Seth Stohs

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Blake Parker was activated from the Paternity List. Following Sunday’s game, Devin Smeltzer was optioned to Rochester. Yeltsin Encarnacion was returned to Cedar Rapids from Rochester. Royce Lewis was activated by the Miracle from the temporary inactive list (Futures Game). Cody Allen was placed on the temporary inactive list by the Miracle. No issue, just giving him his All-Star break. RHP Sawyer Gipson was placed on the Elizabethton roster. The Twins signed RHP Steve Theetge, a non-drafted player out of Bryant University. https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/1148436150673186817 AWARDS Jaylin Davis was named the International League Hitter of the Week. Andrew Cabezas was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Box Score The Red Wings are on their All-Star break… well, except for Brent Rooker and Tomas Telis who will be participating in the game. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 1, Birmingham 2 Box Score There weren’t a lot of runs scored in this game, but unfortunately, the Wahoos lost on a walk-off homer in the ninth. Jorge Alcala put together his first really good start in a while. In six scoreless innings, he gave up just four hits and one walk. He struck out seven batters. Jeff Ames came on and was charged with an unearned run on two hits and a walk over two innings. Anthony Vizcaya came on for the ninth but gave up a leadoff homer to end the game. Alex Kirilloff led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with his second triple. Joe Cronin walked, hit his fourth double and stole his sixth base. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 6 Box Score Cole Sands put together another quality start for the Miracle, but the offense didn’t provide enough run support. Sands gave up three runs on six hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out five batters. Ricky Ramirez came on and gave up three runs on two hits over two innings. He walked three and hit a batter while striking out two. Derek Molina pitched a scoreless ninth. Gabriel Maciel provided the offense. He hit his second home run since joining the Miracle. Royce Lewis returned directly from Cleveland and went 1-for-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 5 Box Score In his first game with the Kernels (and his first game with the E-Twins this year), Tyler Wells hit a walk-off double. On this night, he singled in two runs to cap a four-run top of the ninth for the Kernels. Earlier in the game, Gilberto Celestino had a two-run single. He was 2-for-4 with a walk in the game. Austin Schulfer started for Cedar Rapids. He gave up three runs on seven hits in five innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Tanner Howell gave up two hits but no runs in the sixth inning. Brian Rapp gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in the seventh inning. JT Perez struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning, and Jose Martinez struck out one in a perfect ninth for the save. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 3, Johnson City 4 Box Score Matt Wallner led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with his fifth double. Ruben Santana was also 2-for-4 in the game. Anthony Prato went 1-for-3 with a walk. Ryley Widell started. The left gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out seven batters. Steven Cruz walked two and struck oune out in a scoreless 1 2/3 innings. Frandy Torres worked two innings. He gave up a run on two hits and struck out three. Dylan Thomas started the ninth, but he gave up a run on two hits before recording an out to take the loss. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Pirates 4 Box Score Bailey Ober was back on the mound for his second rehab start. The lanky right-hander gave up an unearned run on two hits, a walk and a hit batter in five innings. He struck out eight. Niall Windeler came on for the sixth inning and gave up two runs on three hits in the inning. Donny Breek pitched the last two innings. He gave up one run on one hit. He walked three and struck out five. Wander Valdez went 2-for-3. LaRon Smith hit his second double. Francisco Martinez provided the one run with his first homer of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Jorge Alcala, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Alex Kirilloff, Pensacola Blue Wahoos PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 3-4, 3B(2), R #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-4 #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, 3 K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Did Not Play #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - All Star Break #9 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - All Star Break #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - All Star Break #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-4 #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - All Star Break #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 204, 2B(5), R, RBI #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did Not Play #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K (82 pitches, 57 strikes) #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 3-4, R, 2 RBI, 2 SB(13) #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 0-4, 2 K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester - All Star Break Pensacola @ Birmingham (7:05 CST) - TBD Daytona @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids - No Game Scheduled Elizabethton - No Game Scheduled GCL Twins @ GCL Pirates (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.

