Seth Stohs

Yeah, I can see Wade moving up too... but Murphy had been in CR for over 2 years and needed to be pushed. Edgar Corcino is playing well right now in the outfield. Chad Christensen is solid, and due to injury, he deserves at least a little bit of time. Austin Diemer has some qualities that need to be watched. Also, Tanner English has been out several weeks now with a concussion and when he comes back, they'll certainly want him playing every day in CF. None of those guys is really in need of being pushed to AA. So, let Wade spend 2 1/2 months in Cedar Rapids and see if that BB/K rate continues. At the mid-point, they can make tough decisions on some of those FM guys. Will they push one or two to AA and see how that goes for them? Would they release a guy or two?

I'm not in the "constantly being challenged and making adjustments" bandwagon. I mean, I am in the sense that no matter where a player is, baseball is challenging. I think sometimes it's good to see your adjustments pay off over an extended period of time in one level before moving up. Not just a one-month thing, but at least 6-8 weeks. It's like Rosario or Buxton moving back to AAA... 1.) they can take a deep breath. Some level of pressure comes down. 2.) They are playing at a little lower level and can work on some things at the level, rather than the higher level. 3.) they can experience some success (hopefully). Hopefully those mechanical or mental of physical issues that need to be addressed can be. Challenging is great. It is helpful and when it comes to the AAA to MLB move, I'm fine with it. In fact, I think it can be very positive. At the lower levels, there's just no rush... Let them experience some success, develop confidence, develop leadership skills, learn how to cope with things on an off the field, work with people for a bit of time.

As I've said a million times, I think Gonsalves should move up, so it's a bad example... maybe they want him to work on not walking so many. Maybe he's working on a fourth pitch and they want to give him another one of two starts. I don't know.

My point was that he isn't going to be added this year. I mean, two years ago, Berrios was still in Ft. Myers for a couple more weeks, and he ended the season in Rochester. It could happen. I just generally don't think 2-3 weeks of promotion timeline in May or June has much bearing on 2017. I also would say, let's see how he does in AA before we worry about whether or not he could be in the big leagues by mid-2017. And, if he's ready mid-2017 and there is a need (there may be, or they may have a rotation of May, Meyer, Berrios, Duffey and Gibson all pitching pretty well). Too many variables to worry about. They've shown (last year with Buxton) that they aren't going to solely look at 40 man roster things, etc.

I don't think so... Big picture, what's the rush to get Gonsalves to AA? He's not pitching in MLB this year, is he? He doesn't have to be added to the 40-man roster until after the 2017 season. Next year, he'll pitch at Chattanooga and possibly Rochester in 2017. Puts him in a good situation going in to being added.

Just defending myself... I think the Twins have promoted more players this year than I've seen in years. I would also say that there's nothing wrong with being kind to the affiliates. For instance, the year Sano and Rosario were in Ft. Myers, they maybe could have been sent up to AA a week or two earlier than they were, but the Miracle was close to clinching a playoff spot, so they kept them until the day after the team clinched a spot. I have no problem with that, especially with hitters. I'd have Gonsalves up now (having watched zero of his innings so far this year, only listened and reviewed box scores and chatted a bit with him and others), but if he's not up within the next two weeks, might as well make it three weeks. We're talking 3-4 starts. I'm sure there are a couple of other examples... For me, the only one that should absolutely be up a level (in addition to Gonsalves) is LeBlanc. I can't explain the reasons. I can guess, and base some stuff on history.

I would assume so. It's not like shoulder issue recovery is on a certain time table. Have to play it by ear.

That liner from Britton off the pitcher's elbow was scary. That was crushed and bounced all the way to second base. The second baseman started out toward it but couldn't get to it. Immediately he turned to the mound and had his hand on his head. Britton hustled to second base, but as soon as time was called, you could see he was visibly distraught too. Very scary. That radar gun must have been 2-3 mph slow, huh?

We reported 4-5 days ago that he's got shoulder fatigue and hopes to pitch again this week. Or, are you referring to something else?

Just a day off.

Also, Cedar Rapids put Rafael Valera on the DL and RHP Williams Ramirez (our choice for Twins Minor League Short Season Pitcher of the Year in 2015) was promoted from EST.

That was a lot of fun Sarah! Very fun! I try to get there early and Stew is always there first!! He is also such a baseball encyclopedia. Fun to talk with, or just listen to!

Make it July 1st. I don't care about the specific date. I just want to know that when they come up, they will come up, play every day and stay up unless they are just completely over their head to the point of damage.

