Seth Stohs

In mid-July, I wrote an article looking at the first half of what I’ve been calling The Core Four. The Core Four, in my opinion, is comprised of Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Jose Berrios and Max Kepler. While it is clear that those four have the highest ceilings of any of the Twins young players, but it is becoming more and more clear that the Twins may have more than just four players that they may be able to rely upon for years to come.Let’s start by saying that The Core Four is still the core. At the time of the July article, Byron Buxton was in the middle of a mini-slump. However, with his defense, he was still very valuable. He figured some things out in August and had a huge month. A hand injury likely has stolen some pop from his swing, but his defense is still a must in the outfield. Max Kepler has had some ups and downs. He’s struggled mightily against left-handed pitchers, but that isn’t something that has historically been the case. He plays a strong right field and has continued to show increased power. Jose Berrios was great early, and he’s been more inconsistent from start to start the last six weeks or so. It’s clear that with his stuff, he is a large part of the Twins future. Miguel Sano has been hurt the last three weeks. He strikes out a ton, but there is no questioning the impact that he can have on the Twins lineup. His power is electrifying. And his defense at third base has been adequate at worst, so he is certainly part of the future. But since mid-July, a few others have put themselves in the conversation for being a part of the Twins new core. It’s not that they weren’t part of the future, but there were some question marks. ADALBERTO MEJIA Just 24-years-old, Mejia proved himself as a mid-rotation type of starter before experiencing an arm injury that cost him about a month. He has made three rehab starts in the Twins minor leagues, and he will return to the Twins rotation on Saturday against Toronto. Clearly he’s got good, starters stuff. He’s left-handed. He has enough velocity and is able to mix pitches well. If healthy, there is no reason that he shouldn’t be part of the Twins rotation for a half-decade or more. JORGE POLANCO In July, there were so many questions about Polanco. He was rarely playing because he looked lost at the plate, and at times, he was carrying it into the field. However, as the calendar changed to August, Polanco got back into the lineup and put up an incredible month. He posted an OPS well over 1.000 for the month. Is the 24-year-old part of the Twins future? Well, he’s certainly part of the 2018 season. Maybe Nick Gordon will come up at some point in 2018. Will Brian Dozier be traded or extended? In several of these scenarios, Polanco remains in the Twins starting lineup. And if not, he’ll be a starter in the big leagues for years. EDDIE ROSARIO No one has made bigger strides in 2017 than Eddie Rosario. Since signing with the Twins in 2009, it’s been clear that he is immensely talented, has quick hands, big power potential and strong defense (range and arm). What wasn’t clear is if he had it within him to quit swinging at so many pitches outside of the strike zone, or if he was even willing to try. Well, whether it was Rosario, James Rowson, Rudy Hernandez or someone else, Rosario has figured some things out. In fact, he has more walks this year than in the two previous seasons. He has been the Twins top hitter for most of the last three or four months. And, he’s just 25 years old still. If he can continue his trend of better strike zone judgment, he could be an all-star. He’s that talented. The “Core Four” are guys who were top prospects. Sano and Buxton were Top 10 overall prospects. Berrios was a Top 25 guy, and Kepler was a Top 50 guy. Mejia, Rosario and Polanco weren’t Top 50 prospects, but they were right on the borderline of the Top 100. Each of them made a Top 100 list or two as they were working their way up the organizational ladder. In other words, they haven’t just come out of nowhere. But what they have done this year is take a step forward in their development. I’m a big believer that overcoming struggles and difficulties is another part of the development. Maybe it’s the most important part of the development. There is a small group of prospects who work their way to the big leagues without finding extended period of struggle. They get to the big leagues. Have an extended slump, and you find out what they’re made of. Rosario and Polanco certainly fit into that category. The “Core Seven” isn’t as catchy as The “Core Four” but as a Twins fan, it’s great to see more and more reliable talent. These players will have to continue improving and becoming more and more consistent, but it’s in them. All seven are just coming into their primes and there is room to grow. That is what is the most exciting. Then consider the role-type of players that these guys can and will be surrounded by. Maybe not Top 100 types of prospects, but valuable pieces. Trevor Hildenberger, Alan Busenitz, John Curtiss and Gabriel Moya weren’t Top 100 prospects, but that’s four bullpen arms that could be there for years. Mitch Garver would appear to be the backup catcher for the next several years with the bat to play more often. Zack Granite can be a quality starting outfielder who may find himself in a fourth outfielder role. And there are pitchers coming soon too. Couple that Core Seven, with all that additional young talent, and the future is bright. Couple that talent with the veterans like Brian Dozier, Joe Mauer, Ervin Santana and Matt Belisle playing so well, and that’s why this team currently has a two-game lead for a playoff spot with 17 games to go. Click here to view the article

I personally never considered him, but I don't want to tell others how to think .

