Seth Stohs

Prospect rankings are always fun. I choose to update my personal Top 40 Twins prospect rankings before the draft, before an influx of 25 or so new prospects. Obviously the draft, particularly the #1 overall pick but also several others in the top rounds, will affect any organization’s rankings. When the season is complete I do a quick preliminary Top 50 rankings before diving deep into the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It is in that publication where you can find my “official” preseason rankings.Let’s take a quick look at my choices for Twins Prospect 31-40, and I certainly encourage your questions and any discussion on the players. (I have included my preseason rankings. Note that I do a Top 30 list in the Prospect Handbook, but I keep and update occasionally a ranking of all of the Twins prospects. However, for this, I will put NR if they were outside my Top 50.) 40. Alex Robinson, LH RP, 22 Robinson was the Twins fifth-round draft pick in 2015 out of Maryland.He spent the last two years at Elizabethton where he struck out 67 batters combined in 45 innings. So why was he there for two years? It might have something to do with the 50 walks. He’s worked hard to harness some incredible stuff, including a fastball that sits 96-97 and touches 98-99. He also has a slider that is nearly unhittable. He’s currently in the Cedar Rapids bullpen where he has seven walks and 28 strikeouts in 20 innings. Continued improvement of those two pitches as well as some semblance of command, and Robinson could be another dominant relief option. Preseason Ranking: NR 39. Mitchell Kranson, C/3B/1B/DH, 23 Kranson was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2016 out of Cal-Berkeley. Kranson is a hitter. That is what his position is. However, he has made himself valuable by being able to play all over the field. While he has DHd a lot, he’s also spent multiple games behind the plate, at first base and at third base this season. In college, he also played some in the outfield. In 38 games for the Kernels, he is hitting .262/.314/.421 (.735) with 12 doubles, a triple and three home runs. Kranson has a high baseball IQ as well, and his offseason demonstrates his drive to be better. He lost 25 pounds without losing any muscle. Preseason Ranking: NR 38. Mason Melotakis, LHP, 25 “Melo” was the Twins second-round draft pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State in Louisiana. He had a year as a starter before moving to the bullpen. And, soon after, his elbow required Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound for the 2016 season. He spent the year in Chattanooga. This season, he returned to Chattanooga where he didn’t give up a run for the first five weeks of the season. He has struggled more in the past two weeks, but his stuff is still good. He’s another lefty reliever who throws in the mid-90s with a strong slider. If needed, he can still work more pitches into the mix as well. (Here is a One To Watch story on Melotakis from Twins Fest 2015, shortly before his return from surgery) Preseason Ranking: 31 37. Jaylin Davis, OF, 22 Davis was the Twins 24th-round pick in 2015 out of Appalachian State. He likely would have been drafted about 15 rounds sooner if not for an injury that cost him the rest of that year. He returned to action last year and hit seven home runs in 12 games for Elizabethton. He then hit nine more homers in 52 games in Cedar Rapids. That’s where he started the 2017 season. In 46 games, he’s hitting .256/.309/.506 (.815) with six doubles and ten home runs (most in the Twins minor leagues so far this year). While he strikes out a lot, Davis has tremendous power. He’s actually become a real solid right fielder as well. He should get a midseason promotion to the Miracle. (Here is his Get to know ‘em Q&A) Preseason Ranking: 39 36. Eduardo Del Rosario, RHP, 22 Eduardo Del Rosario signed with the Twins way back in December of 2012 out of the Dominican Republic. He spent 2013 in the DSL, 2014 in the GCL. He split 2015 between the GCL and Elizabethton. Last year, before the short-season started, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids. He returned to the Kernels to start this season. He is currently 3-2 with a 4.69 ERA in eight starts and 40.1 innings. He’s got 43 strikeouts but also 18 walks. He’s listed at 6-0 and 145 pounds. He is more than 145 pounds, but he is very thin. He’s got a good, whip-like action in his delivery. He throws in the low 90s with a good slider/breaking ball and a decent changeup. He’ll have to keep improving those pitches, but the potential is there. Preseason Ranking: 44 35. Trevor Hildenberger, RHP, 25 Hildenberger was the Twins 22nd-round draft pick in 2014 after five years at Cal-Berkeley. He has been the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year the last two seasons, 2015and 2016. He is now with the Rochester Red Wings. In 16.2 innings, he has walked six and struck out 16 batters. The side-winding right-hander We’ve written a lot of words on this site about Hildenberger over the years, but now he is at the point where he’s nearly ready, and he’s just waiting for an opportunity. He could be a good seventh inning guy who could also pitch in the eighth frame. Preseason Ranking: 42 34. Tyler Wells, RHP, 22 Wells was the Twins 15th-round pick in 2016 out of Cal State San Bernadino. He made ten starts last year in Elizabethton and went 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA. In 47.1 innings, he struck out 59 and walked 17. He began this season in Cedar Rapids where he went 2-0 with a 2.65 ERA in six starts. In 34 innings, he has walked ten and struck out 45 batters. At 6-8 and 265 pounds, Wells is a big man, and can be somewhat intimidating on the mound. He’s got a fastball that sits 91-93 and touches 94 and even 95 at times. He’s also got a couple of breaking pitches that can be very good. A sharp slider and more of a 12-6 curveball. (Here is his Get To Know ‘Em Q&A from this past offseason.) Preseason Ranking: NR 33. Aaron Slegers, RHP, 24 Twice already this season, Aaron Slegers has taken a no-hitter through six innings. In his first AAA start, he threw six no-hit innings before being removed from the game due to pitch count. And he went into the eighth inning once before losing the no-hitter. Last night, he had yet another quality start. Slegers was the Twins’ fifth- round pick back in 2013 out of Indiana where he was the reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. He has moved up one level per year. In eight starts so far this year with Rochester, he is 4-3 with a 3.72 ERA. In 48.1 innings, he has nine walks and 34 strikeouts. Slegers sits 90-93 but he has hit 94 and 95 on occasions. At 6-10, Slegers has smooth mechanics and good control. (Here is the story on Slegers discussing his big league spring training.) Preseason Ranking: 36 Pre-2016 Ranking: 28 32. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, 18 The Twins used their fifth-round pick in 2016 on the St. Martin Secondary School in Mississauga high school in Ontario, Canada. After signing, he went to the GCL and made eight appearances including six starts. He went 2-1 with a 1.97 ERA. In 32 innings, he walked just five (though he also hit seven) and struck out just 16. But reports on him were glowing. Observers saw a fastball that could reach up to 94-95 mph with good secondary pitches. He also was described as having a bulldog like attitude on the mound. Still so young, at 6-4 and 175 pounds, Balazovic has plenty of projection remaining. (Here is his Get to Know ‘Em Q&A) Preseason Ranking: 30 31. Randy Rosario, LH RP, 23 Rosario signed with the Twins in August of 2010. He had Tommy John surgery after just three starts in Cedar Rapids in 2014. He missed the remainder of that season. He did return to the Kernels midway through the 2015 season and flashed a fastball that touched 96-97 mph. It was enough to get added to the 40-man roster. He pitched to mixed results last year in Ft. Myers. He throws hard and has a good slider, but he didn’t rack up many strikeouts. He came to spring training this year and was moved to the bullpen full time, something he was happy about. With the big fastball and sharp slider, it’s a great role for him. He’s pitched well this season in AA Chattanooga. (Here is his Get To Know ‘Em Q&A from late 2015.) Preseason Ranking: 33 Pre-2016 Ranking: 19 So there you have it, the start to my personal midseason Top 40 Twins prospect rankings. Today’s installment covered my choices for Twins prospects 31-40. Over the next week or two, there’ll be several more installments until we reach #1. Hopefully you will enjoy the series and will leave comments and discuss the prospects mentioned and the order they are in. Click here to view the article

