Seth Stohs

I will be shocked... I wouldn't actually mind it, but i would be completely shocked.

I don't have any real strong feelings about any of these. To be honest, it's impossible to know what would work best in reality. I might give a slight edge to Chaim Bloom myself. Feels like he's done more at a higher level. But again, I don't think there's a bad choice in this group. It'll be interesting to see how long after they hire a Pres of BB Ops before that person then hires a GM.

Not sure how Baxendale would fit into the "Lock" category. He'd fit into the Burdi/Hildy/Reed category for me. I would have liked to see him come up, but it didn't bother me in the least when Wimmers got called up. Much bigger decision to make on him since he's a free agent at the end of the World Series if he hadn't been brought up. At least he got an opportunity, which is is very appreciative of. The decision on Baxendale is whether or not to add him to the 40 man roster in November, and that's far from a given. I just have a hard time saying anyone who has no big league experience should be a "lock." That just doesn't make sense to me. Hildenberger should be given a legit shot in spring training, but so much of that depends on his elbow situation. Melotakis was good in his return. The Twins didn't pitch him more than one inning. He didn't pitch on back-to-back days. He still ended up on the DL a couple of times for additional rest. That's all positive. Let's not think that he suddenly jumps into the big leagues because 1.) AAA time won't hurt him, and 2.) at least early, they'll want to test out a few things first. Can he pitch more than one inning? Can he pitch on back-to-back days. Those were the considerations with Chargois. You can control that all in AAA. As we've seen with Chargois in the big leagues, it's all-hands-on-deck, so he's pitched more than 2 innings once or twice, and back-to-back games often. He likely woudln't have been ready for that earlier in the season and certainly not in 2015. I'm on board with the Twins plans for Chargois now that I understand it and see how it changes in the big leagues, and I"m on board with them doing the same with Melotakis. Pressly turns 28 in December. He's not old! Unless you're like 18.

Yesterday, Nick penciled in a starting rotation for 2017. Improving the Minnesota Twins starting rotation should be (and will be) the top priority for whoever the incoming President of Baseball Operations and General Manager are. Aside from Ervin Santana, the starters have been pretty much awful. The bullpen hasn’t been a whole lot better, so today I’m going to see if I can help pencil in a Twins bullpen for 2017.Like Nick, I’m only going to consider internal options for this exercise. In doing so, you will be able to think about which current members of the organization should (or shouldn’t, if you prefer) be in the bullpen in 2018. It can help determine how many free agent arms the team should consider bringing in. In my opinion, these guys should be considered locks for the Twins bullpen in 2017 (again assuming they are not traded): Brandon Kintzler: He signed last December as a minor league free agent after four years of MLB service with the Brewers. After a brief stint in Rochester, Kintzler came up and immediately proved that he’s a big leaguer. The last couple of months, he’s held his own as the team’s closer. It’s clear his ideal role is more of a 7th inning guy with good control of a low-to-mid-90s fastball with a lot of movement. He will have one more year of arbitration, but he shouldn’t make more than $2-2.5 million in 2017. Easy choice to bring back the 32-year-old. Ryan Pressly: In the first three or four months of the season, he was one of the most used, and usually effective, reliever in baseball. It was clear he wasn’t the same pitcher in the second half. However, Pressly showed again that he throws hard and has a strong pitch-mix that can work well out of the bullpen. The 28-year-old will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason, but he shouldn’t make more than about $1.5 million. Taylor Rogers: Rogers was added to the 40-man roster last offseason. He was one of the last players sent to minor league camp in spring. However, within a week of the season opening, he was summoned to the big leagues for his debut. He was sent back down, but it wasn’t long before he was back. The 25-year-old had a very solid rookie season. As he had in the minor leagues, he