Seth Stohs

Over the weekend, we announced our choice (and lots of Honorable Mentions) for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. Today, we shift our attention to the starting pitchers. And again, there were many choices for the award and at least three that could be argued should be the winner. With the short-season teams fully underway, there is more to sift through, so enjoy. Previous 2019 Starting Pitchers of the Month: April - Devin Smeltzer - Pensacola Blue Wahoos May - Jordan Balazovic - Ft. Myers Miracle June - Josh Winder - Cedar Rapids KernelsBefore we share our choices for the Twins Minor League Top Five Starters for July, there were some other strong starting performers that just missed the cut. You can certainly agree or disagree with the rankings. Let’s discuss the top starting pitchers in the organization in June. HONORABLE MENTION Niklas Rimmel - GCL Twins - 5 GS, 20.0 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 17 H, 6 BB, 19 K (.230/576)Jhoan Duran - Ft. Myers Miracle/Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 5 GS, 23.2 IP, 2.66 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 22 H, 9 BB, 23 K (.253/656)Bailey Ober - Ft. Myers Miracle/GCL Twins - 5 G, 4 GS, 29.2 IP, 1.46 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 23 H, 4 BB, 32 K, (237/553)Cole Sands - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 GS, 24.2 IP, 2.55 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 22 H, 2 BB, 23 K (247/586)Tyler Watson - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 GS, 21.2 IP, 1.66 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 16 H, 4 BB, 13 K (208/574)Tyler Palm - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 5 GS, 25.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 24 H, 9 BB, 24 K (242/628)Donny Breek - GCL Twins - 5 G, 4 GS, 15.0 IP, 1.20 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 7 H, 13 BB, 13 K.(137/495)Anthony Escobar - GCL Twins - 5 G, 2 GS, 22.2 IP, 2.38 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 17 H, 6 BB, 20 KTHE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS #5 - LHP Charlie Barnes - Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 6 GS, 35.1 IP, 2.04 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 30 H, 11 BB, 35 K Barnes was the Twins fourth-round draft pick in 2017 out of Clemson. The southpaw signed quickly and has moved up consistently. He began 2019 with the Ft. Myers Miracle before being promoted to Pensacola. He’s 2-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 12 games. In 65 innings, the 23-year-old has 67 strikeouts and just 19 walks. #4 - RHP Luis Rijo - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 26.2 IP, 2.36 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 21 H, 3 BB, 27 K Rijo signed with the Yankees in 2015 from Venezuela. At the 2018 July trade deadline, he came to the Twins with Tyler Austin in the Lance Lynn trade. He ended the season going 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA in Elizabethton. He was known as an advanced pitcher with a good three-pitch mix, but he didn’t have the velocity. This year, he is often touching 96 with his fastball. Overall with the Kernels, he is 4-6 with a 2.58 ERA. In his first start in July, he struck out ten batters in seven, one-hit, shutout innings. He went at least six innings in each of his starts. For the month, opponents hit just .219 off of him, and that 9:1 K:BB ratio is really good. #3 - RHP Kai-Wei Teng - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 5 GS, 29.2 IP, 0.91 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 21 H, 7 BB, 26 K The Twins signed Kai-Wei Teng out of Taiwan in October of 2017. He spent 2018 in Extended Spring Training and the Gulf Coast League. This year, he joined the Kernels from extended spring training in June. His first three starts in July, he gave up just one earned run in 19 innings. He ended the month with seven shutout innings. Well, actually he ended the month as a member of the San Francisco Giants organization as he was traded as part of the deal that sent Sam Dyson to the Twins. #2 - RHP Randy Dobnak - Pensacola Blue Wahoos/Rochester Red Wings - 6 GS, 40.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, 23 H, 5 BB, 33 K If anyone wants to argue that Randy Dobnak should be the pitcher of the month for July, I won’t put up much of an argument. He split the month between AA and AAA. He began the year by going 3-0 with a 0.40 ERA. In Double-A, he has gone 4-2 with a 2.67 ERA. And now in Triple-A, he is 4-1 with a 2.00 ERA, even with the MLB baseball. Dobnak provides innings. His 40 innings was most in the Twins system. He didn’t give up runs. He barely gave up base runners, and he missed enough bats to rack up quite a few strikeouts. In the month, batters hit just .159 with a .397 OPS off of him. In fact, in his most recent blog, Patrick Reusse says that Dobnak could be the next pitcher called up from Triple-A, maybe even as early as this weekend. After signing as a non-drafted free agent in 2017 and spending all of 2018 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, his 2019 season has already been remarkable. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers Miracle/Pensacola Blue Wahoos - RHP Edwar Colina - 5 G, 4 GS, 31.2 IP, 0.57 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, 14 H, 7 BB, 36 K The Twins signed Colina when he was 18 years old in late September 2015 out of Venezuela. He took major strides in 2018 when he pitched at Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. Unfortunately, he began the 2019 season in the injured list. He missed the first month of the season. He made just ten starts before being promoted. His first two starts in July came with the Miracle. In the first outing, he gave up just one hit over eight innings. In the next outing, he gave up three hits over seven shutout innings. He was then promoted to Double-A Pensacola. He went just four innings in his first AA start. He followed that up by giving up just an unearned run over seven innings, and he struck out ten batters for the second time this month. And in his final start, he threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings. For the month, opponents hit just .135 with a .377 OPS off of him in July. He struck out more than a batter an inning. Colina throws hard. He’s barely 6-0 tall and remarkably sturdy and strong. He has hit 100 mph on multiple occasions, though he sits between 96 and 98 mph. He has a good three-pitch mix and mixes speeds well too. While we have heard names like Brusdar Graterol, Jorge Alcala and even Jhoan Duran as possible hard-throwing options down the stretch for the Twins, Colina is in on par with each of them. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of July, Pensacola Blue Wahoos right-hander Edwar Colina. Feel free to discuss and ask questions. Click here to view the article

