Seth Stohs

Stubbs isn't on the 40-man roster so he doesn't have to clear waivers to be sent down. I don't think we've heard anything yet on whether or not he has an opt-out date. Likely does.

Ryan Walker gained another 10 pounds after gaining 15+ last year. Akil Baddoo is remarkably strong. I mean, they all are working out so much all offseason, they all look strong, but those two were noticeable.

No, just taking it slow early this spring so he doesn't reach any innings limit too early in the season.

I don't, but most (or many?) of them do, at least during the season.

The Twins had a scheduled off day on Tuesday so Hammond Stadium was very quiet. However, the back fields were busy. Practice began about 9:15 and went until around 11:30 when the players broke for lunch. At 1:00, there were two intrasquad games played. So there was a lot of action in the minor league ranks. Today I’ll be posting some of what I’ve seen and heard around the park.I’ve had the opportunity to watch a few practices and some games down on the minor league fields, and today will share some of what I have seen and heard. As always, I welcome your questions and comments in the forum below. And think of other questions that you would like me to ask players if I run into them this week. As a quick note, I’ll likely be doing some Live Twitter/Periscope broadcasting throughout the next week, so be sure to follow Seth and Twins Daily on Twitter. I’ll be taking a ton of photos too, so be sure to Like Twins Daily on Facebook. On Tuesday, I did a 17-minute Live Twitter in which I walked around the back fields right before the intrasquad games. It was windy, so the audio isn’t great, but it does give a good feel for the lay of the land down there. Also, there are cameos from Todd Van Steensel, Callan Pearce, TJ White, and a short (almost inaudible) interview with Lachlan Wells. INJURY UPDATES: Tommy John rehab and recovery: Andro Cutura, Tyler Benninghoff, Brusdar Graterol and Alex Kirilloff. Kirilloff is back in Ft. Myers following his surgery. I chatted with Tyler Benninghoff a bit on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, he was on the field playing catch from 130 feet. Coaches and trainers were nearby to monitor him. He said he was throwing 70-80% While the scar is impressive, he noted that he is scheduled to throw off of the mound for the first time next Friday (3/24). He is about 8 ½ months after his surgery and on pace. Who knows? He may be able to make his pro debut sometime in the GCL. Zack Jones is also in Ft. Myers rehabbing from his shoulder surgery. Stephen Gonsalves is listed on the DL, though he is expecting to throw a bullpen on Wednesday. Johan Quezada has shoulder impingement and is yet to pitch in spring training. He remains very tall. Right-hander Ryan Mason is fighting some back spasms right now. Brandon Peterson has suffered a lat strain. Vadim Balan continues to deal with his back issues as well. In terms of hitters, as you know, Trey Cabbage is likely out another week with his ankle/foot injury. I told him today that he’s looking too comfortable walking around in his walking boot. He agreed. Catcher Bryant Hayman had ACL surgery, so he’ll be out for a while. GRANITE’S SPEED I have to recommend that you read Phil Miller’s article in the Star-Tribune on Zack Granite and his speed. Miller chatted with Granite and with manager Paul Molitor about Granite. In the article, Miller used several quotes from the manager, but since we aren’t limited by space here, I wanted to include several more quotes. I think it shows just how much of a fan Molitor is of Granite and the type of player that he can become. Molitor is impressed by the speedster’s game. On one play, he was on second base and there was a looping liner to left field. With a runner on third making sure the ball wasn’t caught, Granite cautiously took off toward third. When the left fielder slightly bobbled the ball, Granite took off, rounded third and scored on the play. “You still need guys that can do those things, table set and run the bases. The play today was just... my favorite part about that play was that he made the decision himself. He didn’t come into third and look for help. He peripherally saw the slight bobble and just kicked it into gear. That was a good instinctive play. He’s done that a few times in different situations on the bases.” Not only that, Molitor noticed, “He turned around that 97 mph fastball and hit it up the middle. He’s coming off a really good year with a lot of people speaking very highly of him. I like those kind of players. It’s better when they blend in with guys who can produce in terms of hitting the ball over the fence and drive people in, but there’s a definite place for those guys.” Here are some other phrases that Molitor used to describe Granite: “Shows no fear.” “Strike zone knowledge.” “Defensive awareness.” “He’s thrown the ball well.” “He’s gone to get it.” “There’s a lot of people, but I was looking forward to watching him play.” While Granite remains a long shot to make the Opening Day roster, it’s clear that Granite has fans in important places in the Twins organization, and it’s easy to understand why. NIKO GOODRUM Before Paul Molitor joined the Twins’ big league coaching staff (and then became manager), he was a roving instructor in the Twins minor league system. He’s seen a lot of these younger players develop. On Monday, Niko Goodrum made a start at first base and finished the game in left field. Regarding Goodrum’s evolution since being drafted in the second round of the 2010 draft, Molitor noted, “It seems like he’s been here a long time. I remember him as a youngster coming in as a prospect, switch-hitter guy who could play around. His body developed. He had some injuries and things along the way, but he