Seth Stohs

GCL Twins Roster Preview coming soon.

While the Rochester Red Wings had the day off, and the Chattanooga Lookouts and Cedar Rapids Kernels started their All-Star breaks, today we post our first short-season game summary. The GCL Twins played their first game of the 2018 season and gave new manager Dan Ramsey his first win as a professional manager.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. But first, be sure to check out the 2018 Elizabethton Twins Roster Preview. TRANSACTIONS Rochester announced that infielder Taylor Featherston has been released. They also announced that catcher Jordan Pacheco has begun his rehab in the GCL.Ft. Myers officially added Miguel Sano to their roster.While you would notice it in the GCL Twins Roster Preview and the Elizabethton Twins Roster Preview, Baseball Americanoted that the Twins released several players from extended spring training as the short-season leagues get started. They are catchers Kerby Camacho and Darling Cuestro, 1B Kolton Kendrick, 2B Carson Crites, and outfielders TJ Dixon and Humberto Maldonado.RED WINGS REPORTRochester Box Score The Red Wings have a scheduled off day. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts began their All-Star break on Monday. OFs LaMonte Wade and Zander Wiel were named to the All-Star team. Wade has since been promoted to AAA. Wiel is currently on the disabled list. So is RH SP Randy LeBlanc who was named to the roster. Representing the Lookouts will be RHPs Omar Bencomo, Williams Ramirez and Todd Van Steensel, and LHP Ryne Harper. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Tampa 5 Box Score The big story in this game was the return of Miguel Sano to the Miracle lineup. The Miracle returned to the diamond on Thursday night, their first game back from their All-Star break. Sano batted third and played third base. His inclusion in the lineup pushed Travis Blankenhorn out to left field. Sano would factor into the end of this game. The story early in the game was the pitching performance of Andro Cutura. He gave up just one run and struck out eight over the first five innings. He struggled in the sixth inning and ended up giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks over 5 2/3 innings. He struck out nine. Hector Lujan got the next four outs and was charged with an unearned run. He struck out two. Alex Robinson got all six batters that he faced out, including two on strikeouts. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Miguel Sano came to the plate with one out. Sano drilled a double down the left field line. Taylor Grzelakowski walked. Then Jaylin Davis played hero, driving in Sano with a single. Sano went 2-for-4 on the night. He walked in his first plate appearance. That was followed by a single, a double play grounder, a ground out and then the double. Luis Arraez remains on fire. He went 4-for-5 in this game. In his past 11 games, he has hit .500 (24-28) with five doubles and three triples. It took him awhile to get going after missing all but the first three games of the 2017 season with knee surgery. Lewin Diaz went 2-for-4 with his ninth double. Taylor Grzelakowski went 1-for-3 with two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score The Kernels began their All Star break on Monday. OF Alex Kirilloff, SS Royce Lewis, and RHPs Brusdar Graterol and Jared Finkel are the representatives. Although… GCL TWINS TALK GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 5 Box Score Congratulations to manager Dan Ramsey, hitting coaches Matt Borgschulte and Luis Rodriguez, and pitching coaches Richard Salazar and Frank Jagoda on their first wins as coaches in the Twins organization. Shortstop Yeltsin Encarnacion led off and led the way for the Twins. He went 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple. He scored three runs. DH Kidany Salva went 2-for-4 with three RBI in the game. Center fielder Alberoni Nunez also went 2-for-4. Catcher Jordan Pacheco was making his first rehab appearance. He went 0-for-2 with two RBI. He was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and also had a sacrifice fly. Andriu Marin was tasked with starting the opener. He gave up five runs on nine hits and a walk in four innings. He struck out three. Amilcar Cruz came on and threw three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. 35th- round pick (from Dixie State) Tanner Howell picked up his first career save in his first pro outing. He worked two perfect inning and struck out three. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Luis Arraez, Ft. Myers Miracle (4-5) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Tanner Howell, GCL Twins (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, first career appearance, first career save) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - Did not pitch #3 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - No game scheduled #4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - No game scheduled #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #6 - Wander Javier - out of for the season #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - All-Star break #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - All-Star break #11 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - No game scheduled #12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - All-Star break #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 2-4, 2B(9) #14 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - No game scheduled #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, 2 K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, BB, R, K #18 - Yunior Severino (Elizabethton Twins) - Did not play #19 - Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) - All-Star break #20 - Felix Jorge (Chattanooga) - Disabled list, still no official timetable for return. TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns (4-6, 5.30 ERA) Chattanooga - Southern League All Star Game Tampa @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (0-0, 1.98 ERA) Cedar Rapids - Midwest League All Star Game Burlington @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (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

Jones - GCL, Leach - GCL (DL), Benninghoff - GCL. (I would think all three could possibly move up. Villalobos - GCL. Morel - GCL (DL). Kendrick - Released Tademo - GCL.

Kirilloff will likely be promoted to Ft. Myers by Thursday or Friday. The Kernels play again on Thursday. I don't know how hurt Matt Albanese is, but if he's not too hurt, I could see him moving up to Cedar Rapids to take Kirilloff's spot. then again, Marrero was in CR last year, so he could, and Akins and Burns were college draft picks last year, so they could move up too. Larnach will be there in a couple of weeks probably, though he likely won't be in E-Town for more than a month before moving up to CR.

Added a couple more to the "Signed" group. Lots of guys will head to Elizabethton and some in the GCL.

In 2017, the Elizabethton Twins won the Appalachian League championship. The team will begin their quest to defend the title on Tuesday night when they host the Burlington Royals at Joe O’Brien Stadium in Elizabethton.Led by manager Ray Smith, Elizabethton won its seventh Appy League title in 2017. Smith, who was signed by the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 1977, enters his 32nd season in the Elizabethton Twins coaching staff, his 25th as the manager. He played in 63 games for the E-Twins during that 1977 season. He played in 83 games for the Twins between 1981 and 1983. He comes into the season with an overall managerial record of 977-648. Former Twins first-round draft pick (1980) Jeff Reed, who played for the Twins from 1984 through 1986, enters his 17th season as the Elizabethton hitting coach. The 17-year major league veteran also works with the E-Twins catchers. Pitching coach Luis Ramirez has been with Elizabethton the past three seasons. Before that, he was the GCL pitching coach for two years. He came to the Twins organization in 2006 as the pitching coordinator for the Twins at their Venezuelan Academy. For the first time, Elizabethton will have a fourth coach on staff. Takashi Miyoshi has spent the past seven seasons coaching in independent leagues Prospects To Watch The Elizabethton Twins Opening Day roster (including the DL) includes just one player who ranked in the preseason Twins Daily Top 20 Prospect rankings. Yunior Severino was our choice for the Twins #18 prospect. The infielder from the Dominican Republic signed a year earlier with Atlanta. However, when MLB announced sanctions on the team for illegal practices, Severino became a free agent. After a solid showing as a 17-year-old in the GCL last year, the Twins signed him as a free agent for $2.5 million. Severino is a good athlete with a strong swing from both sides of the plate. He has some power potential. Defensively, he could play shortstop, but he’ll likely mostly play second base. The reason is, at least in part, because of Ricky De La Torre. The Twins sixth-round draft pick out of high school in Puerto Rico is a very talented shortstop. On a roster where most of the players are 21 or 22 years old, the two 18-year-olds will form a very talented, athletic keystone combination. 2018 first-round draft pick, Trevor Larnach, will likely join the E-Twins at some point following the Oregon State College World Series run. Even if his stay is fairly short, we should anticipate him spending some time in eastern Tennessee. Second-round pick Ryan Jeffers will also begin his professional career with the E-Twins. (if you missed it, read Ted’s Q&A with Ryan Jeffers here) THE ROSTER Before jumping into the roster, it should be noted that there have been a couple of injuries. You're all aware of the Wander Javier shoulder surgery that cost him this entire season. In addition, lefty Riley Widell, who pitched for Elizabethton last year, came down with mono this spring, so he's been gradually regaining his strength. Miguel DeJesus, who missed the entire 2017 season due to Tommy John surgery, could also surface with the E-Twins this summer. Outfielder Matt Albanese is also on the DL to start the season. The Pitchers RHP Jacob Blank (22) - 22nd round pick in 2018 from Division II National Champion Augustana RHP Christian Broussard (21) - 22nd round pick in 2017, from Cal St-Los Angeles RHP Andrew Cabezas (21) - 18th round pick in 2018 out of Miami LHP Kody Funderburk (21) - 15th round pick in 2018 from Dallas Baptist University RHP Juan Gamez (24) - 31st round pick in 2016 as a catcher from NDSU. Moved to pitcher that summer. RHP Pedro Garcia (22) - signed October, 2015, from Dominican Republic RHP Moises Gomez (21) - signed April, 2014, from Venezuela RHP Blair Lakso (23) - undrafted free agent signed in August, 2016, from U of Buffalo RHP Derek Molina (20) - 14th round pick in 2017 out of Merced College LHP Tyler Palm (23) - signed about a week ago from the United Shore Professional Baseball League. Tallest pitcher on the roster at 6-9. RHP Seth Pinkerton (21) - 20th round pick in 2018 from the U. of Hartford RHP Johan Quezada (23) - signed September, 2012, Dominican Republic. 