Seth Stohs

Enlow's just working in Ft. Myers. I'm sure he'll get into a game soon. Leach is still waiting for his visa. Once he gets that, he'll come down, work out some, probably pitch a little out of the bullpen.

Looks like 8 players have signed this morning...

Looks like Jelfry Marte is official now... https://twitter.com/TwinsLatinos/status/881911426125881344

I think Burdi and Reed are givens. Stewart and Bard are on the fence. Navi may be if he shows any ability to hit in AA the rest of the year.

Yesterday, Zack Granite was the unsurprising choice for Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month of June. Today, we’ll discuss the top starting pitchers during the month. Because of All-Star games and promotions, it can be a difficult month to rate the players. Some guys have five starts and 32 innings thrown. Some guys have just three starts or 16 innings pitched, so it can be difficult. There were several really good choices, so let’s get to it.Before we get to our Top 5 starting pitchers for the month of June, here is a list of a couple of others who deserve to be recognized for a solid month. HONORABLE MENTION Clark Beeker - Cedar Rapids - 4 GS, 23.1 IP, 2-0, 3.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 24 H, 3 BB, 14 KFelix Jorge - Chattanooga - 5 GS, 34.0 IP, 3-0, 2.91 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 34 H, 5 BB, 31 KLewis Thorpe - Ft. Myers - 4 G, 3 GS, 16.2 IP, 1-0, 1.62 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13 H, 7 BB, 16 K.THE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS #5 - Fernando Romero - Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 GS, 3-0, 1.69 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 21 H, 8 BB, 27 K Romero was the choice for Twins Daily’s #1 prospect before the 2017 season, and he’s performed well in his jump to AA Chattanooga. While he started out a little slow, he has been quite good since mid-May. More important, he’s become more consistent. Along with the fantastic numbers listed above, about a strikeout each inning, opponents hit just .206/.283/.333 (.617) off Romero in June. He returned to the mound in 2016 after missing two years of playing time due to Tommy John surgery in 2014 and knee surgery in 2015. After three starts with the Kernels, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he continued to dominate until being shut down in late August. In November, he was added to the 40-man roster. #4 - Dereck Rodriguez - Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts - 5 GS, 3-0, 2.60 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 19 H, 9 BB, 31 K Rodriguez was the Twins 2011 sixth-round pick. He spent the next three years as an outfielder. He then transitioned into a pitcher full time in 2014. He was moved along slowly, but about 12 months ago, he took off. He struggled for the first six weeks of the 2016 season in Cedar Rapids, but he pitched well, and earned a late-season promotion to Ft. Myers. He began 2017 as the Miracle Opening Day starter. He earned a spot on the Florida State League All-Star team and pitched an inning in the game. He started June in Ft. Myers, but he was promoted to the Lookouts for a start. He was sent back to the Miracle in order to pitch in the All-Star Game, but then was brought back up to the Lookouts. He put up very good numbers at both levels. In fact, opponents hit just .198/.264/.281 (.541) against him. He should spend the remainder of the season with the Lookouts. He could become a free agent following the season, unless the Twins put him on their 40-man roster. #3 - Tyler Wells - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 2-2, 1.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 17 H, 4 BB, 27 K Wells was the Twins 15th-round pick last year out of Cal State-San Bernadino. At 6-8, 265 pounds, Wells can look intimidating on the mound. He runs a fastball 91-94, but his best pitches may be his breaking balls, both a 12-6 curveball and a good slider. He returned from the disabled list at the end of May and started where he left off. In June, opponents hit just .202/.236/.226 (.462) off of him. Unfortunately, he is back on the disabled list after experiencing the same issue that put him on the DL for three weeks earlier this season. He is experiencing some issues in his shoulder. An MRI was conducted because it was his second time with this issue, but the results were inconclusive. It didn’t show that anything structural was wrong. He’ll be in the Twin Cities in the coming days for another look. #2- Cody Stashak - Ft. Myers Miracle - 3 GS, 2-0, 0.98 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 18.1 IP, 10 H, 4 BB, 20 K A quick look at his raw numbers and it is hard to justify him not being #1 on this list. However, he made just three starts for the Miracle because he was placed on the DL on May 22 and didn’t return to the Miracle mound until June 15th. In half of the month, he was nearly unhittable. Opponents hit just .156/.217/.172 (.389) off him during the month. Stashak was the Twins 13th-round pick in 2015 out of St. Johns. He isn’t a flame-thrower, but he sits 90-93 and pounds the strike zone with a good three-pitch mix. He is a good athlete. If he keeps pitching well, he could be a candidate to move up to Chattanooga within the next month. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts - LHP Stephen Gonsalves - 5 GS, 4-1, 2.32 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 38 K Maybe the lesson to be learned from these top starting pitcher performances in June is that if caught early and treated/rehabbed, pitchers can come back as strong, or even stronger. This month’s top starting pitcher is a great example of that. Gonsalves was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2013 out of high school in San Diego. He has quickly and consistently moved up each season. He was the Twins Daily choice for Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2016 as well as the Twins choice for their top minor league pitcher. His success caused the Twins to invite him to big league spring training this year. It was an experience he relished. “Big league camp, to me, was them telling me that I was close and need to keep driving and stay hungry. It was a great experience, meeting the guys and especially some of the veterans we had invited to camp. The other great thing about camp was that all my teammates were there with me, guys I've been playing with for the past couple years and it was awesome to go through the the experience with them.” He made a good impression at camp. Unfortunately, his spring training ended early as he was experiencing some discomfort behind his left shoulder. It was the same injury that cost him about a month during the Arizona Fall League. Because of it, he did not return to AA Chattanooga until mid-May. “Yes, it was very frustrating when I had to miss the first half of the season just because I'm always going to be the guy that wants to be out on the field competing.” In eight starts since his return, he has been very good. He is 4-3 with a 2.63 ERA. In 48 innings, he’s given up just 31 hits. He’s walked just ten and struck out 56. The concern with his AA numbers (which were astounding) in the second half of last season was the walks. He’s dropped that number while continuing to strike out more than a batter per inning. Gonsalves is choosing to take the time on the disabled list as a positive. “Although I think the injury was a little blessing in disguise. It was time for us to go over my mechanics for the last couple years and really get my entire body to work together as one. Once I came back, I started throwing a little harder, and I was more consistent with throwing strikes because my body was working together.” His fastball velocity is back, even consistently a little higher. Whereas he was 88-93 in the past, he’s now consistently 90-94. He breaking ball is better and his changeup remains a plus-plus pitch. While many wanted him to start his season in Rochester, and now he may just be ready for that jump, it was likely the best thing for him to start in AA Chattanooga. They were a winning team, competing for a playoff spot, he was with teammates he knew well, and a coach he has tremendous confidence in. As he notes, “I felt comfortable when I got back with my team in a place I had a lot of success at last year. So I was calm and relaxed. Back with working with Ivan (Arteaga, the Lookouts pitching coach) makes it feel like I never left, and I'm right where I should be.” The key to his success so far this season? In Gonsalves’s words, “The key this season has just been consistency, my delivery has made all my pitches easier for me to locate. It is letting me repeat everything easier.” And who knows, there may be another blessing in disguise to missing the first six weeks of the season. He will be under no innings limit, and as the Twins are struggling to find pitching, Gonsalves is a name that should receive a lot of consideration in another month, if not sooner. For now, it would seem the bump up to AAA Rochester should be considered following the International League All-Star Game. Gonsalves has to be added to the Twins 40-man roster after this season. So he could be a consideration for 2017, though the organization would certainly want to be sure that they won’t use an option. But September should be a real possibility. For now, we appreciate a terrific June performance by the left-hander. Congratulations to our Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of June, Lookouts starter Stephen Gonsalves. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like. It wasn’t as easy a decision as you might think. There were several solid starters in June, and several really stood out. Click here to view the article

I think worrying about Brent Rooker at this point is kind of WAY premature. He had one bad game when he returned after missing three days. He'll be fine. And... high school kids drafted his year are not playing in the Appy League, well, very few. That's also not a good take.