Ft. Myers had their game postponed. The three Minnesota Twins affiliates did all play each received a quality start from their starting pitcher. That’s always good, at least enough to keep a team in a game until late. John Curtiss kept a streak going. And, Tommy Watkins experienced a first as a manager. To find out what it was, well, you’ll just have to keep reading.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 their afternoon game on Wednesday, the Kernels announced that Tyler Beardsley was placed on the disabled list with right elbow bursitis. Also, OF Shane Carrier was sent down to extended spring training with OF Hank Morrison coming up to Cedar Rapids from EST.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 5, Durham 6 Box Score Mitch Garver got things going early for the Red Wings with his third home run of the season. The solo homer gave them a 1-0 lead. Aaron Slegers gave up two in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Red Wings put together a rally. RBI doubles from Matt Hague, Niko Goodrum and Mitch Garver gave the Red Wings the lead. In the seventh, Niko Goodrum hit a sacrifice fly to score Engelb Vielma and give them a 5-2 lead. Aaron Slegers was strong again on this night. The right-hander went six innings and gave up just two runs on six hits. He struck out five without allowing a walk. Alan Busenitz came on and pitched a scoreless seventh inning. He started the eighth frame and got two outs. He left the game with a runner on first base. Buddy Boshers came on and gave up an RBI double. Boshers exited, replaced by Drew Rucinski. He gave up a run-scoring single followed by a two-run homer, and the Red Wings were down 6-5, then game’s final score. Alex Wimmers pitched a perfect ninth inning. Mitch Garver led the offense. He went 3-4 with his seventh double and third home run. Matt Hague was 2-5 with his sixth double. Byungho Park went 2-3 with a walk and his sixth double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Montgomery 0 Box Score The Lookouts got tremendous pitching through this shutout. Fernando Romero started and threw six scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out five. Luke Bard came on and struck out four over the next two innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. John Curtiss recorded his eighth save, had two strikeouts in the ninth and kept his ERA for the year at 0.00. There wasn’t a lot of offense for the Lookouts either in this game. In fact, they scored both of their runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out, Ryan Walker singled and Nick Gordon doubled him to third. Edgar Corcino came up and singled in both runs. The double was Gordon’s 12th of the season. TJ White went 1-2 with a walk and his third double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, Dunedin (Postponed) Box Score Rain forced the postponement of Wednesday night’s game in Dunedin. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Clinton 3 Box Score The Kernels played a matinee game at home against Clinton on Wednesday. Clark Beeker put together another quality start. The right-hander gave up two runs (one earned) on six hits. He struck out two without a walk. However, when he left, the Kernels were down 2-0. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Brandon Lopez doubled. Ben Rortvedt struck out, but the ball eluded the catcher and he reached first base. They took advantage of that wild pitch when Aaron Whitefield tripled to score both runs and tie the game. Alex Robinson came on and put two zeroes on the board. He struck out three. But after getting the first out of out the ninth, he gave up a walk and a single. Hector Lujan came on and gave up a single to load the bases. He then got a ground ball. Jermaine Palacios fielded the ball, threw to second base for the force out, allowing the lead runner to score. The throw was made to first base where the runner was safe, but when a second runner tried to score, he was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Lopez led the offense. He went 3-4 with his third double. Ariel Montesino was 2-5. Lewin Diaz hit his 17th double. Whitefield’s two-run triple was his third of the season. It was an early game, and it came to an end early for manager Tommy Watkins who was ejected in the first inning for the first time as a manager. He was arguing an out call on an attempted steal of second by Ariel Montesino. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mitch Garver, Rochester Red Wings THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Durham @ Rochester (10:05 a.m. CST) - RHP Nick Tepesch (GAME POSTPONED BY RAIN) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Ryan Eades Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (DH at 4:05 CST) - RHP Brady Anderson Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - RHP Eduardo Del Rosario Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday’s games. Click here to view the article

Rortvedt is the Kernels' primary catcher, but when I was there I asked Tommy Watkins how nice it was to have guys like Hamilton and Mitchell Kranson who can catch pretty well and play around the diamond. Here is his response: Hamilton never caught until instructional league last fall. He's solid back there. He played all around the infield at Oregon State, and he's played a lot in LF for the Kernels. There's a ton of value in that.