I struggled to include Busenitz and he had 30+ innings in the Twins minors, so I couldn't put Moya's 14.2 innings in there. Bard was on my list to consider... Good point on the BABIP, but at the end of the day, I feel good about the 5 I voted for, and feel bad that I couldn't vote for 4-5 others.

I did a radio interview yesterday in St. Cloud and was asked if I think this Twins team is very good. My response was that there is clear separation between Houston, Cleveland, Boston and New York and the rest. Those are the 'very good' teams. But we're 144 games into the season and the Twins are 6 games over .500. At some point, we might have to start considering that maybe this team is good. Maybe not very good, but certainly good. Yes, they're capable of going 6-12 over the final 18 games, but that feels unlikely. And for all of their flaws (particularly some pitching and maybe some against left-handed pitching), they're 2 games better than the next group. All of the other teams below them have flaws that are just as big, and maybe bigger, than the Twins.

When I send out the ballots, I just basically say to vote for X number of hitters or pitchers and only to consider their minor league numbers. For the short-season, I say only to include short-season numbers. I put the non-specific qualifier of "spent most of their season in the minors" in there. These aren't "prospect" awards or rankings. This is minor league award stuff. Tonkin, for example, was sent down on May 9th or so. He had 5 weeks in the big leagues (during the minor league season). Busenitz had maybe 6-7 weeks in MLB while the minor league season was going. Hildenberger has had 9-10 weeks. But I like leaving it a little hazy (like MLB's MVP award, and let people interpret how they measure or evaluate Pitcher of the Year (in the minor leagues) on their own rather than just go with my opinions. Also, Cody sent me one list, which I entered, but then a couple of days later, he sent me a message saying that he had totally missed John Curtiss and to put him #1 and slide others down. .So, the rankings are still accurate. (I have updated Cody's rankings).

I think both have a chance to be big leaguers. Both throw really hard and have good sliders. Good swing-and-miss abilities... Late-round draft picks from a small college (both from Westmont), could be late developers.

A very fair point.

And now that you've read through these profiles, you can vote on the award on our Twitter feed:

It's been a good thing, the last 2-3 years I have asked the other minor league report writers to vote for these. Before that, it was just my opinion. As you'll see from several of these votes, our winner does not align with my choice. But the authors spend a lot of time throughout the season, scouring box scores, reading game and transaction reports and doing a lot of their own research. It's probably more fair now that there are 7 people getting equal votes than it was before.

