Seth Stohs

The Twins are playing the Yankees. Not just Aaron Judge, but the whole Yankees team. However, this is the minor league report, and there were seven games that started in the Twins system on Monday. They had a couple of big-time starting pitcher performances. Matt Hague and Matt Albanese were very productive, each driving in five runs for their squads. Could the Kernels use their offensive output from Sunday as a catalyst for Monday? Did Michael Tonkin keep his scoreless streak going? There were three morning/early afternoon games, and a doubleheader. It was busy, so let’s get to the report.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Monday. Let's start with Sean Poppen being named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week. RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 - Rochester 5, Charlotte 4 Box Score The Red Wings used a big inning and held on for a one-run win in the first of two games on Monday. The Red Wings got RBI singles from JB Shuck and Tommy Field in the third inning. Then with the bases loaded, Matt Hague emptied them with his 16th double of the season. David Hurlbut improved to 7-5 on the season. He went five innings and gave up three runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out three. In the sixth inning, he gave up a double and a single before being replaced by Jake Reed. Reed walked the next two batters, the second pushing in a run. However, Reed got a ground ball double play that cut the Red Wings lead to one, but he got two big outs. He got the third out before the tying run scored. Michael Tonkin came in for the seventh inning. He picked up his fourth save thanks to two strikeouts in a perfect inning. The score remained 1-0 Red Wings until Matt Hague singled in two runs in the sixth inning. But that was more than enough for Aaron Slegers. The right-hander went all seven innings to complete the shutout. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out five. He improved to 10-4 while dropping his ERA to 3.50. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Jacksonville 9 Box Score The Lookouts jumped out to a 6-0 lead after just two innings in this morning game. Felix Jorge was on the mound. Through the first four innings, he’d given up just one run. However, the fifth inning was his and the Lookouts’ downfall in this loss. Jorge got one out in the fifth, but he was charged with six runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings. He walked two and struck out four. Randy LeBlanc came on and allowed one inherited runner to score. He went 1.2 innings and gave up three runs on four hits. He walked one and struck one out. Randy Rosario tossed a scoreless inning, and Luke Bard threw two scoreless innings. Andy Wilkens provided much of the punch for the Lookouts offense. The veteran went 2-3 with a walk and his fourth home run. It was a grand slam and gave the team their 6-0 lead. LaMonte Wade went 2-4 with a walk and his 16th double. Jonathan Rodriguez went 1-3 with a walk. Travis Harrison walked twice. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 7 Box Score It was a get-away morning game for the Miracle. It was also a bullpen game for the pitching staff. Keaton Steele started and threw three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three. Williams Ramirez got the next two innings. He gave up just one hit. Michael Theofanopoulos came in for the sixth. He got two outs and was charged with four runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out one. He gave up back-to-back homers in the inning. Andrew Vasquez came on and got the next four outs, striking out one. David Fischer came in and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks over the final two innings. The Miracle pushed across three runs in the game. They had seven hits, but they came from just three players. Jermaine Palacios stayed hot. He went 4-5 and is now hitting .341 through 21 games with the Miracle. Nelson Molina went 2-5 and stole his third base. Zander Wiel went 1-2 with two walks and his 21st double. He also stole his seventh base. In case you were wondering, Tim Tebow started in centerfield. He went 3-5 with a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, South Bend 2 Box Score After scoring just two total runs over their previous five games, the Kernels busted out for eight runs in South Bend on Monday. On Tuesday afternoon, the Kernels offense was unable to put together sustained rallies and fell by a score of 2-1. Eduardo Del Rosario was on the mound. The right-hander went the first six innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out five. Ryan Mason and Hector Lujan each threw a scoreless inning. Aaron Whitefield led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his 13th double. He also stole his 21st base. He scored the lone Kernels’ run on a sacrifice fly from Lewin Diaz. Hank Morrison went 2-4. The Kernels had runners on second and third with one out in the ninth inning, but they were unable to cash in a run to tie it. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 13, Greeneville 0 Box Score If you just looked at the final score, you would assume that this was a blowout. You’d be right. However, through seven innings, there was no score. However, they started pounding the ball late. They scored five runs in the eighth inning, powered by the first professional home run for Matt Albanese, a three-run shot. Jose Miranda added his fifth homer during that inning. That was just the start. In the ninth inning, the E-Twins scored eight times. Andrew Bechtold added his second homer. Albanese went 2-5 and drove in five runs. Bechtold was 3-5. So was outfielder Shane Carrier. Wander Javier went 2-4 with a walk. Jose Miranda also had two hits. Colton Waltner added two doubles in the game. Huascar Ynoa started for Elizabethton. He went the first innings and gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out six. He left a 0-0 game. Jose Martinez came on and worked three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out two to gain the win. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Rays 0 (Suspended in 1st inning) Box Score Game was suspended after just two batters. Brusdar Graterol got one out and gave up one hit before the game was delayed and subsequently suspended by lightning. 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 – Matt Hague, Rochester Red Wings TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (10:05 CST) - RHP Tim Melville Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe Cedar Rapids - No Game Scheduled Bristole @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) - RHP Moises Gomez GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (DH @ 11:00am CST) - Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday’s games. Click here to view the article

