Seth Stohs

Also, I'm not ready for LaMonte Wade to be a fourth outfielder. Too young. Too talented. Granite, Cave and LaMarre are fine in that role.

Ya'll realize that Rooker was in college one year ago and he's got six homers in Double-A already, right? That about as fast track as it gets. As for Slegsrs, he's ready for the promotion. Doesn't mean there's a spot right now. Unfortunate for him, but says a lot about the Twins starting pitching depth.

As Memorial Day approaches, it’s noteworthy the the first halves of the Kernels, Miracle and Lookouts seasons are coming to an end. Soon, we’ll hear which players are going to play in the All Star game. Often, that milestone also means that it is promotion time for some of the prospects. Today, I’ll mention six Twins minor leaguers that I think are ready for the next level.I believe that the below six players are ready for the next challenge in their careers and on the ladder up the Twins minor league system. Check out my list of a half-dozen players, and then add others that you would like to see promoted. Rochester to Minnesota: Pitcher: Aaron Slegers Trevor May will likely be back in a Minnesota Twins uniform, and Ervin Santana isn’t too far behind him. Those two MLB veterans are returning to a starting rotation that is already full. Stephen Gonsalves and Zack Littell are also in the Rochester rotation and, especially Gonsalves, appear close to big-league ready. Slegers isn’t the big prospect. He was a fifth-round pick and basically moved up one level each year. All the while, he put up good numbers. But Slegers is a legit MLB prospect. He can pitch in the big leagues, and frankly, he’s got little left to prove in AAA. Over his first eight starts in 2018, he is 5-1 with a 1.97 ERA. That is after going 15-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 2017 with the Red Wings. If an organization has a pitcher like Slegers in AAA providing depth, that organization is pretty solid. Chattanooga to Rochester: Hitter: LaMonte Wade Yes, he’s been on the 7-day disabled list for a week now with a shoulder injury, but if not for that, he might have joined Nick Gordon on the trip up to Rochester. Wade had a solid 2017 in Chattanooga when he hit .292/.397/.408 (.805) with 22 doubles and seven home runs. As he has done at every level, he walked more than he struck out. It’s that plate discipline and approach that make me think he might even be ready to move up to the big leagues if needed. For whatever reason, he was returned to the Lookouts to start 2018. Maybe it was to work on something, possibly adding more home run power to his game. If that’s the case, well, he’s already got six home runs this year. There’s little doubt in my mind that Wade is ready for Triple A, if not the big leagues. Pitcher: Todd Van Steensel Van Steensel signed with the Twins a long time ago. Way back in 2011, to be exact. He was a starting pitcher at that time and was released after the Elizabethton season. Fast-forward to 2014, and the Twins brought Van Steensel back, this time as a reliever. Ever since then, he has been one of the best relievers in the Twins system. For whatever reason, he has not been promoted quickly. He posted a 2.62 ERA over 101 games in Ft. Myers (157 strikeouts in 144 1/3 innings). He pitched in Chattanooga last year and posted a 1.38 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings. Yet he finds himself back with the Lookouts again this year. He’s got 28 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings, but he also has just seven walks. If anything was holding him back in the past, he was some control issues. If that’s a thing of the past, Van Steensel deserves to move up. Ft. Myers to Chattanooga: Hitter: Jaylin Davis The Twins drafted Davis late in the 2015 draft. He was hurt, so his playing career didn’t start until the Elizabethton season started in 2016. He hit 16 home runs in 64 the rest of that season (between E-Town and Cedar Rapids). He hit 15 homers in 2017, splitting the season between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He’s hit for power, but he’s also swung and missed a lot. So far in 2018, Davis has cut down on his strikeout rate while increasing his walk rate. He’s hitting .285/.385/.431 (.806) with the Miracle. He may be in line for another midseason promotion. Pitcher: Andrew Vasquez (or Sean Poppen) Vasquez was another late-round pick in 2015 (32nd round) out of Division III Westmont College. He split 2017 between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, and ended the year with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League. After 23 games in Ft. Myers in 2017, he began there again in 2018. He spent a few days in Chattanooga, but he’s ready to be sent there full-time. In a combined 15 games (14 with the Miracle), he’s posted a 0.68 ERA. In 25 2/3 innings, he’s struck out 28 and walked just seven (something he struggled with in the past). He’s got a good fastball, but his slider can be a wipe-out pitch, and he should soon be making the move to Double-A permanently. Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers: Hitter: Alex Kirilloff While Royce Lewis has garnered a lot of the headlines, and deservedly so, Alex Kirilloff has provided the Kernels with average, extra base power, and he’s driven in a ton of runs. After missing all of 2017 due to Tommy John surgery, it didn’t take Kirilloff long to get rolling in 2018. He is currently hitting .325/.373/.584 (.957) with 13 doubles, seven home runs and 35 RBI. He’s played well in the outfield and notes that his arm is feeling strong. I would expect Kirilloff, along with Lewis, to move up to Ft. Myers at or around the All-Star break. So there are six Twins minor leaguers who are making a strong case for promotion. Certainly, there are others who are deserving as well for performance or other reasons. Click here to view the article

