Seth Stohs

So far today, we've learned that: RHP Logan Lombana moved up from EST to CR. LHP Andrew Vasquez moves up from CR to FM. RHPs Nick Anderson and Randy LeBlanc moved up from FM to Chat. With two players moving up to Chattanooga, it's most likely that two players are moving up from Chattanooga... One of them is Rosario moving up to the Twins... possible a reliever moving up to Rochester to fill Wimmers' spot.

It's good to see Rosario come up. I think he can be part of the future. Incredible stuff. Not sure he's ready, but he's been pitching GREAT for the last month in Chattanooga. Melotakis was great in April, but he's struggled a bit in May. Had a stretch of three straight games in which he gave up 1-3 runs. He'll be up too at some point. And yes, very nice to have Thorpe and Gonsalves (And Wells) back!

While it's possible that he could move back to being a starter, the decision was made this spring to move him to the bullpen... http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/tyler-jay-shifting-to-the-bullpen-minor-league-notebook-r5435

Today, we continue to look at and update my midseason Top 40 Minnesota Twins prospects rankings. In Part 1 I shared my choices for prospects 31-40. Part 2 was prospects 21-30. Earlier this week, we entered the Top 20 with my selections for Twins Prospects 16-20. Yesterday, in Part 4, we discussed Twins prospects 11 through 15. Today, we jump into the Top 10 with my choices for Twins prospects six through ten. Below you’ll find brief profiles on those five prospects, and we certainly welcome your questions and discussion in the forum.In this group, there is another variety of prospects. A couple were signed to big deals, one as a high draft pick, one as a big international signing. One arrived in a trade. One was a later-round draft pick who has put together an impressive resume while working his way up the ladder. We also find prospects who are at four different levels of the organization. There are definitely a couple of players in this group with major upside, and a couple of others that profile as reliable, long-term big leaguers. Of course, only time will tell what they become, but these are five worth watching closely. 10. Travis Blankenhorn, 3B, 20 Blankenhorn was the Twins third-round draft pick in 2015 out of high school in Pennsylvania. He was an athletic shortstop in high school, though it was known that shortstop wouldn’t be his long-term position. He played mostly third base that season in the GCL and Elizabethton. In 2016, he transitioned some to second base. He hit well in E-Town and moved up to Cedar Rapids for the final month. That’s where he has begun his 2017 season, though he is back at third base and reports have generally been fairly positive on his defense. But it is his offense that people tend to be most excited about. In 49 games so far this year, he’s hitting .230/.320/.362 (.682) with nine doubles and four home runs. Blankenhorn has the size, strength and athleticism to make adjustments. His big leg kick can help with his timing and provide some extra power. However, his timing is still a work-in-progress as he has struck out in about 25% of his plate appearances. Preseason Ranking: 7 Pre-2016 Ranking: 20 9. Tyler Jay, LH RP, 23 Jay was the Twins first-round pick in 2015, sixth overall, out of the University of Illinois where he pitched nearly exclusively out of the bullpen. The Twins drafted him knowing that was a possibility, but with his four-pitch mix, many scouts and national rankers (including Keith Law) believed he could transition to being a starter. And, it’s very possible that he could have. However, this spring, the Twins announced that he would be moving to the bullpen, and that it was a mutual decision. Most believed that it is what Jay wanted to do and was most comfortable with the role. Late in spring training, he had some biceps tendinitis. He just returned to game-action with the Lookouts a week ago and has pitched in two games so far. As a reliever, Jay has a chance to have an very strong fastball, reaching into the upper 90s. He also has a very strong slider that can be a wipe-out pitch. He also has a changeup and a curveball. With his pitch mix, and healthy, he has a chance to be an elite bullpen arm… at some point, probably in 2018. Preseason Ranking: 5 Pre-2016 Ranking: 9 8. LaMonte Wade, OF, 23 Wade was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2015 out of the University of Maryland. Most believe that he would have been drafted much higher if not for an injury that cost him most of his junior season. Wade’s stock as a prospect has continued to rise. It is under two years since Wade was drafted, and he’s already in AA Chattanooga. In 48 games, he is hitting .294/.419/.421 (.840) with seven doubles and four home runs. Wade has consistently shown a great approach at the plate. He knows the strike zone very well. He walks more than he strikes out. He also attacks the ball when he does see pitches he likes. While he hasn’t hit a lot of home runs in his career, he does have a lot of power, but that part of his game is still developing. For now he’s a gap-to-gap doubles type of hitter. Defensively, he has played a lot of center field since signing. He has good speed, though he is best in a corner. He should spend the full season in Chattanooga, though if there’s a need in Rochester, he could be summoned. Preseason Ranking: 14 7. Wander Javier, SS Javier signed a huge, $4 million bonus with the Twins in July of 2015. Last year, he made his debut in the DSL where he played well, but was limited to just nine games by hamstring injuries. Still, he came to the States for spring training this year and made a strong impression. While it is likely he starts the season with the GCL Twins, he could spend time in Elizabethton too if things go well. Javier, as an 18-year-old is all about the tools. It was those tools that got him such a big bonus and puts him this high on the prospect rankings. He has good size, but he’s got quickness to play shortstop. Most believe he can stay there, which factored into the bonus. He can hit, and although he’s not big now, he has the potential to keep growing and become a 15-20 home run guy. He’s got a good arm too. This is probably a pretty conservative ranking as after playing in the short season later this summer, it is likely he could move up quickly. Preseason Ranking: 8 6. Adalberto Mejia, LHP, 23 Mejia came to the Twins last July from the Giants organization in the Eduardo Nunez trade. The Dominican has had an interesting career already. He served a 50-game PED suspension a couple of seasons ago, and he’s been on some Top 100 lists. Since coming to the Twins, Mejia has impressed. A burly left-hander, Mejia has all the pitches to be a long-time starting pitcher in the big leagues. He’s got a good fastball that he throws from angles at times and at different speeds. The same is true of his offspeed pitches, a couple of breaking balls and a changeup. We have seen Meija in a couple of stints in the big leagues. As you would expect, he’s had ups and downs. He made the Opening Day roster and struggled with command early. His pitch counts rose quickly. He had one great start, a spot start in game 2 of a double header. He came back a week later and struggled again to provide innings. But a look at this stuff and makeup and it’s easy to get excited about what Mejia can be for the Twins in the very near future. Preseason Ranking: 12 Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the Top 5 Twins prospects, but for today, discuss and ask questions about prospects six through ten, or even six through 40. Click here to view the article

