Seth Stohs

Building from within. It’s one of those baseball phrases (or really any business) that is used by both sides. Most would acknowledge that building from within is ideal, particularly in baseball with its pay scales. Others will use the phrase as a reason to accuse a team of not spending enough money on outside players via free agency. For the Twins and their fans, it was the basis for frustration and the basis for hope over the last half-decade. It was clear the Twins needed to build up a farm system and bring players up, but others wanted the Twins to spend wildly in free agency to speed up the process. The reality for almost all organizations is that the path is somewhere in the middle. While the Twins branched into free agency, it was clear that the plan long-term was all about the prospects. And right now, the organization and its fans are seeing the fruits of that patience. The hope, of course, is to see even more success over the next decade or so.If you’re looking for a blueprint for how this is supposed to work, just look back 20 years in to Twins history. The Twins made trades, drafted well, signed appropriate free agents who could then be traded later in the season for more prospects. Starting in 1998, the Twins called up rookie after rookie. Matt Lawton. Corey Koskie. Torii Hunter. Jacque Jones. Cristian Guzman. Eric Milton. Joe Mays. Doug Mientkiewicz. AJ Pierzynski. They joined guys like Brad Radke, Eddie Guardado and LaTroy Hawkins to form a group that ‘arrived’ in 2001 and reached the playoffs in 2002. While that group never got to the World Series, it provided Twins fans with about a decade of winning seasons and exciting baseball in September and into October. Each year, that group would change some, adding a piece or two. Johan Santana came in the Rule 5 draft. Justin Morneau arrived. Then Joe Mauer. Then Jason Kubel. Then Francisco Liriano. And later guys like Trevor Plouffe and Danny Valencia. Likewise, the Twins have been building through their farm system the last several years. Mauer is the one holdover from the previous decade’s teams of success. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The first time I made the trek to watch the Twins Low-A, Midwest League affiliate play was in 2010. The five hour drive between the Twin Cities and Beloit didn’t seem too bad. Ironically, the Snappers were playing Cedar Rapids. The Kernels were an Angels affiliate at the time, and their center fielder for those games was an 18-year-old named Mike Trout. Brian Dozier was the team’s shortstop in that first game I saw. After the game, he was promoted to High-A Ft. Myers. The next day’s shortstop was Danny Santana. Dozier quickly moved up the Twins system and debuted as a 24-year-old in 2012. He’s become an All-Star, hit 42 home runs last year and is having another strong second half this year. In 2012, I made the trip to Beloit twice. A slender third baseman was kind of the star cleanup hitter for the Snappers. The Beloit lineup in the 2nd half included Eddie Rosario batting third, Miguel Sano batting fourth, and Kennys Vargas batting fifth. Miguel Sano and Jhonatan Goncalves The Minnesota Twins moved their Midwest League affiliate from Beloit to Cedar Rapids before the 2013 season. I made the trek down there for their first series. What an interesting, talented roster they had. Byron Buxton was the team’s #1 pick the year before, so he was the focal point. In a press conference before the season opener, then-Kernels manager Jake Mauer said, “ Byron’s going to lead off and probably be our primary center fielder. You’ll see him out there quite a bit. Tools-wise, it’s kind of cultivating all of them. He’s going to learn some things, tendencies. He’s got a chance to steal a lot of bases. And then again, he’s got a chance to be a middle of the lineup-type hitter, and that’s kind of rare. You don’t find a guy with that tool set and the things that he can do.” My first impression of Buxton? Well, in those three games, I saw him beat out ground balls to third base, shortstop and even second base. He also hit a LONG home run off of Snappers prospect Michael Ynoa. Byron Buxton and Adam Brett Walker, 2013 My favorite story from that trip was a hitter’s press conference that included Buxton, Travis Harrison and Adam Brett Walker. When Buxton himself was asked what he was going to be working on the most, he hesitated for a couple of seconds. Teammate Travis Harrison jumped in saying, “He’s pretty good at a lot of things!” Harrison is another very exciting prospect in the Twins system. He was the team’s first supplemental first round pick in 2011 out of high school in California. He gave up a scholarship to USC to sign with the Twins. He hit for average last year in Elizabethton, but did struggle early in that short-season with the glove at third base. It’s an area he knows he needs to improve upon. “I want all parts to see improvement. Everyone knows I need to get better at defense. I know that. That’s what I’ve been working really hard in the offseason trying to get better at. But then again, I can always be a better hitter as well, so, if you were to say a strength, I’d say hitting, but hopefully by the end of the season, it’ll be both.” I’d say he’s done a good job with that defense thing, and the offense, well, hopefully we are now seeing the player that he will be. The starting pitcher for the Kernels in their first game as a Twins affiliate? Left-hander Taylor Rogers. He made about three starts for the Kernels before being promoted to the Miracle. He ended the 2013 season as the Twins Daily Starting Pitcher of the Year. Jorge Polanco started the season batting second and playing second base. He also got time at shortstop when