Seth Stohs

The Top 5 Twins prospects are all performing as well or better than expected. ROYCE LEWIS - Twins Daily #1 Prospect The top pick in the 2017 draft moved up to Cedar Rapids late in the 2017 season. In 18 games, he hit .296. The still-18-year-old Lewis began the 2018 campaign with the Kernels as well. He has had multi-hit games in nine of his 19 games played so far this year. He is 11-21 (.524) in the last five games (four multi-hit games). Overall, he is hitting .372/.417/.423 (.840) with a double and a home run. He also has 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts. He’s also got a solid .963 fielding percentage through his first 19 games at shortstop. FERNANDO ROMERO - Twins Daily #2 Prospect The hard-throwing right-hander was the Twins Daily #1 prospect coming into the 2017 season, but Lewis grabbed that spot this year. The 23-year-old had an impressive showing at big league spring training, throwing eight scoreless innings. He moved down to minor league camp fairly early to allow him to stretch out and be ready to start. He began the season in Rochester where he went 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP through his first four games. In 21 innings, he gave up 17 hits, walked ten and struck out 20. He was called up to the big leagues last week, and he’s been nothing short of stellar. After six more shutout innings last night, Romero is now 2-0 with zero runs allowed through his first 11 2/3 innings. More than the numbers, Romero’s stuff looks great and plays well. He’s shown poise and an ability to make big pitches when needed. NICK GORDON - Twins Daily #3 Prospect Gordon was the Twins top draft pick in 2014 out of high school in Florida. He moved up one level each year. After hitting .270/.341/.408 (.749) with 29 doubles, eight triples and nine home runs, had a strong showing in big league spring training this year. It was surprising that he was returned to Chattanooga to start the season. As he did a year ago, Gordon is off to another fast start. Through his first 29 games, he is hitting .324/.358/.491 (.849) with six doubles,, three triples and two home runs. In 24 games at shortstop, he has a .961 fielding percentage. He’s played just four games at second base to this point. STEPHEN GONSALVES - Twins Daily #4 Prospect Gonsalves has been the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year the last two seasons. He was added to the 40-man roster last November and did well at big league spring training. After ending 2017 with a handful of games in Rochester, it was very surprising that the 23-year-old began the 2018 season with a month in Chattanooga. In four starts for the Lookouts, he went 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. In 20.1 innings, he gave up 11 hits, walked ten and struck out 25. He has now made two starts in Rochester. He’s 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA and a 0.42 WHIP. He’s given up just one run on four hits and two walks in 14 1/3 innings. He has 14 strikeouts. ALEX KIRILLOFF - Twins Daily #5 Prospect 2017 was a long year for the Twins top pick from the 2016 draft. He missed the season after having Tommy John surgery in March. However, he was cleared for full participation in November. After getting just one hit through his first four games, he has taken off as if he didn’t miss any time. On the year, he’s hitting .283/.314/.515 (.829) with 11 doubles and four home runs. He has an organization-leading 24 RBI. Still just 20-years-old, Kirilloff has tremendous power and has a great swing to the opposite field gap. WANDER JAVIER - Twins Daily #6 Prospect It can’t all be good news. Javier, who has as much talent as anyone in the organization, was unable to play in spring training because of an injury in his non-throwing shoulder. There were hopes that the 19-year-old would quickly move up to Cedar Rapids, but it is yet to happen. While I’m hearing conflicting reports on how he’s doing, I wouldn’t expect to see him in a Kernels uniform too soon. BRENT ROOKER - Twins Daily #7 Prospect Rooker was the Twins 38th-round pick in 2016. He went back to Mississippi State and after the 2017, the Twins took him with the 35th overall pick. After 22 games in Elizabethton, he finished the year with 40 games in Ft. Myers. Combined, he hit 18 home runs. As a 23-year-old, he is one of the youngest players on the Lookouts roster. The jump to AA is known to be the biggest jump in the minor leagues, and Rooker has had some struggles. In 27 games, he has hit .232/.267/.333 (.600) with five doubles, a triple and a home run. He has four walks to go with 33 strikeouts. BLAYNE ENLOW - Twins Daily #8 Prospect The 19-year-old from Louisiana was the Twins third-round draft pick in 2017 out of high school. He debuted with six games in the GCL last year where he went 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP in 20 1/3 innings. He made the jump to Cedar Rapids to start this season. He made two starts in the cold before spending a couple of weeks on the disabled list with a back strain. He returned to the mound over the weekend. In 11 innings this year, he’s given up 17 hits, walked five and struck out