The Minnesota Twins had a day off on Monday. Some of the players went to the Minnesota Vikings season opener. Hopefully all of them got some quality rest. The Twins now have 19 games in the next 20 days. And that's assuming there isn't a Game 163, which the Twins have a bit of experience with. Let's take a look at the Twins' opponents over these final 19 games.The Twins have just one off-day (on Monday, September 25th) remaining. Other than that, it's full-steam ahead toward the regular season's finish line. There remain high hopes among players and fans alike that the season will continue beyond the regular season's final regularly scheduled day (Sunday, October 1st). The opponents over the final 19 games comprise an interesting mix of teams. There are a couple of teams playing out the string. There is one team that pretty much never loses. And there is one team that the Twins have some hopes of catching before the end of the season, likely in an attempt to get to play them one more time. Here is a quick look at the remaining opponents on the Twins: San Diego Padres (September 12-13): The Twins played two games in San Diego earlier in the season, and now they will play their final interleague games, starting tonight. The Padres are 65-79 on the season. However, the team just came off of a series in which they won two out of three against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The weekend before, they won three out of four against the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting their losing streak. In between, they lost three out of four to the St. Louis Cardinals. Toronto Blue Jays (September 14-17): The Twins will play four games at home this weekend against the Blue Jays, a team that has had their number in recent years, but the Twins won two out of three in Toronto in late August. The Blue Jays beat Baltimore on Monday, and before that they won two out of three against the Tigers. Before that, they lost two out of three to the Red Sox. New York Yankees (September 18-20): The Twins will travel to the Bronx to take on the team they are chasing for the top wild card position. They are currently four games behind the Yankees for that spot, but that could be different in a week. This is a good Yankees team, but it isn't your older brother's Yankees. Derek Jeter isn't going to walk through that door. Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams aren't going to walk through that door. And if they did... Well, they're still a very good team, obviously, illustrated by being 13 games over .500. They beat Tampa Bay last night. Before that they won two out of three games in September series against the Rangers, the Orioles and the Red Sox (technology and all). Detroit Tigers (September 21-24 (away), September 29-October 1 (Target Field): The Twins and Tigers will play seven times down the stretch. That should be a good thing for the Twins. The Tigers are currently 60-83 and challenging the Chicago White Sox for the cellar in the AL Central. Of course, the White Sox were trying to be bad this year (acquiring tons of top prospects along the way). The Tigers have traded some of their players, like JD Martinez and more recently, Justin Verlander. Victor Martinez is out for the year. These can be tough games though. This month, the Tigers have lost all five games they've played against Cleveland, and by a combined score of 5-40. They lost two out of three to Toronto this weekend, but before that, they won two out of three against the Royals. Cleveland (September 26-28): I mean... wow! They are now 88-56 on the season and currently have won 19 games in a row, one short of the record. They are 13.5 games ahead of the Twins. Their Magic Number to win the division is down to six. It is very likely that they will clinch the division this sometime this weekend which will make these late-season games against the Twins pretty meaningless, but they are very likely to be very meaningful for the Twins. In this 19-game winning steak, they are 5-0 against Detroit, 3-0 against Baltimore, 4-0 against the White Sox, 3-0 against the Royals, 3-0 against the Yankees, and 1-0 against the Red Sox. Their last loss came to the Red Sox on August 23rd. So there you have it, the schedule the rest of the way for the Twins. Here is a quick look at the current standings in the American League Wild Card: Here are the upcoming schedules for the Twins Wild Card competition: Los Angeles Angels (19 games) 3 vs Houston 3 vs Texas 3 vs Cleveland 3 @ Houston 4 @ Chicago White Sox 3 vs Seattle Texas Rangers (19 games) 3 vs Seattle 3 @ Angels 3 @ Seattle 3 @ Oakland 3 vs Houston 4 vs Oakland Kansas City Royals (19 games) 2 vs White Sox 4 @ Cleveland 3 @ Toronto 3 @ White Sox 1 @ NY Yankees 3 vs Detroit 3 vs Arizona Seattle Mariners (18 games) 3 @ Texas 3 @ Houston 3 vs Texas 3 vs Cleveland 3 @ Oakland 3 @ Angels Baltimore Orioles (18 games) 2 @ Toronto 4 @ NY Yankees 3 vs Boston 4 vs Tampa Bay 2 @ Pittsburgh 3 @ Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Rays (17 games) 2 vs NY Yankees 3 vs Boston 2 vs Cubs 4 @ Baltimore 3 @ NY Yankees 3 vs Baltimore There you have it. It's going to be a fun, interesting final three weeks... Click here to view the article

Ted voted Enlow #1... thanks for catching that.

It's not great video, but I was sent the below video of Rodriguez's walk-off home run.

Now that you've read the report above, be sure to vote for your choice for Short-Season Pitcher of the Year.

