Seth Stohs

As for Gibson, I think there are a number of things to consider: 1.) He should make about $9-10 million next year in Arbtration. 2.) If he becomes a free agent (after pitching well again next year), he'd probably be in line for a 3-4 year deal in this new world of free agency. Probably at $14-16 million a year (think Alex Cobb range). 3.) It'd be nice to sign him to a 3 year deal this offseason, buying out two years of free agency, but he should want another year or two added to that because he would get those year if he actually did become a free agent. 4.) If he doesnt pitch well next year, he would likely be a one or two year guy at something like $15 million total, so him becoming a free agent is him betting on himself. So,, I think I'd look to do something like: 2019: $10 M 2020: $12 M 2021: $14 M 2022: $14 M Four years, $50 million.

Last offseason, tried to figure out what an extension might look like for Berrios using similar pitchers. http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins/diving-into-the-offseason-a-berrios-extension-r6173 It was 2018 - $0.75M 2019 - $1.00M 2020 - $3.25M 2021 - $5.00M 2022 - $8.00M 2023 - $12.0M 2024 - $14.0M 2025 - $16.0M (option) Obviously the 2018 comes off of this, but it would then be a 6 year, $45M or a 7 year, $60M if the option was picked up. After an All Star season, probably have to bump up about $5-6 million for the arb years by waiting. and another million a year for those three free agent years... So, I think you could add $10 million to my deal from last year.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/minnesotasportsweekly/2018/08/09/minnesota-sports-weekly-episode-82 On his Minnesota Sports Weekly podcast last night, Travis Aune interviewed Chris Blessing from Baseball HQ. Hes' been a guest before... but in the episode, he talks about the players the TWins received in all five trades, but then he talked about Thorpe and Kirilloff and several other players. I think you all will be interested in his thoughts on Brent Rooker too. Fast-forward to the 4:00 mark to hear the interview. It's about 15-20 minutes long or so. Good stuff from Chris as he has seen the majority of these guys. He scouts Chattanooga often. He got up to see Cedar Rapids in Bowling Green earlier in the year. He gets to E-Town and the Appy League quite a bit too.

Transaction: JT Perez promoted from GCL to Elizabethton today.

Regi Grace was the Twins 10th-round pick in the June 2018 draft out of high school in Mississippi. The talented, hard throwing pitcher had a commitment to Mississippi State, but the Twins found a way to convince him to start his professional career (they went well over slot to sign him). Recently, Regi Grace was kind enough to take some time to answer questions for us. Continue reading to Get To Know more about a very young, very intriguing pitching prospect in the Twins system.Regi Grace was a multi-sport star in high school. Since signing, Grace was assigned to the Gulf Coast League. He pitched in three games and gave up zero runs over 8 1/3 innings. He hasn’t pitched since mid-July but tells me that the Twins know he’s already thrown a season, so they are working with him and protecting his arm. He is certainly one to watch in the coming years because he is blessed with a very strong arm. We do appreciate Grace taking time to answer our questions below, and we wish him the best of luck through the rest of the season going forward. . Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Mississippi, did you have a favorite MLB team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Regi Grace (RG): The Atlanta Braves because of Fox Sports South, and also we had the Mississippi Braves in Theo to watch. Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones and Kris Medlen. SS: What were some of the better memories of your high school baseball career? Did you play other sports or were you involved in other activities? RG: Better memories were winning state championships and getting to know other really talented high school players. I was involved in track, basketball and football at one point in high school. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you in high school. You had committed to Mississippi State, but did you have a lot of coaches talking to you? RG:The recruitment process was interesting. I had coaches calling me wanting to attend their program, and if I told one No, he would not be the happiest camper. (lol) So it came down to what was best for me. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? What was your interaction with the Twins scout? RG: I had a chance to get to know each of the scouts that were interested in me, and me and Derrick Dunbar (my area scout) grew a relationship as time went on before the draft. SS: The Twins took you in the 10th round. Was that about where you expected to be selected? How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy were your home and your phone at that moment? RG: Yes, sir. I was expecting at least the top 10 rounds and through prayers and hard work, I was able to achieve a goal. I was actually playing a basketball video game when I got the call I had been drafted, I said “Thank you,” and continued my game. The fourth quarter on 2K doesn’t play around. After I was drafted, I probably didn’t pick up my phone for the next hour. It was filling with texts and notifications and what not. SS: With the Mississippi State commitment, how difficult (or easy) was the decision to sign with the Twins? RG: It was a very difficult decision because I wanted to attend college, but I knew about the goal I had in mind and this is going to help me get that to goal I feel. SS: What has the adjustment like for you so far (admittedly very early), from the high school game to the professional game, both on and off the field? RG: On the field, it’s a whole new world. Bigger arms. Bigger bats. Quicker guys. So the game is really speeding up. Off the field, everything is very professional and have to adjust doing everything like professional nowadays, which is going to help me in life. SS: At this very early stage in your career, what would you say are your best tools and biggest strengths? RG: My biggest tool, I would say, wouldn’t be my arm because every guy down here has a 90+ arm, I would say that it is my ability to learn and adapt and be open to suggestions on my game. SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve? RG: I would like to learn how to command my pitches and pickoff move, and I feel like the staff we have here in the Minnesota Twins organization is going to help me. SS: Favorite Baseball movie? RG: 42 Again, a big Thank You to Regi Grace for his thoughtful responses to our questions. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. Click here to view the article

