Seth Stohs

I love the balance that Whitefield shows in the videos, even with the leg kick.

The full-season minor league regular seasons end on Labor Day. The short-season teams end about a week earlier. So, we’re getting down there in terms of games remaining in the season. We haven’t updated the Twins leaderboard or the reports on how the Twins affiliates are doing in their leagues and divisions. First, here is how the Twins’ affiliates currently stack up in their leagues. Rochester is 65-50. The Red Wings are 6.5 games back of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in the International League North Division. They’re in third place in the division, 4.5 games back of Lehigh Valley for second place.In the second half, Chattanooga is 21-21. That puts them in third place 6.5 games behind Jackson (who won the first half title) and four games behind Montgomery. Overall, they are 57-55.Ft. Myers is 22-20 in the second half. They are in fourth place in their division; however they are just 1.5 games behind the division lead, percentage points behind third place. Jupiter and St. Lucie are both 23-18, and Charlotte is 21-19. Overall, the Miracle are 56-55.Cedar Rapids is 24-18 in the second half. They have gone 15-8 in their last 23 games, but they are still four games behind Clinton. Overall, Jake Mauer has led them to a 60-51 record this season.Elizabethton is currently 21-21 which is 2.5 games back of Greeneville and two games back of Johnson City.The GCL Twins are 19-18 which is 2.5 games behind the GCL Red Sox, and 1/2 game behind the GCL Orioles.With that, let’s look at the minor league statistical leader board (through games on Saturday, August 6). THE HITTERS (Rate numbers- minimum 270 plate appearances) Plate Appearances - Zack Granite (456), Daniel Palka (455), Zander Wiel (454), Leonardo Reginnato (446), James Beresford (435). Batting Average - Luis Arraez (.335), Nick Gordon (.303), Nelson Molina (.300), Zack Granite (.298), LaMonte Wade (.294). On-base Percentage - LaMonte Wade (.404), Luis Arraez (.378), Nelson Molina (.377), Zach Granite/Engelb Vielma (.356). Slugging Percentage - Daniel Palka (.533), Adam Brett Walker (.477), Jorge Polanco (.457) Zander Wiel (.443), Luis Arraez (.442), LaMonte Wade (.438) OPS - Daniel Palka (.878), LaMonte Wade (.841), Luis Arraez (.820), Jorge Polanco (793) Kennys Vargas (.788), Adam Brett Walker (.782), Zander Wiel (.778). Hits - Luis Arraez/Zach Granite (122), Nick Gordon (112), Leonardo Reginnato (107), Daniel Palka/James Beresford (106), Zander Wiel (100).. Doubles - Mitch Garver (25), Luis Arraez/Zander Wiel/Dalton Hicks (24), AJ Murray/Joe Maloney (23). Triples - Levi Michael (7), Zander Wiel/Edgar Corcino/Jorge Polanco/Max Kepler (6), Nick Gordon/Zack