Of that group, probably Wheeler. Slegers is the "prospect," but Wheeler's done pretty well the last year and a half and deserves a shot.

Earlier this week, we posted Part 1 of a Q&A with Burnsville High School's Sam Carlson. The right-handed pitcher and outfielder is believed to be a mid-to-late first round pick on June 12. The questions in Part 2 of the Q&A are different than part 1, so continue reading to learn more about the hard-throwing right-hander. His team's playoffs start on Thursday, so we can watch them through their playoff run.Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in Burnsville, did you get to a lot of Twins games? Who have been some of your favorite players to watch? Sam Carlson (SC): Yes. Growing up I loved watching the Twins. When I was in elementary school, I was obsessed with Joe Mauer. My parents brought me to a clinic one time where I had the chance to hit with him using his "Joe Mauer Quick swing" machine. He was my role model growing up. SS: How has the 2017 Burnsville season been? What is the outlook for your team as you head into the playoffs? SC: - Our season has been a lot of fun. This is an end to a time where I get to play baseball with my closest friends who I have grown up playing with. Coming into the playoffs we have high hopes, just like any year. We have a really good shot at making a run and bringing home a championship. We just have to be ourselves and play our game like we have been. SS: How has your season been gone personally, both on the mound, in the field and with the bat? SC: Personally, I felt like I have performed pretty well. In the end, none of my personal goals mean anything unless they are helping the team win games. I believe that I have helped aid our team both on the mound with consistent pitching and at the plate with some flare, leading us to a lot of fun victories. SS: How many summers have you spent playing in national circuit tournaments such as Perfect Game? Is it something you recommend for other talented players in high school? SC: The summer circuit is a blast. This past summer, playing at TOS, Atlanta WWBA, Area Code and having an opportunity to play for a spot on Team USA was a blast. I would totally recommend this to all players because you only get one shot to live up these opportunities. SS: Have you played with or against some of the other top high school talent in the 2017 draft, like Hunter Green, Royce Lewis, MacKenzie Gore or Shane Baz? SC: I played with Shane Baz and against Royce Lewis and Hunter Greene at the USA Baseball 40 man trials. They are all extremely great young talents that I enjoyed playing with and against. SS: At what point did you start to see scouts in the stands, and for those of us who haven’t experienced that, what goes through your mind, or how do you put that out of mind? SC: Over time you get used to the scouts being there. It is pretty cool for the first couple of times during the summer circuit but you get used to it. It's a special feeling knowing they are there to see you perform after all of the hard work you have put in behind the scenes. SS: When you’re pitching well, what pitches do you throw and what is the key to your success? What would you call your out-pitch? SC: I am extremely comfortable with all of my pitches to the point where depending on the batter, any one of them can be an out-pitch. SS: What was it about Florida that made you commit to the SEC powerhouse? I assume that you had plenty of good options. SC: Being on campus at Florida was something that I fell in love with. The great baseball program, the academics and weather were very intriguing to me. I grew up a Gators fan for one reason or another and after seeing Logan Shore go there. it felt like it was meant to be. SS: Do you read draft profiles and player rankings to see where your name is? And, how does it feel to be called things like “the best draft prospect from Minnesota since Joe Mauer?” SC: Sometimes I come upon things, but I do not worry about them at all. I just try to perform and compete every time I step on the field. It is an honor to have that said about me, but I have a long road ahead. I still have a lot to prove. SS: How have you been able to be a “regular high school kid” (homework, prom, etc.)? SC: Yes I have. My last year of high school has been really fun. I had a great time with all of my friends at Prom this year. I also have really enjoyed all of the time with my friends and family. SS: Do you participate in other sports or school activities throughout the year? SC: I do not play in any sports since I have been focused on training for baseball year round. SS: As the draft approaches, how do you balance the idea of going to a top college baseball program versus signing a professional baseball contract? SC: I try not to worry about it. When the time comes, I will know what I am doing and be very happy about my decision. SS: Who are some of the people in your life who have helped you get to where you are today as a player and person? SC: I want to credit Ty McDevitt, Alec Crawford, Adam Barta, Joe Loftus, Justin Gominsky, Brent Peters and Eddie Gerald for being some of the most influential coaches in my life. My parents and community have helped shape me into the person I am today and I am very thankful to have all of their support for the past couple of years. We would like to thank Sam Carlson for taking time out of his schedule. Burnsville's playoff run starts on Thursday. The draft is coming up. He's a busy young man, but in less than a month, he will have a big decision, though a decision without a downside. Best wishes to Sam Carlson in the playoffs, in the draft and going forward. Click here to view the article

Probably not, but he certainly could... That said, he'll need a bunch more doubles.

Before his quad injury in mid-August last year, his OPS for the season was .801... With proper rest, I think he could do it...

I know, or I assume, that you aren't saying this, but so many out there seem to think and expect Mauer to get back to the days of hitting .340.. That isn't going to happen, but if he can be in the .280/.360/.440 (.800), that would be good.

Yeah, I was thinking about this the other day... it's fun to look at the lines and see where they lead. I didn't include a couple of the players in the below (since they didn't effect the line), but still fun.

No question about this... It isn't as evident now as it was when he was leading and working more with pitching staffs.

