Seth Stohs

I could probably add more, but here is a pretty good start... http://twinsdaily.com/topic/25577-nik-turley/

It's one of those things where we all wanted him pushed to AA to start the season, rather than get his feet wet for the new season at Ft. Myers. I'm not saying he's not ready for AA, but he's certainly off to a slow start, and sometimes starting at that lower level, regaining that confidence and then moving up when you're at peak confidence is a good plan for some guys. Gonsalves has told me that he's kind of liked being able to go back to the level he's spent two months to see how the things he's been working on all off season work into his plan. It's definitely not a science. You never know, but there's little reason to worry about Romero yet.

Rochester played its home opener on Friday. Could they send their over-11,000 fans home happy? Fernando Romero made his second start of the season for the Lookouts. Was it better than his first outing? The Miracle were able to break a five-game losing streak. Find out how. The Kernels game was delayed by almost two hours… And then they needed an extra inning to decide the winner. Let’s just say the ninth place hitters factored into the game.All that and more. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 3 Box Score The Red Wings hosted their home opener on Friday afternoon. For the second straight game, the Red Wings got eight innings from their starting pitcher. Jose Berrios gave up an unearned run in eight innings on Thursday afternoon. On Friday, it was Nick Tepesch’s turn. The veteran right-hander gave up two runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out eight batters. Kennys Vargas got the game’s scoring started when he drove in Tommy Field with a single in the bottom of the first inning. Tepesch gave up two runs on five hits in the third inning. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Tommy Field’s sacrifice fly scored John Ryan Murphy to tie the game. The game remained tied until the top of the ninth inning. Drew Rucinski came in to replace Tepesch. He gave up a single and a walk before an RBI double. One more walk, and he was replaced by DJ Baxendale who got the final two outs without any further damage. In the bottom of the ninth, Syracuse called in their closer, Joe Nathan. The 42-year-old former Twins closer recorded a 1-2-3 inning to record his first save of the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Jacksonville 4 Box Score Fernando Romero was back on the mound for his second start. His first start was shortened due to lack of control and pitch count. His second start was even shorter, though the reasons were the same. The right-hander gave up one run in each of the first three innings, and left with two outs in the third inning. In 2.2 innings, he gave up three runs on three hits. He struck out five, but he also walked five batters. Lefty Nik Turley came on and was impressive again. In 4.1 scoreless innings, he gave up two hits, walked one and struck out eight. That gives him one walk and 18 strikeouts in his 8.1 innings so far this season. Mason Melotakis pitched the eighth inning and gave up an unearned run on two hits. The Lookouts managed just seven hits in being shut out. Engelb Vielma went 2-4 with a walk. Ryan Walker had the lone extra base hit, his second double of the season. Old friend Omar Bencomo, who spent the last two seasons between the Lookouts and the Red Wings, shut out in the Lookouts for the first six innings. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Daytona 0 Box Score After getting single runs in the first and second innings, the Miracle had a much needed big inning in the fifth inning of this game. RBI singles by Zander Wiel and Rafael Valera were followed by a two-run double by Sean Miller. And that was more than right-hander David Fischer needed to record his first win in the Twins organization. He went the first five innings and gave up just two hits. He walked three and struck out eight batters. Williams Ramirez walked two and struck out one over the next two innings. Anthony McIver gave up three hits, but he maintained the shutout with two shutout frames. Rafael Valera went 3-4 with his first triple. Alex Perez went 2-4 with a walk and his first triple. It boosts his season average to .429. Sean Miller went 2-3 with a walk, his third double and three RBI. The win broke a five-game losing streak for the Miracle. They are now 2-7. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 3 (10 innings) Box Score The game was delayed by rain for nearly two hours, and unfortunately for both teams, the bats never really arrived. Besides the late start, the game was scoreless through the first nine innings! Things started happening in the 10th though! Wisconsin starting pitcher Thomas Jankins was tremendous. He kept the Kernels hitters off balance and threw six shutout innings. The only hit he gave up came in the sixth inning when Lewin Diaz doubled, but he was stranded. Fortunately Kernels starter Sean Poppen was also very impressive and matched zeroes with Jankins. In fact, he was even better. The right-hander went 7.2 shutout innings, giving up just two hits and a walk to go with eight strikeouts in the no- decision. Alex Robinson came on and got the final out of the eighth inning and worked a scoreless ninth inning too. Unfortunately in the tenth inning, he gave up an infield single and a second single. He worked to two outs, but a three-run homer by ninth-place hitting Demi Orimoloye gave the TimberRattlers a 3-0 lead. Hector Lujan came on and got the final out of the tenth. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Caleb Hamilton reached base. With one out, Aaron Whitefield, the Kernels ninth-place hitter, drilled a two-run homer. But that was it for the scoring and the Kernels dropped the 3-2 decision. Whitefield went 2-4 with his first homer of the season. Lewin Diaz was 2-4 with his third double. Caleb Hamilton went 1-2 with two walks and a double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Sean Poppen, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Sean Miller, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga @ Jacksonville - (5:05 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) - RHP Alex Schick Click here to view the article