Rochester had a scheduled day off and those afternoon showers in south Florida again caused the postponement of the GCL Twins doubleheader. But there were four games in the Twins system, and in them there were plenty of intriguing performances. A five-run inning. A Twins organization debut. A two-homer game from a 2019 draft pick. And, there were some interesting transactions as well.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS LHP Lewis Thorpe returned to the Red Wings.RHP Drew Hutchison was traded to the LA Angels for cash considerations.IF Ivan De Jesus, Jr. has been promoted from Pensacola to Rochester.IF Jordany Valdespin is set to start a rehab stint in the GCL.Pensacola announced that IF Travis Blankenhorn has been activated from the IL.RHP Cole Sands placed on the Ft. Myers injury list with a calf strain.OF Malique Ziegler is set to begin a rehab stint in the GCL.Cedar Rapids announced that RH RP Jose Martinez has been placed on the IL.RED WINGS REPORTRochester Box Score No Game Scheduled. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 7, Birmingham 4 Box Score Down 4-0 going into the bottom of the fifth tinning, the Blue Wahoos scored five runs to take the lead. The bullpen took over from there. Charlie Barnes started and gave up four runs (two earned) on seven hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out four batters. Marcos Diplan made his first appearance in the Twins organization since the Twins acquired him in a trade with Milwaukee a week ago after being DFAd. He walked two and struck out one in his inning. Tom Hackimer, Andrew Vasquez and Justin Cheshire followed with scoreless, hitless innings. It is important to note that the bullpen was helped by some great defense. We rarely show the great plays, but this double play started by Jordan Gore is pretty incredible. Kidany Salva followed Holland’s second homer of the night with his second homer of the season. Parker Phillips also homered for the second time with the E-Twins. Charles Mack went 2-for-4. Ben Gross made the start for the Twins. He gave up three runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out three batters without issuing a walk. Denny Bentley gave up two runs on three hits over two innings. Osiris German gave up two runs on two hits in his inning. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins , GCL Pirates Box Score The teams were supposed to play a double header, but it was again rained out. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Andrew Cabezas, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Will Holland, Elizabethton Twins PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 0-5, R, RBI, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-4, RBI, 2K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Rehabbing in GCL #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - Did Not Play #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Temporary Inactive List (Silver medal at Pan Am Games) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Rained out. #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured (groin) #9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (lower leg contusion) #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - Did Not Play. #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI (gave Sano a chance) #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 0-4, K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - DId Not Play #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 1-3, R, RBI, SF #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-4, 2 RBI. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (5-1, 3.77 ERA) Pensacola - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) - RHP Dakota Chalmers (0-0, 36.00 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - TBD Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30 CST) - RHP Andiu Marin (1-2, 5.70 ERA) GCL Pirates @ GCL Twins (DH @ 9:00 CST) - TBD, TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games or any other minor league topics you would like. Click here to view the article