Niko Goodrum got a day off or was hurt. Two days into the season, the Kernels Opening Night leadoff hitter, Drew Leachman, hurt his shoulder sliding into second base on a stolen base attempt. By game three, Polanco was batting third. In his first at bat that night, he homered. I asked Mauer about Polanco batting third after the game, and Mauer chuckled, saying that wasn’t the plan, but he was very high on Polanco. Said he had coached him shortly after he signed as a little, skinny 16-year-old and he had grown so much. Obviously he has continued to hit, and grow stronger, and after the first prolonged slump of his career, he has been hitting right in the middle of the Twins lineup. He’s also been an adequate shortstop. I was there for the first three games (the third started by Mason Melotakis), and as I was driving the 5 hours home, I learned that Tyler Duffey had started and threw the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter. Max Kepler, 2013 When I went back to Cedar Rapids in July, Buxton had already been promoted to Ft. Myers. However, Max Kepler, a very raw but very talented Max Kepler had taken over. He spent time at all three outfield spots and first base. Also in the Cedar Rapids starting rotation was Jose Berrios. He hadn’t been there to start the season only because he had pitched for Puerto Rico in the WBC. Jose Berrios and Mason Melotakis, 2013 I didn’t get to Cedar Rapids until later in the season in 2014. When I was there, Aaron Slegers was in the rotation. Also, a kid from extended spring training had recently been called up and was pitching well. That was Stephen Gonsalves. One of the catchers was Mitch Garver, though he was on the disabled list when I was there. He went on to be the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year that year. Stephen Gonsalves, 2015 In 2015, Gonsalves was still there in the first half. Trevor Hildenberger starred in the Kernels bullpen. After struggling in Cedar Rapids in 2014, Felix Jorge was one of the best pitchers in the league in 2015. Randy Rosario was also on the team, returning from Tommy John surgery. Zack Granite was the team’s leadoff hitter in April. He had spent 2014 with the Kernels, but he missed most of that season with injuries. By May 1st, Granite was moved up to Ft. Myers. Zack Granite, 2015 Recently-promoted John Curtiss began the 2015 season in the Kernels rotation. After May, he went on the DL before returning in the Kernels dugout as a reliever in August. He then spent April of 2016 in the Kernels bullpen, dominating, which he has done at every level since. Nick Gordon was the “star prospect” from that 2015 season. He’s one of baseball’s top prospects and hopefully a piece that we’ll see added sometime in 2017. Sure, I am trying to encourage Twins fans to get to Cedar Rapids to watch games this year (not many left, but they will have some playoff games too) and in the future. Pretty much every minor league team will have at least a couple of players that will get to the big leagues. But I am trying to illustrate that it is often a long process to develop players. As a young player, Berrios was in Cedar Rapids in 2013. He debuted in 2016, and he’s establishing him in 2017. That’s pretty normal, maybe even fast progression for a high school draft pick. The college guys typically move up more quickly, barring injury. Miguel Sano, 2012, batting in Davenport, vs Quad Cities But it’s important to have a pipeline. That group of top prospects we had heard about for so long is now the core of the Twins. I’ve talked about the Core Four Twins prospects; Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Jose Berrios. All four of them have had their very strong moments this year and look like they’re starting to get it. But several others have taken big strides in 2017, particularly of late. Eddie Rosario is just 25 and has been the team’s top hitter over most of the last three months. Polanco is 24 and having an incredible month. Zack Granite showed that he can be a solid fourth outfielder and he can contribute well when needed as a starter. Mitch Garver is getting a chance now. And there will be pitching to go with all the young bats. Adalberto Mejia was acquired as a 22 year old in a trade and debuted with the Twins. Trevor Hildenberger and Alan Busenitz (who may have been a throw-in in that Nolasco/Meyer/Santiago trade) have come up and been given more and more high-leverage opportunities. John Curtiss is now there. But don’t forget about JT Chargois and Nick Burdi, who were likely supposed to be up by now, have missed most of this year. Jake Reed missed time early, but he’s been pitching great and should be up in September. We will likely see Aaron Slegers return as well as the debut of Stephen Gonsalves. If not soon, Gonsalves will likely be up early next year. Felix Jorge and Randy Rosario have had brief cups of coffee, and Fernando Romero and Zack Littell are doing well in Chattanooga. In other words, the future looks really bright. It looks bright while the present is providing them with an opportunity for the playoffs this year. And, worst-case scenario, they will get to play in important September games in a playoff race. That can only make them better. It’s an exciting time to be a Twins fan. Terry Ryan and those who worked under him deserve a ton of credit. So does Brad Steil, along with all of the player development personnel. The new Twins leadership knew what they were signing on for, a very talent-laden organization. Hopefully they’re able to lead this group of homegrown talent back to the playoffs for years to come, and maybe even celebrate another World Series championship in years to come. We can wish, at least. Click here to view the article

