Seth Stohs

April is complete. May is upon us. Today we look at some of the top hitters in the Twins organization during the season’s first month. As you would expect, there is a good mix of young prospects and veterans. There are some power-hitter types and some guys for whom on-base percentage is a more important indicator of their potential. In case you missed it, here are the previously-announced April winners: Starting Pitcher of the Month, Jose BerriosRelief Pitcher of the Month, Mason MelotakisPitching wins, but only if the hitters score enough runs in that game. There were quite a few hitters that started their seasons strong. Let’s take a look at the Top 6 hitters of the month, but first here are some players deserving of honorable mention. HONORABLE MENTION C Mitch Garver (Rochester) - .278/.435/.500 (.935). 10-36 with five doubles, one home run and eight RBI.OF Daniel Palka (Rochester) - .259/.318/.469 (.787). 21-81 with two doubles, five home runs and 13 RBI.1B/3B Matt Hague (Rochester) - .313/.398/.450 (.848). 25-80 with two doubles, three homers and 12 RBI.2B/SS Engelb Vielma (Chattanooga) - .320/.373/.387 (.760). 24-75 with five doubles and ten RBI.OF Max Murphy (Ft. Myers) - .297/.402/.432 (.834). 22-74 with four doubles, two homers and eight RBI.OF Jaylin Davis (Cedar Rapids) - .268/.341/.465 (.806). 19-71 with one double, two triples, three home runs and 11 RBI.THE TOP SIX HITTERS Number 6 – Chattanooga – 2B/SS Nick Gordon - .322/.381/.437 (.818). 28-87 with three doubles, two triples, one home run and 12 RBI. Gordon was the Twins top pick, fifth overall, in the 2014 draft out of high school in Orlando. He has gradually worked his way up the system, one step at a time, always well younger than the average player in his league. This year, he is one of the youngest players in the AA Southern League, and he’s off to a terrific start. Gordon has been the team’s leadoff hitter most every game. He’s split his time between shortstop (13 games) and second base (8 games) with Engelb Vielma and done well at both spots. Talking to Nick Gordon in spring training, it was clear that he was ready to have a big season. He told me that his confidence was very high following his AFL performance last year as well as his time in big league camp. He’s still got work to do. For instance, I think that more power will come. But at least to this point, he has taken more walks and better plate appearances, something that will help him in the long run. Number 5 – Ft. Myers – 1B Zander Wiel - .259/.337/.506 (.843). 21-81 with eight doubles, three triples, two home runs and 18 RBI. Wiel was the Twins 12th-round pick in 2015 out of Vanderbilt. He led the Midwest League in RBI in 2016. This year he has moved up to the Miracle where he is off to another solid start. To this point, he has been an extra base hit machine which is always impressive in the Florida State League. The first baseman also had 18 RBI in the month, tops in the Twins minor leagues. Last week, Wiel was taken out of a game after being hit by a 95 mph fastball in the face. He had a few stitches put in, missed one game and was back in the lineup. He’s got work to do defensively, but it will be his bat that will have to carry him up the ladder. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids – OF Aaron Whitefield - .289/.304/.566 (.877). 22-76 with five doubles, two triples, four home runs and 12 RBI. Two years ago, Aaron Whitefield was playing softball internationally for Australia. A Twins scout saw him play and decided the tremendous athlete had good size and speed, and signed him. He played just a few games in the GCL in 2015 after signing. Last year, he was the lone GCL Twins player to be named to the postseason All-Star team. He made the jump from the GCL to the Midwest League, and after some early struggles, he has been very good. He has hit mostly first or ninth in Tommy Watkins’ lineup. He has mostly played center field where he has tremendous range and a strong arm. While he will need to be more patient at the plate, He had just two walks to go with 19 strikeouts in the month, he has some natural yet raw abilities that are very encouraging. In time, he’ll hit for more power and can steal some bases. Expect some ups and downs, but the 20-year-old’s talent is immense. Number 3 - Rochester – IF Tommy Field - .314/.380/.543 (.923) 22-70 with seven doubles, three homers and five RBI Between 2011 and 2015, Field played in a combined 47 big league games for the Rockies, Angels and Rangers. The 30-year-old utility infielder came to the Twins as a free agent during the middle of the 2016 season. He showed an ability to play all three infield positions very well, as well as playing well in some outfield time. In 82 games for the Red Wings last year, Field hit .235 (.726) with 11 home runs. Field had a nice showing in big league camp this year before being sent to Rochester again. He had a strong first month. He hit over .300 with ten extra base hits while continuing to be reliable wherever manager Mike Quade puts him in the lineup or on the field. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids – C/1B Mitchell Kranson - .324/.351/.535 (.887) 23-71 with seven doubles, one triple, two homers and 11 RBI After four years at Cal-Berkeley, Kranson was the Twins ninth-round draft pick last June. He went to Elizabethton and hit. In the offseason, he lost 25 pounds and gained strength. He came to spring training looking like a different person. It’s good to see when a guy works that hard sees immediate success. He’s hit anywhere from two to five in the Kernels lineup and been productive all month. He’s hit for extra-base power. He uses the whole field well. He’s a very professional hitter. Defensively, he played first base, third base and catcher this month. He’d like to do more catching in time, though part of his value as he goes forward will be his ability to play multiple positions including behind the plate. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – SS Jermaine Palacios - .393/.432/.573 (1.005). 35-89 with three doubles, five triples, one home run and 11 RBI. A year ago, a 19-year-old Jermaine Palacios finished April in Cedar Rapids hitting .186/.256/.214 (.471). It didn’t get better as things warmed up, and his season came to an end after being hit by a pitch in mid-July. 2017 has been completely different. Now 20, Palacios got off to a fast start and it has continued. With a couple of hits last night, he now has a 14-game hitting streak. He’s hit the ball hard all over the field. He leads the organization in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, total bases, triples, and several other offensive categories. And despite this being his second go-round in the league, 85% of his at bats have come against older pitchers. Defensively, he’s played at shortstop every game. He’s been pretty good, posting a .955 fielding percentage. Many believe that he has the ability to stick at shortstop. While it is easy to think that the Twins should move Palacios up to Ft. Myers, and that may happen. However, he’s still got things to work on and it doesn’t hurt for him to experience some extended success at this level. Also, he has just four walks to go with 18 strikeouts, so he’ll have to continue to work on his plate discipline. However, to this point, aggressiveness has paid off for him. Congratulations to the April Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month for 2017, Cedar Rapids shortstop Jermaine Palacios. Click here to view the article

