Seth Stohs

I really didn't, not until it was happening...

For now I think that makes the most sense... but obviously that could change... Or, like Kepler, you could go one level at a time, and then (basically) come up from AA. To note... Kepler played 1 year in the GCL and 2 years in E-Town before getting to Cedar Rapids. Of course, Kepler signed at 16 and Whitefield signed at 18, so it's not apples to apples, but both were raw, incredible athletes.

Yup, no reason to move Sano off of 3B for awhile... Maybe 4-5 years... maybe 7-8 years. That's also why it's good to get Rooker some position flexibility, so that he could play LF and 1B and DH. Sano can play 3B, 1B and DH (would have been nice if he'd tried out in the OF, though fortunately now with Rosario, Buxton and Kepler, it isn't as necessary now).

Great early returns... Rooker's already in Ft. Myers, way ahead of a 'normal' draft curve. Charlie Barnes, Bryan Sammons and Jordan Gore are already up in Cedar Rapids and doing well. And Lewis being in Cedar Rapids is quite unusual... It's exciting to see.

I have him just outside my top 20, but he's pretty impressive. He's got size, strength, power, speed, youth... I mean, then consider the numbers he's putting up in the Midwest League having less than 3 years of baseball experience. Defensively, he's got great range, and a good arm... He's kind of natural out there in CF. He's impressive.

Just skipping a start... There are no plans to shut him down. I don't know what the big picture plans as far as the Southern League playoffs and/or a September call up, but this is just a skipped start.

There were a lot of good stories in the Twins minor leagues on Tuesday. It started with the announcement in the morning that Clark Beekerwith his 33.2 innings scoreless streak has been promoted. The E-Twins and GCL Twins started their games in the morning too. The guy who pitched the first inning of the GCL game is quite the story, and we were able to talk to him after the appearance. The Kernels and Red Wings found ways to win, and a top prospect recorded his first AAA win and just might be pitching in a big league uniform next time out.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Tuesday. Let’s start with the transactions of the day: RHP Clark Beeker - he of the 32.2 inning scoreless streak - has been promoted from Cedar Rapids to the Ft. Myers Miracle. RHP Eduardo Del Rosario is moving back to the Kernels from the Miracle.Keaton Steele was placed on the Miracle’s disabled list. Cody Stashak started his rehab assignment in the GCL.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 6, Columbus 2 Box Score With Hector Santiago’s rehab put on hold, Stephen Gonsalves made the start for Rochester on his regular rest. He again performed very well. The southpaw went six innings and gave up just one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out eight. The run he gave up was on a double off the bat of the rehabbing Lonnie Chisenhall. Gonsalves struck out the side in both the second and fifth innings. With the help of the bullpen and the bats, Gonsalves recorded his first AAA win. Could his next start be in Chicago as a member of the big league club? Stay tuned. Drew Rucinski gave up a run on three hits in the seventh. John Curtiss pitched a perfect eighth. Michael Tonkin was given the ninth inning and finished off the win with a scoreless inning. A lot of guys contributed to the offense. Matt Hague led the way. He went 3-5 with three RBI. Mitch Garver went 2-4 and his 28th double drove in a run. Kennys Vargas went 2-4, was intentionally walked, and contributed his ninth homer. JB Shuck went 2-3 with his 23rd double and a sacrifice. Daniel Palka was 2-5. Niko Goodrum was 1-2 with two walks and a very, very long home run. It was his 11th of the season. Zack Granite went 1-3 before he left the game in the fifth inning. He is day-to-day. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts had an off-day on Tuesday before starting a five-game series against Tennessee on Wednesday. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers , Lakeland Box Score Rain won the day again in Florida and this game was postponed. The two teams will play two seven-inning games on Wednesday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Burlington 2 Box Score The Kernels got ahead early and were able to hold it thanks to some strong pitching. Lefty Bryan Sammons started and gave up two runs on four hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out six. Ryan Mason provided two scoreless innings before Colton Davis and Hector Lujan each threw a scoreless frame. For Lujan, who struck out two, it was his 13th save of the season. Caleb Hamilton provided the big blast in the first inning when he hit his ninth home run. Trey Cabbage went 2-4 with the seventh RBI. Aaron Whitefield knocked in a run with his sixth triple. He was 2-4 with a walk. He also stole his 29th base. Royce Lewis was given a game off for the first time since joining the Kernels. Tommy Watkins told Steve Buhr the following for an article which appeared in the Star Tribune. “‘I think the plan is to play him a couple of days, then give him a day or two (off),’ Watkins said. ‘Definitely not try to overload him with swinging every day. He’s coming from a high school season, first taste of pro ball, so we’ll ease him in.’” E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Johnson City 11 Box Score It was a rare afternoon games for the E-Twins, particularly leading up to a rare off day for the team on Wednesday (they have three off days all season). Things didn’t exactly go well for the Twins. Edwar Colina started. He gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in just 3.2 innings. He struck out three. Juan Gamez came on next and the converted catcher struggled with his control. In two innings, he gave up five runs on one hit and five walks. He struck out one. Rickey Ramirez gave up two runs on three hits and a walk over the final 2.1 innings. He struck out two. The Twins had seven hits. Ariel Montesino went 1-2 with two walks and his fourth double. He drove in two runs. Gorge Munoz went 2-3 and was hit by a pitch. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Rays 4 Box Score Tyler Benninghoff was the Twins 11th-round pick last June out of high school. He fell to the 11th round because he wasn’t able to pitch much his senior year. The Twins signed him, for well over slot, and he immediately underwent Tommy John surgery. It was a gradual recovery, but on Tuesday, about 14 months following surgery, Benninghoff returned to a game mound. It went well. He threw one inning. He walked one and he struck out one. He was able to do what he wanted. Benninghoff told Twins Daily, “I had one inning or 20 pitches today whichever came first, but for me I wanted to fill up the zone and get out of the inning in less than 20 pitches.” Tyler Wells came on next and went the next five innings. He gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits, a walk and and a hit batter. He struck out four. Cody Stashak pitched the final two innings. He gave up one hit and hit a batter, but he did not allow a run. He struck out two batters. There wasn’t much offense for the Twins either. Shane Kennedy, also rehabbing, went 1-2 with two walks and a stolen base. Ben Rodriguez drove in the team’s lone run with his second home run. Emmanuel Morel was 1-4 with his ninth double. The big story of the game was the return (is it a return if it’s also his first pro appearance). It meant a lot to the right-hander, an end to one phase and a start to another. “It was a weight lifted of my shoulder being able to throw my first inning and get that under my belt. Now instead of focusing on rehab, I can focus on furthering my baseball career with the Twins.” TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Aaron Whitefield, Cedar Rapids Kernels WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (6:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:00 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (DH at 4:00 CST) - LHP Anthony McIver, RHP Randy LeBlanc Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson Elizabethton - No Game Scheduled GCL Rays @ GCL Twins (9:00 CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. Click here to view the article