Goodrum had two errors yesterday, but they were at second base, the position he's probably played the least. But if he's destined to be a utility option, it's a position he's going to need to be able to play so they need to keep putting him out there.

I had a discussion at work the other day with a friend asking who would be called up when or if the Twins make the move from 13 pitchers to 12 pitchers. It got me thinking well beyond just that singular question. Looking around the diamond, if a certain player or a certain position had an injury or needed a demotion, who would be the player to be called up next? Most players promoted to the big leagues come from AAA, but occasionally we will see a player promoted directly from Double-A. So, let’s look at each position and think about who might be the logical player promoted if there was a need at that position.In many cases, we will lump together some positions where it makes sense. I’d certainly welcome your feedback on each. Of course, circumstances in the big leagues and in the minor leagues can alter any of this thinking from day to day. PITCHING The Twins are already at 13 pitchers, and as Nick noted it would probably be good if they can drop down to 12 pitchers in the near future. Obviously that change would happen in the bullpen as opposed to dropping to a four-man rotation. Starting Pitcher Who would be the next starting pitcher up if the Twins need a new starting pitcher? What if Adalberto Mejia struggles for three or four more starts? What if one of the five starters got hurt? One option, of course, would be to move Tyler Duffey back into the starting rotation. That isn’t a terrible option, but frankly, I’ve enjoyed watching his performance and how his stuff plays out of the bullpen. Jose Berrios threw six shutout innings in his first outing of the Rochester season. He will be back on the mound on Thursday afternoon. He’s been there, and maybe if he had not gone to the WBC, he would be in the rotation now. No real way to know that with certainty. 40-Man Roster Options: Two starters at AA Chattanooga are on the 40-man roster. Felix Jorge and Fernando Romero could be options for spot-start scenarios now. Maybe by season’s end, they will be ready for more. Non-Roster Options: Nick Tepesch was one of the last pitchers sent back to the minor leagues, so he is an option. Aaron Slegers made his first AAA start on Tuesday and threw six no-hit innings. Paul Clemens made 16 MLB starts last year (between the Padres and Marlins). He struggled in his first start for Chattanooga, but he could be an option as well. Left-Handed Relief Pitcher The Twins currently have two relief pitchers, Taylor Rogers and Craig Breslow. Ryan O’Rourke is on the 10-Day disabled list. Glen Perkins is on the 60-Day D. As of today the guy who would be called up would be Buddy Boshers. 40-man Roster Options: Mason Melotakis is healthy, and he’s pitched well so far in Chattanooga. He should surface sometime in 2017. Randy Rosario was just promoted to Chattanooga. We saw what he can do in spring training. Both of these guys throw in the mid-to-upper 90s with very good sliders. Non-Roster Options: Tyler Jay is the name to watch but as you know, he’s on the DL with some biceps tendinitis. Still, he could be in the equation later in the year. The other option is to go with one left-hander in the bullpen and select a right-handed reliever. Right-Handed Relief Pitcher The Twins currently have six right-handers in the big league bullpen. That includes Rule 5 pick Justin Haley. But if there were an injury, who would be called up? The answer for who I think would be called up now might be surprising. I think they call would go to Trevor Hildenberger. The side-winding right-hander is again off to a great start, this time in AAA. He is not on the 40-man roster 40-Man Roster Options: It was a surprise when JT Chargois was optioned late in camp. For those who follow the daily minor league reports, you’re aware that although he isn’t on the DL, he has yet to pitch. It isn’t believed to be long-term. Non-Roster Options: Jake Reed is on the DL due to his side injury. Alex Wimmers lasted late into spring training. His first outing of the year was rough, but he is capable. One name not often talked about is Alan Busenitz. He came from the Angels in the Ricky Nolasco trade. While he’s not a big man, he does throw very hard. Outfielders The Twins outfield is currently playing great defensively, but all three have struggled with the bat to start the season. So has fourth outfielder Danny Santana. And Robbie Grossman has only DHd, but he could play both corner spots. Right now, I think that Daniel Palka would be the guy called up if any of the three starting outfielders went on the D. He plays right field and can play left field (as well as DH), and both Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler can play center field. 40-Man Roster Options: Zack Granite started the season on the DL with a strained oblique, but once healthy and with a few games under his belt, he could certainly be an option as well. Non-Roster Options: Ben Paulsen had a good spring training, and he’s off to a fast start in Rochester. He’s primarily played left field, but he can play first base too.JB Shuck was one of the last cuts from big league camp too. Third Base/Second Base/Shortstop Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier and Jorge Polanco are going to play most every day. Eduardo Escobar has spelled Sano a couple of times, and Polanco once. Danny Santana can also play at any of those positions. I think if there was a short-term (maybe 10-day DL) situation that the Twins would call up Engelb Vielma. If it was more of a potentially long-term injury situation, I think that Tommy Field would likely be added to the 40-man roster and called up. He can be a backup at all three spots, plus has spent some time in the outfield too. 40-Man Roster Options: Ehire Adrianza is on the DL. Since he is out of options, the team will need to make a decision on him when he is ready to return. Or, they would need to make a decision on someone else. Non-Roster Options: Niko Goodrum chose to stay with the Twins organization this year rather than test free agency. He made a good impression during spring training, and he’s off to a fast start in Rochester, playing a lot of shortstop but also second base and center field so far. Matt Hague might be a possibility at third base. Bengie Gonzalez also had a terrific showing in big league camp. Nick Gordon? Probably not yet, but maybe by the end of the season. First Base/Designated Hitter Joe Mauer is at first base most days with Chris Gimenez as his backup. Robbie Grossman has been the main DH, particularly against left-handers. Right now, the easy choice for call up is Kennys Vargas. He’s on the 40-man roster. He lost time due to being in the WBC (and hardly playing). He recently hit his first home for the Red Wings. 40-Man Roster Options: I mean, the option is Vargas, though I think there is another good option. Mitch Garver has always been a hitter. And, he’s off to a fast start in Rochester. But he’s a catcher, right? Sure, but he’s played quite a bit of first base in his career, and he can DH, plus he can get time behind the plate. Non-Roster Options: Byungho Park may have been the choice at the end of spring training, but he went on the DL with a hamstring injury on Tuesday. Matt Hague was strong in spring training and has a long track record of success in the International League. Ben Paulsen is also a candidate for first base, DH and can play the corner outfield spots too. Catcher The Twins have had fast starts from Jason Castro and Chris Gimenez both at the plate and behind the plate. But if one of them was to get hurt, who would come up? Truthfully, I think it depends on which player got hurt. I think that if Chris Gimenez were to go on the DL, the Twins would call up John Ryan Murphy to be the backup to Jason Castro. I think if it was Castro was the one to get hurt, we could see Mitch Garver so that he can be the primary starter. Those are the two options right now on the 40-man roster, and both are at AAA Rochester. At AA are Dan Rohlfing and Jose Gonzalez. So there you have it, a lot of words to cover the What Ifs that the game of baseball can present. As we know, there will likely be eight to ten pitchers who will make starts at some point this season. It’s also likely that up to 15 relievers will pitch for the Twins. Even for position players, there will be injuries, maybe some demotions, and then September. What are your thoughts on who will surface in the big leagues and the scenarios it could happen? Click here to view the article

