Seth Stohs

My guess is that Palacios is on a plane to Ft. Myers tomorrow (Wednesday) morning... but I could be wrong.

According to Jon Heyman, the Minnesota Twins have signed veteran right-handed pitcher Dillon Gee to a minor league contract. He will start with the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.The Twins need pitching, and Gee represents another guy getting an opportunity. He was outrighted by the Texas Rangers last weekend and chose to become a free agent. Darren Wolfson was the first to note that the Twins and Gee's representation were conversing. Gee spent parts of five seasons with the New York Mets. He was a back-of-the-rotation type of starter. At various times, there were rumors of the Twins having interest in him. He spent 2016 with the Kansas City Royals, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. He had thoracic outlet syndrome surgery after the 2016 and signed with the Rangers this year where he pitched in just four games before being released. The Twins need arms. Any Twins fan would agree with that. They clearly do not want to push the likes of Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero and Felix Jorge up to AAA quite yet. So, in the last few weeks, they have brought in guys like Chris Heston and Adam Wilk. Gee fits into that category, AAA pitchers who might just be able to give some decent innings. At least that is the hope. If not, they are AAA placeholders for the prospects. Click here to view the article

I would expect there would be some releases, some mysterious DL placement, but not just at Rochester, also at some of the lower levels as well. Several players in Extended Spring were released yesterday, and I'm sure we'll hear of more as well.

That was my thought. I figured that with Reed and Melotakis already moving up, and me supporting Bard and Curtiss moving up, Rosario can stay in AA for now. I think it's a good thing. He started the year in Ft. Myers, and he's young, so no worries. I'd push the older guys (who also have upside).

He was touching 96 before the trade. There were no knocks on Hu at that time. They knew that they were giving up someone with a future when they dealt him. That's the "danger" of being a buyer at the trade deadline. You're going to give something up to get something. And Jepsen helped the Twins a ton down the stretch in 2015. But Hu was being a bunch of guys on the Twins prospect rankings already back then, a mid-teens type of prospect. The Rays have moved him to the bullpen too now.

It's two games... I'll have to ask him how that's going. It definitely is interesting, giving him more value... but two games is not enough to know much of anything.

I'm a huge Wade fan. He's in my Top 10 Twins prospects, probably even after the new picks are added. But I don't know that he's dominating AA. He's got a great OBP, but he's got a .792 OPS. Again, that's solid, but not dominating. I'm good with aggressiveness, but I'm also good with letting Gordon and Wade continue to put up numbers for awhile before pushing them. And, the Twins do have a history of promoting top minor league hitters pretty quickly. Have for years. Gordon and Wade have both been moved quickly in their careers, factoring in age and when they signed.

Wade is 23 and was drafted two years ago. He is right where he should be. He's doing well, though slumping some of late. I think Gordon could be a straight-from-AA guy later this year... Or he could start next year in AAA and come up soon. No way he's in the minors all year next year. (I mean, unless something weird happens).

My rankings from 2-3 weeks ago when I updated my Top 40, and where I would include the new guys... 1 - Nick Gordon - Royce Lewis 2 - Stephen Gonsalves 3 - Fernando Romero 4 - Alex Kirilloff 5 - Lewin Diaz 6 - Adalberto Mejia (no longer a 'prospect') 7 - Wander Javier - Brent Rooker 8 - LaMonte Wade 9 - Tyler Jay 10 - Travis Blankenhorn - Blayne Enlow 11 - Daniel Palka 12 - Felix Jorge 13 - Mitch Garver 14 - Zack Granite 15 - Jermaine Palacios - Landon Leach 16 - Brusdar Graterol I mention that just as another list for comparison and definitely encourage others to do the same. It's easy to say I disagree with this player or that ranking, but when you put together a list, you have to pick this player or that player and it is fun.

