Seth Stohs

Pitcher Jose Berrios has been named the Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel Player of the Week for April 24-30, and the International League Pitcher of the Week for the same period. Berrios went 1-0 two starts during the period, leading the league with 14 innings and tied for the league-high with 17 strikeouts. He allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits and five walks while holding opponents to a .128 batting average. In his first start of the week on Tuesday vs. Gwinnett, Berrios fanned 10 batters over six innings while surrendering two runs on four hits, including a home run, and three walks. On Sunday vs. Louisville, he earned the win after tossing eight scoreless frames on two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Berrios retired 13 in a row at one point Sunday. Berrios is 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA in five starts this season with 18 hits, seven runs, four earned, two home runs and eight walks with 35 strikeouts in 33.0 innings. He leads the league in innings pitched, is second in average against (.157), tied for second in strikeouts and third in ERA and WHIP (0.79). This is the third IL Pitcher of the Week award for Berrios, who also earned the honor for the weeks ending April 9, 2017 and July 3, 2016. A Rochester pitcher has earned a weekly award a league-high 10 times since the beginning of 2015

I try not to factor in age to level of competition for these reports. This is about performance, not about prospect rankings. Check out the strikeout rates. I also know that Burdi gave up one run in his last outing... One pitch shouldn't hurt his month too much. That said, if Anderson and Burdi were switched, I'd be comfortable with that.

https://www.milb.com/milb/news/smith-joins-minor-league-baseball-staff/c-227616042/t-185364810 Former long-time Twins executive Bill Smith has a new job. Today, minor league baseball announced that he is now Assistant to the President and CEO of minor league baseball, Pat O'Conner. Bill Smith Joins Minor League Baseball Staff ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Minor League Baseball today announced that longtime Major League Baseball executive Bill Smith has joined its staff as Assistant to the President & CEO, Pat O’Conner. Smith, who spent the last 31 years in the Minnesota Twins organization, will focus on facilities, scheduling and Minor League Baseball’s international leagues, and will work closely with Vice President of Baseball and Business Operations, Tim Brunswick on various projects. “I could not be happier than to have Bill Smith join what is already a solid staff,” said Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner. “His wealth of experience in all aspects of Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball will be helpful as we continue to grow our operations and improve the teams' ability to serve our fans and partners at Major League Baseball. Bill is respected throughout the industry and his abilities are unquestioned.” “Joining Minor League Baseball is a great honor, and I look forward to this new chapter in my baseball career, and, in particular, to contributing to the continued success of this terrific organization,” said Smith. “The bonds between big league clubs and their affiliates, and between Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball have never been stronger, and the leagues and their facilities have improved dramatically over recent decades. We will continue to enhance these vital ties and to expand the business relationships that make the game better for players, coaches, fans and our MLB partners.” Smith became the fifth General Manager in Twins history on September 13, 2007, and under his leadership, the club won the American League Central Division in 2009 and 2010 and lost in a one game tiebreaker to decide the division winner in 2008. Smith played a significant role in shaping the design, construction and successful 2010 opening of Target Field and was the Twins’ liaison during the construction of their spring training home in Fort Myers, Florida, from 1989-1991. Before being named general manager in 2007, Smith served the previous 13 seasons as Vice President, Assistant General Manager, where he shared responsibilities for negotiating contracts, assisting with the day-to-day operations of the Major League department and the Twins’ academies in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. Smith served on Minor League Baseball’s Board of Trustees and served on a committee appointed by then-Commissioner Bud Selig to examine Major League Baseball’s operations in the Dominican Republic. Smith was one of the first participants in Major League Baseball’s Executive Development Program in 1980 and served as General Manager of the Appleton Foxes, the Chicago White Sox’ Class-A affiliate for three seasons (1983-85). He left the Foxes to join the Twins organization in March of 1986 as Assistant Director of Minor Leagues and Scouting.

Another... Minnesotan Max Murphy named FSL Player of the Week:

Here is this week's: Single-A Cedar Rapids infielder Jermaine Palacios is the Twins minor league Player of the Week...in seven games for the Kernels, the 20-year-old from Venezuela hit .387 (12-for-31) with three doubles, one home run, eight RBI and seven runs scored.