Despite the fact that the GCL Twins don’t play on Sundays, it was a very busy day in the Twins minor league system. AA Chattanooga finished their suspended game and played their regularly-scheduled game. Ft. Myers played two games against the Tebows, I mean, St. Lucie Mets. The Kernels had a quality prospect make his Midwest League debut. It was also the first day of the new International signing period. That means that the Twins (and all the other teams) could start signing 16-year-old international players. Most of the top names come from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. But players from Cuba, Australia and other countries will also be signed. While it was posted that the Twins have an agreement with SS Jelfry Marte, they are likely to sign another dozen or more kids from foreign countries. According to Ben Badler from Baseball America, the Twins are also the favorite to sign OFs Carlos Aguilar and Mauro Bonafacio. As for Sunday night, the Twins have not yet actually signed any of these players. That will happen over the course of the next week, and in some cases, over the coming months.Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Sunday, starting with the transactions of the day. OK, there was just one transaction. Felix Jorge was returned to Chattanooga following his MLB debut as the 26th man in the Twins doubleheader. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score David Hurlbut put together another quality start, but the Red Wings offense was unable to score. The left-hander gave up three runs on eight hits over 7.2 innings. He struck out nine without issuing a walk. Alex Wimmers came on and struck out the one batter he faced. The Red Wings offense had just five hits in the game. Zack Granite went 2-4 and is now hitting .367. Mitch Garver - who played left field again - went 0-3 with a walk which ended his 15-game hitting streak. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Mississippi 3 (completion of suspended game from Saturday) Box Score On Saturday, the Lookouts started their game, but after two innings, it was suspended by rain. They completed that game on Sunday. Fernando Romero started on Saturday and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit, walked two and struck out three. Randy LeBlanc started when the game resumed on Sunday. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out five. Luke Bard picked up the save by recording the final four outs. He gave up three hits and walked one without allowing a run. He struck out two. Nick Gordon went 2-4 and drove in a run. Levi Michael went 1-3 with a two-run homer, his third of the season. Chattanooga 4, Mississippi 0 (regularly-scheduled games) Box Score In the regularly-scheduled, now-7-inning game, the Lookouts got some really good pitching. Ryan Eades made the start and threw three shutout innings. He didn’t give up a hit or issue a walk and struck out five. Alex Muren came on and also threw three shutout innings. He gave up four hits, and struck out one. Randy Rosario pitched a perfect ninth. Edgar Corcino led the offense with a 2-3 game. He stole his second base and scored two runs. They scored three runs in the 6th to solidify their lead. TJ White knocked a two-run double, his tenth of the year. Levi Michael followed with his ninth double to drive in White. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 5 Box Score Through the first four innings, Brady Anderson gave up only one run. However, he started the fifth by giving up three singles to load the bases. The bases were then unloaded with a grand slam. That certainly, and quickly, altered Anderson’s pitching line. He gave up five runs on eight hits and four walks in four innings. Jonny Drozd came on and gave up a hit and two walks but no runs over two innings. David Fischer worked a scoreless seventh frame. The Miracle started slow and made a comeback in the seventh that fell just shy. In that inning, Brandon Lopez and Jermaine Palacios had RBI singles to cut the lead to one, but the team could not get one more hit to extend the game. Lopez went 2-3 with a walk and has hit .438 in his first five games with the Miracle. With a 3-4, Palacios is now hitting .407 through his first seven games since joining the team. Max Murphy went 2-4. Sean Miller was 1-2 with a walk and his second stolen base. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 12, St. Lucie 1 Box Score Playing a mid-afternoon doubleheader in early July in Ft. Myers is not advised. With that heat and humidity, it can be difficult. After a close first game, the Miracle were able to put a strong offensive performance together for a big win. Nearly everyone in the offense contributed in some way. Brandon Lopez stayed hot. He went 3-5 in game two and is now at .476 in six games. Shane Kennedy went 3-3 with a walk and his second triple. Max Murphy went 2-5 with his 16th double. Nelson Molina went 2-4. Tanner English was 1-2 with two walks and his eighth double. Jermaine Palacios hit his second double and drove in three runs. Zander Wiel hit his seventh home run. Anthony McIver made another start and did well again. He gave up one run on five hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out three. Keaton Steele gave up two hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. Lopez has enjoyed his time in Ft. Myers and appreciates the coaching he's received. "The adjustment has been easy really thanks to the coaching staff and my teammates. It's a fun group of guys that love to go out there have fun and at the same time get better doing it. Since I got up here I've been working with Doug (Mientkiewicz) and Sing (hitting coach Steve Singleton) in cages on a few things with my swing and I've definitely felt more comfortable in games at the plate." KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 0 Box Score The Kernels made another commuter trip to Clinton and drove home with a nice, clean win. Griffin Jax was terrific in his first Midwest League start. The right-hander drafted a year ago from Air Force worked seven shutout innings. He walked one and struck out four. Jax was happy with his performance following the game. He said, “I was able to establish my fastball to both sides of the plate for the most part. Our report on them was that they had trouble with the fastball, so that was the game plan moving forward. I had some early-game nerves but after the first inning I settled in.” Jeff Johnson from The Gazette posted the following on Saturday night regarding Jax. Assume he does have a 60-day leave, and that he’s been at extended spring training and made a start in Elizabethton, he should be able to spend four to five weeks with the Kernels. Logan Lombana worked a scoreless eighth inning. Hector Lujan recorded his seventh save of the season. The Kernels scored one run in each of the first three innings. In the first, Travis Blankenhorn hit a two-out double and scored on a Lewin Diaz single. The in the second, Andre Jernigan walked and scored on a Lean Marrero double, his first since joining the Kernels a week ago. In the third, Aaron Whitefield hit his ninth home run of the season. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Danville 7 Box Score The E-Twins played an afternoon game in Danville on Sunday. It was a good game until a five-run bottom of the eighth gave Danville a big win. Charlie Barnes made his second start. In 3.1 innings, he gave up one run on five hits and two walks. He struck out five. Chris Broussard worked 3.2 scoreless innings, but he was able to get just one out in the bottom of the eighth. He was charged with four runs on six hits and a walk. Jared Finkel came on and got the final two outs, though he was charged with two runs (one earned) in that inning as well. The E-Twins managed just three hits in the game. Wander Javier had two of them including his fourth double. He stole his second base as well. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins Box Score There are no Gulf Coast League games on Sundays (with some exceptions). TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Griffin Jax, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brandon Lopez, Ft. Myers Miracle MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Mississippi (6:00 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) - LHP Anthony Marzi Elizabethton @ Danville (6:00 CST) - RHP Edwar Colina GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00 am CST) - RHP Brusdar Graterol Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Sunday’s games. Click here to view the article