Huh? Did I forget to add the "if they want" qualifier?

While I don't necessarily disagree that adding a bullpen option or two would be good, I just challenge anyone to go through the list of free agent relievers the last 2-3 offseasons... Determine which of them has been successful and which haven't been, and then try to remember if we thought that would have been a good sign. My bigger point here, probably clearly, is that there is no way to know which 31-33 year old relievers will be good and which ones won't. (And, we don't know which top relief pitchers will become solid MLB relievers either... And, additionally, we don't know which "failed starters" will become solid MLB relievers too). Remember two offseasons ago when we (Twins fans) really wanted to give Antonio Bastardo and/or Tony Sipp 3 year deals for whatever it would take (likely above the 3 years, $18ish million that they got). Check out their baseball reference pages and see how they've done the last couple of years. I guess for me, there's just no way to know what any relief pitcher free agent who signs for less than $8-10 million (all the way down to minor league deals)... and if you sign them for more than that, there's much, much higher risk.

Since the Twins traded closer Brandon Kintzler to the Nationals on July 31st, the team’s bullpen has been under some fan scrutiny. However, aside from one game, the bullpen has come up big. Again, in all but one game, the bullpen has come through, and that was in the third of three straight games in which the team’s starter failed to go past five innings. Hopefully the bullpen will be able to continue getting the job done. It will be important if they want to maintain playoff aspirations. Here’s a quick look at how we got here, and what they could do next.The Twins bullpen has not been good again this year. Here are the numbers: Bullpen ERA: 4.53 (25th) Strikeouts: 345 (26th) Walks: 132 (7th) Batting Average Against: .269 (30th) Also, the Twins bullpen ranks seventh in Innings pitched with 407.1 innings. That is largely the fault of the starting rotation. Even with the first halves of Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios, the starters’ ERA is 4.89 (26th). The 625.1 innings the Twins starters have thrown ranks 27th lowest. They are also in the bottom half of MLB in strikeouts, walks, and batting average against. Again, the bullpen has generally been OK (not good, but not horrific either) until they have to throw a lot of innings due to a run of short starts. While the Twins were generally healthy during spring training, there were some things that were already known. First, while Glen Perkins was trying to throw some bullpens, it was clear that he would miss an extended time at the beginning of the season. Trevor May was going to be transitioned back to a starter before his season ended before it started when he had Tommy John surgery. In the offseason, the Twins spent $2 million on veteran Matt Belisle. He had four horrific outings early in the season. But then he was nearly flawless for about six weeks before becoming the team’s closer. He recorded saves in his first three opportunities before blowing one. The Twins also brought in some veteran types on minor league contracts. Craig Breslow got the longest big league look before the Twins DLd him and released him. Drew Rucinski has seen some time. Independent ball signing Nik Turley made three starts that didn’t go well, though it looks like his future could be in the bullpen. So, why did the Twins sign so few relievers when we knew that there was potential for it to be a huge concern? Brandon Kintzler would likely be solid, if not a stereotypical closer. He was much better than anticipated, even earning an All-Star berth and appearance. Taylor Rogers was coming off a solid rookie season and looking to improve upon it. Ryan Pressly’s clearly got the stuff to believe in. Fair to say that hasn’t gone real well much of this season. Tyler Duffey made the move to the bullpen and needed an opportunity to develop in that role. It was clear from the get-go that 2017 was going to be an evaluation year for Derek Falvey and Thad Levine. That meant giving extended opportunities to several arms. Could Buddy Boshers be an alternative if (and eventually when) Craig Breslow didn’t pan out? Michael Tonkin got through 2016 without an option. Could he take a step forward in 2017? The team also added Justin Haley in the Rule 5 draft and wanted to evaluate him. Just like claiming the likes of Adam Wilk, Chris Heston and Dillon Gee. Add arms and evaluate. Already, we have mentioned nine names for eight (and ideally seven) bullpen spots. But then there were other injuries that started piling up toward the end of spring training. JT Chargois and his upper-90s fastball had a terrific September for the Twins and could have been a key contributor this season. Instead, 2017 has been the third lost season for Chargois since the Twins drafted him in 2012. Nick Burdi had a lost 2016 season, but in the season’s first month, he was throwing hard, and throwing strikes, and seemingly very closer to debuting with the Twins. Instead, he had Tommy John surgery in May and that will likely cost him much of the 2018 season as well. Tyler Jay