That's probably part of my point. Instead of continuing to call up Polanco and having him play one out of every five games, just leave him down so that he can play every single day at AAA. Call up Beresford and let him play a couple times a week instead. Polanco has never spent more than a few weeks straight at AAA. Same with Buxton.

August 1st isn't a hard date... Players can get traded before July 31. I'd also suggest that the Twins look at more than just the stat line, make sure his mechanics are sound, his strike zone judgment is sound, and all of that. I just don't want him to come up next week just because he's had a nice 2-3 weeks.

I can't imagine anyone read these first two paragraphs in the article and thought that I counted on the Twins really having a good chance to compete in 2016: And yes, I would definitely not suggest that they wait until July 31 to make trades. That's obviously just the deadline.

The Twins just announced that Jose Berrios has been optioned and Taylor Rogers has been recalled.

The Twins are now 10-27. Thirty-seven games into the season, they are 17 games under .500 and 13.5 games out of first place in the AL Central. In fact, they are 6.5 games out of fourth place in the division already. That's not to say it's completely out of the realm of possibility that the Twins could turn things around and find themselves competing for a playoff spot. It's not, but it pretty much is. In my opinion, it's not time to give up on the season, but it is absolutely time to start thinking about 2017. And it's not even Memorial Day yet. So below, I will discuss one thing that I would do if I were in charge (which would be a scary thing, and I"m sure there are some people at 1 Twins Way in Minneapolis who will read that and start chuckling). NOTE: Let me also note that I won't even pretend to think that I know 1.) what's best for the individuals (these are just opinions) or 2.) more than those in the Twins front office or player development departments. These are just the thoughts in my head in recent days/weeks as it relates to what is best for the organization short-term and long-term.As you know, I am the "Prospect Guy." From the moment a player is drafted or signed to the Minnesota Twins organization, I try to learn as much about that player as I can and follow their Twins careers. Why? I enjoy the journey. There is no specific, exact science to prospect development. Some guys sign at 17 and are in the big leagues at 20. Some guys sign at 22 and are in the big leagues for a cup of coffee at 27. Some guys sign at 16 and become stars at 22. Some guys sign at 16 and get a shot when they turn 26. And the unfortunate story for most is that they don't make it. No two stories are identical, and that's what makes it fun to follow. I think of myself as a guy who likes to give credit where credit is due, where credit is earned. Often, minor leaguers go through their time without getting noticed, so when they do well, I find it important that they do get recognized. I would love to see them all get to the big leagues, and we can all agree that we want them to do well when they get there. We don't want them held back in the minors though either. With that as the background, here is a plan that I might try to implement if I were in charge. Send the prospects down. What? Seth, you want the prospects sent down?? Listen, I want what's best for the Twins, and sometimes what is best for the Twins is doing what is best for the individual players. We want our favorite Twins prospects to fly through the system. A guy has a dominant month in Ft. Myers... push him up to Chattanooga. A guy has a dominant month in Chattanooga... push him up to Rochester, or why not even the Twins? They have "nothing left to prove, right?" That's not necessarily the case. Listen, I can't tell you why Stephen Gonsalves is still in Ft. Myers. Maybe it's so that he can get a little bit more time working on a new pitch at a level where he can still experience success. Maybe there's an edict for him to control his walk rate? Why was there hesitance to bring JO Berrios up to start the season? Was it service time? The Twins haven't been a team to play that game before. Was it that he was being blocked? Not really. Was it because he was completely lacking control and command in spring training? Absolutely. He struggled badly throughout spring training. In his first two Red Wings starts this year, he walked seven and hit two more in ten innings. He had a terrific start in his third game, and he was promoted right after that. Right now, I would send down Jorge Polanco, Jose Berrios and even Eddie Rosario. The last month has likely been a tremendous learning experience for Berrios. He has