I missed the Twins award last week... Single-A Ft. Myers pitcher Lachlan Wells is the Twins minor league player of the week...Wells made one start for the Miracle, pitching 7.0 shutout innings against the Florida Fire Frogs on Monday, with no walks, three hits allowed and eight strikeouts...the left-handed pitcher has made three appearances (2 starts) for the Miracle this season, going 1-1, 0.64 ERA (14.0 IP, 1 ER) with one walk and 17 strikeouts...the Newcastle, Australia native was signed by the Twins as an undrafted free agent in August of 2014.

Berrios Named International League Pitcher of the Week The right-hander honored for the second time in 2017 ROCHESTER, NY – Rochester Red Wings right-hander Jose Berrios has been named the International League Pitcher of the Week for the second time in four weeks, the league office announced Monday. Berrios went 1-0 two starts during the period, leading the league with 14 innings and tied for the league-high with 17 strikeouts. He allowed two runs, one earned, on six hits and five walks while holding opponents to a .128 batting average. In his first start of the week on Tuesday vs. Gwinnett, Berrios fanned 10 batters over six innings while surrendering two runs on four hits, including a home run, and three walks. On Sunday vs. Louisville, he earned the win after tossing eight scoreless frames on two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Berrios retired 13 in a row at one point Sunday. Berrios is 2-0 with a 1.09 ERA in five starts this season with 18 hits, seven runs, four earned, two home runs and eight walks with 35 strikeouts in 33.0 innings. He leads the league in innings pitched, is second in average against (.157), tied for second in strikeouts and third in ERA and WHIP (0.79). This is the third IL Pitcher of the Week award for Berrios, who also earned the honor for the weeks ending April 9, 2017 and July 3, 2016. A Rochester pitcher has earned a weekly award a league-high 10 times since the beginning of 2015.

It’s hard to believe that April is complete, and the calendar has turned to May. A lot has happened already in the minor league seasons. But today it’s time to start handing out some awards. As we do each month through the season, we will share our choices for Twins Daily Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher of the Month. Fortunately most months have several qualifying candidates, and this month is no exception. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo of Mason Melotakis) It’s hard to believe that April is complete, and the calendar has turned to May. A lot has happened already in the minor league seasons. But today it’s time to start handing out some awards. As we do each month through the season, we will share our choices for Twins Daily Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher of the Month. Fortunately most months have several qualifying candidates, and this month is no exception. Today we will start our April Awards by considering the relief pitchers in the Twins farm system. We’ll briefly profile our Top 5 candidates. But first, we will share a few relievers worth of mention who finished just outside our Top 5. HONORABLE MENTION First, a couple of relievers worthy of mention: Williams Ramirez - Ft. Myers - 6 G, 1.64 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 7 H, 8 BB, 13 K Randy Rosario - Ft. Myers/Chattanooga - 6 G, 2.63 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 12 H, 4 BB, 5 K Todd Van Steensel - Chattanooga - 5 G, 1.93 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 9.1 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 13 K Tom Hackimer - Cedar Rapids - 7 G, 3.27 ERA, 0.64 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 10 K THE TOP FIVE RELIEF PITCHERS IN APRIL #5 - John Curtiss - Chattanooga - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 6 H, 6 BB, 13 K John Curtiss was healthy again in 2016, and after spending the first month in Cedar Rapids, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he continued to pitch well. He was invited to pitch in the Arizona Fall League where he and his 97 mph fastball continued to impress. Curtiss was the Twins sixth-round draft pick out of the University of Texas in 2014, following his showing as the team’s closer in the College World Series. Curtiss is one of just a few relievers who are yet to give up an earned run this season. Opponents have hit just .188 off of him so far this season. He has also walked 6.5 per nine innings. However, he has the stuff to work out of innings, especially by missing bats. He has struck out 14 batters per nine innings so far this season. #4 - Colton Davis - Cedar Rapids - 6 G, 3.68 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 7.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 11 K Colton Davis was the Twins 25th-round pick last year out of Western Carolina. He pitched well for Elizabethton and ended the season pitching for the Kernels including through their playoff run. In April, his one two-inning appearance ended with him giving up three runs. In his other appearances combined he gave up just one hit. In his last five outings, he has struck out at least two batters in each. Opponents have hit just .192 off of him, and he’s walked only two. He also is able to work out of troubles with the strikeout (13.5 K/9). #3 - Nick Anderson - Ft. Myers - 5 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 7 K The Brainerd High School graduate signed with the Twins out of independent ball late in the 2015 season. Since then he has pitched very well in Cedar Rapids and in Ft. Myers, primarily as an eighth or ninth inning man. While he started the season about a week late, he has started where he left off. He is yet to give up a run. He’s shown very good control, and opponents have hit just .172 off of him so far. Anderson traveled with the big league club several times during spring training. The 26-year-old with a mid-90s fastball should move up to Chattanooga soon. #2 - Nick Burdi - Chattanooga - 7 G, 1.08 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 10 K After a lost 2016 season, Nick Burdi is healthy and pitching very well for the Lookouts. He will certainly be handled with some caution early in the season, but if he continues, he could be not only moved up to Rochester, but could spend time in the big leagues this year. In April, opponents hit just .179 against him. He didn’t give up a run through his first six outings. In his most recent appearance he gave up a leadoff homer to Colin Walsh before getting the next three hitters. He has shown good control and the ability to get strikeouts. His fastball is in the upper 90s and his slider can be devastating.And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Chattanooga Lookouts – LHP Mason Melotakis - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 K Mason Melotakis was the Twins second-round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State (in Louisiana) where he was a reliever. The Twins gave him the opportunity to start in Cedar Rapids in 2013 with mixed results. After two starts in 2014 in Ft. Myers, he was moved to the bullpen. He spent some time in AA that year as well, but he started experiencing elbow issues. Following the season, he had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2015 season. He returned to the mound in 2016 having been added to the Twins 40-man roster during the offseason. He spent all of 2016 in Chattanooga where he was clearly being handled with kids gloves, which is wise following the surgery. Certainly the Twins will continue to monitor the hard-throwing southpaw. It didn’t help that he missed most of spring training with an oblique injury. That, along with likely not wanting him to pitch in the cold of Rochester early in the season, is why he began the year back in Chattanooga. But he has been terrific. While he is yet to pitch on back-to-back days, he has twice worked two innings. He has not yet given up a run this season, and opponents are hitting just .139 against him. He has walked just one batter so far this year. The strikeouts aren’t where they will be, but he is tough against left-handers. I would suspect that Melotakis will soon work his way up to Rochester, though as he is on the 40-man roster, he could be called up at any time if needed.There were several strong relief pitcher performances in April. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order, if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on an excellent first month to their seasons. Congratulations to the Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month for April 2017, Mason Melotakis. View full article