Granite (5). Home Runs - Daniel Palka (26), Adam Brett Walker (22), Kennys Vargas (13), Jaylin Davis (12), Mitch Garver (11), Byung Ho Park (10), Jorge Polanco/Travis Blankenhorn (9). Runs Scored - Zach Granite (68), Daniel Palka (60), Luis Arraez (57, Zander Wiel/James Beresford, TJ White (53). RBIs - Daniel Palka (77), Mitch Garver (66), Zander Wiel (62), Adam Brett Walker (57), Kennys Vargas (53), LaMonte Wade/Luis Arraez (51) SBs - Zach Granite (39), Wilfredo Tovar (24), Aaron Whitefield (20), Nick Gordon/Ryan Walker (14), Travis Harrison (10). THE STARTING PITCHERS (Rate number - minimum 80.0 innings) Innings Pitched: Jason Wheeler (136.0), David Hurlbut (129.1), Felix Jorge (123.2), Kohl Stewart (119.0), Randy LeBlanc (116.0). ERA: Stephen Gonsalves (2.37), Randy LeBlanc (2.41), Jose Berrios (2.44), Felix Jorge (2.47), Jason Wheeler (2.65), Kohl Stewart (2.87). WHIP: Felix Jorge (1.00), Jose Berrios(1.01), Stephen Gonsalves (1.07), Randy LeBlanc (1.08), Jason Wheler (1.125), Kohl Stewart (1.134). K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (9.9), Jose Berrios (9.7), Sam Clay (9.1), Tyler Jay/Dereck Rodriguez (8.3). BB/9: Felix Jorge (1.2), David Hurlbut (1.7), DJ Baxendale (1.8), Jason Wheeler (1.9), Pat Dean (2.0). K: Stephen Gonsalves (121), Jason Wheeler (113), Jose Berrios (111), Sam Clay (102), Dereck Rodriguez (93). Wins: Jason Wheeler, Jose Berrios, Randy LeBlanc (10), Andrew Albers, Stephen Gonsalves, Felix Jorge, Cody Stashak, Kohl Stewart (9). THE RELIEF PITCHERS (Rate numbers - minimum 29 innings, and less than 4 starts) Innings Pitched: Jake Reed (59.0), Marcus Walden (56.1), Luke Bard (55.1), Raul Fernandez (54.0), Todd Van Steensel (51.2), Michael Theofanopoulos (51.1)), Alex Wimmers (51.0).. ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.75), JT Chargois (1.35), Mike Theofanopoulos, (2.28), Williams Ramirez (2.29), Michael Cederoth (2.34). WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.79), Williams Ramirez (0.97), Nick Anderson (0.99), JT Chargois (1.03), Marcus Walden (1.07), Michael Theofanopoulos (1.188), John Curtiss (1.192). K/9: John Curtiss (12.9), Luke Westphal (11.8), Michael Cederoth (11.7), Nick Anderson/Michael Theofanopoulos (11.6), Williams Ramirez/Brandon Peterson (11.4). BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.1), Anthony McIver (2.2), Nick Anderson (2.3), JT Chargois (2.5), Marcus Walden (2.6). K: John Curtiss (70), Michael Theofanopoulos (66), Jake Reed (63),Brandon Peterson (62), Nick Anderson (60). Saves: Trevor Hildenberger (19), JT Chargois (16), Alex Wimmers (9), Nick Anderson/Yorman Landa (7), Marcus Walden/Anthony McIver (6). Feel free to ask questions about any of the players or teams. Click here to view the article