It might be an exaggeration to say that there were more transactions on Wednesday throughout the Minnesota Twins system than hits in the Twins minor league system. The exaggeration would only be slight. The Twins recent bullpen struggles have forced GM Thad Levine and Twins Minor League Director Brad Steil to keep busy in recent days.On the field, there was a great pitching matchup in Birmingham that actually proved true. A pitching prospect to watch came back from a stint on the DL and impressed. Lewis Thorpe and Stephen Gonsalves both made their third starts since their returns. Find out everything and more that happened happened in the Twins system on Wednesday, starting with the transactions of the day. TRANSACTIONS Check out the transactions through the minor league system on Wednesday: Following another rough game for the Twins and specifically their bullpen, the Twins made a couple more moves. Ryan Pressly was optioned to Rochester, and Jason Wheeler was designated for assignment.Twins Daily has learned that Alex Wimmers will be joining the Twins in Anaheim on Thursday. He will need to be added to the 40-man roster, taking Wheeler’s spot. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Durham 5 Box Score Blake Snell began the 2017 season with the Rays after a solid 19 starts in his rookie season. However, he’s back in the International League. He started against the Red Wings on Wednesday night. The lefty gave up just one run on five hits and two walks in 6.2 innings of work. He struck out eight. Kennys Vargas had a double off of him. John Ryan Murphy went 1-2 with two walks in the game. Byungho Park went 1-3 with a walk. Yohan Pino made his first start for the Red Wings in this, his third stint with the organization. He gave up three runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out eight without issuing a walk. Adam Wilk came on and got the final seven outs but not before giving up two runs on four hits and two walks. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Montgomery 2 Box Score It was billed as a strong pitching matchup. Michael Kopech was on the mound for the Barons while Stephen Gonsalves was making his third start of the season for the Lookouts. Neither pitcher disappointed. The White Sox hurler gave up only an unearned run on four hits in 5.2 innings. He walked four and struck out ten. Gonsalves was up for the challenge. He was charged with two runs on three hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out eight. With one out in the fourth inning, Gonsalves gave up a solo home run to the Barons #3 hitter. The next batter hit a towering fly ball to right field, a ball that Ryan Strausborger never saw until it was about to hit the ground. It fell for a double. A single drove in their second run, a run that proved to be the game winner. The Lookouts managed just four hits. They walked five times, but they struck 17 times in the game. Nick Gordon went 1-3 with a walk and drove in the lone Lookouts run of the game on a line drive single to left. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Bradenton 1 Box Score Lewis Thorpe was back on the mound for the Miracle, his third start since coming back. The left-hander was the tough-luck loser in this game. He gave up only an unearned run on one hit over the first five innings. He walked two and struck out seven. Just 49 of his 84 pitches were strikes. The one unearned run was of his own doing. In the 4th, he walked the first batter and then had a throwing error, trying to pick off the runner. It was followed by a run-scoring single. Sam Clay came on and gave up two hits and two walks over two scoreless innings. He struck out four. Nick Anderson worked a perfect eighth inning. The Miracle managed only two hits in the game. They walked once and struck out ten times. Nelson Molina had the lone extra-base hit, his third double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 0 Box Score Tyler Wells returned to the Kernels after missing three weeks with biceps tendinitis. He came back strong. The right-hander threw four shutout innings. He gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out ten. 45 of his 74 pitches were strikes. Colton Davis came on and gave up one hit and two walks over two scoreless innings. He was followed by Alex Robinson who walked one and struck out two in his inning. Andrew Vasquez gave up a hit and struck out two in the eighth inning. Hector Lujan recorded his second save with two strikeouts in a perfect ninth. The Kernels had just four hits in the game. In fact, for the second straight game, they did not record their first hit until at least the sixth inning. Tonight, it was an infield single from Aaron Whitefield that broke up the no-hitter. He later scored on a Lewin Diaz sacrifice fly. Diaz added another RBI with his 20th double and scored on a wild pitch. 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 – Lewin Diaz, Cedar Rapids THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (6:05 CST) - LHP Nik Turley Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article

