Seth Stohs

We did not post an updated Minor League Leaderboard last week since we were prepping for the April hitting and pitching awards documents. Today, we provide an update on who is leading the Twins minor league system in a variety of hitting and pitching statistics. Our choices for the April Minor League awards were: Hitter: LaMonte WadeStarting Pitcher: Stephen GonsalvesRelief Pitcher: John CurtissWe are now five weeks into the season. There have been a lot of transactions the last several weeks which obviously has an effect on player’s statistics. Usually. As players move up to a higher level, they will need to make further adjustments.Here is a quick look at how the Twins affiliates are performing. Obviously win-loss record is secondary to player development, but learning how to win can be part of the process.Rochester is 13-15.Chattanooga is 12-16.Ft. Myers is 15-13.Cedar Rapids is 17-12.With that, let’s look at the minor league statistical leaderboard. THE HITTERS (Rate numbers- minimum 75 plate appearances) Plate Appearances - Zander Wiel (116), Chris Paul (115), Daniel Palka (114), Alex Swim (111), Zach Granite/Trey Vavra (109), Rafael Valera/Kennys Vargas (108). Batting Average - LaMonte Wade (.329), Daniel Palka/Nick Gordon (.309), Luis Arraez (.303), Leonardo Reginnato (.284), James Beresford (.283). On-Base Percentage - LaMonte Wade (.413), Daniel Palka (.412), James Beresford (.368), Edgar Corcino (.366), Luis Arraez (.365), Rafael Valera (.361), AJ Murrary (.353). Slugging Percentage - LaMonte Wade (.518), Daniel Palka (.505), Adam Brett Walker (.480), Luis Arraez (.455), Nick Gordon (.447), Edgar Corcino (.431), Rafael Valera (.430). OPS - LaMonte Wade (.931), Daniel Palka (.917), Luis Arraez (.819), Adam Brett Walker (.801), Edgar Corcino (.796), Rafael Valera (.791), Nick Gordon (.790). Hits - Daniel Palka (30), Nick Gordon (29), LaMonte Wade (28), Leonardo Reginnato (27), James Beresford (26), Travis Harrison/Trey Vavra (25). Doubles - Rafael Valera (8), Daniel Palka (7), Nick Gordon/LaMonte Wade/Travis Harrison/Mitch Garver/Joe Maloney (6), Six with (5). Triples - Rafael Valera (4), Levi Michael/Jorge Polanco (3), Nine with (2). Home Runs - Adam Brett Walker/Daniel Palka (4), Dalton Hicks/AJ Murray (3), Nine with (2). Runs Scored - Zach Granite (16), Zander Wiel (15), Dalton Hicks/Chris Paul (14), Daniel Palka/Nick Gordon/Rafael Valera (13), Five with (12). RBI - Daniel Palka (17), James Beresford (15), Chris Paul (14), LaMonte Wade/AJ Murray (12), Three with (11). SB - Zach Granite (12), Wilfredo Tovar (8), Darin Mastroianni (6), Tanner English (5) Nick Gordon/Chad Christensen (4). THE STARTING PITCHERS (Rate number - minimum 22.0 innings) Innings Pitched: Jason Wheeler (39.0), DJ Baxendale (37.0), Pat Dean (36.0), Felix Jorge (32.2), Stephen Gonsalves/Randy LeBlanc/Aaron Slegers (31.0). ERA: Sam Clay (0.95), Randy LeBlanc (1.16), Felix Jorge (1.38), Stephen Gonsalves (1.45), Randy Rosario (1.57), Jason Wheeler (1.62). WHIP: Felix Jorge (0.80), Stephen Gonsalves (0.81), Randy LeBlanc (0.87), Cody Stashak (0.88), Jason Wheeler (0.92), Kohl Stewart (0.95), DJ Baxendale (1.00). K/9: Sam Clay (10.2), Kohl Stewart (9.2), Andro Cutura (8.7), Tyler Jay/Dereck Rodriguez (8.4), Felix Jorge (8.0). BB/9: Jason Wheeler (0.9), Felix Jorge (1.1), David Martinez (1.4), Randy LeBlanc/DJ Baxendale (1.5), Cody Stashak (1.7), Pat Dean (1.8). K: Jason Wheeler/Sam Clay (32), DJ Baxendale (30), Felix Jorge/Kohl Stewart (29), Stephen Gonsalves (27) THE RELIEF PITCHERS (Rate numbers - minimum 10 innings zero starts) Innings Pitched: Logan Lombana (16.0), Brandon Kintzler (15.1), Marcus Walden (15.0), Raul Fernandez (14.2), Miles Nordgren/Jake Reed/Mike Theofanopoulos (14.1) ERA: John Curtiss/CK Irby (0.00), JT Chargois (0.84), Luke Westphal (1.08), Raul Fernandez (1.23), Todd Van