#VoteKintzler

On Sunday night, 2017 MLB All-Stars were named. The Minnesota Twins will be represented by two players. Ervin Santana and Miguel Sano will head to Miami next week as All Stars.Miguel Sano had been leading fan voting until the final week when Cleveland's Jose Ramirez (and Toronto's Josh Donaldson) passed him. Some are demanding a recount. Nevertheless, Sano will be going to Miami as a reserve. Sano will also participate in the Home Run Derby. Click here to view the article

His best skill is knowing the strike zone pretty well. He isn't strong defensively in the outfield, probably best as a DH. He doesn't have a lot of power. He's not real fast. And, he hasn't hit for a lot of average in the past. He's kind of just a real solid player who doesn't have the flashy tools to fit into the "prospect" rankings... which doesn't mean he can't get to the big leagues.

He had a fantastic June...

Or, Busenitz was unable to pitch on Saturday and probably Sunday after working 2.2 innings on Friday night.

The 40-man decision shouldn't be impacted in the least by whether he ends the season in Ft. Myers or Chattanooga.

I'm a pro-Tebow guy... Dude wants to play baseball. He doesn't want to say What If in five years. The Mets gave him an opportunity. He's working hard. He's going for it. I hope he makes it. People were whining about him not earning the promotion. Maybe true, but he's 29... the Mets aren't going to go one year at a time with him. I think they're wise to push him. I guess they could call up someone from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids to pitch... but then they'd have to sign someone to play in E-Town. Bringing in players isn't a bad thing. Who in E-Town is screaming to move up to Cedar Rapids? Charlie Barnes will probably get there soon. Griffin Jax is moving up there today. With Poppen moving up to Ft. Myers and Wells on the DL, they need arms.

June is always an interesting month in a minor league system. There is the draft, and the organization brings in 25-30 players. The short-season leagues get started. There are All-Star games at each level but AAA, so the month is disjointed for many. And yet, as I researched, looking for the top hitters for the month, there were a tremendous number of hitters who had great success. There are guys with OPS near .900 that are “just” honorable mentions. A guy with an OBP over .500 “only” received mention. It’s hard to image, but there were three hitters with OPS over 1.000 for the month and still the choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month was pretty easy.Pitching wins, but only if the hitters score enough runs in that game. Let’s take a look at the Top 5 hitters of the month, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION Mitch Garver - Rochester - 23 G, 29-94, .309/.371/.521 (.893) with eight doubles, four homers, 12 RBI.Nick Gordon - Chattanooga - 22 G, 31-99, .313/.382/.465 (.846) with seven doubles, one triple, two homers, 16 RBI.Brandon Lopez - Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers - 20 G, 25-67, .373/.427/.433 (.860) with two triples, and nine RBI.Alex Perez - Ft. Myers/Chattanooga - 19 G, 21-55, .382/.507/.418 (.925) with two doubles and four RBI.Ben Rortvedt - Cedar Rapids - 17 G, 21-62, .339/.423/.516 (.939) with five doubles, two homers and 12 RBITHE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 – Chattanooga - TJ White - 24 G, .297/.385/.527 (.912). 27-91 with seven doubles, one triple, four home runs and 17 RBI. White returned to the Lookouts lineup in mid-May after starting the season on the disabled list. He made a few mechanical alterations to his swing. He’s come back strong to this point. In June, he hit very well, hitting liners all over the part. He has shown even more power than he has in past years as well. White went to high school in Las Vegas where he was a teammate of Joey Gallo of the Rangers. They played against Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper. White stayed home for college, attending UNLV. The Twins made him their 19th round pick in the 2014 draft. He’s gradually moved up the ladder, reaching Chattanooga early in the 2016 season as an injury replacement. Reports indicate that his third base defense has improved as well Number 4 – Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – SS Jermaine Palacios - .353/.391/.565 (.956). 