eight. BRUSDAR GRATEROL - Twins Daily #9 Prospect The 19-year-old from Venezuela debuted in the DSL in 2015, but after just four games (during which he had one walk and 17 strikeouts in 11 innings), he had Tommy John surgery. He missed all of 2016, and was eased back into things in 2017. He made five appearances for the GCL Twins (1.40 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings) before moving up to Elizabethton where he made five starts. While he’ll be on an innings and pitch count throughout the year, Graterol has now made two starts for Cedar Rapids. He’s 0-0 with a 1.04 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP. In 8 2/3 innings, he has given up six hits, walked none and struck out 11. He’s already hit 100 mph with his fastball on numerous pitches and shown the makings of a strong slider too. Honestly, speaking for myself (Seth), I could see him ranking as high as number two on my personal prospect list. AKIL BADDOO - Twins Daily #10 Prospect Baddoo was one of two supplemental second-round picks in 2016. He split 2017 between the GCL and Elizabethton and was named the Twins Daily short-season Minor League Hitter of the Year. He’s continued to get stronger and faster. While he hasn’t hit for average yet this year, he has been an on-base machine. Through 22 games, the 19-year-old has hit .203/.398/.311 (.709) with a triple and two home runs. He’s also stolen seven bases in nine attempts. Having watched many Kernels games, Baddoo is not a passive hitter, by any means. He seems to know the strike zone pretty well and takes some very aggressive swings. He’s got a lot of power potential, and he’s done a really nice job covering a lot of ground in centerfield. THE NEXT TEN Here’s a quick rundown on the Twins Daily choices for Prospects 11 - 20. #11 - Zack Littell (22) - Added to the 40-man roster last offseason, Littell returned to AA where he started the year 0-3 with a 5.87 ERA. He made his AAA debut this weekend and threw six shutout innings for the Red Wings. He gave up just two hits, walked four and struck out six. #12 - Lewis Thorpe (22) - Thorpe is the youngest player on the Lookouts roster this season. The lefty was added to the 40-man roster this offseason. He’s currently 0-3 with a 4.50 ERA. In six starts, and 28 innings,, he’s given up 39 hits, walked nine and struck out 35. He’s seemingly improved each time out. #13 - Lewin Diaz (21) - In 23 games for the Miracle, he’s’ hitting .244/.270/.477 (.746) with two doubles, three triples and four home runs. He really got himself into much better shape this season and while the numbers may not show it yet, he’s heading in the right direction. #14 - LaMonte Wade (24) - In 28 games with the Lookouts this year, he’s hitting .290/.385/.430 (.815) with a triple and four home runs. As is normal for Wade, he has 15 walks to go with just 10 strikeouts. #15 - Mitch Garver (27) - Garver won the Twin backup catcher job in spring training, and through his first 14 games this year with the Twins, he’s hit .250/.302/.450 (.752) with two doubles and two home runs. #16 - Ben Rortvedt (20) - Rortvedt returns to the Kernels and he has taken strides forward. He’s hitting .242/.309/.371 (.680) with five doubles and a home run in 17 games. He continues to be a terrific defensive backstop as well. #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (21) - Blankenhorn made the jump to Ft. Myers this year. In 29 games, he’s hit .257/.302/.459 (.760) with five doubles, a triple, and five home runs (leads Twins minors). He’s got just one error on the season despite playing third base, second base and even left field. #18 - Yunior Severino (18) - The Twins gave Severino $2.5 million to sign with them after he was declared a free agent after some Atlanta indiscretions. Severino is a really good athlete who has a good swing from both sides of the plate. He may develop some power too. He can play all around the infield. He will likely go to Elizabethton in mid-June. #19 - Tyler Jay (24) - The Twins top pick in 2015, Jay missed a lot of time in 2017 as he was moved to the bullpen full time. He did spend a couple of weeks on the DL early this year with a leg injury, but he’s back with the Lookouts now. In nine innings over five games, he has a 1.00 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and eight strikeouts. Last night he recorded his first save of the year. #20 - Felix Jorge (24) - Jorge pitched at AA, AAA and even two starts in the big leagues in 2017. Unfortunately in spring training, he took a line drive off of a knee and has yet to pitch. Hopefully he will return to action in the next couple of weeks. It’s encouraging that most of the Twins top prospect have continued their development and growth at the start of the 2018 season. Give it another month or so, and we’ll likely see more player movement. Feel free to ask questions and discuss these prospects, and think about which prospects you might add to your top 20 list, maybe some that aren’t even mentioned here. For me,, I would strongly consider the likes of Landon Leach, Andrew Bechtold, Aaron Whitefield and Tyler Wells. And don’t forget about Kohl Stewart yet either.

Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Monday. And as always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. AWARDS Before we get too far, here are some awards for last week. The Twins names Cedar Rapids outfielder Alex Kirilloff their minor league hitter of the week. They also named both Edwar Colina and Jovani Moran as the minor league pitchers of the week. The two Kernels combined for a no-hitter last week. Stephen Gonsalves was named the International League Pitcher of the Week. In his two starts, he went 2-0 with a 0.63 ERA. In 14 1/3 innings, he gave up just one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out 14. TRANSACTIONS The Twins announced that LHP Dietrich Enns has cleared waivers and been outrighted to the Red Wings. The Miracle announced that RH RP Tom Hackimer has been activated. This is more of an injury update than a transaction, but Lachlan Wells is headed for Tommy John surgery. The young left-hander from Australia will have the surgery next week. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Buffalo 3 Box Score The Red Wings were down 2-0 through the game’s first six innings, and then the offense took off. They scored five runs in the seventh frame. The big shot was a grand slam off the bat of Wynston Sawyer, his first AAA home run. Sawyer was 2-for-4 in the game. Jimmy Kerrigan was also 2-for-4 and added his first AAA homer as well. James Ramsey, Taylor Featherston, Jermaine Curtis, Brock Stassi and Leonardo Reginatto each had two hits as well. Curtis and Stassi had double. Reginatto added a triple. Myles Jaye started and threw the first six innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out two. Gabriel Moya gave up a run on two hits over the next two innings. He walked two and struck out five. Luke Bard struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6 , Jackson 4 Box Score Down 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth, the Lookouts loaded the bases. Infielder Alex Perez came up and unloaded the based with his first triple since joining the team last week from Ft. Myers. Perez went 2-for-4 in the game. Edgar Corcino went 2-for-4 with his sixth double. Brian Navarreto went 2-for-4 with his third double. Chris Paul was 2-for-3 with a walk. Lewis Thorpe reached the 100-pitch count, and 70 of them were strikes. The lefty from Australia gave up three runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out five. Cody Stashak came on and gave up a hit and a walk, but he recorded five outs. Tyler Jay gave up an unearned run on one hit over the final two innings to record his first save of the year. He struck out two. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 7 Box Score The Miracle bats were able to score some runs, but the team was unable to keep runs from scoring in the loss. Sean Poppen made the start for the Miracle. The right-hander gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits (two home runs) and four walks in four innings. He struck out five. Hector Lujan came on and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in three innings. Andrew Vasquez gave up an unearned run on two hits over the final two innings. Jaylin Davis led the offense with three hits. Lewin Diaz provided the big offense. He was 2-5 with a three-run homer, his fourth home run of the year. Luis Arraez was 2-5 with his second double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Dayton 3 Box Score Royce Lewis just continues to rack up single after single. Lewis singled in his first three at-bats on Monday night and is now hitting a robust .372 on the season. Alex Kirilloff went 2-5 with his 11th double of the season. Ben Rortvedt added his fifth double. First, be sure to read Steve Buhr’s terrific article on Kernels starter Edwar Colina. He made his fourth start of the season on Monday night. He gave up two runs on two hits, but he went just 3 1/3 innings because he walked six batters. He struck out two. His no-hit partner Jovani Moran came on and got the next five outs. He was charted with one run on two hits and two walks. He struck out two. Carlos Suniaga then struck out two over two scoreless innings. Jose Martinez pitched one scoreless inning. The teams will play again on Tuesday night in Dayton. Originally, 2017 top pick Hunter Greene was scheduled to start for Dayton, but his next start has been pushed to Saturday. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Wynston Sawyer, Rochester Red Wings (2-4, Grand Slam (first AAA homer), four RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Luke Bard, Rochester Red Wings (1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 3-5, R, SB(10) #2 - Fernando Romero (Minnesota) - 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 9 K, 97 pitches (57 strikes) #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 0-4, RBI #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, 2B(11), RBI, K #7 - Brent Rooker (Chattanooga) - 1-4 #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 2 BB, K #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 2-5, HR(4), 3 RBI, R, K #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B (5), R, 3 K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, BB, K #19 - Tyler Jay (Chattanooga) - 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (5:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers (2-1, 2.67 ERA) Jackson @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart (3-1 ,4.91 ERA) Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (6:00 CST) - RHP Tyler Wells (3-1, 2.70 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:00 CST) - LHP Tyler Watson (2-1, 2.08 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have.