Mid-June is always a fun time in minor league baseball, and it’s true in the Twins system right now too. All-Star games. Playoff berths are up for grabs. The short-season teams are about to start. Draft picks are signing and reporting. And, there are often several players who are promoted around this time. Today, I’ll share my thoughts on which players should be under consideration for promotion soon. We’ll start with a couple of players on the Rochester roster who could be considered for a promotion real soon. Then we’ll work our way down the ladder.There are many reasons for promotions (or for a player to stay at a level). Obviously performance tends to be one of the factors. Also, behind the scene types of things like leadership, growth, maturity and more. In reality, sometimes age factors into the decision of who to move up. There have been guys who have been pushed to a level, maybe without the numbers to justify it, but they’re being given one final opportunity to take off. Sometimes that player does. Other times, it doesn’t pan out. Like the draft, player development and timing of promotions are not science, though more and more there are scientific (or advanced statistical) reasons for them as well. In other words, there may be some promotions of players not mentioned below. It is somewhat fun to speculate the reasons for them to try to gain understanding. Or, maybe that’s my way of saying that I don’t know what will happen… Either way… Enjoy and at the end post your thoughts. ROCHESTER → MINNESOTA There have already been several players who have taken that direct flight from Rochester to Minneapolis and back. Last week, I chatted with Alan Busenitz in an article stating that he was ready, the next bullpen arm in line for a promotion to the big league club. On Friday night, we learned that would happen, and on Saturday night he made his MLB debut. But Busenitz isn’t the only Red Wings player who is deserving of an opportunity. In the Red Wings bullpen, Trevor Hildenberger should be next in line for a spot in the Twins bullpen. He has thrown 29 innings over 20 appearances this year in Rochester. He is 2-1 with a 2.17 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 10.2 K/9. At 26, the side-winding right-hander has confidence in his ability to throw three or four pitches for strikes at any time, in any count. Frankly, he’s got little more to prove in the minor leagues. From an offensive standpoint, the choice for player most ready is pretty obvious. Though he missed the first month of the season with an oblique injury, Zack Granite has returned. In his last 19 games, he has hit .487. In 41 games with the Red Wings, he has hit .349/.410/.485 (.895) with 14 doubles, four triples and a home run. He’s walked 16 times and struck out 18 times. He also has 16 stolen bases. Frankly, his readiness isn’t even about the results and stats. It’s also just about his advanced approach at the plate and the types of at-bats he produces. He has good range all around the outfield. In my opinion, Granite needs to play every day and bat leadoff somewhere. If he’ll get that with the Twins, call him up. If he’s going to sit on the bench, stay in Rochester and keep raking. Either way, he’s ready for the opportunity. CHATTANOOGA → ROCHESTER Right before the All-Star break, lefty Mason Melotakis was moved up to the Red Wings. On Monday, Jake Reed returned to the Red Wings after a short stint with the Lookouts after missing the first six weeks of the season. But there are a couple more relievers who should be promoted to the Red Wings too. I think everyone would agree that John Curtiss is ready to move up. He’s playing in the Southern League All-Star Game, but I would think he’d move up right after it. Since some early control concerns, he has been incredible. He didn’t give up a run until his 20th appearance of the year. The superlatives could continue, but we’ve been writing about the 24-year-old’s readiness for over a month here at Twins Daily. Luke Bard had several injuries early in his career, but since coming back last year, he’s been a strikeout machine. Maybe it has to do with his incredible spin rate. In 32 innings this year, he has 52 strikeouts to go with just 11 walks. Not that there has to be a rush to promote the 26-year-old, it might be good to push him as he’ll be a potential 40-man roster add. And, those strikeouts sure are intriguing. Evaluate just a little bit longer (pitchers): Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero and Felix Jorge are all pitching really, really well for the last month or more, but for various reasons, they should stick in Chattanooga. In my opinion, Gonsalves is the closest to ready for a promotion, but I’d give him two or three more starts before doing that. Fernando Romero has really been good as well, but there is reason for patience. And frankly, if he reaches a pre-established innings count, call him right up to the Twins and put him in the bullpen. And Jorge quietly continues to improve and put up