Seth Stohs

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.” https://twitter.com/drivelinebases/status/1155346225010360320 ----------------------------------------------------- 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.

In 49 games (51 innings), 31-year-old Sam Dyson is 4-1 with a 2.47 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP He's got seven walks and 47 strikeouts. Dyson also has one more year of arbitration remaining. The Twins had need in the bullpen and they added two arms that can work in the late innings. Jaylin Davis was well on his way to Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year this season. He began in AA Pensacola. He moved up to Rochester where he has hit over .330 and 15 homers in 41 games. Overall, he's not 25 homers in 99 games. Kai-Wei Teng, a righty from Taiwan, joined the Kernels less than two months ago. He was 4-0 with a 1.60 ERA in 9 games (8 starts). He was flashing 96 mph with his fastball. Prelander Berroa was the Elizabethton Twins opening day starter. The hard-throwing 19-year-old was 2-1 with a 4.55 ERA. He had 37 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings. The Twins got better today.

On Tuesday night, Cleveland finally traded All Star starting pitcher Trevor Bauer. Typically that move would be seen as the team selling, but in this case, I do believe that they got better. They have pitching, and seem to keep calling pitchers up who do well. Shane Bieber and Zach Plesac are two guys who fit into that mold. They also should be getting Corey Kluber back in the near future. Their need was offense, and they added two powerful outfielders in Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes in the three-team swap. They also added LHP Logan Allen, a Top 100 prospect, and two more minor leaguers. It was a very creative move for Cleveland. The Twins were very creative in their acquisition of Sergio Romo over the weekend. Not only did the Twins receive the veteran reliever, but they also received hard-throwing RHP Chris Vallimont and a Player to be Named Later for slugging first base prospect Lewin Diaz. On its own, the Twins made a really, creative, savvy move to improve their bullpen and improve the team. Twins fans have generally felt that the trade was good for the Twins, though that thought always comes with the “as long as it isn’t the only move they make by the deadline.” But what if it is? What if Sergio Romo is the only player that the Twins add? What will it mean? Here are my thoughts. DISAPPOINTMENT First and foremost, Twins fans will and rightfully should feel disappointment. On the basic level, it’s always fun to acquire talent. It doesn’t even have to be elite talent, but just make the team better. Let's just say, #TwinsTwitter will not handle it well, for sure! On another level, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have consistently said that when the Twins window to compete for championships opens, they will pounce. Well, the window is wide open. This team has the talent to compete, not only for the American League Central title but also for a World Series. They have won two of six games against the Yankees this year, and probably should have won two more of those games. They won four of their seven matchups with the Astros this year. They currently have an edge on Cleveland this year too. Those are the top teams in the American League, and the team should absolutely feel like they can compete for an American League pennant. And hey, if you get to the World Series, you have a chance. So Twins fans will absolutely have every right to be disappointed and even upset if nothing is done. HOWEVER… This is a very good team as is, as shown by their performance so far this year against the top teams in the league. Their lineup can compete with anyone. They can slug with the best. Pitching has been the issue although even that hasn’t been as bad as we may think. The starters rank in the top the top third of the league in most statistics. Some of that is because their #4 (Perez) and #5 (Pineda) have been better than most 4s and 5s around the league. Jose Berrios is approaching Ace level. Jake Odorizzi was an All Star for his strong start, but he has been more inconsistent of late. Kyle Gibson’s been good at times but also a bit inconsistent. Not adding a starter would just mean that these guys would need to step it up down the stretch. But would the Twins have a top three or top four that you could feel good about going into the playoffs? And the bullpen has been better than expected, though a lot of that is because of Taylor Rogers. Sergio Romo stepped in as the 8th inning guy last night in his Twins debut. Tyler Duffey has returned to an intriguing bullpen option. Ryne Harper has been a big surprise. Trevor May was doing well until the 0-2 curveball in Cleveland, but he has the stuff to dominate and will need to find that again. And then some young guys. Cody Stashak had a moment in the Yankees series. Sean Poppen reeling off 96-97 mph fastballs with a strong slider could be great for the team down the stretch. And if Will Smith and Felipe Vasquez are unavailable, I don’t think there is an available left-handed reliever that I would feel better about than giving Lewis Thorpe an opportunity. And Devin Smeltzer is available as well. The concern with them is their lack of MLB experience, obviously. In addition, Fernando Romero has been much improved of late in Rochester. And as it appears the odds of Cody Allen helping the Twins down the stretch is waning, flamethrower Brusdar Graterol returned to the mound on Monday for his first rehab appearance. Maybe he and his 101-mph fastball can help. Jorge Alcala and his triple-digit fastball pitched out of the bullpen in his most-recent outing. SUMMARY So, while I still think it is very likely that the Twins make one or two moves before the trade deadline, and this article will be all for naught, it is important for Twins fans to stand by a team that has put themselves in this position. Absolutely, be disappointed that nothing was done, but hopefully you’ll be able to quickly shift your attention back to the fact that this team, as it is currently put together, can win the division. And, if you are under the opinion (as I mostly am) that the playoffs are mostly a crapshoot, then you should still believe that the Twins can win in the playoffs too. All that said… Come On, Twins… Make a Move!