re-emerged and found himself back on the map. Molitor noted that he hasn’t played a ton because of a “little shoulder issue that’s plaguing him a bit, but he’s taken good at-bats when he gets the chance.” MORE NOTES Talked briefly with Tanner English, Ryan Walker and LaMonte Wade. All three of them had the opportunity to play for Team USA last Wednesday when they took on the Twins at Hammond Stadium. All three agreed that it was really cool to be in the dugout with that team, and that they were able to glean some good stuff from those players. They didn’t work out or practice with Team USA, but they did spend the morning working out with the Twins. All said it was just a very good day, and are grateful for the opportunity.Wander Javier is pretty impressive. He’s pretty big in person, though he certainly has room to grow. He looks like a guy who could probably stick at shortstop. And, he can hit. On Sunday, he drilled an opposite field double. On Monday, he had a home run against Bethel. He’s got a long ways to go. I would assume he will start in the GCL, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets to Elizabethton by the end of the season.Chatted briefly with Lewis Thorpe. He said he’s supposed to work three innings on Wednesday in a minor league game. He says he feels great and is strong. It’s been a long couple of years for the Australian southpaw. It’s hard to imagine that the Twins would want to start him in the cold of Cedar Rapids, so they could have him start with the Miracle.The wind was blowing out to right field on the field the Miracle and Kernels were playing on. Ben Rortvedt hit a long, long home run to right field that would have been well beyond the fence even without the wind. On Twitter, I estimated that it measured 7,000 feet. I talked to him afterward, and he said that felt pretty good. Through a couple of days of observing, he also appears to be real good defensively. He has the tools to become a very good defensive catcher, but I thought he also showed some real leadership vocally as well.I chatted a little bit with 2016 draft pick Caleb Hamilton. He was by the bullpen waiting his turn to catch a bullpen. I asked him if he had ever caught before coming to the Twins and switching positions in the Instructional League. He said that he had caught a little bit, and caught some bullpens in college at Oregon State. He said that with all of the injuries his team had last year, he played every position but first base. He said he even warmed up in the bullpen once and almost came in to pitch. He’s really enjoying learning to catch and all it entails.While it’s probably more random than anything else, side-winding Trevor Hildenberger was pitching on one field, side-winding Tom Hackimer was pitching on the other field. I took time to watch both from almost right behind home plate. They are very similar. I will say that I was incredibly impressed with Hildenberger’s changeup and how much command he has with that delivery. Hackimer was a little more wild, but I think could move up really fast too. Travis Harrison had the opportunity to travel to Bradenton with the big league club on Sunday. Not only did he travel, but he got to play. He also got two at-bats. He said that he just missed one in his first at-bat, flying out to the warning track in center. He was also (understandably) excited about his second at-bat when he homered. The homer came off of Pirates Rule 5 pick Tyler Webb.It was a lot of fun seeing Kernels pitching coach JP Martinez working with the young pitchers, many in their first spring training. Pitchers stood on the mound and went through their delivery (not throwing). As they did that, Martinez would load a ball into the pitching machine and “shoot” it toward the mound. The pitcher would have to field it and throw it toward second base. A big net was positioned at second base with a strike-zone sized box in the center. The pitcher had to field the ball, turn, and throw to second base. If they didn’t field the ball cleanly or they missed the target, they were “out.” Eddie Del Rosario was the winner of that particular competition. But it was fun to see the creativity and keeping things like PFPs, which are important but can get monotonous, fun.Starting pitchers in minor league camp are hoping to reach three innings (at 45 pitches) in their first outings. In their next start, they hope to go four innings (60 pitches). They will continue to ramp it up to 90 pitches which will likely be their limit for a couple of starts early in the season.Mike Radcliff told me the the team has signed several more minor league free agents than they have in the past. The idea is more players equals more competition equals better baseball. As we know, the new front office regime has talked about expanding the front office. They also want to make sure there are more players in minor league camp.The Twins had their first full minor league practices last Thursday. They had three days of just workouts. The last three days they have worked out in the morning and then played intrasquad games in the afternoon. On Wednesday, they will play their first games against other organizations. Rochester and Chattanooga will host Norfolk and Bowie, the AAA and AA affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles at 1:00 on the back fields. The Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids rosters will travel to Sarasota to take on Frederick and Delmarva (High-A and Low-A affiliates). The affiliates will play all but one day right up until April 3rd when the teams travel to their cities. We’ll be back with more throughout the next week. Again, feel free to use the comments section below to ask questions about this article or things you would like me to dig into on the back fields. Click here to view the article

