Seth Stohs

Before we share our choices for the Twins Minor League Top Five Relievers for July, here are some terrific bullpen performances that just missed the cut. HONORABLE MENTION Erik Cha- GCL Twins, 7 G, 1.64 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 8 K Ryan Eades - Chattanooga Lookouts, 6 G, 2.19 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 9 H, 0 BB, 12 K Regi Grace - GCL Twins, 3 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K Ryne Harper - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings, 8 G, 1.42 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 15 K Zach Neff - Elizabethton Twins, 9 G, 2.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 11 H, 5 BB, 18 K Derek Molina - Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels, 7 G, 1.42 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 3 H, 12 BB, 22 K Andrew Vasquez - Chattanooga Lookouts, 9 G, 2.16 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 16 H, 1 BB, 29 K THE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS #5 - Jose Martinez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 8 G, 1.20 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 15.0 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 16 K You may not have heard of Jose Martinez, but this is his sixth season in the Twins organization. Signed in 2013 out of Venezuela by Jose Leon, Martinez spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He spent the last two seasons in Elizabethton. He has spent this entire season with the Kernels in Cedar Rapids.In 28 total games, he has worked 53 2/3 innings. He’s got a 4.53 ERA. He has 50 strikeouts and 21 walks. He was very good in July and ended the month with six scoreless outings covering 11 1/3 innings. He recorded a save in three of his final four outings during the month. #4 - Jake Reed - Rochester Red Wings - 8 G, 2.03 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 4 H, 5 BB, 11 K Reed was the Twins fifth-round draft pick in 2014 out of the University of Oregon. He flew up the system, pitching in the Arizona Fall League that year and starting the 2015 season in Chattanooga. However, he has fought some injuries and still has yet to receive the call up. However, if his past two months are any indication, just maybe it will come this year. In July, opponents hit just .095/.224/.143 (.367) against him. Reed has a fastball in the mid-90s that runs in on a right-hander, and he compements it with a mid-80s slider that darts away from a right-hander. #3 - Adam Bray - Ft. Myers Miracle - 9 G, 0.98 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 18.1 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 19 K Adam Bray had a fantastic baseball career if he had just quit playing after a high school state championship and a national championship with his American Legion team. He went to South Dakota State and then was drafted by the Dodgers. This March, he was acquired by the Twins in a trade. He didn’t join the Miracle until the end of June. As you can see from his numbers, he pitched a lot, and he pitched quite well. Opponents hit just .136/.212/.220 (.432) off of him during the month, and he struck out more than a batter per inning. Get to know a little more about Adam Bray from this story. #2 - Cody Stashak - Chattanooga Lookouts - 9 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 16 K Stashak was drafted as a starting pitcher out of St. Johns in the 13th round of the 2015 draft. He was a pretty solid, underrated starter. In 2016, he posted a 2.80 ERA between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. Last year, he posted a 3.60 ERA between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga. This year, the move was made to the bullpen and it has been successful. In 43 2/3 innings so far this year for the Lookouts, he has a 3.09 ERA and 60 strikeouts to go with just 13 walks. In July, he didn’t give up a run, earned or unearned. Opponents hit just .179/.220/.256 (.476) against him during the month. At 6-2 and thin, Stashak throws in the low 90s with a good pitch mix. He’s got good control and command. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers Miracle – LHP Jovani Moran - 8 G, 1.13 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 16.0 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 22 K Moran is the choice for Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for the second straight month. The difference, of course, is that he was a member of the Cedar Rapids Kernels throughout the month of June. At the end of the month, Moran was promoted to Ft. Myers and hasn’t missed a beat. The 2015 seventh-round pick from Puerto Rico has pitched in different roles in his short time with the Miracle, averaging two innings per outing. In July, opponents hit just .148/.164/.204 (.367) against him. In large part, the 22:1 strikeout to walk ratio helps with that. The 21-year-old missed the 2016 season after having surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow. He returned strong in 2017, and he was the Twins Daily short-season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. For Elizabethton, he gave up just one run in 24 2/3 innings (0.36 ERA), and had just six walks to go with 45 strikeouts. Moran is not a big guy .He stands 6-foot-1 and weighs in at about 170 pounds. He’s got a good whip action and some deception in his delivery. His fastball reaches into the low-90s, and he’s got a good slider and changeup. He really just needs to keep working and developing, and gaining strength could help him add a little more velocity. He’s a really good athlete who fields the position well. There were several strong relief pitcher performances in July throughout the Twins minor league system. It was a good month for each of these pitchers mentioned today, but for the second straight month, Congratulations to Jovani Moran. He is the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for July 2018.

