Seth Stohs

Yeah, that was the first I'd heard the reasoning. All four full-season affiliates will have a fourth coach this year. I'd have to look to see if they're all pitchers. I know that the Red Wings added a bullpen coach who just finished his own pitching career last year. I don't remember the hitting or pitching backgrounds on the other two.

I mean, I think we all know the "oblique" thing was just to keep him on a schedule, ready to start April 11th when they needed their 5th starter. Weather in Minnesota may alter that timeline some if there are snow/weather outs, but my assumption is that it's just a final tune up before his MLB start. Now yeah, if he does get hurt or reports something else, I'm sure they will have a contingency plan.

Since Phil Hughes is starting for the Miracle on Thursday (4/5), he'll be (shockingly) set up to make the start for the Twins on 4/11.

None of them were at spring training in Ft. Myers. Again, I'd guess they come over now. Several of the Dominican players who spent time in the GCL last year also weren't in FM for spring training, but they'll likely be there for EST.

No... Ha!

My takes: I saw Benninghoff throw a bullpen or two and work in one game. He looks the part. He throws pretty hard. He's still working on control, as you'd expect based on age but also on returning from TJ, But I think he is a guy worth being excited about, but down the line. TJ White... he looked solid. The stance has definitely changed, but he remains a big, strong, fast, athletic guys with a lot of power. Stashak was moved to the bullpen, but I like him as a prospect. Another in the line of Radke like pitchers. Doesn't throw real hard, but will hit 92 or 93. Has that calm demeanor, good control all that stuff.

Isn't that strange... For those curious... The Miracle announced today that Adam Bray and Tom Hackimer will start the season on the DL. Max Cordy has been activated, and then they've added Lombana too.

It would certainly be interesting if some of that was in the discussion.

Tyler Wells was promoted, to Ft. Myers. I think Baddoo is an ideal leadoff man. I'd go: Baddoo CF Lewis SS Kirilloff RF Carrier LF/DH Miranda 2B Bechtold 3B Cabbage DH/LF Rodriguez 1B Rortvedt C

He made 6-8 starts for the Kernels last year after joining the organization.

For Wander, it is his LEFT (non-throwing) shoulder. When I was there, he was running and throwing and fielding. The only thing they didn't have him doing yet was hitting. He may be by now, but I'm sure they'll want to get him some live batting practice in some Extended Spring Training games before sending him up to the Kernels. It may be the type of minor injury that the cold would not be good for.

Not players. I assume some sort of cash considerations.

Yeah, I don't really understand that one either. Then again, he would have gone to Cedar Rapids, and the Twins have Rortvedt and Banuelos there. At Ft. Myers, you've got Hamilton and Kranson and "Gelly", so there just wasn't a roster spot for him, and spending another year in EST just doesn't make sense. He should play. I don't think there are any character issues in that one.

Wander Javier had a sore left shoulder. It's something he fought last year too, so they didn't have him hitting while I was there. He looked alright, so once he starts hitting and gets some live at bats, I'm sure he'll get up to Cedar Rapids soon enough. Michael Montero was not at spring training in Ft. Myers. My guess is that he'll come to Ft. Myers for Extended Spring Training and be ready to pitch in the GCL this year.