I'm pretty comfortable with my choice... I value those 13 additional innings quite a bit.

He probably doesn't throw quite as hard as Wheeler. But there are a lot of similarities between Hurlbut, Wheeler, Albers, Dean, etc.

Yup, as you'd hope... and if they do it a second month, they should move up. I would think by mid-May, the organization will start making decisions on some guys to let go and make some moves.

Just missed... if his start last night would have been a day earlier (meaning April 30 instead of May 1), he probably would be on the Honorable Mention list. Either way, he's starting the season off well. I think they'd like to push him, but they will also do what is best for his development. They could add him to the roster after the season and then still have three years of development (options) remaining, so there isn't a huge rush. But he is putting himself into the discussion for adding him.

I'd say his career has been pretty streaky. He moved up to Ft. Myers middle of last year, so maybe he's just making that adjustment... that's certainly possible. Or, it was a nice 10-day stretch. So hard to know.

Based on all his big league success so far?

I gave Berrios some bonus for throwing 13+ more innings and actually being a starter. Turley was tough. I mean, he's a reliever, but he did make two spot starts... so I had to include him with the starters.

After reviewing the top relief pitchers in the Minnesota Twins system in April, today we shift our attention to the starting pitchers. There are some familiar names listed. There are a couple of top prospects. There are are a couple of guys who entered their 2016 seasons in independent leagues. At the top of this list are two guys that you could debate for the top spot, and both are in the upper levels of the system. That’s also always a good thing.Let’s get to it. Before we get to our Top 6 starting pitchers for the month of April, here is a list of several others who deserve to be recognized for a solid first month. HONORABLE MENTION David Hurlbut - Rochester - 3 GS, 17.1 IP, 1-2, 1.04 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 3.1 BB/9, 7.3 K/9Fernando Romero - Chattanooga - 5 G, 4 GS, 24.1, 2.96 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 4.1 BB/9, 9.2 K/9Eduardo Del Rosario - Cedar Rapids - 4 GS, 19.2 IP, 2-1, 2.75 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, 11.4 K/9THE TOP SIX STARTING PITCHERS #6 - David Fischer - Ft. Myers Miracle - 4 GS, 2-0, 0.95 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 19.0 IP, 17 H, 6 BB, 25 K Fischer was drafted three times before signing with the Washington Nationals in 2012. He spent three seasons in their organization. He has pitched in independent leagues the last two years. The Twins signed him to a minor league deal before this season. The 27-year-old was assigned to Ft. Myers, and as you would hope, he’s doing well against hitters three to seven years younger than he is. He worked just 19 innings over four starts, but he limited runs well. In his first two starts, he worked nine shutout innings. In his past two starts, he has given up two runs over ten innings. Opponents are hitting .243 (.649) off him. #5 - Clark Beeker- Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 3-1, 1.69 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 24 H, 2 BB, 20 K Beeker was the Twins 33rd-round draft pick last June after four years at Davidson University. He was sent to the GCL where he worked 32.1 innings in 12 games (one start). He then jumped up to Elizabethton where he made two starts. Combined, he posted a 2.47 ERA in 43.2 innings. He walked just 10 and struck out 52. Opponents have hit .242 off of him, but his control and command keep him out of trouble. In April in Cedar Rapids, he was consistent. He completed seven innings in his first three starts. He was on his way there on Sunday, but the Kernels game in Peoria was rained out after just five innings of shutout ball. Get to know more about Clark Beeker in his Twins Daily Q&A from November. #4 - Tyler Wells - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 2-0, 1.