He was drafted as an athlete, with the team knowing that he would take a while to develop. At this point, I think he's been more of a utility guy the last few years, playing CF and three infield positions. He can become a free agent at the end of the season, and I would think that the Twins would like to keep him around, but he should have other options.

There will be quite the log jam set up when Trevor Plouffe comes off of the disabled list early next week. There was some talk of Miguel Sano being optioned to Rochester, but that’s not likely. Kennys Vargas has been better in this go-round with the Twins. Meanwhile, Byung Ho Park, Adam Brett Walker and Daniel Palka are providing a powerful punch in the middle of the Rochester lineup. It will be interesting to see what happens. Speaking of power in Rochester, how about the back-end of the bullpen with JT Chargois and Pat Light throwing gas?There were a couple of transactions of note on Friday as well: Brian Olson was sent from Ft. Myers to the GCL.Logan Lombana returned to the Miracle following his 80-game suspension.Miguel De Jesus was promoted from the GCL to Elizabethton.With that, let’s get to the Minor League Report for Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Lehigh Valley 2 Box Score The Red Wings didn’t score a lot, but they got the big hit that they needed near the end to pick up the win. Nick Greenwood made another start. The lefty gave up two runs (one earned) on eight hits over the first seven innings. He struck out two and walked none. Ryan O’Rourke continued to pitch well with a perfect inning including two strikeouts. Pat Light topped 100 a few times in his perfect ninth inning. He struck out one. Byung Ho Park played hero in this one. He went 2-4 and in the top of the 8th inning, his 10th Red Wings homer gave them the 3-2 lead. Trevor Plouffe continued his rehab. He went 1-4 with a double. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Logan Schafer each had a double. Adam Walker hit his 22nd home run of the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jacksonville 7 Box Score Aaron Slegers took the loss as he was charged with four runs on six hits in five innings. However, all four runs were unearned. He struck out four without issuing a walk. Brandon Peterson came in and gave up two runs on one hit in two innings. He walked four and struck out four. Zack Jones gave up a run on three hits over his two innings. He struck out three. Former Twins prospect Chris Mazza started for Jacksonville and went the first five innings to earn his fourth win of the season. Ryan Walker led the offense. He went 3-4. Zack Granite went 2-3 with a walk. Niko Goodrum went 2-2 with two walks and his third home run. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 1 Box Score Cody Stashak made his Miracle debut on Friday night and pitched well. He gave up one run on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out four and earned his first win. Mike Theofanopoulos go the next four outs, three of them on strikeouts (though he did give up a hit and walked two). Nick Anderson recorded his fourth save. He got the final five outs without allowing a run. He gave up a hit, walked one and struck out one. Chris Paul provided the Miracle with their big blast. His first Miracle home run of the season was a three-run shot. He went 2-4. Tanner English returned to the Miracle after being on the disabled list for about three months. He hit his third double and first triple in his four at-bats. Nick Gordon was also 2-4. Joe Maloney went 2-3. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1 - Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 7 (Completion of Suspended game) Box Score Lightning, wind and torrential rains caused Thursday night’s game to be suspended. On Friday they completed that game before playing the regularly-scheduled game. Eddie Del Rosario pitched the first four innings on Thursday. He gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out seven. Andrew Vasquez started on the mound when the game resumed. The lefty threw three shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two, hit one and struck out five. Tom Hackimer came one and worked the eighth and ninth innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) on four hits, a walk and two hit batters to take the loss. Zander Wiel continued to hit. He went 2-4 with his 13th homer of the season. Chris Ibarra was 2-4 with his fourth double. Nelson Molina went 1-3 with his first home run of the year. Luis Arraez went 1-2 on Thursday and did not play due to injury on Friday night. Game 2 - Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 7 (regularly-scheduled game) Box Score Miles Nordgren made his first start since his return to the Kernels. He gave up five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk. He struck out four. Michael Cederoth worked the final two innings. He gave up one hit and walked two but did not allow a run. He struck out three. Chris Ibarra hit his fifth and sixth doubles in four at-bats with an RBI. Rainis Silva went 2-3 with an RBI. Zander Wiel drove in the third run. Per Jeff Johnson, Luis Arraez has a bump/bruise on his right wrist. He will be meeting with doctors on Saturday. Also, Nelson Molina took a ground ball off of the nose but hopes to keep playing. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 14, Johnson City 1 Box Score Alex Schik was the beneficiary of a big night of offense to earn his third win of the year. In his 5.1 innings, he gave up one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out four. Domenick Carlini threw 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and struck out two. Johan Quezada walked two in a scoreless ninth inning. The Twins put up 14 runs on 17 hits. Eight of the nine starters reached base at least twice. Amaurys Minier, however, went 0-5 with four strikeouts. Here is the rest of the lineup: Brandon Lopez went 3-5 with a walk and his fifth double. Travis Blankenhorn was 3-6 with his seventh double and ninth home run. Alex Kirilloff went 2-6. Lewin Diaz was 3-6 with his 12th double. Shane Carrier went 2-4 with his fifth home run and three RBI. Minier batted sixth. Caleb Hamilton went 1-3, walked twice and hit his first triple. Trey Cabbage went 2-4 with a walk and his fourth double. Robert Molina added his first double of the season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 2 Box Score Taylor Clemensia put together another solid start. The left-hander from the Netherlands went the first five innings and gave up just two runs. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out four. Tyler Fox came on in relief and worked the final three innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out one, but did not allow any runs. Aaron Whitefield continued to play well. He went 1-3 with a walk, his fourth double and his 20th stolen base. Jorge Munoz went 1-4 with his sixth double. He drove in Whitefield with the lone run for the Twins. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Cody Stashak, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Travis Blankenhorn, Elizabethton Twins SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Lehigh Valley (5:35 CST) - LHP Andrew Albers Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:05 CST) - RHP Fernando Romero Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) – LHP Lachlan Wells Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) - RHP Sean Poppen GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (9:00 am CST) - LHP Bo Hellquist Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday's games. Click here to view the article

You could look at it two ways really... How would you feel about Jay or Gordon or Kirilloff or even Gonsalves being the Twins #1 prospect. If you'd feel good about that, then having someone that some think is even a better prospect than them would seem to be a positive thing. (if that sentence made any sense. Ha!)