Before we share our choices for the Twins Minor League Top Five Starters for June, 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 Edwar Colina - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 G, 4 GS, 24.0 IP, 2.63 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 23 H, 6 BB, 17 K (.253/601) Randy Dobnak - Pensacola Blue Wahoos/Rochester Red Wings - 5 G, 3 GS, 30.2 IP, 2.05 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 31 H, 6 BB, 26 K, (267/657) Kody Funderburk - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 3 G, 3 GS, 13.1 IP, 2.70 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 11 H, 3 BB, 18 K (.220/571) Griffin Jax - Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 4 G, 4 GS, 19.1 IP, 1.40 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 13 H, 3 BB, 11 K, (183/399) Sean Poppen - Rochester Red Wings - 6 G, 4 GS, 31.0 IP, 2.90 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 26 H, 12 BB, 36 K (226/686) Luis Rijo - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 3 G, 3 GS, 14.2 IP, 0.61 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 7 H, 4 BB, 12 K (149/.418) Devin Smeltzer - Rochester Red Wings - 4 G, 4 GS, 20.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 19 H, 3 BB, 30 K (250/739) Kai-Wei Teng - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 G, 3 GS, 21.0 IP, 2.57 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 19 H, 7 BB, 23 K (.235/.570) THE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS #5 - RHP Blayne Enlow - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 G, 3 GS, 25.1 IP, 2.13 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 18 H, 7 BB, 20 K Enlow had a couple of tough, short starts for Cedar Rapids during the season’s first month, but he has been really good since then. He was a candidate for Starting Pitcher of the Month in May, and was promoted to Ft. Myers at the end of that month. He has been even better since joining the Miracle. He has produced a quality start in all five of his Miracle starts. Enlow is blessed with a low-90s fastball that occasionally pushes to 94 and even 95. He also is known for his breaking ball and ability to spin the ball. The Twins third-round pick in 2017 continues to grow as a pitcher which is exciting as he won’t turn 21 until next March. #4 - RHP Cole Sands - Ft. Myers Miracle - 3 GS, 16.1 IP, 2.20 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 8 H, 2 BB, 19 K Sands was the Twins fifth-round pick last year after three seasons at Florida State. The Twins just shut him down and didn’t have him pitch at all after the draft. He came to spring this year and pitched well in Cedar Rapids. In his first start of the season, he tossed five hitless innings. He was promoted to the Miracle right before June. He had a short IL stint, and when he returned, he threw five no-hit innings. He has given up just two hits in 11 innings over his past two starts. Sands also works in the low 90s with good secondary pitches as you would expect from a 21-year-old coming out of a quality college baseball program. In his three June starts, opponents hit just .145 off of him with a .409 OPS. #3 - RHP Austin Schulfer - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 G, 4 GS, 21.0 IP, 2.14 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 11 H, 5 BB, 23 K Schulfer was the Twins 19th-round pick a year ago after four years at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He pitched in Elizabethton last year. This year, he began the season in the Cedar Rapids bullpen, though he usually worked multiple innings. He appeared in the April Relief Pitcher of the Month list, and then Brian Dinkelman moved him into the Kernels rotation where he has continued to pitch well. Schulfer doesn’t throw real hard, but he generally throws strikes and stays away from the middle of the plate with each of his pitches. Opponents hit just .151 with a .498 OPS against him in June. #2 - RHP Jhoan Duran - 4 G, 3 GS, 24.0 IP, 1.88 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 15 H, 10 BB, 31 K, Overall this season Jhoan Duran has a record of 1-7. You might think that he must not be pitching well, but that isn’t the case. He has a 3.48 ERA on the season and has 78 strikeouts in 62 innings (26 walks). He has been pretty consistent and his stuff has continued to improve. We often hear about him hitting triple-digits multiple times in his starts. Duran came to the Twins last July in the Eduardo Escobar trade from the Diamondbacks.In June, he went 1-3 with a 1.88 ERA. He gave up one run in three of his starts, and two runs in the other. Duran recently ranked #9 in our midseason Twins top prospect rankings. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids Kernels - RHP Josh Winder - 5 G, 5 GS, 34.0 IP, 1.32 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 22 H, 6 BB, 28 K (190/520) At the end of May, Steve Buhr wrote an article on Josh Winder that profiled the talented right-hander drafted a year ago out of Virginia Military Academy. He talked about liking to keep his room clean and his head clear, especially on the mound. Winder was pitching well at the time, but he was tremendous in June. In 13 starts so far this season for the Kernels, Winder is 6-1 with a 2.40 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. As you can see above, he was tremendous in five June starts. All five starts were quality starts. He had a seven-inning shutout performance early in the month at Peoria. He ended his month with eight innings of shutout baseball against Kane County. In that start, he gave up just three hits, walked none and struck out eight. Winder works with a low-90s fastball. He has a good curveball and has worked really hard to make his changeup an effective pitch. And it has become a really good pitch for him. One would think that a promotion to Ft. Myers should be in the near future for Winder. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of June, Cedar Rapids Kernels right-hander Josh Winder. Feel free to discuss and ask questions.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS The Twins announced that LHP Andrew Vasquez had been outrirghted from the team’s 40-man roster to the Red Wings. The Kernels announced that OF Tyler Webb had been added to their roster with infielder Estamy Urena released. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 11, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 1 Box Score This was a great all-around game for the Red Wings. They got strong pitching and the team scored its 11 runs on 20 hits. All nine Red Wings had at least one hit. Seven of the nine had at least two hits. The top two hitters, Nick Gordon and Drew Maggi each had three hits while the team’s #3 hitter, Jake Cave, had four hits. Gordon, Cave and Zander Wiel each hit a double. Cave added a triple. Sean Poppen was the beneficiary of the run support, but he was really good too, to improve to 5-0 with the Red Wings. The right-hander gave up just one run over seven innings of work. Gabriel Moya and Andrew Vasquez each threw a scoreless inning as well. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 5, Birmingham 8 Box Score The Blue Wahoos clawed back after falling behind early to force an extra inning, but the game ended in the tenth on a three-run walk off home run. Caleb Hamilton led the offense with a single, his 12th double and his second triple of the year. Alex Kirilloff also had two hits in the effort. Joe Cronin was 3-for-4 in the game. Griffin Jax started and gave up four runs on eight hits over the game’s first six innings. His ERA jumped to 2.04 on the season. Anthony Vizcaya gave up a run over his two innings to bump his ERA up to 0.86 since joining Pensacola. Zack Weiss worked a scoreless ninth but gave up the home run in the bottom of the 10th. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers , Palm Beach Box Score The Miracle game was postponed by rain. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 2 Box Score The Kernels got another great start from Luis Rijo and a huge home run and held on for another win. Luis Rijo went the first seven innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out ten. He needed just 71 pitches and 56 of them were strikes. Jose Martinez gave up two runs in the ninth but they held on for a 4-2 win. Jared Akins provided the big hit for Kernels. His sixth-inning home run came with two runners on base and gave the Kernels a 3-0 lead. It was his ninth home run of the season. Gilberto Celestino went 2-for-3 with a walk and a triple. E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 6, Kingsport 2 Box Score The E-Twins powered their way to this victory on Thursday. Alex Isola got things going with his first pro home run, a two-run shot in the second inning. In the seventh frame, Willie Joe Garry hit his first professional homer. Albee Weiss added his fourth of the 2019 season. Those three homers accounted for 60% of the E-Twins hits in this game. Ben Gross made the start. The Duke right-hander gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits over the first six innings. He walked one and struck out four batters. Stephen Cruz struck out two batters over his two scoreless innings, and Nathan Hadley struck out two in the ninth inning. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Braves 5 Box Score The Twins got out to an early lead with a three-run first inning, but were unable to hold the lead. Jeferson Morales had the big first-inning hit with a two-run homer. The Twins had just three hits. Keoni Cavaco (3rd) and Jesus Feliz (2nd) each doubled. Niklas Rimmel started and gave up just one run on two hits over the first five innings. The German right-hander walked two and struck out four batters. Niall Windeler came on for his pro debut. He gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in his inning. Bradley Hanner gave up one run on four hits over the final three innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Luis Rijo, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jake Cave, Rochester Red Wings PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-5, RBI #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, 2K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) -Rained out #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - 1-2, 2B(3), R, RBI #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 2-6, RBI #9 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 3-6, 2B(20) 2 R, 2 RBI, K #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - Rained out #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - 1-5 #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 0-3, K, R #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) - 0-0 (just came in as last-inning defensive replacement) #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-5, 2B(13), RBI FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (DH @ 5:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (5-4, 5.64 ERA), LHP Lewis Thorpe (3-4, 5.71 ERA) Pensacola @ Birmingham (7:05 CST) - TBD Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (DH @ 4:30 CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (3-2, 3.09 ERA), LHP Tyler Watson (1-4, 4.56 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:35 CST) - RHP Josh Winder (6-1, 2.40 ERA) Kingsport @ Elizabethton (5:30 CST) - RHP Andriu Marin (1-1, 4.00 ERA) GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games or any other minor league topics you would like.