Steensel (1.38), Buddy Boshers (1.42) WHIP: John Curtiss (0.46), CK Irby (0.79), Nick Anderson (0.82), Marcus Walden (0.93), Luke Bard (1.00), Raul Fernandez (1.02), JT Chargois (1.03) K/9: John Curtiss (15.5), Luke Westphal (13.0), JT Chargois (11.0), Mike Theofanopoulos (10.7), Nick Anderson (10.6), Buddy Boshers (9.2), Yorman Landa/Logan Lombana (9.0) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (0.7), John Curtiss (1.6), Brandon Kintzler (1.8), CK Irby/Buddy Boshers (2.1), Nick Anderson (2.5), Luke Bard/Logan Lombana/Yorman Landa (2.8). K: John Curtiss (19), Mike Theofanopoulos (17), Logan Lombana (16), Seven with (13) Saves: JT Chargois (6), Trevor Hildenberger (4), JR Graham (3), Five with (2). Click here to view the article

It was an interesting day in the Twins organization. A lot of things came to a head, and no question there is more fallout to come, at some point. There were several transactions on Friday, and we know more will become official on Saturday. There were also four solid pitching performances. There was a four-hit game, and a surprise four-walk game. And, Byron Buxton homered again! Continue to read all of the transactions, some potential next moves, and the highlights from all four Twins affiliates.TRANSACTIONS It was another busy day of transactions. It feels like we have started many transactions with that sentence, but Friday was very busy. In the afternoon, the Twins announced the following: Ervin Santana was coming of the disabled list. He will start on Saturday.John Ryan Murphy was optioned to Rochester.Ryan O’Rourke and JR Graham was designated for assignment. To review, this means that they have been removed from the 40-man roster. The other teams will have a chance to claim them. If they go unclaimed, they can be outrighted to Rochester.Darin Mastroianni and Juan Centeno were added to the 40-man roster and called up.We also learned, from Mike Berardino, that Casey Fien and Tommy Milone were played on irrevocable waivers and those waivers end on Saturday afternoon at which point they will be off of the 40-man roster. I would speculate that Brandon Kintzler and Buddy Boshers are be the most logical call-ups to replace them.There were also a couple of minor league transactions:Catcher Brett Doe went through minor league spring training, but he was released very late in camp. When offered, he accepted a role as the bullpen catcher for the Rochester Red Wings. With Centeno called up to the Twins, the Red Wings needed a catcher and they called out to the bullpen. Doe was added to the Red Wings roster and will - at least temporarily - be their backup catcher.Nick Burdi was placed on the Chattanooga disabled list. He is being shut down again, this time with a bone bruise at the bottom of his right humerus. It is on the outside of his pitching elbow. Per Mike Berardino, an MRI showed no damaged other than the bone bruise.The Twins signed LHP Nick Greenwood, a 28-year-old who had been 3-0 with the new New Britain franchise which is in the Atlantic League. He had time the last two years with the St. Louis Cardinals, though he spent most of his time at AAA Memphis. He will begin with the Lookouts.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7 , Pawtucket 5 (10 innings) Box Score This game didn’t get really interesting until the 8th inning. In the bottom of the inning, Pawtucket scored two to take a 4-1 lead. However, in the top of the 9th frame, the Red Wings scored four runs to take a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately, in the bottom of the ninth, the PawSox scored a run to send it to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, the Red Wings scored two runs to take a 7-5 lead. Byron Buxton got the Red Wings off on a good note. He led off the game with his second home run. He was 2-5 with a walk as well. Buck Britton