On Thursday night, Casanova went 1-for-3 with a home run. Through his first 24 games as a professional baseball player, he has hit .313/.383/.469 (.852) with nine doubles and two home runs. We would like to thank Trevor for taking time to answer our questions. Please feel free to ask questions and congratulate Trevor in the Comments below. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in southern California, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Trevor Casanova (TC): My favorite team growing up would be the Angels, my mom and my step dad are huge Angel fans so I decided to jump on board with them. Some of my favorite players growing up were Ken Griffey Jr, Pudge Rodriguez, Mike Piazza 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? TC: Honestly, I only played one year of high school baseball but I would have to say showing up every day with your close friends and the life long relationships I have because of it is the best memory to me. I did not play any other sports, only baseball. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and what was it about El Camino College that made it the right choice for you?? TC: Out of high school I did not have high enough grades to get recruited anywhere so there was no recruiting process for me. I ended going to three different junior colleges before I found the right fit for me at El Camino. The coaches at El Camino believed in me and my abilities as a human being and gave me an opportunity to pursue my dreams even considering my background as a student. That’s how I knew it was right fit. SS: And then the recruitment at El Camino. What was it about Cal State Northridge that made it stand out to you, especially considering you had been drafted by the Mariners in 2017? TC: Again, The coaches at Cal State Northridge believed in me and wanted the best for me and my future even though they knew I had a rough past. They were the only Division 1 team to reach out to me prior to my season at El Camino and offered me a scholarship based on me as an individual and not because of me as a player. I knew after that, that was the best place for me. SS: What were a couple of your highlights from your college years? TC: At El Camino my favorite highlight is making to the state championship with some of my closest friends I still have today and the life-long relationships I made while being at that school. At Northridge I would also say just showing up everyday to be a better individual on and off the baseball field. And also the life- long relationships I made while being there. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? What was your interaction with the Twins scout? TC: I spoke with a few scouts prior to the draft. Seth Moir which who was my area scout, invited me to a pre-draft workout prior to the draft where we got to meet in person. SS: The Twins took you in the 13th round. Was that about where you were expecting to be selected? How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy was your phone at that moment? TC: I did not have any expectations coming into this draft. I was and am just blessed I got an opportunity to put on a Twins uniform. I was at home with my family while I got selected and celebrated with them all. My phone starting blowing up with friends and family congratulating me. SS: What has the adjustment been like for you so far, from the college game to the professional game, both on and off the field? TC: The adjustment for me has been very smooth and better than I had thought it was going to be. For me, going from college to professional it is just understanding you are going to go through good and bad times and keeping a positive attitude and outlook day in and day out is the most important thing for me right now. SS: You have put up some very solid numbers in Elizabethton. Are you at all surprised to have experienced such success already, and what do you think has been the biggest reason for the success? TC: I am blessed and grateful for the success I have had so far. The biggest reason for me is just keeping a positive attitude every day, showing up to the field every day the same and being myself while having fun at the same time. SS: At this very early stage in your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths? TC: My biggest strengths for me I would say is my mental toughness. Not letting negative things or bad days on the field affect me mentally. Showing up to the field everyday and being the same person every day. SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve? TC: : I would love to work on everything about my game. Every aspect of being a better hitter at the plate. Learn as much as I can at other positions while I can to keep myself versatile. SS: What do you have planned for the offseason? What was your major in school? TC: For the offseason, I don’t have anything planned yet. I don’t like to think to far ahead and just take it day by day. Right now I’m just focused on this season and doing anything and everything I can to help this team win. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? TC: A lot of people have helped me get to this point in my career. From the coaches at El Camino, Cal State Northridge, and most importantly my family pushing me every day to pursue my dreams and believing in me. SS: Favorite Baseball movie? TC: All-time favorite baseball movie, I would have to go with Moneyball. Again, a huge Thank You to Elizabethton catcher Trevor Casanova for taking time to answer our questions. We wish him well the remainder of the season. Feel free to ask questions in the comments below.

