Seth Stohs

Not ever Miracle player or E-Twins player or Lookouts player or Red Wings player does. In fact, most don't. The Kernels have a great set up for the players. Much better than when they were in Beloit. But that's unusual. Van Steensel's' one of few who isn't afraid to say what most of them are thinking. It''s not even complaining as much as letting fans know the reality. They're professional ballplayers and yet it's anything but luxurious. They get paid almost nothing. They do take buses. (Though I do think that the Red Wings occasionally will fly from a place like Gwinnett or Norfolk, etc. when needed)

I haven't seen him on any Top 20s. He's in some Top 30s.

I'm guessing we all now know who just might start for the Twins on Friday night. Of course, weather may also factor into that. They aren't going to want to activate Hughes from his rehab stint if he's not going to pitch Friday and they can go back to their rotation on Saturday. So, they may have Mejia up here for just in case.

Stewart may be the first guy to go past 70. In spring training, they go to 90 pitches in their second-to-last start, and then they drop it down to like 40-50 in their final start so they're ready to go. It's clear there is a strategy. I think the weather could be a factor too. Gonsalves was taken out at 66 pitches with a no-hitter, but it was also like 32 degrees.

Way too early to know that. He's not bad at 3B or 2B. He's still working on both and has a ways to go, but I don't think they're hiding him... and you wouldn't hide a guy at either of those two positions.

I'm not smart enough to know how to do that. ha!

They were... that changed some when Brad Steil took over for Jim Rantz,, and I'll need more of a sample size before I make any comments on Jeremy Zoll's strategies.

I mean, the season is like 8 games old, did we not expect Cleveland to be at the top of the stack?

If a lefty giving up a double to a talent like Carlos Correa is going to be a big deal, he's got no chance...

I'll take Eddie Rosario every day of the week... Plays hard. He's aggressive. Over-aggressive at time, but incredibly talented. He's also the type of guy who will respond well after a bad game. Yeah, the Defense was shaky, but we all know that he's generally a pretty strong left fielder. Offensively, yeah, he'll be over aggressive, but sometimes that is a benefit. He's a lot like a great closer. Bad game/blown save, come back the next day and do something. Of course, tomorrow that would be against Dallas Keuchel, so it's possible that he's out of the lineup with LaMarre in left. I'll take trying really, really hard and being aggressive any day of the week.

The comments in this forum are the strangest I think I've ever read. Ha! I can't tell how much of this is sarcastic. I'm hoping it's pretty much all sarcastic... right?

His velo has never been the problem. Chattanooga doesn't have milb.tv, so we can dig, but no real great, easy way to find out the rest. Let's just call it a really strong start. Good to see the strikeouts. He's obviously not going to strike out 9 in 5 every time, but it would be nice to see him at 7.5 K/9 or more.

There are a lot of talented players outside the Top 20 Twins prospects, several of them will make it to the big leagues. Kohl Stewart will probably be one of them.