strong start after strong star. Evaluate a bit longer (hitter): Nick Gordon has had a terrific season at the plate. He’s walked more. He’s hit for more power. He’s been everything we’d hope for, taking a big step forward. But in my mind, there is little incentive to moving Gordon up. At AA, he’s facing some of the better pitching prospects. There’s nothing wrong with him spending a season playing well all year. If they want, they could call him up directly from AA sometime. But it’s also important for him to keep playing shortstop most every day, and he can do that in Chattanooga. Let Engelb Vielma play shortstop every day in Rochester. Let Jorge Polanco play shortstop most every day in Minnesota. And let Gordon continue to work on things with the bat and in the field in Chattanooga. FT. MYERS → CHATTANOOGA Randy LeBlanc has moved up and down from the Miracle to the Lookouts several times in the last month. Dereck Rodriguez was also moved up to the Lookouts, but after one start, he was sent back to the Miracle and pitched in the Florida State League All-Star Game. I would expect that he will move up to Chattanooga and stick there. Also, relievers Alex Muren and Nick Anderson have moved up recently. So, there isn’t a lot left to promote from the Miracle to the Lookouts. But we’ll figure out a couple of names. Soon, and if now, OK… Sam Clay gave up six earned runs in ⅔ of an inning in his first outing of the year. He then went over 24 innings without giving up a run. Overall, he’s 5-0 with a 2.18 ERA. In 33 innings, he has 36 strikeouts, but he’s also got 18 walks. That’s likely the biggest reason for hesitation in promoting him. However, most of those walks have come in just three of his 20 games. If several Lookouts pitchers make their way to Rochester, Chattanooga will need some arms. Consideration: In part, some promotions are due to need and roster spots. 24-year-olds Zander Wiel and Max Murphy could be moved up if there is a need. For instance, when Brent Rooker moves up to the Miracle, he can play first base and in the outfield. One of those two could move up to make room. CEDAR RAPIDS → FT. MYERS The Kernels clinched a playoff spot and now begins their All-Star break. Following the break, I could see a few players promoted. Dominant relievers Tom Hackimer and Andrew Vasquez were already promoted to the Miracle. Colton Davis is another reliever who could move up for the second half. The easiest choice would be promoting shortstop Jermaine Palacios. He spent 2016 struggling in Cedar Rapids before his season ended early with injury. Now 20, he has put up a terrific season in 2017 with the Kernels. He’s hitting .322/.362/.549 (.911) with 13 doubles, six triples and 11 home runs. He’s done that while playing a very good shortstop. He’s ready to move up. I think that Jaylin Davis should receive strong consideration for a promotion to the Miracle as well. He’s been solid throughout the season and leads the organization in home runs. His 28% strikeout rate is obviously still a little high, but a slight improvement from last year. Sean Poppen and Clark Beeker are representing the Kernels starting staff in the Midwest League All-Star Game. Poppen is 5-1 with a 2.80 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP. In 74 innings, he has 17 walks and 67 strikeouts. Beeker is 6-2 with a 2.99 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. In 75.1 innings, he has 11 walks and 52 strikeouts. Tyler Wells has arguably been the Kernels top starting pitcher this season. In 10 starts and 57 innings, he is 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP. He has 14 walks and an impressive 80 strikeouts. He missed two starts with some biceps tendinitis, but he has continued to impress since his retur, making arguably his best start on Saturday night when the Kernels really needed a win. EXTENDED SPRING TRAINING → CEDAR RAPIDS Elizabethton starts its season on Thursday night. They are traveling via bus as I type this. The GCL season starts on Monday. However, as we don’t yet have the short-season rosters, it is possible that a few players from extended spring training will not go to Elizabethton but instead head to Cedar Rapids. Pitchers Henry Centeno and Keaton Steele are in EST and could go to Cedar Rapids or Ft. Myers at some point. Catchers Justin Hazard, Rainis Silva and Brian Olson could go to Cedar Rapids or Ft. Myers. Infielders Andre Jernigan and Amaurys Minier could go to Cedar Rapids. Outfielder Shane Carrier could return to the Kernels, particularly if Jaylin Davis were to move up to Ft. Myers. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- In coming days, we’ll post previews of the Elizabethton Twins and GCL Twins rosters. In our daily Twins Minor League reports, we stay on top of all of the transactions, so keep looking there for more promotions. But for today, make some of your predictions about who you would like to see promoted. And feel free to ask about any others that I may have missed. Click here to view the article