Rosario has been a huge part of this team's success and he is a leader...His maturity was an issue, I've heard, throughout the minors, but he has matured so much the last couple of years...

I don't think anyone is (or should be) questioning Rosario's 'desire.' I don't think that's fair.

He missed the first 5-6 weeks of the season, so I'm sure he's fine in terms of innings. I'd be surprised if he's called up though. I think Graterol and Alcala are more likely.

For Colina... he's 95-98... he's topped 100 several times this season. But he's a pitcher. He's got a good mix too.

I don't know, man... nothing about Edwar Colina is Lite... dude is hefty with Graterolesque strong legs and back side!! He's really good too!

I'm not going to try to project if someone's going to get traded. I have no idea, and I don't want to or enjoy thinking like that. Do I think he will play in the big leagues in 2020? Yes.

Scott Diamond had a 3-4 year MLB career... and one really good year. Most minor leaguers would be thrilled with that. Ober has legit stuff. His only issue since his freshman year of college has been health and staying off the injured list. As for what we should "expect," I try not to expect too much. He's not a Top 20 prospect, so I don't expect anything... that said, if healthy and with improvement, I think he is a guy who could pitch in the big leagues.

Per Doogie, it's day-to-day.

The Twins most certainly have been willing to go to their Triple-A players throughout the year, and few have performed as well as Devin Smeltzer. And he did it again on Sunday. Trevor Larnach led the potent Pensacola lineup on Sunday with a perfect day at the plate. Wilin Rosario is pushing for another opportunity in the big leagues. Gabriel Maciel and Bailey Ober were great for the Miracle.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Sunday, starting with the awards of the week and the transactions of the day. AWARDS Hitter of the Week: Gilberto Celestino, OF, Cedar Rapids Kernels - Celestino is the choice for the second straight week. In his six games this week, he hit .458 with a double, a homer and an OPS of 1.144. He came to the Twins a year ago with Jorge Alcala in the Ryan Pressly trade.Pitcher of the Week: Bailey Ober, RHP, Ft. Myers Miracle - He went 1-0 on the week and gave up only an unearned run on six hits over 6 1/3 innings. He was the 12th-round pick of the Twins in 2017 out of the College of Charleston.TRANSACTIONS Devin Smeltzer was called up to the Twins (And he had a terrific game!). Sam Dyson to the injured list.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Pawtucket 7 Box Score With Devin Smeltzer getting called up to start for the Twins, it was a bullpen game for the Red Wings. Adam Bray started. He went three innings and gave up four hits and a walk. He gave up four runs in the second inning. Fernando Romero walked one and struck out three over two scoreless, no-hit innings. Jake Reed got the sixth inning and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. Sam Clay and Jeremy Bleich each worked a scoreless in relief. Wilin Rosario continues to mash. He went 3-for-5 with his 16th home run. Ronald Torreyes went 2-or-4. Zander Wiel hit his 32nd double. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 10, Birmingham 1 Box Score The lineup powered the Blue Wahoos to another win, but the pitching was really good too. Edwar Colina started and improved to 3-0 with a 1.25 ERA since his promotion to Pensacola last month. He gave up one run on two hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out five. Jovan Moran struck out two over two scoreless innings. Jorge Alcala gave up two hits over two scoreless innings to end the game. Trevor Larnach was perfect on the game. He went 3-for-3 and walked twice. Royce Lewis went 1-for-3 with two walks. He also stole a base. Alex Kirilloff hit his sixth Wahoos homer. Jordan Gore was 2-for-4 with his third home run. Ryan Costello provided some late-inning insurance with his fourth homer. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Lakeland 8 Box Score The Miracle jumped out to a 7-1 lead after six innings, but Lakeland scored one in the seventh, three in the eighth and three more in the ninth to walk off the Miracle. Bailey Ober continued his fantastic-when-healthy season for the Miracle. He gave up one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out eight batters without issuing a walk. Moises Gomez came on and gave up four runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings Three of the hits were home runs. Joe Record got three outs. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk. With one out and runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth, Melvi Acosta came in with the game tied. He intentionally walked a batter to load the bases. It is a fine strategy to try to set up an inning-ending (and game-continuing) double play. Unfortunately, Acosta also walked the next batter which ended the game. Gabriel Maciel was terrific out of the leadoff spot. He went 4-for-5 with his third homer. He also stole his 13th base. Andrew Bechtold and Jacob Pearson each went 2-for-4 with their fifth doubles. Jose Miranda was also 2-for-4. Trey Cabbage hit his sixth home run, and Chris Williams hit his first Miracle home run since his promotion last week. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Burlington 4 Box Score The Kernels used big innings to help them in this one. They had a three-run inning, a four-run innings and a five-run bottom of the eighth to put this one away. In the second inning, Gilberto Celestino cleared the bases with his 21st double. In the fifth inning, Albee Weiss hit a three-run homer. In the eighth inning, Tyler Webb homered and Wander Javier had a two-run double. Weiss led the offense. He went 2-for-3 with his sixth double and third home run. Tyler Webb was also 2-for-3 with his second Kernels homer. Javier had a walk in addition to his fifth double. Leadoff man, Spencer Steer, got on base three times. He walked twice and was hit by a pitch. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 1, Bristol 4 Box Score Tyler Benninghoff put together a strong, quality start. The right-hander gave up three runs on seven this and a walk over six innings. He struck out four. Ryan Shreve came on and gave up one run over two innings. Steven Cruz struck out two in a one-hit inning. Max Smith led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with his seventh double. Seth Gray and Matt Wallner each added a double. DaShawn Keirsey and Trevor Jenson each went 1-for-3 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins Box Score No Game Scheduled. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Bailey Ober, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach, Pensacola Blue Wahoos PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 1-3, 2 BB, 2 R, K, SB(2) #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 1-4, BB, HR(6), R, 2 RBI #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Rehabbing in GCL #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - 3-3, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, BB, HBP, 2B(5), R, 3 RBI. #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Temporary Inactive List (Pan Am Games) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - No Game Scheduled #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured List (groin). #9 - Jhoan Duran (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Did Not Play. #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - Did Not Play. #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 2-3, BB, 2 R #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 1-4, 2B(15), K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 1-5, R, 2 K #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - 2 IP #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - No Game Scheduled #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - Injured List MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester - No Game Scheduled. Birmingham @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - TBD Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells (1-2, 5.25 ERA) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Andrew Cabezas (4-6, 3.93 ERA) Elizabethton @ Kingsport (5:30 CST) - RHP Ben Gross (3-1, 3.98 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Pirates (DH @ 9:00 CST) - TBD, TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games or any other minor league topics you would like. Click here to view the article

That is what AAA is... a couple of prospects and a bunch of veterans looking for another opportunity. And it makes sense for the organizations too. They don't have to rush the prospects, and if they need guys called up for a couple of games, they can call up guys and not feel bad about DFAing them again a couple of days later. (See Torres, Carlos) I'm surprised Canterino is pitching, but they are definitely not having him throw a lot of pitches.

Like Jordan Balazovic, he's playing for #TeamCanada in the Pan Am Games in Peru.