At the end of June each year, the short-season minor leagues begin. The GCL Twins stay in Ft. Myers, and the Elizabethton Twins take the long bus ride to Tennessee. In 2017, both of these teams made the playoffs. The E-Twins just won their seventh Appalachian League title since the turn of the century. At Twins Daily the last couple of seasons, we have added two annual awards for the short-season Twins players. Tomorrow we’ll hand out the award for the top hitter in the short-season teams, but today, we’ll start with the pitchers. Last year, the Twins Daily Short-Season Pitcher of the Year was Huascar Ynoa. He had spent that summer in the GCL, and he began 2017 with Elizabethton. However, at the July trade deadline, he was traded to Atlanta in exchange for lefty Jaime Garcia. As you’ll see below, there were several pitchers on the Twins short-season teams who put together real solid seasons. Of course, we are generally talking about a limited number of innings due to their seasons being just two months long. One poor outing can have an effect on their overall numbers. Seven Twins Daily Minor League writers were asked to vote for the various awards. For the short-season pitcher of the year, we each voted for five players. The player who was voted as #1 received five points, #2 received four points and so on with the #5 vote receiving one point. Results were tabulated and can be found below. Short profiles of our top five are to follow, but first, some players worthy of honorable mention. These players also received votes. Others Receiving Votes: Jared Finkel - Elizabethton Twins - 17 G, 2-1, 3 Saves, 2.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 33.0 IP, 33 H, 7 BB, 29 K Bryan Sammons - Elizabethton Twins - 7 G, 3 GS, 2-0, 1.46 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 14 H, 7 BB, 31 K (does not include stats at Cedar Rapids) Derek Molina - GCL Twins - 10 G, 2 GS, 1-0, 4 Saves, 1.08 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 16.2 IP, 12 H, 3 BB, 21 K. Randy Dobnak - Elizabethton Twins - 5 G, 3 GS, 2-0, 1 Save, 2.39 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 19 H, 6 BB, 22 K (does not include stats at Cedar Rapids) Pedro Garcia - GCL Twins - 10 G, 3 GS, 6-2, 2.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 48.2 IP, 26 H, 17 BB, 41 K Nick Brown - Elizabethton Twins - 11 G, 7 GS, 3-1, 1 Save, 3.93 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 50.1 IP, 49 H, 15 BB, 54 K Short-Season 0Pitcher of the Year Here are the top five vote-getters for Twins Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. #5 – Edwar Colina, Elizabethton Twins: 12 G, 11 GS, 3-5, 3.34 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 59.1 IP, 48 H, 29 BB, 56 K. Colina signed with the Twins in September 2015. He spent 2016 in the Dominican Summer League and went 1-3 with a 2.30 ERA. He came to the States this spring and made the jump up to Elizabethton. The Caracas native turned 20 in May and pitched well enough to be named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year. At 5-11 and stocky, Colina has proven durable. He’ll certainly need to work on his control, but he’s got good stuff. #4 – Brusdar Graterol, GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins: 10 G, 7 GS, 4-1, 2.70 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 40.0 IP, 26 H, 13 H, 45 K. Another Venezuelan, Graterol signed with the Twins in February of 2015. At 16, he made four appearances in the Dominican Summer League before coming to Minnesota to undergo Tommy John surgery. That cost him the 2016 season. But he returned for Instructs and impressed, touching triple-digits with his fastball. This spring, shortly before coming to spring training, he broke his hand. However, he was ready by the short-season. He made five appearances in the GCL and posted a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings. He was promoted to Elizabethton where he made five starts and posted a 3.92 ERA. Graterol did not turn 19 until the end of August. He has the kind of stuff that could see him rise up prospect rankings. #3 – Carlos Suniaga, GCL Twins: 12 G, 6 GS, 4-0, 1 Save, 