He got a $10,000 signing bonus because he was a senior sign. Twins liked him enough to take him in the 8th round,, the same round they took Brian Dozier as a senior sign in 2009. A round before they took Mitch Garver as a senior sign in 2013. I don't know that scouts don't think he can be an MLB player, but hes about the power right now and then we'll see how it goes over time. Has at least one elite tool, so that's a good start.

Yup, the fences were moved back a year or so after that year.

I added the video of the Royce Lewis diving double play to the article, at the bottom of the Miracle notes... Terrific play, and thank you for your first-hand report... Its always important to know that not every 0-4 or 1-5 is built the same. The important thing is that when Lewis has a play against him like that, the front office will know about it. It would be part of the postgame report.

Jax will continue to train for baseball in the Olympics, so he will not need to report back to a base. His job in the Air Force is to train for the Olympics. http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/griffin-jaxs-baseball-career-resumes-r6715

The power is legit. The approach appears to be solid. The Ks are probably going to be an issue, but I am surprised that he hasn't moved up yet.

I like this look back... Iknow as I do my rankings and I think about players, I try to think of what their strengths are and how they might be utilized in the big leagues. There are players that don't make my (or other) Twins Top 30s that could make it to the big leagues, and I think that's important to remember. As long as they haven't been released, maybe there's a chance. That's what the Escobar story tells us. It's fun to see "non-prospects" make it, and become good.

A couple of Twins minor league notes from this morning... First, from Darren Wolfson, Todd Van Steensel has been released. https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP/status/1026839335956557830 Second, from Mariana Guzman, Lewin Diaz has had successful thumb surgery. https://twitter.com/MarianaGuzzy/status/1026859824561061893

The other side of that is that Morrison is a mini-hot streak away from a 25-home run season. His option for next year is only at like $6 million or so. Maybe they are evaluating that too. I don't claim to know what they're' thinking.

Why not? A 26-year-old outfielder who showed a little pop in his 60ish games with the Rays this year. Maybe he's like Cave and a late developer? Maybe he's a really good defender, capable of playing three outfield positions. Maybe he's a legit 4th or 5th outfielder candidate for 2019? Also, with Grossman out, Field probably made a little more sense than Austin from a defensive standpoint... especially since the Twins would likely love to trade Logan Morrison, so they're going to want to get him as many at bats as possible, hoping to be able to get anything for him. Austin will likely be up about the minute that Morrison is dealt.

He had a bad game, but he's occasionally flashed the stuff that got people excited before the draft. He can still be a successful big league reliever. It's just taken longer because of the various arm injuries.

Added a tweet from Rhett Bollinger that answers that question.