6-6 pitcher has missed most of last two seasons with shoulder injury. RHP Ricky Ramirez (21) - 15th round pick in 2017 from Fresno State RHP Brian Rapp (22) - 26th round pick in 2018 from Boston College RHP Austin Schulfer (22) - 19th round pick in 2018 out of UW-Milwaukee RHP Carlos Suniaga (21) - signed in September 2014 out of Venezuela RHP Josh Winder (21) - 7th round pick in 2018 from Virginia Military Institute A few of these guys have already seen some time in Cedar Rapids. Carlos Suniaga was just sent to the E-Twins over the weekend. Most likely, the organization would like to see him start and he’s been working out of the bullpen for the Kernels. Derek Molina and Ricky Ramirez have already seen some time with the Kernels as well. At the rookie levels, it is difficult to know the roles of players, especially pitchers. The pitchers drafted out of college this year have likely already thrown a lot of innings, and have been throwing since January. So, the Twins will limited their innings and starters may work out of the bullpen. That’s also why the rookie level events can have up to 35 players on the roster. The Catchers Trevor Casanova (21) - 13th round pick in 2018 out of Cal St-Northridge Andrew Cosgrove (21) - 17th round pick in 2017 from North Carolina State Ryan Jeffers (21) - 2nd round pick in 2018 out of UNC-Wilmington Chris Williams (21) - 8th round pick in 2018 from Clemson University The Twins drafted a lot of college catchers in 2018, and the first three they selected are all going to be in Elizabethton. As these guys adjust to the professional baseball game, they will all catch probably twice a week, at least early in the season. They may get extra at bats by DHing or playing some at another position. The Infielders Ricky De La Torre (18) - 6th round pick in 2017 out of high school in Puerto Rico Hunter Lee (22) - 27th round pick in 2018 out of High Point University Ariel Montesino (22) - signed May 2013 from the Dominican Republic Yunior Severino (18) - Free agent from Atlanta from the Dominican Republic. Played for GCL Braves last year. Alex Robles (22) - 30th round pick in 2017 from Austin Peay University Robles was a two-way player all four years in college. The organization has decided to have him start his career as a hitter, knowing they could move him to the mound later. He has already spent a couple of weeks with both the Ft. Myers Miracle and Chattanooga Lookouts. Montesino split 2017 between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids and sprinkled in a couple of games with Ft. Myers. This is the fourth season he will have spent time with the E-Twins yet remains just 22. Lee is a 5-9 second baseman who was all Big South this year. He had a 28 game hitting streak earlier in the season. As mentioned above, Severino and De La Torre are the two big prospects on this opening day roster, in part, because of their relative youth, along with their immense talent. The Outfielders Jared Akins (21) - 13th round pick in 2017 from Fresno State Colton Burns (22) - 18th round pick in 2017 from UC-Santa Barbara DaShawn Keirsey (21) - 4th round pick in 2018 out of Utah Lean Marrero (20) - 16th round pick in 2015 out of high school in Puerto Rico Albee Weiss (22) - 23rd round pick in 2018 from Cal St-Northridge As mentioned Trevor Larnach will likely join the E-Twins in the next two or three weeks. Keirsey is the very talented fourth-round pick that may have still been available because he missed lots of time with injury. Marrero spent a few weeks in Cedar Rapids last year, until he suffered a broken hamate bone which cost him the rest of his season. Akins and Burns played at strong college programs. Both have very good size and tools, but they need patience. It was strange when the Twins drafted a second catcher from Cal State-Northridge in this year’s draft, but Weiss has already been moved to the outfield. So there you have it, the Opening Day roster of the Elizabethton Twins. There are 30 players listed above, and as mentioned, more will likely be added in coming days as more players (Trevor Larnach, Cole Sands, etc.) sign. For more information on the 2018 Twins draft picks, please click here (links at bottom of article). Click here to view the article

I just marked a bunch of later-round picks that have signed... I know there are others still, but I'll hopefully get those added soon. Andrew can do more digging for details... I just put "Signed".