I have pretty much zero doubt that Romero will pitch in the big leagues this year. Maybe as a starter, and maybe as a reliever. But, it'll be done with care, making sure they're taking care of him arm. Santana was obviously a special situation with a Rule 5 thing. Liriano was a September call up, and I think Perkins was too. That's probably what Romero would be (Sept call up) unless he's called up sooner as a starter (which is very possible).

He was hit pretty squarely right above the wrist. A contusion. It'll probably be a couple of games, but he should be fine.

He stayed in the game and scored a run after he was hit. Then they took him out for precautionary reasons. He's listed as day-to-day. I'll see if I can find any more.

I saw him pitch this spring, twice, and he got knocked all over the place in the outings. Then he was putting up numbers in Cedar Rapids. I saw him pitch in CR for the Kernels in early May. He got hit a bit in the first inning when he was being aggressive and the hitters were being aggressive. But he adapted quickly. He's got a fastball that sits 91-93. And he's got some decent secondary pitches, a curveball and a changeup. He's got good control. Being a Harvard guy, he's pretty smart, but his ability to adapt quickly impressed me. I think he's a decent prospect.

He's playing the OF, specifically left field, and the Kernels were looking for another OF.

I agree that Rooker is now ready to move up... but people really need to stop with this whole high school thing. Very few high schoolers go straight to the Appy League unless they are first round picks, or there are 1-2 teams that don't have a GCL team (or same caliber) for some reason.

"Sean Poppen, who lowered his ERA with Fort Myers to 0.55." It actually raised his ERA to 0.55. He came in with 10 scoreless innings.

Blankenhorn is a great athlete. I think he'll add power too, but he's got good speed. He's not as fast as like Kepler, but he's in the same speed range as Wade maybe. and yeah, I would say Palacios is definitely in the top handful of hitter of the year candidates.

I've said for a couple of years that Jake Mauer is the best manager in the Twins system. This year just verifies that in my head. Palacios is solid at shortstop. He absolutely could be a shortstop in the future. Which is great. Jax... Jeff Johnson wrote about it a couple of weeks ago. He had a date, I believe. Early August maybe? But he goes to Cape Canaveral and there was talk that he could head to wherever the Miracle are each weekend, or at least during Instructs in Ft. Myers. And yep, Gee's been good, but there was never any question about when Colon would be coming up. He knew he would be up, or he would have signed with the Mets instead of the Twins. Fair? Not necessarily. But that's reality.

As I wrote last week, I believe he's the best overall (offense and defense combo) in the system, so I agree with you, to an extent. I don't think you trade him. Catcher depth is hugely valuable. So I wouldn't put "trade him" on the table.

Scary story. I'll see what we find out about the bat boy. And, it's zero surprise Tebow got the biggest ovation. He's immensely popular in Florida... and it's minor league ball so there is less of a loyalty to a team/affiliate than to the state hero.

