Seth Stohs

Correct... they didn't use Belisle, Rogers, Busenitz or Hildenberger last night. They were already down about 4-1 when they started using the bullpen. Actually Pressly's been fantastic of late and he was used first... I again, can't really argue with who was used when they were used. Obviously, we can/should hope for better results. But there are still 25 games left. They're not going to win them all. I guarantee they will try to win them all, but there will likely be a a few more frustrating losses.

Garver had just caught Berrios in his previous start, and the two worked together great. He was trying to duplicate that. Last night wasn't good for Berrios. I don't know how to measure how much better Gimenez or Castro would have been last night. They have said they're going to be cautious initially with Castro. I believe he will be starting behind the plate tonight. Gimenez had caught the game or two games before, so there's no real reason to question going with Garver last night. It made sense. Berrios just wasn't as fine as he was in the previous start.

Keeping Garver over Turner was an easy decision. Yes, Turner is tremendous defensively, but he never could hit at AA. Garver was very much a work-in-progress when he was drafted as a catcher. He had spent time playing some other positions at New Mexico. He's come a long way. I thought he blocked the ball real well last night, had some really tough ones. He's always had a very strong arm and been able to throw out over 30% of base runners. He can be an MLB catcher defensively. I think making too much out of any small sample isn't good, but trust his progress at the plate and behind the plate. He'll be just fine.