was great against left-handed hitters. JT Chargois: Maybe “Shaggy’s” name isn’t written in pen yet, but in my mind, it should be. The Twins deserve to be commended how how successfully they brought him back from his Tommy John surgery. He had a terrific minor league campaign, limiting walks better than he has in the past. He not unexpectedly struggled upon his promotions, but in September he appears to have figured some things out. He’ll be 26 throughout 2017. He’s ready. Now let’s say that those four spots of the bullpen are set, that means that there are three (and possibly four) spots that would be considered open. Below are a bunch of pitchers who could factor into those decisions. Glen Perkins: The All-Star closer missed most of the 2016 season and finally had shoulder surgery. All indications are that his rehab is going well, but we can’t state with certainty that he will be ready for spring training, or Opening Day, or when. We do know that when he is deemed ready, he will have a spot in the Twins bullpen. Trevor May: On Wednesday night, Mike Berardino informed us that May learned - finally - that he has a stress fracture in his back, something he suspects has been there for awhile. The talk had already been that he would be given an opportunity to go back to starting. His physically well-being will likely be a huge factor in whether he starts or continues to work out of the bullpen. Michael Tonkin: Out of options, he made the team out of spring training. He’s certainly had moments and continues to get strikeouts but it’s been a rocky first full season for Tonkin. Pat Dean/Ryan O’Rourke/Jason Wheeler/Buddy Boshers/Mason Melotakis/Logan Darnell/David Hurlbut: With Rogers as a lock, in my opinion, there appears to be one more spot for a left-hander. This depends somewhat on Perkins’ status. Also, a long reliever could be left-handed or right-handed. Dean, Wheeler, Darnell and Hurlbut could be long or short relievers. Boshers did a nice job for the Red Wings and Twins in 2016. O’Rourke can certainly get left-handers out and improved against right-handers. Melotakis fits into the left-handed pitcher role, though he has a chance to be a very hard-throwing dominant reliever. Pat Light/Alex Wimmers/Tyler Duffey - These are three pitchers who are currently on the active roster who could factor into the 25-man roster in 2016. Duffey could get another shot to start, or as Nick mentioned yesterday, he could move back to the bullpen where he pitched in college. Light has good stuff, but he hasn’t found success the way Chargois has in September, so he’s more of a question mark right now. Wimmers is a former first-round pick who is finally getting a shot. He’s had his ups and downs in his month with the big club. He’s shown an ability to get strikeouts. He’s walked some. His ERA is inflated by one outing where three runs should have been deemed unearned. Nick Burdi/Trevor Hildenberger/Jake Reed/Alan Busenitz/Zack Jones: There are pitchers who are not on the 40-man roster yet but who all could factor into the Twins bullpen as early as 2017. Burdi impressed at spring training but he lost his 2016 to a bone bruise on his right elbow. Hildenberger was our minor league reliever of the year for the second straight year. He dominated AA and maybe would have seen some big league time. Unfortunately, he was shut down with elbow tendinitis after a great July and is currently rehabbing in Ft. Myers. Jake Reed pitched well, particularly after his late promotion to Rochester. He throws hard and gets a ton of movement. Busenitz came to the Twins from the Angels organization in the Nolasco/Meyer/Santiago trade; he is another hard-thrower who spent time in AA and AAA with the Twins. Zack Jones was the Rule 5 pick of the Brewers. He was hurt in spring training and spent nearly half the season on the DL before coming back to the Twins organization and pitching well in AA. If you’d like, there are several other players who will become free agents after the season’s end. So if you’re in charge, how much time and money would you spend on bringing in bullpen arms? How many of the current pitchers would you say are locks (assuming now trades, and none of these would be completely untouchable)? How many of the young pitchers in the minors would you either want up or not to be blocked? These are some of the tough questions the Twins front office, whoever that may be, will need to determine. Click here to view the article