Lewis will be a priority prospect in the GCL. He will play 4-5 times a week, mostly at shortstop, but they may move him around some. I would suspect they'll push Javier to E-Town so that he too can play a lot of SS. I think Lewis will also eventually get to E-Town too.

That would be my guess...

They were up by a dozen and he's playing in the All Star game. Most likely just giving Montesino some time.

I thought Busenitz looked good. Legit 96-97. Curveball looked good. Gave up the HR to Lindor after he fouled off some tough curveballs, but fastball had life. Looked good.

Wells has been terrific and gets a ton of strikeouts. He probably didn't make the All Star roster because he had just missed three weeks or so with the biceps tendinitis... HE's been just as good since coming back too.

What a wild night throughout the Twins minor league system. Rochester played a doubleheader. Yes, Zack Granite hit well again. There was also a near no-hitter in one of the games. What was Chattanooga able to do after clinching a playoff berth on Friday night with Felix Jorge on the mound. Three Miracle players got some time in the Florida State League All-Star Game on Saturday. And Cedar Rapids did whatever they could to try to stay alive in a fight for the final first-half playoff spot. Great pitching and a bold call at the end.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Saturday night, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Check out the transactions through the minor league system from late Friday night and Saturday: On Friday, the Twins announced the RHP Chris Heston had been outrighted. The open spot was filled Saturday morning when Adam Wilk was officially added to the Twins 40-man roster and 25-man roster.Following the Twins game on Friday night, we learned the Alex Wimmers and Alan Busenitz were coming to the Twins. On Saturday morning, we learned that Wimmers was going to be the 26th man for the day. We also learned that Ryan Pressly was optioned to Rochester prior to the first game.It wasn’t until between games the Busenitz was officially added to the Twins 40- and 25-man rosters. UPDATEThe Red Wings announced on Saturday that Mason Melotakis has joined their roster from Chattanooga. Chattanooga announced that Paul Clemens has been activated from the disabled list.RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 - Rochester 1, Pawtucket 2 (8 innings) Box Score Yohan Pino was the story of this game. The veteran right-hander started with six no-hit innings in this game which was scheduled for seven innings as part of a doubleheader. However, Rusney Castillo led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single. He was erased with a double play ball. But then there was a bloop single which was followed by a run-scoring double to tie the game and send it to an extra frame. The Red Wings went scoreless in the top of the 8th. Pino stayed out for the bottom of the eighth. He got the first two batters out, but Jantzen Witte ended the game with a home run. The Red Wings managed just one run, on a single from JB Shuck that scored Engelb Vielma. Zack Granite had two more hits, and he also stole his 11th bag. Matt Hague and Byungho Park each had two hits as well. Game 2 - Rochester 7, Pawtucket 5 Box Score In the second game, the Red Wings scored two in the top of the first. However, before he got an out, Matt Tracy walked two and gave up two hits, including a grand slam to the cleanup hitter. In total, Tracy went five innings and gave up just one more run. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out two. DJ Baxendale and Kam Mickolio each struck out one in a scoreless inning. It was Mickolio’s first save with the Red Wings. Fortunately, the Red Wings got to face Marcus Walden, who pitched for them last year. He gave up seven runs on eight his and two walks in just three innings. JB Shuck went 1-2 with two walks and his third home run. Tommy Field was 2-4 with his fifth homer. Byungho Park went 2-4. And yes, of course Zack Granite had two more hits. He went 2-3 with a walk and is now hitting .348. He also stole two more bases, giving him 13 on the year. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Tennessee 5 Box Score It certainly wasn’t his best start of the season, but Felix Jorge improved to 8-1 on this night. The right-hander gave up five runs on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out four. Four of the runs allowed came in the second innings. Jake Reed struck out four over two scoreless innings. John Curtiss came on and recorded his 13th save. He struck out one. No earned runs. Andy Wilkins gave the Lookouts a first-inning lead when he hit his first Lookouts homer, a three-run blast. The other four runs for the Lookouts came in a four-run sixth inning. The key hit was a two-run double from Levi Michael. Jonathan Rodriguez walked three times. MIRACLE MATTERS Box Score The Florida State League All-Star Game was played on Saturday night in Lakeland. Three Twins prospects participated in the event. Chris Paul was supposed to, but he broke his hamate bone a few weeks ago. I’m guessing you, like me, don’t really care who won that game (North won 5-2). We just care how the Twins/Miracle players did in the game. Dereck Rodriguez pitched one inning and gave up two runs on two hits (one being a home run). Sam Clay got the final two outs for the South squad. Brian Navarreto caught the last couple of innings and went 0-1. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Clinton 1 Box Score The Kernels had lost five of their last six games and were no longer in control of their own first-half playoff berth destiny. With the score tied at one in the bottom of the eighth inning, Travis Blankenhorn reached on an error. He advanced to second on a groundout and went to third on a fly out to right field. Jaylin Davis walked and when he stole second, Mitchell Kranson was intentionally walked to load the bases. With Brandon Lopez at the plate and two outs, Blankenhorn took off for home. Watch what happened: And scored, on a straight steal of home. It gave the Kernels a 2-1 lead. In case you were wondering: Blankenhorn told Twins Daily later, “We saw that the pitcher looked at the ground the whole time before he pitched. And Lopez got to two strikes and Tommy told me to go for it.” Hector Lujan came in and recorded his sixth save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth. Davis led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and drove in the first Kernels run with a single. He also stole his eighth and ninth bases. Mitchell Kranson and Brandon Lopez each went 1-3 with a walk in the game. If not for a rare steal of home, Tyler Wells was the story of this game. The tall, right-hander struck out ten over eight innings. He gave up one run on four hits without issuing a walk. Of his performance, Wells said he tried not to overthink the game’s importance. He said, “Well, it was mainly command of all my pitches. I was able to locate my pitches well and where I needed when it mattered. I knew the game was very important, but I tried to treat it like every other start. I was going to give everything I had in that game to give us a win! And I think I gave everything in my body to keep us in that game, and luckily, we came out with a win!” The Kernels will await the final of the Quad Cities game in Beloit on Saturday. If Quad Cities loses, the Kernels are back in second place and can clinch a playoff berth with a win on Sunday. If Quad Cities comes back and wins on Saturday night, the Kernels would have to win and hope that Quad Cities loses on Sunday. (UPDATE - Quad Cities lost to Beloit 4-3 in 10 innings. If the Kernels win on Sunday, they will earn that playoff berth. If the Kernels lose, they need Quad Cities to lose again to make the playoffs.) TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Wells, Cedar Rapids Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Zack Granite, Rochester SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (DH @ 12:35 CST) - RHP Chris Heston and TBD Chattanooga @ Tennessee (1:00 CST) - RHP Paul Clemens Ft. Myers - All Star Break Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) - RHP Max Cordy Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday’s games. Click here to view the article