The point of this article isn't to say that he's turned some corner... It really was mainly to illustrate that despite the bad numbers in April, a deeper dive shows that there was reason for optimism, reason to believe that he could take off again. I have no idea what he'll do the rest of the year. We'll see. I agree with above that noted that he has probably been helped by the rain outs. I do think it's going to be important to give him days off. While I think he's a better player now than Vargas, and I think Mauer would be fine against most lefties, but to keep his legs strong, they have to give him the time off.

Trust the process. When ballplayers get off to slow starts, that can become a cliche, a catchphrase to talk themselves down a little bit from their early struggles. Joe Mauer's stats at the end of the season's first month were not good, but a deeper dive showed that things were likely to get better. They have.At the end of April, Joe Mauer was hitting a career-low .225/.271/.275 with just four extra base hits. Fans panicked again. Everyone whined and complained about the $23 million man. But Mauer, true to who he is, took it in stride. With his performance so far in May, it’s easy to understand why. On May 1, Pioneer Press scribe Mike Berardino wrote an article titled “Joe Mauer shrugs off worst April in his Minnesota Twins career.” Mauer was quoted as saying, “I’ve been feeling pretty good. I just really haven’t had a whole lot of results here early. I think it’s just been frustrating because I’ve been making some good contact and just not having any results from it. That’s baseball. Hopefully that shifts soon.” That was true. As Berardino pointed out, there were several indicators that Mauer’s process was solid. For instance, he was putting the ball in play, a lot. He wasn’t striking out much at all. When he did make contact, he was hitting a very high percentage of line drives. His exit velocity was second on the team behind only Miguel Sano’s league-leading numbers. Mauer’s Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) was just .243, almost 100 points below his career average, and about 60 points lower than his career low. In other words, his process at the plate was fine. His numbers were just hurt by the effects of small sample size, defensive shifts and some bad luck. However, Mauer trusted the process. He likely made a few adjustments. For instance, his walk rate has returned to where it has been in his career. He’s seeing more pitches again, which has always been a good thing for him. He has continued to hit a lot of line drives. He continues to have an average exit velocity over 90 mph. And the results have shown that things would even out a little bit over time. In 16 games so far in May, Mauer is hitting .345/.446/.527 (.973) with four doubles and two home runs, including his first career walk off homer. Want more? Check out this tweet: Mauer also said at the end of a frustrating April, “I feel like I’m striking the ball pretty well. You’ve got to try to stick with the process, and hopefully those results change.” Trust the process. Listen, at 34 years old, Joe Mauer isn’t suddenly going to be putting up numbers like he did when he was 26 years old, back when those numbers he put up in May were pretty close to the numbers he put up for a season. Back when he became the first American League catcher ever to win not one, but three, batting titles. To expect him to still be that player would be unfair. And that’s true even if he hadn’t suffered the concussions he has. And it would be true if he was still catching. But it’s time for Twins fans to start realizing what we have seen in Joe Mauer since his debut as a 20-year-old back in 2004. He’s one of the top five hitters in Minnesota Twins’ history, a history that is approaching 60 seasons. We almost forget the Gold Gloves he won behind the plate, or how good he has become at first base now. In the Bible (Luke 4:24), it says, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown.” Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe Minnesotans would appreciate Joe Mauer more if he did play somewhere else. But he’s chosen to stay in Minnesota through the good and the bad in his career. Twins fans loved him until the injuries, and when the injuries (knee surgeries and concussions) started affecting his numbers, many Twins fans turned on him. And it’s too bad. My hope is that when Mauer’s playing career is done, that he is treated with as much admiration and respect as the other greats in Minnesota Twins history are. I hope that he’s treated as well as Tony Oliva, Rod Carew and Kent Hrbek are. When you consider all he’s done on the field and in the community, Joe Mauer deserves that. Click here to view the article