I spent eight full days in Ft. Myers, and for at least some of each day, I spent time down on the minor league side of things. When there was a big league game, I would maybe only spend a couple of hours watching practice. When the big league team was on the road, I would spend as much as seven hours watching practices and games. There is a lot of talent in the Twins minor league system. Today I wanted to highlight a handful of players who caught my eye, specifically with guys who are not often found on prospect sheets.I don’t know if you want to call them sleepers or just guys that stood out to one observer, me, but there were several players that I didn’t necessarily rank real high on Twins prospect lists. This isn’t an article to say that suddenly these guys will jump into my Top 10 or even my Top 30. But every year there are a couple of players that do good enough work throughout the time I’m there (admittedly a small sample) to get noticed. At the same time, Royce Lewis is a standout. Brent Rooker's approach and swing at the plate are eye-popping. Akil Baddoo is impressive at the plate, on the bases and in the field. Alex Kirilloff’s swing is so smooth. Blayne Enlow appears to be as advertised. Brusdar Graterol throws gas and looks the part of a starter. Fernando Romero and Stephen Gonsalves look close to big-league ready. We already know that. That’s why those guys are top ten types of prospects. Today I want to highlight some guys that maybe you haven’t heard a lot about. Maybe some of them will end up being Top 20 guys by season’s end. Maybe some of them won’t be with the organization in September. I don’t know. But it’s fun to observe, and in some ways, play amateur scout. While I was in Ft. Myers, I watch a lot. I love watching bullpens. I love watching infielders take group balls. I love pop up drills. I love watching guys take game at bats against live pitching because that is often different than batting practice swinging, which is also fun to watch. In my time down there, I had the chance to briefly talk to Mike Radcliff, and I met Deron Johnson for the first time. I only wish I had their abilities to scout and evaluate players not only for what they are today, but what they might be in three years, or five years. Scouting is a tough job. And maybe this little exercise will highlight that. So let’s get to it. Here are five guys (non-Top 20 types) who stood out in my mind having watched them over the course of my eight days in Ft. Myers. Ben Rodriguez Ben Rodriguez was the Twins 38th-round pick last June out of Pepperdine where he had played for four years. Drafted as a catcher, Rodriguez stands 6-6 and about 230 pounds. After being drafted, he played 50 games in the GCL where he hit .290/.399/. 457 (.856) with 17 extra base hits. While I did see him working on a few drills with the catchers, Rodriguez spent the majority of his time at first base. What is noteworthy is that he spent most of spring training with the Ft. Myers group that is starting the season in Cedar Rapids. He essentially passed by the likes of Kolton Kendrick and JJ Robinson who played first base at Elizabethton last season. He’s had some swing-and-miss in his game, but as you would guess from his size, he has a ton of power and power potential. We’ll see if it comes to fruition, but in my mind, that was a great late-round pick. Rodriguez is very athletic, strong and has potential that makes him intriguing. Andrew Vasquez Vasquez is kind of a late bloomer on this list. The left-hander was the Twins 32nd- round pick in 2015 out of Westmont College in California. He’s been moved fairly slowly, but he ended 2017 strong. After starting in Cedar Rapids, he moved up to Ft. Myers. Combined, he posted a 1.55 ERA and struck out 85 batters in 58 innings of work. He ended the season with an invitation to the Arizona Fall League where he struck out 14 batters in 12.2 innings (1.42 ERA). I first noticed him in the spring of 2017 when I watched him throw a bullpen. Actually, I heard him throw a bullpen. Just warming up, the ball could be heard as it went by. While his velocity wasn’t too high, it was a heavy fastball. This year, I watched him pitch in a couple of spring games. As I was taking in pitches from the side, and seeing hitters’ knees buckle, I decided to go stand behind home plate and watch. I’d obviously heard about the slider of Vasquez, but to see it is something else. After watching a couple, I looked at Twins assistant minor league pitching coordinator JP Martinez and he just shook his head at me and said, “I wish I could take credit for that.” We watched a couple more of his sliders dart into the strike zone, and it made his fastball appear even faster than its low-90s velocity was. He’s a two-pitch pitcher, and both pitches are really good. Tanner English 2017 was a forgettable year for Tanner English. He began the season by spending about a month in Chattanooga, but he just couldn’t get his bat going. He moved back to Ft. Myers and continued to struggle with the bat. He will begin 2018 with the Lookouts again, looking to take his career to the next level. You may recall the big league spring training game that English played hero in just over a week ago. He entered the game in the 8th inning as a pinch runner and then hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the 9th inning to tie the game. While he’s not a big guy, English has good tools. The first one you notice is his speed. He’s a good base runner and base stealer. He really shines in center field. English can cover a lot of ground, and he possesses a very strong arm. While he hasn’t hit for average, English puts together really good at-bats. He knows the strike zone and he understands the value of getting on base. And again, despite the lack of size, English has a bit of pop in his bat. The spring training big league home run landed near the top of the berm in left center field at Hammond Stadium. 