His defense is really that good... and without looking at others, maybe there aren't a lot of good hitting catchers in the FSL?

Busenitz is coming up for the doubleheader tomorrow. Along with Wimmers (likely as the 26th man)

I'd have to look. Fun research project... Normally the big movement takes place that first full season. Then there are a ton with three levels (Duensing, Baker, Dean, Darnell, Gibson, etc.) and Matt Garza moved up four levels. It's mostly pitchers as the Twins haven't drafted many college bats this high. With college pitchers, they've likely already thrown 90+ innings, so they don't want to push them too much.

I do try to be as often as possible... Ha! Adding to my thoughts above, he hasn't played in a couple of weeks. And won't play now for 6-7 days... so get him some at bats and then move him.

I don't think that's a fair blanket statement. Rooker maybe has faced better competition and succeeded, but not all.

I used to care about where a guy would start too... but I don't any more. I think getting them acclimated to pro ball, wood bats, travel, playing every day is all part of it. I also believe that the relationships are important. I think if Rooker spent two weeks in E-Town, he'll develop relationships with the 2017 draft guys, plus the ET coaches. If it was me, I'd then send him to Cedar Rapids for 2-4 weeks. Let him get to know 25 more guys and three more coaches. Then, if it was me, I'd send him to Ft. Myers for the final 4-5 weeks. Again, 25+ more teammates and 3 more coaches. Then to Instructs... maybe even the AFL... again, that'd be aggressive. If Chattanooga is in the playoffs, and they probably will be, maybe push him up there for the last week and the playoffs. But regardless, he'll most likely start 2018 in Chattanooga (unless he's just awful in FM or CR), and from there, he could be up in the big leagues by midseason... That would be incredibly aggressive... Very unlikely, but at almost 23, possible, I guess. Some of Rooker's timeline could be based on Eddie Rosario and Zack Granite and Daniel Palka too. If someone steps up and joins Kepler and Buxton as a regular in the outfield, there's little reason to rush him if he's not going to play every day.