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. AWARDS RHP Randy Dobnak was named the Pitcher of the Week for the International League. Dobnak made two starts for the Red Wings and went 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA. In 12 1/3 innings, he gave up just seven hits, hit one batter, walked three and struck out ten batters. TRANSACTIONS Blake Parker elected to become a free agent after being outrighted. Brusdar Graterol began his rehab assignment in the GCL. Yunior Severino began his rehab assignment in the GCL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Buffalo 6 Box Score The game was tied at 3-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth. Cody Allen came on for the Red Wings. He gave up a single which was followed by a sacrifice bunt. After an error, a double put Buffalo ahead by one. Following a strikeout, Allen gave up a two-run single. The batter was thrown out at second by Alejandro de Aza to end the inning. Allen was charged with three runs (just one earned) on three hits. Drew Hutchison started and gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits in the first five innings. He walked five and struck out four batters. Sam Clay struck out three over two scoreless, one-hit innings. He walked two. Down 6-3 going into the ninth inning, Jaylin Davis hit a two-run homer to cut the lead to one, but they were unable to score another. Nick Gordon went 2-for-4 with his 26th and 27th doubles. Jake Cave was 2-for-4 with his 16th double. Rochester hitters were hit by five pitches. BLUE WAHOOS BITES Pensacola 0, Jacksonville 1 Box Score The Blue Wahoos faced one of baseball’s best pitching prospects, Marlins RHP Sixto Sanchez. He came as advertised. He went six innings and gave up just two hits, including a double off the bat of Royce Lewis. The Wahoos ended the game with just three total hits. Mark Contreras walked twice. Lefty Bryan Sammons started. He gave up a run on three hits over the first 4 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out six batters. Anthony Vizcaya went the next 2 2/3 innings. He struck out four and gave up just one hit. Tom Hackimer came on and got the final two outs, though he did hit a batter. In case you were wondering, Lewin Diaz went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in his Jumbo Shrimp debut. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers Box Score No Game Scheduled. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Clinton 9 Box Score The Kernels fell behind 6-1 after just a couple of innings. They clawed their way back and had the tying-run on base when the game ended in a loss. Tyler Palm started and gave up six runs (2 earned) in 4 2/3 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked none and struck out three. Carlos Suniaga gave up two runs on four hits over the next two innings. Ricky Ramirez gave up an unearned run over the final 2 1/3 innings. Trevor Casanova went 3-for-4 in the game and drove in two runs. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-5 with his 20th double. Alex Isola hit his second Kernels home run, a two-run blast in the 7th inning. He drove in three runs. Jared Akins walked three times. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 1, Burlington 5 Box Score Elizabethton got behind early and were unable to muster enough offense to mount a comeback. Tyler Benninghoff started and gave up five runs on five hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked four and struck out four batters. Erik Cha worked the final 3 2/3 innings. He gave up one hit, walked three and struck out four batters. He also got a couple of double plays to help him pitch zeroes. Max Smith went 2-for-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Kidany Salva went 2-for-3. The Twins got their lone run on the first professional home run of first baseman Trevor Jenson. https://twitter.com/ETwinsBaseball/status/1155985338906505217 GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 1 Box Score The big news is that Brusdar Graterol made his return to the mound in a rehab start. He threw the first inning and worked a perfect first inning with two strikeouts. The fastball was mostly at 100 mph per reports. Other big news is the performance of 18-year-old Anthony Escobar. On this day, he worked seven innings and gave up just one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out six batters. He is now 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA in 25 2/3 innings. Jose Guevara picked up the save with a scoreless ninth inning. There were other rehabbing players. Taylor Grzelakowski (ankle) went 0-for-2 with two walks in the game. Also, Yunior Severino (thumb) returned and played second base. He went 1-for-3 with a first-inning double. Francisco Martinez led the offense by hitting his third and fourth double of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Anthony Escobar, GCL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Rochester Red Wings PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Pensacola) - 1-4, 2B(2) #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - Did Not Play #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Rehab in GCL, 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K #4 - Trevor Larnach (Pensacola) - 1-4, 3 K #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 2 R, RBI, SB(2) #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Temporary Inactive List (Pan Am Games) #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - 0-4, 2 K #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 (Minnesota) - No Game Scheduled #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 2-4, 2-2B(27), HBP, R #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Pensacola) - 0-4 #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - Did Not Play #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 0-4, 2 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) - 0-3, BB, K, CS #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - Injured List TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (1:05 CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer (1-3, 3.02 ERA) Pensacola @ Jacksonville (6:05 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (1-0, 1.64 ERA) Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - RHP Dakota Chalmers (1st Miracle start) Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (6:30 CST) - TBD Elizabethton @ Burlington (5:30 CST) - RHP Ben Gross (3-1, 2 64 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Monday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