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 17 H, 7 BB, 32 K The 6-8 right-hander was the Twins 15th-round pick last year out of Cal State-San Bernadino. He started out slowly in Elizabethton last season, but he ended strong. In his final three starts, he went 18.1 innings without allowing a run while walking five and striking out 23. Opponents hit just .193 (.545) off of him in April. He went just four innings in his first start, but his next three games were all quality starts. Over those three starts, he walked three and struck out 26 batters in 20 innings. The 22-year-old throws in the low-90s with a good slider and a good 12-6 curveball. Learn more about Tyler Wells in this Twins Daily Q&Afrom December. #3 - Sean Poppen - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 4 GS, 0-0, 1.67 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 19 H, 4 BB, 28 K Another Kernels starter, Poppen was the Twins 19th-round pick last year out of Harvard where he majored in chemistry and physics, engineering sciences. After eight starts and a 2.97 ERA in Elizabethton, he posted a 2.12 ERA in four games in Cedar Rapids. He’s been terrific for the Kernels to start this season. He is four-for-four in quality starts. He’s had good control and he’s been able to work out of some tough situations, often with a big strikeout. Opponents have hit just .188 (.481) against him so far. He has a fastball in the low-90s, touching 94 at times. He also throws a slider and a changeup. #2 - Nik Turley - Chattanooga Lookouts - 4 G, 2 GS, 0-1, 0.44 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 20.1 IP, 4 H, 6 BB, 36 K Turley was the 50th-round draft pick of the New York Yankees in the 2008 draft. He worked his way up the ladder and was the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year in 2012. Following the season, he was added to their 40-man roster. In early 2014, he was let go by the Yankees. He’s pitched in the Giants and Red Sox organizations since, and spent much of last season in the Atlantic League. The Twins signed Turley this offseason without an invitation to major league camp. After spring training, he was sent to AA Chattanooga where he began the season in the bullpen. He’s been a strikeout machine since the season started. He worked four innings in his first appearance out of the bullpen. He gave up one hit and struck out ten. His next game was also out of the bullpen. He struck out eight in 4.1 scoreless innings. His other two appearances have been starts in doubleheaders. He worked five scoreless innings in his first start. In his next start, he struck out 14 batters in seven innings, though he did give up his first run of the year and took a tough-luck loss. Soon after, he was promoted to Rochester, though he has yet to make an appearance for the Red Wings. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester Red Wings – RHP Jose Berrios - 5 GS, 2-0, 1.09 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 33.0 IP, 18 H, 8 BB, 35 K Jose Berrios is no stranger to winning Twins Daily Awards. He’s won several monthly awards, and he was the choice for Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2014 and 2015. He is again our choice for April. Jose Berrios is proud to be from Puerto Rico, and there was no way he was going to miss out on the opportunity to play with friends and countrymen in the WBC. He made one start, but then was used more sporadically. So when he came back to Twins spring training, he was a bit behind. So, he went back to AAA. And, as we’ve learned, he puts up fantastic numbers against AAA hitting and April was no exception. He provided innings. He threw strikes. He had control. He displayed a good fastball and what seems to be a sharper breaking ball and changeup. Opponents have hit just .157 off of him so far this season and has more than a strikeout per inning. It’s pretty clear that Berrios should be called up to the Twins soon. The front office is saying that they will be more patient with him this time. But it’s hard to believe that he won’t be called up to be the fifth starter by the end of this week. As the Twins have been patient with Byron Buxton in the big leagues through the first month, they will need to do the same with Berrios. And, for his part, Berrios is going to have to show that he can command his pitches better. Here’s to hoping that this is the last time that Jose Berrios wins a Twins minor league award as we’d all like to see him get moved back up and stick. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like. It wasn’t as easy a decision as you might think. And it’s always good to have lots of starting pitchers throwing well! Click here to view the article