All four Twins affiliates were back on the field on Wednesday. Chattanooga made the off day trek down to Jacksonville to start a new series against several old friends. Lefty Randy Rosario joined the team there and will work out of their bullpen. The Kernels played a getaway game in Kane County before heading home for a weekend series. The Red Wings, like the Twins, are playing a lot of afternoon games, and they did so again on Wednesday. Jose Berrios will make his second start of the season on Thursday afternoon in Buffalo.Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Wednesday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 5 Box Score David Hurlbut was the one starting pitcher who hadn’t made a start, until Wednesday. He worked 5.1 innings and was charged with four runs, though none of them were earned. The Red Wings defense committed four errors in the game. Hurlbut gave up five hits, walked two and struck out four. He was replaced by Raul Fernandez, who made his AAA debut. The right-hander allowed the inherited runners to score and later one of his own in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Buddy Boshers worked a perfect inning, striking out one. Offensively, the Red Wings weren’t able to score until after they were down 5-0. In the eighth, they got RBI singles from Leonardo Reginatto and Matt Hague, but it wasn’t enough. Hague went 2-4. Ben Paulsen was also 2-4. Niko Goodrum went 2-4 and is now hitting .381 on the young season. Chad Allen argued a strike call early in the game. The umpire didn’t like that and ejected the Red Wings hitting coach. With the loss, the Red Wings are now 4-2 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Jacksonville 7 Box Score The Lookouts took their show on the road for the first time this season with a series at Jacksonville against the Jumbo Shrimp. Jacksonville has four players on their roster with Twins ties. LHP Matt Tomshaw will start for them on Thursday. Jeremias Pineda is an outfielder. Omar Bencomo split last season with the Lookouts and Red Wings. He signed with the Marlins after pitching for Venezuela in the WBC. He’ll start on Friday night. Finally, RHP Chris Mazza is also on their roster. The biggest bit of news is from tonight’s game is that Nick Gordon started at second base. After starting all five games in Chattanooga at shortstop, he moved to the other side of second with Engelb Vielma taking over at shortstop. We will see how it plays out over the next weeks and even the next few games. It makes more sense to let them settle in at a position for several games rather than moving back and forth too often. Now to the game. Frankly, it didn’t go well. Kohl Stewart was on the mound for his second start. The right-hander went just 2.1 innings. He was charged with seven runs on four hits. He walked five and struck out three. Just 37 of his 75 pitches were strikes. But the bullpen kept things where they were, combining for 5.2 scoreless innings. Todd Van Steensel came on and struck out six batters in 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked none. Randy Rosario, who came up from the Miracle earlier in the day, worked two perfect innings. Nick Burdi gave up a hit, but struck out two, in a scoreless eighth inning. The offense managed just five hits in the game. Engelb Vielma went 2-4. The Lookouts scored their lone run in the fourth inning. Dan Rohlfing hit a triple and scored on a Jonathan Rodriguez groundout. Dan Gamache was 1-2 with a walk. The loss evened the Lookouts record at 3-3. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 3 Box Score The Miracle got a tremendous start, and they had a late lead, but in the end, they lost in walk-off fashion. Down 1-0 after three innings, the Miracle scored on in the fourth. Chris Paul and Rafael Valera led off the inning with walks. Brian Navarreto advance them with a bunt, and Trey Vavra drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly. An inning later, Casey Scoggins drove in Nelson Molina with a single to give the Miracle a lead. Dereck Rodriguez was terrific. Through seven innings, he gave up just one run. He gave up a solo home run to lead off the top of the eighth inning which tied the game at two. He got through the inning. On the night, Rodriguez went eight innings and gave up two runs on six hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk. In the bottom of the ninth, Michael Theofanopoulos came on. He gave up a one-out double. With two outs, he gave up a single that scored the winning run. The Miracle fell to 1-6 on the young season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Kane County 1 Box Score The Kernels played a morning game, got a win and will start a homestand against Wisconsin on Thursday night. Eddie Del Rosario started out well. He struck out three in the first inning. Through three innings, he faced nine batters and had five strikeouts. However, he struggled in the fifth inning, loading the bases and allowing a run before being removed. His final line was one earned run on three hits, two walks and a hit batter in 4.2 innings. He struck out seven. Andrew Vasquez came on and got out of the fifth and worked three more innings without allowing a run. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out three. Colton Davis worked a perfect ninth frame, striking out two. The offense was pretty spread out. Jermaine Palacios led off and was 2-4 to raise his early-season average to .360. Mitchell Kranson went 2-4, and his first homer of the season came right after Kane County had tied the game at one. Jaylin Davis added his first homer of the year in the eighth inning. He also stole his second base. Ariel Montesino went 1-3 with a walk. The win pushes the Kernels back over .500 at 4-3. 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 – Mitchell Kranson, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios Chattanooga @ Jacksonville - (6:05 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) - RHP Cody Stashak Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Tyler Wells Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Wednesday's games. Click here to view the article

Saturday night's report explained he was injured tripping awkwardly over 1st base and was taken off the field on a cart. Monday's report mentioned that he was placed on the 7-Day DL with Casey Scoggins being added. I heard he was having an MRI on Monday, but haven't heard anything more specific.

I believe that's just going to be in the GCL (as far as Twins affiliates go)...

For me, Breslow is the choice. I was telling Nick that I had done a bunch of research on this topic. I looked at all 30 MLB Rosters and was surprised to see that EIGHT teams have 13 pitchers as of tonight. More surprising, four of those teams are in the National League where there are pinch hitters much more often than in the American League. Some of the teams are more obvious than others. AL: Twins, Astros, A's, Mariners. NL: Mets, Marlins, Reds, Rockies. I didn't realize that going to 8-man bullpens had become more and more prevalent. I think that's a new thing. As for the player to come up... With Byungho Park going on the DL, Vargas is really the only good choice right now, not that that is a great choice either.

For those that weren't able to watch or listen to the Red Wings game on Tuesday afternoon... Trevor Hildenberger got the first five batters that he faced out. He lost the no-hitter on a groundball between short and third. Solid, clean single. The next batter had a bunt single. Blankenhorn's homer was a blast... but his double was to left center and maybe hit just as well.

I really like Jernigan. He spent all of spring training at 3B, and I think that's kind of his spot, though he's always played SS. He should go to CR before the ET season starts. Same with Minier. Cabbage will be good. Just needs to stay patient.

Not much, he got hurt again, a foot contusion...

I shouldn't have included him...

Update - Byungho Park has been placed on the 7-Day DL with a hamstring injury... as Jeremy wrote could happen in his report...

There are also some DL guys there and a few veterans, likely waiting for an opening somewhere. But yes, this is a really, really good group of prospects still in Ft. Myers.

No one covers Twins minor league baseball like we do at Twins Daily, and today is one of those days. We take a look at the young Twins players who remain in Ft. Myers in extended spring training. Players that didn’t make a full-season team’s Opening Day roster will remain, for an extended time, in spring training in Ft. Myers. They call this, creatively, extended spring training. These players will continue to work out, practice, play some games against other teams, and generally just keep ready. Some are getting ready for when there is a need at Cedar Rapids or even Ft. Myers (such as Casey Scoggins who has already moved up to the Miracle). Some are waiting for the short-season leagues to start in late June, and then head to Elizabethton, Tennessee, or remain in Ft. Myers and play in the GCL. Today we’ll take a quick look at the players who remain in Ft. Myers for extended spring training. Which do you think will surface in Cedar Rapids? Who are the prospects? There is a little bit of everything in this group.What do the guys do in extended spring training. Literally, it is very similar to regular spring training. Each morning there is a workout/practice. Approximately five days a week, they will play a game in the afternoon against EST teams of the Red Sox, Orioles or Rays. Most weeks, there will be one day where they will just practice and work out. They get Sundays off. You’ll see a lot of these guys go watch the Miracle games at night when they are at home. Players are able to take English classes at the player academy. Their final game is June 13th. At that point, players from the draft will also start on June 12th. COACHING STAFFS Ray Smith is again the manager of the Elizabethton Twins. It is his 31st season with the Elizabethton Twins, and the 24th as manager. There were a few years in there where he was a coach so that the Twins could have a manager work with him. He has a managerial record of 936-621. He has won six Appalachian League titles. He originally signed with the Twins in 1977, and he played in 83 big league games for the Twins between 1981 and 1983. His hitting coach for the 16th straight season is Jeff Reed. Reed was the Twins first round pick in 1980 and played in 93 games for the Twins from 1984 through 1986. The catcher went on to play a total of 17 seasons in the big leagues. Luis Ramirez is back for his third season as the E-Twins pitching coach. He had coached in the GCL the two previous years. He also spent eight seasons as the Twins pitching coordinator in their Venezuelan Academy. The manager for the GCL Twins for the seventh season is Ramon Borrego. Before coaching for the Twins in the States, he spent a year in the Dominican Republic and four years in Venezuela. From 1996 through 2002, he was an infielder in the Twins minor league system, reaching AAA in 2002. He is joined by two pitching coaches. Virgil Vasquez is in his third season on the job. He spent big league time with the Tigers and Pirates, and he played for the Twins AA and AAA teams in 2013 and 2014. He still plays in Australia in the offseason. Cibney Bello is in his second season with the organization, coming over from the Mariners organization. Toby Gardenhire was supposed to be a hitting coach in the GCL, but he was named the third base coach for Rochester last week due to Mike Quade’s shoulder injury and surgery. The Twins will still need to add a hitting coach or two for the GCL team. ROSTERS Catchers: Jhon Alvarez, Kerby Camacho, Darling Cuestro, Justin Hazard, Robert Molina, Kidany Salva, Rainis Silva, Bryant Hayman (DL-knee) Infielders: Trey Cabbage, Mario Calcano, Joe Cronin, Dane Hutcheon, Wander Javier, Andre Jernigan, Kolton Kendrick, Shane Kennedy, Amaurys Minier, Jose Miranda, Emmanuel Morel, Jorge Munoz, Bradley Strong, Victor Tademo, Roni Tapia, TJ White Outfielders: Matt Albanese, Isaiah Aluko, Jean-Carlos Arias, Akil Baddoo, Zach Featherstone, Edgar Herrera, Humber Maldonado, Lean Marrero, Hank Morrison, Casey Scoggins, Alex Kirilloff (DL-elbow) Pitchers: Melvi Acosta, Chris Anderson, Petru Balan, Vadim Balan, Jordan Balazovic, Jose Bermudez, Tyler Benninghoff, Domenick Carlini, Taylor Clemensia, Edwar Colina, Amilcar Cruz, Miguel DeJesus, Juan Gamez, Pedro Garcia, Moises Gomez, Brusdar Graterol, Quin Grogan, Matt Jones, Blair Lakso, Logan Lombana, Jose Martinez, Ryan Mason, Patrick McGuff, Jovani Moran, Callan Pearce, Johan Quezada, Evan Sanders, Matz Schutte, Carlos Suniaga, Lewis Thorpe, Huascar Ynoa TOP PROSPECTS Alex Kirilloff - The Twins top pick in 2016 will miss the season due to Tommy John surgery.Wander Javier - The bonus baby just two years ago, Javier may have as much upside as any Twins prospect.Huascar Ynoa - High upside right-hander, works into the mid-90s. Very young.Akil Baddoo - supplemental second round pick last year out of high school, very strong, good left-handed swing.Jose Miranda - supplemental second round pick last year out of high school in Puerto Rico as a shortstop, moved to third base already (as expected), strong right-handed swing.Brusdar Graterol - After Tommy John, he came back during Instructs last year throwing 98+. Unfortunately, he broke his hand before spring training and will be out a bit longer.Lewis Thorpe - He’ll surface on a full season soon, we hope, and looks to show he’s still got it after missing the 2015 and 2016 seasons.Jordan Balazovic - Canadian draft pick from 2016, throws hard, looks the part of a starter. Very young, but has potential.Amaurys Minier - Two years in the GCL. Two years in Elizabethton. Back to EST again, though he did hit 10 homers in E-Town last year. Should move up before short season.Trey Cabbage - injured last year heading into the E-Town season, he missed a couple of weeks this spring with a foot injury. Smooth swing, very strong, athletic, huge potential. Needs to play.Tyler Benninghoff - Twins 11th round pick last year out of high school, he immediately had Tommy John surgery. He’s recently started throwing bullpens off a mound. Could possibly pitch very late in GCL season.STORIES TO WATCHThe Cedar Rapids rotation is filled with guys from the 2016 draft, but there are some more bullpen arms that need to be pushed up to Cedar Rapids before the short season gets under way.Teams can only have a certain number of players play in the rookie leagues (GCL/Elizabethton) for more than three years. That number has increased in recent years, but there are a lot of players on this list who have played at least three years in the rookie leagues including former bonus baby Amaurys Minier.The biggest surprise for me on this list is outfielder Casey Scoggins. The 40th round pick in 2016 out of the University of Tampa moved up to Cedar Rapids last year after just four games in Elizabethton. He held his own and was an instigator at the top of the Kernels lineup. He also won a Gold Glove for his centerfield defense one year in college. Instead, Australian Aaron Whitefield is in Cedar Rapids to start the season after his strong showing in the GCL last year and in the ABL this winter. (Note that Casey Scoggins was already added to the Ft. Myers roster.)Will Lewis Thorpe take the Fernando Romero plan from 2016? Romero went to Cedar Rapids in mid-May for three starts before moving up to Ft. Myers. He was shut down one week before the season’s end. Maybe the same thing will happen with Thorpe? Could he go straight to Ft. Myers?What will the Twins do with Chris Anderson? The Centennial High School grad was the Dodgers #1 pick in 2013 out of Jacksonville University. He struggled last year and was released late in spring training. The Twins will likely work with him in EST and then start him back up the ladder. No real risk in bringing in the big talent, and there is some potential for reward still.There are also several veterans that remain in Ft. Myers. They are either on the disabled list of an affiliate, or they are working on something in their game before going to an affiliate.There are about a dozen players who have come to the US from the new Twins academy in the Dominican Republic now that spring training is complete.Feel free to discuss the talent that the Twins have in Extended Spring Training. You can ask as many questions as you’d like and we’ll try to get them answered. Click here to view the article