Good topic... I mean, Mike Trout should be the easy winner... Ken Rosenthal is even throwing his fellow BBWAA writers under the bus a little, pushing for Trout. http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/how-will-voters-rob-mike-trout-out-of-the-mvp-this-year-091916 But as you wrote, there is certainly enough precedent for guys from teams that aren't contending that it shouldn't factor into where people vote for Dozier. Of course, in a perfect world, the best player plays on a winning team, but that's not always going to happen. I'd put Dozier behind Trout, Donaldson, Altuve, Betts and I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple. He should be in that 6-8 range probably.

He's got two years left on the contract.

Days before the July trade deadline, the Minnesota Twins traded their All-Star Game representative Eduardo Nunez to the San Francisco Giants for lefty Adalberto Mejia. Also that day, the Twins announced that infielder Jorge Polanco was being recalled. At the time, I wrote an article asking Where Should Jorge Polanco Play? With Brian Dozier at shortstop, and Miguel Sano and Trevor Plouffe at third base, shortstop made the most sense, at least until you looked at his playing time at shortstop at that time in 2016:: In Rochester, he had played: 2B - 64 games, 559.1 innings3B - 2 games, 17 inningsSS - 0 games, 0 inningsIn his brief time with the Twins, he played:2B - 4 games, 34 innings3B - 1 game, 7 inningsSS - 1 game, 8 inningsAnd there was good reason for it. In 2015, between Chattanooga and Rochester, he had 28 errors in 102 games at shortstop. In AAA, he had a .908 fielding percentage at shortstop in just 19 games. In 83 games in AA, his fielding percentage at shortstop was just .942. As noteworthy, I had people who watched him frequently last year wonder whether he could play any defensive position adequately. His arm was questioned at shortstop, but many saw that he struggled mightily just fielding the ball at times. His spring training performance this year was more than enough to understand why he was moving to second base. Since that article was written, here is the breakdown of games and innings played by Polanco: 2B - 1 game, 9 innings3B - 8 games, 70 inningsSS - 34 games, 310 inningsIn the first weeks or two following the Nunez trade, Polanco pretty much split time between third base and shortstop. However, with his start at shortstop on Sunday, his last 29 games have been played at shortstop. What does our readership think of the Polanco defense at shortstop? Here’s a look at some numbers: In 148 chances, Polanco has just six errors. That is a .959 fielding percentage.If you’re a fan of UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating), Polanco has been a -2.4. That equates to a UZR/150 of -11.3.Both of those bullet points certainly indicate - in a small sample - that Polanco is clearly a below average defensive shortstop. Again, no surprise. But can Polanco be a regular shortstop if this is the question: Can he make the routine play? For many, if you don’t have a shortstop with huge range, the key is for that player to make the routine plays. In watching, the eye test tells me that he’s been solid. He’s made most of the plays. He’s had a half-dozen errors, but not many have been of the really bad category. My eyes tell me that he has been fine. Certainly not great. Maybe not even all that good, but certainly well within the realm of adequate. Well, Inside Edge provides some numbers to FanGraphs to help quantify that. They break each ground ball into six categories: 1.) Routine, 2.) Likely, 3.) Even, 4.) Unlikely, 5.) Remote, 6.) Impossible. Here is how Polanco has fared in each of those categories: Routine: 96.9% (of 98) Likely: 80% (of 5) Even: 42.9% (of 7) Unlikely: 25.0% (of 4) Remote: 0% (of 12) Impossible: 0% (of 3) Of course, for each of these categories, the sample size is far too small to make any grandiose statements. For the routine, 96.9% is low end of where you would want to be. However, that is 95 out of 98 which isn’t too bad at all. For the most part, Polanco has made the routine play. Of the likely category, four out of five isn’t too bad. Very small sample. Over time, you would certainly want this number to come up a little bit. “Even” would, in my mind, be a 50/50 proposition. Polanco is at 42.9%, but if he had made one more of those, he’d be at 57.1%, which could be good. Unlikely,remote and impossible are all “bonus” categories, in my mind. Remote would be the great diving plays where not only you make the grab but are able to throw the runner out too. It appears that Polanco has been successful in one out of just four opportunities. I’m not even worried about the 15 that showed up in the remote or impossible categories. A week or so ago, Nick wrote an article in which he discussed the scary idea of Polanco and Sano manning the left side of the Twins infield. It is difficult to envision. It certainly would not provide a lot of range. There would certainly be some limitations. However, after reading Tom’s article on the Recent Success of 100 Loss teams, I am OK should the Twins and their new front office decide they would like to see that alignment on the left side of the infield. Of course, should the Twins decide to trade Brian Dozier, Polanco could make the move to second base and they could go get a new shortstop. At least in my mind, and eyes, and my review of the defensive stats (admittedly small sample), Polanco has expectedly been a little bit below average. However, I believe he has done enough to keep the experiment going, even beyond the 12 games remaining in this season. What do you think? Click here to view the article

I wonder what Rick Sutcliffe did... I remember watching him and his exaggerated hand-behind-the-back approach. When I saw the images of how different the pictures were of Berrios, Sutcliffe is the first thing I thought of. Maybe he just had a fastball/curveball and didn't have a changeup? From a hitter's perspective, I think that the fastball and curveball grips would look very similar whereas the fastball/changeup look (And have to look) different. I don't know, but this is definitely something hitters can catch.

It'll stay between us. Ha!

All fair points... As for this report, whether or not he will be an above replacement level player in the big leagues or not doesn't affect whether he's a minor league All Star. If you saw at the bottom, a couple of people voted for Vargas, Buxton, others...

Who would you put in his place? And, there has been a little bit of Walker discussion in these forums over the last 2-4 years.

I've updated the article to include many links that I intended to link last night, but it was so late, I went to bed instead.

Updated the Gonsalves timeline. Thank you! Regarding Gordon... I figured 2017 in Chattanooga. 2018 in Rochester. Start there again in 2019 but called up pretty quick that year. It could be September of 2018.

Sadly, the Minnesota Twins minor league season came to an end the other night when Cedar Rapids lost in the Midwest League playoff's second round. In the last couple of weeks, we have handed out several season-ending Twins minor league awards. For the first time, we are also unveiling our Twins Daily Twins Minor League all-star team. Our Twins Daily minor league report writers were asked to vote for a catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders, a DH, a left-handed starting pitcher, a right-handed starting pitcher, a left-handed reliever and a right-handed reliever.Read through our choices for each position. Check out how each of our writers voted. And then discuss and cast your votes as well. Let’s get started. Catcher: Mitch Garver - Chattanooga Lookouts, Rochester Red Wings Acquired: Twins 9th round draft pick in 2013 out of New Mexico 2016 Stats: .270/.342/422 (.764) with 30-2B, 12-HR, 74 RBIs. Garver was the Twins Daily Minnesota Twins Daily 2014 Hitter of the Year. In 2015, he played in Ft. Myers before having a very successful stint in the Arizona Fall League. He did this Q&Awhile on his way to his honeymoon in December. He returned to big league camp as a non-roster invitee for the second straight year. He began the season in AA Chattanooga where he hit .257/.334/.419 (.753) and threw out over 50% of would-be base stealers in 95 games. He moved up to Rochester for the final 22 games. He hit .329/.381/.434 (.815). In the season, he was the starting catcher for the Southern League All-Star Game. He was #2 in the Twins Daily Hitter of the Month in July when he hit .311 with a .905 OPS. ETA - June 2017 First Base: Zander Wiel - Cedar Rapids Kernels Acquired: Twins 12th round draft pick in 2015 out of Vanderbilt 2016 Stats: .259/.333/.459 (.792) with 27 doubles, 8 triples, 19 home runs and 86 RBIs. Wiel signed with the Twins last year but missed nearly a month of the season after being hit by a pitch. He spent his first full season in minor league ball playing in Cedar Rapids. After a slow start, Wiel took off in the second half of the season. In July, he hit .310/.407/.660 (1.067) with nine double and eight homers. He was named the Twins, Twins Daily’s and the Midwest League’s Hitter of the Month for July. During the season, the 23-year-old had a nine, a ten and twelve-game hitting streaks. On the final day of the season, he hit two home runs and drove in seven runs. His 86 RBIs led the Midwest League. ETA - August 2019 Second Base: Luis Arraez - Cedar Rapids Kernels Acquired: International signing out of Venezuela in November 2013 2016 Stats: .347/.386/.444 (.830) with 31 doubles, 3 triples 3 home runs and 66 RBIs. Arraez came to the States for the 2015 season. He played well in the GCL. It was somewhat surprising when he began this season in Cedar Rapids. He turned 19 years old after Opening Day. He was remarkably good and remarkably consistent throughout the full season. His monthly batting averages starting in April were .313, .340, .330, .306, .425, and .333. He was a multi-hit game machine. He had 34 two-hit games, 13 three-hit games, three four-hit games, and a five hit game. In the first two Kernels playoff games, he had a three-hit game and a four-hit game. His .347 batting average led the Midwest League. He hit .351 (.839) against right-handed pitchers and .333 (.800) against left-handers. Of his 514 plate appearances, only seven of them came against pitchers who were younger than him. ETA: September 2019 Third Base: Nelson Molina - Cedar Rapids Kernels Acquired: Twins 11th round draft pick in 2013 out of high school in Puerto Rico 2016 Stats: .300/.374/.381 (.755) with 15 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 43 RBIs. In his three seasons in the rookie leagues, the Puerto Rican infielder never hit over .243. At 6-3 and 170 pounds, he looks the part of a shortstop. He had a strong spring training and was playing well in Extended Spring. At the end of April, he received the promotion to Cedar Rapids. He immediately started playing well. He posted an .829 OPS in May, and then again in two of the next three months. He had a twelve-game hitting streak in August. In late July, he had a stretch of five straight games with two hits (and 7 out of 8). He won’t turn 21 until after the 2017 season begins. In late May, I chatted with Molina for this fun story. ETA: April 2020 Shortstop: Nick Gordon - Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: Twins 1st round draft pick in 2014 out of high school in Orlando 2016 Stats: .291/.335/.386 (.721) with 23 doubles, six triples, three homers and 52 RBIs. The fifth overall pick of the 2014 draft has been pushed in his first three pro seasons. After signing, he went to Elizabethton. He spent 2015 in Cedar Rapids. He started out strong in April when he hit .333 and was third in our hitter of the month rankings. He was the first Twins Player of the Week. He also hit .330 in July. He started and shortstop in the Florida State League All Star Game in Ft. Myers. He had 34 multi-hit games during the season. In late August, he had a five hit game against Palm Beach. He had two four-hit games during the season as well. Gordon will turn 21 in October. As one of the youngest players