was moved from the role of starting pitcher to relieverin spring training. The idea was that he would be able to move up more quickly. Instead, he’s missed nearly the entire season with biceps tendinitis and thoracic outlet-type symptoms. And Jake Reed stayed with the big league club through most of spring training, but in the final spring game, he pulled a muscle in his side and missed the season’s first two months. If you want to add Mason Melotakis to this group, that may work because he was supposed to get to the big league club this year. Unfortunately, he pulled an oblique early in the spring and didn’t have an opportunity to pitch in big league camp. While he hasn’t been injured, his velocity is way down. His numbers at AAA Rochester have been quite good. But he was able to be DFAd, went unclaimed and was outrighted to Rochester. Each of those guys was likely expected to be a key contributor in the Twins bullpen by this time in the season. Instead, they have received zero innings so far but Reed, and possibly Melotakis, has a shot of getting a call this season. However, that has opened up opportunity for others. Alan Busenitz got the call first. He went up and down a few times, but with recent outings, he has shown good improvement. His mid-to-upper 90s fastball is good, and he has a good breaking ball too. Trevor Hildenberger was the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015and 2016. He came up in late June and has shown that he can get big league hitters out. On Sunday, he got four outs to record his first MLB save. While his fastball sits in the upper-80s most of the time, his changeup is really, really good. And he throws each of his pitches from a couple of angles. Busenitz and Hildenberger should factor into the 2018 Twins bullpen options. Hopefully Jay and Reed, Chargois and Melotakis, and maybe even Burdi at some point, will get an opportunity and could factor into the bullpen. But other names have surfaced for 2018 as well. John Curtiss had a very strong 2016 season, spending a month in Cedar Rapids before moving up to the Miracle. He also performed well in the Arizona Fall League. He’s been absolutely fantastic in 2017, both in Chattanooga and since his move up to Rochester. Luke Bard was recently promoted to AAA after putting up huge strikeout numbers at Chattanooga. Ryan Eades has been solid in the bullpen. The Twins also acquired lefty reliever Gabriel Moya from the Diamondbacks in exchange for John Ryan Murphy. He’s put up silly numbers at AA all year. Nick Anderson has been, arguably, quietly, the best reliever in the Twins farm system all season. Todd Van Steensel has put up another year with great numbers, this time at Chattanooga. And we don’t know what the ultimate roles will be for the likes of Fernando Romero, Dietrich Enns, Dereck Rodriguez or other starters in the upper levels of the minor leagues. The cabinet is certainly not bare, and as Falvey and Levine have said, accumulating arms and talented arms is clearly a focus. If you’re looking for a sleeper for 2018, look to the GCL where right-hander Michael Kohn has been pitching the last few weeks. A former teammate of Torii Hunter, Kohn threw for the Twins in a tryout and soon after the Twins offered him a deal. Kohn was eating lunch with another former teammate and former Twins reliever Kevin Jepsen when his agent texted him with the Twins offer. The Twins signed him to a two-year minor league deal that includes an invitation to big league camp in 2018. He hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since May of 2015 due to shoulder surgery. In 115 games (132 games) over parts of five seasons in the big leagues, he struck out 111. He has pitched five innings over five appearances in the GCL over the last two weeks. And finally, there is Glen Perkins. The three-time All-Star hasn’t pitched since April of 2016. He had shoulder surgery, reattaching the muscle to the bone. It had to be incredibly painful, and clearly it has taken a ton of work to get back. His rehab stint in entering its final week. The Twins will (presumably) call him up and give him an opportunity. I’m realistic about how much he’ll be able to contribute down the stretch. I hope he can just be solid. This is most likely the final season of his career, unless his plans have changed due to these injuries. The Twins aren’t going to pick up his option. So enjoy what he’s got left. Hope for the best. Appreciate the work he’s put in to get back and remember how great he was for a three or four year stretch. The Twins could certainly go out right now and add a reliever or two in a trade. The cost, in terms of dollars or prospects would not be high. Or, they could call up guys like John Curtiss, Mason Melotakis, Luke Bard and Jake Reed in September and give them a shot. The cupboard for Twins relief pitching options is far from bare. I would again advocate in the upcoming offseason that they not go crazy on bullpen arms in free agency. Maybe one veteran on a one-year, low cost, low risk deal, and a couple more minor league signings. That’s it. And then find a manager and pitching coach (whether that is Paul Molitor and Neil Allen or not) who will be willing to go with the young arms. Click here to view the article

