Seth Stohs

Since Dobnak started on Sunday and threw almost 90 pitches, I would assume he won't start on Thursday. Maybe that's why Thorpe has been working less but consistently? Whitefield just missed Sunday's game. he's fine. Just a day off. I'd be shocked of Urbina jumped up to Cedar Rapids this summer, but he had a really nice week in Ft. Myers.

2016 draft pick out of high school, just like Kirilloff, Rortvedt and Baddoo.

Good! I'm not the only one who didn't know... I had to ask. Apparently ICT is their airport's code, like Minneapolis is MSP, or Chicago is ORD.

Both corrected... thank you!

He was hit by a pitch two nights ago... left the game. Had x-rays. They came back negative. Ramon Borrego thought he'd probably just miss 2-3 games. He acknowledged that they were a little scared for awhile.

On Friday night, the Wichita Wind Surge topped the Amarillo Sod Poodles 4-2 to claim a share of the best record in minor league baseball at 8-2. Familiar faces and the return of a former Twins prospect have helped Wichita to their fast start. Wichita was all set to be the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins over a year ago. They had a new $90 million stadium right on the river, ready to debut. Instead, as we all know, a global pandemic canceled the 2020 season. Then MLB decided to re-align minor league baseball and the Wind Surge ended up being the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. After beginning their season with a series in Springfield, Missouri, the Wind Surge were finally able to open Riverfront Stadium. In addition to a beautiful ballpark, Wichita fans are also able to watch a really good, really exciting baseball team. Long-time Twins minor league manager Ramon Borrego has some familiar faces on his roster, and they have helped the team to their fast start. Aaron Whitefield is known primarily for his great speed and defense. Those traits are what put him on the Twins 2020 Opening Day expanded roster. This year, he began the season by batting ninth for Wichita, but it didn’t take long for him to earn a spot right at the top of the order. Whitefield began the season with six straight multi-hit games on his way to the AA Central Player of the Week honors, very well deserved. More important, he was able to gain confidence by getting off to a fast start. Whitefield, “Confidence and keeping with my routine that I built over the offseason. I had plenty of time to get ready for this season. Being in the minor leagues for the last five to six years, you kind of figure out what you need and what not to do in the season.” Maybe to summarize where he’s at, he noted, “I’m a baseball player now, if you’d have asked me five years ago, I’d have been like Yeah, I’m just an athlete playing another sport.” Borrego said, “I was just really impressed. I have to give credit to Whitey and the way he’s been working. I’m so happy for him. He’s really excited right now. You’re going to have some good days and some bad days, but I think if you stick with your routine like I have been, the good days are more than the bad days.” Borrego noted that for Whitefield to succeed, he just needs to make contact. “You put a lot of pressure when you get on base. He’s a really smart guy. He’s got a chance to steal second and to steal third.” Whitefield spent this past offseason in North Carolina rather than going back to Australia. He worked out with a high school team and helped coached kids as well. He found the opportunity to be very beneficial to his own career. “I definitely understood why some of the hitting coaches have looked at me like (makes a confused look with his face). The mental part was a big thing that I learned from the hitting side of things. Defense and baserunning, I’ve been kind of good at that from the start, but it was the mental side of hitting. Some high school kids taught me that. I’m telling them, ‘Don’t give any at-bats away’, whether it’s the fourth at bat or the fifth at bat. That could mean something at the end of the week, whether you get four extra hits or no extra hits. That’s something that I took in myself. If I’m teaching it, I better live it. You don’t get many pitches right over the middle of the plate, so if you do get it, don’t miss it.” Jose Miranda also is off to a strong start. He is hitting .380 and hit three home runs in the season’s first week. He was responsible for a walkoff win earlier this week and has the full confidence of his manager. “Miranda is a good hitter. He takes a really good at bat.” One key for Miranda is swinging at strikes. He doesn’t strike out much, puts the ball in play. “I’m trying to be more patient and lower my chase percentage. That’s one of my goals this season. I know if my chase percentage goes down, I’m going to have better numbers. If I start swinging at better pitches, I’m going to start getting more hits, doubles, home runs.” Miranda, as you will recall, was the third of four high school hitters that the Twins drafted in the first 74 picks of the 2016 draft. Alex Kirilloff was their first round pick and he debuted with the Twins both in the 2020 playoffs and again in April. Ben Rortvedt was the team’s second round pick. He debuted two weeks ago. One pick after selecting Miranda, the Twins took outfielder Akil Baddoo. After not playing for nearly two years, Baddoo was a Rule 5 pick of the Tigers and made the team’s Opening Day roster. Miranda is happy for and motivated by his friends and teammates making their way to the big leagues. He hopes to join them soon. “That motivates me a lot. I see them there now. It motivates me because we were all in the same class. I want to have my best year and then get up there. That’s the main goal, to be there and then stay there.” Miranda also is motivated by his daughter who just turned one year old. “She just turned one, and that’s another thing. She motivates me to play hard. Do my work every day, I think about her during the game, after the game. They’re in Puerto Rico right now, so we FaceTime, and she sees me and starts laughing. Being a dad is super great. I didn’t think it was going to be like this. It’s way better than what I thought.” Miranda had a very strong Puerto Rico Winter League and had the opportunity to play in the Caribbean Series. “It was super important for me. It was great. It was a fun experience. The only bad thing was there were no fans so my family couldn’t be there, but they were watching the games on TV. It was great. Going to the Caribbean Series, there’s not a ton of guys that go there. It was one of my bigger experiences of my career. Playing against the Dominican. Playing against Robby Cano, Melky Cabrera, Carlos Martinez, other big-league guys.” He also was invited to participate in the depth camp at Twins big-league spring training. “It was a great experience just being around all those veteran guys, being around Nellie Cruz who has been around the league for 15 to 20 years almost. Hearing all the things that he says, all the things he knows, hitting-wise. All the work he puts in day in, day out. After the game, he keeps working out. JD (Donaldson) too. All those guys. They are super good, but you see what they do before the game and after the game. It’s pretty cool to watch them work that hard and seeing all the work pay off.” He is certainly happy with his start. “That was one of my struggles in the past. My starts to the season were cold, slow. This year was a hot start, and now I’ve got to keep going. My main goal is to get to the bigs and help the team in. In addition, former Twins top shortstop prospect Jermaine Palacios returned to the Twins as a free agent this offseason. He had spent the past few seasons in the Rays organization where he really struggled. While the Rays wanted him to come back but for less money, Palacios was excited to rejoin the Twins organization. Manager Ramon Borrega, who had managed Palacios earlier in their careers in the GCL, said that the original plan was for Royce Lewis to be the Wind Surge shortstop and Palacios was going to play all around the infield. With Lewis out for the 2021 season after ACL surgery, Palacios has been the mainstay at shortstop for Wichita. His season has begun with a ten-game hitting streak. “I was so happy. I know what he can do on offense and defense. I’m really happy having Jermaine on my team.” ------------------------------------------------------- A quick look at the position player leaders in the Twins organization through the first ten games of the season finds Jose Miranda leading the organization with a .385 batting average, sixth in on-base percentage at .419, second in slugging percentage at .641, and second in OPS at 1.060. He is also tied for the lead with three homers and second with nine RBI. Aaron Whitefield ranks second in batting average at .372, fifth in on-base percentage at .438, first in slugging percentage at .651 and first in OPS at 1.089. He leads the Twins minor leagues with 16 hits, two triples, six extra base hits, 28 total bases, nine runs and four stolen bases. Jermaine Palacios ranks fifth in batting average (.317), fifth in slugging percentage (.512) and tenth in OPS (.890). It’s early, so it’s hard to know what the rest of the season will look like for these three prospects and the Wind Surge. But getting off to a good start is always good for the confidence of the players and their managers, and their fan bases. View full article