Let me add this too... speaking to it not being scientific and inexact and such. Prospect rankings are about upside, ceiling first and foremost. A guy like Wander Javier has the potential to be an All Star, but he hasn't even played in the GCL. A guy like Alex Wimmers is still a "prospect." His ceiling at this point is a 7th inning reliever, and his likelihood of being called up again is probably pretty high, whether it is with the Twins or someone else. A guy like Pat Dean wasn't ever a top prospect, and yet, his floor was pretty high. He got to the big leagues and can be a back-end of a rotation starter, swing man type. So, prospect rankings are one piece. Ceiling is one large piece of it, but proximity and age and things like that play in as well. And, guys outside of the rankings can still have solid MLB careers in a role. Why? Guys that are ranked 41-60 are still really good baseball players. In fact, if I were to rank Twins prospects 1-150, player 150 has a lot of baseball talent.

There are always a few guys called up that aren't on Top 40s. Guys like Wimmers or Beresford last year. Could be relievers, backup infielders or outfielders, spot start types, etc. I personally do a Top 40 around midseason. I do a preliminary Top 40-50 after the season, before I dive headfirst into the Prospect Handbook. Then my "official" Top 40 is in the Twins Prospect Handbook which comes out in January. As I'm at spring training, I spend 8-9 days watching minor leaguers in practice and in games, which helps... and it certainly can affect rankings some too. Seeing builds, BP, how they practice and interact, talking to players, coaches, managers and others. Definitely subject to change. As for Twins Daily, we post at midseason and in February. Prospect rankings are far from scientific.

Just a reminder that his is spring training...

Yeah, I did a double-take yesterday before the game when Rosario told me that he preferred the bullpen. He thinks it just suits him better. His stuff definitely can play in the bullpen. He's got a chance to be very good in that role. And Slegers is also very interesting. Throws strikes. Has better stuff than we often give him credit for. He has touched 94 at times. Mixes well. Obviously has that good downward plane. I think there are a lot in the organization that really like him.

It doesn't necessarily mean he will go to Chattanooga. I think that may be most likely, especially knowing the Randy Rosario is moving to the bullpen full-time.

Might want to be slower with the elbow thing that ended his 2016 season a month early. Moreso, it may just be about early-season numbers.

Just a boot. He said he should be good to go in a week.