When the Twins made Griffin Jax their third-round draft choice in 2016, he became the highest player ever selected from the Air Force. At the time, it was assumed that Jax would be able to play full-time upon his graduation in May of 2017. That was something that was allowed for athletes, to immediately pursue a professional career after graduation. However, in April of 2017, the Department of Defense changed its policy. Now it would be required to serve two years of active duty after graduation before a person could even apply to serve out their time on reserve status for the purpose of playing pro sports. Jax, who pitched in four games for Elizabethton in 2016 after the draft, figured he would only be able to pitch in the Twins organization during his leaves from his active duty. Last summer, he pitched one game for Elizabethton before making four starts for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Having graduated, he was assigned to serve in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The assumption was that he would do the same in 2018 and maybe even 2019. However, in December Jax applied for the military’s World Class Athlete Program which allows active-duty military personnel to make training for the Olympics their full-time responsibility. Because of Jax’s draft position and his signing bonus, he was able to fit the “World Class Athlete” criteria. Also, because baseball is again an Olympic sport Jax can be training toward that goal. That’s complex, but it gets even more confusing in a way because military personnel can’t earn a second income. In other words, the Twins could not pay Jax to play for the organization. That’s why it took from December (when Jax applied for the program) until into April (when Jax was approved). Finally, an agreement was made that the Twins could “outfit, feed and cover Jax’s travel.” However, the Air Force will pay him. Jax made his way to Ft. Myers on April 24th to begin his extended spring training. On Friday, Jax threw his first live batting practice. It’s something he will likely do another time or two over the next week. At that point, he may make a start or two in EST games. And then he should be assigned to a full-season roster. After just four starts in Cedar Rapids in 2017, he could go there. Depending on where he’s at, he could jump directly to the Ft. Myers Miracle. All that is to be determined over the next week or two. For now, Jax is just excited to be back on the mound and to have some resolution to his situation. As he told The Gazette (Colorado Springs) after the decision, “It was just an awesome feeling hearing, 'yes,' finally.”

Keep reading to find out more on the night in the Twins minor league system on Friday. And as always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. APRIL AWARDS In case you missed any of the Twins Daily Minor League Awards for April, here they are: Relief Pitcher - Nick Anderson, Rochester Red Wings Starting Pitcher - Aaron Slegers, Rochester Red Wings Hitter - Zander Wiel, Chattanooga Lookouts TRANSACTIONS RHP Zack Littell was promoted from Chattanooga to Rochester and will start on Saturday. LHP Anthony Marzi was promoted from Ft. Myers to Chattanooga. RHP Nick Brown came off of the disabled list for Cedar Rapids. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Lehigh Valley 11 Box Score While the folks in Rochester were excited for the return of Trevor Plouffe to Frontier Field, it was another former Red Wings player who really hurt the Twins in this game. The Twins fell behind 6-0 after two innings in large part due to the power of outfielder Danny Ortiz. The Twins fourth-round pick in 2008, who made his major-league debut in 2017 with the Pirates, joined the Phillies organization this offseason. He hit two-run homers in his first two at-bats of this game and now has eight already on the season for the IronPigs. Ortiz had spent the second half of 2014 and all of 2105 with the Red Wings and hit 25 homers for the team. DJ Baxendale made the start for the Red Wings. He was charged with six runs on six hits and a walk in just 1 2/3 innings. Tyler Duffey came on and gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits and three walks in 2 1/3 innings. Luke Bard came on for his Red Wings return. He faced six batters and got them all out, two on strikeouts. Mason Melotakis gave up three runs on two hits and two walks over the next two innings. He struck out three. Casey Crosby struck out two in a perfect ninth frame. The Red Wings had seven hits and six walks but were able to score just three runs. Jake Cave went 2-for-4 with a walk. Wynston Sawyer was 1-for-3 with a walk and a