Man... Elijah Dukes... what an incredible talent... But man... Elijah Dukes... what a non-good person... his Crime in Sports podcast episode was fascinating. https://www.podcastone.com/crime-in-sports

He pitched in the GCL last year. My guess is they may want him to start in E-Town this year .

The Twins definitely wanted Goodrum back, but not on the 40-man roster... Detroit swooped in quickly, and he knew he'd have a better opportunity there. He stayed with the Twins organization a year after he could have already. Brian Buscher? I mean, I just don't know how any organization can fill a AAA roster with "needle movers." If they were needle movers, they'd probably get MLB deals. I just think they filled with very useful pieces. I didn't even mention Magill, a guy who was a failed starter who clearly has a chance to be a solid long reliever. Aybar wasn't deemed as good as Featherston, Reginnato, Petit and others, so I don't get why him sticking around would be better.

Corrected... Thank you!

Seven Miracle players played in the Florida State League on Saturday night. Rochester had a near-shutout until late, but Nick Gordon played hero. Cedar Rapids had a near-shutout until late when a former Gophers baseball star played hero. An offensive outburst meant that the Lookouts didn’t need late-inning heroics. In fact, inclement weather meant that there weren’t late innings.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Rochester officially announced that Trevor May was going on the DL (shoulder inflammation). Taking his spot on the roster is Gregorio Petit who was outrighted and accepted going to Rochester.The Cedar Rapids Kernels announced that RHP Blayne Enlow has been activated with RHP Carlos Suniaga being assigned to Elizabethton.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 6, Buffalo 2 (10 innings) Box Score The Red Wings and Bison were playing this series with different names. The Red Wings were playing as the Rochester Plates, again. The Bison were playing as the Buffalo Wings, which is kind of cool, yet, very confusing in this particular series. Stephen Gonsalves came into the game after a couple of tough outings, but he was back in form on Saturday. The left-hander threw 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. He gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out five. Tyler Duffey came on and got the final out of the sixth inning with runners on first and third. He gave up two hits in a scoreless seventh inning. Gabriel Moya gave up one hit in a scoreless eighth inning . With a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, Alan Busenitz came on. He had a 0.38 ERA when the Twins signed. That night, he gave up a run. On Saturday night, he gave up a two-run home run to Rowdy Tellez that tied the game and sent it to extra innings. In the top of the tenth, Nick Gordon came to the plate with the bases loaded. He knocked a two-run single. After a play at the plate, the catcher threw the ball away which allowed all three base runners and Gordon to score on one play. Busenitz came back out for the tenth inning. He struck out the first two batters before a fly ball ended the game. Gordon led the way. He went 2-for-4 with his sixth double and three RBI. He drove in a run earlier with a sacrifice fly. Wynston Sawyer went 2-for-3 with a walk. Jake Cave was 2-for-5 in the game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 12, Birmingham 2 (6 innings) Box Score Rain and the Lookouts were the winners on Saturday night in Birmingham as the game was shortened to just six innings. All nine players in the Lookouts lineup had at least one hit. The first six in the lineup had at least two hits. Sean Poppen was the beneficiary of the offensive outburst. The Harvard grad gave up two runs on five hits over five innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk. James Ramsey led off and led the way. He went 4-for-4 with his fourth home run and three RBIs. Andy Wilkins went 2-for-4 with his third homer and four RBIs. Brent Rooker was 2-for-4 with his 14th double and two runs driven in. Jimmy Kerrigan was also 2-for-4. The California Connection of Chris Paul and Mitchell Kranson were also each 2-for-4 in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Florida State League All Star Game Box Score Here is how the Miracle players performed in the All-Star Game: Jaylin Davis - started in LF, batted fifth: Walked. Singled. Stolen base. Strikeout. Fly out.Lewin Diaz - started at 1B, batted seventh: Doubled. Ground out to 2B. Flyout.Andrew Vasquez - pitched the 3rd inning. Gave up one hit. Struck out two. No runs. No walks.Tyler Wells - pitched the 4th and 5th innings. He gave up a leadoff double in the 4th and then got the next three batters out without allowing the run. In the fifth, he struck out two.Tyler Grzelakowski - entered the game in the 4th inning. Grounded into a fielder’s choice. Replaced after the 7th inning.Travis Blankenhorn - entered the game as a pinch-hitter for the DH in the 7th inning. Grounded out. Fly out. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: James Ramsey, Chattanooga Lookouts (4-4, HR(4), 3 RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Stephen Gonsalves, Rochester Red Wings (5.2 IP, 1 H, 0R, 3 BB, 5 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R #2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - 4 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K (63 pitches, 43 strikes) #3 - Nick Gordon (Rochester) - 2-4, 2B(6), R, 3 RBI, K #4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 K, (92 pitches, 57 strikes) #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4 #6 - Wander Javier - out of for the season #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 2-4, 2B(14), R, 2 RBI #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 2.1 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, HR(7), R, RBI #11 - Zack Littell (Rochester) - Did not pitch #12 - Lewis Thorpe (Chattanooga) - Did not pitch #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - All Star Game (1-3, 2B) #14 - LaMonte Wade (Rochester) - 0-3, 2 BB, R #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - All Star Break #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - All Star Game (0-2) #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. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (5-4, 3.39 ERA) Chattanooga @ Montgomery (3:00 CST) - TBD Ft. Myers - Florida State League All Star Break Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (1-0, 0.84 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Saturday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

