turned football player-turned back to the outfield” played in all six games. He hit .381/.480/.619 (1.099) with two doubles and a homer. Aaron Whitefield had a strong week. He hit .407/.429/.556 (.984) with a double and a homer. He also stole four bases. He is now hitting .314 on the season. Andrew Bechtold has really come on after a slow start. During this week, he hit .261/.320/.609 (.929) with two doubles and two homers. In four games, David Banuelos hit .385/.529/.385 (.914). While Winder had one terrific start, Austin Schulfer had two terrific starts. Over 11 combined innings, the righty from Wisconsin-Milwaukee did not allow a run. He gave up seven hits, walked four and struck out 13 batters. What a week! On Sunday, Chris Vallimont tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out nine. Cedar Rapids Kernels If we’re looking for highlights, Gabriel Maciel was certainly one. In five games, he hit .357/.438/.571 (1.009). And...how about his walk-off grand slam this week? Also nice to see outfielder DaShawn Keirsey return from his hamstring injury. He went 2-for-3 on Sunday with a double and a three-run inside-the-park home run. Trey Cabbage led the offense this week. In six games, he hit .300/.348/.700 (1.048) with two doubles, two homers and six RBI. The Kernels got some big hits this past week, but man, did they ever get some great pitching performances! Tyler Beck tossed four scoreless innings (2 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts). Andrew Cabezas tossed five scoreless innings (4 hits, 2 walks, six strikeouts). Ben Gross gave up two unearned runs over five innings (4 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts. Jon Olsen tossed five scoreless innings (1 hit, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts. Kody Funderburk had a strange start too. He walked six batters in four innings, but he didn’t give up a run, or even a hit. Zach Featherstone gave up an unearned run over 3 2/3 innings this week. He gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out seven batters. Derek Molina tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out six. Ft. Myers Might Mussels Infielder Will Holland hit .267/.500/.467 (.967) with three doubles. He also had six walks over his five games played. Sawyer Gipson-Long gave up just one run on six hits over six innings this week in his start. He struck out five. Bobby Milacki gave up one run on five hits over five innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Miguel Rodriguez and Louie Varland each had a start in which they gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits and a walk over 4 2/3 innings. Osiris German and Matthew Swain each struck out four batters over three scoreless innings (in two games) this past week. Lowlights We are talking about small samples for these six-game weeks, so it’s important not to make any big decisions or develop a full impression on a player from this small size. It’s just a reminder of the fact that baseball is hard, and all players have good and bad stretches. St. Paul Saints It was another rough week for Keon Broxton. He played in four games and went 1-for-15 (.067) with 10 strikeouts in 16 plate appearances. The Saints had a couple of rough starts. Rob Whalen gave up seven runs on seven hits and four walks over just 2 2/3 innings. Charlie Barnes had a rough start… actually a rough inning. However, he was able to recover from a seven run (6 ER) inning to provide five innings. Wichita Wind Surge Caleb Hamilton played all six games. He went 3-for-21 (.143), though he did get on base 31% of his 26 plate appearances. Minnesota native Jordan Milbrath continued to struggle. He came into one game with a big lead. He gave up three runs on two hits and a walk and recorded just one out. In four games and 5 1/3 innings, he has now walked 11 batters. Cedar Rapids Kernels Max Smith played in all six games, but he went just 1-for-19 (.053) with nine strikeouts. Michael Helman went 1-for-18 (.056) over five games. Alex Isola played in four games and went 1-for-11 (.091), though he got on base at a 33% clip. Ft. Myers Might Mussels Willie Joe Garry went 4-for-19 (.211). Aaron Sabato went 3-for-21 (.167), though