On Monday night, 2017 #1 overall pick Royce Lewis faced 2018 #1 overall pick Casey Mize in Lakeland, Florida. It was the Florida State League debut for Mize. It was Lewis’s 21st game with the Miracle. On this night, Lewis went 2-for-2 with a home run against Mize, and 4-for-6 with two home runs overall as the Miracle topped the Flying Tigers 13-0. Obviously it was a fun matchup, but it is a matchup that fans of the Minnesota Twins and Detroit Tigers hope to see a lot of over the next decade, or more. As a hard-throwing right-hander, Mize is likely to fly through the Tigers system and could debut as early as midseason 2019. But it gets me wondering just when we might see that match up at Comerica Park or Target Field.One question I get often on Twins Daily and on Twitter: "When could we expect to see Royce Lewis in the big leagues with the Twins?" To answer that question, I thought it might make some sense to look at two recently drafted shortstops selected high in their particular drafts who have gone on to big league successes, Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor and Houston’s Carlos Correa. Maybe a glimpse at their timelines might help us better understand a possible timeline for Royce Lewis. Let’s start also by saying that anything below this point likely assumes health. That’s never a guarantee, and it certainly can effect a timeline. Secondly, Correa and Lindor are proven All-Stars already. They are players that Lewis often gets compared to, and that’s not necessarily fair either. Royce Lewis gets comps to Derek Jeter, not to Lenny Faedo. But as Lewis has said frequently, while he enjoys watching those players and their games, he is not trying to be the next Player X. Instead, he insisted in a podcast interview this past offseason, “Being comped with players is pretty cool, but at the end of the day, I want to be Royce Lewis. I don’t want to be Carlos Correa or Francisco Lindor, as amazing as those people are. I just want to be Royce Lewis, and I want to be my own type of person and bring something new to the game that others may have already brought but in my own special way.” THE DRAFT Royce Lewis: As we know, Lewis was the Twins top pick and the #1 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. He had turned 18 years old just a week before being selected. Carlos Correa: Houston surprised many people in and around the game of baseball when they selected Correa with the first overall pick out of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. He didn’t turn 18 until a few weeks after his draft season (September). Francisco Lindor: Lindor grew up in Puerto Rico, but he went to high school in Florida. Cleveland made him the #8 overall pick in the 2011 draft. He turned 18 five months after he was drafted (November). DRAFT SEASON Royce Lewis (2017): Lewis signed quickly and the Twins sent him to Ft. Myers where he began his professional career in the GCL. He homered in his first at-bat. He played 36 games there and hit .271/.390/.414 (.803). We were then surprised that he was sent to Low-A Cedar Rapids (Midwest League) where he played in 18 games and hit .296/.363/.394 (.757). Carlos Correa (2012): After signing, the Astros sent Correa to the GCL. He played in 39 games and hit .232/.270/.355 (.625) before ending that season with 11 games in the Appalachian League. Francisco Lindor (2011): Lindor signed a bit later and his pro career began with just five games in the New York/Penn League. FIRST FULL SEASON Royce Lewis (2018): Lewis returned to Cedar Rapids to start the season. He played in 75 games for the Kernels and hit .315/.368/.485 (.853). About a month ago, he was promoted to High-A Ft. Myers where he has now hit .329/.418/.506 (.924) after his big game last night. Combined, he has 29 doubles and 12 home runs. Lewis turned 19 in early June. Carlos Correa (2013): The Astros had Correa begin his first full professional season in the Midwest League with Quad Cities. He spent the full season with the Bandits where he hit .320/.405/.467 (.872) in 117 games. He hit 33 doubles, three triples and nine homers. Correa played the whole season at age 18. Francisco Lindor (2012): Cleveland had Lindor start his first season in the Midwest League as well with Lake County. He played 122 games for the Captains and hit .257/.352/.355 (.707). He hit 24 doubles, three triples and six home runs. He spent the full season at age 18. SECOND FULL SEASON Royce Lewis (2019): To be determined. Lewis will turn 20 in early June. Carlos Correa (2014): Correa was 19 years old throughout his second full season. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a full season. In mid-June, Correa’s season came to an end when he broke his fibula and missed the rest of the year. He played well to that point, hitting .325/.416/.510 (.926) in just 62 games at High-A Lancaster in the California League. He hit 16 doubles, six triples and six home runs in his partial season. He turned 19 after the season. Francisco Lindor (2013): Lindor began his second full season at High-A Carolina of the Carolina League. In 83 games, he hit .306/.373/.410 (.783). He moved up to AA Akron for his final 21 games of the season. Smaller sample, but he hit .289/.407/.395 (.801). Combined, Lindor hit 22 doubles, seven triples and two home runs. He turned 19 after the season. THIRD FULL SEASON Royce Lewis (2020): To be determined. He will turn 21 years old in early June. Carlos Correa (2015): Correa successfully rehabbed his broken leg and was invited to big league spring training. He began the season at AA where he hit .385/.459/.726 (1.185) in 29 games before being pushed forward to AAA. He spent less time in AAA, just 24 games, and hit .276/.345/.449 (.794). Between AA and AAA, he hit 21 doubles, three triples and ten homers. He was called up to the Astros and made his MLB debut on June 8, 2015 (age 20 years, 259 days). Despite playing just 99 games with the Astros, he won the American League Rookie of the Year after hitting .279 with 21 doubles, a triple and 22 home runs. He turned 21 late in the MLB season. Francisco Lindor (2014): Lindor began the 2014 season where he ended the 2013 season, at AA. In 88 games, he hit .278/.352/.389 (.741). He ended the season with 38 games at AAA Columbus and hit .273/.307/.388 (.695). Combined, he hit 16 doubles, four triples and 11 home runs. He turned 21 a month after the season completed. FOURTH FULL SEASON Royce Lewis (2021): To be determined. He will turn 22 years old in early June. Carlos Correa (2016): Correa’s first full season with the Astros. As a 21-year-old, he played in 153 games and hit .274 with 36 doubles, 20 homers and 96 RBI. Francisco Lindor (2015): Lindor began his 2015 at AAA. He played 59 games there and hit .284/.350/.402 (.752) with 11 doubles, five triples and two home runs. Six days after Correa, he was called up and made his MLB debut on June 14, 2015 (age 21 years, 212 days). In 99 games for Cleveland, Lindor hit .313/.353/.482 (.835) with 22 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs. He finished runner up to Correa for Rookie of the Year. Correa and Lindor have had terrific starts to their careers. They are both in their fourth season in the big leagues now and have established themselves as stars. Correa won that 2015 Rookie of the Year award. He was an All-Star in 2017 and then helped lead the Astros to a World Series title. Lindor has been a three-time All-Star, and won both a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards. He led Cleveland to the World Series in 2016 when they fell in a tough Game 7 to the Cubs. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? Carlos Correa made his MLB debut three years after being drafted, almost to the date. It was in his third full season as a professional. It was especially aggressive considering he missed half of a season with a broken leg. Francisco Lindor debuted almost exactly four years after her was drafted out of high school. It was halfway through his fourth full season. Obviously Royce Lewis’s debut will not be based on Correa and Lindor’s timeline. It will be based on his progress at each level and the Twins front office’s plan for his arrival, and what they want him to accomplish at least stop along the way. However, here are some scenarios: Correa debuted three months before his 21st birthday. For Lewis, that would be Opening Day 2020.Correa debuted approximately three years after his draft day. For Lewis, that would mean mid-June 2020.Lindor debuted about four months before he turned 22 years old. For Lewis, that would mean Opening Day 2021.Lindor debuted almost exactly four years after he was drafted. For Lewis, that would mean mid-June 2021.That’s a pretty big range for when we could see Royce Lewis debut in the big leagues. And again, I have to reiterate that prospect and player development is not necessarily linear. Players develop at different rates. That’s important to remember and remind yourself before you get to this next paragraph. Lewis is in his first full professional season. I’m guessing you noticed that both Lindor and Correa spent their entire first full season in the Midwest League. By season’s end, Lewis will have about 50 games in the Florida State League. We could say the Lewis is about a half-season ahead of Correa and Lindor were at the same stage. Additionally, I’m sure you noticed that the power numbers that Lewis has displayed surpass the power numbers shown by Correa and Lindor. Those two didn’t show much power until they got to the big leagues. There is reason for excitement. But you’ll notice that Cleveland was a lot more patient with Lindor than Houston was with Correa, especially when you consider that he missed about half a year. If you want my opinion, I think there is an outside chance, but a chance nonetheless, that Twins fans could see Royce Lewis at Target Field late in the 2019 season. I fully expect the Twins to invite Lewis to big league spring training next year, and I expect that he will make an impression on the coaches. In addition to Lewis’s development offensively and defensively, a call up in 2019 may depend as much on the Twins season and playoff competitiveness. AGGRESSIVE: July 2019 is very aggressive. Lewis will have just turned 20 and could help the Twins down the stretch. REALISTIC: June 2020 is probably the most realistic timeline for Lewis. PATIENT: June 2021 is a patient approach, especially considering how quickly the Twins have moved Lewis to this point, but Francisco Lindor has turned out quite good despite a slower approach. It is a question I get often. I try to answer in a realistic manner, but I did want to dig into the development timeline of two great young shortstops, Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa. While they are just two data points, it gives us something to compare to, something that could be achievable. So now it’s your turn? When do you think Royce Lewis will be able to make his MLB debut? What do you think the determining factors should be for his promotion? Click here to view the article