The Twins put together a bullpen game, started by Rule 5 pick Justin Haley. Niko Goodrum’s three-run, second-inning homer tied it at three. After that, the Twins took advantage of some miscues but also ran the bases aggressively on the way to a 9-4 win over the Rays. The team had won eight straight spring games before both sides of a split-double header lost on Sunday afternoon. If the Twins can win on Wednesday when the Cardinals come to town, it could be called another streak.With Trevor May likely out for the 2017 season, the Twins gave Rule 5 pick Justin Haley an opportunity to start for them on Monday afternoon against the Rays. He was going on two-days rest, so it was planned that he wouldn’t go more than two innings. What he was able to do was work on all of his pitches. Haley said, “In two innings, I threw all four pitches several times. Got a good feel for all of them. Threw a couple good changeups. Got a strikeout. Threw a couple of good curveballs. Really wanted to work on the slider today, and I feel like I did that. I feel like I accomplished that.” He saw mixed results. He flashed a fastball that sat between 90 and 92 mph. He has a solid changeup that comes in around 84. And then he drops a slow curveball in the mid-70s. It’s a pitch mix that can and has worked for big league starters many times in the past. His manager noted, “He did OK. Wasn’t consistent with his command today. Obviously two-out, two-run homers are not a thing anyone gets too excited about,” he continued “I don’t think he was as crisp as some other outings today, but it was the first time he’d started too.” Haley has been a starter throughout his full career, so getting an opportunity to start was nice. “I’ve done both (starting and relieving). I enjoy both. It was definitely nice to go through a full warm up. I’m definitely more used to that. But I am just getting used to warming up in a half-inning.” He gave up one run in the first inning. Mallex Smith pushed a perfect bunt past a drawn-in Danny Santana at third base. Haley threw to first baseman Niko Goodrum who missed the throw, allowing Smith to advance to second base. Tim Beckham flew out to right field which was deep enough to advance Smith to third. He then scored when Jake Bauers hit a fly ball to Zack Granite in center. Mallex Smith came up big in the bottom of the first inning as well. Joe Mauer crushed a pitch just to the left of center field. Smith went back to the wall, jumped and made the catch, likely robbing Mauer of a home run. With two outs in the second inning, Haley gave up a first-pitch homer to outfielder Shane Peterson on a curveball. It was a blast to dead center fielder. “I can form into whatever role they need me to. I feel like I’ve been doing pretty well. I hope they appreciate that, as much as I’m putting into it, and looking to earn a spot.” Haley went two innings and gave up the three runs (two earned) on three hits. He didn’t walk any, and he struck out one. With Trevor May’s injury, Haley doesn’t want to overthink today’s start. “If they ask me to do it, I’ll do it and I’ll certainly give it my best. I think I’d be a good candidate, but until they ask me to do it, I can’t say what's going to come of it. Today was a reliever day, and I got chosen to start the reliever day.” Molitor said, “Next time we’ll try to get him more extended.” The Twins had the opportunity to face Rays right-hander Jose De Leon. I would guess that Twins Daily readers are familiar with the right-hander. He was the pitcher offered to the Twins from the Dodgers in the Brian Dozier rumors that only died when De Leon was traded to the Rays for second baseman Logan Forsythe. De Leon sat between 90-92 with his fastball, usually closer to 90. His changeup and his slider were both in the mid-80s. He came into the game having only recorded two outs this spring due to minor injury. Paul Molitor said afterward, “Guys were talking about his changeup more than anything. They thought it was a hard pitch to pick up. He threw the ball fairly well.” In the bottom of the second, he gave up a single to Robbie Grossman and then walked Jason Castro. Niko Goodrum came to the plate and on a 1-1 count, he crushed a long home run beyond the wall in right center field wall. Goodrum was asked after the game if he got all of that pitch or something just a little bit less than all of it. His response, with a big grin, “I got all of it!” He continued, “He started me with a changeup that I was just out in front of a little. Then on 1-1, he tried to throw me a fastball.” Before joining the Twins coaching staff