Seth Stohs

If you were wondering why Ryan Pressly was not used in the 10th inning of Friday night's loss to the Red Sox, well, there was a good reason. Moments after the game, Ken Rosenthal reported that Pressly was traded to the Houston Astros.Per multiple reports, the Twins will receive RHP Jorge Alcala and CF Gilberto Celestino. Per MLB Pipeline, Alcala is (was?) the Astros #10 prospect while Celestino ranked #15. Jorge Alcala will turn 23 tomorrow. The Dominican native has 82 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings for the Astros High A and AA affilaites. He is the #8 Astros prospect per Baseball America. Some reports indicate he is another hard-thrower who can hit 100 mph. Celestino is 19, also from the Dominican. He has played in the short-season New York/Penn League and played in three games at AA earlier this year. He has hit a combined .299 with eight doubles and four homers. Also 14 steals in 36 games. Ryan Pressly was said to be the Twins player that almost all contending teams were asking about. His velocity and spin rate made him, along with having one more year of arbitration, made him intriguing to a lot of teams. The former Twins Rule 5 pick has really made strides in 2018 after looking the part and showing glimpses over his years with the Twins. Pressly is a Texas native, so he's kind of heading home and will fit into an already strong Astros bullpen. Click here to view the article

He helped his high school team win a Minnesota state baseball championship. In the summer, he was a big part of an American Legion National championship. He achieved his goal of going to a Division I college to play baseball. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers, fulfilling a goal of being a professional baseball player. This spring, Adam Bray’s career pushed him in a new direction. The goal remains the same, but now that goal involves eventually playing for his home state Recently, Twins minor league right-handed pitcher Adam Bray answered questions for Twins Daily.Today, let’s get to know him a little bit.Adam Bray grew up in the shadows of the Metrodome. Not the actual shadows , of course, there weren’t any houses that close to the Metrodome. However, Bray certainly was a big Twins fan. “I have been a Minnesota Twins fan since I was young,” Bray recently told Twins Daily. “I grew up going to games at the Metrodome with my parents and friends. My favorite memory was getting to go on the field and watching batting practice for my birthday. My favorite Twins players were Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, and Joe Mauer.” As he grew up, Bray played on some of the best youth teams around. He played for Eden Prairie High School, one of the biggest high schools in the state, and they do a lot of winning. Bray noted, “My favorite memory from high school was winning the Minnesota State High School League State championship in 2010 at Target Field, and earning the win as the pitcher.” But Bray was a multi-sport athlete and very active in high school. “I played football for four years at Eden Prairie, and I played basketball for one year. In addition, I was involved with FCA and PROP.” In the summers, he was a big part of some really, really great American Legion teams. After his junior season, the team went to the national championship and finished as the runner-up. Following his senior season, the team got back, and this time they won the American League World Series. “I loved being part of two very talented and fun teams, both of which made it to the championship game. That’s one of the best experiences of my baseball career! Not many teams have done that.” Despite the high school and Legion success at one of the best programs in the state, he didn’t have a lot of offers coming out of high school. Bray noted, “I had very few offers coming out of high school. I had two NCAA Division I programs looking at me, and the rest of the programs were out of Division II or III, and junior colleges. My dream and goal was to play Division I baseball.” Bray decided to fulfill that Division I dream and went to South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. “SDSU had a unique community. I liked how the athletics were on the rise, and how supportive the community was about the programs there.” He was able to make the weekend rotation for SDSU as a freshman and had a real strong career full of highlights. “Winning the Summit League tournament in 2013 and playing in a regional was a big highlight of my career.” Following his four seasons at South Dakota State, Bray was selected late in Day 3 by the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was another dream to cross off the list of goals. “Ahead of the draft, I had talked to several teams that said they were looking at acquiring me in the late rounds. I was eager for the opportunity to have a chance to play professional baseball. On the third day of the MLB Draft, I learned that I was picked in the 33rd round by the Los Angeles Dodgers while sitting at home with my mom. I was thrilled to have a chance to continue to play baseball. It was a