Monday was a pretty quiet day in the Twins organization. The big news might have been that former Twins GM and long-time Twins executive Bill Smith was hired as an Assistant to the President and CEO of Minor League Baseball, Pat O’Conner. As you know he did a ton of work for the Twins organization, establishing the minor league academy in Ft. Myers and recently the new academy in the Dominican Republic. Jose Berrios was named the Pitcher of the Week in the International League for the second time in three weeks. Outfielder Max Murphy was named the Player of the Week in the Florida State League. And, if you missed it, Miguel Sano was named the American League Hitter of the Week.The Twins had an off day on Monday. So did the Rochester Red Wings and the Cedar Rapids Kernels. But Chattanooga played an early game and the Miracle had a very nice win in the evening. Find out more of what happened in the Twins system on Monday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester Box Score No Game Scheduled. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Jackson 2 Box Score The Lookouts played an afternoon game, a get-away day before an off day on Tuesday. They were able to leave Jackson with a win. Felix Jorge improved to 3-1 on the season. The right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out two. Luke Bard came on and struck out three over two perfect innings. Mason Melotakis - our choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month - tossed another scoreless inning to earn his third save. He now has thrown 11.2 scoreless innings to start the season. Edgar Corcino certainly helped the team to a win. He had an RBI double, his fifth of the season. He also gave the Lookouts some cushion in the ninth with a run-scoring sacrifice fly. Dan Gamache drove in a run in the ninth inning also on a 2-5 day from the third baseman. Engelb Vielma went 2-5. Levi Michael had a strong game. He went 1-2 with two walks and his second double. Nick Gordon went 1-3 with two walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Daytona 1 Box Score On Monday, Max Murphy was named the Florida State League Player of the Week. His first game of the new week was pretty good too. The outfielder from Minnesota went 3-4 with his fifth double and first triple. He was a homer shy of a cycle. Shane Kennedy went 2-4 with his first home run and two RBIs. It was his first home run in affiliated ball, in just his second game. The utility player played for three colleges including his two final college seasons at Clemson. Undrafted, he spent the 2016 season playing for Southern Illinois of the Frontier League where he hit .363/.465/.513 (.978) with 24 doubles and five homers. The Twins signed the 25-year-old this spring to a minor league deal. He went to extended spring training but was called up to the Miracle on Sunday. Dereck Rodriguez was terrific again. The right-hander gave up just one run on five hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six. It gave him his first win of the season and dropped his ERA to 2.78. Williams Ramirez pitched a perfect eighth inning. Nick Anderson recorded his first save with a perfect ninth inning which included two strikeouts. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score No Game Scheduled. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Dereck Rodriguez, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Ft. Myers Miracle TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (5:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Daytona @ Ft. Myers (5:35 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Lake County @ Cedar Rapids - RHP Eddie Del Rosario Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Monday night’s games. Click here to view the article

I try not to factor in age to level of competition for these reports. This is about performance, not about prospect rankings. Check out the strikeout rates. I also know that Burdi gave up one run in his last outing... One pitch shouldn't hurt his month too much. That said, if Anderson and Burdi were switched, I'd be comfortable with that.