I'd say that Stewart is a long ways away from doing anything too drastic. His ceiling isn't as high as what we thought it might be (which again isn't surprising because the success rate of high school pitchers in the draft)... But it's silly to be writing him off now. In fact, it is still more likely than not that he's added to the 40 man roster after the season... though that can certainly drop in likelihood if there isn't some improvement from these first month's numbers.

Randy LeBlanc just turned 25. He's not young. But he had TJ in college.

I wouldn't make too much out of this one start... just like i wouldn't make too much out of his 10 shutout innings in AA last year. He's somewhere in between.

They're giving him a shot in the outfield. If he can be OK out there, i think he's got a good shot.

Slegers is 24. He'd had 3 starts in AAA. I'd be shocked (and disappointed) if they moved him that quickly. Turley was 27 year old that signed a minor league deal without a big league invite who the team sent to AA to pitch in the bullpen 3 weeks ago. His only two starts for Chatanooga have been in doubleheaders. I'm fine with them letting him start in AAA, I just can't imagine it would be in place of Slegers. Slegers has some upside.

I've been wrong many times before, but I would be surprised if they bumped Slegers from the rotation. He's a prospect. Turley likely to the 'pen. Boshers will be back there by Monday or whenever Santiago gets back. I think right now it's a toss-up on whether Berrios or Mejia would come up to start on the 6th.