It’s safe to say that the first Battle of #1 Picks went in favor of Royce Lewis. The Miracle were in Lakeland, the Florida State League affiliate of Detroit Tigers.On the mound to face the Miracle was 2018 #1 overall pick Casey Mize, a right-hander from Auburn. Lewis led off with a single, and in his second at-bat, he drilled a two-run homer. Mize went just three innings, and Lewis and the Miracle went on to a big win. Hopefully we'll be following Casey Mize/Royce Lewis at-bats for many years.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Twins officially placed OF/DH Robbie Grossman on the disabled list. They recalled OF Johnny Field who they claimed last week from Cleveland. He had spent much of the first half with the Tampa Bay Rays.The Lookouts announced that RHP Jorge Alcala was activated from the DL. LHP Anthony Marzi was sent back to Ft. Myers.In moves that we mentioned here yesterday, the Cedar Rapids Kernels announced that infielder Jose Miranda had been promoted to Ft. Myers. Infielder and 2018 draft pick Michael Helman was promoted to the Kernels from Elizabethton.Ft. Myers announced the RHP Dylan Stowell was returned to the GCL Twins.Brandon Lopez was released by the Twins organization. The former 10th-round pick out of Miami was playing with the Miracle.Following the Elizabethton games, Dan Hayes reported on Twitter that OF Trevor Larnach has been promoted to Cedar Rapids. Andriu Marin came on and threw scoreless innings up in the third and fourth frames. In the fifth, he was charged with six runs. Osiris German got the final two outs of that inning but not before giving up two more runs. German did work a scoreless sixth inning. Erik Cha came on and gave up two runs on four hits over two innings. He struck out three. Petru Balan gave up one run on two hits in his inning. He struck out two. Gabe Snyder led the offense. He hit his seventh double and third home run and drove in four runs. Janigson Vallalobos went 2-for-4 with his second triple. Victor Tademo was 2-for-4 with his fifth double. Hunter Lee had two hits, including his third double. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Royce Lewis, Ft. Myers Miracle (4-6, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Hector Lujan, Ft. Myers Miracle (3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. Please note that this Prospect Summary has been updated. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 4-6, 2 HR(3), 3 R, 5 RBI, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, R, 2 RBI, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Did not play #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch #6 - Trevor Larnach (Elizabethton) - 1-3, 2B(4), K | 1-2, HBP, R #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 0-4, 2 K #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 1-2, 2 BB, K, 3B(9) #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not play #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Disabled List #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, BB, HR(11), R, 2 K #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Rained out. #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - 1-4, 2B(6),K | 1-3, K #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - will have surgery on his wrist soon. Out for season. #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - 1-4, 2 RBI, R #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, BB, R, K *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Zack Littell (3-4, 3.58 ERA) Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 CST) - RHP Griffin Jax (2-1, 3.41 ERA) Cedar Rapids - No Game Scheduled Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Jose Miranda was promoted to Ft. Myers. Michael Helman from E-Town to Cedar Rapids.