It’s hard to believe that April is complete, and the calendar has turned to May. A lot has happened already in the minor league seasons. But today it’s time to start handing out some awards. As we do each month through the season, we will share our choices for Twins Daily Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher of the Month. Fortunately most months have several qualifying candidates, and this month is no exception.Today we will start our April Awards by considering the relief pitchers in the Twins farm system. We’ll briefly profile our Top 5 candidates. But first, we will share a few relievers worth of mention who finished just outside our Top 5. HONORABLE MENTION First, a couple of relievers worthy of mention: Williams Ramirez - Ft. Myers - 6 G, 1.64 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 7 H, 8 BB, 13 KRandy Rosario - Ft. Myers/Chattanooga - 6 G, 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 12 H, 4 BB, 5 KTodd Van Steensel - Chattanooga - 5 G, 1.93 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 9.1 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 13 KTom Hackimer- Cedar Rapids - 7 G, 3.27 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 10 KTHE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS IN APRIL #5 - John Curtiss - Chattanooga - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 6 H, 6 BB, 13 K John Curtiss was healthy again in 2016, and after spending the first month in Cedar Rapids, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he continued to pitch well. He was invited to pitch in the Arizona Fall League where he and his 97 mph fastball continued to impress. Curtiss was the Twins sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Texas in 2014, following his showing as the team’s closer in the College World Series. Curtiss is one of just a few relievers who are yet to give up an earned run this season. Opponents have hit just .188 off of him so far this season. He has also walked 6.5 per nine innings. However, he has the stuff to work out of innings, especially by missing bats. He has struck out 14 batters per nine innings so far this season. #4 - Colton Davis - Cedar Rapids - 6 G, 3.68 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 11 K Colton Davis was the Twins 25th-round pick last year out of Western Carolina. He pitched well for Elizabethton and ended the season pitching for the Kernels including through their playoff run. In April, his one two-inning appearance ended with him giving up three runs. In his other appearances combined he gave up just one hit. In his last five outings, he has struck out at least two batters in each. Opponents have hit just .192 off of him, and he’s walked only two. He also is able to work out of troubles with the strikeout (13.5 K/9). #3 - Nick Anderson - Ft. Myers - 5 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K The Brainerd High School graduate signed with the Twins out of independent ball late in the 2015 season. Since then he has pitched very well in Cedar Rapids and in Ft. Myers, primarily as an eighth or ninth inning man. While he started the season about a week late, he has started where he left off. He is yet to give up a run. He’s shown very good control, and opponents have hit just .172 off of him so far. Anderson traveled with the big league club several times during spring training. The 26-year-old with a mid-90s fastball should move up to Chattanooga soon. #2 - Nick Burdi - Chattanooga - 7 G, 1.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 10 K After a lost 2016 season, Nick Burdi is healthy and pitching very well for the Lookouts. He will certainly be handled with some caution early in the season, but if he continues, he could be not only moved up to Rochester, but could spend time in the big leagues this year. In April, opponents hit just .179 against him. He didn’t give up a run through his first six outings. In his most recent appearance he gave up a leadoff homer to Colin Walsh before getting the next three hitters. He has shown good control and the ability to get strikeouts. His fastball is in the upper 90s and his slider can be devastating. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – LHP Mason Melotakis - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K Mason Melotakis was the Twins second-round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State (in Louisiana) where he was a reliever. The Twins gave him the opportunity to start in Cedar Rapids in 2013 with mixed results. After two starts in 2014 in Ft. Myers, he was moved to the bullpen. He spent some time in AA that year as well, but he started experiencing elbow issues. Following the season, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2015 season. He returned to the mound in 2016 having been added to the Twins 40-man roster during the offseason. He spent all of 2016 in Chattanooga where he was clearly being handled with kids gloves, which is wise following the surgery. Certainly the Twins will continue to monitor the hard-throwing southpaw. It didn’t help that he missed most of spring training with an oblique injury. That, along with likely not wanting him to pitch in the cold of Rochester early in the season, is why he began the year back in Chattanooga. But he has been terrific. While he is yet to pitch on back-to-back days, he has twice worked two innings. He has not yet given up a run this season, and opponents are hitting just .139 against him. He has walked just one batter so far this year. The strikeouts aren’t where they will be, but he is tough against left-handers. I would suspect that Melotakis will soon work his way up to Rochester, though as he is on the 40-man roster, he could be called up at any time if needed. There were several strong relief pitcher performances in April. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent first month to their seasons. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for April 2017, Mason Melotakis. Click here to view the article

I'd say that Stewart is a long ways away from doing anything too drastic. His ceiling isn't as high as what we thought it might be (which again isn't surprising because the success rate of high school pitchers in the draft)... But it's silly to be writing him off now. In fact, it is still more likely than not that he's added to the 40 man roster after the season... though that can certainly drop in likelihood if there isn't some improvement from these first month's numbers.