It's been a busy few days for the Twins in terms of prospects. In the last couple of weeks, the Twins have had top prospects Trevor Larnach, Ryan Jeffers and Jhoan Duran promoted to Double-A Pensacola. Following the announcement of the Twins trade of Lewin Diaz, the Twins announced that top prospect Royce Lewis will join other Twins top prospect in Pensacola. It is quite unusual for the Twins PR staff to announce minor league promotions, but Royce Lewis is an obvious exception. Lewis, the #1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, turned 20 in early June. He ends his time with the Miracle hitting .238/.289/.376 (.665) with 17 doubles and 10 home runs. In 19 games this month, he has hit .288 with four doubles and four home runs.

The Twins and Marlins reached an agreement. The Twins will send 1B Lewin Diaz to the Miami Marlins in exchange for veteran Sergio Romo. Per Passan: "The Minnesota Twins are deep into talks with the Miami Marlins on a deal that would send reliever Sergio Romo to Minnesota, sources with knowledge of the situation tell ESPN. The expectation is a trade will soon be finalized." Moments later, Passan tweeted: "One Marlins source says the deal should be completed soon. It would add a much-needed bullpen piece to the Twins, who continue to be aggressive in pursuit of help to their pitching staff." The 36-year-old Romo is in his 12th MLB season. He has 17 saves this season in 18 opportunities and a 3.58 ERA. Want a Winner? Romo was part of three World Series championship teams with the San Francisco Giants. Romo is excited to join a team that is making a pennant push. https://twitter.com/DaniAlvarez_16/status/1155291606402179072 Lewin Diaz had a tremendous 2019 season, returning to his prospect status. He began the year in Ft. Myers and has continued to mash since being promoted to the AA Pensacola Blue Wahoos. https://twitter.com/MarianaGuzzy/status/1155289081351430145 Chris Vallimont is a 22-year-old right-handed pitcher who was 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 13 starts with the Clinton LumberKings. He has now made six starts for Jupiter, the Marlins High-A Florida State League affiliate, and is 2-3 with a 3.75 ERA. Combined, he has 122 strikeouts in 105+ innings this year. He is likely to join the Kernels in Cedar Rapids. He was the Marlins 5th round pick in 2018 out of Mercyhurst. ANALYSIS... OK, Opinion While I believe that Lewin Diaz can be a solid MLB 1B starting sometime in 2020, I don't have any problem with this trade. Diaz has had a nice bounce-back season in 2019 after a disappointing 2018 ended early with an injury. However, he is behind CJ Cron, Miguel Sano, Brent Rooker, Zander Wiel and Alex Kirilloff in the Future 1B pecking order. Sergio Romo isn't dominant, by any means, but he is a successful veteran who has won a lot of games and even three World Series championships (if you think that matters anymore). He's not a hard-thrower anymore, but he is crafty and gets the job done, especially lately. Chris Villamont is an intriguing prospect. He can throw pretty hard, especially if he were to be moved to the bullpen at some point. He may be a similar prospect (Ranking-Wise) to Diaz, and yet he doesn't need to be added to the 40-man roster for two more years. And hey, if he goes to the Miracle, it's possible that they could lose a starting pitcher or two over the next four days. Finally, the Twins will also get a Player to be Named Later, a lottery pick, if you like. So to summarize, for Diaz (who likely wouldn't have been added to the 40-man roster this coming offseason), the Twins will get 2+ months of a competent, quality veteran reliever, a hard-throwing pitcher currently starting in the Florida State League after being drafted just a year ago, and another minor leaguer. Hard to argue with that.