Before we get to our Top 4 relievers in the Twins system in June, here are several Honorable Mentions. Adam Bray - Pensacola Blue Wahoos/Rochester Red Wings - 7 G, 2.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 21.1 IP, 21 H, 4 BB, 18 K (.266/706) Melvi Acosta - Ft. Myers Miracle - 5 G, 2 GS, 2.20 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 16 K (.203/550) Ryan Eades - Rochester Red Wings -8 G, 2.35 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 16 H, 6 BB, 21 K (.276/723) Anthony Vizcaya - Ft. Myers Miracle/Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 8 G, 1 GS, 0.53 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 17.0 IP, 9 H, 10 BB, 18 K (.158/.529) THE TOP FOUR RELIEF PITCHERS #4 - Alex Phillips - Ft. Myers Miracle - 7 G, 1.46 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 9 H, 2 BB, 13 K Phillips finished up a long and windy college career at Baylor last June. It started at Arkansas but Tommy John surgery cost him about two seasons. He went to Baylor and pitched well yet still went undrafted. The Twins signed him very late last year and he helped the Miracle to an FSL title. The 24-year-old has spent most of this season dominating the Florida State League again. In fact, his June numbers are a little higher than his Miracle season numbers. He spent a couple of weeks pitching well in Pensacola in May. Opponents hit just .205 off of him this month with a .528 OPS. He pitched in the Florida State League All-Star game in June as well. #3 - Zach Neff - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle - 8 G, 1 GS, 1.40 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 19.1 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 24 K After three years at Austin Peay, Neff transferred to Mississippi State in 2018. The Twins made him their 31st-round pick in 2018. He spent time in Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids last year. He began 2019 with the Kernels and pitched very well. He was even better in June which earned him a promotion to Ft. Myers. Neff doesn’t throw real hard, but the lefty finds a way to avoid hard contact. #2 - Moises Gomez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 8 G, 2.30 ERA, 0.51 WHIP, 7 H, 1 BB, 22 K Gomez is in his sixth season in the organization. Seems like he has been around forever and yet he is still just 22. He has been a work-in-progress all along, but in June, he put together a month to get noticed. Look again. One walk. 22 strikeouts. That is a pretty good ratio. Along with not walking anyone, he didn’t give up many hits either. Opponents hit just .132 with a .412 OPS off of him in the month. Overall this season, Gomez has 12 walks and 43 strikeouts in 29 2/3 innings. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers Miracle – RHP Derek Molina - 9 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 23 K Derek Molina began his college career at Cal-St. Nortridge, and he got some at-bats and did some pitching as a freshman. Wanting to play more, he transferred to Merced College where he was the team’s primary shortstop but also was a late-inning reliever. It was on the mound where he impressed Twins scouts (and scouts from other teams).They saw a strong, live arm with potential for good secondary pitches. The Twins drafted him in the 14th round of the 2017 draft. Now a pro ballplayer, Molina was ready for a career solely on the mound. He has been moved fairly patiently. He has had some moments where his control eludes him, but his progress has been steady. And so far in 2019, and especially in June, he’s been lights out. Mid-month, he had earned his promotion and continued to pitch very well. He has worked one inning, two innings or most recently three innings out of the bullpen. Overall in 2019, Molina had 57 strikeouts, and just ten walks, over 37 2/3 innings. Molina is a very good athlete, and as you would expect, he fields his position very well. While he may not be a household name, he is definitely an intriguing arm to watch over the next couple of seasons. As you can see, there were a few really strong relief pitcher performances in June. There guys are all worthy of some recognition. It was a good month for each of these pitchers mentioned today. Congratulations to Derek Molina, the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for June 2019.

