Seth Stohs

When is the last time that Kepler played 1B?

I think that's a pretty solid reason alone... but I also think it makes sense to get the new guy in right away rather than have him sit, especially with how well Cave had been hitting in Rochester.

I get that it was a mistake for Morrison to get picked off, but that happens. It happens from time to time. Also, "we" knew what we were getting with Morrison. His value is based on offense. Not defense. Not running. Hitting. I think it's fair to say that he's been pretty good the last 20 games with the bat.

I know a book about Twins prospects, which has recently been discounted quite a bit, that provides detailed scouting reports for over 150 Twins prospects... http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/sethspeaks Anderson's a legit MLB prospect... even if he isn't a top "prospect." The reason he isn't is because of his age, but he's got the fastball/slider combo to potentially be an MLBer.

I thought/think that Hjelle and Pompey will go late in the first round. Hjelle is surprisingly smooth and athletic for his height. I think Pompey is a great athlete who probably needed college out of high school. Especially since the Twins drafted him so late. I've followed Kentucky for years. They have a ton of talent. I like Kole Cottam as a 2nd or 3rd round type of guy. Minnesotan Luke Becker could be a late round pick from Kentucky too.

I mean, he was placed on the DL with a cervical injury AND concussion-like symptoms, so it's very much a concern.

I mean, to me, he looks good. I don't get the lack of strikeouts cuz he's got good velo and good stuff. I have no idea how to differentiate a AAA, AAAA and #4/5 starter is. Probably not much more than opportunity and patience. He has enough stuff to pitch in the big leagues, I think, but I would hope that people don't see him as a frontline starter at this point.

It was a night of close games throughout the Twins minor league system. Rochester won a 2-0 decision behind a K-filled start by one of the organization’s top pitching prospects. The three other affiliates all played close, one-run games. Along with Stephen Gonsalves, the other starters on Friday included a current, former and potentially a future Top 10 Twins prospect. Find out how they all did.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 It’s been few and far between, but there were no transactions in the Twins farm system on Friday.However, following the Twins loss to the Brewers, they said that Miguel Sano will be joining the Rochester Red Wings on Saturday to start a rehab assignment.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Pawtucket 0 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves made two very strong starts in AAA before throwing a bit of a clunker in his third start. He responded well in his fourth start with 5 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out 11 batters. Alan Busenitz came on and got the next five outs. He walked one and struck out one. John Curtiss recorded his third save with two scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out three. There wasn’t a lot of offense, but just enough. Ryan LaMarre went 3-for-4 with his fourth double. He’s hitting .478 at AAA. Willians Astudillo hit his third home run. For the PawSox, Dustin Pedroia played his first rehab game. He went 0-for-2 with two walks and two strikeouts. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Biloxi 2 Box Score Things went well for the Lookouts both early and then late. Nick Gordon hit a home run in the first inning, his fourth of the year, to give the Lookouts a 1-0 lead. Kohl Stewart made the start. He threw five scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked four and struck out one. Ryan Eades pitched a scoreless sixth inning, but he gave up solo home runs in both the seventh and eighth innings. But in the top of the eighth, the Lookouts scored two runs, on back-to-back RBIs off the bats of Chris Paul and Ryan Walker. Williams Ramirez recorded his sixth save with a perfect ninth frame. Paul went 2-for-4 with his 12th double. Alex Perez went 2-for-4. Tanner English went 2-for-4. LaMonte Wade was out of the lineup after leaving the game in the sixth inning of Thursday night’s game after a collision with a wall. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, St. Lucie 2 Box Score On this day, the Miracle bats just were not able to get much going. They managed just three hits and one walk. Tyler Wells made the start for the Miracle. He was charged with two runs on five hits and two walks over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Andrew Vasquez came on and struck out four over 2 1/3 innings. He gave up four hits but no runs. Ryan Mason struck out two in a scoreless innings, and Hector Lujan worked a perfect ninth frame. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 7 Box Score Blayne Enlow put together arguably the best start of his season for the Kernels. The young right-hander gave up six hits, but no runs, in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and did not issue a walk. It was a rough outing for righty Nick Brown, however, In just one inning, he gave up seven runs on eight hits and a walk. Jose Martinez worked the final 2 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two. The Kernels tried to make a comeback. In the eighth inning, they scored six runs (and just one was earned). The big blow came on a bases-clearing double off the bat of Ben Rortvedt. Trey Cabbage went 2-for-4 with his first triple. Alex Kirilloff was also 2-for-4. Jordan Gore went 2-for-3 and drove in a run. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Ryan LaMarre (3-4, 2B(4)) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Stephen Gonsalves (5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 11 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, R, 2K #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 1-4, HR(4), 2 R, RBI #4 - Stephen Gonsalves (Rochester) - 5.1 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 11 K, 94 pitches, 63 strikes #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-5, R, K #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 4.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, K #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 0-4 #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B(6), 3 RBI SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Myles Jay (2-5, 5.22 ERA) Chattanooga @ Biloxi (6:35 CST) - RHP Omar Bencomo (3-0, 2.41 ERA) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:00 CST) - Brady Anderson (0-4, 5.92 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:35 CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons (0-3, 2.76 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Yup, Lewis will be fast tracked... my only reason for wanting him to stay for 2 more weeks in Cedar Rapids is so that I''ll see him when I'm there. He'll get up to Ft. Myers soon, and he''ll most likely spend the rest of this season there. That'll allow him to potentially start in AA next year. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a non-roster invite next spring. He could be up as soon as the second half of 2019. Ill almost be surprise if, assuming health, he isn't' up by mid-2020.