Ladendorf - fetched Orlando Cabrera. Bullock was traded for Scott Diamond, then got a 50-game suspension. Boer just wasn't very good... no addiction issues.

Do we think Garver has more upside than Grossman? Grossman is about a year older, but he's put up terrific numbers over that year. So, I'm not sure where the perceived upside is... Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Garver fan/supporter and would love to see him up, but Grossman's put up numbers in the big leagues that are higher than those put up by Garver in the minors (acknowledging and somewhat adjusting for Garver playing about half of the time so far this year)... I think people need to start realizing that Grossman is fairly good.

Most likely a 1-2 start stint. Maybe until Wheeler comes back.

I don't think they'd be top ten, maybe in a few, but I agree with your bigger point. The high-end guys are in the big leagues. Nick Gordon fits that category too. Gonsalves, Romero, Kirilloff could reach close to that level. And after that there are some young question marks and depth pieces... Guys like Diaz and Javier could take off. Graterol could take off. Thorpe could move up... But there are a lot of guys who can be big league contributors.

Gonsalves vs Kopech tonight.

I would say... Probably Not... That'll never happen again.

I like Lewis a lot too. Basically, I think I could be happy with Wright, Greene, Lewis or Gore at this point. But, as much as it would be great if he could stick at short, grabbing athletes who have played SS is always a good thing. I mean, just because they have Nick Gordon and Jermaine Palacios and Jorge Polanco, they're still (likely) to sign Jelfry Marte in July... If all of them were to pan out (unlikely as that is), some will have to move to 2B or 3B or LF or RF anyway... just giving them more athleticism around the diamond. So if they deem Lewis that high, I'll be fine with that.

As mentioned, it was after the 15 inning game. Did he deserve it? Not really. He was 0-8 that game, but he'd been doing fine. However, he was the only real option with an option remaining.

I can't answer that completely or accurately. I would think that the TJ rate for the Twins would be within an average range, but it definitely does seem like a lot. It would probably be worth longer investigation.

In 54 games in Rochester in 2016, he's struck out 38.6% of the time. In 41 games in Rochester in 2017, he's struck out 24.6% of the time.