Ben Rortvedt was the Minnesota Twins’ second-round draft pick one year ago. He may be struggling at the plate with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, but he has become a trusted man behind the plate for Tommy Watkins and the Kernels pitching staff. Consider that just over a year ago, he was going to prom and graduating from high school. Recently, we caught up with the talented catcher to talk about the beginning of his season, his pre-pro baseball experiences and much more.Rortvedt grew up and played his high school ball at Verona Area High School in Verona, Wisconsin. It is a small city about ten miles south and west of Madison. He began this season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and their season-opening series was in Beloit, a 60-mile drive for his friends and family. The weather in April in the Midwest League can be unpredictable. While there can be some really nice days, there are seemingly always a handful of games where the temperatures approach freezing by the end. Being from Wisconsin might seem to be an advantage for Rortvedt, but that’s not necessarily the case. Rortvedt said, “Ft. Myers gets you accustomed to warm weather. Even being from up here, cold is cold. I’m just from here, so I learned how to tolerate it. But everyone is cold. You just have to put it behind you.” Rortvedt had split his time between Verona and Ft. Myers during the winter. He noted, “I went back and forth. Since all my friends were in school, I was kind of by myself. I went back home for a while to visit my family. I went down to Florida twice and work out. I got into some warm weathers with some of the players.” When he was back in Wisconsin, he stayed busy, working out and working on his catching with friends in the baseball industry. He spent quite a bit of time in Milwaukee. “I went up to Milwaukee and worked out with one of my friends who plays for the Dodgers. I was was with someone else who is in the same circle as me.” That friend was Gavin Lux, the Los Angeles Dodgers first-round draft pick in 2016, 20th overall, from Kenosha, WI. That’s right, two prep players from Wisconsin schools were selected very early in the draft. “People are starting to realize (baseball is pretty good in Wisconsin). Colleges and scouts are working their way up there since the showcase circuit has expanded more. It’s not always that people have been bad from Wisconsin, it’s just that they’re seen more now.” And that’s how Rortvedt was seen. He played for the high school team, but he was part of the national showcase circuit as well. “I played for a pretty good travel team. After people saw me play pretty well with the travel team, I got invited to showcases and similar events. I went along with it. Playing on the good travel team that I did opened other doors.” And that’s what it’s all about, according to Rortvedt, “Visibility. People don’t just go to a Wisconsin high school game. We get like 25 people at every game, and it’s mostly just parents. You have to get out and be at the right place at the right time.” It’s been a tough start for Rortvedt offensively. Following an 0-2 on May 15, Rortvedt was hitting just .108. In his last four starts, he has gone 6-15 (.400) to raise his average to .151. As you would expect from a guy one year removed from high school, he hasn’t struggled like this at the plate in his life. “I’ve never struggled like I have before. I’m just to keep my confidence where it is. I’m just trying to make adjustments every day. My confidence is getting better at the plate. I’m not missing baseballs. I’m not striking out. I’m just hitting balls into the ground, hitting them at people. They’ll find holes eventually, and I’m just going to stick with the process right now.” As I noted, he’s had multi-hit games in three of his past four starts. Maybe it’s the start of the turnaround. He will hit in time. For right now, he is doing his part by being a tremendous player behind the plate. In-person observations showed me that he has a very strong arm. He sets up well and gets rid of the ball quickly. But despite his youth (he won’t turn 20 until the end of September), he has really good leadership skills. He works very well with the Kernels pitchers, guys three or four years older than he is. Rortvedt calls it ongoing learning. “I’ve been learning a lot. Right now, being younger, learning how to call the game and that aspect. Working for the pitchers and making them feel comfortable. And trying to keep the running game in check as much as I can back there for them. If they’re doing well, I take that in stride. We’re doing well.” Last year after the draft, Rortvedt began in the GCL, but spent the final month in Elizabethton. That’s where he worked with most of the guys that he is now catching with the Kernels. “I got to learn them from a different standpoint and learn their stuff. Even though I saw them in spring training, I kind of knew how they were from last year.” Defense is a strength of his game, and he takes pride in it. He’s been behind the plate for a long time, “since eighth grade.” He’s worked hard to improve behind the plate, but it’s also been a lot of work. And now as a pro, he’s able to work with more people. “I just started learning from people. Some who was also around the program I was in was Marcus Hanel. He is the Brewers bullpen catcher. This offseason, I caught a little bit with AJ Ellis, who was with the Dodgers and now is with the Marlins.” He continued, discussing his offseason workouts. “”That’s why I went to Milwaukee. We would catch probably five days a week and work on our craft.” When he was back home, he worked just as hard. “If I wasn’t catching with them, my dad and I had a pitching machine and throwing. We did everything on our own probably four to five days a week, receiving, blocking balls in the dirt, that kind of stuff. You don’t always need a coach. You can be your own coach and try to get better every day.” His parents have been a huge influence on him. “I’ve had a bunch of really good coaches. I have to give all the credit to my parents for allowing me to do what I have and taking me everywhere.” He also highlighted his summer coach, RJ Fergus, and his high school coach, Brad Durazo “who was really helpful.” He also noticed that there was so many people that helped him get to this point that he figured he’d better not attempt to mention them all by name. And now, Rortvedt is getting coaching from the Kernels pitching staff. Tommy Watkins is his manager. His hitting coach is Brian Dinkelman. While he is a hitter, he also spends a ton of time working and communicating with pitching coach JP Martinez. He said, “(The coaching staff is) very approachable, which is always awesome. I almost talk to JP more than he talks to his pitchers. We always feed off each other. He always says that you can call me the quarterback and he’s the offensive coach. I’m pretty much his mind on the field. I try to stick to his plan, and if it’s not working, we’ll talk about it. I just go out there and try to perform.” Like all catchers in the Twins system, Rortvedt calls the game for and with the pitchers. He says that is part of his and the pitchers’ development. If there are disagreements, the coaches will speak with the catchers between innings. Manager Tommy Watkins has a high level of confidence in Rortvedt. He knows there is work to be done, but he keeps putting his name in the lineup most games because he believes in his defense now, and what his offense can be in time. He fully understands just how young Rortvedt is relative to the league. “I don’t think it’s a big deal. Ben is young. He’s got some learning to do. We’ve all got some learning to do. You can tell he’s young at times, but he does a good job for his age. Dink and I tell him that if we were in this league at 19, we’d have no shot. So, what he’s done is pretty good. So we try to just keep explaining to him not to get down on himself and it’s a process. You’ve got to work the process. Older guys have been through it a bit more. Think about it, Ben was in high school a year ago.” Overall, Rortvedt is enjoying the pro baseball life, and he’s glad to be with the Kernels. “Full season ball. Road trips. It’s a lot more of what you expect from pro ball instead of in Florida, waking up early. You get to sleep in, and play at night in front of some fans, which is cool.” He also happens to think that this Cedar Rapids team has a chance to do a lot of winning this season, and so far, they are leading their division in the first half. How good can his team be? “Really good. We have pitchers who can throw strikes. Our bullpen, when they’re on, they’re unhittable. They’re nasty. And the hitters, when they’re hitting, we can all rake. When all the pieces of the puzzle come together, I don’t think anybody’s going to beat us.” And probably to no one’s surprise, Rortvedt’s goals for the remainder of the 2017 season are more team than individual in nature. “No matter how I’m doing, just win games. Help the team win games. Just add some value to the team, offensively and defensively. Just be a team player.” Rortvedt certainly displays the tools behind the plate to become a plus defender. While the offense has started out slowly, he’s got an approach and the strength to be a productive hitter as well. There is good reason why he was found quite high on many Twins prospect rankings before the season. It will be fun to watch him continue to develop the rest of 2017 and for the next few years. Click here to view the article

Carlson was profiled by Baseball America's Hudson Belinsky and that article appears today: http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/sam-carlson-climbing-up-draft-boards-mlb-draft-2017/#B1j72IqtzjMhufDr.97

It was his first blown save of the season. Sometimes it's good to get that bad outing out of the way, come back strong and then get promoted.