very emotional day for both of us.” He spent that 2015 season in Ogden with the Dodgers’ rookie Pioneer League team. In 2016, he split the season between the Low A Midwest League and High-A California League. He started the 2017 season back with Rancho Cucamonga where he went 7-3 with a 4.44 ERA in 26 games (19 starts). He even made one start for the Dodgers AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City. There have been many adjustments for Bray during his three-plus professional seasons. “The game is much faster. You are facing the best of the best every night, and now it’s a business. It’s important to work hard everyday, and to surround yourself with good people.” He went to spring training this year hoping to continue to work his way up the Dodgers’ organizational ladder, but one day he was pulled out of the locker room and told that he had been traded. “It was a Thursday morning, and I was getting ready for the day at Camelback Ranch and I was sitting at my locker. Our farm director, Brandon Gomes, pulled me outside of the locker room and told me I had been traded to the Minnesota Twins. I couldn’t believe it and was shocked. I told him, ‘You’re kidding me!’ He said he wasn’t. I asked him what was coming next, and he said I needed to pack the bags. The Minnesota Twins were in contact with me later. I called my fiancé and shared the news with her, and then my parents. It was exciting!” As you would expect, there has been an adjustment to joining a new organization. Bray noted, “I only have good things to say about both organizations. I am blessed, and beyond grateful to have played in such a classy organization with the Dodgers. My time with the Twins has been great thus far. I think the hard part coming to the Twins was getting adjusted to how they run things here, and also meeting everyone.” On Thursday night, Bray came out of the Miracle bullpen and threw two scoreless innings. He struck out four batters. In nine outings since joining the Miracle in late June, he has worked out of the bullpen, throwing anywhere from one inning to three innings. He has posted a 1.02 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP over his first 17 2/3 innings. He has given up ten hits, walked six and struck out 17 batters. In years past, he worked mostly as a starter, but he got in quite a bit of time as a reliever as well, and that’s something he believes is important for him. “My versatility is one of my biggest strengths as a pitcher. I have been both a starter, and a reliever in my career. I throw lots of strikes while not walking many batters.” The 25-year-old righty isn’t a finished product on the mound by any means, and he knows he’s got some things to work on. “I am working on improving my ability to read hitters tendencies and swings. I feel that by watching what a hitter does can tell you a lot about how to pitch him. It also helps that we have more data on hitters than ever before.” Bray is also quick to credit others who have helped him reach this point in his career. “First and foremost my parents have been a huge part of why I’m at the place I am today! The support they provide is amazing. Other people are my Grandpa (aka “my number 1 fan”) who passed away two years ago, my fiancé, and high school and college coaches. I have so many people that have helped me get to where I am today but those are some very special people.” Now he’s living a dream, playing in the organization he grew up watching. The goal is to play on the field where he watched the Twins play, and where he played in a state championship game in high school Of the idea of playing for the Twins, Bray has given it some thought. “I am truly honored to be a part of a team and organization I grew up watching. The Twins are a classy organization, and it would be a dream come true to put on a big league uniform in front of the hometown crowd in Minneapolis!” In case you were wondering, Bray is a Health Education major with a minor in Health Science. He is just a couple of credits left to earn his degree. And, most important for you to know, Bray points out that his favorite baseball movie is either The Sandlot or Moneyball. A huge Thank You to Adam Bray for taking time to answer our questions to thoroughly and completely. Please feel free to wish him well in the Comments below, and you can also ask any questions you like. Click here to view the article

Tademo is ranked #34 on my personal rankings, but he wasn't a Top 40 Twins Daily prospects. He's young a nd in his second GCL year. I think he's intriguing, but this is clearly a move across the parking lot, probably short-term. He'll have to move up the ladder more slowly.

Wells is 91-94, touching 95. Slegers is more 89-91, touching 92.

Wells lost his perfect game in the 6th inning on a bunt single.He was fantastic. Miranda's been very good. Helman was a nice 11th round pick, a college shortstop... but yeah, the last Texas A&M infielder they took in the draft turned out pretty good. (Though I'm not going to look at the 1990-2017 drafts to see if the Twins took any other Texas A&M infielders in that time).

If he continues to get 2-4 hits every game, it could happen. Not sure what Zoll's philosophy is on promotions, ,but Kirilloff might be a rare exception to many rules. But,, there's also nothing wrong with him gaining some extended success before pushing him to a level. It's almost like we don't want players to succeed in the minor leagues because it means "they''re not being challenged" but then when they move up and struggle we question them (see Gordon above). They won't make a move based on 10 games, or 30 games, but if Chattanooga is in a playoff race late in the year, they could move him up for that.

Yup, was his second game with the Kernels. He got his first hit and first RBI last night.

The 7-Day DL is the only DL in the minor leagues...

I believe... He was #18 on my personal Top 50 Twins prospect rankings and came in at 27 for Twins Daily... I think he''s got a chance to be good.

In Trouble? No. Struggling? Yup, as you would expect a young guy in his first go-round at his age in AAA.

He had something like a blood clot in one of his arms. Was a scary thing for a bit. Had surgery back in August. Just now getting back.

Elizabethton has Cosgrove, Casanova and Molina as catchers already. I don't know that Villalobos is a prospect, so I don't know that he needs to move up. I'm good with Tyler Wells moving up, and Ober has been good for a month, so he could take Wells' spot in Ft. Myers. Rinn went from Ft. Myers back down to Extended Spring Training before joining the Kernels. He's old enough to move up. Not sure he'll move, unless something happens to Ben Rodriguez (now that he's been moved up to Ft. Myers).

In 2018? Lewis? Navarreto? Kirilloff? Wade and Gordon are probables... Rooker is a maybe, but unlikely...the other three... 2019, maybe...

Not sure if you saw my tweet earlier this afternoon, but he fractured his thumb. Finds out tomorrow if he'll need surgery.

Nobody is privy to what the plan is. My assumption was Kirilloff would get up to the Miracle and stay there... but obviously if he's getting 2-3 hits a game for a month, the plan is likely subject to change. He can go to the AFL regardless.

Optimistic? Rooker late August Kirilloff June 2019.

It was a day full of close games and extra innings in the Twins minor league system. Two games went to extra innings. One game ended with a walk off in the bottom of the ninth inning. Alex Kirilloff and Brent Rooker continued to rake. And don’t forget you can Get To Know Elizabethton first baseman and 2018 eighth-round pick Chris Williams.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Monday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Officially, Adalberto Mejia was called up to the Twins with Alan Busenitz being sent down to Rochester.Infielder Alex Perez has returned to the Chattanooga Lookouts. Also, infielder Chris Paul has been activated from the disabled list. RHP Cody Stashak was activated from the temporary Inactive List. RHP Todd Van Steensel was placed on the disabled list.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Box Score No Game Scheduled. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Pensacola 3 Box Score Down 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, Lookouts baseball found itself with a few heroes. Mitchell Kranson was called upon to pinch hit, and he hit a game-tying home run, his second since joining the Lookouts. Tanner English followed with a triple. After two batters were walked intentionally, Chris Paul provided the walk off single. Brent Rooker led the offense. The powerful slugger went 2-for-3 with his 18th home run of the season. Paul went 2-for-5 in the game. Jaylin Davis also went 2-for-5 on the night. It was Sam Clay’s turn to play the role of “Opener” on Monday night. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in his inning. He struck out one. Anthony Marzi then came on and worked the next five innings. He gave up just one run despite five hits, three walks and a hit batter. He struck out four. Andrew Vasquez got five outs, two on strikeouts, and Ryne Harper struck out the one batter he faced. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 11, Jupiter 12 (11 innings) Box Score The Miracle began a road trip on Monday, and it was a ‘70s Road Trip… KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Lansing 2 Box Score The Kernels got another quality start from righty Randy Dobnak. He gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four. Melvi Acosta came on and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. Unfortunately, the Kernels managed just two hits and two walks in the game. Andrew Bechtold hit his 16th doubles while Ariel Montesino knocked his second two-bagger. E-TWINS E-TALK Elizabethton , Princeton Box Score The doubleheader at Princeton was cancelled. Obviously with a short-season, there are fewer off days to make up games, so instead of postponing, they need to cancel them. GCL TWINS TALK GCL Twins 4, GCL Rays 5 (10 innings) Box Score Another extra innings game for a Twins affiliate in Florida… Same result, unfortunately. The Twins scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning, but then gave up three runs in the bottom of the inning. Prelander Berroa started and gave up two runs on three hits over four innings. He walked four and struck out four. Niklas Rimmel, a 19-year-old from Germany, made his first pro appearance in the States. He gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. Michael Montero gave up a hit and walked one but did not allow a run over his two innings. JT Perez came on and gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits over 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two. Osiris German came on and gave up a home run that ended the game. Gabe Snyder led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with his fourth double. LaRon Smith and Janigson Villalobos both went 1-for-3 with two walks. Smith added his first double. Hunter Lee added his first GCL double, and Willie Joe Garry, Jr., added his third double. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Alex Kirilloff, Ft. Myers Miracle (3-4, BB, 3-2B(11). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Randy Dobnak, Cedar Rapids Kernels (6 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 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) - 1-6, 2B(3), 3 RBI, R, K #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 3-4, 3-2B(11), #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) - Did not play #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 2-3, 2 BB, HR(18), K, R, RBI #8 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, K #9 -Wander Javier - out of for the season #10 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch. #11 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch. #12 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - Did not play. #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 2 R, 2 K #14 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Did not pitch. #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, R, K #16 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton) - Did not play #17 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 0-2 #18 - Ryan Jeffers (Elizabethton) - Did not play. #19 - Jacob Pearson (Cedar Rapids) - Did not play. #20 - Luis Arraez (Chattanooga) - Did not play. #21 - Jose Miranda (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 *I figured that since Wander Javier is out, I’d add #21 to the list. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis (6:05 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves (6-3. 3.34 ERA) Pensacola @ Chattanooga (7:05 CST) - TBD Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes (4-5, 2.93 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (1-2, 3.49 ERA) Elizabethton @ Burlington (6:00 CST) - LHP Kody Funderburk (0-0, 3.55 ERA) GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Here is the Baseball America article I read in this awhile back... Though I'm certain there are similar articles out there too. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/where-are-they-now-mark-davidson/

About six weeks ago, the Minnesota Twins used their eighth round draft pick to select Chris Williams, a catcher out of Clemson. Recently, Twins Daily caught up with the slugger who already has nine home runs for the Elizabethton Twins in 2018. Take a few minutes to get to know one of the newest intriguing Minnesota Twins prospects.Chris Williams grew up in Southern California. Following high school, he spent a year at a junior college before heading across the country to play in South Carolina at a big-time Division 1 school. He played first base and third base. In 2017, he was the Tigers’ catcher. This spring, the team need was for him at first base, and that is the position that he has played for the Elizabethton Twins. Thank you to Chris Williams for taking time to respond to our questions. Please feel free to discuss and ask more questions in our comment section below. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Southern California, who was your favorite team to follow? Who were some of your favorite players? Chris Williams (CW): My favorite team was the Angels. I went to countless games growing up and have memories since I was a little kid watching the Angels play. Growing up my favorite Angel players were Garret Anderson and Vladimir Guerrero. 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? CW: When i look back at high school and think of the times I had the most fun and enjoyed baseball, it was when i was playing high school baseball with some of my best friends and not taking baseball too seriously at a level that is meant to be both competitive but fun. It was fun having all my friends in the stands and hanging out with them after the games. SS: What were a couple of your highlights from your three college years at Clemson? CW: It’s not my highlight, but a highlight that always sticks out to me is winning the ACC Championship in 2016. That was one of the the coolest moments of my baseball career and is something I will never forget. Also, hitting a home run in our regional. Our fans did a great job of supporting us, and it was an amazing feeling to hit a home run in that environment. SS: What was the recruitment process like for you out of high school, and was there any question that you wanted to go to Clemson? CW: I actually didn’t have any D1 offers out of high school. I went to a junior college in Huntington Beach, California, named Golden West College for a year. After my freshman year, I decided to leave and pursue going to a four-year, D1 college. It was a lot of luck and being in the right place at the right time because I really didn’t have Clemson in my mind for a school I wanted to go to. I mean I just didn’t think that was an opportunity. However, Clemson gave me a call and asked if I was interested in leaving California and going to South Carolina to play baseball. All I can remember was being dumbfounded and thinking, What does South Carolina even look like? I had never left home for more than three weeks. But I took a leap of faith, and it was the best three years of my life. SS: Did you have the chance to speak with many scouts before the draft? What was your interaction with the Twins scout? CW: I spoke with a few, but I was getting ready for a regional and didn’t want to concern myself too much with the draft. So I let my agent handle most of the calls. The scout that drafted me was Matt Williams, and I only spoke briefly with him. He has been a great help with this whole transition, and I am grateful for the opportunity. SS: The Twins took you in the eighth round. How did you find out that you had been drafted? How busy was your phone at that moment? CW: I was out eating lunch with my dad and some of my best friends when I started getting a lot of calls from different teams asking if this amount was OK and stuff like that. I thought I was going to get picked by another team when the Twins called and said they had taken me in the eighth round. It was a great feeling to have my name called and to have some of my best friends and my dad right there to celebrate with 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? CW: I mean, immediately, playing every day has been an adjustment. In college, you only played four games a week, plus a mandatory day off. Also, you can take it easy at practice before a big weekend. Here, you play games every day, and you can’t check out mentally because every at-bat matters. You don’t want to throw at-bats away. Also, everyone is good at this level. Every at bat is a battle and the game is slightly faster. SS: You have put up strong power 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? CW: I’m definitely a little pleasantly surprised because I didn’t really have any expectations for this summer. I was just excited to get my feet wet and told myself to focus on the process because this is all going to be a brand new transition and I didn’t want to get overwhelmed. However, I trusted that my experiences in college would get me ready for my future in professional baseball and so far I feel like it has. SS: At this very early stage in your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths? CW: We play cards everyday, and I’m really good at 13. Best player in the clubhouse. SS: What are the areas of your game that you would like to spend time working to improve? CW: : My arm. I’m still coming back from shoulder surgery and it is definitely something I need to improve upon. SS: What do you have planned for the offseason? What was your major in school? CW: I plan on going back to Clemson this offseason and train there. They have great facilities where I can work out and train for the next season. In college, I was a business management major. Don’t ask me “”What do you plan on doing with it?” because I still have no clue. SS: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? CW: Two people who have helped me tremendously are my dad and my head coach at Clemson, Monte Lee. The reason I even had the opportunity to go to Clemson and pursue a professional career is because of my dad. He raised me to work hard and be humble in the process. I’ve had to work hard for everything I’ve achieved and I wouldn’t be that way without my dad. Coach Lee has been a huge role model for me the past three years. His passion and determination are unmatched, and it was a pleasure to play under him. He’s an outstanding coach but a better teacher. He made sure his players left Clemson ready for the real world. I believe most players were ready, and it was thanks to him. SS: Favorite baseball movie? CW: Bull Durham and Everybody Wants Some Again, a big Thank You to Chris Williams for taking time to answer our questions here. Williams and the Elizabethton Twins travel to Burlington, North Carolina, for their next series. Click here to view the article

Yup, I would assume that the others will just get pushed back until through Saturday's spot. So much going on in the Twins minor league system besides just the top three prospects (who have been very good). Zander Wiel is on fire. Gonsalves ERA over the last six starts is crazy, despite the walks. Bailey Ober has been dominant in Cedar Rapids. Hopefully people are reading the Minor League Reports every day and night and asking a lot of questions because a lot get answered in the comments each day too. As for Lance Lynn, I can't watch anymore. I'll find something streaming or do something besides watch him pitch.

I think all four of them, plus Busenitz and Anderson can all be useful MLB arms. Just need an opportunity and some time. It's been unfortunate that wen Busenitz has had opportunity this year, he's hung some sliders, a bunch of them, and hasn't been able to gain the confidence of the manager (understandably so).