30-85 with four doubles, one triple, four home runs and 13 RBI. What a year it has been for Jermaine Palacios. Just under a year ago, a frustrating season in Cedar Rapids came to an end when he was hit in the wrist by a pitch. He returned to the Midwest League this season, still just 20 until recently, and has been on fire. He hit .400 in April, slowed down some in May, but he took off again in June. While he showed in the rookie leagues in 2015 what he could do, this year’s success comes as some surprise. He has never shown the kind of power he displayed in the first half of the Kernels, hitting 11 homers. He was promoted to the Miracle following the Midwest League All-Star Game. He’s hit .348 over his first six games. Number 3 - Ft. Myers – OF Max Murphy - .388/.464/.541 (1.005) 33-85 with five doubles, one triple, two homers and 12 RBI. Murphy began this season hitting down in the Miracle lineup. But in mid-May, he started hitting well and getting on base. He was moved to the leadoff position and he’s been very good since. As you can see, in June, he hit for average, took a lot of walks (and was hit a bit) and showed some extra-base power. Murphy was the Twins ninth-round draft pick in 2014 out of Bradley University. He played his high school ball at Robbinsdale Cooper in New Hope, Minnesota. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids – 3B Travis Blankenhorn - .309/.430/.619 (1.048), 30-97 with four doubles, seven triples, four homers and 19 RBI. Blankenhorn is used to having big June’s. Last year, he started very quickly in Elizabethton and earned a promotion to Cedar Rapids. That’s where he is this year. He began the year really hot for two weeks, but struggled for about a month. In June, he turned things around. He has always had a good eye and a willingness to take walks. That will benefit him going forward. However, he really showed some good power and speed in June. 15 extra base hits are impressive, but seven of them were triples. Of course, most will remember his eventual game-winning steal of home as the Kernels really needed a win to secure a playoff berth. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Rochester – OF Zack Granite - .470/.527/.667 (1.193), 55-117 with 11 doubles, three triple, two homers and 12 RBI. What a month! Even the International League didn’t have to wait to name Zack Granite their player of the month. I’ve been writing about Twins minor leaguers for more than a dozen years, and I can’t remember seeing a guy have a month like Granite just did. He hit .470! Granite started the month with a 17-game hitting streak, had that streak snapped, and then ended the month with an 11-game hitting streak. Putting that all together, he hit in 28 out of his 29 games in June. He had 20 multi-hit games. It’s been an interesting past year for Granite. Last year, he was likely heading to Ft. Myers to start the season, but an injury to the likely Lookouts centerfielder meant Granite started in Chattanooga. He stayed there all year and earned the Twins Minor League Player of the Year award. In November, he was added to the 40-man roster which meant he was going to his first major league spring training with the Twins. Paul Molitor raved about him throughout spring training. When he was sent down to minor league camp, Molitor said, “I like Zack a lot. I like how he prepares. I like how he competes. It was good to watch him play. He got into actually a lot of games. Made an impression almost every day he played in some capacity.” Granite enjoyed the experience and took a lot from it. He told Twins Daily on Saturday, “Big league camp was a lot of fun and a good learning experience for me. It was cool to see how guys go about their business and talking to guys about their approach and working with guys like Torii Hunter and (Michael) Cuddyer.” Unfortunately, on the final day of spring training, he pulled a muscle in his side. It cost him a month. He played five games for Ft. Myers before joining the Rochester Red Wings on May 7th. He had two hits that game. He struggled a bit in May, relatively. He was coming back from injury and playing at a new level. And then came June. Granite just takes it all in stride. “I'm just trying to keep things simple and get a good pitch to hit, if I start to think too much then I start worrying about things I shouldn't be thinking about.” When asked if he’s given much thought to possibly being called up soon, and what it would me, he said, “That's something I can't control. I can't waste my time thinking about things I can't control. I just have to do my job and let the people in charge make the decision. My job is simple. Just play the game. If it happens it happens. But I'm going to go out and have fun playing the game.” Fair to say that Granite had a lot of fun playing the game in June! Congratulations to the June Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month for 2017, Rochester Red Wings outfielder Zack Granite. Click here to view the article