and then becoming the manager, Paul Molitor was an instructor in the Twins minor league system. Of Goodrum, he noted, “It seems like he’s been here a long time. I remember him as a youngster coming in as a prospect, a switch-hitter guy who could play (several positions). His body developed, but he had some injuries and things along the way. He has re-emerged and found himself back on the map. I told him after the (second) inning he was +2, gave up one and drove in three. He hasn’t had a ton of playing time because of a little shoulder issue that’s plaguing him a bit, but he’s taken good at-bats when he gets the chance.” He got the start at first base, a position he’d played just eight game at in his seven minor league seasons. He spent the second half of the game in left field. Before the game, I asked him how many gloves he has to bring to the park. He said he has five different gloves. I asked him if he’d ever need a catcher’s mitt. He chuckled and said clearly. “NO!” JT Chargois came in for the third inning for the Twins. He looked strong. His fastball was sitting 95 and touching 96. He struck out the first two batters, both on sliders (at 87 and 88 mph). He gave up a broken bat double to Jake Bauers and then hit Steven Souza (both on 3-2 counts). He got a grounder to short to end the inning. It had the makings of a strong, efficient inning, but getting the third out took some work. Efficiency has been a problem for him in his short major league career. As Molitor said after the game, “When he is a strike thrower and aggressive, the results usually are pretty good. And other times, you look up and he needs 28-pitches to get through an inning.” Alex Wimmers worked two innings. He gave up a run on a couple of doubles in his second inning of work. He did strike out three batters. Ryan O’Rourke pitched a scoreless inning despite an infield single and a tailor-made double play ball turned error. Buddy Boshers pitched the eighth inning. He worked a 1-2-3 inning with a lot of help from his friends. The final out came on a diving play by Leonardo Reginnato. He got up and threw to first where Matt Hague had to stretch and scoop to finish the play and the inning. Asked if any of the lefties competing for a spot have separated themselves at this stage of camp, Molitor said, “I think you go Breslow, O’Rourke and Boshers. They’ve kind of had good outing-bad outing. They’ve all battled. I don’t think it’s separating itself enough to where I’m leaning one way or another.” Randy Rosario pitched the ninth inning. He showed a fastball at 93-96 and a slider at 87. After getting a groundout and a fly out, he gave up a slap-double to left field, he got Justin Williams to strike out. Following the game, the Twins sent two more players down to minor league camp. Read more about those players, including comments from Paul Molitor, in this article. SANTANA TO JOIN DOMINICAN WBC TEAM Ervin Santana will be joining the Dominican Republic team in the WBC tournament. According to Molitor, it was confirmed yesterday morning. Santana was at Hammond Stadium last night packing. He headed to Miami last night and chartered with the team to San Diego this morning. Molitor said that his gut feel is that Santana was recruited a bit. “Players on those teams probably talk a lot. Besides management people, GMs and managers, I think players reached out to him. That’s kind of my feeling. C’mon, man. Come have some fun with us.” Santana is expected to pitch on Wednesday for the Dominican team. As it relates to the Twins, Molitor noted, “He was going to throw five innings in a minor league game here tomorrow.” “Part of the conversations, from what I understand, were that we wanted him to stay as close to his schedule as he could. For us, that means Tuesday or Wednesday. Once it gets past a couple of days, it starts making it tricky to do what we need to do before now and Opening Day.” PERKINS UPDATE The Twins have an off day on Tuesday. Glen Perkins will throw another bullpen on Wednesday. Molitor said, “His pitches aren’t really getting extended much. I think the next one’s going to be 20-25 (pitches), depending on how he feels. He’s still not facing hitters yet, and we’re getting to the end of March.” TUESDAY OFF DAY The Twins don't get many off days during spring training, but Tuesday is one of them. There will be no players or coaches at Hammond Stadium on Tuesday. I will be spending the day down on the minor league fields. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have and I'll try to get them answered for you. Click here to view the article