Roger, I know you and I talked a lot about Kevin West and Deacon Burns way back when. I know we liked both of them a lot. Kris Bryant was drafted in 2012 but didn't play until 2013. Maybe that's an important note. With the signing deadline moved up to July 15th from August 15th, that certainly changes things. A lot of the top guys maybe didn't sign until late and either didn't play or barely played. Bryce Harper debuted in the AFL after the 2010 season when he was drafted #1 overall.

Lecroy had 12 homers in 51 games in Ft. Myers in 1998 (year after he was drafted). Then he had 20 in 89 games there in 1999. Sano had 16 in 56 games in Ft. Myers as a 20-year-old in 2013 before moving up to AA for the 2nd half. Walker had 25 there in 132 games as a 22-year-old in 2014 (Full season).

I've written about him quite a bit, and I just really like that signing. Not just for rehabbing this year, but a spring invite next year. I like flyers like that.

I think it says more about Rooker than the rest of the lineup. Last year, the Miracle HR leader had like 7. That's more normal. Sano hit a bunch, but he was different. AB Walker hit like 27 or something. But even double digit homers is unusual.

My guess is he'll go to the AFL and start next year at Chattanooga.

I was told that he experienced fatigue in his side session, so they are doing what they would normally do, miss 1-2 starts. Obviously since that's pretty much the end of the season, he's not likely to pitch again this season. I was told that innings-wise, he could have gone 3-4 more starts.