Let’s take a look at the Top 5 hitters for the month of June, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Andrew Bechtold - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle - 22-74, .297/.404/.405 (.810) with 5 doubles, 1 home run. Travis Blankenhorn - Pensacola Blue Wahoos - 28-108, .259/.308/.491 (.798) with 7 doubles, 6 home runs. Ryan Jeffers - Ft. Myers Miracle - 16-65, .246/.320/.477 (.797) with five home runs. Trevor Larnach - Ft. Myers Miracle - 28-92, .304/.360/.424 (.784) with 3 doubles, 1 triple. Gabriel Maciel - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle - 25-82, .309/.378/.395 (.773) with 3 doubles, 2 triples. Wilin Rosario - Rochester Red Wings - 30-94, .319/.354/.489 (.843) with 7 doubles, 3 home runs. (27 RBI) Tomas Telis - Rochester Red Wings - 18-52, .346/.382/.500 (.882) with 5 doubles, 1 home run. THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 - Ft. Myers Miracle/Pensacola Blue Wahoos – 1B Lewin Diaz - 24-94, .255/.297/.521 (.818) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 5 home runs. It’s been a terrific season for the Dominican first baseman. He has put in the work over the last couple of years to improve his body, to improve his tools and his talents, and it has to be rewarding to see the results. He was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month in May and had a big June too. He played in his second straight Florida State League All-Star game, and when that was done, he made the move up to Double-A Pensacola where he got off to a fast start. In his first dozen games with the Blue Wahoos, he had nine doubles, a triple and two home runs. Number 4 - Rochester Red Wings - 1B Zander Wiel - 26-101, .257/.315/.505 (.820), 7 doubles, 6 home runs. Wiel just continues to fly under the radar, but he has been a quality, consistent contributor for the Red Wings all season. He continues to play most every day. He may not hit for average, but he does a nice job around the plate. He also has really increased his extra-base hit power, including home runs. Through June, Wiel had an .834 OPS, 19 doubles and 13 home runs. And to make his month better, Vanderbilt won the College World Series. Number 3 – Rochester Red Wings - OF LaMonte Wade, Jr. - 23-81, .284/.429/.432 (.861) with 6 doubles, 2 home runs. Wade got off to a slow start in 2019, but he had a real strong month in June. The key seemed to be regaining his on-base percentage. He did a great job of getting on base in June, and that seemed to help him find more pitches to drive for extra-base hits. Late in the month, Wade received The Call every ballplayer dreams of. He was called up to the Twins. He watched one game, and then he made his big league debut over the weekend. He came to the plate twice. He was hit by the first pitch thrown to him. He was then robbed of a hit in his second plate appearance by a diving catch in center field. He returned to the Red Wings the next day, but he will be back. Number 2 - Pensacola Blue Wahoos/Rochester Red Wings – OF Jaylin Davis - 28-105, .267/.366/.543 (.909) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs. Another Twins prospect that just doesn’t get talked about as much as he should. However, Jaylin Davis has consistently produced and worked his way up the Twins organizational ladder. In mid-June, Davis was promoted to the Red Wings where he has hit five home runs in his last nine games. Drafted out of Appalachian State in 2016, Davis big tool is his power, but he has made improvements this season, particularly an improved approach at the plate which has created more contact. He’s also made big strides in the outfield. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Rochester Red Wings – LF Brent Rooker - .337/.507/.612 (1.120) with 9 doubles, 6 homers. There were a lot of Twins minor league hitters that had strong months in June, but the choice for the minor league hitter of the month was pretty easy. Rooker has been one of the best hitters in the entire minor leagues. He has hit for average. He got on base more than half of his plate appearances. He showed the power that makes him such an impressive power prospect coming out of Mississippi State when the Twins drafted him with the 35th overall pick in 2017. He was named to the International League All-Star team last week. Rooker got off to a slow start. In April, he hit just .214/.279/.464 (.743). Not horrible numbers, but he had 28 strikeouts in 61 plate appearances (45.9% K-rate). In June, he struck out 39 times in 134 plate appearances (29.1%). When Rooker hits the ball, good things happen. But Rooker also walked 27 times (20.1%), a great rate. Will we see Rooker at some point in 2019? That is a question that comes up often. The Twins have an outfield of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler. Marwin Gonzalez can play the corners. If there is a short-term outfield need (as there has been recently), Jake Cave and LaMonte Wade, Jr., are already on the 40-man roster. If there were a long-term need, Rooker could be an option. He also plays first base and DH. The Twins have CJ Cron and Nelson Cruz. If one of them were to be hurt for a long period of time, Rooker could be an option. Rooker doesn’t need to be added to the 40-man roster until after the 2020 season. However, I can also see a scenario in mid-to-late August where the Twins want to start considering a playoff roster. If they want to add a big bat off the bench, Rooker could be an option at that time. Of course, the other question being asked more frequently now is if Rooker could be a trade target for other teams. The obvious answer is Yes, teams will be asking about Rooker. However, Rooker fits into a category where you better get something really good (and long-term) to give up his bat for the next six or seven seasons. We would like to congratulate Brent Rooker, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for June 2019. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions.

Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Tuesday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Lewis Thorpe was optioned to Rochester following his MLB debut on Sunday. Ronald Torreyes was DFAd, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Rochester. Gabriel Moya cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Red Wings. Adalberto Mejia was reinstated from the Injured List. Wilin Rosario went on the IL with an ankle injury. Ricky De La Torre was activated from the Kernels Injured List. Bailey Ober and Dakota Chalmers began rehab assignments with the GCL Twins. According to Baseball America, the Twins have agreed to terms with several international free agents. Emmanuel Rodriguez, of, Dominican Republic (video) - $2.5 million Malfrin Sosa, of, Dominican Republic (video) Yonardy Soto, ss, Dominican Republic (video) Argenis Jimenez, of, Venezuela Gregory Duran, of, Dominican Republic In addition, they have signed Miguelangel Boadas, Breilin Ramirez, and Amilcar Vasquez. https://twitter.com/JesseSanchezMLB/status/1146068172488921088 RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Syracuse 7 Box Score The Twins AAA affiliate got to face old-friend Ervin Santana. The right-hander gave up three runs on eight hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings for work. The Red Wings got off to a good start, but they were unable to hold the lead. Devin Smeltzer started for the Wings and gave up two runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out six and didn’t issue a walk. Two of the hits, including a home run, came off the bat of Tim Tebow. Jake Reed came on and in 1 1/3 innings, he gave up four runs on five hits and two walks. Carlos Torres came on gave up one run over the final 2 2/3 innings to take the loss. Drew Maggi led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with a walk and his 13th double. He also stole his sixth base. Tomas Telis had another three-hit game as well. It was his third straight three-hit game and his fourth in his past five games. Jaylin Davis went 2-for-4 with a walk and his fifth home run since joining the Red Wings. Brent Rooker had a single, a walk and was hit by a pitch. Nick Gordon had a single, a walk, and his 18th double. https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1146232571157721089 BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 1, Mississippi 0 Box Score In the bottom of the fifth inning, Michael Davis tripled… Two batters later, Lewin Diaz scored him with a sacrifice fly. For the second straight night, the Blue Wahoos topped Mississippi 1-0. On Monday, it was Randy Dobnak. On Tuesday, lefty Charlie Barnes was on the mound. He tossed seven scoreless innings and gave up just two hits. He walked two, hit two, and struck out eight batters to record his first Double-A win. Minnesotan Adam Bray struck out four batters over two scoreless, hitless innings for his first AA save. Alex Kirilloff went 2-for-3 with a walk in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Clearwater 5 Box Score The Miracle got off to a great start. The first five batters of the game got on base and scored. And then they held on. The lead was cut to 6-5 after seven innings, but the Miracle added a single run in both the eighth and the ninth. Gabriel Maciel led off and led the Miracle offense. He went 3-for-5 and hit his first Miracle home run. Trevor Larnach went 2-for-3 with a walk. He also stole his fourth base. Royce Lewis was 2-for-5 with his 14th double. Andrew Bechtold went 2-for-3 with a walk. Trey Cabbage hit his fourth Miracle home run and tenth overall on the season. Jhoan Duran started and went just 2 2/3 innings. He gave up three runs on four hits. He walked three and struck out three batters. Johan Quezada came on and gave up just one run on one hit over the next 3 1/3 innings. The long, lanky right-hander struck out four batters. Derek Molina came on and struck out three over three innings to record the save. He gave up one run on four hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Kane County 1 Box Score The Kernels were able to win a close one thanks to some strong pitching. Austin Schulfer improved to 6-4 with a 2.40 ERA after tossing six innings and giving up only an unearned run. He allowed three hits, walked one, hit one and struck out eight. Alex Schick came on and struck out three over two scoreless innings. Tanner Howell recorded his second Kernels save with a scoreless ninth inning. Gabe Snyder went 2-for-3 with a walk. He scored once and drove in one. Daniel Ozoria went 2-for-4 E-TWINS E-NOTES E-Twins 5, Pulaski 10 Box