Burlington, North Carolina - Each of the last three years, I drove two hours, from Fayetteville, NC, to Burlington, NC, to watch the Minnesota Twins Rookie League team play against the Burlington Royals. I could not miss the opportunity to talk to Osiris German, Frandy Torres and Steven Cruz, three of four Latin pitchers that are part of the Elizabethton Twins’ roster.Osiris German is in his third year as a professional. When I asked him about his career and pitch repertoire, he replied: “I think I'm on the right track. I think I have a pretty good change up. I think it is my best pitch. I have to work more on my slider because I want to be able to feel more confidence when I use it”. For German, last year was his first year playing here in the States. He started 17 games with GCL, and he ended the season with 2-2 and 2.57 ERA. For him, being a Dominican and playing in the States has been a beautiful challenge, “For me, it has been key do not feel ashamed (about the fact that I am not a native English speaker). I always practice and speak English because that’s the only way to survive.” Elizabethton Twins has a total of eight Latin players between Dominicans and Venezuelans, and if you are a baseball fan you know that those baseball players spend more time with their “baseball brothers” than with their families. German told me that there is a nice environment in the clubhouse, especially with the Latin players. “All the Latin players have a good relationship, for me Prelander Berroa (now with San Francisco) is the one that is always making jokes, and Frandy Torres is the opposite. He is super quiet”. After the daily pitcher’s workout, I sat with Steven Cruz, the young RHP from Tanares, D.R, to talk a little bit about his beginning. “I’m from a really small town in the Dominican Republic. I started to play baseball because my brother used to play baseball. Unfortunately, he was not able to become a pro player, but I always said that I will do it, and Thank God, here I am.” With Elizabethton, Cruz has the second best ERA among pitchers with 20 or more innings (2.49 ERA). With three years as a professional, Cruz has been able to develop his pitches and recognize which one works better for him, “If I’m in trouble, then I use my sinker.” Cruz agrees with Germán about the good relationship they have with their teammates. “We have a good relationship. We are like brothers.” Baseball life also represents the opportunity to adapt to multiple changes, not just as a player but as a person. “Now everything is different because we do not live at the Twins complex (Fort Myers). We live in a house. We have to cook, to do everything by ourselves.” That’s something he says has been a good experience for him. Minnesota Twins Latin American Scout, Fred Guerrero was responsible for the signing of Frandy Torres. Unlike most baseball players, Torres wasn’t part of a regular tryout with the Twins, but he had the opportunity to go directly to the Twins complex in Boca Chica where he was evaluated by Guerrero. For Torres, baseball is a continuous learning process, “I try to be focused every day. For me, concentration is key. Sometimes it is hard to be away from your family, but I always try to be positive, and I always remember that I’m also doing this for them”. Frandy is 23 years old but mature enough to know how important it is to have a man like Jeff Smith as a Manager. “He is a good person. He treats everyone in the same way and that’s very important.” Torres also talked about the importance of having Richard Salazar as a Pitching Coach. “It is very positive to have a pitching coach that can speak Spanish. He is a good person, and he is always helping us”. I asked Frandy how he sees himself in couple of years, and he said “I see myself as a better player but also as a better person. I want to keep working hard and I always want God to help me be humble.” Thank you to Mariana Guzman for this article, but also to Osiris German, Steven Cruz and Frandy Torres for their insights. Click here to view the article