2018 is a big year for him, and a solid offensive year, with his defense, could make him a candidate for a fourth or fifth outfielder job. Taylor Grzelakowski Grzelakowski went undrafted last year after his four years at Madonna University in Michigan. After the draft, “Gelly” was set to play in the United Shores Professional Baseball League, but after playing in 29 games, the Twins signed him. He went to the GCL where he played in 12 games. He spent this offseason continuing to work on his body. He noted that he lost 20 pounds since the end of last season, and he has now lost 62 pounds since entering college. All that is a nice back story, but Grzelakowski was impressive this spring. Though he played in the GCL last year, he has made the Ft. Myers Opening Day roster because he had such a strong camp. He’s got a smooth, but strong, left-handed swing. He knows the strike zone. Defensively, he’s got work to do behind the plate, but his improved physique has made him much more agile on balls in the dirt. His footwork has improved a lot. And, he’s always had a strong arm. With Mitchell Kranson and Caleb Hamilton also in Ft. Myers, it will be interesting to see how playing time is allocated. Kranson and Hamilton both have the ability to play multiple positions. Landon Leach Leach was ranked in the 20s among Twins prospects by most ranking sources. That was probably too low if only based on him being a second-round pick. Leach will begin the season in extended spring training, but he does have a lot of potential. People are excited about the Twins 2017 draft, but generally the focus is turned to Royce Lewis, Brent Rooker and Blayne Enlow. Leach isn’t talked about as often. However, after seeing him work in the bullpen and in games, I’m convinced he will be very good too. Drafted out of high school in Canada, the term “helium” was appropriate as the draft approached. He may be a bit more raw than some, in part due to cooler climate, but he also has only been pitching for a couple of years after being a catcher before that. Leach is a big, tall kid with a strong frame. He was clocked at 96 in a game, but he sat 94. He’ll have to continue to work to improve his secondary pitches, but he’s got a huge arm and will continue to grow. Like Brusdar Graterol, Leach could be a guy who gets to Cedar Rapids before the short season leagues start. Just a few more… Shortstop depth is good. Even after trading Jermaine Palacios, the Twins have Nick Gordon, Royce Lewis and Wander Javier at the position. And Sean Miller was named the Twins organization’s best minor league infielder for 2017. At Extended Spring Training, the Twins will have 2017 draft pick Ricky De La Torre and international signings Victor Tademo and Yunior Severino. All three were impressive with the glove and the bat.Centerfield defense is also an important trait, it seems, throughout the Twins system. Byron Buxton. Zack Granite. Tanner English. Aaron Whitefield. Akil Baddoo. Having watched 2017 draft pick TJ Dixon man centre field, they may have another. And Jacob Pearson can also play center field, though he played mostly right field.While watching the Astros/Orioles game last night, the announcer pointed out that Carlos Correa was clocked at 97 mph from the hole at shortstop to first base. That’s pretty impressive. Twins fifth-round pick in 2017, Andrew Bechtold, told me that before he came to spring training, he was clocked at 101 mph on a throw across the infield. While he has a good approach at the plate and some power potential, his defense is a big positive in his game.Along with all of the new coordinators and other positions in the minor leagues, the Twins have also added a fourth coach at each of the minor league levels. In the past, each affiliate would have a manager, a hitting coach and a pitching coach. One more coach can only be a positive.A little over a week ago in a minor league spring training game, Felix Jorge took a laser liner to the knee. While it is not believed to be serious, it is the reason he’s starting the season on the Disabled List.While the Twins added minor leaguer pitcher Adam Bray and first baseman Robbie Rinn in trades, the Twins also traded catcher Rainis Silva to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for cash.Losing weight was an important offseason activity for several Twins minor leaguers besides Taylor Grzelakowski. RHP Tyler Wells lost nearly 30 pounds over the winter. After losing about 25 pounds last offseason, catcher Mitchell Kranson said he lost about 10 more this offseason. And outfielder Shane Carrier, who had a fantastic second half in 2017, lost about 20 pounds as well. And he did so without losing any power as he launched a couple of the longest home runs I've seen.Roster Previews Kernels Class of 2018 “Should Be Pretty Entertaining” - Steve Buhr Ft. Myers Miracle Preview - Tuesday Night Chattanooga Lookouts Preview - Wednesday Night Rochester Red Wings Preview - Thursday Night Click here to view the article