Despite silly numbers, Ober doesn't rank higher because he doesn't top 90 often. I tweeted last night that the Saints broadcast had him as high as 92. But that's probably 2-3 mph fast. But... he's got size and extension, and his spin allows him to be successful with 88 up in the zone. Will that transfer to MLB? TBD.

I saw him pitch once last week in Cedar Rapids... I was watching from the 1B line, and he was throwing something that seemingly was baffling hitters because they were all swinging over it. Found out he's throwing a slider, a changeup and a low-90s fastball. He looked good.

He is on the 40-man roster, so it could happen ahead of, say, Griffin Jax. I would assume he is currently behind Thorpe and Dobnak for next-man-up.

Fun to see Urbina, Javier and Sabato doing well and helping the team toward a win. It's also a good reminder of how quickly things/stats can change really quickly this early in the season...

That is an important thing. Also, early in the year, teams keep those minor league veterans that they sign, but as the season goes on, those guys get released and there are injuries, so people will move up.

This is an interesting way to look at this. I hadn't done this, but I would think most would agree that the top three are the top three prospects. After that, you could move several around.

That is the reality. Baseball is really hard, and there are so many levels to "conquer" just to get a sniff of the big leagues. And, as they always say, it's hard to get to the big leagues. It's harder to stay in the big leagues.