Randy LeBlanc just turned 25. He's not young. But he had TJ in college.

I wouldn't make too much out of this one start... just like i wouldn't make too much out of his 10 shutout innings in AA last year. He's somewhere in between.

They're giving him a shot in the outfield. If he can be OK out there, i think he's got a good shot.

On Thursday, all four Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates won their games. Things weren’t so favorable for the teams on Friday, however. All four teams lost their games. Three of them were blowouts, and the other was a tough extra-innings loss. But there were several silver linings including a nice AAA start for Adalberto Mejia, his first since his demotion.Find out everything that happened in a busy day in the Twins minor league system, starting with a whole bunch of transactions. TRANSACTIONS Friday was a busy day in terms of transactions throughout the Twins organization. Here is a quick rundown: Hector Santiago placed on bereavement list.LHP Buddy Boshers recalled to Twins.RHP JT Chargois placed on the Rochester DL (elbow impingement)LHP Nik Turley added to the Rochester roster.RHP Randy LeBlanc added to the Chattanooga roster.RHP Chris Anderson added to the Ft. Myers roster.LHP Domenick Carlini added to the Cedar Rapids roster.RHP Quin Grogan sent from Cedar Rapids to extended spring training. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Louisville 2 (10 innings) Box Score Adalberto Mejia made his first start for the Red Wings since being demoted from the Twins. And he was terrific. The left-hander struck out the side in the first inning. He went seven shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Raul Fernandez came on. He gave up one run on two hits over two innings. Trevor Hildenberger came on for the tenth inning. He gave up a run on two hits to take the loss. The Red Wings bats did little in the game. They managed just four hits, though they did take seven walks. However, they just weren’t able to come up with any big run-scoring hits. Ehire Adrianza, who started in left field for the second straight game, drove in the lone run with an eighth inning single. Bengie Gonzalez had two hits. Mitch Garver walked twice. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 10 Box Score Randy LeBlanc was called up early in the day and made his first start. In 21 innings over his first three starts in Ft. Myers, he gave up just one run. With the Miracle last year, he posted a 4.70 ERA, but he ended last season with ten shutout innings with the Lookouts. So, how did his initial 2017 start in AA go? Well, not quite so well. The right-hander from Tulane gave up eight runs on eight hits and three walks in just two innings. Randy Rosario came on and gave up one run on three hits and two walks in three innings. Mason Melotakis came on and threw two more scoreless innings in relief. That pushes his streak to 10.2 innings to start his season. Nick Burdi came in for the eighth inning, having started the season with 7.1 scoreless inning. The first batter of the inning, Colin Walsh, ended the streak with a solo home run. But Burdi got the next three batters out. LaMonte Wade led the offense. He went 3-4 with just his first double of the season. Engelb Vielma went 2-4 with his fifth double. Dan Gamache went 2-4. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Dunedin 8 Box Score It was another rough start for Keaton Steele. The right-hander went the first four innings. He gave up seven runs on nine hits. He walked four and struck out just one. Williams Ramirez came on and struck out three over two shutout innings. He gave up a hit and walked two. Jonny Drozd came on and gave up a run on two hits over two innings. He struck out three. Michael Theofanopoulos worked a scoreless inning. Max Murphy had a strong game. He went 2-3 with two walks and his third double. Chris Paul also had two hits in the game. Kevin Garcia went 1-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Nelson Molina added his first double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 5 Box Score Domenick Carlini made a start for the Kernels last week, then was sent back to extended spring. Quin Grogan pitched a bit out of relief, but before this game, Carlini was added to the roster to make another start. The left-hander gave up five runs on five hits and four walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out one. Logan Lombana came on and gave up three hits and a walk but no runs over 2.1 innings. He struck out three. Max Cordy then struck out three over two scoreless innings. He walked two and gave up one hit. Jermaine Palacios stayed hot. The shortstop went 3-5 in the game to bump his batting average up to .395. Jaylin Davis went 2-3 with a walk. Travis Blankenhorn and Aaron Whitefield each hit their fifth doubles of the season. Blankenhorn and Ben Rortvedt had the two RBIs for the Kernels. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Adalberto Mejia, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Jackson - (6:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:30 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday night’s games. Click here to view the article

I don't know why I missed that. He was on my list... Just forgot to type it, I guess. And yes, I am surprised with where he ranks.