1.58 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 51.1 IP, 37 H, 12 BB, 42 K. Another right-hander from Venezuela, Suniaga came to the States in 2017. He also signed with the Twins in February of 2015. In 2016, he went 7-3 with a 2.03 ERA in his second season in the DSL. That earned him an opportunity in the States. He actually started the season by making one appearance in Elizabethton (3.1 scoreless innings). He was sent back to the GCL where he made 11 appearances (including six starts) and posted a 1.69 ERA. #2 – Blayne Enlow, GCL Twins: 6 G, 1 GS, 3-0, 1.33 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, 20.1 IP, 10 H, 4 BB, 19 K. The first draft of Sean Johnson as scouting director was certainly interesting. The Twins were able to save a bit on the top overall pick, Royce Lewis, and with the added funds, they were able to offer Enlow for a well-over slot value of $2 million. The Louisiana prepster had a commitment to play at LSU, but he instead signed with the Twins. Enlow was brought along slowly. While he was used primarily out of the bullpen, or at least was used after a rehabbing pitcher, there is no question that the 18-year-old will be developed as a starter. He showed good control and an ability to miss bats. He throws in the low-90s and is said to have a terrific curveball. He’s got good size, and has a real chance to be a special pitcher. Like Graterol, Enlow should find his name among the top Twins prospect this offseason. Pitcher of the Year – Jovani Moran, Elizabethton Twins:. 11 G, 3-1, 0.36 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 24.2 IP, 12 H, 6 BB, 45 K. The Twins drafted Jovani Moran in the seventh round of the 2015 draft out of the Carlos Beltran Academy in Puerto Rico. The left-hander pitched as a starter that season in the GCL. Unfortunately, he missed the 2016 season after having bone chips removed from this throwing elbow. This year he jumped up to Elizabethton and worked out of the bullpen where he absolutely dominated. Maybe you noticed, but 45 strikeouts in 24.2 innings equates to a K-rate of 16.4 per nine innings. He gave up just one earned run the entire season. His manager with the E-Twins was Ray Smith this year. Of Moran, Smith said, “We didn’t want to force anything with Jovani due to his arm issues last year. I’ve never seen him being utilized in a starting role, but with this ‘stuff’ being so good, it might turn out to be his role once it’s decided that his arm will continue to be 100%” Moran was used in the playoffs too and dominated even more. He pitched twice in the two-game sweep in the Appalachian League championship series. Combining the regular season and playoffs, Moran’s numbers are incredible. Smith added, “Obviously he was dominant for us out of the ‘pen. Good intangibles. Fields his position. Mature approach.” It was a fantastic season for Jovani Moran and the Elizabethton Twins. He’s a very intriguing prospect and 2018 ought to be quite interesting. Will he continue to work in the bullpen? Will he get an opportunity to start? To the questions, well, I’ll agree with Ray Smith when he said, “Glad his uniform says ‘TWINS’ on the front of it!” There you have it, the top pitchers in the short season leagues for the Minnesota Twins in 2017. The Ballots In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1) Jovani Moran, 2) Blayne Enlow, 3) Carlos Suniaga, 4) Brusdar Graterol, 5) Bryan Sammons Jeremy Nygaard – 1) Jovani Moran, 2) Blayne Enlow, 3) Brusdar Graterol, 4) Edwar Colina, 5) Nick Brown Cody Christie – 1) Carlos Suniaga, 2) Blayne Enlow, 3.) Jovani Moran, 4) Derek Molina, 5) Jared Finkel Tom Froemming - 1) Jovani Moran, 2) Carlos Suniaga, 3) Blayne Enlow, 4) Brusdar Graterol, 5) Bryan Sammons Steve Lein – 1) Jovani Moran, 2) Carlos Suniaga, 3) Brusdar Graterol, 4) Blayne Enlow, 5) Bryan Sammons Eric Pleiss – 1) Jovani Moran, 2) Carlos Suniaga, 3) Blayne Enlow, 4) Edwar Colina, 5) Pedro Garcia Ted Schwerzler - 1) Blayne Enlow, 2) Carlos Suniaga, 3) Jovani Moran, 4) Jared Finkel, 5) Randy Dobnak Feel free to discuss. What do you think? How would you rank them? How would your ballot look? View full article

