Seth Stohs

It's a long season... As long as he's healthy, Romero will figure things out. I think Gonsalves is close. Raley is legit and he's being noticed, from what I've heard. Puts up nubers and really hustles and works hard. That's the stuff that'll get noticed. Sands is interesting. He was drafted last year out of FLorida State in the 5th round, but they just shut him down at the end of the year. He sits 92-94 from what I've seen. From the picture with this article, he's big and strong. He has a good pitch-mix. I mean, he's a legit prospect based on his draft status and where he pitched. Probably not a top-of-rotation guy (or he'd have been drafted higher), but you never know. I always think it's lazy to say that a pitcher's most likely MLB role is as a reliever. Why? Because it's really hard to get to MLB as a starter and stick. But my reason for saying that is that from what I have seen (which is admittedly minimal as a pro but I also watched some college video), he is kind of a max effort guy...

It's weird to me because he did the same last year. Later in the year, he went to Ft. Myers and Rochester and then ended the year in Cedar Rapids and played in the playoffs because of the Bechtold concussion. However, as poor as the Kernels offense is, Tademo sits in Extended Spring Training but is the guy sent to AAA for a short-term stint? Definitely confusing to me.

The Twins scored 18 runs. The two Twins minor league affiliates that have been very good this year both got shut out. The Red Wings got a good start. But most surprising, the Kernels had an offensive outburst, scoring eight runs. As impressive, three Kernels pitchers struck out 20 batters in nine innings. And, frequent Minor League Report star Luis Arraez made his major league debut late in the Twins game and recorded his first big-league hit, a double.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Rochester announced the outfielder Brent Rooker has been placed on the injured list with a wrist injury. Taking his spot on the Red Wings roster is infielder Victor Tademo from extended spring training.As a non-transaction, but an interesting note, LHP Stephen Gonsalves joined the Red Wings in Durham on Sunday.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Durham 4 Box Score The Red Wings took a 3-0 lead after scoring two runs in the top of the fifth inning. However, the Durham Bulls scored one run in each of their final four innings to take the win and push the Red Wings to 14-24 overall. Lewis Thorpe started and was good. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk over the first five innings. He struck out eight. Ryan Eades came on and gave up a solo home run in the sixth and seventh innings. Fernando Romero pitched the bottom of the eighth frame and gave up a run on one hit and two walks. Luke Raley went 2-for-3 and added his fourth stolen base. Tomas Telis went 2-for-4. LaMonte Wade was 1-or-3 with two walks. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 0, Mobile 3 Box Score The Southern League is unique among minor leagues in that it only has five-game series. Through their first eight series, the Blue Wahoos had yet to lose one. However, with their loss on Saturday, it assured their first losing series of the season. They fall to 26-17. Minnesotan Adam Bray was used as an opener for the second straight time. He gave up one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out three without issuing a walk. Jorge Alcala came on as the primary pitcher. He was charged with two runs over 4 2/3 innings. He gave up four hits and uncharacteristically walked four batters. He also struck out nine batters. Jeff Ames struck out three over two scoreless innings to end the game. The Wahoos, with partial owner Bubba Watson watching, managed just two hits in this game. Mitchell Kranson had a single, and Travis Blankenhorn went 1-for-3 with a walk. However, on the field things did not go well for the Miracle as they were shut out. Jose Miranda went 2-for-4. Ryan Jeffers had a single and a walk. Trevor Larnach walked twice. Aaron Whitefield walked three times. Melvi Acosta made another spot start. In 4 2/3 innings, he was charged with seven runs (just three earned) on seven hits, a walk and a hit batter. He struck out four. Kody Funderburk made his first Miracle appearance since being promoted from extended spring training on Friday. He threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and a walk while striking out two. Ricky Ramirez was charged with two runs on four hits in the final inning. The Miracle fell to 25-16 on their season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Clinton 2 Box Score In what has been a pretty rare occurrence, the Kernels had a big day offensively. Jared Akins kept hitting. He went 3-for-5, scored three runs and stole two bags. Gabriel Maciel went 3-for-5 with two RBI and his fifth stolen base. Andrew Bechtold hit his seventh double and his first triple. Albee Weiss went 2-for-4 with a walk. Cole Sands started and struck out ten batters in five innings. He gave up only one run despite eight hits. But he didn’t hurt himself with any walks. Austin Schulfer kept the theme going with eight strikeouts in three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. Jose Martinez gave up a run on two hits in the ninth inning. He struck out two more batters, giving Kernels pitchers 20 strikeouts in the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Cole Sands, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jared Akins, Cedar Rapids Kernels PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 0-3, BB #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 0-4, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch. #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 0-2, 2 BB #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - Injured (quad), return...unknown #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - Injured (wrist) #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K (90 pitches, 60 strikes) #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (adductor) #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List, late-May return possible #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did Not Play. #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, RBI, 2 K #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-3, 2 BB, R, K #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - 4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 9 K (89 pitches, 53 strikes) #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 2-4 SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (4:05 CST) - RHP Zack Littell (2-2, 4.50 ERA) Mobile @ Pensacola (1:05 CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol (5-0, 1.69 ERA) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (12:00 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (1-4, 5.46 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (2:00 CST) - RHP Josh Winder (2-1, 2.97 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

