Seth Stohs

But in the late-90s, they did trade vets, like Dave Hollins (Ortiz), Roberto Kelly (Mays), Aguilera, Knoblauch, Pierzynski, etc. The Twins aren't the model now, but they certainly were 15 years ago... which is relavent to where the Royals were 8-10 years ago.

The Kernels announced this morning that they are adding RHP Eddie Del Rosario... possible he could start in Rodriguez's place. Was listening to one of my interviews with Jake Mauer from last weekend and he was basically saying that Rodriguez has the stuff, but right now it isn't working. Mauer was clearly frustrated and basically said there weren't a lot of other options, BUT if things kept going, there would need to be a change. This might be that change... (though I don't know that officially).

I just said they were top 5 picks. Of course they had other high-quality players. But most of it was drafting and trading vets for minor leaguers and letting them develop.

The irony is that the Royals used the Twins model for their rebuild. They took their time, trusted scouting, and let guys play. Like the Twins from 5 years ago, the Royals had to rebuild their system, and had a lot of high picks to do that. Gordon, Moustakus and Hosmer were all Top 5 picks, and they complemented them well.

I can't speak to how all 60 of his at bats have looked. Obviously we'd all like to see more walks, but at the same time, maybe he is swinging aggressively at good pitches and leaning better what areas he can attack. I'm kind of looking into that idea of being able to develop a better approach at the plate or at 24-25, are you just kind of who you are. That may be the case, somewhat, with Rosario. He's never going to walk a ton, but improving the approach at the plate would be nice.

They could have, but in May Palka hit just .200/.270/.360 (.630) with a 31% strikeout rate. I kind of think he's where he needs to be for right now... though, if he hits two home runs every game through June, I think that might signal something.