in the Florida State League, he had just two at-bats all season against pitchers who were younger than him. ETA: May 2019 Outfielder: LaMonte Wade - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: Twins 9th round draft pick in 2015 out of Maryland 2016 Stats: .293/.402/.438 (.841) with 14 doubles, four triples, eight home runs and 51 RBIs. LaMonte Wade began his first full professional season in Cedar Rapids. He was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month in April when he hit .316/.430/.542 (.972) for the Kernels. He started the Midwest League All-Star Game in Cedar Rapids before being promoted to Ft. Myers. In July, he hit .341/.400/.538 (.938) which was fourth in the Hitter of the Month rankings. He spent a couple of stints on the disabled list which is where his season ended. Against right-handers, he hit .287/.384/.439 (.823). The left-handed batter hit .315/.455/.438 (.893) against southpaws. On the season, he walked 54 times and struck out just 44. For his one-plus seasons career, he now has 101 walks to go with 80 strikeouts. The outfielder will turn 23 on New Years Day. ETA: June 2019 Outfielder: Zack Granite - Chattanooga Lookouts Acquired: Twins 14th round draft pick in 2013 out of Seton Hall 2016 Stats: .295/.347/.382 (.729) with 18 doubles, eight triples, four homers and 52 RBIs. In 2015, Granite began in Cedar Rapids. However, after April - in which he was the Twins Daily Hitter of the Month - he was promoted to Ft. Myers. He made the jump to AA to start the 2016 season and immediately was an instigator at the top of the Lookouts lineup. Not only did he get on base, he hit for more power than he has in the past. If he got on first, he was on the move. His 56 stolen bases led all of minor league baseball. On April 20th, he stole four bases in one game. He began June with 12 hits in his first six games. He had a 15-game hitting streak in June and finished behind only Daniel Palka for the Hitter of the Month in June. During the month, he hit .363/.420/.529 (.949). He finished fourth for that award in August. Granite posted a .296 (.744) line against right-handers and a .291 (.684) line against left-handers. It was the first time in his pro career that he hit better against right-handers than left-handers (more specifics in this story on Granite). Following the season, he was named the Lookouts 2016 MVP. On Saturday, he will turn 24. (More on his Rock Solid 2016 season, with quotes from him, here) ETA: July 2017 Outfielder - Daniel Palka - Chattanooga Lookouts, Rochester Red Wings Drafted: Diamondbacks 3rd round draft pick in 2013 out of Georgia Tech Acquired: in a trade with Arizona in November, 2015 for Chris Herrmann 2016 stats (AA and AAA combined): .254/.327/.521 (.848), 24 doubles, 4 triples, 34 home runs, 90 RBIs. A year ago in High-A, Palka hit .280 with 36 doubles, 29 home runs and 90 RBI. He even stole 24 bases. He came to the Twins and put on a show in his first Twins spring training game when he hit two home runs. He began the season in AA where he hit .270 (.894) with 12 doubles, 21 home runs and 65 RBI. He was the Twins Daily HItter of the Month in June after finishing runner up in April. He was also the Twins and the Southern League’s Player of the Month for June. He played in the Southern League All-Star Game. In early July, he was promoted to AAA Rochester. In his first game, he became the first Red Wings player to hit a homer in his first at-bat with the team since Terry Tiffee in 2004. He added a double and a second home run in that game. In 54 games with the Red Wings, he hit .232 (.779) with 12 doubles, 13 homers and 25 RBI. His 90 RBIs led the organization. His 34 home runs was tops in the Twins minor leagues and fourth overall in minor league baseball this year. He will turn 25 in October, and in November, he’ll be added to the 40-man roster. He was recently named Twins Daily's 2016 Minor League Hitter of the Year. ETA: June 2017 Designated Hitter: Adam Brett Walker - Rochester Red Wings Acquired: Twins 3rd round draft pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville 2016 Stats: .243/.305/.479 (.784) with 22 doubles, five triples, 27 home runs and 75 RBIs. In the five seasons that Walker has been in the Twins system, 2016 is the first time his team did not make the playoffs. It was also the first time that he did not lead his league in home runs. He finished second in the International League and fourth in extra base hits. And first in strikeouts. Of his 27 home runs, three tied the game and nine gave the Red Wings a lead. His 30 multi-hit games were tied with Wilfredo Tovar for the team lead. On May 21st, he hit three home runs. On June 30th, he hit an extra-innings, walk-off grand slam for the Red Wings. He has hit 25 or more homers in all four of his full minor league seasons. In August, he was the Twins Daily Hitter of the Month. He did a Q&A for Twins Daily last December. ETA: July 2017 Right-Handed Starting Pitcher: Fernando Romero - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic in February 2012 2016 Stats: 9-3, 1.89 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 1.5 BB/9, 9.0 K/9 Fernando Romero made a name for himself in the Gulf Coast League in 2013 when he posted