a tremendous maturity about him and a will to continually improve and get better. Could he continue to start for the Twins and take some lumps? Sure, and I believe that he has the type of make up that he could handle the adversity. Or, he could go to AAA and spend the next two months really working on his mechanics and at a level where he can still experience great success. It's the same thing with Byron Buxton. He has great makeup and maturity, and he struggled in the big leagues. But what is clearly best for him is spending time in AAA for a while, working on those mechanics, playing every day and experiencing success. There is something to be said about getting that big league service time, finding out how good it is, discovering what areas of your game you still need to address, working on those things at AAA, improving and then coming back ready. Jorge Polanco fits more into the Max Kepler category. These guys just need to play and there isn't currently a spot for them in the big leagues. Neither of them has enough AAA time to say that they have to be up. Polanco needs innings at all three infield positions so that he can try to improve the defense. Kepler needs time at all three outfield positions. Both can hit, but they both need to play every day. In AAA, I'd like to see an outfield of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler with Adam Brett Walker getting most DH days and some occasional time in the corner outfield spots. Play that group pretty much every day until August 1st. I would also play Jorge Polanco around the infield every day. Two games a week at all three positions. Have Jose Berrios and Alex Meyer in the Red Wings starting rotation and encourage them to work on throwing strikes. They both have electric stuff and need to trust it. The other thing is that the Red Wings could win a lot of games with that group, and frankly, winning and learning how to win is part of the development process. At least it should be. Get them back in the right frame of mind. Now, at the big league level, you've still got some learning going on. Oswaldo Arcia can play every day, and now at 25, he's got a two-month stint to see what happens. Play Danny Santana every day, but do so all over the field - all three outfield spots and all three infield positions. See what you've got. Continue to play Miguel Sano in right field, but get him a weekly start at third base as well. Put Michael Tonkin and Ryan Pressly into more high leverage situations. See what you've got. Let Pat Dean be the swing man. See what he can offer now and in the future. However, play Trevor Plouffe every day. Play Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer every day. Move Byung Ho Park up in the lineup to get him a few extra plate appearances each month. Play Eduardo Escobar every day when he gets back to find out more if he can be an every-day player. Keep Eduardo Nunez's bat in the lineup most days, somehow. Play Kurt Suzuki in a role that you think will make him most valuable. Play Darin Mastroianni in centerfield to help the pitchers out. Place Glen Perkins on the 60-day DL and call up James Beresford to be the utility infielder and allow Jorge Polanco to play every day. Keep starting Phil Hughes, Ervin Santana and Ricky Nolasco. Keep throwing Kevin Jepsen into late innings. Hope they turn things around and maybe they can be traded in July. Can they get anything for those pitchers, maybe Trevor Plouffe or even Brian Dozier? Will a team in contention be looking for a utility player or a backup catcher and consider Eduardo Nunez or Kurt Suzuki as options? Maybe Milwaukee will want to acquire Oswaldo Arcia on the same day they call up Orlando Arcia. And on August 1st, turn things over to the young guys. Turn it over, almost completely. At that time, bring back Berrios, Rosario, Buxton, Polanco. Move Sano back to third base. Make Max Kepler the right fielder. Call up JT Chargois. The plan since Terry Ryan took over was to take the long approach through scouting and player development. Generally speaking, it is the proper way to do it. Look at teams that win. They have a core of players that come up and win. Those great Yankees teams had a core of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Bernie Williams. Guys they drafted/signed and developed and the guys that led the way through all those inning seasons. Look at most playoff teams. They have built a core and then supplement. It's just about time for the new Twins core to start getting time. The next "great" Twins team will be led by the likes of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Jose Berrios and Max Kepler. Very soon, it's time to turn things over to them. Click here to view the article