Score For the second straight night, Elizabethton was doubled-up by the Pulaski Yankees. The E-Twins fall to 7-7 on their season. Ryley Widell got the starting nod and gave up five runs on five hits and five walks in … four innings. He struck out five. Frandy Torres got the fifth inning. He gave up three runs on five hits. Erik Cha gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk in two innings.. He struck out two. Dylan Thomas struck out two in a perfect ninth. Spencer Steer provided the offense. He led things off with his second home run of the season. He also walked twice. Albee Weiss went 2-for-5. Anthony Prato and Matt Wallner each hit a double. https://twitter.com/ETwinsBaseball/status/1146268738276265992 GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 18, GCL Rays 14 Box Score Maybe you were expecting a pitcher’s duel in the GCL on Tuesday. Nope! This one exhibited some good hitting, and a lot of not-so-good pitching. Do we start with the good news (hitting) or the bad news (pitching)? Let’s start with the pitching. Sometimes there is good news within bad news. For instance, the GCL Twins starting pitcher was Dakota Chalmers, making his first appearance on the mound since having Tommy John surgery last May. In the first inning, he struck out the side. In the second inning, gave up six runs (five earned) on two hits, a walk and two hit batters. He recorded one out, on a strikeout. Jesus Toledo came on and got the final two outs of the second frame. He gave up the inherited runs and two more on two hits and a walk. Bailey Ober pitched in his first game since the end of April. He gave up only an unearned run on four hits over four innings.He struck out five batters. Ricky Ramirez struck out three batters over two scoreless innings as he continued his rehab. Rogelio Reyes gave up five runs (four earned) on three hits and three walks in his inning. Now to the hitting… Parker Phillips was the star of this game. The Twins 27th-round pick out of Austin Peay this year had a huge game. He went 6-for-7 and completed the cycle. He hit his first home run, triple and double in the game. He scored four runs and drove in three runs. A nice day at the office. But to score 18 runs, it obviously wasn’t just Phillips. Victor Heredia went 3-for-6 with a walk. Wander Valdez was 3-for-6 also. Jeferson Morales went 1-for-2 with three walks. Jake Hirabayashi went 2-for-3 with two walks and a double. Kyle Schmidt went 2-for-5 with a double and five RBI. Luis Milla went 2-for-6. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Charlie Barnes, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Parker Phillips, GCL Twins PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, 2B(14), 2 R, 2 K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 2-3, BB #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Injured List (shoulder) #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 2-3, BB, R, RBI, SB(4) #5 - Wander Javier (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 3K #6 - Jordan Balazovic (Ft. Myers) -Did Not Pitch #7 - Keoni Cavaco (GCL Twins) - Did Not Play. #8 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-3, BB, HBP, RBI, 2K #9 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - 2.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (69 pitches, 41 strikes) #10 - Blayne Enlow (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch #11 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch #12 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 1-4, BB, 2B(18), 2 R, RBI #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, 2B(10), R, 2 RBI, K #14 - Luis Arraez (Minnesota) - (in progress, currently 1-1) #15 - Matt Wallner (Elizabethton) - 1-4, BB, 2B(1), 2K, #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - 0-4, K #17 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured (Tommy John) #18 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #19 - Misael Urbina (DSL Twins) - 2-3, 2 BB, 2B(7), SB(10), R #20 - Travis Blankenhorn (Pensacola) - 1-4, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Chase De Jong (0-4, 10.06 ERA) Mississippi @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - RHP Jorge Alcala (5-5, 5.81 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Clearwater (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (3-2, 3.09 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (1-4, 4.73 ERA) Elizabethton @ Pulaski (5:30 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Braves(11:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games or any other minor league topics you would like.