Did I see this week that Gunner Henderson has been talked about as high as #13 to the Twins?

https://twitter.com/MarianaGuzzy/status/1129415249206161408

OK... Luis Arraez is being called up... Not sure a corresponding move... which is interesting, by the way... (Adrianza? Schoop or someone hurt?).

Roger, you're going to be pretty excited about a move the Twins are about to announce...

I'm guessing that it was nothing more than wanting to get Vasquez back in a controlled situation, so they used an opener. I don't think Stewart being a "primary" means anything as it relates to the Twins or his future.

It's no longer early May. So I changed it. I had heard it would be soon last week, so I assumed earlier this week. Still no. So, I don't want to guess. Ha! And no surprised that Kirilloff is struggling some. He didn't get much time in High-A and missed a month... I think he'll be fine, make some adjustments. Like others, just needs to catch up on ABs.

A couple of Twins minor league sluggers did some impressive slugging on Thursday night. One prospect has started hitting homers since a promotion. The other doubled his home runs production on the season. And a birthday boy put together about as good a series as a player can.Find out everything that happened happened in the Twins system on Thursday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS RHP Austin Adams was added to the Twins 40-man roster and their 25-man roster and joined the team in Seattle. He signed with the Twins late last season from the Sugar Land Skeeters. He spent parts of 2014-16 with Cleveland. Fair to say that his daughter is pretty proud of her dad. Luke Raley and Brent Rooker each doubled. Luis Arraez had a single and has hit in all three of his games for the Red Wings, though for the first time it wasn’t a multi-hit game. BLUE WAHOO BITES Pensacola 4, Mobile 5 (10 innings) Box Score Travis Blankenhorn got things going right for the Blue Wahoos in this game. He led off the game with his fourth home run. Later, he added his fifth homer in 20 games since his promotion to Pensacola. He had one homer in 15 games for Ft. Myers to start the season. Joe Cronin added his second home run. Jaylin Davis added his fifth double. Griffin Jax started and gave up three runs on seven hits (and a hit batter) over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four batters. Tyler Jay came on and was charged with one run on one hit in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out four, though he also hit two batters. Alex Phillips was next, and he struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. Tom Hackimer got to pitch the 10th inning, and he gave up an unearned run (the runner that started the inning scored) on one hit. He struck out two. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 13, Bradenton 7 Box Score This game was tied at seven after six innings, but the Miracle scored six runs over the final three innings to ease toward the win. The hitting hero of the game was Lewin Diaz. He came into the game with three home runs for the year, and he doubled that total in this game. He went 4-for-5 with a single and his fourth, fifth and sixth home runs. He drove in five runs. He became the first player in Miracle history to hit three home runs in a game. Ryan Jeffers went 3-for-4 with a walk and his sixth and seventh doubles. Jose Miranda added his ninth and tenth doubles of the season. Trevor Larnach added a triple. Aaron Whitefield added his third home run. Royce Lewis added his ninth double. He now has six doubles in his last six games. And there was this... (please click the below link to see Lewis's double, some push ups and some unwritten rules and ejection and a good old argument. I don't know why the twitter page isn't popping up.) https://twitter.com/...266915980009472 Charlie Barnes started for the Miracle. The lefty gave up six runs on five hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out eight batters. Calvin Faucher came on and worked two innings. He gave up a run on three hits and a walk. He struck out two batters. Anthony Vizcaya came on and got the final eight outs, five of them on strikeouts. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 4 Box Score Blayne Enlow’s 2019 season has been filled with ups and downs. Thursday night was definitely in the “up” category. The right-hander from Louisiana tossed seven innings of two-run ball. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out six batters to improve to 4-3 on the season. The Kernels offense got started in a hurry. Outfielder Jared Akins came to bat with two runners on and drilled a three-run homer. It was his second homer in three games since being promoted to the Kernels earlier in the week. Ben Rodriguez went 2-for-4 and added his second home run. Gilberto Celestino reached base three times in the game with a single and two walks. He stole his seventh bag of the year. Carlos Suniaga worked the final two innings. He was charged with two runs on two hits and a walk. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Blayne Enlow, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Lewin Diaz, Ft. Myer Miracle PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 2B(9), 2 R, 2 K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Pensacola) - 0-5, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch. #4 - Trevor Larnach (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 3B(1), R, RBI, 3 K #5 - Wander Javier (EST) - Injured, return...unknown #6 - Brent Rooker (Rochester) - 1-4, 2B(5) R, 3 K #7 - Jhoan Duran (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Pitch. #8 - Lewis Thorpe (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (86 pitches, 58 strikes) #10 - Akil Baddoo (Ft. Myers) - Injured List #11 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Injured List (adductor) #12 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Injured List, late-May return possible #13 - Ryan Jeffers (Ft. Myers) - 3-4, BB, 2-2B(7), R, RBI #14 - Ben Rortvedt (Pensacola) - Did Not Play. #15 - Yunior Severino (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #16 - Gilberto Celestino (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, 2 BB, SB(7) #17 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did Not Pitch. #18 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Did Not Play. #19 - Jorge Alcala (Pensacola) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, 2-2B(10), 2 R, RBI FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (6:05 CST) - LHP Devin Smeltzer (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Mobile @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (2-2, 3.27 ERA) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:30 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (1-4, 5.46 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm (1-3, 4.43 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday’s games. Click here to view the article

Fair point, but the options on the 40-man roster are either injured or not performing, or guys they don't want to bring up to be the 25th man/final reliever option... or some combination of those things.

That is correct... the Twins have had a couple such examples... without looking I believe Ben Revere and Dereck Rodriguez were both 19 when they signed.

Rortvedt didn't put up big numbers in Ft. Myers, but he's off to a really nice start in Pensacola. Good to see. Aside from framing (and maybe the offseason work has paid off for him. I havent' heard any updates), he is a very good defensive catcher. But he is strong and I still think that he can hit. Larnach and Lewis will likely both be midseason promotions to AA.

Austin Adams throws like 95-96. 28 K in 18 IP. That's a pretty live arm. Mason is low 90s. The Twins are in a win-now situation this season, which is a good thing. That, to me, means just call up the guys that give you the best chance to win when they are asked to contribute. It's not about development at this point in the big leagues as it was when the team was bad. Adams has been good in AAA. He's got experience. Also, since he is out of options, he's the kind of guy that you don't worry about DFAing when he isn't needed in the big league roster. And he probably clears and stays.

The rules were different when Santana was a Rule 5 pick of the Marlins. There was an extra year of evaluation, so you don't see as many from the lower levels taken. But top end talent is always going to get protected.

Yes and No. I mean it does limit roster flexibility somewhat, but I am certain that the Twins had any concerns about having added Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler when they hadn't played above Cedar Rapids yet. With how few people actually get drafted in the Rule 5 draft, I'm guessing there are some guys that they just hope sneak through. We have all been sure that Jake Reed would be selected twice. I think that the obvious adds are Graterol, Alcala, Duran, Colina. Jax, Raley, and Blankenhorn are probably also going to be strongly considered too. Smeltzer has put himself into consideration. Celestino's struggles in Low A so far probably put him outside the borderline group.