We don't yet know where Melotakis and Romero will start the year. We won't know where they'll start until a week (or less) before the season starts.

That player in that scenario would not have been optioned, so no option used. You are correct. If Byungho Park is re-assigned to minor league camp, that will not be an option.

On Monday morning, the Minnesota announced that four players were sent to minor league camp. Officially, Stephen Gonsalves and Aaron Slegers were reassigned to minor league camp. Mason Melotakis was optioned to AAA Rochester. Fernando Romero was optioned to AA Chattanooga. Following the game, the team announced that lefty Randy Rosario and right-hander Felix Jorge had been optioned to Chattanooga.As expected, the Twins started cutting down their spring training roster as six pitchers were told by manager Paul Molitor and members of the front office that their time in big league camp has come to an end. The cut list includes the team's top two pitching prospects. Twins Daily's #1 Prospect Fernando Romero had a strong showing this spring. In three games, he worked three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. He impressed with his upper-90s fastball and a sharp upper-80s slider. Romero is on the 40-man roster, hence his first option has been used. Molitor discussed the idea of Romero as a starter or a reliever. "Very confident kid, who we still think has the potential as a starter. I can see him as a reliever, but I think that people envision him being a very high-end starter, so we're going to stick with that here in the short-term and try to get him stretched out." He continued, "I asked because I see the power, and you can see how he could be a late-inning game guy, but they say he's got sustainability in terms of being able to carry that kind of stuff throughout the course of a game. He'll be able to get more work and more innings and more experience. I can see down the line with innings and his injury past that you could protect his workload sometime during the season." Twins Daily's second-ranked prospect is lefty Stephen Gonsalves. He also pitched well in his first big league spring training. He worked 3.1 innings over three appearances. He also did not give up a run. In fact, he didn't even give up a hit. He walked one (Gregory Polanco) and struck out three. He missed time the last few days with a soreness in the back of his shoulder, though he is expected to resume pitching today. Gonsalves is not on the 40-man roster. Molitor said, "He had a nice go until he had the flare up there." (referring to his shoulder) Aaron Slegers was also a non-roster invite to spring training. He took the loss in yesterday's game in Ft. Myers against the Orioles. But the tall right-hander also showed glimpses of big league potential. He worked 2.2 innings over three appearances. He gave up two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out one. Molitor said, "Slegers came even better than advertised for me. I'd heard a lot of very positive things about makeup. But the way that he threw the ball was good." Mason Melotakis strained his oblique just before spring training started. On Sunday, he worked some live BP down on the minor league fields and said he felt really good. This morning I asked him if he had any soreness. He said that his oblique felt great and his soreness today was simply day-after-bullpen soreness that he expected from his outing. He was hoping to get a chance to pitch in a big league game, but he was optioned to AAA. It is his second option as he was also optioned in 2016. Molitor said, "Melotakis unfortunately didn't get to show us too much." Felix Jorge had pitched very little in spring training, but Molitor said, "We all realize that he's someone we think highly of. We need to get him on track to start the season." Randy Rosario finished out the game with a scoreless ninth and was told after the game that he would be optioned as well. Before the game, I chatted with him. I asked whether he preferred to start or pitch out of the bullpen. He said, "Relief. No question." He thought that it would be better for him and his arm. He said that his elbow was feeling very strong. Following the game, he told me that he was told that he will spend the season in the bullpen, so he was very happy. Molitor noted, "He's still trying to figure out his routine and the differences between relieving and starting. But we all see that he's got a lot of potential too." Feel free to discuss. Certainly a lot fewer players sent down than I would have guessed, but it is a new regime. It will be interesting to see how it plays out with them. Click here to view the article