a 1.60 ERA in 45 innings. Plus, he was throwing 95 mph. In 2014, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids in mid-May. However, after three starts, he was hurt and had Tommy John surgery. He missed two years,in part due to a knee surgery too. This spring, he was throwing 96+. He began in extended spring and was called back up to Cedar Rapids. He made five starts for the Kernels and went 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP before being promoted to the Miracle. In 11 starts with Ft. Myers, he went 5-2 with a 1.88 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP before being shut down in late August. He was #3 in the Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month in June, July and August. He won’t turn 21 until Christmas, and most will agree, there isn’t a Twins minor league pitcher with a higher ceiling than Romero. ETA: May 2018 Left-Handed Starting Pitcher: Stephen Gonsalves - Ft. Myers Miracle, Chattanooga Lookouts Acquired: Twins 4th round pick in 2014 out of high school in California 2016 Stats: 13-5, 2.06 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 3.5 BB/9, 9.7 K/9 What a year 2016 was for Gonsalves! He began in Ft. Myers where he went 5-4 with a 2.33 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9, and 9.0 K/9. He pitched an inning in the Florida State League All Star game. Then he was promoted to Chattanooga where he went 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9 and 10.8 K/9. He was especially strong in August when he went 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA and a 0.74 WHIP. Right-handers posted a .174 (.511) line against him, while left-handers hit .194 (.582) against him. He was the Twins and Twins Daily’s Starting Pitcher of the Month in April, and then again in August. He was named Chattanooga’s Pitcher of the Year. He was also the Twins Daily Starting Pitcher of the Year. Baseball America and MLB Pipeline both named him to their 2016 first-team All Prospect teams. He was also on Baseball America’s AA Classification team. He will represent the Twins in the Arizona Fall League. ETA: June 2017 Right-Handed Relief Pitcher: Trevor Hildenberger - Ft. Myers Miracle, Chattanooga Lookouts Acquired: Twins 22nd round draft pick in 2014 out of California-Berkeley 2016 Stats: 3-4, 19 Saves, 0.75 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9, 8.9 K/9 After being named the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015, he was again the choice in 2016. He began the season with six games in Ft. Myers. By the end of April, he was in Chattanooga. He was consistent throughout the year. In April, he had a 0.87 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. In May, he had a 1.20 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. In June, his ERA was 0.87 with a 0.58 WHIP. In July, he didn’t give up a run while posting a 0.73 WHIP. In a nine-game stretch in June, he went 2-0 with seven saves. Unfortunately, he was shut down in early August with elbow tendinitis. He will turn 26 in mid-December and if healthy could be given a shot to make the Twins roster early in 2017. ETA: May 2017 Left-Handed Relief Pitcher: Michael Theofanopoulos - Cedar Rapids Kernels, Ft. Myers Miracle Acquired: Twins 30th round draft pick in 2014 out of California-Berkeley 2016 Stats: 5-3, 3 Saves, 2.20 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9, 11.6 K/9 Our voters stayed with the Cal-Berkeley-relievers-who-have-long-last-name theme in the bullpen. The left-hander began the season back in Cedar Rapids for the first half. In May, he had a streak of 11 games and 20.2 innings without allowing an earned run. He was named the Twins Daily Relief Pitcher of the Month. With the Kernels, he posted a 1.67 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, 4.5 BB/9 and 12.5 K/9. Right before the Midwest League All-Star game, he was promoted to Ft. Myers. In 23 games, he posted a 2.73 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP, 4.9 BB/9 and 10.6 K/9. Theofanopoulos turned 24 in August. ETA: August 2019 So there you have it. The first annual Twins Daily Minor League All Star team. Who would get your vote? Below are the votes/selections of our Twins Daily Minor League writers: BALLOTS Seth: C-Garver, 1B-Wiel, 2B-Arraez, 3B-Molina, SS-Gordon, OF-Granite, Wade, Palka, DH-Walker, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-Romero, LH RP-Theofanopoulos, RH RP-Hildenberger Jeremy: C-Garver, 1B-Wiel, 2B-Arraez, 3B-Beresford, SS-Gordon, OF-Granite, Wade, Palka, DH-Walker, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-Romero, LH RP-Vasquez, RH RP-Hildenberger Cody: C-Garver, 1B-Wiel, 2B-Arraez, 3B-Molina, SS-Gordon, OF-Palka, Walker, Buxton, DH-Vargas, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH RP-Berrios, LH RP-Theofanopoulos, RH RP-Hildenberger Steve: C-Garver, 1B-Wiel, 2B-Arraez, 3B-Molina, SS-Gordon, OF-Granite, Wade, Palka, DH-Walker, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-Romero, LH RP-Theofanopoulos, RH RP-Hildenberger Eric: C-Garver, 1B-Diaz, 2B-Arraez, 3B-Molina, SS-Gordon, OF-Granite, Wade, Palka, DH-Vargas, LH SP-Gonsalves, RH SP-Berrios, LH RP-Theofanopoulos, RH RP-Chargois Click here to view the article