Before we share our choices for the Twins Minor League Top Five Starters for July, there are some terrific starting performers that just missed the cut. HONORABLE MENTION Charlie Barnes - Ft. Myers Miracle - 5 GS, 27.1 IP, 1.98 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 26 H, 9 BB, 10 K Prelander Berroa - GCL Twins - 4 GS, 18.2 IP, 1.93 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 14 H, 8 BB, 12 K Donny Breek - GCL Twins - 4 G, 3 GS, 15.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9 H, 7 BB, 17 K Andrew Cabezas - Elizabethton Twins - 18.2 IP, 1.93 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 13 H, 5 BB, 17 K Edwar Colina - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 5 G, 4 GS, 26.2 IP, 2.36 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 20 H, 12 BB, 30 K Randy Dobnak - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 28.1 IP, 1.91 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 26 H, 4 BB, 22 K Blayne Enlow - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 24.0 IP, 1.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 19 H, 7 BB, 12 K Tyler Palm - Elizabethton Twins - 4 GS, 19.0 IP, 1.89 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 23 H, 3 BB, 17 K Sean Poppen - Chattanooga Lookouts - 6 G, 3 GS, 32.1 IP, 1.95 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 24 H, 7 BB, 29 K THE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS #5 - RHP Tyler Wells - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 GS, 1-1, 3.52 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 15 H, 3 BB, 28 K The Twins drafted the 6-8 right-hander in the 15th round of the 2016 draft out of Cal State-San Bernadino. Wells was our choice for Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher in June, and he was very good again in July. Opponents hit just .183/.230/.329 (.559) off of him during the month. He struck out more than a batter per inning, and he showed very good control. Wells has worked very hard and lost about 50 pounds since being drafted, including about 30 pounds since last season. The results have shown for him, and as July was coming to an end, he received a promotion to Chattanooga. #4 - RHP Randy Dobnak - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 2-1, 1.91 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 28.1 IP, 26 H, 4 BB, 22 K Dobnak was signed just over a year ago out of the independent USPBL. Ever since, he has been a stable, consistent arm, mostly for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. In his July starts, the Alderson-Broaddus College graduate continued that trend. All four of his starts were quality starts. He averaged over seven innings per start and went at least 6 2/3 innings in each start. In fact, he has completed at least six innings in his last eight starts. The 23-year-old has a full pitch mix. While he doesn’t usually top 92 with his fastball, he has four good pitches. #3 - LHP Lewis Thorpe - Chattanooga Lookouts - 5 GS, 2-0, 2.05 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 22.0 IP, 14 H, 2 BB, 25 K For the 22-year-old Australian,Thorpe has really made adjustments and improved over the course of the season at AA Chattanooga. The best way to illustrate that improvement might be by showing his OPS against numbers by month. In April, opponents posts a 1.020 OPS off him. In May, .839. June? .612. And in July, opponents hit just .171/.188/.232 (.420) off of the southpaw. Thorpe represented the Twins and Australia on the World team at the Futures Game. And the reasons for his improvement in July are clear. He didn’t give up many hits. He walked very few, and he struck out more than a batter per inning. Thorpe was added to the Twins 40-man roster last November. With the way he’s pitching, he could be debut with the Twins sometime in 2019. #2- LHP Stephen Gonsalves - Rochester Red Wings - 5 G, 2-0, 0.88 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 30.2 IP, 17 H, 9 BB, 24 K While Gonsalves could make a case to be the July pitcher of the month, it is more important to see just how well he has pitched of late. While the award might be nice, the reward Gonsalves likely wants most would be his first big-league promotion. That should be coming soon. It’s no secret that Gonsalves has had some highs and lows already this season. However, in his past eight starts, Gonsalves has gone 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA. In 46 1/3 innings, he has given up 23 hits, walked 22 and struck out 37 batters. He has given up zero home runs. The walks have been an issue throughout the season for Gonsalves, but in his past two starts, he has a total of one walk in 13 innings. Gonsalves looks the part of a major-league starting pitcher. He’s long and lean, and he’s got a smooth delivery. He’s got a plus-curveball and a solid, very slow curveball. He’s added a cutter/slider which all helps him miss bats with his low-90s fastball. There is no reason for Gonsalves not to make his debut within the next month. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids Kernels - RHP Bailey Ober - 4 GS, 3-0, 0.73 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 14 H, 2 BB, 36 K Ober was the Twins 12th-round draft pick in 2017 out of the College of Charleston where he was national freshman of the year, but then he needed Tommy John surgery. He missed more time with other injuries. When healthy, the 6-8 right-hander has a lot of potential. He hyper-extended his knee in spring training and stuck in extended spring for about six weeks. He joined the Cedar Rapids Kernels in late April. In his Kernels debut, he gave up six earned runs and got just two outs. He gave up four runs in four innings during his second start. In his third start, he gave up four runs in five innings. However since that time, Ober has been one of the better, more consistent starters in the Twins farm system. In July, he was dominant in his first three starts. In his first July start, he went seven innings and struck out 12 batters. In his next start, he struck out ten batters in 6 2/3 innings. In his third start of the month, he struck out 12 batters in eight innings. That’s right. He struck out 34 batters in 21 2/3 innings over just three starts. And he walked just two during that time. Unfortunately in his final start of the month, July 27, Ober went just three innings before leaving the game. He was placed on the disabled list the next day with an elbow strain. He recently had and MRI to see what was going on. Results of the MRI have not yet been made public. Obviously we wish him the best. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of July, Cedar Rapids Kernels right-hander Bailey Ober. Feel free to discuss and ask questions.

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 Byron Buxton was placed on the Red Wings disabled list with a left wrist strain. Rochester added RHP Chase De Jong. He will start on Thursday afternoon. 1B/3B Ryan Costello came to the Twins from the Mariners where he had been playing at Clinton under former Twins utility man Denny Hocking. He reported to the Miracle, so he received a promotion with his new organization. 1B/DH Robby Rinn was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers. 1B/C Ben Rodriguez was sent down to Cedar Rapids because C David Banuelos went on the Kernels DL with a concussion. IF Victor Tademo returned to the GCL Twins from the Miracle. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score Zack Littell put together a strong start and was helped by the bullpen and the bats to earn his third Red Wings win. Littell gave up two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out three. Ryne Harper came on and struck out five batters over two perfect innings. Alan Busenitz got the ninth inning and struck out two batters to end the game. Jon Kemmer went 2-for-4 with his fourth double and first triple since joining the Red Wings. He drove in three runs. Jordan Pacheco went 2-for-4 with his third double. Tyler Austin continued to hurt the team that he played for just two days ago. The former Yankees player went 2-for-4 with his second homer in as many games, his eighth International League homer of the year. And yes, it was a long one again. https://twitter.com/RocRedWings/status/1024819063564980224 CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga, Tennessee Box Score Rains in Tennessee caused Tuesday’s doubleheader to be cancelled. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Jupiter 4 Box Score Griffin Jax had another strong start. He began the game with six shutout innings. He gave up two runs in the seventh inning. In total, he gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Alex Robinson came on and was charged with two runs on two hits over 1 1/3 innings. He struck out two. Colton Davis got the final two outs to record his second save. Travis Blankenhorn got the Miracle off to a fast start. The first three batters for the team got on to load the bases, but the next two batters struck out. Blankenhorn picked them up in a big way, launching his tenth home run, a grand slam. Royce Lewis went 2-for-4 with a walk and his sixth Miracle double. Caleb Hamilton also went 2-for-4 and stole his fourth base. Taylor Grzelakowski had a single and walked twice. Ernie De La Trinidad went 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. That gives him six RBIs through his first four Miracle games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 4 Box Score Tyler Watson started and went just one inning because he needed 36 pitches to complete it. He gave up three runs on one hit and four walks. He struck out one. Calvin Faucher struck out three over three no-hit innings. Derek Molina worked the next three innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He