On Monday night, Brent Rooker hit his 11th home run for the Ft. Myers Miracle. Prior to joining the Miracle, he spent a month in Elizabethton where he hit seven home runs. 18 total home runs so far in the minor leagues in his professional debut which is just two months old.. That’s impressive. Impressive enough that I needed to do some research. I needed to know if Rooker’s 18 homers during the season he was drafted was a record of some sort. And if not, when was the last time it happened? And what is that guy up to these days?Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com, I was able to go back through MLB Drafts, trying to find out who has been even close to that number. This decade, there have been two other players drafted who hit double-digit homers during the year they were drafted. There were four players who hit ten or more homers in that initial season between 2000 and 2009. Between 1991 and 1999, six players did it. Finally, hours into the research, I got to the Twins 1990 draft. That’s when I found a player who has equaled and exceeded Rooker’s 18 home runs (so far) in his draft season. Today, we’ll get to know a little bit more about that man. But first, let’s take a look back and remember some of the others who have hit 10 or more home runs in the minor leagues during the year they were drafted. That certainly is an interesting list of names. If you’re like me, and you’ve been following the Twins minor league system for the last 15 years or more, some of these names likely bring back a smile to your face. I remember writing many articles about the power prowess of Kevin West, right up to AAA. I remember writing about Augustana (SD) grad Deacon Burns who came compared to Kirby Puckett, but left-handed, and not as strong. Erik Lis hit a home run for Ft. Myers off of Roger Clemens in one of his starts before joining the Astros during the years he joined the team midseason. Maybe other names on that list will be more familiar for you. These guys were all drafted out of college, and most of them spent that entire first season adjusting to pro ball in Elizabethton. As you can see, Brent Rooker has become the first player since fellow first-round pick Todd Walker in 1994 to hit ten (or more) home runs for the Miracle in his first season. Walker went directly to the Florida State League after the Twins made him the eighth overall pick out of another SEC school, LSU. Twins Vice President of Player Personnel Mike Radcliff has been around the Twins organization a long time, and he’s seen a lot of players. Of Rooker’s pro debut, he says it has been quite impressive, “What is most impressive about Rooker’s home runs is he is still hitting them in Ft. Myers. It’s hard to hit homers in the Florida State League. Lots of guys can hit home runs in the Appy League—not that easy in the Florida State League—especially in your first year of pro ball.” Consider Zander Wiel who currently leads the Miracle with 12 home runs this season. Wiel has approximately 350 more plate appearances than Rooker does with the Miracle. On Monday, Rooker was also named the Florida State League Player of the Week for the second time in the last month. Who Is Paul Russo? In the 16th round of the 1990 draft, the Minnesota Twins selected catcher Paul Russo out of Division II University of Tampa. Radcliff recalls, “Russo was a good college hitter who played for Team USA the summer before. (He was) more of a line-drive, hit the ball hard type of swing and hitter.” Last Saturday, we caught up with Paul Russo on his 48th birthday. As he described his E-Town days, “I truly loved being in Elizabethton. I met some wonderful people there. The Church family comes to mind right off the top of my head. Their family, his wife, their daughters.” As you will hear from most players, it seems, who have played in E-Town the last three decades, he learned a lot from Elizabethton manager Ray Smith. “Playing for Ray was a great experience because he is such a great guy. He made playing fun. He made it relaxing.” His hitting coach that year was former Twins player Jim Lemon. Lemon played in 12 big league seasons between 1950 and 1963. He missed the 1951 and 1952 seasons because of military service. He played for the Twins in their inaugural season in Minnesota in 1961 and stayed with the Twins into the 1963 season. “I learned so much from Jim. His ability to teach me and stay with me and stay on me was probably one of the greatest reasons I had so much success there.” Russo was much more than “just” a home run hitter during that 1990 season in E-Town. He was the Appy League MVP. He hit .335/.433/.706 (1.139) with 10 doubles, three triples and 22 home runs. He drove in 67 runs. He struck out 56 times (21%), but he also showed a good approach at the plate with 39 walks. The numbers were remarkable, but Russo wasn’t totally surprised by his success. “I wasn’t surprised because that year in college and the year before I hit 22 home runs in college. I was the Division II Player of the Year two years in a row. I knew I could hit home runs. I always could.” Ray Smith completed his playing career - which included parts of three seasons in the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins (1981-1983) - in 1986. In 1990, he was just 33-years-old and managing already. 