After reviewing the pitchers leader board on Friday, today we turn our attention to the hitters. Since the minor league season is about 2/3 complete, there are a lot of names that are consistent at or near the tops of these lists. There have been a lot of strong offensive performances throughout the system. Before we get to the hitters leader board, let’s take a quick look at how the Twins’ affiliates currently stack up in their leagues. Winning, and learning how to win, is and should be part of the development process. Obviously hitting, fielding, base runner and the like are the key, but there's nothing wrong with players getting accustomed to winning and playing in a winning environment.Did you know that the Twins and Yankees are battling for the best overall record in the minor leagues? Three of the Twins affiliates have half-season playoff berths. Chattanooga and Cedar Rapids already clinched playoff spots in their league’s first half. Three affiliates are working toward making second-half berths. The short-season leagues are going full bore too. Rochester is 51-40. The Red Wings are 6.5 games back of the International League North Division-leading Scranton/Wilkes Barre, and two games behind Lehigh Valley for the wild card. They’re in third place in the International League North Division. In their last 34 games, the Red Wings are 24-10.In the second half, Chattanooga is 18-5. That puts them in first place, four games ahead of Tennessee in the Southern League’s North division. Jake Mauer’s got this team playing some very good baseball.Doug Mientkiewicz’s Ft. Myers Miracle team has been playing very well too in the second half. They are 16-5 in the second half. They are in first place in the Florida State League’s South division, three games ahead of Bradenton.Cedar Rapids is 10-13 in the second half after their current five-game losing streak. That puts them a seven games back of Quad Cities and Peoria in the Midwest League’s Western Division.Elizabethton is 15-8 to start their season. That is half a game better than Greeneville, whom they are playing this weekend. The E-Twins are used to being near the top of the Appalachian League’s Western Division.The GCL Twins are 11-7, which puts them one game ahead of the GCL Red Sox at the top of the GCL’s South Division.With that, let’s look at the minor league statistical leader board (through games on Saturday, July 15). THE HITTERS (Rate numbers- minimum 255 plate appearances) Plate Appearances - Max Murphy (380), Nick Gordon (374), Matt Hague (371), Travis Blankenhorn (369), Jermaine Palacios (361), LaMonte Wade (358), Lewin Diaz (357). Batting Average - Zack Granite (.361), Jermaine Palacios (.321), Jonathan Rodriguez (.310), Max Murphy (.303), Nick Gordon (.299), Matt Hague (.296). On-Base Percentage - Zack Granite (.414), LaMonte Wade (.406), Jonathan Rodriguez (.404), Mitch Garver (.386), Max Murphy (.379), Matt Hague (.377), Nick Gordon (.369).. Slugging Percentage - Mitch G arver (.529), Jermaine Palacios (.515), Jonathan Rodriguez (.495), Zack Granite (.494), Jaylin Davis/Aaron Whitefield (.460), Nick Gordon (.455), Lewin Diaz (.451). OPS - Mitch Garver (.915), Zack Granite (.908), Jonathan Rodriguez (.899), Jermaine Palacios (.875), Nick Gordon (.824), Max Murphy (.814). Hits - Jermaine Palacios (108), Max Murphy (101), Nick Gordon (100), Matt Hague (94), Zack Granite (92), Lewin Diaz (90). Doubles - Lewin Diaz (26), Tommy Field (23), Nick Gordon (22), Jonathan Rodriguez/Zander Wiel (20), Four with 19. Triples - Travis Blankenhorn (8), Nick Gordon/Jermaine Palacios/Christian Cavaness (6), Seven with 5. Home Runs - Jaylin Davis (13), Jermaine Palacios/Mitch Garver (12), Jonathan Rodriguez (11), Aaron Whitefield/Lewin Diaz (10) Runs Scored - Jermaine Palacios (65), Max Murphy (58), Jonathan Rodriguez (54), Nick Gordon (53), LaMonte Wade (48), Aaron Whitefield/Travis Blankenhorn (46). RBI - Jaylin Davis (53), Lewin Diaz (50), Jermaine Palacios (49), Travis Blankenhorn/Nick Gordon (47), Jonathan Rodriguez (46), Zander Wiel (44). SB - Tanner English (22), Aaron Whitefield (19), Zack Granite (18), Jermaine Palacios (14), Ryan Walker (10). Click here to view the article

Not really... it's somewhat surprising.