After posting out Twins Daily Minor League Hitter and Starting Pitcher of the Month of May the last two days, we will look at the relief pitchers who got their jobs done in May. There were a bunch and like the starters, you could make arguments for a couple of these guys to claim the title. All nine guys mentioned before deserve the recognition. But who won? We talked to the May Relief Pitcher of the Month to see what helped make him so successful. In case you missed them here are the previous May winners: Hitter of the Month: Byron Buxton, Rochester Red Wings. Starting Pitcher of the Month: Tyler Jay, Ft. Myers Miracle. So, who will join them in the May Twins Minor League Awards? Continue reading to find out.First, a few relievers worthy of mention: RHP Michael Cederoth (Cedar Rapids) – 7 G, 1-0, 3.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 16KLHP Buddy Boshers (Rochester) - 7 G, 1-0, 1 Save, 2.08 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 10 KRHP Brandon Peterson (Ft. Myers) - 11 G, 2-0, 3 Saves, 3.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 15.0 IP 12 H, 3 BB, 17 KRHP Marcus Walden (Rochester) - 7 G, 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 15.2 IP, 12 H, 5 BB, 10 KTHE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS Number 5 - Chattanooga – LHP Luke Westphal - 7 G, 2.45 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 16 K It was a long and winding road for Westphal from affiliated ball to the Twins organization, but the southpaw from Wisconsin has been quite good since signing with the Twins 16 months ago. Last year, Westphal went back and forth between Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids, and between the bullpen and the rotation. This year, he’s been exclusively in the bullpen. He was promoted to the Lookouts at the end of April and had a good first month in AA. In May, opponents hit just .238/.273/.262 (.535) off him and he struck out 13.1 batters per nine innings. Pretty dominant showing. Number 4 – Chattanooga – RHP Trevor Hildenberger - 11 G, 1.20 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 15.0 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 13 K Hildenberger was our choice for Twins Daily Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2015 when he split the year between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He’s appeared in these monthly reports pretty much every month the last two seasons and here he is again. After a solid showing in the Arizona Fall League a year ago, he began 2016 with the Miracle, but he was up in AA within a month. At a level where even the top relief pitching prospects have struggled, Hildenberger keeps getting the job done. The side-winding righty limited opponents to a .176/.222/.294 (.516) slash line for the month. He took over as the team’s closer and recorded five saves. Number 3 – Chattanooga – RHP JT Chargois - 8 G, 1.12 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 8.0 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 11 K 2012 2nd-round pick was finally healthy and bringing the high-90s heat in games in 2015. He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason and showed well in big league spring training. He started with the Lookouts but in early May he was promoted to AAA Rochester where he’s continued to dominate. For the month, Chargois held hitters to a .182/.280/.318 (.598) slash line. While control has always been his problem, he has shown some strong glimpses in 2016, though a walk every other inning is all that is likely delaying his promotion to the big leagues.Soon the reliever whose last name is pronounced shag-waa will become a household name for Twins fans. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – RHP Nick Anderson - 8 G, 0.64 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, 14.0 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 22 K The Twins signed Anderson last August out of the independent leagues. The mid-90s throwing right-hander from Brainerd (via Mayville State) continued to dominate in Cedar Rapids until a mid-May promotion to Ft. Myers. He had a remarkable and dominant month. Look again at the strikeout-to-walk rate of 22-to-1! He also struck out 14.1 per nine innings. Opponents hit just .109/.128/.130 (.258) off him. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – LHP Mike Theofanopoulos - 7 G, 0.73 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 20 K Mike Theofanopoulos was the Twins 30th-round pick in 2014 out of California. The left-hander grew up about a half-hour from Berkeley so when he was offered the scholarship, he immediately accepted, happy to play Division 1 baseball and get a Berkeley education. After spending the rest of that season, in the GCL, he spent all of 2015 in Cedar Rapids. Though he was likely disappointed in returning to the Kernels to start the 2016 season, he has handled it very well and grown from the experience. According to his pitching coach JP Martinez, he’s used his return to the Midwest League to better himself. “He’s a gritty kid, not a high pick, so he’s had to produce. He had a really good year here last year, and it just turned out that it was a numbers game so he had to come back. The good thing for him is that there is a comfort zone can work on things that they need to clean up so they’re ready for the next level.” Maybe it was frustration - or maybe it was just cold - but Theofanopoulos struggled the first week or so of the season, but he quickly got things back and made some improvements and he has been very good since. “I really wanted to harness in and focus on not walking guys. Earlier on in the season, I started pretty slow, putting guys on, trying to do too much and walking the world. I’m in a nice groove now, just realizing how to use my pitches. Fastball command has been there. That’s a huge part of it which allows me to get to my offspeed which are my strikeout pitches. Being able to finish hitters and put them away. I was trying to overproduce and do way too much.” In May, Theofanopoulos had a streak of 19 scoreless innings that ended with an unearned run. Opponents hit just .093/.152/.140 (.292). He also struck out 14.6 batters per nine innings. “Left-handed and breathing” is a saying in baseball, but Theofanopoulos shows more than that. He has a good fastball that sits 90-92. He has a curveball and a changeup, but his second breaking ball seems to have helped him to another level. According to “Theo,” one of the keys to his success has been “Developing a harder curveball. That’s been a big piece for me, especially against left-handers, changing the hitter’s eyes.” With Nick Anderson being promoted to the Miracle, Kernels manager Jake Mauer says that Theofanopoulos may be in line for some late-inning, closer opportunities. “He started out real slow, walking a lot of guys, but he’s been real good lately. Really good. We’re probably going to use him late. He’s giving us some pretty good reason to use him later in games.” His pitching coach (Martinez) said of the southpaw, “If you get a lefty with two breaking balls who can spot his fastball, that’s pretty tough to hit. I wouldn’t say he had fastball command issues, but he wasn’t getting ahead with the fastball as much as he could. We made a couple of adjustments, and I think he got comfortable right around the second week. He looked relaxed out there. He looks comfortable on the mound, like there’s no place he’d rather be than on the mound. He’s a pretty cerebral guy so he knows how to attack hitters. I think what he’s done really well is spot the breaking ball and the fastball early and then be able to put that breaking ball away later in the count.” Theofanopoulos will continue to work later in games for the Kernels. We would have to assume that like John Curtiss, Nick Anderson and Randy LeBlanc before him, it should just be a matter of time before he gets called into his manager’s office and told he too is heading to Ft. Myers to join the Miracle. He’s ready. There were several very strong relief pitcher performances in May. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent month of may. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for May 2016, Mike Theofanopoulos. Click here to view the article

Has absolutely nothing to do with it. Reed isn't on social media a lot anyway, but there is no correlation between social media usage and play on the field. Baseball is hard... and when a guy gets behind in counts and struggles with command, they're going to struggle in AA.