Jeffers is off to a fantastic start. Hard to compare him with Rooker at this point since Rooker moved up to Ft. Myers instead of Cedar Rapids, and they are different types of hitters. Also, just naturally a catcher who needs to work on defense should be moved along a little more slowly than a 1B/LF. But it's great to see him off to such a good start. Jaylin Davis has taken a big step forward this year, in my mind. He's slowed the strikeouts and taken more walks. Obviously both of those things are important. He's got 9 homers on the season, but just four in Chattanooga after last night's two-homer night. Now if he can maintain the K rate and bring back the power again, he's another OF with a chance. Cutura just hasn't pitched much since being drafted. He has been hurts o much. He's had a couple of strong starts this year so far, but this is probably the best. I mean, it's hard to get much better.

Carrier's on the DL, to make room for De La Trinidad. I've said before the De La Trinidad profiles a lot like Mark Contreras, in my opinion. Both small, undersized guys and both just have gotten the job done all year. Cedar Rapids outfield includes Akil Baddoo, Gabriel Maciel, Jean Carlos Arias, Jacob Pearson and Trey Cabbage, who has been playing more 1B since the trade. Celestino shouldn't move up to Ft. Myers yet, so now he just keeps playing in E-Town. Granted, he was there last year too and did OK, nothing wrong with a 19-year-old being in the Appy League. Doesn't hurt him at all.

How they rank for what? Season stats? Age?