went 4-5. Carlos Paulino went 1-3 with two walks. Adam Brett Walker went 0-1 with four walks. Andrew Albers made his second start. The lefty went six innings. He gave up two runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out five. Alex Wimmers gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Buddy Boshers got the final out of the eighth inning, but he gave up the run in the ninth frame. Marcus Walden got the 10th inning and went 1-2-3 to end the game and record the save. Red Wings manager Mike Quade was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing a balk call. Also, after the Red Wings took the lead in the 9th inning, Jorge Polanco was removed from the game. Could it have been ‘for defensive purposes’ that Polanco was replaced by Heiker Meneses in the field? Sure. But with it being likely that Eduardo Escobar will go on the disabled list, it’s more likely that Polanco will make his third trip to the big leagues already this year. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Mobile 3 Box Score Omar Bencomo signed late last year with the Twins and pitched for Ft. Myers. He pitched really well in Venezuela this past winter and returned to the organization. At the end of spring training, he went to extended spring training and waited for an opportunity. With so much activity in the system, the Twins pushed him to Chattanooga. In his second start, he gave up just one run over six innings. He allowed three walks, walked one and struck out five. Jake Reed came on and gave up two runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. He walked one and struck one out. JT Chargois got the final five outs. He gave up one hit and a walk but no runs, to record his sixth save. The outing dropped his season ERA to 0.84. Travis Harrison went 2-4 with a walk. Stuart Turner went 2-4. Zach Granite was 2-5 with his 11th and 12th stolen bases. Mitch Garver added his sixth double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, St. Lucie 1 Box Score Old Reliable, Felix Jorge, was on the mound for the Miracle on Friday night. The right-hander improved to 2-2 with a 1.38 ERA on the season with another strong performance. He gave up one run on five hits over seven innings. He walked none and struck out seven. 72 of his 99 pitches were strikes. Yorman Landa came on and struck out three over the final two innings for his second save. He gave up just one hit. Edgar Corcino’s hot streak remained. He went 2-3 with a walk and his second stolen base. The Miracle had just six hits. Kevin Garcia had the only extra-base hit, his first double of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Great Lakes 2 Box Score Sam Clay continued to pitch well, but this time it wasn’t enough to help the Kernels to a win. The lefty gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out nine. Miles Nordgren came on and threw 2.1 scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out two. JJ Fernandez had a strong game. He went 3-4 including his second home run of the season. Rafael Valera went 2-5. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – JJ Fernandez, Cedar Rapids Kernels SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (DH @ 4:05 CST) - RHP David Martinez, LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga @ Mobile (7:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – LHP Randy Rosario Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes (6:05 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

He was placed on the DL with a concussion. That's all we know. Could be 7-days, could be weeks. No way to know. Tanner English was placed on the 7-Day DL two weeks ago, and he felt alright the day after getting hit in the head with a pitch, but apparently he's not ready yet. I don't know what information would be available at this time, but I'll look into it.

