Seth Stohs

What if the Twins front office is unwilling to meet the high asking price of teams selling off high-end pitchers with years remaining on their contracts? What if they believe that they have some minor league talent that can help them right now in the second half? If so, that allows those players an opportunity to help. It also gives them valuable experience as we look toward 2018 and beyond. With series against the Astros, Tigers, Yankees and Dodgers in the next couple of weeks, we will soon know whether the Twins should be buyers or sellers at the July trade deadline. Today we consider which minor leaguers could help in 2017 or 2018. The purpose of this is to provide readers with the names of prospects who are close to contributing in the big leagues at some point in the not-too-distant future to some degree. Some of these guys may be able to help the Twins in a potential playoff push. Others may be guys you’ll hear about in trade rumors. Pitching It all starts with pitching, and starting pitching remains a concern for the Twins. While Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios have been mostly reliable, there are question marks after that. Adalberto Mejia has been pretty solid his last four starts. Kyle Gibson’s been OK since his return from the minors. Bartolo Colon is the latest in a string of veterans brought in. The front office has said it isn’t particularly interested in trading assets for short-term guys. They may, however, be interested in guys who will be around for awhile. Those names include the likes of Chris Archer, Sonny Gray, Jose Quintana, Marcus Stroman, Dan Straily and others. There is, of course, a wide range of talent in that group, and we have no way of knowing exactly what it would take to acquire any one of them. So who are the options that are relatively close. Several weeks ago, I wrote an article saying that three AA pitchers were probably the next in line internally. We’ve seen Felix Jorge make two starts, and as you would expect from a guy from Double-A, one was pretty solid, and the other didn’t go so well. Fernando Romero has the biggest ceiling of the group. Right now, his innings are being closely monitored, likely in an attempt to keep him on the mound through the season. He could come up to make a couple of starts, or he could be used in the bullpen late, providing a 95-99 mph fastball with two other pitches. The guy who may be the most ready to contribute is Stephen Gonsalves. While he doesn’t reach into the upper 90s, he is consistently between 91 and 94 with a high knowledge of how to pitch. He, however, is not currently on the 40 man roster. The team would hate to call him up only to use an option, so they would want to be pretty certain. At Triple-A, there are the likes of Tim Melville, Bartolo Colon, Dillon Gee, journeyman minor leagues. One pitcher who has not yet had an opportunity with the Twins is Aaron Slegers, and that tells me that they believe he has a chance to be a mid-to-back end of the rotation type. He’s been inconsistent, but he’s had some really terrific games too. He may be a sleeper later in the season. Two other guys fit into the sleeper category, more likely options for 2018. Kohl Stewart got off to a terrible start this year, went on the DL for six weeks and has returned to form since his return. That means not a ton of strikeouts, but good control and a lot of weak contact. Dereck Rodriguez has made a handful of starts for the Lookouts as well. He can become a free agent following the season and will receive some consideration for a 40-man spot. They may try to sign him to a minor league deal and hope he isn’t selected in the Rule 5 draft. Lewis Thorpe is back and pitching well. He’ll be an interesting case this offseason and looking to 2018. The Bullpen has also had its issues at times this year. It can be solid, but every couple of weeks, it has a complete clunker. When the starter provides six of seven innings, Taylor Rogers and Brandon Kintzler have been really reliable. Tyler Duffey was solid too in his transition to the bullpen, though he struggled and needed the All Star break late. I would contend that Buddy Boshers has been quite solid most of the time. There are, as always, a bunch of relievers from sub-.500 teams that will find themselves available. Minnesotans Pat Neshek and Brad Hand were all stars this year, and are at varying ends of the available relief pitcher spectrum. Neshek is in his upper-30s, having a great year, but a free agent at the end of the season. He could be a good stop gap for the rest of this season. Hand is just 27 and has come into his own in the Padres bullpen the last two years. He has two years of arbitration remaining after this season. Because of that, the prospect return from each is very different. There are many other relievers in between those two. However, there are also several bullpen options in the minor leagues that are at least intriguing and may deserve an opportunity already in 2017. Certainly a few could help the bullpen moving forward. We have already seen guys like Michael Tonkin and Alex Wimmers. Alan Busenitz has been back and forth between Rochester and the big leagues a couple of times in the last month. Trevor Hildenberger is now with the team and performing well. There is a group of pitchers with big arms and bright futures that are hurt. Nick Burdi had Tommy John surgery. JT Chargois has a stress reaction near his elbow. Tyler Jay had surgery for Thoracic Outlet syndrome. Zack Jones had shoulder surgery last fall and is just now getting into games in the GCL as rehab. Meanwhile, John Curtiss has given up three runs on the entire season. He recently moved up to AAA. He has a big fastball and a barrage of secondary pitches that make him intriguing. Jake Reed started his season late due to an injury, but he’s been pitching well of take for the Red Wings. Luke Bard missed a lot of time early in his career, but he came back last year and was good. He’s been even better this year at AA, putting up silly strikeout numbers. Mason Melotakis was DFAd recently and went unclaimed, but he’s still got a chance to be a quality lefty option. We saw young Randy Rosario get into a couple of games for the Twins in early June. It didn’t go real well for him, but he’s got potential to be a really good fastball-slider lefty. The Nik Turley experiment didn’t work as a starter, but he has the kind of stuff that could work well in short bursts out of the bullpen. Todd Van Steensel has been in the organization for a long time, and a couple of times. He apparently isn’t a big prospect despite the fact that he continues to put up strong numbers year after year, and now in Chattanooga. At some point, that might get him an opportunity. Nick Anderson, signed out of indy ball late in the 2015 season, has been dominant, now at AA as well. Looking toward midseason 2018, Tom Hackimer and Andrew Vasquez are two names to watch as they have good stuff and could move quickly. Hitters Zack Granite is up, and while I don’t know exactly how long he’ll be here or how Paul Molitor will use him, he’s a good guy to have. While he may fit the role of fourth outfielder perfectly behind Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler, he needs to keep playing most every day. Either Molitor needs to find a way to do that, or Granite needs to go back to AAA and wait for an opportunity. Daniel Palka may have been an option at some point this season, but a broken finger has cost him time. He could return in the coming weeks and be an option in September. At Chattanooga, LaMonte Wade continues to define what a professional hitter looks like. He has more walks than strikeouts while providing a lot of doubles power and good defense. These two may be 2018 guys. A sleeper option for fourth outfielder might be Puerto Rican Edgar Corcino who recently was promoted to AAA Rochester. In the infield, it would be interesting to see what might happen should an injury occur. If they need a shortstop, would they go with the great glove of Engelb Vielma, or jump right to Nick Gordon, who has been strong this year in Chattanooga. If they were to need a utility guy, Niko Goodrum has jumped back into the prospect discussion with a solid showing in Rochester this year. Of course, Tommy Field and his defense may be perfect for the role of utility infielder if that is what is needed. In my opinion, the best overall catcher in the Twins system right now is Mitch Garver. His defense may not be on par with Jason Castro, Chris Gimenez or John Ryan Murphy, but he has become a solid defender with a very strong arm. And, he’s probably got the biggest bat of the three. I say "probably" only because we never know what that transition to the big leagues will be like for any player. But he takes a very professional at bat, walks a lot, and has double and home run power. Now he just waits for an opportunity. Meanwhile, he has become more versatile by getting some time at first base and in left field. So the question that the Twins front office has to be how to incorporate these younger, minor leaguers into the big leagues. What their chances are of contributing to the Twins in a pennant, playoff push in 2017 compared to trading some of these assets for short or long term help. Can both strategies work? Can they get short-term help without losing big prospects to help them this year? Are they willing to give up high-ceiling prospects for long-term help at various positions? Or, can they push their prospects to the big leagues and hope for a boost? Maybe some of both can be done. What do you think?

Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Wednesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Box Score - AAA All Star Game Wednesday marked the third and final day of the International League’s All-Star break. The AAA All-Star game was played in Tacoma, Washington. The Red Wings had two players named to the International League’s roster. Drew Rucinski is one, and Zack Granite was the other. However, with Granite’s call up to the Twins, he did not participate in the All-Star festivities as he remains on the big league roster. Since the Twins DFAd him and sent him back to Rochester, Rucinski has been remarkable. Since the beginning of June, he has pitched in ten games for the Red Wings. He has given up zero runs in 16.2 innings. He has given up nine hits, walked none and struck out ten. In short, he’s been fantastic. He started the sixth inning for the IL and got two outs. He gave up a hit before being replaced, though the runner was stranded. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Pensacola 3 (12 innings) Box Score The Lookouts needed some bonus baseball to determine this one. Down 2-0, the Lookouts scored three runs in the fifth inning. Nick Gordon singled in a run right before LaMonte Wade knocked in two runs with his 15th double. Felix Jorge made his first Lookouts start in weeks. His past two starts have been in the big leagues for the Twins. On this night he gave up two runs (one earned) in six innings. He walked three and struck out three. Raul Fernandez came in next. He gave up the tying run on two hits and two walks over the next four outs. Todd Van Steensel was able to keep the game tied through the ninth inning. Nick Anderson struck out three batters over the next two innings. Nick Gordon led off the 12th inning by being hit by a pitch. Wade bunted him to second. Jonathan Rodriguez walked to set up a double play, but Andy Wilkens came through with an RBI double. Max Murphy followed with sacrifice fly to score Rodriguez. With a two-run lead, Luke Bard was brought into the game. A groundout was followed by a double. However, he got a line out and a strikeout to record the save. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers , Charlotte Box Score Game postponed by rain. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, West Michigan 2 Box Score It’s safe to say that the Kernels offense is struggling right now. After being shut out on Wednesday night, they have not scored in 19 innings. On this night, they had just four hits. Trey Cabbage led the way with two hits, including his first double with the Kernels. Lefty Domenick Carlini started and provided the Kernels with a quality start. He gave up two runs on six hits over the first six innings. He struck out five without issuing a walk. Patrick McGuff struck out five (and walked two) over two scoreless, hitless innings of relief. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Burlington 3 Box Score The E-Twins used a five-run second inning to jump out to an early lead and held on throughout the game. Brent Rooker’s sixth home run was the big hit early. He went 1-3 with two walks and his second stolen base. Jose Miranda also homered, his fourth of the season. Mark Contreras went 2-4 with a walk. Ariel Montesino went 2-4 with a walk, his first E-Twins double and first E-Twins stolen base in 2017. Moises Gomez was the beneficiary of the offensive output. The right-hander went the first 5.1 innings. Despite giving up ten hits, he held Burlington to three runs (two earned). He struck out four, with no walks. Ricky Ramirez was the Twins 15th round pick this year out of Fresno State. He recorded his first pro save with 3.2 shutout innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out two. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 14, GCL Orioles 0 Box Score It was a great all-around game for the GCL Twins.There was plenty of offense. There was some fantastic pitching. There was even a triple play. Let’s start with the offense. Humberto Maldonado led the way. He went 3-4 with his first two doubles and his first home run. He drove in four runs. Royce Lewis had another strong game. He went 2-4 with two walks and three runs scored. He also stole his fifth and sixth bases. He is now hitting .340. Victor Tademo went 2-4 with two walks and his second double. Alex Robles and Ben Rodriguez each had two hits. Akil Baddoo added his fourth double. Darling Cuestro hit a double, his first hit in the States. Carlos Suniaga started and gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. He struck out six without walking any. He improved to 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA with the GCL Twins. Matz Schutte threw the final three innings. He walked two and struck out two. With runners on first and second and nobody out in the seventh, there was a ground ball to Royce Lewis. He fielded it, tagged one runner, threw to second and the triple play was complete on the throw to first base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Carlos Suniaga, GCL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Humberto Maldonado, GCL Twins THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) - RHP Bartolo Colon Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (DH at 3:30 CST) - LHP Lewis Thorpe, RHP Brady Anderson Wisconsin @ West Michigan (6:00 CST) - LHP Evan Sanders Elizabethton @ Burlington (6:00 CST) - RHP Melvi Acosta GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games.