2017 marks his 31st season with the E-Twins and 24th as the team’s manager. He has seen a lot of young players. While Russo was drafted as a catcher, Smith recalled, “Russo primarily played first and sometimes third for us.” Smith finds several similarities between Rooker and Russo. “Saw where Rooker has been hot with the long ball. He was streaky here too. Russo was somewhat of a streaky-type guy too. Both have/had tremendous power with the ability to carry the club when going good. Some contact issues, but both could hit the ball out of any part of the ballpark when squaring it up. They could even hit homers when NOT squaring it up,” Smith continued, “Different body types. Russo more along the ‘Killebrew’ mold. Somewhat stocky and strong, where Rooker is taller and thinner. He will fill out some with maturity. Strong too. Both blessed with tremendous whip and bat speed and good makeup and work habits.” One of Russo’s teammates on that 1990 Elizabethton team was a name familiar to Twins fans. Denny Hocking was a utility guy with the Twins for 11 seasons, 1993 through 2003. In six of those seasons, he played in over 100 games. Hocking was the Twins 52nd round draft pick in 1989. He was a draft-and-follow guy, so he made his professional debut in 1990 in Elizabethton. Recently, Hocking talked to Twins Daily about Russo. “Paul Russo had this Paul Bunyan stature to him. Tons of power to all fields and he loved hitting balls into the pool over the RF fence. He pretty much dominated the Appy League.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Russo continued to play well after that 1990 season, and he continued to show a lot of power. In Low A Kenosha in 1991, he played for manager Scott Ullger (who he says he still communicates with sometimes). He hit .271/.369/.475 (.844) with 20 doubles, three triples, 20 homers and 100 RBI. In 1992, he skipped a level and jumped right to AA Orlando where he played for Phil Roof. There he hit .255/.329/.452 (.781) with 13 doubles, 22 homers and 74 RBI. He struck out 122 times and walked 48 times. In 1993, he moved up to AAA Portland. In 83 games, he hit .281/.341/.483 (.823) with 24 doubles, ten homers and 47 RBI. He played first base and third base. Those are numbers that should have put him on the radar for a big league call up. In 1993, Kent Hrbek played 123 games, most at 1B. Mike Pagliarulo played about half of the team’s games at third base. Terry Jorgenson played quite a bit of third base that year. David McCarty and Gene Larkin were the backups at first base. So, some of it was about opportunity, and some was about just having several other options. Russo split 1994 between AA Nashville and AAA Salt Lake. He was still just 24 years old and hit 13 homers that season as well. Russo said, “I tell people I was a couple of decades too early, or a couple of decades too late. I could never tell you what kept me out of the big leagues. I can tell you this. The only guy who hit more home runs than me in the Twins organization was Bernardo Brito. He was a tremendous home run hitter. He didn’t get enough credit as he should have. He was a pretty good player. But at the time, the Twins had some superstars in the outfield. They had Kirby (Puckett) and Shane Mack. Brito could have hit home runs anywhere. At least he got up there.” Russo went to the Padres where he played in AA and AAA in 1995 and 1996. He played AAA ball for the Yankees in 1997. He then spent two seasons in AAA for the Astros, but he never got The Call. “I always felt I should have had an opportunity to get to the big leagues. I hit a lot of home runs when I was there. They just never gave me the opportunity. I had a lot of success over my career. I had a good career. I don’t regret anything. And I truly enjoyed the coaching staff with the Twins. That is one thing I will always remember. Most of the coaches there were good people that were there truly to help you get better.” Russo is still very active in baseball. In fact, it remains his career, just in a different way now. He and his brother Pat Russo (who went undrafted, but spent two seasons pitching in the Twins system) own the Hit Factory Baseball in Tampa. They have players from eight to 18. “We’ve got a broad range. We have 16 travel teams, so that’s basically what I do.” “Helping kids is the best part because I can take the knowledge I’ve learned through high school, through college and into pro baseball and teach kids that there’s different things that people look for. Professional baseball is not for everybody. Professional baseball is completely different than college baseball. You meet a lot of different individuals in pro baseball. The one thing I stress to all these boys is get your education. The better you do in your education, the more it will help you in baseball too.” They have helped develop good players and good young men, and provided them with opportunities. “We’ve sent over 250 of our players to college. We’ve had some pro draft picks, a couple of first rounders. I get more pleasure out of that than anything. It’s great to see them move on. It’s great!” Russo also does a weekly radio show called Hit The Cut which you can listen to often on Facebook Live in which they talk baseball and youth baseball and more. Be sure to “Like” their site and check it out. Baseball and family are what keep him busy. He and his wife will have been married 23 years in October. His oldest son Paul is a senior, playing baseball at South Alabama. His oldest daughter is a junior at Tampa Catholic high school, and she recently verbally committed to playing softball at South Florida. His youngest daughter is a sophomore in high school. Russo summarized, “They’re all good memories. I was able to do something that 99.9% of people who played baseball could never do. It has helped me later on in life to do what I do now. I have nothing but fond memories of playing my career.” With a week to play, Rooker is four home runs behind Russo’s mark. Can he get there? Click here to view the article