1.) It's silly to assume that Hunter's presence on this team would make them even a .500 team right now. 2.) It's silly to assume that Hunter's presence on this team would not have a significant impact.

Only risk losing Beresford if he is DFAd, not if he is optioned. And yes, he has value for that Rochester roster. Mastroianni could be lost because he is out of options. Beresford's never been on the 40 man to be optioned.

The Minnesota Twins are on a winning streak. On Sunday, they topped Cleveland for the second straight game to improve to 10-26. Remarkably, 36 games into the season, this is just the third Twins winning streak. After starting out 0-9, they won four straight games. They have had one other two-game winning streak. It has been a tough season. That’s kind of a random note, and today I’m going to be pretty random in this article. Here are just several topics with the Twins (and a couple of minor league nuggets) for your Monday morning enjoyment.1st Inning Brian Dozier was moved out of the leadoff spot. He moved into the #3 spot for one game, and most recently, he has been batting sixth. It’s certainly understandable when you look at his 2016 numbers. Overall, he’s hitting .218/.307/.363 (.670) with six doubles and four home runs. Those certainly are not the kind of numbers you want at the top of the order. However, the timing of the move down in the lineup is interesting. Consider that over his last 15 games, he is hitting .263/.344/.421 (.765) with three doubles and two home runs. Again, these are not elite number, and they’re probably more suited for a spot in the six or seven spot of a lineup. However, it’s also important to note that his overall numbers in 2014 and 2015 combined were .239/.326/.431 (.757). So, what he has done over the last two-plus weeks is essentially what he has done the last two years overall. We are just used to him having a big first half and then struggling. As fans, we need to hope that he just got off to a rough first three weeks and maybe now he’ll take off again for the rest of the season. 2nd Inning It’s been nearly a week since Paul Molitor first inserted Joe Mauer’s name into the leadoff spot in the Twins lineup. In five games since then, Mauer is 4-19 with three walks and four strikeouts. He is hitting .211/.318/.211 (.529). He’s had two two-hit games and three zero-hit games. Of course, five games is far too small of a sample size to make any rash statements about. Mauer in the leadoff spot makes so much sense if you believe that the job of the leadoff hitter is to get on base. His .405 on-base percentage this season is behind only Jose Altuve and Victor Martinez. In my mind, Mauer is best suited to be a #2 hitter, but the Twins really don’t have another ideal #1 hitter, at least not yet. So, might as well stick with it for now. 3rd Inning When I was in Ft. Myers for spring training, Michael Tonkin was hanging on to a roster spot by a thread. After one miserable outing, he sat at his locker just kind of staring. It was an ominous feeling, a feeling of just knowing that this young man is about to be told that the team that drafted him just can’t keep him around any more. The thread he was hanging on to was the fact that he was out of options. Blessed with a 95 mph fastball and a slider that can be devastating at times, Tonkin barely hung on to an Opening Day roster spot. Since baseball is a funny game, Tonkin has pitched quite well since the season began. Early in the year, he did allow several inherited runners to score, but overall, he has been good. In 16 games (and 18.2 innings), he has a 1.93 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He has walked seven and struck out 21. His roster spot seems much more secure at this point. 4th Inning The catcher position was clearly a priority for Twins in the offseason. Kurt Suzuki would be back, but the Twins let Eric Fryer go via free agency and Chris Herrmann was traded to the Diamondbacks. Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver were both scheduled for Chattanooga, so the team went out to get some veterans. Obviously to this point the Aaron Hicks for John Ryan Murphy trade hasn’t worked out for either team, though at least Hicks is still in the big leagues. Of course, we need to remember that Murphy is younger than Garver or Turner. John Hicks was lost to the Tigers when the Twins chose to DFA him. In a quiet move, the Twins signed veteran minor leaguer Juan Centeno to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. He had a strong showing in big league camp but was sent down to AAA to start the season. With Murphy’s struggles, Centeno was promoted. On Saturday afternoon, he hit his first big league home run, and on Sunday, he had a big two-run double. He looks very solid behind the plate. While he had played a combined 24 games in the big leagues over the past three years (Mets and Brewers) coming into the season, he is still just 26 years old. Fun Fact: Centeno was drafted out of Antonio Luchetti school in Puerto Rico. Twins prospect, currently in Cedar Rapids, Nelson Molina was also drafted from that school. 5th Inning Kurt Suzuki’s 2017 option for $6 million automatically vests with 485 plate appearances in 2016. With 22% of the season complete, Suzuki has just 77 plate appearances. At his current pace, he would end the season with approximately 346 plate appearances, well short of that option vesting. This is important for two reasons. First, the Twins (should) want to not have to pay him $6 million in 2017. No other team will want to pay him $6 million in 2017. Because he is nowhere near on pace for that option to vest, a team in search of a catcher near the trade deadline will not be afraid to acquire Suzuki, even if it would be as a primary starter. Not that the Twins could get much for Suzuki, but a “C” level prospect is still something. 