I spent last week, Opening Week, in Cedar Rapids watching the first four Kernels games of their season. For today, I'm going to play amateur scout and give some of my observations of the Kernels hitters. Let’s take a look at that Cedar Rapids Kernels lineup and pretend I’m a scout. (note, I’m not a scout, but I am playing one on the internet today.) Spencer Steer - IF (23) Steer was the Twins third round pick in 2019 from the University of Oregon. He ended that season with the Low-A Kernels. This spring, he was added to the Twins development camp when Chris Williams was injured. In the four games I saw, Steer was the leadoff hitter each game and played second base, shortstop, third base and then shortstop. Steer is a guy who may not do anything that jumps out at a fan at a game, but when you watch him for a while, even just four games (and some online), you begin to see it. His at bats are very professional. He knows the strike zone. He attacks pitches in the zone and is willing to take walks. While he isn’t going to hit a lot of home runs, he gets the barrel to the ball pretty consistently and could develop more power in time. I think ultimately his best position may be second base, but he makes the routine plays at all three spots. It’s never fair to put comps out on players. They’re never really fair. But I do see a lot of Brian Dozier in his prospect days in Speer. That’s not to say that Speer will ever hit 42 homers in a season. It’s more that he just does everything pretty well. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit: 60, Hit for Power: 45, Run: 55, Defense: 60, Arm: 45, Approach: 65. Seth Gray - 3B (22) Gray was the Twins fourth round pick in 2019 from Wright State. He also ended his 2019 with a couple of games in Cedar Rapids. Gray is a third baseman. He is big and strong. While he isn’t swift, he does seem to have good agility at the hot corner and a strong arm. As he develops, he should add significant power. He’s got the strength. He also has a really good approach at the plate. He seems to have a pretty good idea of the strike zone and is willing to take walks. He also stays down on pitches well, which should help him over time, but it may also lead to him getting hit by pitches. He is a joy to watch in batting practice. Also, if you want to root for a guy with a great mullet, Gray is your guy! Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit: 55, Hit for Power: 60, Run: 40, Defense:55, Arm: 55, Approach: 55 Matt Wallner - OF (23) You know the Wallner story. Forest Lake grad. Drafted by the Twins in 32nd round as a pitcher. Was set to go to the University of North Dakota. They cut their baseball program. He winds up at Southern Mississippi and becomes a power-hitting, three-time All American outfielder. The Twins selected him in the Competitive Balance Round of the 2019 draft. He also ended the 2019 season in Cedar Rapids. Wallner is a big guy; tall (6-5), and very strong. Powerful. He has the ability to hit the ball a long way. And, frankly, he takes what his manager calls a “violent” swing at the ball. Yes, that means there will be some swing and miss, for sure, but he punishes the ball to all fields. Unlike Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach, whose natural power is to the opposite field, Wallner has the ability to pull the ball with authority. That’s not to say that he won’t hit the ball the other way. He will, and with authority. He is a joy to watch in batting practice. If I’m being honest, Wallner is also more athletic than I anticipated. While he had some adventures on a couple of plays in right field, he showed good range. He also had a triple and was moving really quickly once he got going. As a former pitcher, including some closing in his first two seasons in college, he hit upper-90s with a fastball, and he isn’t afraid to show off a big arm from right field. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit: 55, Hit for Power: 65, Run: 45, Defense: 50, Arm: 70, Approach: 55. Jair Camargo - C (21) Camargo came to the Twins as part of the Maeda/Graterol deal from the Dodgers. I didn’t know a lot about him so when I saw him hitting clean up in this lineup, it caught my attention. Now, some of that might be to break up the lefties, but Camargo does have some pop in his bat. It may not necessarily be home run power, but he can drive the ball a little. He may be a little pull-happy. Camargo is stocky, and he’s not fast, but he does appear to be a good athlete. He sets up well behind the plate and seems to work with pitchers well. I really didn’t get to see much of his arm, but it seemed fairly strong and accurate. It’s clear he’s still working on framing the ball as a couple of pitches got by him when he was trying to bring it back over the plate. The Colombian should produce and could move slowly up the ladder. He’s still just 21 years old, which may be most encouraging. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 45, Run: 35, Defense:50, Arm: 55, Approach: 45 Gabe Snyder - 1B (26) Snyder was a four-year college guy, so he is a little bit older than the other guys (turned 26 in March), but he’s intriguing. He put up power numbers with the Low-A Kernels in 2019, and he’s begun this season with some power. Let’s start with the defense. Snyder is a pretty solid first baseman. He is pretty agile, showed some range, scoops well. He looks like he’s been playing the position for a long time, and as a tall, left-hander, he probably has. He pitched in one game last week and threw most of his fastballs at 77 mph. He wasn’t totally airing it out, but clearly that’s plenty of arm for the position. Offensively, he shows a good approach and has a good eye. He isn’t afraid to use the whole field, and he also is a little more athletic than I had thought. On a triple on Opening Night, he was moving really well. But his tool that will need to be prevalent as he moves up will need to be his power. He’s got plenty of power, but will he be able to continue to hit for power as he moves up? He is a joy to watch in batting practice. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 55, Run: 40, Defense:50, Arm: 50, Approach: 50 Wander Javier - SS (22) We have been hearing and reading about Javier since he signed a big signing bonus with the Twins in 2015. Unfortunately, he played just nine games in 2016 before getting hurt. He missed the 2018 injury with a shoulder injury. He struggled in Cedar Rapids in a half-season in 2019. And, of course, he missed the 2020 season. All that, and Javier is still just 22 years old. He has gained a lot of strength. He is a great athlete with good speed. He is a good defender at shortstop with a strong arm. He has shown glimpses of power. He has just struggled in terms of batting average and contact. It almost looks like he is guessing at times. But he’s young. He does work hard. He is all those things that mean you don’t give up on him. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:40, Hit for Power: 45, Run: 50, Defense:55, Arm: 55, Approach: 40 Trey Cabbage - OF (24) Cabbage was the Twins 4th round pick in 2015 out of high school in Tennessee. Yes, this is his fourth season in Cedar Rapids, but that stat is a little (or more than a little) misleading. He spent the final six weeks of the 2017 season with the Kernels. He then spent the 2018 season in Cedar Rapids. Then he spent April in Cedar Rapids in 2019 before being promoted to High-A Ft. Myers. Of course, no one played in 2020, and Cedar Rapids became the High-A affiliate of the Twins. And, I would guess that he’s a candidate for a quick promotion to Wichita this year. Cabbage was drafted as a third baseman and played between there and third base most of his early years. He has primarily played in the corner outfield the last couple of seasons, though he still has that first baseman’s glove. Cabbage is big and strong, and takes a big cut. He rarely gets cheated and has the ability to hit the ball hard and far. When he makes contact, good things happen. That tends to be the issue, and there is quite a bit of swing-and-miss. He’s not a burner, but like Michael Cuddyer, once he gets going, he is pretty quick. By the way, he is a joy to watch in batting practice. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 60, Run: 50, Defense:45, Arm: 50, Approach: 45 Gabriel Maciel - OF (22) Maciel is a native of Brazil. He came to the Twins from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Eduardo Escobar trade. Maciel is a quiet player. In the outfield, he just makes all the plays. He’s got good range and can play all three positions pretty well. He’s got a good, probably average arm. Offensively, he is a switch hitter. While I didn’t see enough of him either right or left-handed, he takes pitches, seems to know the strike zone pretty well. He knows himself well. He takes walks, sprays line drives and then steals some bases. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 30, Run: 60, Defense:55, Arm: 45, Approach: 50 DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. - OF (24) Keirsey was the team’s fourth-round pick in 2018 out of the University of Utah. He spent 2019 in Cedar Rapids but was hurt much of the season. He has played in four games at the start of this season because he is nursing a hamstring strain. However, he was the team’s starting centerfielder in four of their first five games. Keirsey is really good in centerfield. He’s got very good instincts, speed and first step. He’s got a good arm. Offensively, he isn’t going to hit for a lot of power. He will (or should) hit for average and get some doubles and triples because of his speed and he can be a gap-to-gap hitter. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:40, Hit for Power: 35, Run: 60, Defense:60, Arm: 50, Approach: 50 Alex Isola - C (22) Isola was the Twins 29th round pick in 2019 out of TCU. He finished that season with the Kernels. This spring, he was invited to the Twins development camp for his work behind the plate. He is solid behind the plate with a strong, accurate arm. He sets up well behind the plate, blocks pretty well and continues to work on framing. Offensively, he has a good approach at the plate and seems to know the strike zone well. While he won’t hit a lot of homers, he is strong and should get some extra base hits. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:40, Hit for Power: 40, Run: 35, Defense:55, Arm: 55, Approach: 50 Chris Williams - C/1B (24) Williams was the Twins eighth round pick in 2018 out of Clemson. He was a catcher in college, though he played a lot at first base after a shoulder injury. This spring, he was invited to big-league camp as a catcher. He hurt his shoulder while playing in his first game with the Twins. Williams has got himself in really good shape over the past year, and he did so without giving up any of his power. That will be his calling card. He does have a good eye and is willing to take a walk too. For the Kernels, he will mostly DH and play first base, but he will also get some time behind the plate. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:45, Hit for Power: 55, Run: 40, Defense:40, Arm: 40, Approach: 50 Michael Helman - IF/OF (24) Helman was the Twins 11th round pick in 2018 out of Texas A&M. He had a strong showing that year including at Cedar Rapids. He moved up to Ft. Myers in 2019 and struggled before getting hurt. He returns to the High-A level this year with the Kernels. Now, he hasn’t hit muhc, but he has a really good approach at the plate. He knows the strike zone well and could be a leadoff hitter if needed. Defensively, he has mostly played in the middle infield and is a good defender with range. This year, he is going to get time in the outfield as well. He did a nice job in left field in a game last week and threw out a runner at home. In just watching him play and practice, I think he could be a really good center fielder too. He profiles as a utility guy who gets on base. Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit:40, Hit for Power: 40, Run: 55, Defense:55, Arm: 50, Approach: 60 Yeltsin Encarnacion - IF (22) I tweeted earlier this week that Encarnacion embodies probably my favorite type of baseball player. Encarnacion can play all three infield positions well, though he’s best in the middle infield where he has good range and a strong arm. Hey, he pitched one inning when I was in Cedar Rapids and he was hitting 86 and didn’t look like he was even trying to overthrow. Offensively, he’s a switch hitter who sprays the ball all over the field. He isn’t going to hit for much power, but he will hit a lot of line drives and turn singles into doubles either literally or with a stolen base. He knows the zone well, and he isn’t afraid to take a big swing. He also just has a presence of confidence, so it’s not surprising when the Triple-A Saints needed an infielder Encarnacion got the call and was thrown into their starting lineup. Ultimately, he’s a reliable utility player Seth’s Scouting Stuff (20/80 scale): Hit: 45, Hit for Power: 35, Run: 55, Defense:55, Arm: 60, Approach: 55 Listen, I’m not a scout, so maybe I’m off, but I have watched most of these guys play in person here, or in spring training or on milb dot tv. I’d be very curious to hear what the Twins scouts and player evaluators would think about my Scouting stuff. Consider them one person’s opinion, mine, and I encourage you to agree or disagree with them. The Cedar Rapids lineup is fun. They do have some really solid hitters. They have quite a few hitters with power. Several of them can generally be relied upon for a quality plate appearance. And yes, there will be some players who will prove to be very versatile over the course of the year and their career, and that is valuable. I definitely recommend Twins fans to make that 4 ½ to five hour trek south to watch some Kernels games this summer! View full article

I was surprised he is starting the season in Rochester. Had a nice first start on Friday. I believe they are going to piggyback Chandler Shepherd with him tonight. Toby Gardenhire likes him and how he competes. They just really, really want to keep him healthy. It'd be nice if he'd be able to hit 90 in terms of long-term potential, but again, there are always exceptions. You never know.

He didn't get selected the year before either. Not enough strikeouts. Not an "electric" arm, just a solid pitcher. Tyler Wells have a bigger fastball and more strikeout stuff, so he does get drafted. But guys like Jax, that are just steady and generally throw strikes and have three pitches, tend to surface at some point.

I think that sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

He is on the Injured List. It does sound like he's getting pretty close. Balazovic has the oblique injury. He's a little behind Duran. He'll go to Wichita.

Enlow looked really good last night. Here is some video...

Dobnak: "Some days my sinker is going to dive more than I'm used to. Some days will be less." Talked also about how he needs the low strike zone. Wasn't sure if he was just missing below the strike zone, but he needs those. If he's not getting them, he has to move his pitches out, which allows the hitters to see the pitch better. "Today I didn't really get hit around a lot. It was more just walking guys. That just frustrates me more than anything. I hate walking guys." Toby Gardenhire talked about how he gets so much movement that it can be hard to contain at times, and when he has issues, that's what it is. I asked someone in Wichita about Cano's velocity. Heard it was 'Mid-90s'. Mussels Mgr Brian Meyer said he's not surprised by the good start by Cavaco. Said he put in a lot of work, learned a lot at Instructs, and really made big strides between then and spring training. "It was nice to see him get rewarded. He got a hanger. He took it out of the ballpark and he was all smiles around the bases."

I asked Toby Gardenhire about that just a bit ago in the pre-game press conference for tonight's Saints game, and it is true. Also, a player called up to any level needs to go through an intake process which includes a 24-48 hour quarantine. When a player goes between AAA and MLB, they are on the same testing schedule so the intake is a little different, quicker.

I'd heard that as rumor last week, but I believe it is true.