Fielding percentage at 2B is .948, and at SS it is .949. Last year at SS, he was at .952. Reports have been good. He has risen up prospect rankings in my opinion.

He was pretty bad at Ft. Myers a year ago, and then his season ended early with injury. No problem having him repeat. He's been good offensively. Huge question mark defensively though. Also, TJ White just moved up to Chattanooga after starting on the DL. Let's see how he does over the next month and then something could happen to move Paul up.

The last two seasons have been a whirlwind for Aaron Whitefield. Recently, I had the chance to spend some time with Whitefield to talk about several topics. We talked a bit about his softball career and how and when he turned to baseball. How did the Twins find him and sign him? We talked about his approach at the plate, where he likes to play on the field, and who has helped him get to this point. With his background and athleticism, Whitefield has become one of the most intriguing prospects in the Twins system.Aaron Whitefield may want to read The Road Less Traveled. Why? His path to prospect status is a bit different than any other's. Than most. Maybe different than any. As you know from our original Get To Know ‘Em interview, Whitefield grew up playing softball, not baseball. Whitefield said, “My dad grew up playing softball. So did my mom. So I grew up on a softball field. Everyone says that I was pretty much born on a softball field. So baseball was never really the future for me.” Consider this, he did not play baseball until he was 17 years old. Instead, he grew up playing several sports. None of them was baseball. He said, “I played a lot of other sports like track, touch football, rugby, AFL, so I did every other sport but baseball.” He wasn’t just playing fast-pitch softball. He was thriving, playing for Australia in international competitions. “I didn’t play softball until juniors, when I was 13 or 14, and then I went to softball with my family and fell in love with it. We went to the World Series in Argentina.” When he came home, he was noticed by a baseball scout. “Somehow a scout from Cincinnati said ‘Hey, would you mind having a tryout with us?’ I was like, ‘Why not? I’ve got nothing to lose.’ We threw a baseball around. I was horrible. I couldn’t do what he said. (He told me to) go do a year of baseball and we’ll come back and look at you.” There aren’t necessarily a lot of people from his area of Australia in pro ball. Whitefield mentioned his friend Connor MacDonald, a first baseman in the Astros system. “It was a pretty big thing (when MacDonald signed) because no one in my area really signed for baseball. I was looking into it. My dad was like, ‘Why don’t you give it a go? You’ve got nothing to lose.’ So I played a year. I was a shortstop then, and I got a Gold Glove at our national event. Got looked at by scouts.” Unfortunately, he had a shoulder injury and had to sit out a year. “When I returned, my agent put me in a tournament. He told me ‘No one will see you. Just get your rhythm back.’ Twins scout Howie (Norsetter) came to the tournament. He offered me and I took advantage. I haven’t looked back since. I was 17. At that time I was still playing both (softball and baseball). When the Twins signed me is when I stopped playing softball completely.” What did he know about the Twins before signing? Did he know any of the players? How about the Australians in the Twins organization? “Didn’t know Jimmy Beresford. Didn’t know Logan Wade until I started playing here. He lives maybe 20 to 30 miles from me, and I didn’t meet him until I came here.” He continued, “I met Wellsy (Lachlan Wells) at our Australian academy after that tournament. That’s in Gold Coast in Queensland, where I’m from. I met him there. So I knew him. But the older guys like Beresford or even guys that played like (Luke) Hughesy, I didn’t know any of them. Until I made my first All Star game (in the ABL) and started making the Australian teams, that’s how I started meeting the older guys. All the younger generation that I played with at home, they all know those guys. I had to look on the web and research.” While he didn’t know the names or those players, he now credits them for helping him improve his game, physically and mentally. He’s played with some with Brisbane in the ABL and now in the WBC as well. “My coaches and the older guys back home helped, especially mentally. Hitting is a lot of a mental game as well as physical. You’re going to have bad days. You’re going to have really bad days and you’ll have good days. I was never used to playing every day. I was used to just playing weekends and I’d have the whole week to just just think about it and recover.” His manager with the Brisbane Bandits has been former big league catcher Dave Nilsson. Nilsson is incredibly interesting because in 1999, as a 29 year old, he became the first Australian to make an All-Star team. The catcher ended the season hitting .309/.400/.554 (.954) with 21 homers. He could have signed for big money. Instead, he chose not to sign. He wanted to focus his attention on playing for Team Australia in the 2000 Olympics. He didn’t play again in the big leagues. Of Nilsson, Whitefield said, “He’s awesome to talk with and easy to talk to. It’s fun (playing with the Bandits), the guys like Dave Nilsson.” The Bandits have won the last two Claxton Shields. “The year before was my first, so I got to meet all the guys. Now, they’re like brothers.” Fellow WBC participant and former Twins infielder James Beresford is a guy that Whitefield really admires. “The road he took, ten to eleven years, over 1,000 minor league games, but he stuck with it. He set his goal to make the big leagues and he made it. For us younger players, if you put the work in and you stick with it, good things can happen.” ----------------------------------------------------------- Here is a quick look at his schedule over the last two years. And we’re going to do it in bullet point view, just to try to keep it straight. It’s been a whirlwind tour for the 20-year-old. Signed with the Twins in May of 2015.Played in six games for the GCL Twins in late August 2015Played for Brisbane Bandits in the Australian Baseball League (ABL).Extended spring training 2016.Gulf Coast League Twins 2016.Played for Australia in the World Cup tournament.Played all season for the ABL champion Brisbane Bandits.Played for Australia in the World Baseball Classic in Japan.Spring Training 2017.Cedar Rapids Kernels.According to Whitefield, “I think I had about six to seven days from the end of the ABL season to the WBC. So that was kind of my break for the offseason.” The Australian World Baseball Classic roster was not necessarily something that he was expecting. The Australian team is usually comprised of older players who have reached higher levels of the minor leagues. However, it was clear that it meant a lot to him when he found out he had made the team. “It was always in question. There are a lot of older guys on the team that are still playing and playing in the ABL. I just tried to set myself up as well as I could during the ABL, trying to put up some good numbers, made