There were just a bunch of promotions 2 days ago... and yes, there will certainly be more... but there really were just a few ... Stewart, LeBlanc, etc.

I'm sure they have a certain number they'll try to get to and then be careful. Some will depend on how he looks out on the mound, but I've said all along that I expect him to go back to the bullpen in mid-July or even August... probably in Chattanooga.

Oh, OK...

Please go to the Twins Daily Twitter Feed and Vote for your choice for Starting Pitcher of the Month?

Yesterday, we announced Byron Buxton as our Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month for May. Today, we recognize the top starting pitchers in the Twins minor leagues. Determining this month’s top starter was the most difficult decision I’ve had to make for a monthly award. So, I went to some others to help vote. Even then, the vote was close. But you’ll have to keep reading to find out who we’re talking about. At the end, you can comment on who would get your vote.So before to our Top 5 starting pitchers for the month, here are a few others who deserve to be recognized for a strong month. LHP Andrew Albers (Rochester) - 5 GS, 3-1, 3.16 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 31.1 IP, 33 H, 10 BB, 22 KRHP DJ Baxendale (Chattanooga) - 6 GS, 4-2, 3.55 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 38.0 IP, 38 H, 6 BB, 25 KLHP Stephen Gonsalves (Ft. Myers) - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.51 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 23 H, 12 BB, 26 KRHP Felix Jorge (Ft. Myers) - 4 GS, 2-1, 2.05 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 24 H, 5 BB, 21 KTHE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERS Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Miles Nordgren - 5 G, 4 GS, 1-1, 2.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 25 H, 5 BB, 35 K Nordgren was the Twins 23rd-round draft pick in 2014 out of Birmingham Southern. He has pitched in long relief and as a starter at various times since signing. He was with the Kernels briefly in 2015 and began the 2016 season in extended spring training. In 2016, he has made nine appearances. The four out of the bullpen were at least two innings. For the month, Nordgren held opponents to a .240/.275/.269 (.544). His 12.0 K/9 is the highest on this list of starting pitchers. In his most recent start, he struck out twelve batters in seven innings thanks to an improved slider. When asked if he throws 90 mph, following the game, Nordgren said, “on a good day.” Number 4 - Rochester – LHP Tommy Milone - 4 GS, 2-0, 2.22 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 28.1 IP, 23 H, 0 BB, 24 K In late April, the Twins moved Milone to their bullpen. He made one big league appearance in long relief at the beginning of May before being placed on waivers. When he went unclaimed, he was outrighted to Rochester. As he did a year ago when he was optioned to the Red Wings, he pitched great. Milone was a strike-throwing machine. Opponents hit just .219/.219/.371 off of him in his four starts. He throws strikes and he misses bats. Then again, there’s no surprise in his AAA success. Milone is clearly a big league pitcher who now is just waiting for another opportunity whether it is with the Twins or elsewhere. Number 3 – Rochester – LHP Jason Wheeler - 6 GS, 4-1, 1.59 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 39.2 IP, 28 H, 7 BB, 36 K A year ago, Jason Wheeler was on the 40-man roster and began the season in AAA. He really struggled with AAA. In 15 starts, he went 1-7 with a 6.58 ERA. He returned to AA and pitched well again. That’s where he started the 2016 season, with the Lookouts. In four starts, he posted a 1.88 ERA. He was brought back up to AAA and he has been fantastic. For the month, Wheeler allowed opponents to hit .194/.237/.278 (.515) against him. More surprising yet, he has struck out 7.5 batters per nine innings after posting a career K/9 rate of just 6.0. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, Wheeler doesn’t throw real hard, but he knows how to pitch. Number 2 - Cedar Rapids – RHP Randy LeBlanc - 5 GS, 4-0, 0.24 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 37.0 IP, 24 H, 6 BB, 21 K I would guess that with LeBlanc’s May, he would win the Starting Pitcher of the Month award in at least 95% of months. This month, he comes in a close second. LeBlanc gave up one run all month, in 37 innings. At one time, he had a run of 37 innings between runs allowed. The 24-year-old was the Twins 10th-round pick in 2014 out of Tulane. In May, opponents hit just .185/.232/.208 (.440) off of him. Seemingly any time he had a base runner, he was able to use his sinker to coax a double play. According to Kernels pitching coach JP Martinez, “He’s basically got a ground ball whenever he needs it with that sinker he’s got.” While he doesn’t throw real hard, hitting 92 at times with a sinker, he’s able to work the fastball on both sides of the plate. He’s got a plus-changeup, and a harder, mid-80s slider. He’s got another slider in the lower-80s that drops more. Per Martinez, he’s got good stuff but just needed to develop it over innings, “He’s got hard-sink in the low-90s, a good slider and a really good changeup. I think the only thing they wanted to work on coming back was putting guys away. I don’t think that they thought he didn’t have an out pitch but they wanted him to develop it more. He’s got a great idea how to attack hitters.” Following eight shutout innings on the last day of the month, he was finally promoted from the Kernels to Ft. Myers. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers – LHP Tyler Jay - 5 GS, 3-2, 0.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 32.1 IP, 20 H, 7 BB, 38 K For the second straight month, the choice for starting pitcher of the month is a left-hander from the Ft. Myers Miracle. In a very close vote, Jay was the selection over LeBlanc in large part due to his dominance. Ironically, Jay’s roommate with the Miracle is April’s SP of the Month, Stephen Gonsalves. The Twins top pick a year ago out of Illinois had a tremendous May, culminating with eight shutout innings on the final day of the month. While his overall numbers are very similar to LeBlanc’s, his strikeout tally is what puts him in that top spot. Opponents hit just .180/.229/.180 (.409) against him in the month. No extra-base hits. Blessed with a mid-90s fastball, Jay also has a devastating slider, a slower curveball and a change up. A reliever in college, Jay is making the transition to being a starter. With the exception for one start, and a couple of games with first inning struggles, Jay has made that transition smoothly. There was again several choices for starting pitcher performances in May, and two of them were very deserving of winning the award. Let’s discuss. Who would get your vote, Tyler Jay or Randy LeBlanc? And frankly, in most months, Jason Wheeler would win the award with the numbers he put up in May. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations these individuals on a terrific month. Congratulations to the May Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for 2016, Tyler Jay. Click here to view the article