How do they go about constructing a better AAA roster? They brought in one pitcher who they had no problem dealing quickly when the guys moved up from AA (which we wanted). Their bullpen is stacked. They hand-picked a right-handed outfielder capable of playing all three OF positions well (LaMarre) and he's contributed. They brought in a bunch of solid veteran utility infielder types (Petit, Featherston) who were depth moves. They brought in Aybar too, though he left after he wasn't going to make the team (and still hasn't signed with anyone, I don't think). They brought in a veteran, defensive, team-minded catcher like Wilson as depth. And Astudillo has been good. They acquired Jake Cave, who still has potential. They had Zack Granite. They kept Vargas who is still fairly young. They've added Chris Carter, who led the NL with 41 HR two years ago. They moved up Gonsalves and Littell quickly. Gordon was up within two months. I don't know what better players they could have convinced to sign a AAA contract and be a depth piece.

I think this is a legit point. He's a great athlete with some real baseball tools. I think the Twins need to be patient with him... more patient than teams typically are with 38th round picks. He's also the exact type of player that they should take with those late-round picks.

It’s All-Star weekend in the Florida State League, and on Friday night, Miracle infielder Travis Blankenhorn won the home run derby. Cedar Rapids has just two games remaining before the Midwest League All-Star Game, and they prepared by scoring a dozen runs. Unfortunately, offense was less abundant for the Twins top two minor league affiliates on Friday.Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS Jake Cave officially reported to Rochester after being sent down from Minnesota a day earlier. Joe Mauer was officially activated by the Twins, and they also recalled utility man Taylor Motter.Later in the day, the Red Wings announced that Trevor May was placed on their disabled list with some shoulder inflammation.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Buffalo 4 Box Score The Red Wings scored two runs in the top of the ninth, but they needed a third run in order to tie as they fell to 30-34 on their season. Zack Littell started. The right-hander gave up three runs on six hits over the first 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four. DJ Baxendale got the next four outs and was charged with only an unearned run. Luke Bard struck out one in the final inning. Zack Granite led off and led the Red Wings offense. He went 2-for-3 with a walk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 4 Box Score Kohl Stewart put together a good start, but the Lookout offense wasn’t able to provide any run support. Stewart gave up only an unearned run on four hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out five. Williams Ramirez came on and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in an inning and a third. Sam Clay came on and got the final four outs, three of them on strikeouts. Jimmy Kerrigan went 2-for-4. Tanner English was 2-for-3. Edgar Corcino had a single and a walk. The Lookouts are now 35-33. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers Box Score A large chunk of the Miracle roster was able to enjoy Day 1 of their All-Star break. However seven players were named to the Florida State League South All-Star roster. On Friday night, infielder Travis Blankenhorn and Jayline Davis participated in the Home Run Derby. In the first round, Davis was eliminated after hitting three homers. Blankenhorn knocked eight home runs.He increased that number to 11 in the second round. He was even better in the finals where he hit 12 home runs to win the championship. In addition to Blankenhorn, the Miracle will be represented by RHP Tyler Wells, LHP Andrew Vasquez, 1B Lewin Diaz, OF Jaylin Davis and catcher Taylor Grzelakowski. OF Jimmy Kerrigan was also named to the team, but he was recently promoted to Double-A Chattanooga. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 12, Peoria 4 Box Score The Kernels’ offense showed up in a big way on Friday night. They scored 12 runs on 14 hits. Things got started quickly when Royce Lewis homerd in the first inning. It marked the fourth straight game that he has had a first-inning, extra-base hit. Lewis led the way, going 3-for-5 with his sixth homer and four RBI.

Without spending a ton of time, he'll definitely still be Top 20 for me. I had him at 12. I'd guess he'll be in that 17-20 range. He's still got a ton of potential, and the Florida State League is tough. Obviously I'll do much more research later in the year, try to figure out how often he's hitting the ball hard, quality of PA, all that kind of stuff... So we'll see where he ends up... but definitely not a guy to give up on.

It's easily available online.

No one ranks farm systems by Win-Loss record.. I don't pay attention to other systems, but I would think the Twins should be in the Top 20. 28 days is a very random number.

Also steel percentage is one of many, many ways of evaluating catcher defense... some analytical, some just viewing the mechanics (arm strength, footwork, athleticism, blocking, etc.)

Ben Rodriguez looks the part of a great athlete. He stands 6-6 and weighs in at about 230 pounds.He’s lean, and he’s strong. He is an athlete, and he’s a pretty good baseball player. But Rodriguez is more than just baseball. He’s got a fascinating family, and he’s got plans beyond baseball. Today, let’s get to know a little bit more about Cedar Rapids first baseman and catcher Ben Rodriguez.“I’m good at being an athlete. I want to be a good baseball player.” Ben Rodriguez is 23-years-old, one of the elder statesmen on a very young Cedar Rapids Kernels roster. However, he may have the least time spent on a baseball field relative to many of the hitters on the roster. He is currently on the Kernels disabled list. Through his first 35 games, he has hit .237/.302/.377 (.680) with seven doubles and three home runs. He has come up with some big hits for the Kernels. But he acknowledges that he needs time and games and at bats. Rodriguez grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he played a lot of basketball. His father has played basketball in the Dominican Republic. Ben played a little baseball, but he was also a good basketball player. He didn’t start playing baseball only until midway through his high school years. He was pretty good at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale, so as graduation approached, he had several college options to continue playing baseball. One school that jumped out for him was Pepperdine for a variety of reasons, and then he took his visit to the school and was sold. Rodriguez said, “I had options. Before I visited the school, I knew it was a very competitive academic school, which meant a lot to me. It was a smaller school, which I liked, great academics and great athletics. Once I visited, I was sold. I had to go there.” His first year at Pepperdine, he didn’t play much. The next year, he missed a lot of time due to injury. But he played in 91 games over his final two seasons. As the draft approached following his senior season in 2017, he wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. He didn’t have an agent. He knew he wouldn’t go on Day 1, but senior signs can start getting phone calls from teams around the fifth or sixth rounds. He heard from a couple of teams on Day 2, but he wasn’t drafted. Day 3 is a long day as Rounds 11 through 40 are covered. It’s a long day for the teams, and it can be a long day for the players. Rodriguez noted, “I didn’t know what was going on. I was pretty confused. I was a little overwhelmed. Teams were calling and asking a lot of questions. I didn’t really follow the draft. I figured if someone called me, they’d call me. If not, I don’t know.” Mid-afternoon, Rodriguez went to lunch with a friend. “Basically, I hadn’t received a call. I guess I wasn’t getting drafted. It was a good run. I had a good time. That whole process, I went through it with him at that time. What am I going to do now?” And right after that, he said, “I got a text from the Twins. They were saying, ‘It’s late, but you’re still on the board and we want you to be on our team. What would you think if we drafted you here?’” He was interested, but there were some deep thoughts going on through his head in literally just a few moments. “To be honest with you, at first I was thinking to myself, I don’t know. What kind of opportunity will I get? Then I talked to some people close to me very briefly, but I had an overwhelming Yes. You have to go. You have to give it a shot. It was incredible. I had realized that dream I had all my life. No matter if it doesn’t come to you how or when you want it to, I had still achieved it. That was huge. That was a really big moment for me. I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t expecting to feel that way.” Let’s just say this… If Ben Rodriguez had not been drafted and been given this opportunity in baseball, he was going to be just fine. When he said that he picked Pepperdine in large part for the academics, it wasn’t just lip service. Rodriguez graduated in four years from Pepperdine with a degree in physics with an emphasis in electricity and magnetism. “I went there originally as an engineering major. A lot of physics overlaps with engineering. I love science and I just thought it was so interesting. After my freshman year, I had taken some physics classes, and after that I thought, Absolutely, this is what I want to do. As far as interest in magnetism, I just thought it was cool. Those were fun classes for me. They were super challenging, really hard, and I like them so much. It was some extra class. I picked it, and that was my track.” If he wasn’t playing baseball right now, he would be continuing his education. “Last summer, before I had been drafted, I had applied and been accepted into the medical school at Columbia University.” While he hadn’t taken a pre-med curriculum at Pepperdine, Columbia has a program designed to achieve that goal. “It’s called the post baccalaureate pre-medical program. It’s a program specifically designed for people who didn’t necessarily major in something to do with medicine. If you want to go there, you take the pre-med classes and then you get accepted and go to their medical school. I was on track to get into their medical program.” Not a bad fall back plan, I’d say. While he notes that the acceptance can only be deferred for a year, he did talk to people at Columbia and told them he was playing baseball. “They were extremely supportive of the decision, and they told me whenever your career is over, try again.” He acknowledged, “It gives me time. I didn’t really know what I wanted, to be honest. I knew I was a good student, and I knew I wanted to continue my education. That seemed like the most altruistic way to continue my education, to go to medical school and help people the best way that you can which is all I really cared about doing. Now that I’m here, I’m afforded more opportunities and I have more time to see if maybe there is another path that I can go on to fulfill that. Whatever it is. At some point, either during or after my career, my education will be continued.” Helping people is something that is very important in the Rodriguez family. It’s not just words. They put their will to help people into action. Ben’s mom joined the Peace Corp after college and was sent to the Dominican Republic where she was able to help a lot of people. That’s also where she met Ben’s dad, who is a doctor. Ben also has an older sister who is a public school teacher in Brooklyn. “She did ‘Teach for America’ which is a branch of the Peace Corp. She went to the inner-city of Dallas and taught. She postponed continuing her education to do that. I’m very proud of her. Right now, she’s at Columbia getting her Masters in Education and teaching at the same time.” His junior year of college, Ben went to Ecuador to teach. Yes, it is fair to say that altruism runs in the family’s genetics. A scouting report on Ben Rodriguez might look optimistic and glowing. At first glance, Rodriguez has the size (6-6, 230), some good speed, power and power potential and more. He's got the size to play first, but is nimble around the bag which is important. He has the ability to, as he said, “look good in a showcase. I can throw really hard. I can hit really far. I can run pretty fast.” It was that athleticism and the tools that made him standout to me during spring training. He continued, “I think I’m good at being an athlete right now. I don’t know if that’s necessarily something to be good at. That’s what I feel. I can react to pitches. I can hit guys who throw really hard. I can make good plays at first base. I can move around. I can catch well. I am flexible. I am a good athlete right now, but I want to be a good baseball player.” But Rodriguez is still very raw on the field, and he knows it. “I need to work on everything in the sense that I need to develop myself as a ballplayer. I’ve always been toolsy. But as a ballplayer I need to develop. I talk about that with Toby all the time, whether it’s having a better approach at the plate, or being more savvy with how I approach things offensively or defensively. Being a baseball player. I have a brain. I love learning, and I love thinking. My whole career thus far has been predicated on the fact that I can do things that are cool. I can come into a game and hit a ball really far, but I’m less attune to some things that others do. There are some things that you can only get through playing more and more games. I didn't play much in college. The last two years, I played, but I didn’t play summer ball. I don’t have the game time that most guys have. I think that’s a plus for me. When I look at my career. When I look at my strengths as a baseball player, I think I have the tools that I need. The thing that I need is just more time. What do I need to work on? I need to work on everything. I need to work on approach and knowing myself as a player.” When the Twins called his name in the 38th round in 2017, they selected him as a catcher. Of his 35 games played this year, just six of them have been behind the plate. He played little behind the plate in college, but he was a catcher in high school. “The scout who drafted me had seen me in high school as a catcher. Can you still catch? Obviously, being a kid who wanted to play professional baseball, I was like Sure, I’ll do whatever you want. I loved catching. In college it didn’t work out that way. There was more of an opportunity for me to play in different spots, so I moved around.” Here’s hoping that the Twins give him some of that time that he needs to develop. Watch him play and you can see the potential. With his size and strength and speed, it is certainly worth giving him time to see if those athletic tools can turn into more polished skills in time. Click here to view the article