Is it wrong that my first thought when reading this comment was... "Is that one word, or two, or three words?" I don't see any reason to make that deal unless Castro is the player going to the Marlins. Castro and Garver are fine. No sense in Garver going back to AAA.

It might be because he does it all the time. He's a good framer, but he's a poor blocker and an average thrower.

He finally got healthy last year and he's about to reach the potential he's had unfortunately derailed by injury. He pitched very well today.

Yeah, I thought Rosario had a solid game. Robbed of a homer. Another caught at the wall in left. Good defense. The stolen base. yeah, he slid feet-first into first base, but that wasn't so bad. He was avoiding a collision in the way that would best keep the likelihood of injury low. He keeps playing like he did today and he'll be in for another very good season.

I was on the Twins Daily twitter account throughout the game today, and I 100% agree on your Castro comment. On Duke's first strikeout, yes, the ball hit the plate (which tells you how good Duke's pitch was), but Castro just stabbed at it. The rest of the inning he got back to actually trying to block pitches... But to me, that was the play that bugged me, way more than anything else in the game.

Favorite quote, "“I haven’t cared about saves….I’ll tell you this, I’m glad I got some saves before arbitration." That made me laugh... Some nice quotes you got from him... He was a terrific signing.

The offense will be fine. One game gives me zero concern...