They announced that early on Thursday afternoon.

Weird that like 4 out of 5 comments are about catchers... That's really strange in an article with a whole bunch of words on middle infielders.

It's accurate, isnt' it?! :-) My prediction would be Polanco at SS, Gordon at 2B... but honestly, that could go either way. If it was me, I'd try hard to sign Dozier to a 3-year deal.

I just keep going back to the three things that caused a lot of people concern when he was discussed here throughout the offseason: 1.) seriously slumped in the 2nd half... no way he can prove that he's overcome that until the 2nd half. Ha! 2.) Hitting vs LHP in 2017 wasn't good. This year, his OPS vs LHP is at 736 (vs over 900 vs RHP), so that's an improvement, though probably small enough of a sample size that it could be more about scouting and reports than the numbers. 3.) defense at SS... His .958 fielding percentage this year is about the same as his .957 fielding percentage a year ago. But I have heard that he's shown some improved lateral movement this year, so that's' a positive. My guess is that, like LaMonte Wade, they also wanted to see some more power, and he's done that. So, I actually good with the timing. I don't have a problem with him going back, and I like to see them move him up this year pretty quickly too.

This new site, Twitter.com, often has a lot more information too. Ha! I kid, I kid.

Insurance policy for Mauer, probably, and yes, it speaks to Vargas being bad too. Yeah, that was a pretty big transaction...

Wade had the approach,but if there reason was for him to develop some in-game home run power, he's been successful, and that's why I think he'll be moved up soon. Really, same with Gordon. I'm sure they're looking at his defense daily and the pop in his bat, maybe how he battles against lefties. All those things we talked about in the offseason.

We are just under two weeks from the start of the 2018 MLB Draft. I think this is a good time to look at the depth in the Minnesota Twins organization, by position, to see if there are areas that the team should focus on adding some depth to. Of course, in the first ten to 15 rounds, the team should really just take the players they believe have the most potential. Beyond that, there are positions that need to be filled by players that hopefully have some tools. Today, we will discuss the middle infielders throughout the system. Naturally, these are typically some very good athletes, capable of moving around the diamond as needed. As it relates to the draft, in the early rounds, it is best to believe that guys can stick at shortstop. Besides catcher, it is probably the most difficult position to play.We’ll start in the big leagues, but we’ll work our way down throughout the minor league system, including the guys in extended spring training. These rosters are as of this moment, so the list is subject to change at a moment’s notice. MINNESOTA TWINS Shortstops: Jorge Polanco (24), Eduardo Escobar (29), Ehire Adrianza (28), Gregorio Petit (33) Second Base: Brian Dozier (31) Jorge Polanco was the shortstop that we were all very excited about coming into spring training. He was arguably the Twins best hitter over the season’s final two months. Unfortunately, less than two weeks before the season started, Polanco was given an 80-game suspension for PEDs. He should return to the lineup in early July. So, Eduardo Escobar was given the starting shortstop job to start the season. However, a couple of weeks into the season, Miguel Sano was hurt and Escobar moved over to third base. Enter Ehire Adrianza who has manned the position most of the last month. Veteran Gregorio Petit came up and has been used in a utility role. Brian Dozier is the second baseman. He’s been the team’s best player the last three years. He’s off to a slow start again this year, but the Gold Glove winner is in the lineup nearly every day. ROCHESTER RED WINGS Shortstops: Nick Gordon (22), Leonardo Reginnato (28) Second Base: Taylor Featherston (28), Sean Miller (23) Nick Gordon finally received the promotion to Triple A and the Red Wings on Thursday. He’s been a Top 50 prospect in all of baseball since the Twins used their first-round pick on him in 2014. At AA, he’s hit for average, improved his power production, and has also improved at shortstop. He’s close. Featherston is a veteran of several season in MLB baseball and plays around the infield. The same can be said of Reginnato. Miller has also played all around the infield. He spent 2017 in Ft. Myers and then went to the Arizona Fall League after the season. He was the organizations top defensive infielder last year and spent the first half of spring training in big league camp. After starting the season in Chattanooga, he was quickly promoted to Triple A where the defense has played, but the bat has not. He may return to Double A where he should get more time at shortstop. CHATTANOOGA LOOKOUTS Shortstop: Ryan Walker (26) Second Base: Alex Perez (25) Ryan Walker has slowly worked up the system. He has now spent most of the past three seasons with the Lookouts. He’s played mostly second base, but he’s a natural at shortstop. He’s also played third base and some in the outfield. He recently returned from the disabled list after missing some time with a knee injury. Perez was a late round pick just a couple of years ago after being a four-year starter at Virginia Tech at shortstop. He’s also played mostly at second base in pro ball. He takes incredibly professional at-bats and works counts very well. FORT MYERS MIRACLE Shortstop: Brandon Lopez (24), Joe Cronin (24) Second Base: Travis Blankenhorn (21), Luis Arraez (21) Lopez was a four-year starter at shortstop at Miami. He was promoted to the Miracle after the All-Star break a year ago. He’s spent some time on the DL this season. He’s played quite a bit at all three infield spots. Cronin played four years at Boston College. He’s solid all-around and can play all three non-first base infield spots well. Upon starting his season this year, he was one of the top hitters in the organization in April. Luis Arraez tore up his knee in the third game in 2017 and missed the remainder of the season. He came back to the Miracle a couple of weeks into the season. It took him a while to get the bat going, as you would expect, but his average is again over .200 and working its way up quickly. While he’s probably a second baseman, he has made starts at third base and shortstop this year already. Blankenhorn is one of our Top 20 Twins prospects. He has split his time between third base and second base, and even had a couple of games in the outfield. He’s produced a lot of power so far this season and been much improved with the glove. CEDAR RAPIDS KERNELS Shortstop: Royce Lewis (18) Second Base: Jose Miranda (19), Jordan Gore (23) Royce Lewis was the top pick in the entire 2017 draft out of high school in California. After starting his career in the GCL, he was pushed up to Cedar Rapids. That’s where he’s started 2018. While he has slumped the last week or two, he’s still hitting over .300. As impressive, his defense at shortstop has been good. A move up to Ft. Myers could be in the near future for the barely still-just 18-year-old. Jose Miranda was the second Comp B pick taken by the Twins after the second round of the 2016 draft. He had a nice showing in Elizabethton and has experienced some ups and downs already in his first season at Cedar Rapids. He’s played more second base, but he’s also spent time at third base. He’s got good power potential. Jordan Gore was drafted a year ago out of Coastal Carolina. He’s played shortstop when Lewis is given a day off. He’s played more at second base. While he has hit ninth, the switch hitter has hit over .300 and played very good defense. EXTENDED SPRING TRAINING Shortstop: Wander Javier (19), Carson Crites (23), Ricky De La Torre (18), Agustin Marte (19) Second Base: Ariel Montesino (22), Emmanuel Morel (20), Yunior Severino (18), Yeltsin Encarnacion (19) While we wondered how Toby Gardenhire would get both Royce Lewis and Wander Javier into the Kernels lineup at the same time. Unfortunately, we may never know, at least not for a while. Javier re-injured his left (non-throwing shoulder) and required surgery recently. He’s immensely talented, and while it is unfortunate he’ll miss the year, hopefully it won’t mean too much long-term. Carson Crites fits a similar mold as the likes of Cronin and Perez. Late-round college picks who may not have any high-end tools, but they also have few flaws in a solid all-around game. He’s spent a little time with the Miracle this year. Rick De La Torre was considered a first or second round talent early in 2017, but the Puerto Rico native fell to the Twins in the sixth round. Montesino has been in the organization for a long time. The switch-hitter split 2017 between Cedar Rapids, Elizabethton and Ft. Myers, playing around the infield and even some in center field.Emmanuel Morel is one of the fastest runners in the minor leagues. After being injured in 2016, he performed much better in 2017 in the GCL and should move up to E-Town. Yunior Severino is also a Top 20 prospect. He became a free agent this winter after baseball’s investigation of the Atlanta Braves. The Twins signed him for $2.5 million. He’s impressive from the left and right side of the plate. While most think he’ll spend most of his time at second base, he should get time at shortstop too. Agustin Marte and Yeltsin Encarnacion are in extended spring training after playing in the Dominican Summer League a year ago. Encarnacion is 20 and has played three years in the DSL. Marte is 19 and has played there the last two seasons. Twins Top Middle Infield Prospects 1 - Royce Lewis - SS 2 - Nick Gordon - SS 3 - Wander Javier - SS 4 - Yunior Severino - 2B 5 - Luis Arraez - 2B There is the list of middle infielders throughout the Twins system. Things are pretty solid in the big leagues with Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco (when he returns) and Eduardo Escobar. And Nick Gordon is one step away. Royce Lewis is one of the top prospects in baseball, and Wander Javier will come back in 2019. Those three players are Top 100 prospects. So, should the Twins avoid the shortstop position in the upcoming draft or in the international market? Absolutely not. Keep bringing in great athletes and baseball players and hope that you end up with a log jam. Shortstops can move elsewhere on the diamond, or they could trade excess at the position for other needs. One example is the trade of Jermaine Palacios to the Rays this spring for Jake Odorizzi. Click here to view the article

I have to assume that Wade would be moving up with Gordon today if not for the shoulder injury.

Wade is on the DL with a left shoulder injury... sounds like he's progressing well.

Lewis is currently in a 6-36 (.167) slump over his last 10 games. That's why you can't just call up guys who are hitting .380 four weeks into the season. There are ebbs and flows throughout the course of a long season. Obviously the 10-game slump isn't a big deal. But at this point, there doesn't need to be a rush. Kirilloff's been terrific, but after missing a full year, there's nothing wrong with letting him experience some prolonged success, rebuild his confidence and all that kind of stuff. Lewis and Kirilloff are both very strong mentally and physically. They'll be fine in Ft. Myers. But whether they move up in a week or in three weeks is pretty insignificant in the big picture. Also, frankly, there's nothing wrong with letting the two of them help the Kernels to a playoff berth and then moving up. Again, one week versus three weeks just isn't a big deal, but it's a nice thing for those minor leaguers that will be there all season.

I mean, wasn't that my point... lots of similar players who are defense-first, fundamentally-sound college infielders who are likely AA/AAA/AAAA types and could get a cup of coffee. His AFL performance was actually pretty encouraging. The fact that he's in AAA tells me there is some shot, even if it's a very small shot. I would suspect that he and Walker will soon switch places so that Miller is back where he should be.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels won a one-run ball game in the ninth inning on Monday night. To be honest, the three other games in the Minnesota Twins minor leagues on this night were not pretty. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t some very noteworthy performances and transactions.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 The Twins announced that Ervin Santana was not able to make his scheduled start in Extended Spring Training on Monday because of rain. With more precipitation in the Ft. Myers forecast the next couple of days, Santana will head to Chattanooga where he will make a start on Wednesday.Following the Twins 4-2 win against the Tigers, the Twins announced that they will DFA RHP Phil Hughes. A corresponding move will be made on Tuesday.The Lookouts announced that RHP Randy LeBlanc has been placed on the disabled list with a flexor mass strain. He left his start on Sunday in the fourth inning. RH RP Zack Jones comes off of the DL.RH RP Logan Lombana was placed on the DL by the Miracle. LH RP Alex Robinson returns from the DL.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Lehigh Valley 6 Box Score Dietrich Enns had a rough start and the IronPigs powered past the Red Wings in this game. In just 3 2/3 innings, Enns gave up five runs on six hits (three HRs) and three walks. He struck out three. DJ Baxendale came on and threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up a hit, walked two and struck out two. Luke Bard gave up a solo homer in his inning. He struck out two. Jake Reed then struck out two in a scoreless inning. Nick Buss was the lone Red Wings hitter with a multi-hit game. He went 2-for-4. Wynston Sawyer had two walks in the game. Kennys Vargas had a single and a walk. He also had one of the two RBIs for the team. Miguel Sano went 1-for-4 in the game and is now 1-for-8 in his three rehab games. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Biloxi 12 Box Score The Lookouts offense came up strong, but when the other team still has more walks that your team has hits, it is hard to win. Anthony Marzi started. He started with three scoreless innings, but he was tagged with seven runs in the fourth frame. He went 3 2/3 innings and gave up four hits and five walks. Casey Crosby came on. He gave up two runs on two hits and four walks, and he recorded just two outs. Tyler Jay came on and got the next five outs. He gave up a run on two hits. Williams Ramirez gave up two runs on one hit and two walks before being replaced by Zack Jones who got the final five outs. The Lookouts got plenty of offense for most nights. They scored their seven runs on 12 hits and added two walks. Nick Gordon went 2-for-5 with his fifth home run of the year. Zander Wiel went 2-for-5 with his 12th double and drove in two runs. Brian Navarreto and Edgar Corcino each went 2-for-5 with a double. Tanner English also had two hits. Brent Rooker drove in a run with his ninth double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Bradenton 9 Box Score It was just a rough game all around for the Miracle on Monday night. They didn’t get much quality pitching. Their defense didn’t help, and well, they got shut out, so the bats didn’t exactly provide assistance on this night. Clark Beeker started and gave up three runs on five hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out three. Kevin Marnon came on and gave up four unearned runs on three hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings. Hector Lujan got the final seven outs, but he gave up two runs (one earned) on one hit and two walks. Of the nine runs allowed, just four were earned thanks to three Miracle errors. Brandon Lopez led the offense. He went 2-for-3 with his second double. Luis Arraez added his fifth double. Lewin Diaz hit his third double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Kane County 2 Box Score Edwar Colina has had a solid season for the Kernels so far, but he has fought his control quite a bit. On this night, he had his best start. The right-hander gave up just one run on five hits over five innings. He walked just one while striking out seven batters. Randy Dobnak came out of the bullpen and provided two shutout innings. Jared Finkel gave up a home run in the eighth that tied the game at two, but given the lead back, he worked out of a mess in the ninth to end the game. The Kernels grabbed a 2-1 lead in the third inning when Royce Lewis hit a sacrifice fly which was followed by an RBI single from Alex Kirilloff. In the top of the ninth, it was Ben Rodriguez who came up with a sacrifice fly to give the Kernels a lead they held on to. Jose Miranda and Trey Cabbage each had a single and a walk. The Kernels had just seven hits in the game. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Nick Gordon, Chattanooga Lookouts (2-5, HR) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Edwar Colina, Cedar Rapids Kernels (5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, RBI, K, SF #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 2-5, HR(5), R, RBI, K #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, RBI, K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4, BB, 2B(9), R, RBI, K #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, 2B(3) #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4 #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, BB, K #19 - Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) - 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) - RHP Trevor May (0-1, 2.25 ERA) Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled. St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (10:00 am CST) - RHP Sean Poppen (1-2, 2.70 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (12:00 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (2-2, 2.63 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

I really enjoy guys like this, and the Twins take a lot of them. Infielders that can play multiple positions, hit a little bit, and play good defense. Going back to AJ Pettersen in about 2010-2011 or so. But in the organization now, you've got guys like Sean Miller, Ryan Walker, Alex Perez, Joe Cronin, Carson Crites... college guys who weren't' hit picks but just solid all-around players.

He was a Top 5 Twins prospect at Twins Daily, so it's' not like people didn't expect him to be a really, really good hitter. Before the injury, he was generally a Top 100 guy nationally. I think the surprise is more about how quickly he got it back. Pretty impressive.

He went on the DL on Friday... I haven't' been able to figure out from anyone yet what the injury is. Not good.

Anderson the next Hader? No. I would guess Lewis. Wiel into the Top 20... it''ll probably be awhile. He's a nice player though.

That's one way to look at it. Another is to say that there are probably a lot of guys who could be just fine given an opportunity. Slegers might be one of those guys. His ceiling is probably a #4/5 starter in the big leagues, but he's really good in AAA. He could go to the Marlins or something and pitch in their starting rotation (maybe as their #3/4) for 4-5 years. With the Twins, he's kind of a #6/7 right now.