He's already a really good pro... but yes, with some added size, the power numbers could take him to another level. I woudln't count on him getting too much bigger or adding too much more power (at least in terms of home runs). I think Ben Revere is a pretty strong comparison all-around.

Romero is 94-96 with the ability to hit 98. He's got a really good breaking ball and a solid changeup. I ranked him 7th in my midseason rankings and was told by someone whose opinion matters to me that I might not have him high enough. The Jay thing may have more to do with his shoulder after all. I'm trying to figure out how much I should be concerned about Jay's "injury."

Yes, he would need to be added to the 40 man roster or potentially be lost in the Rule 5. The fact that he hasn't pitched all year (or last year) and last pitched in Low A would likely mean he won't be drafted which saves the Twins a year on adding him.

Brandon Lopez would probably have been Top 6, but he had at least 30 less plate appearances than others. So, generally that's something I have to look at in considering.

I'd guess that they think that MIlone could have some value in August and if not, I can see them releasing him. Boshers seems to be a different pitcher since coming back to affiliated ball. His breaking pitches look pretty legit. Maybe I'm wrong but I have no idea with them evaluating him. He's not old, so I don't mind them keeping him around at all. That said, I'd like to see Wimmers and there's no reason (in my non-knowledgeable) head for Chargois not to be up right now. Light should be up in September too. I'd then push Zack Jones and Trevor Hildenberger (if his elbow is OK) up to Rochester.

That is correct. He doesn't have to be added, so there is little reason to bring him up there year unless they had been in contention and brought him up by now.

Baxendale has been amazing out of the bullpen, and that is where his future in the big leagues would be. Just interesting (or at least unusual) that the Red Wings have 5 starters and all of them are left-handed.

They do with college guys since they're 3 years older. But I'd be surprised if they did with Kirilloff. He's doing well and learning a lot offensively, defensively and off the field. But he could move up after the E-Town season for the final week or so with the Kernels. Then again, I think the Brad Steil is much, much more aggressive with promotions than Jim Rantz ever was, so it's possible.

Thorpe just needs to get healthy and back on the mound. He's not even 21 yet, so no need to give up on him at this point. He could find himself flying up the system next year.

Correct. Obviously at that same stage (AAA), Liriano was hitting 95-97. Mejia is more 90-93. I think he touched 94 a couple times. But I think he's a legit prospect.

He's walked 24 in 44+ innings. I think he's right where he needs to be. He's working on a pitch or two too. He's still very young. There's no rush whatsoever. My guess is he'll get an invite to spring training next year which will be a nice thing, if it happens.

I think Jay, Gordon, Kirilloff, Gonsalves and Romero could all stake claim on the team's #1 prospect if Berrios hits 50 innings with the Twins (which he will).

If a reliever comes into a game in what would be a save situation (if it was the 9th)) and holds the lead, he gets a Hold. If he gives up the lead, he gets a blown Save. If the team reclaims the lead, he gets the Win. So, in this game, Bard did the final two things.

If you were to compile a list of the Twins prospects who have seen their stock rise the most in 2016, Zach Granite’s name would certainly be near the top. I had a chance to catch up with the speedy centerfielder of the Chattanooga Lookouts and talked to him about his season, his job as a leadoff hitter and base stealer and much more. Granite was the 14th-round pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2013 following a strong career at Seton Hall. The Staten Island native signed quickly and spent that summer in Elizabethton where he hit .285 and got on base 36% of the time.He began the 2014 season as the leadoff hitter for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Unfortunately, he was hurt just a handful of games into the season. When he came back later in the year, he was hurt again. Because he played in just 21 total games for the Kernels in 2014, he returned there to start the 2015 season. At that time, Granite said, “I had a really tough season (in 2014), so I took a good month off and cleared my head. I was in my own head just from not playing. I was thinking too much about it.” Granite ended up being the Twins choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month of April (finished a close 2nd here at Twins Daily) and was quickly promoted to the Miracle where he spent the rest of the season. In 105 games in Ft. Myers, Granite hit .249/.328/.304 (.632) with ten doubles, four triples and a home run. So when he came to spring training this year, he figured he would be back with the Miracle to start the season. Instead, he began the season in Chattanooga. “Honestly, I was expecting to start in Ft. Myers again. I didn’t do as well as I wanted to in Ft. Myers, but I came into spring training ready to compete, and I feel like I did enough to earn the promotion.” Shannon Wilkerson, who was a key instigator for the Lookouts offense and defense late in 2015, began this season on the disabled list with a strained quad. Maybe that was part of the reason that Granite made the jump to Chattanooga. As we sit now, in the beginning of August, that really doesn’t matter because Granite took the opportunity and ran with it. As of this morning, Granite is hitting .295/.352/.380 (.732) with 12 doubles, five triples and four home runs. He also has 38 stolen bases which is one behind Jacksonville’s Yefri Perez for the Southern League lead. He has been caught just nine times. In the newest Baseball America, Perez was named by coaches to have the best speed in the Southern League, but it was Granite who was voted as the league’s best base runner in their annual Best Tools issue. When on base, Granite has been given the green light “unless the score is out of hand”. I asked him what factors went into his decision on whether to take off when he is on base. “Time is probably the biggest factor. If the pitcher is very quick to the plate with a slide step, it is very tough to get a good jump and steal. The defense and catcher are always paying attention to me, so it is tough to fool one of them with a delayed steal. Also stealing in the right count sometimes is beneficial because the hitters behind me get a lot of fastballs away which gives the catcher a better chance of throwing me out.” However, Granite says he is encouraged by his coaches and the organization to attempt to steal bases. “100% they want me to take chances. They want me to learn from my mistakes, and I have become a smarter base runner from it. Sam Perlozzo has helped me a lot in what to think and do on the bases in certain situations. It is great to have a base-running coordinator who has the experience and knowledge that he has.” Base running is certainly a strength in Granite’s game, but it certainly isn’t the only skill he has. “I would have to say base running and defense (are my strongest skills at this stage). I want to get better in every aspect of the game, but those are definitely the best two attributes of my game. Obviously, I have to work on hitting and my arm needs to get a little stronger. Those are two things I will work on a lot in the offseason.” Hitting is something that he has worked on a lot as he has moved up the organizational ladder, and he is seeing the results in 2016. What makes his 2016 so impressive is that he’s made the improvements as he has moved up, as he has seen better pitching. “Pitchers definitely get smarter and more control as the levels go up. Also, I see more of a mix of pitches like breaking balls and changeups.” Granite fully understands his role at the top of the order, as the leadoff hitter for the Lookouts. He tries to keep it simple while at the same time