the All-Star team back home in Australia. I had a really good season. Toward the end of the season I thought I really can’t do much better. Found out, I think it was the last week of the season which was about February. Then during the playoffs, I found out then and I was pretty excited to get the experience to play.” Just in case you missed it, Whitefield hit great for Brisbane in the ABL this season. He hit .338/.379/.490 (.869) with 12 doubles and four home runs. He also stole 20 bases in 23 attempts. Whitefield was excited to make the WBC roster along with fellow Twins minor leaguers Todd Van Steensel, Lachlan Wells and several former Twins and Twins minor leaguers. Before going to Japan, the Australian team played some games in Korea. “We had a warm-up tournament in Korea. We played a few teams, which was unreal. I’d never been to Korea before, and how much they love baseball is crazy. Their stadiums are huge and they’re all indoor facilities.” Then it was off to Japan for a few tune up games before starting the WBC. He noted that they played a couple of games in Osaka before going to Tokyo for the WBC. As far as what he learned from the WBC experience, it was more about learning the game from some veterans. “Probably more the mental game, it helped me with. Talking to the older guys like Luke Hughes, Trent Oeltjen, Ryan Rowland-Smith. People like that who have been through the whole system and made it to the big leagues. That kind of helped me out a lot.” -------------------------------------------------------------------- Immediately following the elimination of Australia from the WBC, Whitefield hopped on a plane and made the multi-time zone trek from Japan to Ft. Myers where he jumped right into spring training. He took advantage of the long plane flight to start thinking about his 2017 season and set some goals. “I wanted to make a full-season team and make that jump and show them that I can make that jump and I’m ready to go. Spring training is just getting the feel back. I kind of shut down a little bit. A bit of off time mentally. And then turning it back on and telling the body to go and do it again.” But the jump from the GCL to the Midwest League isn’t an easy one. According to Kernels manager Tommy Watkins, “I would say it’s a big jump from the GCL to here.” But Whitefield impressed the coaches and others this spring and earned a spot on the Kernels Opening Day roster. As of today, Whitefield is hitting .281/.324/.477 (.800) with six doubles, two triples and five home runs for Cedar Rapids. But the first thing people talk about with Whitefield is his defense. Last year, he played all over the diamond for the GCL Twins. He started 26 games at first base, 18 games in center field, eight games in right field, seven games at third base and three games in left field. Whitefield noted, “Last year, I played mostly in the infield because if I wasn’t at first base, I’d play third base, and if I wasn’t at third base, I’d play occasional outfield.” But it’s actually something that Whitefield enjoyed and sees value in. “I’d like to be noticed as a utility guy. If someone goes down, I can fill in. It’s a good thing. Now I’ve practiced in the outfield in the ABL and kind of got my feet in there. Left field still isn’t my favorite position out of them all, but center field, I like to take control and to be able to control the other guys. It’s a lot more room to run around.” Whitefield has played 38 games so far this year for the Kernels, and his manager has played him in center field in all 38 of them. Watkins said, “He’s been doing a good job for us. Defensively, hands down, I’d put him out there with the best. He can go get it.” At 6-4 and 200 pounds, Whitefield can really run. He’s very fast. He’s still learning in the field, but he does have a strong arm too. With his size, he is a tremendous athlete, and he’s got the tools to be an all-around player. Watkins agreed. “He’s got tools. We changed a couple of things at the plate with him and the quality of his at bats went up. He started hitting the ball with more power, driving the ball more. He’s a great talent. He’s fun to watch.” Last year, Whitefield was the lone representative from the GCL Twins on the Gulf Coast League’s postseason All-Star team. He hit .298/.370/.366 (.737) with seven doubles and two home runs in 51 games. He also stole 31 bases. There were a lot of challenges in jumping from softball in Australia to professional baseball in the United States. “It took me a little bit to get started because I wasn’t playing every day at the start of the season (in the GCL). Once I started performing, I was in the starting lineup every game. I got my feet wet, but then I would have a bad day and had to get over that mentally. So last year has really helped me get to where I am now. To be able to mentally be where I’m at now, especially thanks to those older guys.” Steve Singleton is a former Twins prospect who joined the organization in 2016 as a GCL hitting coach where he worked a lot with Whitefield. Singleton was promoted this year and is the hitting coach for the Ft. Myers Miracle. Whitefield gives Singleton a lot of credit. “Big shout out to Sing for helping me out. I still had a softball swing coming from there. He helped give me the confidence to say I can drive the ball and not just slap the ball and run it out. I worked with him last year and my numbers show the work that we put in.” What kind of player is Whitefield, and what kind of player can be become? That’s all to be determined. Even Whitefield can’t answer that question with any real certainty. “(The power is) Still coming. My heart size is there, but I haven’t put on the pounds yet to be noticed as a power guy. I’ve still got it in there, but I want to be noticed as a guy who can do everything. Like, he’s fast, he’s just using his speed. As well as offense, my defense is a big thing I take pride in.” So what are Whitefield’s goals for the remainder of this season? “Cutting down the strikeouts is a big thing this year. Put the ball in play. I’ve got the speed. I can beat it out and not just be an easy out. Also, my goal for the year is ten home runs and 60 steals. I want to be able to do both. Stolen base is slightly less at the start of the year than where I want it to be, but I’ve been driving the ball a bit better than what I thought I would as well.” In the GCL, Whitefield struck out 22% of his plate appearances. His strikeout rate with the Kernels is just 23% so far. He’s halfway to his home run goal already, but he’s got a long ways to go on the stolen bases. 60 may be tough, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him get to 35 or 40. While Whitefield does have a long ways to go to reach his big league dreams, it is important to remember a few things. First and foremost, he has only been playing baseball since he was 17. That’s less than four years. He’s got the size. He’s got the athleticism, and he’s already putting up numbers in the Midwest League against older pitchers. There’s no question that he fits in with the likes of Lewis Thorpe and Lachlan Wells as prospects to watch in the Twins system. Click here to view the article