Weather has won the day, but on Monday night all four Minnesota Twins affiliates (and the Minnesota Twins too) played their regularly scheduled games. Game-time temperatures were between 35 and 40 at Target Field and in Rochester and in Peoria, Illinois, where the Kernels played their first road game. Fortunately the weather in Tennessee warmed up a bit for Monday, and well, it’s always plenty warm in Ft. Myers. Check out how the four Twins affiliates did on Monday. There were some strong offensive, defensive and pitching performances.Well, on the fifth day, all four Twins affiliates and the big league club played their games. The Red Wings, after having their first three games weathered out, finally played their opener. I’m sure they’re looking forward to a southern road trip starting on Thursday. The Lookouts finished out a five-game series against Birmingham. The Miracle took on Florida, and a hitter stayed hot. The Kernels made their first road trip and found a way to win a close ball game. After reading tonight’s report, be sure to add your comments and questions in the forum. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Syracuse 2 Box Score Before the games began, the Red Wings announced that their three weathered-out games against Buffalo will be made up as parts of doubleheaders on May 25, May 27 and August 28. Aaron Slegers woke up Friday, Saturday and Sunday thinking he might be making his first start of the season. It wasn’t until Monday that it actually happened. However, Slegers proved ready for the Opening Day challenge. The right-hander went the first six innings. He gave up just one run on five hits and a walk. He struck out just one. 49 of his 66 pitches were strikes. Veteran Edwin Jackson got the start for Syracuse. In 3+ innings, the Red Wings worked him for six walks, but they managed just one run. Tyler Duffey came on in relief of Slegers. He was perfect in the seventh and eighth innings. He got the first out of the ninth inning, but a three-base error and a sacrifice fly meant that the Red Wings were down 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth. They got two runners on base but were unable to push a run across the plate. Kennys Vargas went 1-for-2 with three walks in the game. Gregorio Petit went 2-for-4 in the game. Petit also played some impressive defense at shortstop. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Birmingham 2 Box Score The Lookouts finished out their five-game series against Birmingham on Monday night. Kohl Stewart took the mound against former Twins minor leaguer Matthew Tomshaw. The left-hander was charged with five runs (three earned) on nine hits over just 3.1 innings before exiting the game. Stewart, on the other hand, was fantastic. The former #1 draft pick worked the first five innings for the Lookouts. He gave up one run on three hits. He walked none and struck out nine batters. He got five ground ball outs, all of which could be described as slow rollers. The lone run came on a single, a slow roller that advanced the runner to second base. Stewart then threw two wild pitches to allow the run to score. Ryan Eades came on and gave up one run over the next two innings. He gave up two hits, but he walked none and struck out three. Williams Ramirez came on and in 1.2 scoreless innings, walked three and struck out three. Ryne Harper had to come on for the final out. He recorded a strikeout to end the game and record his second save. He’s faced four batters and struck out all four this season. The Lookouts got their runs early. Brent Rooker came into the game 1-for-14, but he had singles in his first three at-bats. Like Rooker, LaMonte Wade went 3-for-4 in the game. Zander Wiel and TJ White each went 2-for-4. White hit his first double and stole his first base. The team improved to 3-2 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Florida 4 Box Score It always sounds strange to say that Ft. Myers is playing against Florida, but we’ll have to get used to that over the next few days as the Twins affiliate takes on the Florida State League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. On this night, the Twins minor leaguers faced Ian Anderson, one of the talented young Braves starting pitcher prospects. Travis Blankenhorn is off to a fantastic start this season. On this night, he had a single, his fifth double and his first triple. On the season, he now has nine hits. He’s got five doubles, a triple, a homer and two singles. Jimmy Kerrigan was a nice signing out of the independent leagues a year ago. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and his first home run of the year. Clark Beeker made the start. He was the Twins Daily all-star right-handed pitcher in 2017. In his first Miracle start of the season, he went five innings. He gave up two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out five. Cody Stashak came on in relief. In his two innings, he gave up two runs on just one hit. He walked two and struck out three. With the lead back, Alex Robinson came on for the final two innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out four batters to record his second save of the season. The Miracle moved back over .500 at 3-2 with the win. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 1 Box Score The weather was still cold in Peoria, but the Kernels made their first road trip of the year and came out of it with a win. Blayne Enlow made his first start of the year. The right-hander got off to an interesting start. He got the first two batters that he faced out. But the next three hitters had singles to load the bases. Enlow was helped by a diving catch by right fielder Mark Contreras who caught a sinking liner to end that threat. In the second inning, Contreras made a leaping catch at the wall to save at least one run. But Enlow started with four scoreless innings. In the fifth inning, he left the game with one out and runners on first and third. Tall left-hander Kevin Marnon came on and gave up a sacrifice fly to give Peoria a 1-0 lead (run charged to Enlow). But Marnon finished the fifth inning, as well as the sixth and seventh frames and gave up just one hit and one walk. Side-winding Jared Finkel came on for the final two innings. He gave up three hits, but no runs, to record his first save of the season. The Kernels responded to the fifth inning run allowed by scoring a couple in the top of the sixth inning. With runners on second and third, Ben Rortvedt singled through the left side of the infield to drive in two runs and give the Kernels the lead. Rortvedt went 2-for-4 in the game. Mark Contreras did more than make great plays on defense. He went 2-for-4 with his first double of the season. He drove in an insurance run in the ninth inning as well. Third baseman Andrew Bechtold is now hitting .600 on the season after going 3-for-4 in this game. Ben Rodriguez also added his first double of the year. The Kernels remain undefeated at 3-0. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Travis Blankenhorn, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Kohl Stewart, Chattanooga Lookouts TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 1 K #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 0-5, RBI, K #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4 #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 3-4, RBI #8 - Blayne Enlow (Cedar Rapids) - 4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, BB, 3 K #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, K #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 3-4, #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, 2 RBI #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 3-4, 2B (5), 3B (1), K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (4:35 CST) - LHP Adalberto Mejia Chattanooga - Travel Day Florida @ Ft. Myers (6:00) - RHP Sean Poppen Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (11:00 am CST) - LHP Tyler Watson Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s games, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

And neither of those things would have stopped them from still taking Kinley, or any other Rule 5 pick.