The last twelve months have been a bit of a whirlwind for Nick Gordon as well. He finished his 2016 season at Ft. Myers. He went to the Arizona Fall League where he played quite well. He worked out with Hall of Famer Barry Larkin as well as All- Stars like his brother Dee Gordon, Francisco Liriano, and Carlos Gonzalez near his home in Orlando again. He attended Twins Fest in late January, and he earned an invitation to major league spring training where he presented himself well to the team and the coaching staff. When Gordon was sent back to minor league camp, Twins manager Paul Molitor was complimentary. “Nick Gordon may be one of our best hitting prospects that we have, if you ask me. It was good to see him play. He didn't get a lot of chances, but I think he absorbed a lot. Got the chance to play some at short and second.” Just as important, Nick Gordon got off to a nice start this year at Double-A Chattanooga. He’s been able to play well, and play consistently well, throughout the season. In April, he hit .322 with an .818 OPS. In May, he hit .294 with a .906 OPS. In June, he hit .313 with an .846 OPS. He was named to the Southern League All-Star team, and then to the USA team in the Futures Game. Recently, we were able to catch up with the Twins shortstop prospect to discuss his season, his success, his future and more. While he has been kept busy and his life has been quite hectic the last week, he said, “Yeah, but it was fun though.” The Futures Game has become a huge event of its own. Prospect hounds around the country and around the world love it. Fans love it, but according to Gordon, it’s something that players want to be a part of as well. “I think it was a goal for me, in general, going into minor league baseball. You see so much about it. I think everyone who goes into minor league baseball wants to play in the Futures Game one day. For me, definitely. Seeing it, I always wanted to be there and actually being able to take part in that game was definitely fun for me. However, it was also exciting for Gordon that the game was played in Miami. His family lives in Orlando so several were able to make it down for the game. Also, his older brother Dee plays for the Marlins. Obviously the team was out of a town on Sunday and an extra-innings game meant that Dee wasn’t able to get back in time to watch, but the Gordon name is known well down in South Florida. “It was definitely nice being close to home. A lot of my family got to come. They were able to drive down to see the game. That was good. Just the fact that my brother plays in Miami, it made it that much better.” Gordon was the USA team’s starting shortstop and leadoff batter. He had a single in three at-bats before exiting the game. He also made the plays at shortstop. https://twitter.com/wsaunders92/status/884161139776663554 He really enjoyed it, and he enjoyed having the opportunity to play with and against other top prospects, many of whom he’s been on the field with before. “I actually played with and against a lot of those guys in the minor leagues. It was just good to see them all again, see how they’re doing, and see how much better everyone gets each year.” Immediately following the Futures Game, the celebrity softball game was played. That provided some pretty exciting moments for Gordon. “I got to meet a couple of celebrities. I think Christina Milian was my favorite. I took a picture with her. That was pretty cool.” https://twitter.com/FlashGThe3rd/status/884643665301340160 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ About ten days before the end of spring training, Gordon was at his locker, packing up his things after being told he was being sent from big league camp to minor league camp. He had a smile on his face, and he told me that he has gained so much confidence. He used that confidence, along with the work he put on in the offseason between the Arizona Fall League and big league camp, in his every game work. How did gaining the confidence translate onto the field? Gordon got off to a fast start and has been able to carry it consistently through the first three months of the season. “Just being confident, knowing I can go out and play with anyone. I think that’s what made me be successful in the first half; knowing that I can just go out and be athletic and play my game. I know the work that I put in in the offseason and at big league camp and such. I just know that I have to trust it, and I think that was the biggest thing for me.” As Gordon told us in January, he spent the offseason with a Who’s Who of All-Star Ballplayer, and the work they put in with him has paid off. “We worked on driving more balls and things of that sort which definitely has played a part for