Minor league regular season 2017 has come to an end. Every minor league club with the exception of the Rochester Red Wings will be in the playoffs. And the Red Wings became the first team in International League history to win 80 games in a season two years in a row without going to the playoffs either season (per Red Wings PR director Nate Rowan). But before we get to the end of the season, we need to honor those players who ended their season with a strong final month. The next three days, we’ll post our August minor league awards, starting today with the top six relievers.Before we share our Twins Daily Minor League Top Six Relievers for August, here are some terrific bullpen performances that just missed the cut. It may have been a shorter list to jot down which minor league relievers didn’t have a good month. HONORABLE MENTION Pedro Garcia - GCL Twins - 5 G, 1 GS, 22.2 IP, 11 H, 11 BB, 20 K, 1.99 ERA, 0.97 WHIP.Moises Gomez - Elizabethton Twins - 5 G, 1 GS, 18.2 IP, 12 H, 8 BB, 20 K, 3.38 ERA, 1.07 WHIP.Michael Kohn - GCL Twins/Ft. Myers Miracle/Rochester Red Wings - 12 G, 4 GS, 12.0 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 17 K, 0.75 ERA, 0.83 WHIP.Logan Lombana - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 9 G, 19.2 IP, 18 H, 4 BB, 16 K, 1.37 ERA, 1.12 WHIP.Hector Lujan - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 10 G, 10.1 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 9 K, 0.87 ERA, 1.07 WHIP.Kevin Marnon - GCL Twins - 7 G, 16.2 IP, 14 H, 4 BB, 17 K, 0.54 ERA, 1.08 WHIP.Anthony McIver - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts - 7 G, 15.1 IP, 19 H, 4 BB, 11 K, 1.17 ERA, 1.50 WHIP.Gabriel Moya - Chattanooga Lookouts - 7 G, 10.1 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 12 K, 0.87 ERA, 0.87 WHIP.Jake Reed - Rochester Red Wings - 9 G, 14.2 IP, 11 H, 6 BB, 15 K, 1.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP.Michael Theofanopoulos - Ft. Myers Miracle - 8 G, 15.0 IP, 9 H, 8 BB, 18 K, 1.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP.THE TOP SIX RELIEF PITCHERS #6 - Derek Molina - GCL Twins - 8 G, 1.23 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 10 H, 3 BB, 18 K Molina was the Twins 14th-round pick in 2017 out of Merced College. Obviously that is a small college, but Doug Fister and briefly-a-Twins-pitcher Brian Fuentes were drafted from the school. Molina’s career began a little bit later (late July) as he was getting healthy and ready, but he’s been quite good since signing. You can see from the numbers above that he’s pitched well. Opponents hit just .192/.232/.231 (.463) off of him during August. #5 - Blayne Enlow - GCL Twins - 4 G, 1.23 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 13 K I know. I know. Enlow isn’t a reliever. He was drafted in the third round and given lots of money over the slotted amount to sign to be a starting pitcher. However, things are a little different in the GCL. It’s in Ft. Myers, where big leaguers and minor leaguers tend to rehab. When they rehab, they typically start and then the regularly-scheduled GCL starter piggybacks him, coming in second in the game. That’s what the situation was for Enlow. He made four appearances, and all four were out of the bullpen in August. Opponents hit just .170/.228/.283 (.511) off him. He’s shown good control and an ability early to miss bats. Hopefully we’ll see him in the Twins Daily Starting Pitcher of the Month reports a few times over the next two to three years. #4 - John Curtiss - Rochester Red Wings - 6 G, 0.87 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 11 K Curtiss is certainly a candidate for Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year, to be sure. In August, he continued to pitch well in Rochester right up until he was called up to the Twins later in the month. As he has been most of the season, he worked late innings, gave up very few runs, gave up very few hits, and missed a lot of bats. He’s had some struggles now in the big leagues, but even so, you can see his electric stuff. He’s got plenty of fastball, with movement, and his breaking pitches are terrific too. He’s got a chance to be very good. Against minor leaguers in August, he gave up a slash line of just .139/.244/.139 (.383). #3 - Jared Finkel - Elizabethton Twins - 8 G, 0.55 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 16 K Finkel was the Twins 23rd-round draft choice in 2017 out of Iona College in New York. The last player drafted out of Iona was Mariano Rivera’s son, Mariano. It’s not a baseball hotbed, though Jason Motte and Dennis Leonard went there. Finkel was rather Rivera-like, admittedly in rookie ball, in August. Opponents hit just .192/.232/.231 (.463) against the right-hander. #2 - Jovani Moran - Elizabethton Twins - 9 G, 0.87 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 23 K Moran was the Twins seventh-round draft pick in 2015 out of high school in Puerto Rico. The left-hander has a good pitch mix. Unfortunately, he had to miss the 2016 season after getting bone chips removed from his elbow. He’s returned to form this year and been fantastic. For Elizabethton, he started this season without giving up a run until his penultimate regular season outing of the year, a stretch of 20.1 innings. He gave up just one run the full season. He’s been hard to hit, hasn’t issued an excessive amount of walks, and certainly has the stuff to miss a lot of bats. For August, opponents hit just .086/.179/.171 (.351) off of him. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – RHP Nick Anderson - 11 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.53 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 10 K For the second straight month, a Minnesotan will win the Twins Daily Relief Pitcher of the Month award. For the second straight month, that Minnesotan is RHP Nick Anderson. So, right or wrong, a bit of what you see below will be similar to what you read a month ago. Even his numbers are very similar to the previous month. He didn’t give up an earned run. He gave up about one base runner every other inning. He picked up four saves. He was named the Southern League Relief Pitcher of the Month for August. Opponents hit just .139/.162/.139 (.301) off of him. As a reminder, Anderson is a graduate of Brainerd High School. He went to St. Cloud state for three years before heading to Mayville State for a season. The Brewers drafted him, but they didn’t even offer him a contract. After working in the indy leagues for a few seasons, the Twins signed him late in 2015, and he’s been a dominant late inning reliever wherever he’s played. He’s spent most of this season with the Lookouts. There were a lot of very strong relief pitcher performances in August throughout the Twins minor league system. It was a good month for each of these pitchers mentioned today, but again, congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for August 2017, Nick Anderson. Click here to view the article

I'll echo your thoughts on Doogie's The Scoop podcast and Mackey and Wetmore's Touch 'Em All podcast... Both are tremendous.

Slegers is taking Gee' s spot.