Two games in the Minnesota Twins organization were in the afternoon. One involved a Twins affiliate able to muster just two hits. The other involved a Twins prospect hitting two home runs. In night games, the Miracle game was postponed thanks to some intense rains. And Kernels had their top pitching prospect on the mound.That was the short story. Continue reading if you would like just a little bit more information from your Minor League Report. In case you missed it, late on Monday night, Miguel Sano went on the DL and Max Kepler was promoted to the Twins. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 0, Indianapolis 2 Box Score With one out in the 9th, James Beresford cracked a solid single to center field to break up Indianapolis’s no-hit bid. Jorge Polanco singled right after, but the Red Wings were unable to score and fell 2-0. Pirates top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow was on the mound for Indy. He worked five no-hit innings, striking out three and walking four. And then the rains came and there was a delay. Cory Luebke came on and struck out five batters in two innings. Trey Haley struck out the side in the eighth. Jorge Rondon pitched the ninth to pick up the save, though he couldn’t hold the no-hitter. Logan Darnell started and worked the five, pre-rain delay innings for the Red Wings. He gave up one run on two hits. He struck out three without issuing a walk. Marcus Walden came on following the delay. He gave up a run on a hit and a walk over two innings. He struck out two. Dan Runzler worked a perfect ninth. After going 19-10 in May, the Red Wings begin June with a loss and fall to 29-24 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Birmingham 4 Box Score The Lookouts pushed four across in the second inning, added two more in the eighth and held on to a 7-4 win in Birmingham. In the second inning, Daniel Palka launched a two-run homer to give the team a 2-0 lead. Several batters later, Levi Michael’s first double of the year scored two more to put the Lookouts up 4-0. Nick Greenwood was in control from there. The left-hander gave up two runs on four hits over seven innings. He struck out four without issuing a walk. Jake Reed came on for the eighth inning and gave up two runs on three hits. Trevor Hildenberger got the ninth inning and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to drop his AA ERA to 1.06 and record his sixth save as a member of the Lookouts. The Lookouts scored two in the eighth inning, the big hit being Leonardo Reginnato’s second triple of the year. In the ninth, Palka gave the team another insurance run with his second homer of the day and ninth of the season. Zach Granite went 2-5 in the game. Meanwhile, TJ White and Mitch Garver each had a single and a walk. White stole his sixth base. With the win, the Lookouts improved to 24-28 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers , St. Lucie Box Score This game was postponed due to a massive amount of rain in a hurry. They will play a doubleheader on Thursday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Beloit 2 Box Score Fernando Romero was back on the mound for the Kernels, making his third start. The powerful right-hander gave up two runs on four hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out five. It was his first quality start since 2013 in the GCL He is now 3-0 after three starts in his return from Tommy John surgery. Michael Cederoth came out of the bullpen and, despite a hit and two walks, threw two shutout innings. Kuo Hua Lo was given the ninth inning and he retired the side in order. AJ Murray led the offense. He went 3-5. Daniel Kihle was 2-4 with a walk. Brad Hartong went 2-5 in the game with his third double. Jermaine Palacios went 1-3 with two walks. Sean Miller had a single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. The win gives the Kernels their 30th win of the year. They are now 30-22. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Fernando Romero, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Daniel Palka, Chattanooga Lookouts THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Indianapolis (6:05 p.m. CST) - LHP Tommy Milone Chattanooga @ Birmingham (7:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (DH starting at 3:05 CST) – RHP, Keaton Steele, RHP Felix Jorge Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (7:00 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