I mean, they aren't sending him home. They'll let him rest and probably re-evaluate in a week and see where they're at.

Was told by a team official that Romero experienced a little more fatigue than normal during his side bullpen this week. That's certainly not unusual in a minor league season. Normally, a guy would just miss a start or two at that point. In terms of innings, he could have made 3-4 more starts this season. But because of the time in the season, they may not bring him back to make a start or two.

I mean, it's a 7-Day DL. They could probably retro-date it, but there is only 7 days left in the regular season at this point.

No surprise... I am trying to verify that he's being shut down, as opposed to actually hurt:

Fair enough... I think one thing we try to do here is try different things. As for the read, I agree... this format works if people are actually reading it throughout the day. But for those reading it later, it isn't as "pretty."

I don't think they would worry at all about the option. He'll soon be 25, so they shouldn't worry about the one option year since he's already here. Slegers is a tough call. He was impressive in his first start, but I think they realize he isn't going to do that every time. Similarly, I'm sure no one was surprised when Gee's second start didn't go as well as his first one. Could go either way on him.

I do like Levine's on-the-record quotes on Sano from the BP interview... I do wonder which Twins person gave Souhan that information off-the-record. Clearly someone did... Could have been anyone, player, coach, manager, Falvey or Levine. For me, the timing of that article was really unfortunate. There's nothing wrong with saying that Sano's weight is and will be a concern. That's just a reality of being him. As you point out and everyone knows, he is a large man. The article was just really poorly timed. And that's without thinking about the theoretical might-be's for when Sano leaves via free agency (which of course will likely be much more about Roc Nation than about anything Souhan or Reusse or anyone at KFAN might say.

I think he's got a chance to be a pretty good player...

Sunday's minor league report looks a bit different than normal. Maybe you've been following along all day, but if not, this article was live-blogged throughout the day on Sunday with updates when there were scores, or other events. There has been some talk about how strong Twins affiliates have been this season. All seven Twins minor league affiliates either have already clinched a playoff berth or currently are the team in the lead for a playoff spot. The minor league seasons will all be complete on Labor Day. The Twins front office and manager have continued to say that they are thrilled with the minor league success, but the big league club will be the priority. We've seen that already as the Twins have called up the likes of Kennys Vargas, Mitch Garver, Zack Granite and John Curtiss within the last week from Rochester to help the big league club despite the Red Wings having a chance to make the playoffs. Below, you will be able to see where each of the affiliates currently stands in their playoff hopes. (before the game, but after each game, they've been updated, when needed) At this point, we know of no transactions in the organization on Sunday.Thanks for following the updates throughout the day. It was fun to keep tabs on the goings on in the Twins minor leagues throughout the day. So for those who are seeing this for the first time, the format is obviously quite different from what you normally see here, but more frequent updates can be good too. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Buffalo 3 (FINAL) Box Score Aaron Slegers starts for the Red Wings at 12:35. At 76-57, the Red Wings have been eliminated from winning their division. However, they have a two game lead over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the Wild Card race. Their magic number coming into the day is 8. 12:47 UPDATE: In the top of the first inning, Slegers hit the leadoff batter. With two outs, 1B Rowdy Tellez doubles in the runner to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead. 12:58 UPDATE: In the top of the second inning, Slegers gave up a solo home run to SS Shane Opitz. Red Wings down 2-0. 1:04 UPDATE: Following Niko Goodrum getting hit by a pitch, Leonardo Reginnato doubled him in to put the Red Wings on the scoreboard. Through two innings, Red Wings 1, Bisons 2. 1:30 UPDATE: With two on and one out in the 4th, Slegers gave up a run-scoring single to Opitz to make the score 3-1 Bisons. While he's given up three runs, Slegers does have six strikeouts, including the third out of this inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd. 2:16 UPDATE: With two outs, and just after Chad Allen got ejected, Anthony Recker singled in Niko Goodrum to cut the Red Wings deficit to 3-2. Goodrum had singled and stolen second base. It was his 11th steal of the game. 2:24 UPDATE: He's at 89 pitches, so I don't know if he's done, but after two strikeouts in the 7th, Aaron Slegers now has nine strikeouts in the game. 2:35 UPDATE: Engelb Vielma led off the 7th with a walk. Two outs later, Daniel Palka singled him in and after an error, he also scored to give the Red Wings a 4-3 lead. Here it is... an absolutely crazy "Little League Home Run." 7:02 UPDATE: Nick Brown was done after six innings. Two runs (1 earned) on five hits. He walked one and struck out two. Jared Finkel came on for the 7th. 7:27 UPDATE: Jared Finkel got the final nine outs for the three-inning save. He gave up two hits and struck out two. Multi-Hit Games: Akil Baddoo, 2-4, BB - Gorge Munoz, 2-3, BB, 2B (1) - Rainis Silva, 2-5. PLAYOFF UPDATE: On Saturday, they clinched a playoff spot. On Sunday, they clinched the top spot in their division. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins Box Score No Game Scheduled on Sundays in the GCL. In a little news, Twins 2nd round pick RHP Landon Leach has left the team and joined the Canadian U18 team at the World Cup. In previous years, Lachlan Wells and Lewis Thorpe have left the team to play in the World Cup as well. The GCL Twins are currently 31-21 and hold a 5 1/2 game lead in their division. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is just three. Additionally, the Twins Dominican Summer League team is 49-22 and they clinched a playoff berth last week. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Aaron Slegers, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Lewin Diaz, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (6:05 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:05 CST) - RHP DJ Baxendale Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:35 CST) - LHP Bryan Sammons Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

That "extra time" is spent writing the Twins Prospect Handbook... can't believe this will be the 10th version!! That'll basically take up my every non-job-that-pays-me-money time until mid-December probably.