he did walk five times. Trending Storyline Monday was Opening Day in the Florida Complex League. Yes, that is the league formerly known as the Gulf Coast League (GCL). With the elimination of minor league affiliates last offseason, the Twins no longer have a rookie-league team in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Instead, players not with full-season affiliates remain at the Florida Complex. Hence, the Florida Complex League. With the new creative naming conventions in minor league baseball this year, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to read that there is also an Arizona Complex League. So, Monday was Opening Day in the FCL, and the FCL Twins hosted the FCL Orioles. I believe they even played at Hammond Stadium. The Twins lost by a score of 6-1. (Box Score). Below is the roster, so check out which players will be playing in the FCL to start their season. While we know very little about many of these players because most have played in the DSL, or not at all yet after signing, we do know that this is a melting pot of players from around the globe. You’ll also notice there is a strong representation from the Dominican Republic. I have included their age and where they are from. Please note that some of the older players on the roster have been recently signed out of independent leagues and have yet to be added to a full-season roster. The FCL Twins will be managed by Takashi Miyoshi. There will be four pitching coaches (Dan Urbina, Calvin Maduro, Jared Gaynor, Bobby Hearn). There will be two hitting coaches (Shawn Schlecter, Seth Conner). Yeison Perez and Brad McKenney will also be coaches on the team. Right-Handed Pitchers Cole Bellair (24, USA) Donny Breek (21, Netherlands) Rafael Feliz (20, Dominican Republic) Giovahniey German (20, USA) Landon Leach (21, Canada) - 2nd round pick in 2017, he hasn’t pitched since 2018 due to a variety of injuries. Juan Mendez (22, Dominican Republic) Erasmo Moreno (18, Venezuela) Danny Moreno (21, Venezuela) Matt Mullenbach (24, USA) Ramon Pineda (23, Dominican Republic) - Yes, Michael Pineda’s brother. Zaquiel Puentes (20, Venezuela) John Stankiewicz (22, USA) Lucas Sweany (22, USA) Joseph Yabbour (17, Venezuela) Marco Raya, IL (18, USA) Niklas Rimmel, IL (22, Germany) Left-Handed Pitchers Develson Aria (20, Dominican Republic) Elpidio Perez (22, Dominican Republic) Samuel Perez (21, Venezuela) Wilker Reyes (19, Dominican Republic) Aaron Rozek (25, USA) - Burnsville native. Ryan Hortsman, IL (28, USA) Jesus Toledo, IL (21, Venezuela) Catchers Wilfri Castro (20, Dominican Republic) Willy Diaz-Vasquez (21, Dominican Republic) Nick Garland (25, USA) Frank Nigro (23, USA) Ricardo Olivar (19, Venezuela) Laron Smith (20, Canada) Amilcar Vasquez (19, Venezuela) Infielders Rubel Cespedes (20, Dominican Republic) Jesus Feliz (21, Dominican Republic) Luis Gomez (20, Dominican Republic) Alexander Pena (19, Venezuela) Breilin Ramirez (18, Domincan Republic) Jose Rodriguez (19, Venezuela) Yonardy Soto (18, Dominican Republic) Wander Valdez (21, Dominican Republic) Jim Caceres, IL (20, Dominican Republic) Outfielders Carlos Aguiar (19, Venezuela) Luis Baez (20, Domincan Republic) Rhodery Diaz (20, Dominican Republic) Nelson Roberto (20, Dominican Republic) Emmanuel Rodriguez (18, Dominican Republic) Kala’i Rosario (19, USA) Malfrin Sosa (18, Dominican Republic) Miguel Vallejo (19, Dominican Republic) Please feel free to ask questions about these players if you have any. PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects have performed on the season (as well as too many unfortunate injuries). The Top 20 Prospect Rankings will be updated very soon. #1 - Alex Kirilloff (Minnesota) – St. Paul (2 rehab games, went 3-6 with 2 homers, 2 K), Minnesota (42 games, .260/.303/.442 (.745) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 6 homers, 26 RBI, 10 BB, 36 K) #2 - Royce Lewis (Wichita) - Out for Season (torn ACL) #3 - Trevor Larnach (Minnesota) – St. Paul (3 games, went 3-11 with two homers, two walks, 8 strikeouts), Minnesota (41 games, .250/.359/.417 (.776) with 7 doubles, 5 homers, 13 RBI, 18 BB, 45 K) #4 - Ryan Jeffers (Minnesota) – St. Paul (24 games, .217/.340/.446 (.786) with four doubles, five homers, 16 BB, 26 K), Minnesota (28 games, .200/.269/.411 (.680) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs, 14 RBI, 9 BB, 37 K) #5 - Jhoan Duran (St. Paul) – 5 G, 4 GS, 16.0 IP, 16 H, 13 BB, 22 K, 5.06 ERA, 1.81 WHIP (on IL with a right forearm strain) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Wichita) – 5 GS, 18.2 IP, 26 H, 6 BB, 27 K, 5.79 ERA, 1.71 WHIP #7 - Keoni Cavaco (Ft. Myers) – 28 games, .264/.333/.340 (.673) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 11 RBI, 10 BB, 32 K, 4 SB (on Injured List, Concussion) #8 - Aaron Sabato (Ft. Myers) – 47 games, .182/.381/.296 (.676) with 9 doubles, 3 homers, 17 RBI, 47 BB, 66 K #9 - Matt Canterino (Cedar Rapids) – 4 GS, 18.0 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 35 K, 1.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP (went on the IL with right elbow strain) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) – 3 GS, 14.2 IP, 13 H, 6 BB, 23 K, 1.84 ERA, 1.30 WHIP (underwent Tommy John surgery on June 9th) #11 - Gilberto Celestino (Minnesotal) – Wichita (21 games, .250/.344/.381 (.725) with 5 doubles, 2 homers. 11 BB, 24 K), Minnesota (12 games, .105/.128/.211 (.339) with 1 BB, 8 K) #12 - Brent Rooker (St. Paul) – St. Paul (40 games, .226/.371/.511 (.882) with 6 doubles, 11 homers, 28 BB, 53 K), Minnesota (8 games, .103/.133/.241 (375) with 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 13 K) #13 - Matt Wallner (Cedar Rapids) – 17 games, .333/.384/.621 (1.005) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 14 RBI, 5 BB, 28 K. (on IL after having hamate bone surgery) #14 - Misael Urbina (Ft. Myers) – 40 games, .200/.302/.280 (582) with 3 doubles, 3 triples, 1 homer, 24 RBI, 21 BB, 38 K, 7 SB) #15 - Cole Sands (Wichita) – 7 GS, 31.2 IP, 22 H, 18 BB, 42 K, 2.84 ERA, 1.26 WHIP (about to go on the IL) #16 - Edwar Colina (Minnesota) - 60-Day IL (had surgery on his right elbow to remove bone chips) #17 - Ben Rortvedt (Minnesota) – St. Paul (5 games, .286/.318/.571 (.890) with 3 doubles, 1 homer, 1 BB, 6 K), Minnesota (21 games, .140/.189/.220 (409) with 1 double, 1 homer, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 20 K) #18 - Alerick Soularie (Complex) – N/A (injured) #19 - Jose Miranda (Wichita) – 47 games, .345/.408/.588 (996) with 8 doubles, 13 homers, 38 RBI, 17 BB, 25 K (promoted to AAA St. Paul on Monday) #20 - Bailey Ober (St. Paul) – St. Paul (4 GS, 16.0 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 21 K, 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP), Minnesota (5 GS, 21.1 IP, 24 H, 4 BB, 23 K, 4.64 ERA, 1.31 WHIP) LOOKING AHEAD Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (Miguel Rodriguez, Brent Headrick, TBD, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Louie Varland, Bobby Milacki): Lansing @ Cedar Rapids:(Tyler Watson, Ben Gross, Cody Laweryson, Tyler Beck, Kody Funderburk, Jon Olsen) Wichita @ Midland: (Jason Garcia, Jordan Balazovic, Bryan Sammons, Chris Vallimont, Austin Schulfer, Jason Garcia) Iowa @ St. Paul: (Yennier Cano (opener)/Rob Whalen, Andrew Albers, Michael Pineda (Rehab), Charlie Barnes, TBD, TBD): Feel free to provide some feedback below regarding these reports. What do you like to read? What types of information would you like added? Also, feel free to ask any questions you like. View full article

The Twins play 14 games against AL Central opponents, including seven against the White Sox, before the All Star break. Seth and Cory discuss on this week's WCCO Radio Bomba Show on Monday at 12:30 pm central time. You can watch live or later on the @WCCORadio Twitter or Facebook pages. TOPICS 1 Twins have won seven of their last nine games., White Sox have lost seven of their last eight games. What if the Twins get on a roll? 2 Top 3 Twins players who Are So Hot Right Now? 3 Byron Buxton: do you still sign him? And, how much? 4 Josh Donaldson: how do you feel about him & his contract? 5 The "Opener": Pros/Cons? 6 Sam Hentges? The Mounds View native is a rookie for Cleveland. He pitched against the Twins 7 Field of Dreams - Cory recently visited the Field of Dreams movie site. I've been there a couple of times. We'll discuss it.