On Thursday, all four Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates won their games. Things weren’t so favorable for the teams on Friday, however. All four teams lost their games. Three of them were blowouts, and the other was a tough extra-innings loss. But there were several silver linings including a nice AAA start for Adalberto Mejia, his first since his demotion. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo of Adalberto Mejia) On Thursday, all four Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates won their games. Things weren’t so favorable for the teams on Friday, however. All four teams lost their games. Three of them were blowouts, and the other was a tough extra-innings loss. But there were several silver linings including a nice AAA start for Adalberto Mejia, his first since his demotion. Find out everything that happened in a busy day in the Twins minor league system, starting with a whole bunch of transactions. TRANSACTIONS Friday was a busy day in terms of transactions throughout the Twins organization. Here is a quick rundown: Hector Santiago placed on bereavement list. LHP Buddy Boshers recalled to Twins. RHP JT Chargois placed on the Rochester DL (elbow impingement) LHP Nik Turley added to the Rochester roster. RHP Randy LeBlanc added to the Chattanooga roster. RHP Chris Anderson added to the Ft. Myers roster. LHP Domenick Carlini added to the Cedar Rapids roster. RHP Quin Grogan sent from Cedar Rapids to extended spring training. https://twitter.com/DWolfsonKSTP/status/857988394282086403 RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Louisville 2 (10 innings) Box Score Adalberto Mejia made his first start for the Red Wings since being demoted from the Twins. And he was terrific. The left-hander struck out the side in the first inning. He went seven shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Raul Fernandez came on. He gave up one run on two hits over two innings. Trevor Hildenberger came on for the tenth inning. He gave up a run on two hits to take the loss. The Red Wings bats did little in the game. They managed just four hits, though they did take seven walks. However, they just weren’t able to come up with any big run-scoring hits. Ehire Adrianza, who started in left field for the second straight game, drove in the lone run with an eighth inning single. Bengie Gonzalez had two hits. Mitch Garver walked twice. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 10 Box Score Randy LeBlanc was called up early in the day and made his first start. In 21 innings over his first three starts in Ft. Myers, he gave up just one run. With the Miracle last year, he posted a 4.70 ERA, but he ended last season with ten shutout innings with the Lookouts. So, how did his initial 2017 start in AA go? Well, not quite so well. The right-hander from Tulane gave up eight runs on eight hits and three walks in just two innings. Randy Rosario came on and gave up one run on three hits and two walks in three innings. Mason Melotakis came on and threw two more scoreless innings in relief. That pushes his streak to 10.2 innings to start his season. Nick Burdi came in for the eighth inning, having started the season with 7.1 scoreless inning. The first batter of the inning, Colin Walsh, ended the streak with a solo home run. But Burdi got the next three batters out. LaMonte Wade led the offense. He went 3-4 with just his first double of the season. Engelb Vielma went 2-4 with his fifth double. Dan Gamache went 2-4. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Dunedin 8 Box Score It was another rough start for Keaton Steele. The right-hander went the first four innings. He gave up seven runs on nine hits. He walked four and struck out just one. Williams Ramirez came on and struck out three over two shutout innings. He gave up a hit and walked two. Jonny Drozd came on and gave up a run on two hits over two innings. He struck out three. Michael Theofanopoulos worked a scoreless inning. Max Murphy had a strong game. He went 2-3 with two walks and his third double. Chris Paul also had two hits in the game. Kevin Garcia went 1-2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Nelson Molina added his first double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 5 Box Score Domenick Carlini made a start for the Kernels last week, then was sent back to extended spring. Quin Grogan pitched a bit out of relief, but before this game, Carlini was added to the roster to make another start. The left-hander gave up five runs on five hits and four walks over 3.2 innings. He struck out one. Logan Lombana came on and gave up three hits and a walk but no runs over 2.1 innings. He struck out three. Max Cordy then struck out three over two scoreless innings. He walked two and gave up one hit. Jermaine Palacios stayed hot. The shortstop went 3-5 in the game to bump his batting average up to .395. Jaylin Davis went 2-3 with a walk. Travis Blankenhorn and Aaron Whitefield each hit their fifth doubles of the season. Blankenhorn and Ben Rortvedt had the two RBIs for the Kernels. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Adalberto Mejia, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Murphy, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (12:35 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Chattanooga @ Jackson - (6:05 CST) - RHP Kohl Stewart Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) - LHP Lachlan Wells Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:30 CST) - RHP Clark Beeker Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday night’s games. View full article

Alright, I should have started this 3 weeks ago, so let's fill this in. 4/28/17 - Hector Santiago (bereavement list). Buddy Boshers promoted to Twins. Nik Turley promoted to Rochester. JT Chargois placed on Rochester DL (elbow impingement) Randy LeBlanc promoted to Chattanooga. Chris Anderson promoted to Ft. Myers from EST.

I don't know why I missed that. He was on my list... Just forgot to type it, I guess. And yes, I am surprised with where he ranks.

One of the most silly things that Twins fans complain about Mauer with is the double play grounders. And yes, he hits into a few. Did you know... the great Kirby Puckett had 15 or more GIDP in 8 of his final 9 seasons? That's something Mauer has done just 5 times in the last 11 seasons. Puckett once led the league with 27 GIDP in a season. Mauer's never had that many in a season or led the league. The reality is that both of them were typically #3 hitters, meaning they came to the plate with a runner on 1B often. They both hit the ball hard often which can make for some high opportunities for double plays. There's been plenty of things to complain about Mauer with, but GIDP should not be one of them.