Don't forget that last year the Twins heard it from fans because so few of the players came out for the National Anthem.

If he's healthy, that's very realistic. Hopefully the elbow is improving!

I've said many times that I think that Mauer is the best manager in the Twins organization, at any level. He's a player's manager, but in my opinion, he's also in Cedar Rapids because he keeps a pretty tight ship. He is perfect for that level. He's managed at Ft. Myers before. He has won with talent, and he has won with a lot lesser talent the last few years. He's very smart. He and Mientkiewicz would be different, but I'd love to see them both stick around. They would seemingly complement each other well, I'd think. Unfortunately, there are too many Twins fans that dislike Joe so much that they would whine about Mauer becoming the next manager.

I thought about including that, but I don't think that news will come through TV or radio. That'll be massive twitter info!

I don't really watch the playoffs if the Twins aren't in it. Maybe I will, but we'll see. So that's a good one... After that last game, it's 5 months until spring training!!

As the Minnesota Twins fall to 53-91, the NFL season, college football, high school sports and activities have crept into view of many baseball fans. However, with 18 more games to play in the 2016 season, there are still reasons to keep watching the Twins day in and day out… or at least a reasonable amount of your viewing time. Today, I’m going to see if I can come up with 18 reasons to watch the final 18 Twins games.After reading my 18, discuss what else will keep you watching... if you're still watching. Number 1 - Brian Dozier On Monday in Detroit, the Twins second baseman joined an elite club. He joined Harmon Killebrew as the only members of the 40 Home Run Club in Twins history. He has had a very interesting season to say that least, but since late May, he has been one of the best players in major league baseball. Hopefully he can end the season strong. He is seven RBIs from 100, and he’s four runs scored from 100. Whether you’re on the side of trading him in the offseason or not, let’s just enjoy the show he is putting on right now. Number 2 - Byron Buxton In the 11 games since Buxton has been back with the Twins, he has been more aggressive. He has had success. He has five home runs in those 11 games. He’s turned singles into double. He has done, in this small sample size, what we hope that he will show Twins fans for the next decade. The defense is always elite with Buxton. His presence in center field can be a big factor in making the Twins pitching staff better. Let’s just watch and hope that he continues this nice stretch and can go into the offseason with a lot more confidence. Number 3 - Miguel Sano If a “bad” season is going to results in 25 homers, I think we know how great Sano’s bat can be. He left Monday night’s game with lower back soreness. Hopefully it’s minor so that he can play most of the remaining games. We saw a couple of plays on defense that show he could be an adequate or solid defensive third baseman. We’ve seen plenty of examples that show that he shouldn't play defense, anywhere. But it would be nice to see him get more time at third base to help the front office (whoever that is) have more data points in their evaluation. It’s also great to see his bat in the middle of the lineup. There’s no question he’ll hit going forward. But will he play any defense? Number 4 - Max Kepler He’s certainly cooled off with the bat the last few weeks, but he’s been very solid for a rookie with the bat. He’s also been real good defensively with some very good plays in the last handful of games. He struggled against lefty Daniel Norris, dropping his batting average against southpaws below .200 for the season. A year ago in AA, he hit lefties and righties pretty evenly, so getting him more at bats against same-siders will be good. Again, like Buxton and Sano, Kepler is an elite talent who is going to be a big part of the team’s future. Every at-bat, and every ball he fields and throws will help him grow. Number 5 - Jose Berrios Speaking of big pieces of the Twins future, I think we can all agree that Berrios fits into that category. It’s been a tough go for Berrios in the big leagues most times out in his young career, but the 22-year-old has the stuff and makeup to overcome this and still be strong. Clearly, he’s got to command the strike zone better with his plus stuff, but he’s showing how important control of all pitches and consistency are. With the position players, it’s easy to say start them every day. With a young starting pitcher who is struggling so much right now, it’s fair to ask whether it’s better for him short-term and long-term to continue starting or work in long-relief in no-pressure situations? I won’t pretend to know the answer. I tend to think long relief in an attempt to let him gain some confidence. Number 6 - The Crawl to 100 It’s the theme on the Twins Daily Pub Crawl 2016 shirts. With 18 games to go, the Twins would have to finish 9-9 to avoid losing 100 games. To avoid the worst record in Twins history (60-102 in 1982), the Twins would need to go 6-12. I don’t feel real confident on either of those. Number 7 - Jorge Polanco Maybe not an elite prospect like the four mentioned above, Polanco firmly sits in that next level of prospect. Getting him every day a- bats should be a priority, and he’s shown that he has a chance to be a productive hitter. The question with him is where should he play in the field. Before the season, the Twins made the decision that he wouldn’t play shortstop. Before his promotion, he played zero innings at shortstop all year. And, after seeing him the last couple of years at shortstop, there was little question that it was the right decision. With the Twins, that is where he has played the last six weeks. With Brian Dozier at second base (assuming he’s not traded), it is where he would have to play with no changes. Hopefully he gets another 15 starts or so at shortstop to further evaluate his defense there. Number 8 - The Starting Rotation After Santana These could probably be all separate numbers, but let’s lump them together. Aside from Ervin Santana, there is a lot to prove for the rest of the rotation in their final three or four starts. Kyle Gibson will be arbitration-eligible for the first time. After taking a step forward in 2015, he was hurt early this season and one has to wonder if he’s fully healthy as he has struggled most of the time in 2016. However, he’s shown flashes. So has Tyler Duffey. He’s had a couple of strong outings, but he’s been nowhere near what he was over the final six weeks last year for the Twins. He still has just two pitches and his command has not been the same. He should get more time as a starter before moving him to the bullpen, but he needs to find something in the final three weeks. Hector Santiago has been an OK starting pitcher for the Angels for a long time. He’s been an All-Star (2015) and he’d frustrated the Angels brass to the point that they were willing to take Ricky Nolasco (and Alex Meyer) to let him go. He listened to Twins coaching after coming to the team. He threw more strikes but he got lit up. In his last two or three starts, he’s gone back to what he did with the Angels and