The Gopher baseball team completed their 13-game, US Bank Stadium home stand on Sunday afternoon with a loss to Missouri State. In fact, the Gophers lost two of the three games this weekend. They will now play four games this coming week in California before starting Big Ten games the following week at Ohio State. Today we get to know another Gophers senior contributor. Troy Traxler grew up in LaCrescent, Minnesota, a small town across the Mississippi River from LaCrosse, Wisconsin. He grew up a Twins fan, often going to games at Metrodome and Target Field. He won a state championship in high school, and has played in the Northwoods League. Let's get to know outfielder Troy Traxler. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in LaCrescent, were you a big Twins fan? Troy Traxler (TT): I was a huge Twins fan. When I was real young, I would wear my Eric Milton jersey everywhere. I also imitated everything Jacque Jones did. I still do his pre-pitch routine, swinging the bat around until the pitcher throws the ball. SS: Did you get to many games? Who were some of your favorite ballplayers? TT: Since I lived a ways away from the Metrodome and Target Field, I usually got to one or two games a year. I loved Jacque Jones because he was a smaller guy who could do a little bit of everything. He's the type of player I always tried to emulate. SS: What were some of the highlights of your high school career? TT: Some highlights from my high school career including playing in the state tournament and winning it all in 2009. I loved playing high school baseball as I got to play a little bit of every position and our team was always competitive in the conference and in the state tournament. High school baseball was a blast that I will always miss. SS: What was it about the University of Minnesota that made you decide to play for the Gophers? TT: I chose the U of M because both my parents went here and I would come on campus all the time for football games when I was younger and always dreamed of playing for the Gophers. As soon as Rob called me on the first day he could call recruits, I knew I was going to be a Gopher. It was a dream come true. SS: Have you played summer ball through your college years? TT: Guys joke that I am a Northwoods League lifer. I played in the NWL each summer during my collegiate career. I loved the Northwoods League and would play in it for the rest of my life if I could. I played for the La Crosse Loggers, the Wisconsin Woodchucks, the Rochester Honkers and the Rockford Rivets, all in the Northwoods League. Living the professional baseball lifestyle was a blast, and I will always remember my summers in the NWL. SS: What have been some of the highlights of your time with the Gophers? TT: Some highlights throughout my collegiate career include winning the Big Ten title and playing in the NCAA tournament. It always was a goal of mine to play for a nationally-ranked team, and I accomplished that last year. SS: What are your goals for the 2017 season? TT: Some goals for the 2017 season is to defend our B1G title. I hope to help the team defend our title in any fashion, whether that be as a role player, as a starter or even just as a leader that younger players can talk to. I hope to exceed our accomplishments from last year, but realize that this is a process and not just something that talent can take care of. It will be a fun ride this year, and I look forward to the ups and downs the season brings. SS: What is your major, and what are your career goals going forward? (How does baseball fit into that equation?) TT: My major is business and marketing education with a minor in communications. I plan on using my major through the corporate world as I will pursue a career in sales where I can use my competitive background. Once baseball is over, I will need something to work for and sales is a good fit for my skill set as I can always strive to be better, making and maintaining relationships along the way. GOPHERS NOTES On Friday night, the Gophers won 5-2. It was a tight game until the bottom of the 8th when Matt Stemper delivered a bases-clearing double to secure the win. Alex Boxwell was 2-3 with a triple. Lucas Gilbreath started. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out six. Tyler Hanson got the win. He threw three scoreless innings. Brian Glowicki recorded his fifth save with a perfect ninth. Saturday, freshman Brett Schulze was on the mound. He gave up five runs on four hits and a walk in 5.1 innings. He struck out five. Nick Lackney walked four of the five batters he faced and got just one out. Tim Shannon worked 2.1 innings of one-run ball before Jackson Rose pitched a scoreless inning. The Gophers had just four hits though three of them went for extra bases. Matt Stemper and Micah Coffey each knocked home runs. Alex Boxwell added a double. The Gophers lost 7-2. On Sunday afternoon, the Gophers lost 12-3. Toby Anderson was knocked out in the fourth inning. Troy Traxler was the lone Gopher with more than one hit. He went 2-3 with a walk. COMING NEXT The Gophers play against California-Berkeley on Tuesday night. The Bears have become a program that the Twins have drafted and signed several players out of. In fact, no other college program has more players currently in the organization. Trevor Hildenberger, Michael Theofanopoulos, Chris Paul, Mitchell Kranson, Ryan Mason and Alex Schik all come from the school. Then the team will play three games against Sacramento State. 2016 draft pick Tyler Beardsley, a right-hander, is from the school. If you would like to discuss Troy Traxler, the Gophers weekend or anything, please feel free to ask questions. Click here to view the article

He was on pace last spring to start in Extended and then move up... unfortunately, he got mono which slowed down the timeline.

It'll be big for him to get through the year, hit his innings limit and pitch effectively. 2018 might be an even bigger year.