On the first Saturday of the college football season, the Minnesota Twins topped Kansas City with a football score, 17-0. In the minor leagues, playoff spots are to be had or prepared for, and there were strides toward those spots. There have been playoff-setting transactions, and some very good performances, so enjoy today’s Minor League Report.Let’s start with the recent transactions: Kohl Stewart was removed from the DL to pitch for the Lookouts.IF Joe Cronin, who was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers last week, was now promoted to Chattanooga.RHP Alex Muren was sent back to Ft. MyersIF Ariel Montesino was promoted from Elizabethton to Ft. Myers.C Jhon Alvarez was promoted from the GCL to Ft. Myers.The Twins signed IF Daniel Crespo and assigned him to the GCL. Needing players for their playoff run, the Twins have signed Crespo, who was the 34th round pick of the Yankees in 2013 out of Appalachian State. He just turned 26. He spent 2014 and 2015 in the independent Frontier League. I’m not sure where he was most recently.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 3, Pawtucket 5 Box Score Felix Jorge was on the mound. The right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks over the first 4.1 innings. Luke Bard had an interesting outing. He walked two and struck out four in 1.2 innings. Just one of seven batters even put the ball in play off of him. Michael Kohn gave up a home run in the seventh inning. Jake Reed then gave up one run on three hits in his inning. Yohan Pino gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning. Byungho Park went 2-4. Levi Michael hit his first AAA double and drove in two runs. Lehigh Valley was rained out on Saturday, so the Red Wings magic number to take the IL wild card spot sits at two with two games to play. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Montgomery 3 Box Score The Lookouts already had a playoff spot. They earned that in the first half. Then they went out and had an even better second half. Kohl Stewart returned from the DL to make the start in this one. He gave up two runs in the first inning but settled in after that. He gave up just those two runs on four hits and three walks in three innings. DJ Baxendale came on and was able to work the next 4.2 innings without allowing any more runs. He gave up three hits, a walk and struck out three. Todd Van Steensel gave walked one but got the final out of the eighth inning. In that time, LaMonte Wade hit a two-run homer (his seventh) to tie the game at two. In the top of the ninth, the Lookouts took the lead when Wade doubled in Edgar Corcino (who had led off with a double). Later, Max Murphy singled in Wade with the fourth run. So Nick Anderson came into the game to protect a two-run lead. He gave up one run on two hits, but he recorded his ninth save for the Lookouts. Wade led the way going 3-4 with his 22nd double, seventh home run and third RBI. Corcino went 2-4 with his 19th double. Murphy went 2-4 with his 12th double. Nelson Molina went 1-3 with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Jupiter 1 Box Score The Miracle came into their Saturday night game against Jupiter with a magic number of two. Charlotte lost to Bradenton 5-0, dropping the magic number to one. Could the Miracle clinch a playoff spot? The answer... Yes. Lefty Lachlan Wells returned to the mound for the Miracle and was very good. He went five shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out seven. Tyler Jay came on for the sixth inning and allowed a run to score to tie the game at one. He worked the seventh as well. In his two innings, he struck out five. Zander Wiel had given the Miracle a 1-0 lead with his 13th home run. When the Miracle lost their lead in the sixth, they grabbed it right back in the bottom of the inning. Mitchell Kranson hit a solo homer to give the lead back to the Miracle. Kranson led the way for the Miracle offense. He went 3-4 with two doubles (eight on the season) and his fourth home run. He drove in three runs. Tanner English went 2-3 with a walk and his 29th stolen base. Ariel Montesino drove in the other run and went 2-3 with a walk. Jermaine Palacios and Sean Miller each had two singles in four at-bats. Tom Hackimer recorded his seventh Kernels save with two scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out two. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 2 Box Score The start of this game was delayed by more than 90 minutes, but the teams were able to get it in. 2017 eighth-round pick Bryan Sammons made the start. He gave up only an unearned run on three hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out six. Evan Sanders came on and gave up one run on two hits and two walks over his two innings. Patrick McGuff pitched two no-hit innings to close things out and earn his first save. He struck out two and walked one. The Kernels got three of their runs in the fourth inning, which got started with a Travis Blankenhorn triple. Aaron Whitefield drove him in with a single and advanced to third on a base hit by Lewis Diaz. Trey Cabbage drew a walk and Shane Carrier delivered a bases-loaded two-run single. Whitefield, Carrier and Jordan Gore each had two hits on the night. Gore also drew a walk. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton, Greeneville (Rain - Postponed) Box Score The E-Twins were supposed to start their playoff run on Saturday, but unfortunately rains pushed the start of their postseason back a day. The two teams will play Game 1 on Sunday. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins Box Score The doubleheader was cancelled due to potential for rain in Ft. Myers. The team will begin its playoff hopes on Sunday. The will play the semi-finals game on Sunday morning against the Nationals. Should they win, they’ll advance to the finals on Monday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day - Lachlan Wells, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mitchell Kranson, Ft. Myers Miracle SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (5:05 CST) - LHP Hector Santiago Montgomery @ Chattanooga (5:15 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc (vs Logan Darnell) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (10:05 am CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (2:00 CST) - RHP Randy Dobnak Elizabethton @ Greeneville (5:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina (Playoffs - Game 1) GCL Twins @ GCL Nationals (11:00am CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (Playoffs - Semi-finals) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

No... I think there are some questions. But I also know that his one-inning stint earlier this week was to help line him up for the playoffs, so they like him... but we shall see.

And yes... the obvious move happened... Santiago was placed on the 60 Day DL.