6th Inning Chris Herrmann is hitting .259/.306/.586 (.892) with the Diamondbacks through 20 games played this year. His slugging percentage is boosted by four home runs. On Sunday, he started in centerfield for the Diamondbacks, a position he had not played in a game since playing in Ft. Myers in 2010. Herrmann hit two home runs for Arizona in a game just over a week ago. That’s pretty impressive, but check out the weekend another former Twins player, Danny Valencia, had for Oakland. On Friday night, he hit two home runs. On Sunday, his third home run of the game gave the A’s the win. Five home runs over the course of three games would classify as “pretty good,” I’d say. 7th Inning Of course, Chris Herrmann’s time with the Twins had kind of run its course. Clearly Paul Molitor had little confidence in him behind the plate or in the outfield. Herrmann was out of options and certainly not guaranteed a roster spot with the Twins. Yet somehow, Terry Ryan was able to trade him to Arizona and get OF/1B Daniel Palka in return. While Palka was a decent prospect with the Diamondbacks, he is not considered a big prospect by most. However, last year in the California League, Palka hit .280/.352/.532 (.885) with 36 doubles, 29 homers, 90 RBI and 24 stolen bases. Palka impressed this spring when, just invited to dress with the big league club, he DHd in one game and hit two home runs. The next day, he hit another. At this still-early stage of the season, Palka is hitting .297/.389/.508 (.897) with nine doubles and a Twins system-leading six home runs and 23 RBI. His .897 OPS is third in the system behind only Cedar Rapids’ catcher AJ Murray (.937) and outfielder LaMonte Wade (.923). Palka was the Twins choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month in April (Twins Daily chose Wade). 8th Inning Stephen Gonsalves was the Minor League Pitcher of the Month by the Twins and Twins Daily’s Starting Pitcher of the Month. With another win on Sunday for Ft. Myers, he is now 5-1 with a 1.27 ERA on the year. But even that doesn’t totally show how dominant that Gonsalves has been this year. Consider this. He was the Miracle’s Opening Night starting pitcher. In the first inning of that game, he gave up a three-run home run. Since that home run, he has thrown 42 more innings and given up just THREE more runs. That is a 0.64 ERA. Overall in his 42.2 innings (7 starts), he has a 0.84 WHIP and has struck out 38 batters (8.0 K/9). He was promoted to the Miracle after nine starts in Cedar Rapids in 2015. Overall, he has made 22 starts for the Miracle and is 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA. Gonsalves was the Twins fourth-round pick out of high school in San Diego in 2013. The Twins top pick that year, also 21 years old, was Kohl Stewart. He spent all of 2015 in Ft. Myers but wisely was kept at the level to start this season. He has responded by going 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA, a 0.98 WHIP and 8.6 K/9 through his first six starts. He is set to make his seventh start for the Miracle this season tonight. 22-year-old Felix Jorge has also made six starts for the Miracle. He is 2-3 but has a 1.80 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP. He has struck out 7.6 per nine. Tyler Jay (22), last year’s top pick who is transitioning to starting, had one clunker. Despite that, he’s 3-2 with a 3.03, a 1.19 WHIP, and an 8.3 K/9 rate. Despite just returning from Tommy John surgery last summer, Randy Rosario (22) was added to the Twins 40-man roster this past offseason. He is currently 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. An interesting note, the average age of the Ft. Myers pitchers is 22.9. The average age of the Cedar Rapids pitchers is 23.1. 9th Inning Byron Buxton has played in 20 games in Rochester now this season. He is hitting .301/.356/.494 (.850) with five doubles, a triple and three home runs. Very solid numbers, but that includes the very slow start he had with the Red Wings. In his past 13 games, he is hitting .353/.411/.588 (.999) with three doubles and three home runs. He also has five walks to go with ten strikeouts. That is a 17.8% strikeout rate. Through his first seven games with the Red Wings, he had 11 strikeouts in 34 plate appearances, a 32.4% rate. And in his 15 games with the Twins before the demotion, 24 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances, a 49.0% rate. So, the question is often asked, when should the Twins call up Byron Buxton. We all want to see him in the big leagues. We’ve all seen enough of Danny Santana in center field to fully appreciate just how great Buxton’s defense is. However, there should be no rush whatsoever to call Buxton back up. He is working now with a leg kick and getting more motion (and power) into his swing while at the same time putting in the effort to take very quality at-bats and learn the strike zone and see those breaking pitches. Though it may be hard, with the Twins season not exactly going as planned, the should be in no hurry to bring him back. I’ve always said that even if it’s not as good for the Twins to have Buxton in AAA, it’s worth it to do what is best for Buxton in the long term because that will be what is best for the Twins too. The Red Wings didn’t play on Sunday. Buxton left the game on Saturday with back spasms. With the cold weather in Rochester, he probably would not have played on Sunday anyway. The Red Wings took the bus to Charlotte to start a series. It will be interesting to see if Buxton is in the lineup after the long bus ride or if they give him a few more games. It’s important for him to be healthy because it is important for him to play. There you have it, Nine Innings of Notes. Feel free to discuss any of the above and add more fun topics to the conversation. Click here to view the article

Correct... they are at 39 on the 40-man. Wimmers is not on the 40 man.

Right or wrong, it's the power of the 40 man roster spots. I think if one of the Plouffe, Nunez, Dozier, Escobar group was going to be out for a long time, known right away, they could 60 Day that player and call up Beresford. Right now, the Plouffe and Escobar injuries have been believed to be 15 day varieties, so they don't want to lose someone from the 40 man roster. Beresford his done all he can. He's been terrific at AAA the last two years. He has nothing more to prove. At 27, he kind of is what he is right now. He isn't going to become a home run hitter. But he will play good defense at 4 positions in the infield. I hope that he gets a shot.