struck out five. Rickey Ramirez gave up a hit, walked one and struck out one in his inning. Ben Rodriguez returned to the Kernels due to the David Banuelos concussion. He hit his ninth and tenth home runs for the Kernels. Andrew Bechtold went 2-for-4. Trey Cabbage hit his 15th double. https://twitter.com/CRKernels/status/1025048580581670912 E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton, Johnson City Box Score Rain also caused the postponement of this game. The teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday. Perhaps delaying for a day a huge milestone. With the next Elizabethton win, manager Ray Smith will reach the 1,000 win total. GCL TWINS TALK Game 1 - GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 6 (resumption from Tuesday) Box Score Down a run heading into the bottom of the ninth inning of this game resumed from Tuesday, the Twins put the ball in play enough to score two runs and get a walkoff win. Before the rains came on Tuesday,Tyler Benninghoff started. He gave up three runs on two hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out two. Then Erik Cha came on and struck out two in his inning. When the game resumed on Wednesday, Junior Navas took the mound. He gave up two runs on four hits over two innings. He struck out one. Steven Cruz gave up an unearned run on one hit and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. Denny Bentley came on for the final two outs. Former Twins pitcher Ryan O’Rourke came on for the bottom of the ninth inning, continuing his rehab. The inning started with an error on the third baseman. Then a bunt single down the third base line. And then another, to load the bases. There was a fourth grounder toward third base which scored the tying run despite the throw coming home. Finally, Tyler Webb came up and hit a sacrifice fly to end the game. Yeison Perez went 2-for-4 with his seventh double and two RBI. Erick Rivera and two hits and two RBI. Hunter Lee also had two hits. Charlie Mack went 1-for-3 with a walk. Game 2 - GCL Twins 1, GCL Orioles 0 (8 innings) Box Score The regularly scheduled game ended up going an extra inning, but this time the Orioles won in a walkoff. Donny Breek, the reigning Twins minor league pitcher of the month, gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits over four innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out five. JT Perez came on and struck out one in a 1-2-3 inning. Osiris German got the sixth inning and struck out two. Petru Balan pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but in the eighth frame, he gave up the tying run (who started the innings at second base) and one more run to take the loss. Alberoni Nunez got the Twins off to a big start. He hit a first-inning grand slam. Agustin Marte went 2-for-4 with his fourth double. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Ben Rodriguez, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Griffin Jax, Ft. Myers Miracle (7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K, 96 pitches, 71 strikes) 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) - 2-4, BB, 2B(6), 3 R #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) -1-3, HBP, RBI, K #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #4 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 0-4 #5 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch #6 - Trevor Larnach (Elizabethton) - Rained out. #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - Rained out. #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, 2 BB #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (97 pitches, 60 strikes) #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-4, 2B(8), R #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, HR(10), 4 RBI, R, K #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Rained out. #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - Rained out. #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - will have surgery on his wrist soon. Out for season. #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, BB, R, K #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - Rained out. #21 - Jose Miranda (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4 *Since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (11:35 am CST) - RHP Chase De Jong (1st Red Wings/Twins start) Mississippi @ Chattanooga (6:00 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe (6-4, 3.61 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - Bullpen Game started by Jovani Moran Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:00 CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak (7-3, 3.53 ERA) Elizabethton @ Johnson City (DH @ 4:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Palm, RHP Andrew Cabezas GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions about Wednesday’s games, or ask any questions you may have.