I definitely think people undervalue what Escobar brings to the team. He's shown that when given consistent playing time, he can hit and has some pop. He can play 3 positions pretty well, and he - from all I've seen - is truly a leader in that clubhouse. I don't know if they'll pay him $4 million next year to be a top utility guy, but I definitely think we need to realize that he has some value. Now, Goodrum I think can have a role as a utility guy on rosters. I don't know if he will, but he's got a ton of talent that has just started really coming together the last year. He's got room to continue progressing too. I think his ability to play 7 positions at least adequately is a big deal, especially with more and more teams (including the Twins) often going to 13 pitchers.

AJ made Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent seem to be great teammates...

Last year, following an injury-plagued season at AA Chattanooga, Niko Goodrum could have become a six-year minor league free agent. Instead, he quickly signed on to remain with the Twins for another year on a minor league contract. On Wednesday night following a game in Rochester, Goodrum learned that it was all worth it. He was told that he is heading to the Minnesota Twins as a September call up. He will fly to Minneapolis on Thursday and be in uniform on Friday. Joining Goodrum as September 1st callups will be left-handed pitchers Nik Turley and Buddy Boshers.To entice Goodrum to stick around, the Twins offered him an invitation to major league spring training. He spent about a month with the club this spring, playing sparingly, but learning from the big league coaches and players. He fought a little shoulder issue in camp, but he hit .375 (6-16) and impressed his manager. Molitor spoke well of Goodrum following a spring game the day that he was sent back to minor league camp. “Niko Goodrum had a shoulder issue midway through camp, but he showed versatility. I really encouraged him to embrace that rather than wondering why he can't find a position because it has value and can open more doors for him. He showed some things." “Versatile” is the key word, and it is the reason that Goodrum will be up right away in September rather than finish out the Red Wings season. With the Red Wings, he has played games at each position except pitcher and catcher this season. He’s started 47 game in right field, 37 games at second base, 20 games at third base, 15 games in center field, nine games at shortstop, three games at first base, and one game in left field. I asked him in spring training if he ever considered getting a catcher’s mitt. “No!” Goodrum announced emphatically. Goodrum will be part of a “first wave” of players coming up from the minor leagues as September call ups to bolster a team fighting with the Yankees, Angels, Mariners and others for two wild card spots. As Derek Falvey explained it. “We’ll have a few come Friday. The question is always if it’s beneficial to get at-bats every day or pitch more regularly rather than being the last guy up here. You can always go get somebody. We’ll have a first wave, and then we’ll make other decisions pending results in Rochester.” Goodrum was signed as the team’s second-round pick in 2010 out of high school near Atlanta, Georgia. His uncle, Otis Nixon, stole 37 bases for the Twins in 1998. Goodrum is an incredible athlete, but he was quite raw in baseball terms. He has been moved through the system accordingly. He spent his draft season in the GCL before spending two seasons in extended spring training and with the Elizabethton Twins. He was the primary shortstop on that talented 2013 Cedar Rapids team and moved up to Ft. Myers for the 2014 season. He split 2015 between the Miracle and Chattanooga. Last year, he started the season with a foot injury that cost him much of the first half. But when he returned, he posted an .808 OPS with the Lookouts. In scouting circles, there is a reason to take great athletes. Goodrum fits into that category. He’s tall, and when drafted, he was thin. He was always fast, and he could play a pretty good shortstop. He is blessed with a strong arm. His speed has allowed him to become a pretty good outfielder as well as he has played out there more in recent years. Scouts would often talk about Goodrum’s “high waist” with the idea that he would eventually add more power. The started to show last year, but this year, he has hit 25 doubles, five triples and 13 home runs in his first season in AAA. Goodrum will have family at the game. His mom and dad, his dad’s wife, his aunt, and his girlfriend will make the trip. In the offseason, he owns Elite Metro Sports and Cages, a baseball and softball facility in his hometown of Fayetteville, Georgia. The indoor facilities and batting cages are open year-round. Goodrum is there during his offseasons and enjoys being able to give back to his community. His dad, Tim, operates the business. Goodrum will likely be used in a utility role over the season’s final month. With the news that Byron Buxton will not need to go on the disabled list and could soon play, Zack Granite will likely be the team’s fourth outfielder, but Goodrum’s ability to play seven positions will allow Molitor to mix and match lineups and moves throughout games. Click here to view the article

Yeah, that was a great night. We went on the Twins Train to Quad Cities and then the next morning to Beloit. Was great... Ballpark is quite scenic!

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