That trade deadline has passed. August marks the final month of the minor league season. In July, there were a lot of great offensive performances. For the first time, we include players from the Twins short-season, rookie league affiliates. Before we get to our Top 5 Twins prospects, there is a list of a dozen Honorable Mentions. This month’s group of Twins minor leaguers is quite diverse. There are players represented from all six affiliates in the States. There are 18-year-old players and there are 30-year-old players.There are even a couple of people who aren’t in the Twins organization in this month’s awards. Previous 2019 Hitters of the Month: April - Trey Cabbage May - Lewin Diaz June - Brent Rooker July - Keep Reading (or just look at the graphic of this article…)Let’s take a look at the Top 5 hitters for the month of July, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Jimmy Kerrigan - Rochester Red Wings/Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 25-103, .243/.259/.534 (.793) with 6 doubles, 8 home runs and 16 RBI.Drew Maggi - Rochester Red Wings - 28-91, .308/.427/.484 (.911) with 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs and 15 RBI.Ronald Torreyes - Rochester Red Wings - 33-105, .314/.345/.524 (.869) with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs and 16 RBI.Lewin Diaz - Ft. Myers Miracle/Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 23-79, .291/.352/.557 (.909) with 9 doubles, 4 homers and 17 RBI.Royce Lewis - Ft. Myers Miracle/Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 25-94, .266/.330/.457 (.788) with 6 doubles, 4 homers and 12 RBI.Gabe Snyder - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 30-104, .288/.361/.538 (.900) with 5 doubles, 7 homers and 16 RBI.Spencer Steer - Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels - 32-101, .317/.423/.485 (.908) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, 11 RBI.Albee Weiss - Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels - 21-86, .244/.272/581 (.853) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 8 home runs and 21 RBI.Alex Isola - Eliabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels - 14-54, .259/.317/.481 (.798) with 3 doubles, 3 homers and 11 RBI.Willie Joe Garry, Jr. - Elizabethton Twins - 26-93, .280/.356/.473 (.829) with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers and 13 RBI.Max Smith - Elizabethton Twins - 26-85, .306/.344/.576 (.921) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 5 homers and 13 RBI.Wander Valdez - GCL Twins - 21-59, .356/.415/.593 (1.009) with 2 doubles, 4 homers and 11 RBI.THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 - Elizabethton Twins – OF Matt Wallner - 30-104, .288/.393/.500 (.893) with 14 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 17 RBI. Wallner was born in Forest Lake, MN, which is where he graduated from high school and was named Mr. Baseball. He was set to go to the University of North Dakota but the school dropped its baseball program. Instead, he went to Southern Mississippi where he became an All-American. The Twins used the 39th overall pick in this June’s draft to select him. While he was a dominant reliever in college, the Twins will use him as a power-hitting outfielder. As you can see from his first full month in professional baseball, he has a chance to hit, and rack up a lot of extra-base hits. Number 4 - Rochester Red Wings - SS Nick Gordon - 39-112, .348/.402/.536 (.937), 13 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 18 RBI. Gordon’s introduction to Triple-A and the International League didn’t go so smoothly in 2018. His 2019 began on the injured list. However, Nick Gordon has been a doubles machine this season for the Red Wings. He’s hit for average, been able to get on base, and he’s displaying extra-base power. If the Twins have a need in the infield, he could get that call. Or, he could be a September call-up to provide depth. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids Kernels - OF Gilberto Celestino - 38-103, .369/.430/.563 (.993) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 3 home runs, 14 RBI. Young Gilberto Celestino made his first appearance for a full-season affiliate and was also introduced to the early-season weather in the Midwest League. Celestino struggled. However, he made some adjustments and had a huge month in July. Celestino was a big international signing of the Astros and came to the Twins last July in the Ryan Pressly trade. He is very athletic and a good outfielder. He’s got speed and is very strong. Number 2 - Rochester Red Wings – C/1B/DH Wilin Rosario - 33-78, .423/.472/.744 (1.215) with 7 doubles, 6 home runs, ss RBI. The 30-year-old Rosario spent parts of the 2011-2015 seasons with the Colorado Rockies. He hit 83 doubles and 71 home runs in 447 games. Since then, he has played in Japan and Korea. The Twins signed him to a minor league deal over the winter. While he has mostly DHd for the Red Wings this year, he’s caught and played first base 16 times this year as well. He has been providing power throughout the season and had a huge month in July. He, and Tomas Telis, are providing strong catcher depth for the Twins in Rochester. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Rochester Red Wings – OF Jaylin Davis - 39-106, .368/.442/.755 (1.196) with 8 doubles, 11 homers, 27 RBI. Since his mid-June promotion to the Rochester Red Wings, Jaylin Davis has not stopped hitting. The hashtag #HasJaylinDavisHomeredYet became a thing. Well, I mean, I started it and did it a few times because the answer was usually Yes. Sure, the Triple-A baseballs probably don’t hurt, but Davis also made some adjustments this season, He hit 10 home runs in 58 games in Pensacola. After the promotion, he hit 15 homers in 41 games for the Red Wings. But he wasn’t “just” hitting for power. He has had a much better approach at the plate. He has cut down on the strikeouts. He hit for average. Some have told me that he is using the whole field better. Most of his Red Wings homers have been hit to center and right center. Jaylin Davis was well on his way toward the Twins Daily Minor League HItter of the Year award. And for his efforts, he was traded to the Giants as part of the July 31st deadline as part of a package that brought Sam Dyson to the Twins. And that may have been the best thing for Davis. The Giants have been looking for outfielders most of this season. In his first game for Sacramento, the Giants’ AAA affiliate, on Friday night. He went 3-for-3 with a walk and two doubles. We would like to congratulate Jaylin Davis, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for July 2019. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. Click here to view the article