That's where he wants to play. That's probably where he's best... The Red Wings don't really have one shortstop (they have a bunch of utility guys who can play there). Goodrum got bigger again, stronger, and I think he's definitely made himself into a prospect again. Good kid.

Rolled his ankle, and I believe he'll go on the DL, but yesterday seemed to be a bit better.

We can quantify the pitch framing... but I don't know that we know he's calling a better game. It's also possible the pitchers are executing the game plan better once through the rotation. I don't know how to compare Suzuki's game-calling to Castro's game-calling at all analytically.

Ya'll can vote for yourself... It's always good to have lots of good options for player of the day!

For me... #1 - That outfield defense... Always said Robbie Grossman's best defensive position was DH, and he's done fine in that role... But love seeing Rosario, Buxton and Kepler in the lineup. #2 - Buxton's at bats... What happened to the leg kick? His timing is so off and it shows in the leg kick. Sometimes there's a tap. Sometimes a little lift. Rarely is there the big leg kick we saw in September and in spring training. And, like Nick wrote, the 91-92 mph fastballs that look right down the middle that are being missed if befuddling. I have 0 concern long-term yet, but it's just hard to explain that level. #3 - Miguel Sano's approach. He seems to have his batter's eye back, and because of it, he's getting some better counts, and because of that, he's crushing the ball a lot. #4 - I love watching Ervin Santana pitch almost as much as I enjoy interviewing him or listening to him during interviews. He's fun to watch. #5 - The Molitor Lineups - I like that he's not afraid to try new things, to have different lineups for platoon advantages. I like that he's generally going with Kepler and Rosario against lefties, allowing them to work on that part of their game in game action (Because they're too young to strictly platoon in my opinion), but putting them down in the order. Geez, can you imagine having Kepler and Buxton batting 8 and 9 ahead of Dozier? #6 - Last one, but Polanco had a terrific first week with the bat. I don't expect him to be that good every week ,but I'm confident in his ability to hit. But I thought he did just fine at shortstop in the first week. Maybe one play he could have made that wasn't made, but for the most part, nothing he did at the position cost the Twins, and it that's the case... he'll be just fine there, very valuable. HM: The bullpen... the bullpen usage...