Agreed... we've been hearing so many people on this site and on Twitter and such talking about how Molitor wouldn't go to young players out of the bullpen in high-leverage spots (specifically Busenitz and Hildenberger). So today, he puts Curtiss into a fairly high leverage situation, and a blooper in between three fielders really hurt him, and now we say that Molitor shoudln't have used him there. I'm sure they don't want to play Mauer on the turf all three games, and I'm 100% fine with that, but yes, he probably makes that catch. Baseball's a weird game. A tough loss, but when you give up 10 runs, you don't really deserve to win.

The rains won the day in Ft. Myers, forcing the postponement of three games. But the four other Twins affiliates all played and attempted to push closer to the playoffs. Find out everything that happened throughout the system, including a pitcher who improved to 18-1 on the season. One other minor leaguer reached milestone numbers in a couple of stats. Which 2017 draftee keyed an Elizabethton win that put them into the playoffs again this year? Continue reading to find out all the scores and highlights in the Twins minor leagues from Saturday.Incredibly, there were no transactions in the organization on Saturday. That has certainly been an unusual thing throughout this season. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Buffalo 3 Box Score Left-hander David Hurlbut improved to 9-8 with another solid performance. He gave up two runs on seven hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out three. He now has a 3.55 ERA on the season. Alex Wimmers gave up one run over the next two innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Jake Reed got the final four outs to record his fifth save for the Red Wings. He gave up a hit and a walk but gave up no runs to reduce his ERA to 1.98. J.B. Shuck went 3-4. Leonardo Reginnato went 2-3 with a walk and his 13th double. Levi Michael and Niko Goodrum went 2-4 in the game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 10, Jackson 2 Box Score Zack Littell was back on the mound for the Lookouts. He went six innings and gave up just two runs. He allowed six hits, walked two and struck out five to improve to 4-0 since joining the Lookouts. It pushes his overall season record to a remarkable 18-1. Anthony McIver struck out two over two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit and a walk. Keaton Steele worked the ninth. He gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs to end the game. The offense provided plenty of support for Littell. Jonathan Rodriguez reached a couple of milestone season numbers. He hit his 30th double and his 20th home run. Andy Wilkins hit his 10th home run, a three-run shot. LaMonte Wade went 3-5 with his 19th double and third triple. Max Murphy was 2-4 with his 11th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, Charlotte Box Score Rain was the winner of the day in Ft. Myers on Saturday. They will attempt to play two on Sunday afternoon. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Quad Cities 1 Box Score There was very little offense down in Davenport on Saturday night. Let’s start with the positive. Tyler Wells was on the mound and very good again. He went six innings and gave up just one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out four. Max Cordy worked the final two innings without allowing a base runner. He struck out three. However, the Kernels were unable to muster much offense. They had just three hits. Ben Rortvedt’s 15th double was their lone extra-base hit. They walked once and the team struck out a combined 16 times. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Greeneville 2 Box Score The E-Twins are heading back to the playoffs, clinching a spot on Saturday night with just over a week left in the season. Twins 2017 tenth-round pick Mark Contreras led the way. He hit his ninth double and his fourth home run. Roberto Molina’s second home run drove in two runs. Later, Akil Baddoo added a solo shot, his third E-Twins homer. Brusdar Graterol started and recorded his second win. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out six. Melvi Acosta came out of the bullpen to work the final four innings. He gave up a run on four hits. He struck out four. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins, GCL Red Sox Box Score For the second straight day, the GCL Twins and Red Sox were rained out. They carry a large lead into what will be a busy final regular-season week of the year. These two games will be made up as part of doubleheaders next Friday and Saturday to close out the regular season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - (You Vote) Zack Littell, Chattanooga Lookouts, or Tyler Wells, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mark Contreras, Elizabethton Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Jackson (2:05 CST) - RHP Dereck Rodriguez Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (DH at 1:00 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe, RHP Randy LeBlanc Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) - RHP Tyler Beardsley Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Nick Brown GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

Sample size in FM is one game, which went well. His sample size in the GCL rehab was 2 outings and they didn't go well. My hope is he gets through the season with the Miracle healthy.