double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mobile 2 Box Score The Lookouts offense did pretty much nothing through the first eight innings in their game tonight, but a four-run rally in the ninth frame gave them another big win. And, Tanner English got to play hero again. Zack Littell was scheduled to pitch for the Lookouts, but he was promoted to Rochester. So Omar Bencomo stepped in. The right-handed veteran threw five innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He struck out two. Anthony McIver struck out two over the next two innings of scoreless relief. He gave up two hits and a walk. Sam Clay gave up a hit and walked two, but he struck out four over two scoreless innings. Brian Olson recorded his first hit of the season, and his second, and his third. While one was a double, his third hit got things going in the ninth inning. His single scored Chris Paul to put the Lookouts on the board. It was followed by a two-run triple by Tanner English who then scored on a LaMonte Wade single. https://twitter.com/SLeagueBaseball/status/992602166522187776 MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Jupiter 3 Box Score The Miracle got out to an early lead, kept adding on and got some good pitching to go with it. Andro Cutura made the start. In six innings, he gave up two runs on five hits. He struck out four batters without issuing a walk. Lefty Kevin Marnon came on and gave up just one hit over two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Hector Lujan worked the ninth inning. He gave up one run on a hit and three walks. He struck out two. The first four batters of the Miracle lineup really had a big night. Leadoff man Mark Contreras went 2-4 with a walk. He scored three runs and drove in two. He also stole his third base. Joe Cronin batted second. He went 1-3 with a walk and his second home run. Next up was Luis Arraez. He went 1-2 with two walks. Lewin Diaz was 2-4 with his third home run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, West Michigan 4 Box Score While it wasn’t hyped as much (here or on Twitter) as his Kernels debut last weekend, Brusdar Graterol was quite impressive again. This time out, the burly right-hander from Venezuela threw five shutout innings. He gave up just three hits. He struck out four without issuing a walk. The Kernels announcers pointed out that he reached 100 mph on several of his pitches. He threw 73 pitches and 46 of them were strikes. And he plays defense too. https://twitter.com/CRKernels/status/992767118931210240 Rickey Ramirez came on and gave up two runs on three hits over the next two innings. Moises Gomez worked the final two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out two. The Kernels didn’t get much offense. In fact, they had just three hits in the game. Their run came in the first inning when Akil Baddoo scored from first base on an Alex Kirilloff opposite-field double off the wall. It was Kirilloff’s eighth double and gives him an organization-leading 23 RBI. Royce Lewis went 1-for-3 (to drop his average to .353) with a walk. He stole his seventh and eighth bases. The Twins photographer (Brace Hemmelgarn) was in Cedar Rapids and posted this photo blog. STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Brian Olson, Chattanooga Lookouts (3-4, 2B, RBI) Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Brusdar Graterol, Cedar Rapids Kernels (5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) TOP PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed: #1 - Royce Lewis (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, 2 SB(8) #3 - Nick Gordon (Chattanooga) - 0-4, BB, K #5 - Alex Kirilloff (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2B(8), 2 RBI, 2 K #9 - Brusdar Graterol (Cedar Rapids) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K (73 pitches, 46 strikes) #10 - Akil Baddoo (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB, K, R #13 - Lewin Diaz (Ft. Myers) - 2-4, HR(3), 2 RBI, R #14 - LaMonte Wade (Chattanooga) - 1-5, RBI, K, SB(3) #16 - Ben Rortvedt (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, K #17 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 0-4, K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (12:05 CST) - RHP Zack Littell (AAA debut) Chattanooga @ Mobile (7:05 CST) - RHP Randy LeBlanc (3-1, 2.22 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (5:00 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson (0-2, 6.75 ERA) West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Blayne Enlow (0-1, 5.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask any questions about Friday’s full schedule of games, or ask any questions you may have.