I'm not understanding. Why would they rush his development just because he has to be added to the 40-man roster in November? He will be added no matter what. He would be even if he was still in Ft. Myers or Cedar Rapids. That said, he's holding his own in AA and I wouldn't be surprised to see him get to AAA mid-season or so. I also wouldn't be surprised if at some point in the 2nd half, he was just called up from AA.

In Part 1 yesterday, we introduced you to former Twins minor league coach Frank Jagoda who took over as the Director of USA Baseball’s 18U program. Today I’m going to write about USA Baseball and some Minnesota connections. Over the years, several players from Minnesota have represented Team USA. Two Minnesota players have been invited to the Player Development Pipeline League this year. We will introduce you to them as well.When you think about hotbeds for baseball, which states do you think about? For me, I think of Georgia. I think of southern California and Florida. I don’t necessarily put Minnesota into that same category. However, seemingly each year there are a few Minnesota high school players who get drafted and more who wind up at Division I colleges. “Any organization will tell you; where the best players are, we will find them. In the past few years, we’ve had a few players from Wisconsin. We have a couple of players from Minnesota this year. We have a player from Wisconsin.” Frank Jagoda continued. “There are good players all over the place. At the PDP League this year specifically, we’re going to be well represented throughout our country with several different states that traditionally don’t see a lot of players involved. That’s exciting. For me, as the 18U national team director, I’m excited to get in those different areas, to dig in the weeds and find those kids, find ways to get them exposure and get them into our program.” And once they get to the PDP League, those players will be given every opportunity to be invited to the trials. The best players always tend to stand out. What an opportunity for the kids! First, it’s an opportunity to put on the Red, White and Blue uniform with USA across the chest. “Any time you get a chance to represent your country, you’re talking about something that’s larger than just the game. You’re talking about an entire nation that gets behind you when you go and do these things. There’s a lot of good baseball players out there. This isn’t just another travel ball tournament at some event. This is something that means much more. These are relationships you’re going to have the rest of your life. These are experiences you’re going to have for the rest of your life, and you may never get to wear the colors again. Or you’re fortunate and you’re like Joe Mauer and get to wear them four times. You just never know. This is just an opportunity. Some kids may never make the big leagues, but they got to wear their nations colors at 18 years old.” Joe Mauer is obviously the exception to many rules. But he isn’t the only Minnesota player to play for Team USA. Mauer played for Team USA in a couple of tournaments in 2000. Here are other Minnesota players who have made the 18U National Team 20 Man roster and competed internationally. 2012 - Ryan Boldt (Red Wing) 2000 - Joe Mauer (Cretin-Derham Hall) 1994 - Jason Dobis (Little Falls) 1992 - Chris Schwab (Cretin- Derham Hall) 1991 - Ryan Kjos (Hopkins) 1989 - Tom Nevers (Edina) 1989 - Chris Weinke (Cretin-Derham Hall) 1986 - Tom Quinlan (Hill-Murray) Recently, I was able to touch base with 1989 Team USA National Team member, infielder Tom Nevers. A year later, the Houston Astros selected Nevers with the 21st overall pick in the 1990 draft. He spent 13 seasons playing in affiliated baseball, reaching the Triple-A level, before retiring after the 2002 season. Nevers’ 1989 team won the gold medal in Trio Riveria, Quebec, beating Cuba in the championship game. “We had a nice blend of players from all around the country. This was back in the Olympic Festival days, and it was at Oklahoma’s college campus.” He went there to compete for his team, “I never really felt it was a tryout as I was more worried about winning the Gold on the North team, and we did that as well. We had a great, low-ego team. After the last game, they informed the players who made it, and I was fortunately one of them.” For much of Team USA, the team’s camp was a trip north. For Nevers, he just hopped on Highway 35 and headed south. “We had a camp in Des Moines, Iowa, and played Mexico, I believe, three times before heading to Quebec.” Representing Team USA meant a lot to Nevers, and he was unique. He was able to do so more than just once. “Wearing the USA colors is like nothing else. I was fortunate to compete internationally in hockey and baseball wearing those colors. Means a lot to me, to say the least.” Nevers, now 47, remains busy. He sells real estate for Edina Realty in Edina. He also has a baseball training facility with two-time World Series champion Gene Larkin called Nevers Larkin Baseball (Twitter). This is their 11th year of working together and he really enjoys it. He also does some coaching on his son’s baseball team and still tries to help out the Edina Legion program when he has time. 2019 Player Development Pipeline Invitations As alluded to yesterday and above, two players from Minnesota have accepted invitations to play in the PDP League in June. Burnsville High School junior OF/P Max Carlson and Rochester Century High School SS/P Mac Horvath will head to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, in mid-June. Horvath has been playing on the national summer baseball circuit for several years already. He has incredible speed. He is playing mostly shortstop now, but some scouts can see him shifting to centerfield in the future if it is needed because his speed will play there. He is not a bulky kid, by any means, but he has a real short stroke and can surprise by producing quite a bit of power. He also has a very strong arm with a fastball (or throw from shortstop) that can top 90 mph as well. Max Carlson is another player who has been known nationally for a few years already. While he is a good outfielder and one of Burnsville’s top hitters, he is very intriguing as a pitcher. A scouting report might indicate that he can have real electric stuff at times. He has a fastball in the low-90s with a sharp slider. He profiles as a starter because he also have a good changeup with fade. He has a smooth delivery. Carlson is the younger brother of Sam Carlson who was a second-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2017. He had Tommy John surgery in 2018 and recently began throwing bullpens again. He was a part of USA Baseball in 2016. He played in the 40-player trials but was cut when the 20-man roster was set. In 2017, Carlson was playing for the Minnesota Blizzard and they scrimmaged the 18U national team. Carlson said, “I played against the 18U Team USA team with (Ethan) Hankins, (Kumar) Rocker, (Triston) Casas, and that is kind of what led me to wanting to represent my country in the USA uniform. I was 15 at the time, and I looked up to those guys. The PDP League is the first step on that journey to making Team USA and I'm extremely excited to compete at IMG.” While ultimately the goal for these two and the others going to Bradenton is to make the final 20 player roster and play for Team USA in South Korea in August, it’s equally important to know that these players are going to be given a great opportunity to further develop their skills. Jagoda says, “We’re confident with what we have developmentally, the programs and processes that we have in place as an organization, we’re developing a true developmental organization for these kids as well as an opportunity to represent their country overseas.” Much has been written at Twins Daily and elsewhere about how much technology is used on the back fields and in player development. Jagoda points out that these players at the PDP League will have the same opportunities. Jagoda explained, “Yes, they are there to compete for their national team, but also to get better. We’re going to be using all the new data and technology initiatives. We’re going to be able to streamline and personalize developmental plans. We’ll be able to provide them feedback and instruction based on them, and we’re not going to blanket those things. Our players are really going to be able to tap in on the development side of things. We’re trying to provide a first-class development experience, and at the end of it, you might have a chance to compete for your country.” Players will get an iPad and be sent their data and video in real time. They will be provided an experience not unlike what they might experience in professional baseball. It is great to know that players from Minnesota have competed in international competitions and more continue to get that opportunity. The future is bright for Horvath and Carlson. Both have committed to the University of North Carolina. Both could be high draft picks in the 2020 MLB Draft. And we wish both the best as they compete and develop with Team USA in the PDP League. Click here to view the article