In the last two day, lefties Lewis Thorpe and Stephen Gonsalves have returned to the mound. Several hitters have started heating up. In one week, you’ll notice there have been some changes in the Twins Minor League Leaderboard. Find out who is leading the Twins minor leagues in a variety of statistics, and then feel free to discuss.But first, let’s take a quick look at how the Twins’ affiliates currently stack up in their leagues. Rochester is 19-18. The Red Wings are 6.5 games back in the International League North Division. They’re in fourth place in the division.In the first half, Chattanooga is 23-20. That puts them tied for second place, 2.0 games in the Southern League’s South division.Ft. Myers has won seven straight games and is 23-20 and in second place in the Florida State League’s South division.Cedar Rapids is 25-17 so far this season. They are currently tied with Kane County (19-14) at the top of the Midwest League’s Western Division.With that, let’s look at the minor league statistical leader board (through games on Saturday, May 20). THE HITTERS (Rate numbers- minimum 114 plate appearances) Plate Appearances - Chris Paul (179), Nick Gordon (178), Zander Wiel (172), Max Murphy (171), Jermaine Palacios (168). Batting Average - Chris Paul (.337), Jermaine Palacios (.325), LaMonte Wade (.314), Edgar Corcino (.303), Nick Gordon (.300). On-Base Percentage - LaMonte Wade (.442), Chris Paul (.380), Edgar Corcino (.371), Jermaine Palacios (.369), Nick Gordon (.365). Slugging Percentage - Jermaine Palacios (.535), Lewin Diaz (.500), Jaylin Davis (.497), Aaron Whitefield (.477), Nick Gordon (.475). OPS - Jermaine Palacios (.904), LaMonte Wade (.896), Nick Gordon (.840), Chris Paul (.828), Lewin Diaz (.815). Hits - Chris Paul (55), Jermaine Palacios (51), Nick Gordon (48), Lewin Diaz (45), Max Murphy/Edgar Corcino (40). Doubles - Lewin Diaz (16), Chris Paul/Zander Wiel/Mitchell Kranson (12), Tommy Field (11). Triples - Jermaine Palacios/Zander Wiel/Nick Gordon (5), Rafael Valera (4), eight with 2. Home Runs - Jaylin Davis (9), Daniel Palka (7), Jermaine Palacios/Aaron Whitefield/Lewin Diaz (5), five tied with four. Runs Scored - Jermaine Palacios (32), LaMonte Wade (27), Max Murphy (26), Jaylin Davis (24), Jonathan Rodriguez/Chris Paul (23). RBI - Lewin Diaz (27), Zander Wiel (26), Jaylin Davis/Nick Gordon (23), Chris Paul (22). SB - Zach Granite (9), Tanner English (8), Aaron Whitefield (7), Jermaine Palacios/Jaylin Davis/Max Murphy (6). . THE STARTING PITCHERS (Rate number - minimum 32.0 innings) Innings Pitched: Dereck Rodriguez (50.0), Clark Beeker (45.2), Sean Poppen (45.1), Aaron Slegers (42.1), Randy LeBlanc/Lachlan Wells (41.0). ERA: Jose Berrios (1.13), Sean Poppen (2.38), Randy LeBlanc (2.41), Tyler Wells (2.65), Clark Beeker (2.76). WHIP: Jose Berrios (0.81), Clark Beeker (0.99), Tyler Wells (1.09), Sean Poppen (1.103), Cody Stashak (1.105). K/9: Tyler Wells (11.9), Eduardo Del Rosario/David Fischer (9.6), Jose Berrios (8.8), Sean Poppen (8.7). BB/9: Clark Beeker (1.4), Dereck Rodriguez/Sean Poppen (1.6), Tyler Beardsley/Jose Berrios (1.8). K: Nik Turley (54), Tyler Wells (45), Sean Poppen (44), Eduardo Del Rosario (43), Dereck Rodriguez/Jose Berrios (39) THE RELIEF PITCHERS (Rate numbers - minimum 13.0 innings, and less than 2 starts) Innings Pitched: Brady Anderson (30.0), Randy Rosario (26.0), Sam Clay (24.0), Anthony McIver (23.0), Williams Ramirez (21.1). ERA: John Curtiss (0.00), Nick Burdi (0.57), Nick Anderson (1.04), Williams Ramirez (1.69), Randy Rosario (1.73). WHIP: Nick Burdi (0.64), Tom Hackimer (0.65), Nick Anderson (0.75), Alan Busenitz (0.81), Randy Rosario (0.85) K/9: Andrew Vasquez (14.3), Luke Bard (13.7), Alex Robinson (13.5), Alan Busenitz (11.8), John Curtiss/Todd Van Steensel (11.7). BB/9: Brady Anderson/Tom Hackimer (0.9), Nick Anderson (1.0), Drew Rucinski (1.4), Hector Lujan (1.6) K: Luke Bard (31), Andrew Vasquez (26), Alex Robinson (25), Sam Clay (24), Tom Hackimer (22). Saves: John Curtiss/Tom Hackimer (6), Alex Wimmers (4), Mason Melotakis/Jonny Drozd/Max Cordy (3). Feel free to ask questions about any of the players or teams. Click here to view the article