being a pest. “I try to keep things as simple as possible. My plan is to go up (to the plate), get a good pitch to hit, and hit it hard. I have a pretty good eye and don’t chase many pitches which works in my favor. I’m just trying to get on base any way possible because that’s when the fun begins. I know how annoying I can be for the other team just being on first base, and if I can get into scoring position for the middle of the order, I’m doing my job.” He continued, “I would have to say I’m a pest. I don’t strike out a lot and lay off some tough pitches. I try to be the toughest out I can be and try to grind through at-bats like a typical leadoff hitter.” Granite has hit four home runs this season. He had one home run in his pro career before this season. He hit zero home runs in his three seasons at Seton Hall. Listed at 6-1 and 170 pounds Granite is never going to be confused with a power hitter and does a great job of staying within himself and doing the things needed to get on base at the top of the order. But he has made some adjustments with the help of Chattanooga manager Doug Mientkiewicz and hitting coach Tommy Watkins. “A big thing they have taught me is how to drive the ball. Defenses would play me shallow, expecting me to slap the ball the other way, but they have taught me to be more of a ‘dangerous’ hitter and taught me how to drive the ball over their heads. It has really opened up the field for me which has helped me become a better and more diverse hitter.” Granite says that he enjoys facing starting pitchers, but it was interesting to find out which type of pitcher he typically has the most success against. Granite, a left-handed hitter, said, “I enjoy the challenge of facing lefties. Throughout my career, I’ve had more success against lefties than righties, and it’s pretty funny how many times teams will bring in a lefty to face me.” I was intrigued so I went to the numbers and checked out Granite’s splits. In 2016, Granite is hitting .291/.349/.390 (.739) against right-handers, and he’s hitting .308/.360/.341 against lefties. So this year, it’s a pretty even split. He’s hitting for a higher average and slightly higher on-base percentage against southpaws while some of his new-found power has come primarily against right-handers. So let’s look back in his previous seasons. In 2015 the splits were more telling. He hit just .248/.322/.312 (.634) against right-handers while hitting .314/.421/.373 (.794) against lefties. In his injury-plagued 2014 season (101 total PA), he posted a .588 OPS against right-handers and an .833 OPS against lefties. In Elizabethton in 2013, he posted a .601 OPS against right-handers and a 1.224 OPS against lefties. He’s got a month left in the Chattanooga season. His Chattanooga Lookouts are still in the playoff chase, but there are a lot of goals that start creeping into a player’s mind as the season winds down. The Arizona Fall League? “It would mean a lot to me to represent the Twins in the Arizona Fall League. I’ve talked to a couple of guys that played there, and they absolutely loved it. I know a lot of prospects play in that league, so that would be a nice achievement in my career.” The 40-Man roster? “That is something that I have no control over, so I try not to think about it. Obviously it would be amazing if that happened, but all I can do is play. As long as I get to wear a uniform, I’m happy.” Zach Granite has grown tremendously since signing with the Twins. The first time I saw him, he was about to play in his first full-season, with the Kernels in 2014. He has come a long way as a player. He has grown as a player. “Mentally and my aggressiveness have definitely grown the most. In Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, I would seem to get myself in bad counts and take a lot when I was ahead in the counts. Now I feel like I am aggressive when I see a pitch I want no matter what the count is. Mentally, it comes with experience of playing. I am a lot smarter and think more situational than I ever have. I have to give a lot of credit to my coaches who have helped me grow as a player.” So then the ultimate question for a player is what would it mean for you to get called into your manager’s office and find out that you’re heading to the big leagues. You see, many subscribe to the theory that once you experience success in AA, you’re just a phone call and an opportunity away. “That is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. It would mean the world to me.” In 2014 in Cedar Rapids, I had the opportunity to do a short video with Granite. It was a lot of fun. Click here to view the article