The Twins found a way to beat the Astros on Saturday night. I know that isn’t related to the minor leagues, but just felt like it should be stated again. The Red Wings got a well-pitched game. The Lookouts pitched a shutout. The Miracle had a walk-off. The Kernels gave up just one run. E-Town grabbed a lead with a comeback in the ninth, and a slugger returned to the field in the GCL. You’ll want to keep reading to find out which players contributed on Saturday.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score With his opt-out looming (and maybe passing by the time you read this), Dillon Gee went out and put together a terrific start. The right-hander gave up just four hits and a walk over seven shutout innings. He struck out four. In his three starts for the Red Wings, he threw 15 innings without giving up a run. He gave up ten hits, walked three and struck out eight. Mason Melotakis came on and got one out. He was charged with a run on a hit. He also struck out one. Drew Rucinski came on and got the final five outs. He gave up just one hit. Byungho Park led the offense. He went 3-5. Niko Goodrum went 2-5 with his 19th double. He also stole his fifth bag. Matt Hague went 1-3 with two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Jacksonville 0 Box Score It was a well-played game for the Lookouts on Saturday night. Obviously a shutout means pretty solid pitching. The offense did its part as well. Dereck Rodriguez made the start and clearly didn’t have his best stuff. He needed 77 pitches to get through three innings. He gave up four hits, walked two batters and hit another. However, he threw three shutout innings. Raul Fernandez came on and went the middle three innings. He gave up just one hit, didn’t walk anyone and struck out five. Todd Van Steensel struck out three over the two innings he worked. Nick Anderson worked a perfect ninth inning to finish the shutout. Nick Gordon was back in the lineup after missing a couple of games after being hit by a pitch earlier in the week. He went 2-4 with a walk. Jonathan Rodriguez continued his terrific season. He went 3-4 with his 20th double and 11th home run. Carlos Paulino was 2-4. TJ White added his seventh home run of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Tim Tebow and the St. Lucie Mets were back in Ft. Myers for their final series against the Miracle. He went 0-4 in this game and is now hitting .298. Over 4,600 fans showed up to see the former Heisman winner, but they got to see a dramatic win for the home team. Cody Stashak gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six. Tom Hackimer, Alex Muren and Sam Clay each worked a scoreless inning. The Miracle were down 3-2 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Tanner English was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. He scored on Brandon Lopez’s fourth Miracle double to tie the game. The next batter, Jermaine Palacios, then knocked in Lopez with his fourth double to end the game. Palacios and Lopez were each 3-5 with a double. Sean Miller went 3-4 as well. Nelson Molina went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Zander Wiel added his 20th double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, South Bend 1 Box Score On Saturday night, the Kernels lost for the fifth straight time. For the fourth time in those five games, they were shut out. In this game, the Kernels managed just four hits. Griffin Jax put together another strong start. He gave up one run on three hits in seven innings. He walked three and struck out two. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Greeneville 6 Box Score Nick Brown, the Twins 32nd-round pick this June out of William & Mary, made his first start as a pro. He went four innings and gave up four runs on four hits (three home runs). He walked two and struck out four. Bryan Sammons went the next 4.1 innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits. He walked three and struck out five. Juan Gamez came on to get the final two outs and record his first save. The E-Twins went into the ninth inning down by a run. Brent Rooker came up with the bases loaded and cleared the bases with his fifth E-Twins double. He then scored on a single by Shane Carrier for the final tally of the game. Rooker went 2-4 and drove in four runs. Carrier was 2-5 with his fourth double and four driven in. Andrew Bechtold went 0-0, but he walked four times. The E-Twins had nine walks in the game. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Red Sox 6 Box Score The Twins played the Red Sox in a Saturday morning game. Daniel Palka played in a game for the first time since breaking fingers. He went 0-3. Brian Olson played in his second rehab game and went 1-3. Akil Baddoo had another strong game. He went 3-5. Royce Lewis went 2-5 with his first triple. Ben Rodriguez, Alex Robles and Victor Tademo each went 2-4. Robles also stole his third base. Lefty Taylor Clemensia gave up two runs on two hits in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Amilcar Cruz gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits over 2.2 innings. Jose Bermudez came on to get the final two outs, but not before giving up a run on two hits. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dillon Gee, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jonathan Rodriguez, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) - RHP Tim Melville Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (4:15 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (3:30 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. 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We should have an article on what "old" means. Ha! 27 feels really young to me. Turley has good stuff, really good stuff. He struckout a lot of AA hitters, then struck out a lot of AAA hitters. He had 3 bad starts, but that doesn't mean he's bad. Personally, I think he can be a really good reliever. And, what "ratings" are you talking about? Stat Leaders have little to do with prospect rankings.