It was going on all spring and in his first two Rochester starts this season - before his call up. But yeah, in previous years, it wasn't an issue.

In Jeremy's Mock Draft from earlier this week, he had him going at #12 to the Red Sox with people/scouts saying that would make a ton of sense.

Note that he was only in FM for like 3 weeks this year and maybe a month last year. He was terriifc in the AFL. Then again, he throws so many strikes, he'll give up some hits. As for Michael, he was pretty good the last two years, when healthy... this year he's healthy and just not being played every day any more.

I would think there would be a very good chance.

I think there is a chance, though I think he's in a good place right now. He was a late bloomer, per se, and kind of has now caught up with many from his own age. He just throws so many strikes, it's a wonder he doesn't get hit a bit more... but yes, he could get up to AAA this year.

I don’t think there’ll be much argument when we reach the bottom of today’s article and see who was named this month’s Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month. In fact, he had such a strong month, he was an easy choice to call back up to the Twins at the end of the month when there was an injury. However, after a poor offensive month overall in the organization in April (blame the cold, right?), there were a lot of very strong hitting performances in the Twins organization in May at each of the affiliates. After struggling to find five hitter options in April, we have 13 players mentioned below between our Top 5 and eight honorable mentions.Before we jump to the top five hitters of the month, here are some more hitters who are very deserving of recognition. These guys had strong May performances. Congratulations to all of the players mentioned below. IF James Beresford (Rochester) – .315/.403/.370 (.774). 34-108 with four doubles, one triple, no homers, 23 runs and seven RBIs.3B Nelson Molina (Cedar Rapids) - .348/.450/.379 (.829). 23-66 with two doubles, 15 RBIs and eight runs scored.OF Max Murphy (Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers) - .311/.361/.467 (.827) with two doubles, four homers, 12 runs and eight RBIs.OF LaMonte Wade (Cedar Rapids) - .280/.430/.398 (.828) with one triple, three home runs, 18 runs and 17 RBIs (24 BB, 13 K).OF Adam Brett Walker (Rochester) - .215/.315/.495 (.809) with two doubles, eight home runs, 12 runs and 13 RBIs.IF Ryan Walker (Ft. Myers/Chattanooga) - .320/.409/.373 (.792) with two triples, 15 runs and nine RBIs.1B Zander Wiel (Cedar Rapids) - .298/.339/.490 (.830) with seven doubles, two triples, three homers, 13 runs and 22 RBIs.THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 - Chattanooga – 1B Dalton Hicks - .333/.411/.444 (.855). 33-99 with eight doubles, one homer, 15 runs and 17 RBIs. Hicks was the Twins 17th-round pick in 2012 out of the University of Central Florida. Since signing, he has been one of the most productive, run-producing players in the organization. In 2013, he led all of minor league baseball in RBIs. At 6-5 and 250 pounds, Hicks is an intimidating man in the batter’s box. In addition to hitting for average, he walked 13 times. Hicks has been a big part of that core that has won several league championships. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids – 2B Luis Arraez - .340/.398/.437 (.835). 35-103 with eight doubles, one triple, 15 runs and ten RBIs. The diminutive second baseman from Venezuela has been an instigator at the top of the Kernels lineup. He just turned 19 at the beginning of the season. Having watched him this weekend in Cedar Rapids, he does “leadoff hitter” things. He takes pitches and knows the strike zone. He tracks the ball well, and yet, when he does swing, he takes an aggressive cut. He certainly looks like he has a clue at the plate, a plan, despite his youth. Number 3 – Rochester – 1B Kennys Vargas - .280/.392/.490 (.882). 28-100 with three doubles, six home runs, 12 runs and 22 RBIs. Vargas provides the Twins with depth at first base and designated hitter. After a slow start, he had a very strong May. He hit for some average, but he began taking better at-bats, drawing walks and hitting for power. He was very productive in the middle of the Red Wings lineup. Though he struck out 24 times, he also walked 20 times. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – OF Edgar Corcino - .321/.388/.514 (.902). 35-109 with five doubles, two triples, four homers, 20 runs and 19 RBIs. Signed out of an independent league after a few years in the Tigers system, Corcino has been very impressive with the Twins. The 23-year-old from Puerto Rico put together a very strong month. He hit for average, and while he is aggressive, he generally takes quality at-bats. He is a great athlete who has some power potential. He also has great speed which helps on the basepaths, but also in the outfield where he frequently provides web gems. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Rochester – OF Byron Buxton - .370/.437/.674 (1.111). 34-92 with eight doubles, one triple, six home runs, 23 runs and 14 RBIs. When Buxton was sent down to AAA, he started hitting immediately. In his first three games, he had five hits. But he was still striking out quite a bit. As he got more time and confidence, the numbers started coming too. Once the calendar turned to May, Buxton was red-hot. More important, he wasn’t just getting bloop singles, he was driving. Reverting to his leg kick, Buxton’s timing improved. He began driving the ball all over the ballpark. He hit six home runs, three of them to lead off the game for the Red Wings. He had a lot of doubles, and not just Buxton-speed-hustle doubles, but hard-hit doubles. He walked just nine times in the month (which is OK), but the quality of the at-bats was much improved. There were several times he fell behind 0-2 in the count and took some tough pitches and worked walks. Right when he was at his hottest, he missed a week with back spasms. Imagine the numbers he could have put up with another 25-30 plate appearances. When Danny Santana went on the disabled list late in the month, Buxton was recalled to the big leagues and doubled in his first game back. Will we see a different Buxton in the big leagues this time around. Twins fans certainly want to see that, but probably not as much as Buxton would like to take that step forward in his career. There weren’t a lot of great performances with the bat in April, but May was much better. There were several guys who didn’t get honorable mention who probably warranted discussion as well. Buxton was the easy choice at the top, and I think Corcino was pretty easy choice at number two, but after that, there were just a lot of very solid performances with the bat last month. Starting tomorrow, we’ll see if there were as many strong pitching performances as well. Congratulations to the May Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month for 2016, Byron Buxton. Click here to view the article

And that's where we disagree... that's my 'guilt by association' comment. I will stand by my statements that I think there would be good candidates internally... I do agree that it may be best for the organizations and probably those individuals if they do go elsewhere.