I would argue that they are still the favorites....

"Stuff" is still great... I can't imagine that people (player, scouts, etc.) would alter an opinion on one game. The only results that truly matter are those in the big leagues. Obviously the numbers matter a ittle more as they move up.

Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru. On Tuesday, he pitched against Cuba.

He's a pitching prospect.

I cant' imagine he would play more than a game or two. They may want to have him play a game at 1B too. I'd think Monday at the latest.

Last Saturday, we heard that the Minnesota Twins had acquired reliever Sergio Romo from the Miami Marlins. Soon after, news trickled in that the Twins had dealt 1B Lewin Diaz to the Marlins. But it didn’t take long for us to learn that the Twins had also acquired a minor league pitcher and a player to be named later. That pitcher is Chris Vallimont, and recently we were able to chat with the hard-throwing right-hander.On Saturday night, the Jupiter Hammerheads were playing in Tampa against the Yankees’ Florida State League affiliate. Jupiter’s manager, former long-time big league catcher Todd Pratt, called Vallimont over and told him that he had just been traded to the Twins. “At first, it caught me off guard. I really didn’t know what to think. But then I realized that it was going to be a better for me in the long run.” Vallimont said his goodbyes, and the next 24 hours were a bit hectic. He noted, “That night, I had to Uber from Tampa to Jupiter. The next morning, I packed up my car and drove to Ft. Myers.” He got to the Miracle game in the seventh inning. He was able to meet his new teammates and coaches. After the game, he met the rest of the team. And maybe the best thing that could have happened, the Miracle had an off day on Monday so he could kind of catch his bearings. On Thursday night, he made his first Miracle start in Game 2 of a doubleheader. ------------------------------------------------------ Chris Vallimont was born in 1997 in Erie, Pennsylvania. And Twins fans probably won’t want to hear about which team he liked as he grew up. “Erie is right in the middle of Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. My grandparents and members of my family great up as Cleveland fans. Also with them having pro baseball, football and basketball, it made it easy to cheer for one city.” We won’t discuss the Cleveland baseball team here, but Vallimont excitedly said, “I’m so excited for the Browns this year!” That isn’t something heard nationally often, at least not until this year. But Vallimont and his family have been life-long fans, not just fair-weather fans. “It’s been rough for a little bit, but I’m very excited to be at the stadium to watch some games this year. ------------------------------------------------------ At Mercyhurst Prep, Vallimont played football his freshman year. He played basketball and baseball all four years. He wasn’t a big prospect coming out of high school. He went to a couple of showcases, but he was unable to garner much attention from college baseball coaches. He received scholarship offers from his hometown school, Mercyhurst, and two other Division II colleges in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. He recalls, “Other schools just weren’t interested and didn’t offer anything. When I committed (to Mercyhurst), they were already 15-0. I couldn’t be more have to go there.” As a junior, Vallimont went 10-3 with a 2.58 ERA. In 80 1/3 innings, he struck out 147 batters and led his team to the Division II World Series. The team went 0-2 in the tournament, but the experience is one he will never forget. “It was an unbelievable experience, going down there with all of my brothers. We played in Cary, North Carolina, at the Team USA facilities.” That June (2018), he was watching the MLB draft with his parents, with his college coach Joe Spano and some friends. In the 5th round, he heard his name taken by the Miami Marlins. “I was kind of expecting it, from talking to coach Joe Spano, and talking with Dan Altavilla. But even having that idea, it still was an unforgettable moment.” Altavilla has pitched in parts of the past four seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He was a fifth-round draft pick in 2014 out of Mercyhurst, a couple of years before Vallimont arrived. He has been helpful to Vallimont. “I have his number. When I need anything, I text him and he’ll help me out. He has been a mentor through that