One might argue that if that second paragraph is all true, then Molitor should probably be manager of the year for getting a team with that big of an issue late in games to a point where on September 10th they have a 2-game lead for the 2nd wild card and are 6-7 games over .500.

It was a night with a couple of tough losses for a couple of Twins affiliates. The Cedar Rapids dropped Game 1 of their best-of-three series. They’ll need to win on Sunday to extend their season. The Chattanooga Lookouts will have to win on Sunday night or they will end their season with a loss as well. However, if the Lookouts win on Sunday, they will win a co-championship. Should be an interesting, fun day on Sunday!Continue reading to find out how the two Twins minor league playoff games went and who performed well in the losses. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Montgomery 2 Box Score The final score was the same as Game 3. Unfortunately for the Lookouts, they were on the short-end on the scoreboard in Game 4. Adalberto Mejia made his final rehab start. He had made two starts for the Red Wings, but their season is over, so he made a start for the Lookouts. Having thrown 61 pitches in his previous rehab appearance, he was in line to throw about 75 pitches in this one. He threw 73 pitches, and 50 of them were strikes. The left-hander threw the first five innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out five without allowing a run. He appears ready to rejoin the Twins starting rotation. The Rays also used a couple of rehabbing pitchers. Nathan Eovaldi struck out two in the first innings. Then Xavier Cedeno threw a scoreless inning. At that point, #OldFriend Logan Darnell came in to the game to face the Lookouts. The southpaw went the next 4.2 innings without allowing a run to get the win. The Lookouts were unable to score in the game. Darnell said it wasn't too strange to pitch against the Twins affiliate. "I mean, not that strange. I only knew a handful of guys and Baxendale might be the only guy I played with. But honestly it's good to see the staff... Jake (Mauer), Ivan (Arteaga), CJ the most! Great people! Chattanooga is a solid team! Very tough to pitch against... perfect mix of patience and aggressive hitters. TJ White is dangerous player." TJ White had two of the Lookouts' four hits. Jonathan Rodriguez walked twice. But the Lookouts ended the game without a run. DJ Baxendale came into the game for the sixth inning and put up another zero. Unfortunately, the Lookouts defense was not good. They committed four errors in this game. Baxendale gave up one run each in the seventh and eighth innings, but they were both unearned. Nick Anderson pitched a scoreless ninth. That sets up a winner-takes-all game on Sunday night in Chattanooga. Remember, the Southern League has cancelled its championship series due to Hurricane Irma, so there will be co-champions. Pensacola won the other half. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 5 (10 innings) Box Score The Kernels won their first round series against Kane County and even had a day off while waiting to find out who they would play in the Midwest League’s Western Division finals. That team was Quad Cities, so it was off to Davenport on Saturday for the Kernels. There was no scoring in the first inning, but the Kernels put together a nice second inning. They scored four runs. Lewin Diaz led off with a double which was followed by a walk by Caleb Hamilton. With one out, Jimmy Kerrigan walked to load the bases. Ben Rortvedt came through with a two-run single to right field. Kerrigan was able to advance to third base which was important because he scored soon after on a wild pitch. Rortvedt advanced to second base on the wild pitch which allowed him to score on an Ariel Montesino single. Tyler Watson made the start and he was terrific through six innings. He put up six zeroes on the board. However, the Twins were not able to add on. Watson went out for the seventh and it didn’t go well for him. Watson struck out the first batter. He then issued a walk but got the second out on a fly out. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to get the third out. The next three batters hit singles before Watson was replaced by Logan Lombana. Lombana gave up a single to score one, and then the game-tying run scored on an error. Bryan Sammons and Max Cordy combined to throw two scoreless innings and send the game to extra innings. Ryan Mason came in for the 10th inning. Colin Moran walked to lead off the inning. A pinch-runner advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. The Kernels chose to intentionally walk the next batter, hoping to coax a double play ball. Instead, the next batter singled which scored the runner from second and ended the game. The Kernels dropped Game 1 of the Best of 3 series. Game 2 will be in Cedar Rapids. The Kernels will need to win to keep their season going. SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Montgomery @ Chattanooga (5:15 CST) - LHP Dietrich Enns Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (4:05 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes Please feel free to ask any questions about Saturday night’s playoff games. Check back on Sunday night for another night of Twins minor league playoff action. Click here to view the article

Corrected...

They’re all big games in the playoffs, but Friday was a fun night to be a fan of the Twins minor league teams. Elizabethton had a chance to win another Appalachian League title. The Lookouts looked to regain home-field advantage on the road. The Cedar Rapids Kernels learned that their Midwest League Western Division championship series will start on Saturday in Davenport against Quad Cities.Both of the Friday games were close. A two-run game and a one-run game… nail-biters, to be sure, especially given the playoff implications. Be sure to read through today’s article for everything about these two games and what is next. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Montgomery 0 Box Score There isn’t a lot to write about this game, but that’s OK if you’re a Twins or Lookouts fan. The important thing to know is that they have regained the home-field advantage with a big win in Montgomery. Felix Jorge returned to the Lookouts and he worked six scoreless innings. He gave up just three hits, walked one and struck out four to earn the win. Todd Van Steensel did what Todd Van Steensel does. He threw two scoreless innings, striking out three batters. The offense? I’m glad you asked. Jonathan Rodriguez was on first base in the fourth inning when TJ White came to the plate. White hit his third home run in as many games in this series to give the Lookouts a 2-0 lead. That’s all they’d need. Gabriel Moya got a strikeout to end a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record the save. SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - TBD (likely a rehabbing Adalberto Mejia) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:35 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Elizabethton’s championship, the Lookouts taking back home field advantage or the Kernels starting their second round playoff series. Check back on Saturday night for another night of Twins minor league playoff action. Click here to view the article

Just guessing: 2018 - Cedar Rapids 2019 - Ft. Myers 2020 - Chattanooga 2021 - Rochester and Twins? Even that is pretty standard. Many of the top guys will maybe do a half-year somewhere, but even some of the good prospects will repeat, or spend an extra half-season at a level... So hard to know.

I don't know if Palka is or isn't an MLB hitter... I think he can be. Not a star, but I think he can be semi-productive... But, the Twins already have Mauer, Vargas and Garver for 1B, and Granite is already primarily sitting on the bench and pinch-running as the top three outfielders need to play most games. And yeah, maybe if Palka batted right-handed, it might make more sense. And I agree on Park... Tough year for him... may now want to head back.