I agree with that, and Romero might have the highest ceiling of the three.

One more month left in the minor league season. It is hard to believe. Today we hand out our final award of the month to the top starting pitcher in the Twins system in July. It is another familiar name in these awards, but it is a deserving recipient. Before jumping to our starting pitcher honorable mentions and top five for July, a quick reminder that we have handed out awards to Kernels 1B Zander Wiel as Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month, and to Lookouts closer Trevor Hildenberger as Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month. Check out those articles if you missed either of them.Let’s get to the starters, and before going to our Top 5 starting pitchers for the month of July, here are a few others who deserve to be recognized for a strong month. LHP Stephen Gonsalves (Chattanooga) - 6 GS, 3-1, 2.67 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 33.2 IP, 22 H, 18 BB, 41 KRHP Kohl Stewart (Chattanooga) - 5 GS, 4-1, 2.28 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 32 H, 13 BB, 17 KRHP Eduardo Del Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 5 GS, 3-0, 2.83 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 23 H, 13 BB, 30 KRHP Dereck Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 5 GS, 2-2, 3.13 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 24 H, 9 BB, 27 KLHP Taylor Clemensia (GCL) - 5 G, 4 GS, 0-1, 1.66 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 21.2 IP, 8 H, 12 BB, 25 KRHP Miguel De Jesus (GCL) - 5 GS, 2-1, 2.52 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 25.0 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 25 KRHP Huascar Ynoa (GCL) - 5 GS, 0-3, 2.82 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 22.1 IP, 19 H, 6 BB, 29 KTHE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS Number 5 – Ft. Myers – RHP Randy LeBlanc - 5 GS, 3-2, 2.53 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 32.0 IP, 26 H, 6 BB, 24 K LeBlanc was spectacular the first two months this season, his first in the organization as a full-time starter. He went 6-2 with a 0.74 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP in nine starts. In early June, he was promoted to Ft. Myers where he experienced some rough starts. He has made some of the necessary adjustments and had a really nice month of July. While he isn’t a big strikeout pitcher, he is known more for his ability to get ground balls. For the month, opponents hit .224/.270/.267 (.537) off him. In ten starts now with the Miracle, he is 4-5 with a 4.25 ERA. Those numbers will look much better if he can end the season with another strong month in August. Number 4 - Cedar Rapids – LHP Lachlan Wells - 6 GS, 2-3, 2.57 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 35.0 IP, 29 H, 7 BB, 29 K The career to this point of 19-year-old Lachlan Wells is lining up pretty closely with the career of fellow Australian lefty Lewis Thorpe. Wells was in the GCL last year where he went 5-2 with a 2.09 ERA before leaving to play for Team Australia. He began this season in extended spring training, but just as the short-season teams were starting, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids. He made one start in June before putting together a very nice July. He had one start of six shutout innings with eight strikeouts. He had another start where he went eight shutout innings with nine strikeouts. It was an impressive debut in the Midwest League where he is almost three years younger than the average player. Opponents hit just .227/.277/.328 (.605) off him. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – RHP Fernando Romero - 5 GS, 2-1, 2.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 23 H, 5 BB, 26 K After missing about two seasons due to Tommy John surgery and a knee surgery, Romero came back strong. He returned to Cedar Rapids in mid-May and stayed there for a month. He went 4-1 with a 1.93 ERA in five starts before being promoted to Ft. Myers. He has now made seven starts for the Miracle. In his five July starts, opponents hit just .230/.274/.300 off him. He continued to miss bats while throwing a lot of strikes. Still just 21 years old, I may have ranked him too low when I had him at #7 in my mid-season Twins prospect rankings. He should shoot up that list and national lists this offseason. Number 2 - Gulf Coast League – RHP Brady Anderson - 6 G, 4 GS, 2-0, 1.08 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 25.0 IP, 17 H, 1 BB, 22 K The Twins signed Brady Anderson as a non-drafted free agent following the draft this June. No surprise that he did well against Gulf Coast League kids, but it was the dominance that makes you wonder why he went undrafted out of Florida Gulf Coast. In his final three starts with the GCL Twins, he gave up no runs on six hits and no walks in 17 innings. For the month, GCL hitters posted a .187/.213/.209 (.422) line against him. In fact, he pitched well enough that when the Cedar Rapids Kernels needed a starter last night, it was Anderson who they had skip Elizabethton and jump to the Midwest League where he gave up three runs in five innings. Anderson is already 23 and will turn 24 in November, but this isn’t a prospect ranking. It’s about performance, and Anderson was tremendous in July. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester – RHP Jose Berrios - 5 GS, 3-2, 2.08 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 34.2 IP, 25 H, 8 BB, 38 K Berrios is no stranger to winning ‘awards’ from Twins Daily. He has won numerous monthly awards the last three seasons and has won the Pitcher of the Year Award in 2014 and 2015. The 22-year-old was the 32nd overall pick in the 2012 draft out of his high school in Puerto Rico. His rise has been impressive and the Twins have moved him up quite quickly (though not quickly enough for many fans). He was given an opportunity to make the Twins Opening Day roster this year but his control and command were not good. After three starts in Rochester, he was called up to the Twins. Things didn’t go terribly well for him in four starts and he was sent back to Rochester. Most notably, he just walked too many batters. Back in Rochester, he continued to struggle a bit for about five starts. However, since mid-June, he has turned things around and been quite good. The walks were down. The strikeouts were up. He flirted with a no-hitter into the 7th inning in one game. He threw a nine inning, complete game shutout in another. Opponents hit just .207/.254/.314 (.568) off of him in July. He’s been another pitcher in his final eight starts in Rochester, and that’s why it was an easy choice to call him back up to start on August 1st. His return was strong. After allowing three runs in the first inning, he calmed down and gave up just those three runs over six innings. Hopefully his days in Rochester are behind him for good. There were several strong starting pitching performances in July, but the choice of Jose Berrios was pretty clear. Feel free to discuss below. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations these individuals on a terrific month. Congratulations to the July Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for 2016, Jose Berrios. Click here to view the article