I think some of them, are beyond patiently waiting too...

A lot of people are patiently (?) awaiting the move of Javier to Cedar Rapids. No I don't think he's going to Ft. Myers directly. And, Lewis has been playing better of late, so it could happen at any point. I don't think it's's imminent by any means.

Maybe... but that would be a good reason to limit his pitches now.

As minor league spring training was about to start, Frank Jagoda left what he called an “opportunity of a lifetime” to work for an organization in which he gets to wear the USA across his chest again.For nine years, Frank Jagoda coached college baseball. In five of those summers, he worked for USA Baseball events. In 2017, he was the pitching coach on USA Baseball’s 15U team, a team that won a gold medal in Columbia. In 2018, he was offered a job in the Twins organization and accepted it. “I was the rehab coordinator. Unfortunately we had way too many big leaguers down with me in Florida which means they weren’t helping the big league club. But when I wasn’t with them, I was with the GCL club. I went to probably 85-90% of their games.” In January, the Twins announced that Jagoda was going to be the fourth coach with Toby Gardenhire and the Ft. Myers Miracle. However, an opportunity to return to USA Baseball opened up. He talked it through with his wife, and it became clear that he had to pursue it. He was offered the USA Baseball 18U Director position. Along with that, he is responsible for the 16U and 17U developmental programs. He calls it a combination of being a GM and a farm director. (As an aside, there are five USA Baseball teams that travel internationally, 12U, 15U, 18U, College and Professional. Ages 13 and 14, and 16 and 17, there are developmental programs, similar to what you see in hockey.) “USA Baseball always been near and dear to me. USA Baseball, to me, is more than just a game. It’s something that means a lot to me for everything we organize and what it means to wear USA across your chest. Now I get the opportunity to do that every day at work. It’s something truly special to me and my family. That's really what it boils down to for me.” You can hear the conviction and the pride in his voice when Frank Jagoda talks about USA Baseball. And that’s why he is completely at peace and happy with what was a very difficult decision. “It was a very hard decision. I spent just over a year with the Minnesota Twins. (Twins Minor League Director) Jeremy Zoll gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, and I was around a great group of people, a great leadership group with the Twins. Very thankful for my time spent with them. Although it was short, it was very impactful on my career and on my life and on my family.” For one, Jagoda was able to move back to North Carolina. Cary, North Carolina, is the national training center for USA baseball. It is complete with a stadium and three back fields. “Real excited to be back and from a family aspect, very excited to be back in the Carolinas and excited about what we have going on and what we have in store.” What he has in store is a really busy summer. From August 30th through September 8th, USA Baseball will bring a squad of 20 players to Busan, South Korea for the 2019 WBSC World Cup. But before then, a lot of decisions have to be made. Approximately 80 players from around the country have been invited to participate in the PDP (Player Development Pipeline) League in Bradenton, Florida. The PDP lasts about 23 days at the IMG academy. And while players are ultimately trying to make the final 20-man roster, it is also a huge opportunity for these players to develop their games. Jagoda says that the players were invited “based on my knowledge of those kids, feedback from professional organizations, scouts, MLB front office personnel and other things.” By the way, two players from Minnesota have accepted their invitations to participate in the PDP League. We’ll talk more about them in coming days as part of this series on USA Baseball. Of the 80 in Bradenton, 40 kids will head to Cleveland to play in a exhibition game around All Star weekend. Then in early August, those 40 players, plus a few from the 17U developmental team, will head to Los Angeles for trials. In about a week, the group of 40-50 players will be pared down to the 20-player travel roster. The group will travel to Taiwan and play some international friendlies against Taiwan. It will allow the team to try to acclimate to the time zone, the weather, the food and more. Then from August 30th to September 8th, they will be in Busan, South Korea, trying to repeat as the World Cup champion. In fact, the USA team has won four straight World Cups (2012, 2013, 2015, 2017) and eight straight gold medals internationally since 2011. As Jagoda noted, “No pressure, right?” Jagoda will work with an experienced coaching staff in those efforts. Jack Leggett returns for his second straight season as manager of the 18U team. He spent 22 years (1994-2015) as the head coach at Clemson where he won 955 games and went to 21 NCAA tournaments and six trips to the College World Series. His pitching coach has quite the resume as well. Scott Bankhead played for Team USA in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. He was a first-round draft pick that year out of North Carolina and spent parts of 10 seasons in the big leagues. He now owns and operates the North Carolina Baseball Academy. This is his second season as the 18U pitching coach. Gregg Ritchie is back for his third straight year as the 18U hitting coach. He was the hitting coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011 and 2012. Since then, he has led George Washington University. In addition, George Laird, who spent 13 years in the big leagues, is also on the coaching staff. Other former MLB players and coaches will help during the Player Development Pipeline League and at the LA Trials. And Frank Jagoda will lead the charge, and he is thrilled about the opportunity. He is also very thankful for his time with the Twins organization and their support. “The Minnesota Twins were very gracious in the process and were very very supportive, and I couldn’t thank them more for how they handled it.” In coming days, we will discuss USA Baseball further. We will highlight the Minnesota and the Minnesota Twins connections to USA Baseball, and we will highlight the player development side of USA Baseball. Click here to view the article