he’s been much better. Will the Twins tender him a contract for 2017? Probably, but three or four more starts could solidify their decision. Number 9 - JT Chargois It’s easy to look at Chargois’s 6.60 ERA (coming into Monday night’s game in which he had a nine-pitch 1-2-3 innings). It’s easy to see 11 walks and ten strikeouts in 16 innings. However, in his last six outings, he’s walked two and struck out six in 5.2 innings. The Twins deserve a lot of credit for his return from missing two years after Tommy John. They also, maybe frustratingly, took care of him early this season too. He began in AA and then advanced to AAA. He rarely worked in back-to-back games or more than one inning. With the Twins, he has been used more. He appears to be figuring some things out. Hopefully that will continue the rest of the way and he can be relied upon in 2017! Number 10 - Pat Light Light has also struggled with his control since coming up to the Twins. In 9.1 innings, he has ten walks to go with nine strikeouts. That isn’t a surprise. His stats in the Red Sox organization indicated his ability to throw hard and get strikeouts, but that he also often had control problems. No reason to give up on Light at this point. Not only is he trying to navigate his way through his first extended big league time, he’s doing it late in the season (which might explain some of the velocity drop in the last two weeks) and for a new organization. That’s a lot of learning and stress. While he may not put himself in position to make the Opening Day roster next year, a strong end to his season could help him gain confidence heading into next season. Number 11 - The Rest Of The Bullpen There are a lot of questions in the entire Twins bullpen as we look toward 2017. It starts with how ready will Glen Perkins be at the beginning of the season. In my mind, Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Pressly and Taylor Rogers have established themselves as reliable for 2017. Trevor May is a major league pitcher, but a decision needs to be made on whether or not he should start or continue to come out of the bullpen. Unfortunately, he’s still not 100% and we won’t really be able to see the full May here in September. Buddy Boshers is a nice story in that he came out of the independent leagues, which should not be held against him after a solid season. He’s got enough fastball and his breaking pitches are pretty good. Ryan O’Rourke has shown what he can do against left-handers, but he’s improved some against righties too. It’ll be a big final three weeks for those two lefties. And Pat Dean can potentially help his cause if he can finish strong as a long reliever/spot starter. Michael Tonkin is another guy who has had ups and downs throughout the season. He just came back after missing a little over a week. He can improve his roster position with a strong end to his season. Alex Wimmers went through a lot to get to the big leagues. He’s there, and he is excited for the opportunity. He can make an impression too. Number 12 - Joe Mauer Mauer is likely to miss a couple of games in the next few days with his quad injury. It’s been clear for over a week that he has not been able to run because of his quads, so this is a wise thing. He isn’t what he once was (hey, neither am I), but he’s still a productive MLB player who has been a Top 5 MLB player in Twins history, so enjoy it. If he can walk 10 more times, he’d have his second-best walk season of his career and 15 would tie his career-high. One more triple would be a career high five. Two more homers would tie his best home run season (not counting that 2009 MVP season) and tie him with Jacque Jones for 11th in Twins history with 132. Number 13 - James Beresford In a September where 100 losses is likely, there has to be a feel-good story. While the Alex Wimmers story is tremendous, it’s the second-best story to James Beresford’s. He signed with the Twins in 2005. He was called up for the first time last Monday after four seasons in Rochester and over 1,070 minor league games. On Saturday, he made his big league debut at third base. He lined a single to center for his first big league hit, dropped down a sacrifice bunt and made some nice plays at third base. On Sunday, he played first base and notched his first extra base hit, a double off of Cleveland’s Corey Kluber. He may not play a lot, but he can have a role as a utility infielder, late-inning defensive replacement, pinch runner or more. Number 14 - Paul Molitor Owner Jim Pohlad has backed the Hall of Fame player as his manager a couple of times.A dreaded vote of confidence, or do they mean it? Lineup construction. Bullpen usage. A fixation on sacrifice bunting. We could go on and on with things that Molitor has not done well as a manager. We thought because of his willingness to shift and his baseball IQ that he would be more new school than his predecessor, Ron Gardenhire. Aside from an occasional shift, it’s hard to see where Molitor is any less old school than Gardenhire was. However, in an attempt to be fair to to Molitor, he’s working with many young players that need to play (see the guys mentioned at the top of this article) and a pitching staff that has been terrible. How much of that can or should really be thrown at Molitor? That’s for the next President of Baseball Operations and General Manager to determine, I guess. But in these last 18 games, we can see how Molitor handles various situations. Number 15 - John Ryan Murphy I’m curious how much Molitor will play Murphy down the stretch. We all know he was bad early in the season, and he struggled most of the year in in Rochester too. He finished strong in Rochester, hitting over .300 in August. He just turned 25 in May. He is known as a solid defensive catcher, which should be a priority for any catcher in 2017 and beyond. And, he does have a history of some offensive production. In 99 games with the Yankees between 2014 and 2015, he hit .280/.324/.394 (.718). If he can put up numbers list that with good defense… well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. But, let’s give him some starts in September and see what happens. Number 16 - What Else Are You Going To Do? Clean the garage? Bring the radio. Yard work? Radio. Fall house cleaning? Keep the TV on. Go to a movie? Umm… matinees are cheaper, so pick a time when the game isn’t on. Go to work? Radio, or listen online. Watch football? I mean, there are only 18 games left, and that’s it. Follow football during Twins commercials or on Twitter or by keeping tabs on your fantasy football team. After 18 more games, you can watch as much football as you want. Number 17 - Because You’re A Twins Fan You’re going to feel a lot better about yourself when the Twins get back to the playoffs and then win a World Series in a few years. You’ll be able to say, I was with them through the really bad times, that season they lost over 100 games, and I’m happy to see how far these players and this team have come since. Hey, if you frequent Twins Daily, you’re already a die-hard Twins fan. You’d probably feel guilty not watching them. Number 18 - Your Turn I’ve got nothing more. So, number 18 will be up to you. If I missed any reasons to continue watching the Twins for the final 18 games, share them in the comments below. Click here to view the article