Nope... it's not... I'm pretty sure it's Ryan Walker... (he was with the Miracle early in the 2016 season).

Mauer was also a catcher, so he didn't play everyday either. If the Twins would have promoted Lewis to E-Town, he would have been far and away their best prospect (maybe player) too. That's why any time we talk about GCL or ET numbers, we have to remember that none of them really play every day. There are guys (prospects) that play more, but even Watkins said that they are not going to play Lewis every day, remembering that he is still acclimating to pro ball, playing so many games, etc.

here's some... http://twinsdaily.com/organization-chart.html/_/moran-jovani-r278

We talk often about how the bullpen needs the starters to do their part, and when the starters go three straight starts without completing 5 innings, the bullpen gets extended. If worked for a couple of games, but in time, it'll always cost them. The offense was good, but yeah, Sano is pretty clueless at the plate now.

I thought he was going to go one... get a day or two, and then do the back-to-back thing. No word on any sort of set back. Without digging too much, I think Zander Wiel is at 9 HR, and Tanner English has 7. So yeah, Rooker could definitely lead the way. I think Trey Vavra led the Miracle with 7 or something last year.

When he was drafted, (I think it was) Jonathan Mayo said that before spring, some considered him a 1st-round talent. He's hit a little bit in the GCL. He's said to have the potential to stick as a shortstop, so I think he's quite intriguing. I'm not sure that Baddoo and Miranda have controlled the strike zone as well as Lewis, so that could play into it. They're where they need to be. I think people need to just appreciate the talent that Lewis is. He's a very, very rare talent. And how's he's promoted will likely be far different from anything we've seen.

Yup, same number of hits in his first four at bats as he had in 33 at bats in August in the GCL. But as I talked to someone in the Twins front office earlier today and was told that the quality of his at bats was terrific.

Isn't that crazy? All on one team! Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero, Jr., and Cavan Biggio. When I went to Cedar Rapids in early May, I got to see Fernando Tatis, Jr. It's fun seeing younger versions of our baseball cards like this... Of course, it also makes me feel old! Ha!

That's a good point... It certainly could be a candidate!!