Let’s take a look at the Top 5 hitters for the month of April, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Joe Cronin - Ft. Myers Miracle - 16-43, .372/.451/.558 (1.009) with five doubles, one homer and seven RBI Mark Contreras - Ft. Myers Miracle - 15-43, .349/.429/.488 (917) with four doubles, one triple and seven RBI. Ben Rodriguez - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 14-45, .311/.367/.511 (.878) with six doubles, one home run and three RBI. Jaylin Davis - Ft. Myers Miracle - 15-53, .283/.406/.453 (.859) with six doubles, one home run and three RBI. THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 – OF LaMonte Wade - .312/.407/.418 (.825). 23-74 with one triple, two home runs and seven RBI. LaMonte Wade was the Twins ninth-round draft pick in 2015 out of the University of Maryland. He had a strong season at Double-A Chattanooga in 2017. He had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League until a collision in the outfield led to a concussion. He earned a non-roster invitation to big league spring training where he clearly impressed the entire coaching staff. So, it was surprising that he returned to AA Chattanooga to start this season. To this point in the year, LaMonte Wade has been LaMonte Wade. He’s hit for average. He continues to get on base. He’s got more walks than strikeouts. He hasn’t hit doubles, but he has a couple of long home runs. He’s been hitting leadoff for the Lookouts, but he should be in Rochester soon. Number 4 - Chattanooga Lookouts – SS Nick Gordon - .345/.363/.536 (.898), 29-94 with four doubles, three triples, two homers and 12 RBI. As surprising as it was that LaMonte Wade returned to Chattanooga, it was just as surprising that Nick Gordon returned to the Lookouts. The Twins top pick from 2014, Gordon had a terrific first half in AA last year. He struggled in the second half, and he struggled against left-handed pitching. He also spent a lot of big league spring training at second base. Gordon is again off to a fast start, hitting for average but also hitting for good power. Defensively, he has started in 20 of 24 games at shortstop. Like Wade, Gordon should be in Rochester soon. Number 3 – Ft. Myers Miracle - Travis Blankenhorn - .305/.345/.537 (.881), 25-82 with five doubles, one triple, four home runs and 13 RBI. Blankenhorn was the Twins third-round pick in 2015. Blankenhorn spent the 2017 season in Cedar Rapids and posted a .784 OPS. He filled the stat line well, hitting 22 doubles, 11 triples and 13 home runs. He also stole 13 bases, including home twice. He moved up to Ft. Myers this year and had a strong first month. He has hit for average and provided a lot of power. He leads the Twins minor leagues in home runs. He’s still moving back and forth between third base and second base, though he’s played twice as many games at third so far. Number 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle – OF Jimmy Kerrigan .326/.388/.547 (.934), 28-86 with eight doubles, one triple, three homers and 13 RBI. The 24-year-old Kerrigan played his college ball at Virginia Commonwealth. He went undrafted and started playing the 2017 season for the River City Rascals in the independent Frontier League. After a fast start, he signed with the Twins and went to Cedar Rapids. He began 2018 with the Ft. Myers Miracle and has been terrific. In fact, as the calendar turned to May, he was promoted to Rochester (though his time there may be short). Kerrigan led the Miracle. He hit for average, got on base and provided power. He also plays a good outfield. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – OF Zander Wiel - .316/.402/.513 (.915), 24-76 with nine doubles, two homers and 14 RBI. Zander Wiel was the Twins 12th-round pick in 2015 out of Vanderbilt University. Upon signing, he went to Elizabethton where he was hit by a pitch and missed about a month. In 2016, he moved up to Cedar Rapids where he hit 19 home runs and led the Midwest League with 86 RBI. He hit another 13 homers in the pitcher-friendly Florida State League. This year, he will likely spend most of the season in Chattanooga, less than two hours from where he grew up in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He had a big month of April. He hit for average, got on base and he had some big extra-base hits. It seemed as if each of his nine doubles drove in key runs for the Lookouts. He has done so while continuing to learn the outfield. He’s split time between left field and first base with Brent Rooker and done a nice job at both spots. While you could argue for several players to win the award, we would like to congratulate Zander Wiel, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for April 2018. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions.