Seth Stohs

He was being sarcastic. He struck out nine... a bigger number than he usually gets.

Update on Royce Lewis from Doogie: He ran awkwardly into first in his first PA... should be fine. https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP/status/1005938315554680838

Four Twins minor league affiliates played on Sunday. They combined to score five total runs on the day. That’s overall some really non-good offense. That said, some of their top hitting prospects had solid days (and several others just had days off). Also, a couple of right-handed starting pitchers had really strong games.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Sunday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Tyler Duffey returned to Rochester. To make room on the roster, infielder Leonardo Reginnato was placed on the DL (ankle).Following their Sunday win, the Twins announced that Joe Mauer is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment in Rochester on Tuesday.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 1, Durham 6 Box Score Zack Littell made his first start for the Red Wings since his major league debut earlier in the week. It started out well, but he struggled in a three-run fourth inning. On the day, Littell gave up four runs on five hits and four walks in four innings. He struck out three. Tyler Duffey came on and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and struck one out. Nick Anderson pitched the seventh inning. He gave up two runs on three hits. He walked one and struck one out. Alan Busenitz dropped his ERA to 0.38 with two more scoreless innings. Zack Granite and Willians Astudillo each went 2-for-4. LaMonte Wade went 1-for-2 with two walks. Former Twins prospect Chih-Wei Hu got the win. He gave up one run on four hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out two. He improves to 2-5 with a 4.87 ERA. The Red Wings are now 28-30 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Montgomery 2 Box Score Things started out well for the the Lookouts. The second batter, Brent Rooker hit a solo home run to give the team a 1-0 lead. It was his ninth home run. Unfortunately, the team had just two more hits, both by Edgar Corcino who also stole his third base. Mitchell Kranson made his Double-A debut and went 0-for-2 and was hit by a pitch. Kohl Stewart put together one of his best starts of the season. In seven innings, he gave up two runs on just six hits. He walked two and struck out nine. Cody Stashak worked one perfect inning. The Lookouts are now 34-29. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Dunedin 1 Box Score Right-hander Tyler Wells put together a second straight very strong start for the Miracle. He gave up just three hits over seven scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out four to improve to 5-3 with a 2.47 ERA. Ryan Mason picked up his second Miracle save with two innings of work. He gave up one run on two hits. The Miracle scored their two runs in the third inning on back-to-back RBI singles from Joe Cronin and Travis Blankenhorn. Jimmy Kerrigan went 2-for-3 in the game. The Miracle are now 24-36. They are about to begin their final series before the All- Star Game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Wisconsin 5 Box Score The Kernels had a bullpen game started by Melvi Acosta. The right-hander gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits over just two innings. He walked one and struck out two. Jovani Moran came on and gave up one run on two hits and two walks in his two innings. He struck out one. Tanner Kiest went the final four innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Alex Kirilloff went 2-for-4 with his fifth triple. Jose Miranda and Andrew Bechtold went 2-for-4. Trey Cabbage went 1-for-3 with a walk and his first stolen base. Royce Lewis started at DH. He batted once and then was replaced in the game by Jacob Pearson. No reports yet on the reason that Lewis left the game. The Kernels are now 28-34. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Brent Rooker, Chattanooga Lookouts (1-3, BB, HR(9)) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Tyler Wells, Fort Myers Miracle (7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 0-1, left game #2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) #3 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - Did not play. #4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - Did not pitch #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 3B(5) #6 - Wander Javier - out of for the season #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-3, BB, HR(9) #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - Disabled List #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Play #11 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - 4 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 K) #12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Did not pitch #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #14 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 1-2, 2 BB #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-3 #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, RBI #18 - Yunior Severino (Extended Spring Training) - #19 - Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) - Did Not Pitch #20 - Felix Jorge (Chattanooga) - Disabled List, still no official timetable for return. MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (5:35 CST) - Stephen Gonsalves (4-2, 4.13 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (6:35 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (0-2, 12.38 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:30 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (0-0, 1.13 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (12:05 CST) - Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Sunday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Here is the photo of Ryan Jeffers signing: https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1005249736893517825

Per Doogie on Friday, Ryan Jeffers has already signed.

A few days ago they announced Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Brusdar Graterol and Jared Finkel are their All Stars. It was in the Minor league report a couple of days ago.

https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/1005082757389840384

It was the best thing that they could have done for his career and development. Going to the Florida State League is bad for offense, so I think making needed adjustments before going there is a good thing.

In 1989, the Minnesota Twins used their 52nd round draft pick to select a catcher named Denny Hocking from El Camino College, a junior college in Torrance, California. Drafted in a round that no longer exists, Hocking not only became the lowest-drafted player to play for the Twins, but he spent 13 seasons in the big leagues including 11 seasons with the Twins. Since his retirement following the 2005 season, Hocking has continued to have an interesting life in and around the game of baseball. Recently, I had the opportunity to catch up with Hocking who is now the manager of the Clinton LumberKings, the Midwest League affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.“It was opportunity that I made the most of. That’s all!” That statement from former Twins utility man Denny Hocking is certainly true and maybe even an understatement as he continues to work in the game nearly 30 years later. Hocking grew up in Torrance, California, were he was a great athlete. He had basketball scholarships to a couple of the California colleges, but he chose to stay home and continue playing baseball. He joked, “I thought I could play baseball a couple more years.” Hocking chose to play at El Camino College and pursue a degree in journalism. He played several positions on the field, but primarily he was a catcher. “I played everywhere but pitcher, shortstop and first base. I caught every other game. Catch, play right. Catch, play third base. Catch, play center. And I think every time the Twins came to see me I was catching. I think I was drafted purely on arm strength and athleticism..” Hocking was a very good athlete, and he had a very strong arm. It was enough to catch the attention of a Twins scout. “Draft Day was probably a little different for me than it was for Royce Lewis.” Hocking surmised. “I had no idea about the draft.” The MLB Draft was a little different in 1989. It wasn’t a big production on TV, and the internet wasn’t even covering it. I mean, the internet was still in its infancy. Hocking learned that he had been drafted when he “got something in the mail.” Hocking recalled, “You’ve been drafted in the 52nd round by the Minnesota Twins. But what does that mean?” Hocking acknowledges that he had no idea. “Minor Leagues? I had no idea. That week, we got in the car and went to Inland Empire which was San Bernadino at the time and watching a minor league baseball game. I drove up to Visalia to watch the Twins farm team play up there. It was the year that Chuck Knoblauch was drafted and he was there.” Soon after, the Twins scout came to the Hocking home and said, “Congratulations on getting drafted, but we don't’ want to sign you.” What? Not exactly a ringing endorsement for a drafted player, but when you hear the rest of the story, it does make a lot more sense. “He wanted me to go back (to school) and play shortstop, and I wound up going back and strictly played shortstop my sophomore year. Two of my friends who hit left-handed taught me how to hit at the junior college level. I was hitting left-handed for less than a year when I put an Elizabethton Twins uniform on and went and played professional baseball. It brings back a lot of memories” Back then, there was a system called Draft-and-Follow. Whereas currently teams need to sign their drafted players by July 15th, teams used to have until the following draft to sign their drafted players. In this example, Hocking could go back to El Camino, play the next spring and then sign with the Twins before the 1990 draft. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Right-handed pitcher Mike Trombley was a teammate of Denny Hocking for many years. Of the utility man, Trombly said, “Hock was one of the most talented guys on the Twins team. Switch-hitter with a rocket arm and a good glove. He could play so many positions. Why was he a 52nd-round pick? Simply put, he was overlooked.Once you saw him play, we all knew that. Hock was also a great guy in the locker room. Funny. Trombley also shared a store about Hocking. “We were playing a spring training game in Ft. Myers and (Jose) Canseco hit a rocket to Hock at second base. It skipped off the hard clay and hit Hock in the mouth. Trainer and coach ran out there to help him. There was a lot of blood. They couldn’t understand what he was saying because of the injury, but Hock was trying to tell them he had a dip in his mouth. Funny now, not so funny when it happened.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you consider the round in which Denny Hocking was drafted, he really didn’t spend a lot of time in the minor leagues.He signed in May of 1990. In 1992, he had hit .331 with over 180 hits in Visalia. Not wanting him to be selected in the Expansion Draft, the Twins added Hocking to their roster. He spent 2013 in Double-A. He was ready to go home for the offseason after a solid season at AA in 1993 when his manager, Phil Roof, gave him some great news. “We were in the Double-A playoffs. I got taken out of the game, late in the game. I got to the clubhouse and called my girlfriend, who’s now my wife, and said why don’t you pick me up after the game tomorrow. Then after the game, the manager told me I was going to the big leagues in Texas, and I was like ‘What?’ I had to call her back and say, you need to get a flight to Texas.” Over the next couple of seasons, he went back and forth between Triple-A and the big leagues. However, starting in 1997, Hocking had a stretch of six straight seasons in which, as a utility man, he played in over 100 games. In fact, in 1999 and 2000, he played in over 130 games a year with no more than 65 at any one position. In other words, it isn’t like recent Eduardo Escobar seasons where he comes into the season as a utility player and winds up being an everyday player because of an injury to Miguel Sano or the suspension of Jorge Polanco. But Hocking earned the respect and the trust of legendary Twins manager Tom Kelly. “TK was always known to be super tough on the young kids. That’s one way to look at it. But the way that he really was, he wanted you there early. So, if we stretched at 4:00, be sure to be there at 2:00. I’d show up at 2:00, and I’d be one of the last guys to get there. When I played and Kirby was there, I have no idea what time he got there, but he was probably there at noon. He wanted you to be early. When you got to the field, don’t sit in your street clothes. Put something uniform on to start getting your mind ready to play a game that night.” Hocking continued, “He just held you accountable. I could rattle off thousands and thousands of things that he would hold you accountable on. I played for two managers with the Twins, both TK and Gardy, and they were both from the same cloth. You knew what their expectations were for each and every player, and as long as you met those on a daily basis, it was status quo.” Did knowing that make it hard to play for those managers, or did it become easy because the expectations were clear? “You just know how to prepare. I would walk into the field, walk into the clubhouse and look at the lineup, and if my name was on it, I’d say ‘OK, today’s my day to play.’ And if my name wasn’t on it, I would take it as, ‘OK, I’ve got six innings off today, but if it’s close, I’m going to get an opportunity to impact this game.” Hocking knew his role on those Twins teams and not only accepted them but took it as a challenge and performed. “I remember. I played a lot of second base when Todd Walker was there. Todd, I felt, was a very good defender, but I don’t think TK saw him like that. But Todd could flat-out hit. By May 1st, I knew my role. I was going to go in to play defense at second base when we were winning games. TK didn’t have to call me on the bench. Fifth inning would come around. I’m starting to stretch. Sixth inning, I’m really thinking about getting loose. Seventh inning, OK, he’s probably going to call on me soon because of the score. Todd would have an at bat in the seventh or eighth inning.” Hocking then said that it became a non-verbal communication between him and Tom Kelly at that point. As Walker was walking to the plate, Kelly would look down at the end of the bench, and Hocking knew to look down at Kelly. Kelly would nod at him, and that simply meant that Hocking would be entering the game as a defensive replacement the next half inning. “I knew why I was on that team, and he trusted me in that situation. And that’s what I preach to these kids. Be a trustworthy player. I know that if something happens to this team on a nightly basis, it’s not due to lack of preparation or lack of effort. Sometimes it’s just not going to work out.” In that series in Cedar Rapids, Hocking had a fielder that wanted to make a play. Ben Rortvedt lined the ball to the outfield. The fielder thought he could catch it and was going to dive. As it was happening, he realized he wasn’t going to be able to make the catch, so he just tried to knock the ball down. It got by him and a single turned into a triple. He came into the dugout and explained the play to his manager. Hocking told him that he would never be mad at a player who is trying to make a play. It can be a learning opportunity. The fielder was prepared, and he gave 100% effort, it just didn’t work out. Hocking gives a lot of credit to his manager, Tom Kelly, and the expectations that he set for his roster. Those are the traits that he has carried with him into his coaching and managing career. “I manage a lot, and I communicate a lot as I learned through TK and Gardy.