I don’t think it will surprise any of our readers that Joe Mauer is the longest-tenured Minnesota Twins player. On Thursday in Baltimore, he was on his 15th Twins Opening Day roster, and it was his 14th start on Opening Day, surpassing Harmon Killebrew on that list. The only time he was on the Opening Day roster and didn’t start was in 2009 when he was on the disabled list. Of course, he returned a month later and ended up posting arguably the greatest season in Twins history. We often think only of big-league time when measuring tenure, so I think it’s important to highlight players who have been in the organization for a long time, even if much of that time was spent in the minor leagues. Considering that Joe Mauer was drafted in 2001, this is his 18th season in the Twins organization. Today’s article is meant to highlight Mauer and others who have been in the Twins organization for a long time!Here you have it, a look at the ten longest-tenured players in the Minnesota Twins organization but first, a few honorable mentions. Honorable Mentions December 2012 - RHP Williams RamirezSept 2012 - RHP Johan QuezadaJuly 2012 - C Rainis SilvaJuly 2012 - LHP Lewis ThorpeJune 2012 draft - OF Byron Buxton, RHP Jose Berrios, LHP Mason Melotakis, RHP Zack Jones, RHP Tyler Duffey, LHP Taylor Rogers, RHP DJ BaxendaleThe Top Ten Longest-Tenured Twins * all photos by Seth Stohs, Twins Daily #10 - In November 2011, the Twins signed a thick-built right-hander from the Dominican Republic, Fernando Romero. He came to the States for the 2013 season. In 45 innings in the GCL, he posted a 1.60 ERA and struck out 47 batters. He was also throwing a fastball in the upper-90s. In mid-May of 2014, he moved up to Cedar Rapids. Unfortunately, after three starts, he was injured and needed Tommy John surgery. He missed the rest of that season and the entire 2015 season. While rehabbing, he also needed knee surgery. He returned in 2016 after two years, and he has dominated since. In 2017, he went 11-9 with a 3.53 ERA in AA Chattanooga. In 125 innings, he struck out 120. This spring, he worked eight no-hit innings in big league camp. He’ll likely begin the 2018 season in the AAA Rochester rotation. #9 - In February of 2011, the Twins signed slender right-hander Felix Jorge from the Dominican Republic. He spent that summer in the DSL before spending the 2012 season in the GCL. He moved up to E-Town in 2013 and then began 2014 in Cedar Rapids. But he really struggled and when sent down, he went on to become the Appy League’s Pitcher of the Year. Upon returning to the Kernels in 2015, Jorge made adjustments and has been as consistent as any pitcher in the Twins minor leagues. Following a strong 2015 in Cedar Rapids, he was left unprotected, but he was not taken in the Rule 5 draft. In 2016, he split the year between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga, posting a combined 2.49 ERA. This time, the Twins did add him to the 40-man roster. He spent most of 2017 in Chattanooga. In July, he made two starts for the Twins and recorded his first win in the first game. He ended the season with a couple of Red Wings starts. He’ll start 2018 with the Lookouts. #8 - June, 2010, Eddie Rosario was their fourth-round pick out of Guayana, Puerto Rico. In 2011, he was the Appalachian League MVP when he pounded 21 home runs (one more than Miguel Sano). He continued to rise through the system and played in the Arizona Fall league in 2013. Unfortunately, he had to miss the first 50 games of the 2014 season because of a “drug of abuse” suspension. Early in the 2015 season, he was called up to the Twins and had a strong rookie season. 2016 was more of a challenge, and he was sent down to the minor leagues for a month before returning. 2017 was Rosario’s breakout season. He started swinging at a few fewer pitches outside of the strike zone and hit .290 with 33 doubles and 27 home runs. The Twins will hope for more of the same in 2018. #7 – On October 9, 2009, the Twins were playing (another) playoff series against the Yankees, but the big news of the day came off the field. The Twins had signed the #1 ranked international free agent, Miguel Sano, to a $3.15 million signing bonus. Since then, he has been one of the top power hitting prospects in baseball. He looked ready to debut with the Twins in 2014. Unfortunately, he needed Tommy John surgery and missed the entire season. He returned to action in 2015. He struggled for the first month of the season but started hitting soon after. He made his MLB debut in July and played so well he was named the Twins MVP and Rookie of the Year. He finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting. He mostly DHd as a rookie, and in 2016 he was moved out to the outfield (which didn’t go well) and he struggled with the bat too. He moved back to third base in 2017 and played the position adequately. He made his first All-Star Game in 2017 and finished second to Aaron Judge in the Home Run Derby. He was hurt and missed the final two months of the year. He had surgery, and also dealt with off-field issues, but he’s ready for Opening Day and should be a force in the middle of the lineup. #6 – Within the final hour of the the final day that teams could sign their 2009 draft picks (August 15), the Twins and pitcher Kyle Gibson reached an agreement. He began his professional career with the Miracle in 2010 and got to AAA that season. He returned to Rochester but by midseason, he wasn’t pitching like himself. He had an elbow problem and months later, he had Tommy John surgery. He missed the entire 2012 season. He returned in 2013 and had a ten-start call up with the Twins. He has been in the Twins starting rotation the last three years. In 2015, he was named the Twins pitcher of the year. 2016 