draft process and since.” At Mercyhurst, Vallimont played one season with RHP Colin McKee. He was the Astros 18th round pick in 2016. He has worked his way up to their Triple-A affiliate. “He has been my biggest mentor… ----------------------------------------------------- During his three summers, Vallimont played summer college baseball. The first two years, he played in the Perfect Game Collegiate League. He said that he played about 50 minutes from his home in Erie. He also pitched briefly in the Cape Cod League. Of those experiences, he said, “It got me ready for the upcoming seasons at Mercyhurst, facing a lot of D1 players and a lot of good prospects, “ After his first season at Mercyhurst, Vallimont decided to visit and workout at Driveline Baseball. “Me and a couple of buddies went out there to learn a couple of the throws. It was awesome, just learning from them and from the technology.” Vallimont has continued to go to Driveline as a pro and intends to go back every year.. “I think it formed me into having the mentality that I have. In high school, I didn’t really throw that hard. Once I started doing it, I saw a jump in velo every year. It gave me the mentality that I was going to go out and throw hard. I think it made me a better pitcher overall, not just with velocity but tunneling my pitches. I think it cleaned up some mechanics as well.” ----------------------------------------------------- Vallimont has immense talent and some really good stuff. He stands 6-5 and about 230 pounds. He can be an intimidating presence on the mound. When asked to describe himself as a pitcher, Vallimont was clear that is about “the right mentality for a pitcher where it’s always Attack Mode. I will go after you with whatever I have working that day. I don’t care who is in the box, I am going to go after you with my best stuff.” He later added, “I have a bulldog mentality. I’ll go after you with my best stuff.” He throws four pitches. Fastball - It sits 95-96 mph, but he has been able to touch 98. “I’m very confident with my fastball.” Curveball - “I am also confident in my curveball.” Vallimont added, “It’s a 12-6 curveball with some depth.” Changeup - His changeup was a work-in-progress, but he has become much more confident in it this year. “I”ve been getting a lot more confident with it just by throwing it more and using it in the right situations. I really worked on it this offseason, figuring out new ways to throw it and finding a consistent grip that I like. This season, it’s come a long way. Now I find myself on the mounce actually shaking to a changeup.” Slider - “It’s a little hit-and-miss. I just throw it hard and hope it moves.” While confident, he understands. “Everything is still a work in progress at this point.” Like most power-armed starting pitcher prospects, the easy thing to say is that he will likely move to the bullpen at some point. We see that in many prospect rankings and from every outlet. That may be determined in the coming years and likely will be dependent upon further development of his third and fourth pitches. One person with the Twins organization said of Vallimont, “We think he can start.” And he will get that opportunity, starting with the Miracle. ---------------------------------------------- Away from the game of baseball, Vallimont is a sports junkie, but he also is a video game player. “Really, NHL and Fortnite.” “Other than that, I watch sports. I follow sports. Football, baseball and basketball. I think basketball is my favorite sport, other than baseball. I’m pretty big into that. ----------------------------------------------- The remainder of the 2019 season will be a good learning experience for Chris Vallimont. Coming to a new organization means that he will meet a lot of new people. He noted that the only player that he knew from the Twins organization was catcher/first baseman Chris Williams. The two met in mid-June at the Midwest League All Star weekend in South Bend. “It made it easier just knowing someone here.” But it is an exciting time for the hard-throwing right-hander, and he’s ready and excited for the opportunity. “This is a great situation for me to move around and get into my routine and work. I couldn’t be more happy to be with the Twins.” Welcome Chris Vallimont to the Minnesota Twins organization! Feel free to welcome him in the Comments and ask questions if you have any. You can follow Chris Vallimont on Twitter at @Valli_Swag7. Click here to view the article