Below, you will be able to find out which starting pitchers and relief pitchers have performed the best to this point in the minor league season. Obviously injuries can effect a player's numbers, but when players are promoted to a new level, it is a new challenge. They face better hitters, so if they are able to maintain a high level of success, they are more and more intriguing. There are some very familiar names in these rankings, but there are also a lot of Twins minor league pitchers that do not get talked about as much. They deserve to be recognized. Feel free to discuss, and ask as many questions as you would like.Find out which pitchers have been leading the way for their team(s) to this point in the season. There are about seven weeks left of the minor league seasons. THE STARTING PITCHERS (Rate number - minimum 61.0 innings) Innings Pitched: Sean Poppen (97.0), Dereck Rodriguez (96.2), Aaron Slegers (96.0), Clark Beeker (93.0), Eduardo Del Rosario (92.1), Felix Jorge (91.2). ERA: Nik Turley (1.81), Tyler Wells (2.21), Sean Poppen (2.60), Clark Beeker (2.71), Fernando Romero (2.78), Stephen Gonsalves (2.86), Dereck Rodriguez (2.89). WHIP: Nik Turley (0.91), Stephen Gonsalves (0.97), Tyler Wells (1.00), Clark Beeker (1.01), Sean Poppen (1.04), Dereck Rodriguez (1.107), Cody Stashak (1.111). K/9: Nik Turley (13.2), Tyler Wells (12.1), Stephen Gonsalves (10.6), Fernando Romero (9.0), Eduardo Del Rosario (8.3), Cody Stashak (8.2), Sean Poppen (8.1). BB/9: Clark Beeker (1.2), Sean Poppen/Stephen Gonsalves (1.7), Lachlan Wells (1.9), Dereck Rodriguez (2.0), Nick Anderson/Aaron Slegers/Cody Stashak/David Hurlbut (2.2) K: Nik Turley (95), Fernando Romero (91), Sean Poppen (87), Eduardo Del Rosario (85), Tyler Wells (82), Dereck Rodriguez (81). THE RELIEF PITCHERS (Rate numbers - minimum 31.0 innings, and less than 4 starts) Innings Pitched: Sam Clay (46.2), DJ Baxendale (44.0), Colton Davis (41.1), Luke Bard/Tom Hackimer (41.0), Logan Lombana/Alex Robinson/Andrew Vasquez (39.0). ERA: Andrew Vasquez (0.92), Nick Anderson (1.00), Tom Hackimer (1.32), John Curtiss (1.35), Drew Rucinski/Sam Clay (1.54), Randy Rosario (1.64). WHIP: Tom Hackimer (0.76), Drew Rucinski (0.77), Randy Rosario (0.835), Alan Busenitz (0.844), Mason Melotakis (0.85), Nick Anderson (0.86), Hector Lujan (0.90). K/9: Luke Bard/Andrew Vasquez (14.3), Alex Robinson (12.5), John Curtiss (12.4), Mason Melotakis/Michael Theofanopoulos (10.5), Trevor Hildenberger (10.3). BB/9: Drew Rucinski (0.8), Hector Lujan (1.0), Randy Rosario (1.9), Tom Hackimer (2.2), DJ Baxendale/Nick Anderson/Trevor Hildenberger (2.3). K: Luke Bard (65), Andrew Vasquez (62), Alex Robinson (54), Michael Theofanopoulos (48), John Curtiss (46), Sam Clay (45), Tom Hackimer (43). Saves: John Curtiss (14), Tom Hackimer/Hector Lujan (8), Sam Clay/Trevor Hildenberger (6) Feel free to ask questions about any of the players or teams. Click here to view the article

And Jermaine Palacios too.

He hasn't pitched in over two weeks... I woudln't make too much of it either way tonight. Ideally they could get one more look at him, rather than call him up on Tuesday to face the Yankees, but you never know.

I've written up his scouting report in so many of these minor league reports... so I won't bore people again, but Vasquez is more than just a sleeper to me. I think he could be really good, and more than "just a LOOGY."

Are you talking about Miranda? Cuz he's started 10 games at 2B, once at 3B, and three times at DH. He's definitely a 'priority' prospect.