was injury-plagued for Gibson. Midway through the 2017 season, Gibson found himself in Rochester for a couple of stints. However, something clicked and Gibson was strong over his final dozen starts. He returns in 2018 with hopes of continuing the positive progress. #5 – On July 11th, 2009, the Twins signed highly regarded German outfielder Max Kepler. Though Kepler was always blessed with great tools, it wasn’t until 2015 that everything came together for him. He has worked slowly up the system. He repeated Elizabethton and has moved up one level each year since. He was named the Southern League MVP and led the Chattanooga Lookouts to the league title. While his team was celebrating, Kepler learned that he was heading to the big leagues. On the season’s final day, he got his first MLB hit off of Johnny Cueto. He began 2016 in Rochester and was called up quickly. He played little. He went back down but when he came up in late May, he played nearly every day and held his own. In fact, we all remember the series in Cleveland where he hit four homers, including three in one game. He put up very similar numbers in 2017 as he did during his rookie season despite struggles against left-handers. The hope is that Kepler will take a step forward in 2018. #4 – On July 2, 2009, the Twins signed highly-regarded defensive shortstop Jorge Polanco from the Dominican Republic. He was brought along slowly, spending two seasons in the GCL. He started hitting in 2012 in Elizabethton. He has been a good batting average and on-base hitter since. It’s on defense now where there are question marks. He received a couple of cups of coffee with the Twins in 2014 becoming the youngest player to debut with the Twins since Joe Mauer in 2004. Polanco played in Chattanooga and Rochester in 2015 with a couple more very short stints in the big leagues. He moved up and down between AAA and the big leagues in 2016 until the July trade of Eduardo Nunez when he came up and played shortstop most days the rest of that season. He struggled through the first four months of the 2017 season, but he was arguably the team’s best hitter over the final two months of the year. Scheduled to be the team’s shortstop again in 2018, Polanco was suspended for the first 80 games of the season due to a failed PED test. He’ll return to the Twins lineup around the first of July. #3 – The Twins drafted and signed shortstop Brian Dozier in the eighth round of the 2009 draft after four seasons at Southern Mississippi. He was the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2011 at AA. Days before his 25th birthday he debuted for the Twins in 2012. He really struggled that year. In 2013, he moved to second base and has been a power hitter since. He participated in the Home Run Derby at Target Field in 2014. In 2015, he made the All-Star team and homered in the game. In 2016, he had one of the most impressive seasons in Twins history. He became the first Twins player not named Harmon Killebrew to hit 40 home runs and ended with 42 homers. He was the subject of rumors throughout that whole offseason, but he remained with the team and had another terrific offensive season. He also won his first Gold Glove award. He could become a free agent after the 2018 season. #2 – Yes, I’m taking some liberties here. I say that the player has to be with the team consecutively, so in 2015 I didn’t include Torii Hunter because he had been gone for eight years. Sure, Kennys Vargas spent about a week as technically a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization, but he was on waivers most of that too, so when the Twins reclaimed him, I quickly made the decision to keep him on this list. Kennys Vargas went undrafted out of high school in Puerto Rico in 2008. In February of 2009, the Twins signed him as an undrafted free agent. He had a 50-game suspension before reaching a full-season team. He worked his way up the system. He was the Twins choice for Minor League Hitter of the Year in 2014 when he played primarily at AA. However on August 1st, his 24th birthday, he was promoted directly to the Twins. He had a nice 53-game showing in 2014. In the three seasons since then, he has struggled with consistency though to be fair he moved from Minnesota to Rochester and back and forth several times.. He got a fourth option season for 2018, so the Twins started him in Rochester (in large part because of his time spent with Team Puerto Rico in the WBC). This spring has likely been a whirlwind for him since the Logan Morrison signing, but he does remain in the organization and will start the season with the Red Wings. #1 – Joe Mauer remains the longest-tenured Twins player, having signed in 2001 after being the #1 overall pick in the draft. That makes 2018 his 18th season with his hometown organization. It will be his 15th in the big leagues. No need to get into all of his accolades, like his AL MVP, the three batting titles, the Gold Glove Awards, the Silver Sluggers, etc. He moved to first base in 2014 after his Hall of Fame-caliber first decade in a Twins uniform at catcher. He’s struggled offensively the next three years. Last year, he returned to form after a slow start. He hit over .300. He got on base over 38% of the time. He should have won a Gold Glove. Early in 2018, he’ll reach the 2,000 hit mark for his career. His long-term contract comes to an end following the 2018 season. If healthy, he should keep coming back. So there it is, the players in the Twins organization who have been in the system the longest, consecutively. I’ll guess that at least a couple of the names may not surprise you. I’m certain that you wouldn’t have guessed everyone on this list. Feel free to leave your thoughts, or let me know if I forgot anyone. Click here to view the article