High Minors: AA and AAA... Low Minors: High-A and Low-A. Rookie Leagues: E-Town and GCL

Yes, the big news of the day was the promotion of #1 overall pick from June, Royce Lewis, to the Cedar Rapids Kernels. I’ll leave just a teaser here. He had an impressive Kernels debut. But there was a lot more happening throughout a busy Saturday in the Twins system. First, you’ll want to see how Dereck Rodriguez performed on a night his Dad’s jersey was retired by the Rangers. He opposed Michael Kopech and matched zeroes with him. Read his thoughts on probably his best performance of the year. Brent Rooker stayed hot, coming up with yet another big hit for the Miracle. Shane Carrier had a huge hit for the Kernels and has been raking for over a month now. And Aaron Slegers was terrific again for the Red Wings, keeping a streak alive. He was helped by another big game from Mitch (#CallHimUp) Garver.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday. Let’s start with the transactions of the day: You might have heard. Royce Lewis, the first overall pick this June, was promoted to Cedar Rapids from the GCL.Aaron Whitefield was also removed from the disabled list for the Kernels. To make room for his return, Hank Morrison was released.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Norfolk 2 Box Score Rochester got yet another strong start from Aaron Slegers, and used some power to take this win. Slegers won his ninth straight decision (10 starts). He gave up just two runs on eight hits over 7.1 innings. He struck out six. Mason Melotakis recorded his first Red Wings save by getting the final five outs, two on strikeouts. Byungho Park put the Red Wings on the scoreboard in the fifth inning with a two-run homer, his 10th of the season. In the sixth, Mitch Garver added his 17th home run to give the team a lead they’d hold on to. Garver added his 27th double later and walked once. Kennys Vargas was 2-4. Zack Granite added a single and a walk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 0 Box Score The Lookouts faced White Sox pitching prospect Michael Kopech for the fourth time on Saturday night. In his three previous starts, he had struck out nine, ten and twelve batters. In this game, the flame-throwing righty struck out ten again. Fortunately, Dereck Rodriguez was up to the challenge. On a night when his dad was honored by the Texas Rangers, who retired his number, Dereck Rodriguez was fantastic. He outpitched Kopech, just without the same number of strikeouts. Rodriguez threw seven shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out five. He improved to 5-2 on the season with the Lookouts. Rodriguez said that he just had things working tonight. “I was getting ahead of hitters and throwing my pitches for strikes.” That it was opposite a talent like Michael Kopech didn’t faze Rodriguez. “It could have been Nolan Ryan on the mound. Rodriguez continued with a chuckle, “It didn't matter to me... I don't have to face him.” Todd Van Steensel worked out of trouble in the eighth inning. He gave up a hit, walked one and hit a batter, but somehow did not give up a run. Nick Anderson picked up his sixth save with a scoreless ninth frame. The Lookouts scored their run in the seventh inning. Ryan Walker hit his 12th double. Nick Gordon singled, and Walker scored on an error on the play. Jonathan Rodriguez added his 26th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 9, Dunedin 6 Box Score Brent Rooker stayed hot and gave the Miracle a big lead in the first inning again on Saturday night. He hit a three-run homer, his sixth with the Miracle. And when he’s hit them of late, he’s picked some big moments. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Johnson City 12 Box Score It was a rough night all around for the E-Twins on Saturday. Offensively, they managed just five hits. Jose Miranda hit his first triple. Ariel Montesino added his third double. JJ Robinson drove in two of the team’s runs. Ryley Widell started for the Twins. In 3.1 innings, the left-hander gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits. He walked two, hit two and struck out five. Moises Gomez gave up six runs on three hits and three walks in just one innings. Blair Lakso went two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks. Jose Martinez got the final five outs (two on strikeouts) and gave up just one hit. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 5 Box Score Henry Centeno made another rehab start in the GCL. The right-hander walked one over three, no-hit innings. He struck out three. Matt Jones was next up. The left-hander gave up two unearned runs on three hits and two walks in three innings. He struck out three. Kevin Marnon gave up one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out three.Derek Molina gave up one run on one hit and one walk in his inning. Zach Featherstone came in and got two outs, but gave up an unearned run to take the loss. Victor Tademo led the offense. He went 2-4 with his fourth double. Ricky De La Torre was also 2-4 and drove in two runs. Alex Robles went 2-3. Chris Paul had a double in five at-bats. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis, Cedar Rapids Kernels SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Norfolk @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - RHP Tim Melville Chattanooga @ Birmingham (3:00 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - LHP Charlie Barnes Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) - RHP Melvi Acosta GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article