A nice story on Goodrum from the Fayette County News. The Georgia native was playing at home last week when the Red Wings were in Gwinnett. His parents were there, and he played well. http://fayette-news.com/fchs%E2%80%88alum-niko-goodrum-battling-one-step-closer-to-the-mlb/

More and more, we’re seeing on TV and hearing on the radio announcers referencing exit velocity and launch angle. The technology has been around for awhile, but it is definitely becoming more mainstream. In the book Moneyball, stat man Voros McCracken discussed the concept that once the ball is put in play, anything can happen. That’s the idea behind Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) and others like Fielding Independent Pitching. You can find statistics showing that batters hit for lower averages as a pitcher’s velocity increases. It’s harder to put the ball in play against higher velocity. Likewise, it would make some sense that the harder a ball is hit, the more likely a hitter can be productive. At the right launch angle, the ball with a huge exit velocity can travel a long way. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily More and more, we’re seeing on TV and hearing on the radio announcers referencing exit velocity and launch angle. The technology has been around for awhile, but it is definitely becoming more mainstream. In the book Moneyball, stat man Voros McCracken discussed the concept that once the ball is put in play, anything can happen. That’s the idea behind Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) and others like Fielding Independent Pitching. You can find statistics showing that batters hit for lower averages as a pitcher’s velocity increases. It’s harder to put the ball in play against higher velocity. Likewise, it would make some sense that the harder a ball is hit, the more likely a hitter can be productive. At the right launch angle, the ball with a huge exit velocity can travel a long way. When I was growing up, we were taught to hit hard line drives and vicious ground balls. Today’s philosophy is more about getting lift trying not to hit it on the ground. Either way, if you hit the ball hard, you give yourself a better chance of being productive. Even if it is at a fielder, it is more difficult to catch. So, I was very curious. Despite the fact that they are just 21 games into the Twins season, how hard have the Twins hitters hit the ball? I’m pretty certain that there will be no surprise who is at the top of the list. After that, however, there may be several surprises. At least there were for me. Before continuing… take a few minutes to jot down what you would think the rankings would be for Twins hitters in terms of exit velocities… Go ahead… write them down… Here are the names of those in alphabetical order: Byron Buxton, Jason Castro, Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, Chris Gimenez, Robbie Grossman, Max Kepler, Joe Mauer, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Danny Santana, Kennys Vargas. There are the names… Grab a piece of paper… Try to rank them in order according to their average exit velocity so far this season. … … … Alright, I’ll give you the current Twins rankings by Average Exit Velocity: Miguel Sano - 100.09 Joe Mauer - 91.25 Eduardo Escobar - 91.22 Max Kepler - 91.09 Kennys Vargas - 89.96 Brian Dozier - 87.78 Chris Gimenez - 87.35 Danny Santana - 87.01 Byron Buxton - 85.98 Jason Castro - 84.53 Robbie Grossman - 84.23 Eddie Rosario - 83.95 Jorge Polanco - 82.15 Like I said, I don’t think it is surprising to anyone to see Miguel Sano at the top of this list. He has been hitting the ball on the screws nearly every time he comes to the plate. Well, when he isn’t striking out, that is. He has hit tape measure shots and line drives all over the field. After that, there are surprises. For those of you who did take a minute to try to rank the hitters by exit velocity, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you didn’t have Joe Mauer at #2. Did you? While his batting average remains low and he hasn’t had many extra base hits, he has hit the ball hard often. Max Kepler started slow, but he was very strong through the second week. He has hit a lot of real hard balls. Brian Dozier is just above the MLB average of 87.63. Chris Gimenez falls just below the average. Byron Buxton has hit the ball well the last three games. Before that not so much. Also, there are a lot of at-bats that ended in strikeouts. Robbie Grossman has arguably been the Twins second best hitter, so it was surprising to see him this far down on the list. Rosario has had a slow start. He had a couple of opposite field home runs last week that were obviously well struck, but he’s also continued to take pitches off the plate and tap out weekly in the infield. Of course, 21 games is not a meaningful sample, especially when only Miguel Sano has actually played in all 21 games. Brian Dozier leads the team at 81 at-bats. We are 1/8th of the way through the season, so it’ll be interesting to see how these numbers change (or stay similar). View full article

Hitters can rehab for 20 days (or games... I'm not certain which)... today is game 5.