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Running around the clubhouse during several of Hocking’s Twins years was first-year Cedar Rapids Kernels manager Toby Gardenhire. Ron Gardenhire was a coach through Hocking’s first several years, and he later became the manager, so Toby was able to get close to the players and learn from them. Hocking noted, “I remember Toby always running around, catching a lot of heat from the guys. He grew up in the clubhouse. I remember seeing that he got hired and thought that was awesome. I watch what he does, and I’m impressed. There’s a ton of talent in that other clubhouse, but I’m impressed with how they work and how they play for him. You can watch a team, and they take on direct mannerisms of their manager, and I see a lot of his dad in him. I think he’s got a bright future. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shane Carrier was with the Kernels when Clinton was in Cedar Rapids. He went to the same high school that Hocking’s daughters are graduating from. “I played the music in the batting tunnel when he would come and hit in the offseason.” Carrier said, “I was 12 or 13, and he would help out a bit. He was always around. He is a cool guy. He’s funny.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the Twins let him go after the 2003 season, Hocking spent a year with the Rockies and a year with the Royals (splitting time between MLB and AAA). He had other options for the 2006 season, but he didn’t want to spend any more time in the minor leagues and it was important to him to spend time with his young family. When retired, he didn’t jump right into coaching. He knew the right people and got a job at MLB.com covering the Angels and Dodgers. He spent time on air with Jim Rome, and he later met Andrew Siciliano (Red Zone Network) and appeared on-air with him once a week for a 15-minute hit on baseball. It turned into a regular show on Fox Sports Radio, a job he held until the company had some layoffs after an ownership change. At that time, he figured he’d better get a job. A good friend of his was working in media relations with the Orioles at that time. He told Hocking that former Twins general manager Andy MacPhail was coming to Anaheim, and he could set up a pregame on-field meeting. That day, Hocking saw MacPhail in the dugout and walked toward him. MacPhail saw Hocking as he approached. “Denny Hocking… 52nd round draft choice… as a catcher.” Hocking responded to his former GM, “How do you remember me? Out of all the kids you drafted, and all the kids you’ve seen play in all of your years, you remember my draft round and what I was drafted as?” MacPhail answered him, “I remember the guys that did things the right way. That really made me feel good, and I said, ‘Well, if you think that way of me, I’m looking for a job to get into coaching.’” A series of e-mails were exchanged, and Hocking was named a hitting coach in Frederick, Maryland (Double-A). He noted that during those three years, “I would see my family for about ten days from Valentine’s Day to September 11th. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I had to be closer to my family. I just had to be closer to home.” He contacted the Angels. Since then, he’s coached in a variety of roles in the Angels and more recently in the Mariners organizations. This is his first year as a manager in the Mariners organization for the Clinton LumberKings. It’s not always easy. Part of why he returned was to be closer to his family, and now back in coaching, Hocking will again have to miss some important events. “The sacrifice that you make to be away from your family. I have twin daughters that will graduate this year. I will be back two days before they graduate, and I’ll see my son’s last days of middle school. I’ll be able to be there for important days like that. But.I’ve missed my daughters’ proms, homecomings, things like that. One of my daughters is currently training for the U20 National Team for women’s soccer. If she continues to do well and makes the cut,the World Cup is in France in August, and I will not be able to go and support her.” Of course, the other side includes the relationship and team-building that he can lead as a manager. “All I try to do is create a good environment and make these kids want to work and make them feel important and impact their lives. I see that. That’s the rewarding part for the crappy part.” It’s clear that Hocking has been influenced as a coach and a manager by his years in a Twins uniform playing for Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire. He has had a long and fulfilling career in baseball and clearly still enjoys it. Nearly 30 years ago, the Twins drafted him in a round that no longer exists. It’s a great reminder about hard work, being prepared and setting expectations. Hocking carved out an impressive big league career, turned into a radio voice for a few years and now is giving back to the game through coaching. Click here to view the article