Much better chance that Gordon jumps to MLB than Lewis jumps to AA.

Chattanooga... It's the Tommy Watkins factor... Then again, last year it was the Jake Mauer factor. Those two are great, and they've worked with some really good players. Rooker will be fine, but AA is a big jump especially for a guy who was playing in college a year ago at this time. Slegers could absolutely be a 4/5 start in MLB. If the Twins have so much depth that he's' a 6/7 guy for them, that's good for the team. Not sure how much opportunity Slegers will get, but he certainly can compete in the big leagues as a back-of-rotation starter. He's got the pitches. He''s 91-93, he's got decent secondary stuff, he's smart and he's got good poise. It's really all about opportunity for him at this point.

I'd be surprised if Lewis and/or Kirilloff get to Chattanooga. SS for Chattanooga after Gordon moves up... Sean Miller, Alex Perez,

Quite possibly. Gordon more likely. I'd think Wiel spends the full year in AA.

Not just you... https://twitter.com/SethTweets/status/996181584540766208

Cedar Rapids is Low A, so the move up with be High-A. Lewis and Kirilloff aren't going to AA this year. Wade will get up to AAA this year.

There have been a bunch already. Rumors are the Lewis could move up very soon, but I think Kirilloff has put himself in position to move up too. Rortvedt could move. Graterol... I'm not sure. They're not going to push him too fast.

Romero has less than 16 innings in the big leagues, he's still a 'prospect."

Correct, thanks!

Age is correct. Height is close, maybe 6-2. Weight is not even close. He's a good 240. Phil Miller wrote an article last year about how he gained like 60 pounds while doing his rehab and the twins were saying it was pretty much all good weight. I tweeted that if people want to tell me he's the Twins #2 prospect, I won't disagree... If someone wants to argue that he is the Twins #1 prospect, I won't put much much of a fight.

On Monday night, the Minnesota Twins announced the death of one of their all-time great ambassadors, Frank Quilici. Quilici has been involved in the Twins organization since signing with the team in 1961. He has fulfilled just about every role imaginable, and while he hasn't been on the field since 1975, he has continued to represent the Twins organization.Frank Quilici passed away on Monday at the age of 79, but he has represented the Minnesota Twins for nearly 60 years. The Twins originally signed Frank Quilici as an amateur player before the 1961 season. He toiled in the Twins minor league system until making his major-league debut in 1965. He spent time with the Twins that season and then again from 1967 through 1970. To me, it was interesting that he played in all seven games of the 1965 World Series and then spent the entire 1966 season in Triple-A. His playing career was nothing to write home about. In 405 career games, he hit just .214/.281/.287 (.569) with 23 doubles, six triples and five home runs. He was a utility infielder, capable of playing all three spots pretty well. But even while playing, it was clear that coaching would be a part of his future. 1970 was his final season as a Twins player, and he was added to the Twins coaching staff for the 1971 and 1972 seasons. Late in the 1972 season, he took over as manager for the final 84 games. He was just 33 years old. He managed the team through the 1975 season. Over that time, he compiled a record of 280-287. The Twins finished just above .500 in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. Despite being let go, he was part of the WCCO radio team with legendary Herb Carneal during the 1976 and 1977 seasons, and again from 1980-1982. Dick Bremer pointed out on the Monday night telecast that they were partners on TV for some time. And since then, Quilici has remained very active in the community. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Twins Community Fund, and he was the President of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation for some time. In 2013, he was honored with the Kirby Puckett Award for Alumni Community Service. There are other names that come to mind when people think of the Minnesota Twins, but few have served the organization in more ways or for more time than Frank Quilici. I am guessing that there are several of our Twins Daily readers who remember Quilici's playing days, or at least his managerial days. More likely, I'm guessing that several of you have had the opportunity to meet or shake hands with Quilici at some point in time at a Twins-related event. Please feel free to share your thoughts and stories regarding Frank Quilici. Best wishes to the family of Frank Quilici as well as those in the Twins organization who knew him well. Click here to view the article