Last point... I was "upset" about losing Bard and then picking Kinley at that time. But, at that time (late November), I think we all assumed that the offseason would take a much different route than it did. Obviously they intended to add veteran bullpen arms. They did. Obviously they decided to focus their 40-man roster spots on starting pitchers and they protected three starting pitchers and no relievers. I'm perplexed with those two takes why they would then take a similar, though not as good, reliever with their own Rule 5 pick, but they did. I also think let's not judge too much on anyone's MLB debut. There are nerves. There was cold weather. Other factors. I mean, if we're going to give up on a guy after their MLB debuts, then why are we still high on Trevor May. Let''s give Kinley some time. Maybe he'll be OK. Maybe he'll stink. I know which one I think will happen, but maybe he can become a solid 6th inning guy, and if that's the case, it's a very successful Rule 5 pick regardless of the other situations surrounding it.

I don't think sending a Rule 5 pick back to his original team is every an "egg on face" thing. It's the normal. Keeping Rule 5 picks is the unusual.

This is my point, and I keep forgetting. Yes, they lost Bard and Burdi, which stunk, but they didn't' lose Reed, who I would guess if they did protect a RP on the 40-man, it would have been him. What Kinley has that Chargois hasn't had to this point... durability. Of course, as others have mentioned, guys are durable until they're not, so that could always change. I feel like I'm justifying the Kinley pick when I was probably most vocal about not understanding it. That's not my goal. Bard is one of my favorite people, and since he's been healthy, that spin rate and K-rate have been amazing. I just think that we're not privvy to all the information that the decision makers are, so there must be something.

Of course, if that's true, then they probably wouldn't have send Romero to Rochester.

That's not an "only in the Twins organization" thing. It's silly that he's there, but as is often the case (in all organizations), early season assignments are just as much about numbers as anything else... It's a byproduct of the Lynn signing and Mejia being sent down, and Romero kind of pushing his way ahead.

The reality is that the Twins chose not to protect Bard or Burdi from the Rule 5 draft. I was as harsh on the Kinley selection when it happened for a couple of days, and for the very reasons you're mentioning (if you're going to select a hard-throwing RHP, why not just protect Bard?)... But that's the risk with every Rule 5. My guess is that the Twins aren't terribly surprised by Bard's success. They've touted his spin rates the last couple of years. I have no idea why they didn't protect him, but I know it had nothing to do with Kinley. As for Chargois, he's got options. They didn't have to keep him on the 25-man roster regardless. That was just a weird DFAing, and weird timing, and it suggests something more. But again, I don't think there is a direct link between Kinley and Chargois. In all likelihood, I'm guessing Busenitz, Duffey and maybe even Curtiss were ahead of Chargois on the depth chart. Moya's thrown like 2.1 innings or whatever. He probably would have gone to AAA to start the season if they hadn't been wise and "DLd" Hughes, allowing them to keep an extra reliever. It's fun to mock and second guess everything. Like I've said, I do it too. But,, the reality is they've got a ton of RP depth and they clearly prioritized SP with their 40-man roster adds. It's hard to get too worked up about a Rule 5 pick. If they like and believe in Kinley's arm, they should keep him on the roster all year. If they question that, which they are free to, then they'll let him go back to the Marlins.

Shag-waa I recall asking him at a Twins Fest after an interview. I think he was impressed when I guessed right.

Yes and no... As a coach, you want to encourage aggressive, but smart decision making. In the case last night, I thought Baddoo made a good, aggressive move. The 3B was in. He had to dive. Baddoo was off of 2B already, and yes, he was able to make it. I would say this though... especially in the lower levels, managers and coaches should (and often do) question players. They let catchers call the games, and then they talk about good and bad pitches between innings and after games. For fast guys, they encourage them to try to steal bases, understanding they're probably going to go at some non-good situations, but they can learn from those situaitons, and they'll talk through those situations. I think most coaches will encourage aggressive over passive. And most coaches/managers in the lower levels love teaching and this is part of it. That was a long answer basically saying that there isn't a direct answer to that question.

No, he never had surgery. The rest and rehab did the trick. He looked fine this spring. He's not a big guy, but he's got some really good stuff.