People are assuming cuts will come tomorrow. Could be before the game, or they could wait until after. My spidey-senses tell me that it'll be before the game. Hildenberger and Burdi likely start in AA. Reed should start in AAA. I mean, Hildenberger should start in AAA too, but I'd guess he won't.

Twins Daily is the place to go for Twins minor league information. While I am down here, I am hoping to cover both the big league club and the minor league side of things. Nick did a great job today of covering the unfortunate Trevor May news and the Twins 13-0 win over a split Boston Red Sox club. I’m going to provide my first Minor League Report from the Fort tonight. Please feel free to ask any questions you would like, and I will answer them as I am able. I also encourage you to ask questions that you would like me to dig into while I am here. I will try to answer (or get answered) as many as I can. As a quick note, I’ll likely be doing some Live Twitter/Periscope broadcasting throughout the next week, so be sure to follow Seth and Twins Daily on Twitter. I’ll be taking a ton of photos too, so be sure to Like Twins Daily on Facebook.Below you will find a smorgasbord of topics regarding the Twins minor leagues. Although it is not known for sure, the assumption is that the Twins will make their first big league roster cuts on Monday. On Sunday, the Twins will play a split doubleheader so they’ll need all the players they can get. Expect the first cut to involve a lot of players. 40-man roster guys who aren’t going to compete for a big league job will likely be in that first group. Also starting pitchers who aren’t really competing for an Opening Day roster spot should also be sent down. They need to start building up their pitch count to be ready to throw 80-90 pitches in a game by Opening Day. So, who is in minor league camp will certainly change several times. Dereck Rodriguez is on the Puerto Rico WBC roster, but you may have seen pictures of him in Ft. Myers. He is an alternate on the Puerto Rico team, and so he is staying in Ft. Myers to continue to work and prepare himself for the season. If Puerto Rico advances to the second round (pretty likely, I would think) Rodriguez could join them then. Tommy Watkins saw me at the end of practice on Friday. I congratulated him on getting an opportunity to manage. He is very excited for the opportunity. He’s been working with minor league players the last couple of months. He said that almost 100 players reported before minor league report day. Again, the academy is creating an opportunity for players to put in work before they even have to. Watkins also said that they were doing community events three to four times a week. They visited hospitals and schools and conducted a couple of camps. Trey Cabbage injured his foot in minor league camp. He called it a “stupid freak accident.” He hopes to get back on the field within a couple of weeks. Trevor Hildenberger threw a bullpen today. He said it went well and his elbow is “all good” and he’s going “full bore.” Speaking of guys returning, Lewis Thorpe was back on the mound, and he is ‘full-go’ to do all spring training activities. He was a Top 10 Twins prospect before he missed two seasons with, first, Tommy John surgery and then a season-long illness. He could certainly get back to that status by the end of the year. It will be an interesting season for him. Will he start in extended spring training to avoid Cedar Rapids in April? Could he just start with the Miracle? It’ll be interesting to see his innings limit, but he’s essentially where Fernando Romero was a year ago at this time so that’s probably a good barometer. And the most important thing I’ve learned through one-plus days of minor league camp… The Twins got rid of their old rule that minor leaguers could not have beards. Young adults can be treated like adults. They can be individuals. Next up, maybe baseball will let minor leaguers get paid a fair wage. One thing at a time, right? The last three days, the minor leaguers have been working in four work groups.On Sunday, they will work out in the morning and then at noon there will be intrasquad games. Rochester will take on Chattanooga on one field, and Fort Myers will challenge Cedar Rapids on the other field. The same thing will happen on Monday, though the “GCL Twins” will take on Bethel University again this year. Bethel, as you recall, is coached by former Gopher and former Twins player Brian Raabe. Tuesday will be more afternoon intrasquad games. Starting Wednesday, the teams will start playing against other teams. It will be AAA vs AAA, and AA vs AA and so on. They will play teams of the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays. On those days, two teams will travel and two teams will play on the back fields. We’ll be back with more throughout the next week. Again, feel free to use the comments section below to ask questions about this article or things you would like me to dig into on the back fields. Click here to view the article