Last week, I began review of my updated, midseason Top 40 Minnesota Twins prospects with Part 1 (31-40) and Part 2 (21-30). Yesterday, we entered the Top 20 with my selections for Twins Prospects 16-20. And today, in Part 4, I present my choices for Twins prospects 11 through 15. Below you’ll find brief profiles on those five prospects, and we certainly welcome your questions and discussion in the forum.This group of prospects is a little more experienced than most you’ll find. Four of these five players are at least in AA, with three of them spending most of this season in AAA, one step away from the big leagues. So grab some coffee and check out who is in this section. 15. Jermaine Palacios, SS, 20 While he has cooled off from his torrid April in which he was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month, Palacios has reclaimed his place as a top prospect in the organization. The Twins signed Palacios out of Venezuela in September of 2013. He burst on the scene in 2015 when he hit .421 in the GCL and .336 in Elizabethton as an 18-year-old. Last year, he went to Cedar Rapids and really struggled. Whether it was the adjustment to a full season or the weather in the Midwest League, Palacios hit just .222/.276/.287 (.564) in 71 games before being hit by a pitch ended his season. He is healthy and he returned to Iowa where he has put up strong numbers offensively while also playing a very solid defensive shortstop. Preseason Ranking: 32 Pre-2016 Ranking: 21 14. Zack Granite, OF, 24 It’s been an interesting year for Zack Granite. Consider he began the 2016 season in Chattanooga in large part due to an injury to Shannon Wilkerson. But, given that opportunity, he took off and had a terrific season, one commemorated by the Twins with their Minor League Player of the Year award. He hit .295/.347/.382 (.729) with 18 doubles, eight triples and four home runs. He also collected 56 stolen bases. The Twins 14th-round pick in 2013 out of Seton Hall, he was added to the Twins 40-man roster after last season. He made a great impression on teammates and his future manager during spring training. Unfortunately, he missed a little more than a month because of an oblique injury, but after a short rehab stint with the Miracle, he moved up to Rochester. He has hit .247 in his first 21 games since his return to the Red Wings. He has already stolen seven bases in AAA. Preseason Ranking: 25 13. Mitch Garver, C, 26 Since the Twins made him their ninth-round pick in 2013 after four years at the University of New Mexico, Garver has been a very good hitter. He was the Twins Daily choice for Minor League Hitter of the Year after a strong 2014 season in Cedar Rapids. He moved up to Ft. Myers in 2015. Last year he was a Southern League All- Star for the Lookouts in the first half, and he finished the season by hitting .329/.381/.434 (.815) in 22 games for the Red Wings. He was added to the Twins 40- man roster in the offseason and reported to his third big league spring training (first as a rostered participant). He was sent to Rochester where he had hit .256/.413/.463 (.877) with eight doubles and three homers in his first 26 games. His defense has steadily improved over the years to the point that he’s ready. Now it’s about opportunity as Jason Castro and Chris Gimenez are in the big leagues. He should see big league time in 2017. Preseason Ranking: 11 Pre-2016 Ranking: 24 Pre-2015 Ranking: 26 12. Felix Jorge, RHP, 23 Jorge signed with the Twins in February of 2011 out of the Dominican Republic. The Twins were able to sneak him past the Rule 5 draft following the 2015 season, but they didn’t try it again after a nice 2016 season. He started the season with Ft. Myers where he went 9-3 with a 1.55 ERA in 14 starts. He walked just 11 and struck out 77 in 93 innings. He moved up to Chattanooga where he went 3-5 with a 4.12 ERA in 11 starts. He has made nine starts this season with the Lookouts and gone 5-1 with a 3.48 ERA. Like Stewart, Jorge will need to figure out a way to miss more bats. He attacks the zone, sitting in the low-90s and touching 94 at times. He gets good movement on all of his pitches. He generally has thrown a lot of strikes. Ideally he can spend the full season at Chattanooga though a late season promotion to Rochester is possible. Preseason Ranking: 10 Pre-2016 Ranking: 22 Pre-2015 Ranking: NR Pre-2014 Ranking: 19 11. Daniel Palka, OF, 25 Palka came to the Twins from Arizona in the offseason following the 2015 season in exchange for catcher Chris Herrmann. He had a strong debut season in the Twins system and was named by Twins Daily as the Minor League Hitter of the Year. Between Chattanooga and Rochester, he hit .254/.327/.521 (.848) with 24 doubles and 34 home runs. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster in November and impressed the manager during his time in big league spring training. He is currently hitting .261/.316/.452 (.768) with six doubles and eight homers through 41 games. Unfortunately, he is now on the DL with a fractured left index finge and will be out for some time. He is another guy that we could see in 2017. Preseason Ranking: 15 Pre-2016 Ranking: 25 Starting soon, we’ll jump into the Top 10 Twins prospects. Feel free to discuss this group, your Top 10 or Top 20, and ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Agreed... It'd be like the Twins taking Hunter Greene and he doesn't become an Ace, maybe not even an MLB pitcher. That's how the draft works, especially with high school pitchers.

What inflated projections? I think ranking him this low says a lot.

I never said that they aren't out there... just that it's not really possible to know which one(s) will be good and which one(s) will fail.

That's what I said... I still think I have him too low... But, let's get him into some real games and by the season-ending rankings, I have little doubt he'll be in the top ten.

Free agent relievers are a crap shoot. They obviously aren't going to get the Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen or Mark Melancon types (though two of them have spent time on the DL already this year). Then there is that group of relievers each year that sign for between $2 and $6 million. Maybe 1/3 of them perform to hope... but figuring out which of them will be good or not good is impossible. As with most free agents, you're talking about 31-36 year olds, already on the downward plane of their careers... There are always a few good ones, but you never know which ones they'll be. Just my opinion... not claiming it's the right opinion. I know people can always find examples of free agents that were terrific. There are several of those. Maybe they should have brought back Anthony Swarzak this year? How would that have gone over with Twins fans this offseason? He's been remarkable for the White Sox.

Wheeler is just up (at least for now) for long relief right now. There really isn't a long reliever on the roster, so he could be it. Of course, he could get a start and Gibson could go to the bullpen too. After the 15-inning game, they needed some fresh arms. Of course, the assumption is that Santana and Berrios could give them some length to help, but you never know. Even the top aces occasionally don't get through 5 (or sometimes 2). Rucinski is just an arm. There's a reason he's 27-28, has had very little MLB time. He's filler. I would have gone to Busenitz or Hildenberger instead. I'd DFA Rucinski (and Boshers). I think both would clear, so they can stick in the organization.