Per Jeff Johnson, Ben Rortvedt was told after the game tonight that he has been promoted to Ft. Myers... Have to assume that a catcher will move up from Ft. Myers to Chattanooga. I'm going to guess Mitchell Kranson will be on the move.

here was my top-of-head rankings on Monday night after their first pick or two... The 2nd round guy (Jeffers) isn't a Top 10 guy yet, maybe closer to 15-20, I suppose.

Might be good to put the numbers of these guys in their debuts... But May was easily the worst... and we still like him, so that's why it's never good to make too big of a deal of a guy's debut.

Tonight we post our final Twins minor league award for May. Earlier this week, we named Todd Van Steensel Relief Pitcher of the Month and Brusdar Graterol the Starting Pitcher of the Month. Tonight, we announce our choice for Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month. There were really some solid performances, but the choice was easy. There were a ton of hitters in the system that had OPS between.750 and .800 for the month, but there was one hitter who stood head and shoulders above the rest this month.Let’s take a look at the Top 5 hitters for the month of May, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Willians Astudillo - Rochester Red Wings - 20-75, .267/.309/.467 (.775) with three doubles and four home runs.Nick Buss - Rochester Red Wings - 17-60, .283/.317/.500 (.817) with five doubles, one triple and two home runs.Taylor Grzelakowski - Ft. Myers Miracle - 15-56, .268/.369/.464 (.834) with five doubles and two home runs.Ben Rortvedt - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 26-85, .306/.352/.435 (.787) with four doubles, two triples and one home run.Jimmy Kerrigan - Ft. Myers Miracle/Rochester Red Wings - 19-72, .264/.329/.472 (.801) with three doubles and four home runs.THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 – Cedar Rapids - SS Royce Lewis - .317/.363/.465 (.828). 32-101 with nine doubles, two home runs and 16 RBI. The top pick from the 2017 draft, Lewis put together a second strong month. If you were to go look at his April numbers and compare them to his May numbers, they are close. His batting average and on-base percentage were about the same, but he added the extra-base hits in May. Lewis just turned 19 on Tuesday, three or four years younger than most of the pitchers in the league, but he’s more than handled himself well. Lewis takes good at-bats, and his defense has been better than most expected. Lewis should make the All-Star team and then move up to Ft. Myers. Number 4 - Chattanooga Lookouts – OF Edgar Corcino - .276/.377/.480 (.857), 27-98 with nine doubles, one triple, three homers and 17 RBI. Corcino has played well since joining the Twins organization before the 2015 season. The 25-year-old from Puerto Rico had a terrific month. He takes tremendous plate appearances and walks at a good clip, but he’s strong and fast and has some good pop in his bat. He also plays good defense at all three outfield positions and has a strong, accurate arm. Number 3 – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings - Nick Gordon - .314/.378/.471 (.849), 38-121 with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs and 10 RBI. Gordon, the Twins top pick in 2014, put together yet another strong month in May despite his promotion to Triple-A. One might expect some adjustment time, but Gordon is hitting well over .300 in his half-month with the Red Wings. While he continues to add more gap-to-gap power, I still believe he could develop into a 12-15 home run guy in the big leagues too. That’s a valuable player. Will he play shortstop? We’ll see. He’s done a fine job so far this season. Number 2 - Rochester Red Wings/Minnesota Twins – OF Jake Cave - .317/.366/.500 (.866), 33-104 with five doubles, one triple, four homers and 17 RBI. Before the end of spring training, the Yankees put Cave on waivers, and the Twins were able to work out a trade for him (sending a pitcher from the DSL). Cave had a really strong month with the Red Wings. Consider that his May numbers include his brief stint in the big leagues and it may be even more impressive. He went just 1-for-9 with the Twins, but that one hit was a home run. Cave does a nice job in the outfield.and should see more time in the big leagues. He was a bit of a late bloomer, but a look at his stats in the upper minors the last couple of years indicate that he could be a big leaguer. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids Kernels – OF Alex Kirilloff - .360/.423/.640 (1.063), 41-114 with 11 doubles, three triples, five homers and 25 RBI. Alex Kirilloff has been named the Midwest League Player of the Month and the Class A Player of the month already. Why not add the Twins Daily Hitter of the Month award. Kirilloff had a dominant month for the Kernels. He hit for average. He showed good plate discipline and approach, and he crushed the ball. He hit doubles, ran out triples and hit a lot of home runs. On Tuesday night, Kirilloff hit a grand slam. He currently leads the Twins system, and the Midwest League, with 11 home runs and 49 RBI. Early in the year, Royce Lewis garnered most of the headlines, and understandably and deservingly so, but over the course of the month Kirilloff started getting more attention which he so richly deserved. Defensively, he continues to work to improve, but he makes the plays. His arm is strong despite missing the 2017 season with Tommy John surgery. It should continue to improve in terms of strength and accuracy. He’s playing exclusively in right field, with Akil Baddoo in center. Offensively, he is impressive and he’s got a great approach. Most of his power at this point has come to the opposite field. Most of his extra-base hits have gone to left field. Like Lewis, Kirilloff should play in the Midwest League All-Star Game. But also like Lewis, Kirilloff should soon find himself playing for the Miracle in Ft. Myers. We would like to congratulate Alex Kirilloff, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for May 2018. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. Click here to view the article

None of us do, but we're going to research like crazy and I know I hope to be talking to guys soon who know a lot more.

Updated... thank you!

I would say that is probably a more realistic timeline.

I fully acknowledge that a mid-2019 timeline is remarkably aggressive. I'm not saying it's likely. I'm just not saying it's impossible.

On Monday, we announced that Todd Van Steensel was our choice for May Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month. Today, it’s time to announce the Twins Daily choice for the May Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. There were a few really good choices, guys that put up strong numbers during the month.Our April Starting Pitcher of the Month was Aaron Slegers. Before we get to our Top 4 starting pitchers for the month of May, here is a list of a couple others who deserve to be recognized for a solid final month of the season. HONORABLE MENTION Randy LeBlanc - Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 GS, 21.1 IP, 3-0, 2.11 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 20 H, 4 BB, 18 KStephen Gonsalves - Rochester Red Wings - 6 GS, 27.0 IP, 4-1, 4.00 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 19 H, 16 BB, 33 KSean Poppen - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 GS, 20.2 IP, 1-2, 2.61 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 17 H, 11 BB, 24 KTyler Wells - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 GS, 18.2 IP, 1-0, 2.89 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 18 H, 5 BB, 13 K..THE TOP FOUR STARTING PITCHERS #4 - RHP Zack Littell - Rochester Red Wings - 5 G, 4 GS, 1-1, 2.57 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 30 K You may have heard that Littell will be making his Major League debut on Tuesday for the Twins. Littell came to the Twins before the trade deadline last year. The Twins got their one start from Jaime Garcia and then dealt him to the Yankees in exchange for Littell and Dietrich Enns. After an incredible 2017 season between three teams (in High A and Double A), Littell struggled in April at Chattanooga, but he was promoted to Rochester in late April. All five of his appearances in May were for the Red Wings. Littell went six innings in all four of his starts. Each was a quality start. He worked four innings, piggybacking after Trevor May made a May 17 start for the Red Wings. Opponents hit just .200/.274/.340 (.614) in May. #3 - LHP Bryan Sammons - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 1-1, 2.42 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 22.1 IP, 15 H, 6 BB, 18 K Sammons was the Twins eighth-round pick a year ago out of Western Carolina. The left-handed starter has had a solid season for the Kernels yet has just one win to show for it. In May, he picked up just one win despite pitching well. Opponents hit just .192/.284/.333 (.617) against him. He gave up two or fewer runs in each of his May starts and ended the month with his best outing. It included a career-high eight strikeouts over six innings. #2- Omar Bencomo - Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings - 6 G, 4-0, 1.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 36.1 IP, 29 H, 3 BB, 27 K The 29-year-old from Venezuela began playing pro ball in 2007. He spent the 2016 season between Chattanooga and Rochester. Last year, he was in the Marlins organization. He’s again proven valuable to the Twins in the upper levels, filling in rotation spots in the upper levels wherever needed. He made six appearances during the month. His last start came with the Red Wings and he threw six, one-hit, scoreless innings. For the month, opponents hit just .218/.241/.323 (564) against him for the month. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids Kernels - RHP Brusdar Graterol - 4 GS, 2-1, 1.66 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 21.2 IP, 14 H, 6 BB, 29 K “It’s pretty impressive. He’s just a freak. You just don’t see guys like that very often. I have a hard time thinking back on anybody that I remember having that type of arm.” Those are the words and phrases that Cedar Rapids manager Toby Gardenhire used to describe hard-throwing Brusdar Graterol. Graterol is the hard-throwing 19-year-old from Venezuela who has been dominant during his short stint with the Kernels. In each of his starts, he has hit triple digits multiple times, topping out at 101 mph. In addition, Graterol has a sharp slider and a pretty good changeup. “Pretty good” isn’t a ringing endorsement, but Graterol is young and will continue to develop it. Gardenhire continued, speaking to Graterol’s pitches, but also his inconsistency. “It’s a very smooth arm action. That’s going to allow him to develop a good breaking ball, and it’s going to allow him to develop a good change up too which is going to be really impressive to see once he gets going. You see signs of it now where you’ll be like ‘Wow, that’ was a good breaking ball’ or ‘that was a good changeup.’ But he’s just having trouble being consistent with it because he’s 19-years-old. He had one start here where he gave up one hit through five (innings). Nobody was going to hit him. You could have put him in a Double A game and nobody would have hit him. We also see where he’s inconsistent, he does things a little different. He misses the zone a little. And that’s going to happen too. It’s all part of the learning curve. You just don’t see guys with that much talent and ability and strength and everything. He’s a rock.” The right-hander has a very strong, thick base which helps him generate so much power. In May, opponents hit just .179/.238/.256 (.495) against him. The sky is the limit with him. Graterol had Tommy John surgery in mid-2015 and missed the entire 2016 season. He returned in 2017 and split time between Extended Spring Training, the GCL and Elizabethton. Gardenhire added, “When he’s good, he really starts sinking it too. You see a little bit of movement. Yesterday (last Saturday), he struggled with that. He flattens out a little when he gets a little bit off. When he’s got the movement going. I mean, he’s throwing 100 with movement and a a slider and a changeup. That’s the potential. He’s got the potential to be a big league Ace. ” Graterol is currently on the disabled list of the Kernels with a hand contusion. Seth Scouting Report Since I saw Graterol in Cedar Rapids last weekend, I thought it would be fun to write up something about it. So here it goes. I’ve never seen a better pitching prospect than Brusdar Graterol. Yes, he has the fastball that hits 101. But what’s impressive is that his delivery is so smooth that it doesn’t look like he’s throwing that hard. Having watched him in the bullpen, his slider is sharp and bites late. As Gardenhire said, it can be inconsistent, as you would expect. But when I saw it break like it’s supposed to, it could be a huge strikeout pitch. And, I saw him throw several changeups. It appears to me to be a pitch that could be at least average in time, if not even better than that. He uses the same delivery, and he gets a little arm-side tail to it. Teammates talked about his work ethic, particularly in the weight room. He is strong and lifts a ton. I watched a few of Fernando Romero’s Triple A starts online this year, and I’ve watched him MLB starts. He has been much better in the big leagues than he was in AAA. I don’t feel like I’m going too far out on a limb to say that Graterol has a better fastball, a better slider, a better changeup, works quicker and has been control than Romero. Now. (And again, this is not a knock on Fernando Romero who is a very good prospect who ranks highly and has a lot of room for growth.) In other words, if he can stay healthy, he is a guy who could move up very quickly. I have little doubt that he should end this season in Ft. Myers with some possibility of a few appearances in Chattanooga. I could see him getting a spring training invite, and if so, the big league staff will want him around. I could see him starting next season in Chattanooga and being called up by the All-Star break. There are several IFs in that timeline, but I don’t feel like it is far-fetched by any means. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of May, Cedar Rapids right-hander Brusdar Graterol. Feel free to discuss and ask questions. Click here to view the article

Couple random comments about this pick that I've thought through since it was announced: 1.) It's important to remember that the Twins Top 200 or their draft board or whatever you want to call it isn't the same as MLB.com or Baseball America or FanGraphs or anyone else... and that's a good thing. The Twins have had eyes on these guys far longer and more often than those sites. So, just because he wasn't in whoever's top 200 really isn't a big deal. 2.) That said, I have to believe they got some savings from that pick, something below slot. 3.) I'd also say that it clearly signals that the Twins valued obtaining a catcher (or more) in the draft, and they are fully convicted that Jeffers can be a catcher, a big league catcher, at some point. They correctly predicted a mini-run on catchers (2-3 came after he was selected, and since they don't have a 3rd round pick, they didn't want to wait until then, knowing that the guy they clearly wanted (Jeffers) wouldn't be there ... This is all a guess, of course.

Correct... there isn't a "winner" or a "loser" in this yet. Silly, really, to look at it after just one year. Hopefully both become elite, multi-time All Star caliber players!!

Do you remember your initial thoughts when the Twins drafted Alex Kirilloff two years ago?