me.” The last two seasons, Gordon has hit 23 doubles. In approximately two-thirds of this season, he already has 22 doubles. He has reached six triples for the third straight year already. In his previous three years of professional baseball (approximately 1,260 plate appearances, he had a total of five home runs. He already has six homers in the Southern League this year (360 plate appearances). His Isolated Power has gone from .083 to .095 the previous two seasons to .162 in 2017. Not only has he added power, his approach and plate discipline has improved. In 2016, he walked just 4.7% of his plate appearances. To this point in the 2017 season, he is walking at a 9.7% rate. “It’s more at-bats, more plate appearances. The more you hit, the better you get at it. I wouldn't say anything about my approach. If anything, it’s more about me staying true to what I do.” Gordon described the process he’s worked on to improve his plate approach which has also believes has led to power. “It’s definitely the process. Just working. That all comes with seeing pitches better and swinging at pitches you want to swing at. All that plays a part. Just knowing you can hit. I think that’s the first thing. Then it goes to pitch selection. It’s definitely about ending an at bat on a pitch you want to end it on.” But if there are questions about Gordon, it remains whether or not he’ll be able to stick at shortstop. While he has a good arm, some have questioned his range. It is another thing that he worked on with Larkin and Lindor and others in the offseason. Whether or not the statistics show it, Gordon feels good that the process and how he feels on defense has greatly improved. “But mostly, we worked a lot defensively. Not so much looking at the numbers, but just knowing how you feel. I felt so much better defensively (in the first half). I felt like I moved through more balls. I felt I made more plays and there were more balls I was able to get to, and widen my range. I definitely feel like the work that we put in during the offseason on the defensive side of my game, it definitely started to work for me and starting to pay off. Just got to keep working and keep going with it.” At the start of the season, Engelb Vielma was also in Chattanooga. Manager Jake Mauer had a plan in which Gordon played shortstop for a week, with Vielma at second base. The next week, the two would flip-flop roles. That system lasted about a month when Vielma was promoted to Rochester. Since then, Vielma and Gordon have both been playing shortstop nearly every day. Fortunately, Gordon and Vielma both went into the situation with the right attitude, knowing they were gaining value by playing both positions. “It’s always valuable to be able to play different positions. It’s definitely tough. It’s a grind, but it’s what I signed up for. I signed up to be challenged, and that’s what it was. It was a challenge. No matter what you do or where you’re playing at, you have to go out and give your all. That’s what I did, and that’s what I will continue to do.” He also doesn’t feel that the time spent at second base hurt his development as a shortstop either. “You can still do that (improve) when you’re moving around. It just comes to your work ethic and the person and doing more. You have to be up for early work at second or at short. You have to take ground balls at both positions. I feel like regardless of if I’m only playing shortstop or playing both second and shortstop, I can get better.“ The Chattanooga Lookouts have been playing incredible baseball for the last month. Since June 7th, the Lookouts are 26-6. The players have played well. The pitchers have pitched well. And many, including Gordon, give quite a bit of credit to their manager, Jake Mauer. Of course, many of the players on the Lookouts roster played for Mauer in Cedar Rapids in recent years. “Jake is a great guy, a great manager. He helps us in every aspect of the game as well, as much as he can. I think playing for Jake, guys are more confident. You can go out and have fun. Jake understands. He was a player. He knows how it is. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but he expects us to play aggressive. He wants us to hustle and play everyday. I feel a lot of us are comfortable with Jake. I feel that team chemistry is a big thing for us as well.” But Gordon should get some of the credit for team’s success too. While he’s just one of nine players in the lineup on a given day, we know that he’s lauded for his leadership abilities. In May, I talked to his high school teammate and very close friend Juan Hillman who is a pitcher in the Cleveland organization (Hillman, Gordon Share Bond of Brotherhood). Instead of talking about his tremendous baseball skills, Hillman talked about his leadership abilities as what helps make him successful. So what does being a leader entail to Gordon? “I feel like a leader always leads, no matter what the situation is. I feel like if anything was to happen, I could take responsibility for what I chose to decide. Definitely with off the field stuff. On the field, guys like to follow a guy who likes to be in the tough situation, the challenge. I know that I love a challenge, and love having my back against the wall.” So the question asked often in regard to Gordon is when can we expect to see him in the big leagues. How close is he to being ready? It’s a tough question for those of us who follow the Twins minor league system, and it’s probably an impossible question to ask Gordon. But I did it anyway, and his response was good. It was honest, and it was fair. “Honestly, I wouldn't say I’m ready or not ready. Being in the big leagues, there are things you have to be consistent in doing. To be honest, I wouldn’t know if I’m ready or not ready. I think the Twins do a good job of scouting their own players and knowing when their players are ready. For me, it’s whatever they need, whenever they need me. Whatever I bring to the game, when they know that they need that, that’s when I’ll be ready and when my turn comes. But for now, there’s so much more to learn everyday. Even in the big leagues, there’s so much to learn in the game. My dad has told me that. So wherever I am, I want to continue to learn and continue to develop as a baseball player.” It’s been a very successful first half of the 2017 season for Gordon, following an exciting, eventful offseason. But he fully understands that there is a lot of season left. So what are his goals the rest of the way? “Staying healthy is definitely the big one. We all want to stay healthy and get through the season together. Make each other better. We all have a goal in life, and it starts here in Double-A as well. I think for us, to become better ballplayers and better professional athletes.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Three years ago, Nick Gordon had just signed with the Twins after being the fifth overall pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. When he arrived in Ft. Myers, he had a lot to learn about baseball, the organization, being a professional and more. He found a guy in Ft. Myers at that time who had been in his shoes just three years earlier. “I actually talked to Buck (Byron Buxton) when I first got drafted. He was down there rehabbing. He came over and introduced himself and made me feel comfortable. Me and Buck are pretty cool. It was warm for him to introduce himself. I’d definitely heard a lot about him and how great of a player he was and is. It was comforting. I feel the same thing as me being here three years, if I was there, I’d definitely do it the same was as Buck did because if definitely made me feel like I was welcomed. Now, it’s Gordon that’s been in the organization for three years. Last month, the Twins selected another highly touted, high ceiling, exciting high school player in Royce Lewis with the number one overall pick. What would Gordon tell or advise Lewis? “I feel the same thing as me being here three years, if I was there, I’d definitely do it the same was as Buck did because if definitely made me feel like I was welcomed. “ He continued, “Just enjoy it and have fun. The Twins are a great organization, and I think they do it the right way. They surround you with great players and great staff members and coaches and such. So for me, it’s about just enjoying it. When I first got drafted, I was nervous like every kid. The more days I was there, the more I went through, you learn how great some of the guys in the organization are, and how much fun the organization is. So you enjoy it. It’s definitely a once in a lifetime thing, and it’s definitely a blessing to be drafted by the Minnesota Twins.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are likely to hear all kinds of rumors over the next few weeks. The Twins need pitching, and the types of trades that they would, at least in theory, like to make would involve pitchers the team would have in the organization for multiple years. That will require some high-end prospect talent in return. While I think it is highly unlikely that Gordon would be traded, don’t be surprised if you hear his name mentioned in several rumors. As Nick Nelson pondered in his most recent trade deadline primer article, Should Nick Gordon be on the table? You can answer that for yourself, and obviously it’s a question that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine will likely be asked by other teams a lot in coming weeks.