One of the most silly things that Twins fans complain about Mauer with is the double play grounders. And yes, he hits into a few. Did you know... the great Kirby Puckett had 15 or more GIDP in 8 of his final 9 seasons? That's something Mauer has done just 5 times in the last 11 seasons. Puckett once led the league with 27 GIDP in a season. Mauer's never had that many in a season or led the league. The reality is that both of them were typically #3 hitters, meaning they came to the plate with a runner on 1B often. They both hit the ball hard often which can make for some high opportunities for double plays. There's been plenty of things to complain about Mauer with, but GIDP should not be one of them.

More and more, we’re seeing on TV and hearing on the radio announcers referencing exit velocity and launch angle. The technology has been around for awhile, but it is definitely becoming more mainstream. In the book Moneyball, stat man Voros McCracken discussed the concept that once the ball is put in play, anything can happen. That’s the idea behind Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) and others like Fielding Independent Pitching. You can find statistics showing that batters hit for lower averages as a pitcher’s velocity increases. It’s harder to put the ball in play against higher velocity. Likewise, it would make some sense that the harder a ball is hit, the more likely a hitter can be productive. At the right launch angle, the ball with a huge exit velocity can travel a long way.When I was growing up, we were taught to hit hard line drives and vicious ground balls. Today’s philosophy is more about getting lift trying not to hit it on the ground. Either way, if you hit the ball hard, you give yourself a better chance of being productive. Even if it is at a fielder, it is more difficult to catch. So, I was very curious. Despite the fact that they are just 21 games into the Twins season, how hard have the Twins hitters hit the ball? I’m pretty certain that there will be no surprise who is at the top of the list. After that, however, there may be several surprises. At least there were for me. Before continuing… take a few minutes to jot down what you would think the rankings would be for Twins hitters in terms of exit velocities… Go ahead… write them down… Here are the names of those in alphabetical order: Byron Buxton, Jason Castro, Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, Chris Gimenez, Robbie Grossman, Max Kepler, Joe Mauer, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Danny Santana, Kennys Vargas. There are the names… Grab a piece of paper… Try to rank them in order according to their average exit velocity so far this season. … … … Alright, I’ll give you the current Twins rankings by Average Exit Velocity: Miguel Sano - 100.09Joe Mauer - 91.25Eduardo Escobar - 91.22Max Kepler - 91.09Kennys Vargas - 89.96Brian Dozier - 87.78Chris Gimenez - 87.35Danny Santana - 87.01Byron Buxton - 85.98Jason Castro - 84.53Robbie Grossman - 84.23Eddie Rosario - 83.95Jorge Polanco - 82.15Like I said, I don’t think it is surprising to anyone to see Miguel Sano at the top of this list. He has been hitting the ball on the screws nearly every time he comes to the plate. Well, when he isn’t striking out, that is. He has hit tape measure shots and line drives all over the field. After that, there are surprises. For those of you who did take a minute to try to rank the hitters by exit velocity, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you didn’t have Joe Mauer at #2. Did you? While his batting average remains low and he hasn’t had many extra base hits, he has hit the ball hard often. Max Kepler started slow, but he was very strong through the second week. He has hit a lot of real hard balls. Brian Dozier is just above the MLB average of 87.63. Chris Gimenez falls just below the average. Byron Buxton has hit the ball well the last three games. Before that not so much. Also, there are a lot of at-bats that ended in strikeouts. Robbie Grossman has arguably been the Twins second best hitter, so it was surprising to see him this far down on the list. Rosario has had a slow start. He had a couple of opposite field home runs last week that were obviously well struck, but he’s also continued to take pitches off the plate and tap out weekly in the infield. Of course, 21 games is not a meaningful sample, especially when only Miguel Sano has actually played in all 21 games. Brian Dozier leads the team at 81 at-bats. We are 1/8th of the way through the season, so it’ll be interesting to see how these numbers change (or stay similar). Click here to view the article