10th round pick out of college 3-4 years ago. Slowly moved up... won a minor league Gold Glove in 2019. Very good defensive outfielder. Hasn't hit anywhere like this in the past, but he's got a good approach and is strong and athletic. Worth watching...

I mean, Kirilloff, Larnach, Jeffers and Rortvedt just graduated, we will be updating our Top 20 rankings soon. Arraez doesn't (or hasn't) hit lefties.

Since receiving the largest international signing bonus in Twins history, Wander Javier has displayed athleticism and talent when on the field. Unfortunately, he has missed extended periods of development due to injury and pandemic. However, there are signs in the past month that could get Twins fans excited about the shortstop again. Entering play on Saturday, Cedar Rapids shortstop Wander Javier has gone hitless in his past four games (0-for-13). However, over his previous 14 games, Javier had hit a cool .333/.379/.683 (1.062) with two doubles, two triples and five home runs. As important, the quality of the plate appearances has greatly improved. With the help of Kernels coach Jairo Rodriguez translating, Javier said that when the season started, he didn’t feel good about his swing. “It was slow,” stated Javier. However, he added, “Right now, I feel much better and more comfortable with my swing. I have worked hard in the cage and on the field. My swing feels better now, quicker.” Kernels manager Brian Dinkelman pointed out recently, “Wander’s at-bats have been getting better. Not chasing as much. Squaring balls up more and hitting the ball hard. He and Bryce (Berg, Kernels hitting coach) have been working hard in the cage on his approach and getting good pitches to hit. Hopefully he can build off these (recent games), and keep it going for himself.” Let’s go back in time. In 2015, Javier was a well-known prospect in the Dominican that many teams wanted to sign. The Twins signed a 16-year-old Wander Javier to a $4 million signing bonus. It was the largest in team history for an international signing, topping the $3.15 million bonus that Miguel Sano got in 2009. At that time, Javier was ranked among the Top 10 international prospects. So were Vlad Guerrero, Jr. (Toronto, $3.9 million), Christian Pache (Atlanta, $1.4 million) and Gilberto Celestino (Astros, $2.5 million). Also among the Top 30 were Juan Soto who signed for $1.5 million with the Nationals, and Fernando Tatis, Jr., who signed for $700,000 with the White Sox. Growing up, Javier noted that he began playing and working with several professional baseball players when he was 11, 12 years old. He said, “It was a good experience to practice with a lot of guys who play professional baseball.” At that time, Javier noted that he was a big fan of Derek Jeter, “but now I like Francisco Lindor. I think he plays very well.” With that type of signing bonus comes notoriety and attention, and with it, very high expectations for such a youngster. Javier made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2016 and hit .308/.400/.654 (1.054) in nine games. He had three doubles and two homers before an injury ended his season. In 2017, he came to the States and hit .299/.383/.471 (.855) with 13 doubles and four homers in 41 games at Elizabethton. Unfortunately, he missed the 2018 season due to a shoulder injury. It also cost him a couple of months at the start of the 2019 season. He then went to then-Low A Cedar Rapids where he hit just .177/.278/.323 (.601) with nine doubles and 11 homers in 80 games. If there was anyone who wanted or needed a 2020 season, it was Javier. Unfortunately, with the COVID pandemic, there was no season. However, he continued to work. Javier noted, “When the quarantine started, I just worked out at home in the Dominican for a couple of months. After that, I went to Santo Domingo and worked with a coach every day.” No one should question Javier’s work ethic. Occasionally he posts some video of his offseason workouts, and it is impressive. He has grown and gained strength. Javier admitted, “I worked a lot on offense because I didn’t have a good year in 2019. It was very important to be a better hitter this year.” When the 2021 minor league season began, Javier returned to Cedar Rapids. However, the Kernels are now the Twins High-A affiliate. He got off to a slow start. Through the season’s first 13 games, he was hitting just .143/.208/.224 (.432). In 29 games since then, he has hit .254/.304/.500 (.804) with six doubles, two triples and six homers. His manager said, “Confidence is part of it…. Once you start swinging well and have confidence in what you’re doing, stick to your plan and stay in the strike zone, he can do damage on a lot of pitches.” Javier says, “I try to hit line drives in the games every day, but I do have the ability to hit for power too. But I’m looking to hit more line drives.” His goals for the remainder of the season are to continue to make hard contact and reduce his swing-and-miss percentage. On defense, Javier has been quite good. Some have described his shortstop defense as “plus-plus.” Dinkelman says, “He’s solid out there at shortstop and makes the plays.” Javier noted, “When I started playing baseball, I played shortstop all the time. I continue to work every day there, and I feel good about it.” On Friday night in Cedar Rapids, Javier got a game off. The Kernels’ eight-game win streak came to an end, but he has enjoyed his time with this team. “Everybody plays together. Everybody is a good teammate in the clubhouse. Everybody’s working together every day. It’s very good because it helps us play better on the field.” 2021 is a big season for Wander Javier. At season’s end, he could become a minor league free agent if not added to the Twins 40-man roster. It seems as though Javier has been in the organization forever, but at the same time, he will not turn 23 until the end of December. The Twins haven’t given up on him, and neither should Twins fans. Dinkelman said, “He’s young, and he shows the skills that he has with the defense and with his bat. He’s been playing with a lot of confidence after a slow start the first couple of weeks. Now he’s playing well, playing better defense too. He’s only 22, it’s not old by any means in baseball. We continue to work with him and help him get better, and hopefully he can move up the ladder sometime this year and become the major-league baseball player that everybody’s hoping he will be.” Javier wants to join his good friends Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis, Jr., in the big leagues. “They certainly motivate me, but I need to continue to work hard every day because I want to play in the big leagues next year… or this year. Soon!” Wander Javier has found some confidence in his game. Now, he (and Twins fans) will have to continue to be patient. View full article

There are five rotation spots. Barnes isn't going to miss any starts. They're getting data on him. And he made four starts in AAA in 2019. That's not like a full season or anything. Barnes and Jax will get chances when there's a spot.

They won't pay that to keep him. That said, I think they'd be happy at 3/$20 million... and I don't know what Rogers might think. $20 million guaranteed is nice. Teams aren't spending on relievers like they used to. Trevor may was really good and he only got like 2/$15. Rogers isn't getting a Liam Hendriks' contract. But, maybe he can get as much as $10 million next year in arbitration. I think he'd have to strongly consider it.

We saw how quick things moved from when Celestino was promoted the first time from AA to AAA to when he got to the big leagues. One day? Two days? Also, Berrios and Maeda will get their starts. Dobnak should continue to get starts as long as they're not in contention. Ober should keep getting starts. Jax would seem to be next in line. Duran is now out, but Winder can move up at any time and either make some AAA starts or move up.

Last I've heard from each.... Canterino has started throwing a baseball, but there is no timeline. Lewis is just working every day, just trying to gain all of his strength back. He'd love to be back, but he gets the big picture.