Yeah, there is. Was hoping people would update it, but it's a way down the line in the minor league forum now. These are always in the daily minor league report ,and all of these have been... but this place works too.

Very young... a rare kid who was able to play in the DSL while still just 16. So he, at 17, is very young for the GCL this year. He can hit though. Raw, but talented. He didn't get a big bonus to sign, but they were happy to get him.

I'm looking forward to it. He's intriguing. His ceiling is probably #3 starter. More likely he's a #4/5. He attacks the zone, 89-92. Has touched 94. Curveball. Changeup. He throws a lot of strikes, so he'll give up some hits. Not a lot of strikeouts. l Never know what will happen in one game... but I think it's a good move. He should head back to Chattanooga after the start... It'll be interesting to see whether he stays with the Lookouts the rest of the season, or moves up to Rochester. Either is justifiable.

The only thing that can slow down Red Wings outfielder Zack Granite is the weather. Rochester was rained out, but it was a full night in the Twins system. The Miracle and their fans at Hammond Stadium got to see the Tim Tebow Experience up close. And a remarkably unusual game. Lewis Thorpe was on the mound. Elizabethton also played a wild game in the Appy League. A 2015, 2016 and 2017 high-round draft pick each helped Elizabethton to an extra-innings win. A near cycle? So much in tonight’s Twins Minor League Report!Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Friday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS There were a handful of transactions in the Twins system on Friday. Following the Twins loss in Kansas City, Alan Busenitz was optioned to Rochester. Ryan Pressly will return to the Twins.Felix Jorge, as we learned on Thursday, will be the 26th man and start the night game of the doubleheader.The Kernels need some starters, so on Friday, they announced the signing of lefty Anthony Marzi, a 24-year-old who has spent the last two year with the New Britain Bees of the independent Atlantic League. To make room for him, infielder Ariel Montesino was sent down to Elizabethton.RED WINGS REPORTRochester , Lehigh Valley Box Score The Red Wings were postponed by rain for the 11th time this season. Which is crazy! These teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Mississippi 3 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez was on the mound, and he was also on his game. Through six innings, he gave up just one run on three hits. The lone run came on a Ronald Acuna homer. He was charged with a couple more runs in the seventh before being replaced by Paul Clemens. Rodriguez’s final line was three earned runs on six hits over 6.2 innings. He walked one and struck out six. He credited pitching backwards as a part of his success on Friday night. “My offspeed was good. I was throwing it behind in the count in hitters counts. A team like this that like to swing a lot.” Clemens gave up two hits and a walk over 2.1 shutout innings. He struck out two and recorded his first save of the season. Jonathan Rodriguez went 1-3 with two walks and his ninth home run. It was his third home run in three games. LaMonte Wade went 2-4 with a walk and two runs driven in. Nick Gordon went 2-4, and he stole his eighth base. Edgar Corcino was 2-5. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 11, St. Lucie 0 Box Score If you were to only look at this score, you would likely believe that this was a blowout. In the end, I guess it was. However, when the Miracle came to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning, it was a 0-0 game. Eleven runs crossed the plate that half inning to give the final score. Justin Haley made the start for the Miracle. After one rehab appearance (Monday) in the GCL, Haley worked two innings for the Miracle. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Then regularly-scheduled starter Lewis Thorpe came on and threw 4.2 innings of shutout ball. Thorpe hasn’t worked much out of the bullpen in his career. He said, “it was different but I enjoyed the experience.” But Lewis threw the ball real well. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out five (including a certain former Heisman Trophy winner twice). Regarding his success, he said, “I think spotting my fastball up tonight was really big.” Michael Theofanopoulos got four outs, two of them on strikeouts. His only blemish was a hit batter (a certain former NFL quarterback). Sam Clay got the final three outs. The bottom of the eighth was crazy, as you’ll see in the illustration below, but the Miracle found just about every way to score a run in that inning. Singles, doubles, bases-loaded walks, hit batters and a balk. Baseball is a funny game. But, whether you like it or not, Tim Tebow coming to Hammond Stadium was part of the game’s story. The Tim Tebow Effect is real. The Miracle have averaged 1,748 fans at home games to this point this year. On Friday night, 6,315 fans watched this game. Thorpe mentioned that he really enjoyed the opportunity to compete against Tebow. He said, “It was fun too see what Tebow had. He competes and that's all that matters. Wish him good luck in his career as a pro baseball player.” Tebow came into the game having played just three games in the Florida State League. He was 5-9 (.556) with a homer. He had two walks and struck out once. In this game, he was 0-2 with two strikeouts and was hit by a pitch. He also made this catch to rob Zander Wiel of an extra base hit. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 2 Box Score The Kernels took an early lead on Friday night in the fourth inning when Lewin Diaz hit his ninth homer and two batters later Hank Morrison added his second of the year. Of his homer, Morrison said, "I was looking for a fastball and he threw a hard slider inside that broke right over the middle and just put a good swing on it." Domenick Carlini was really good through the first five innings. He said after the game, “I think I kept them off balanced for the most part. I got away with some fastballs because they may not have been on time because of the quality offspeed pitches.” He has been working and talking a lot with Kernels’ pitching coach JP Martinez about putting hitters away. “We discussed getting to the kill counts (0-2,1-2) and putting them away when I have the chance. Too many times I can look back on the season and remember times when I didn't put guys away when I had the chance and it came back to bite me. So I tried to take advantage of those situations.” He ran into some trouble in the sixth. He got two outs, but gave up two runs in the inning. His final line was two runs on three hits over 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out seven. Ryan Mason got the final out of the sixth inning, worked a clean seventh, and struck out two of the four batters he faced. Colton Davis struck out two over the final two innings. Diaz and Morrison were both 2-4 with a homer. Christian Cavaness went 2-5. Travis Blankenhorn’s 13th double drove in two. Caleb Hamilton went 1-3 with a walk. He also stole his first base. It was a nice win for a team that is still learning itself and coming together, according to Morrison. "It was very important just for the team morale. Winning was something the team did a lot of in the first half! Now that we have a bunch of new players. I think we are just as capable to do so, just have to come together as quick as possible!" E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 12, Kingsport 10 (12 innings) Box Score This was about as wild a game as you’ll see. It went back and forth, and needed some extra frames, but the E-Twins came out on top in the end. It looked a little questionable in the ninth. The Twins had a four-run lead, but they gave up four to send it to extra innings. According to Elizabethton left fielder (and third baseman) Trey Cabbage, "Good crowd tonight, so that always makes it fun, but our guys just love to go out and compete." In the top of the 12th, Andrew Bechtold gave the Twins an 11-10 lead, singling home Javier who was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Next up was Jose Miranda who had a special night. He came into that at bat 4-6 and needing only a triple for the cycle. He almost got it. He drove in Bechtold and tried to turn it into a triple, but he was thrown out. The Twins were able to hold on to their lead in the bottom of the 12th to win the game. Jose Miranda certainly led the way. He went 5-7 with two doubles (three on season), a home run and four RBI. He was leading off. The Twins second hitter was Trey Cabbage. He also drove in four runs. He went 2-5 with a walk, and a big three-run homer. It was his second homer of the season. They had RBI opportunities because Andrew Bechtold had a breakout game batting ninth. He recorded his first three professional hits in a 3-5 night. He also walked and scored four runs. Rainis Silva had two hits. Wander Javier was 1-3 with two walks, a HBP and his third double. Cabbage takes a pretty simple approach with him to the plate for each plate appearance. "At the plate, I just try to do damage every time up to help us get into the best position to win." Along with his offense, Cabbage also threw out a base runner at the plate. It wasn’t all good news. Brent Rooker returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games. He went 0-6 with four strikeouts, the Golden Sombrero. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 0 Box Score In the bottom of the first inning, Akil Baddoo led off with a double. He scored when the next batter, Royce Lewis, knocked him in with a double. It was the second of the season for both of them. Two outs later, 17-year-old Victor Tademo hit his first home run of the season. That gives him the same number that he hit last season in 51 games in the Dominican Summer League. Later, Tademo added his first double of the season as well. That was it for the offense, so it’s a good thing they got some nice pitching performances. Vadim Balan has already thrown six innings over two appearances so far this year. On Friday, his younger brother Petru Balan made his first start as a pro, and it went well. The left-hander went the first four innings without giving up a run. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out five. Jose Bermudez came on and struck out three over the next three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked one. Lefty Matt Jones pitched for the first time this year. The 2016 draft pick recorded the save with two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out three. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jose Miranda, Elizabethton Twins SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (5:35 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Chattanooga @ Mississippi (6:00 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker Elizabethton @ Danville (6:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday’s games. Click here to view the article