The Twins and Seattle are playing a makeup game at Target Field and needed to wait nearly two hours to get started, so as you’re watching them, check out what happened on Monday night in the Twins minor league system. Rochester had a scheduled day off, and Ft. Myers had their game postponed. So it was up to the Lookouts and Kernels to provide the entertainment on this night, and they both played well.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 Not a transaction, and we reported that it was happening a week ago, but LHP Lachlan Wells had Tommy John surgery on Monday.The Kernels announced that Brusdar Graterol has been activated from the DL and will start on Monday.The Miracle announced that Brandon Lopez has been reinstated from the disabled list. Also LHP Paco Rodriguez (former big leaguer) has been added to the Miracle roster.Infielder Ryan Walker was activated from the DL by Chattanooga. Alex Robles was sent back to extended spring training.Per Baseball America, the Twins also released RHP David Gerics who was a non-drafted free agent last year.RED WINGS REPORTRochester Box Score No Game Scheduled. So here is something fun. Check out this Tipsy Tales, by Josh Whetzel (Red Wings play-by-play man and all around good guy) about the Rochester Hop Bitters. On May 26, the Red Wings will play as the Hop Bitters to honor the original professional baseball club in Rochester. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Tennessee 2 Box Score If the reason for LaMonte Wade to start back in Chattanooga in 2018 was with the idea of letting him work to develop his power, it’s worked. On this night, Wade went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fifth home run of the year. Edgar Corcino went 2-for-4 with his third home run and two RBI. Brent Rooker had the other two RBI on his seventh double. Nick Gordon was 2-for-4 with his fifth stolen base. He’s hitting .350. Omar Bencomo made the start for the Lookouts. He gave up two runs on five hits over the first six innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Ryan Eades threw the next two innings. He gave up two hits and walked one but gave up no runs. He struck out one. Williams Ramirez walked one and struck out one in his inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers , Jupiter Box Score Game postponed. Teams will play two games on Tuesday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 1 Box Score Brusdar Graterol was the Twins Daily #9 prospect before this season. I think it’s fair to say that if we did a midseason ranking, he would be ranked significantly higher. Jeff Johnson is the long-time Kernels writer at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids. He had not seen either of the first two Graterol starts, so he was excited to see him. He couldn’t have been disappointed. His first two pitches were 100 mph. He hit 101 mph in the first inning (and that pitch resulted in a single). On the night, Graterol threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out ten. And he did so with just 76 pitches because 55 of them were strikes. [media] Calvin Faucher, in his return from Ft. Myers, got the next four outs. He gave up only a walk. Jared Finkel came on for the final two innings. He gave up a run on two hits and a walk. Alex Kirilloff extended his hitting streak to 13 games in the first inning with a single. He added his 13th double later in the game. Jean Carlos Arias went 2-for-4 with his second double. Akil Baddoo went 1-for-3 with a walk, and Shane Carrier knocked his first triple. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: LaMonte Wade (2-3, BB, HR(5)) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Brusdar Graterol, Cedar Rapids Kernels (5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 10 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 2-4, SB(5) #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 2B(13), R, K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4, 2B(7), 2 RBI #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K (76 pitches, 55 strikes) #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, R, 2 K #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 2-3, BB, HR(5), 2 RBI TUESDAY'S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (3-1, 2.41 ERA) Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc (5-1, 2.23 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (DH @ 4:00) - TBD, TBD Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (2-1, 1.47 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

Alex Perez was thrown out at home after a Chris Paul fly out to end the game. They almost had to go another inning. I'm not sure that this Pace of Play rule with a runner starting on second base has helped the pace of play.