For the Twins to make a serious run at a division title in 2016 with the roster they had leaving Ft. Myers, a whole lot had to break right. Byron Buxton needed to take a big step forward at the plate, Joe Mauer needed to return to his old form, Phil Hughes needed to make 2016 look more like 2014 than 2015, Byung-Ho Park needed to hit the ground running, Glen Perkins needed to come back healthy, and about a half-dozen other things had to fall into place. Very little of it was outlandish in and of itself, but like predicting 10 flips of a coin, the sheer number of correct outcomes needed was what made the task so daunting. Some of them happened: Mauer had as good an April as he has had since 2010 and while Park was uneven in his first 10 games, he then hit .326/.375/.767 with eight of his 14 hits going for extra bases in the next 13. But far too few of the others did. Buxton looks lost, Perkins is still out injured, Hughes has been inconsistent at best, Eddie Rosario can’t stop swinging, and the list goes on. At a 10,000 ft. level, that’s how any team ends up 12 games under .500 fewer than 30 games into the season: The list of things that are going poorly is much, much longer than the list of things that are going well.Few who have watched this team so far would disagree with owner Jim Pohlad’s characterization of the team to the Star Tribune’s Chip Scoggins as a “total system failure.” The offense sits in the bottom third of the league, eight percent below league average; their defense has provided negative value. Their starters, expected to sit around league average, haven’t been close to that modest mark, and the bullpen has caved in, in the absence of Perkins. There are individual successes, but it’s hard to look at a unit on the field and say that they’re performing at or above expectations. What will raise more than a few eyebrows is that Pohlad then gave both general manager Terry Ryan and manager Paul Molitor an unequivocal vote of confidence and while it’s not always immediately clear, it didn’t seem to be the dreaded vote of confidence either. If there was any hope that the disastrous start to the season would result in a change in leadership, it’s gone for at least the rest of the season. To be frank, firing a GM midseason would be fairly out of step with how the Twins tend to conduct business, and that’s before taking into account Ryan’s years of service to the organization. One bad month, even one bad half season isn’t going to earn Ryan a midseason public dismissal. Short of a catastrophic error -- a rules violation during the draft/signing process resulting in a huge fine, releasing Buxton outright without cause, burning down Target Field -- it’s hard to imagine what Ryan would have to do to have his season end before the team’s did. If the goal is to keep the 2016 postseason in play, removing Ryan would do little good. There are no impact free agents available, no one in the draft is going to join the team and add seven wins from June 10 until the end of the year, major in-season trades are far more uncommon now than they used to be, and it’s hard to envision any other move designed to save 2016 that wouldn’t end up weakening the team substantially in the future. Yes, promoting and demoting players to their right levels is exceedingly important for the Twins in both the short- and long-term, but a new GM is actually less likely to make those calls correctly than Ryan is, simply because of his familiarity with the players up and down the system. Paradoxically, if the Twins were playing a little better, perhaps Ryan’s job would be more vulnerable because the marginal utility of changing GMs would be higher. Bringing in someone who had shown an aptitude for working the trade deadline in July and the waiver wire in August would be appealing since the AL looks like it will be decided by a razor-thin margin. (This presupposes that such a person is freely available at this point in the season, but that’s another column entirely.) Out of sheer proximity to the problem, the manager ought to be able to make the types of changes in-season that a GM can’t. But as the team has shown over the last few weeks, new blood isn’t enough to spark the team. Not counting pitchers, the team has had 15 players take the field with Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar, and Rosario about the only players who haven’t split a meaningful amount time at their respective positions, so it’s not as if the opening day lineup has been run out for 28 consecutive games and this is the result. Changes are being made, they’re just producing the same outcomes. Moving on from Molitor would certainly shake things up, and unlike Ryan, there are logical candidates available to take over. Gene Glynn, Mike Quade, and Doug Mientkiewicz are all within the organization and were either considered for the managerial vacancy left by Ron Gardenhire or have MLB managerial experience. So whereas Ryan is virtually locked in until the end of the season, Molitor could theoretically be moved. The downside is that it means burning a bridge with a legendary hitter who the players -- at least publicly -- seem to like and to whom they respond. There’s also no guarantee it will work. Glynn and Mientkiewicz have good minor league track records to buoy their candidacies, but there’s a huge difference between motivating a 19-year-old kid whose dreams are still ahead of him to work hard and getting the same response out of veterans like Eduardo Nunez or Kurt Suzuki. Quade did have some time working with the Cubs during their rebuilding phase, but they finished 20 games under .500 during his only full season at the helm, which is hardly a sterling reference. Molitor’s managerial ability is far from a known quantity. Last year’s team overperformed in his first full season by nearly as much as this year’s team is underperforming. He hasn’t shown an unhelpful fetishization of one particular type of player, nor has he proven incapable of handling a bullpen. The obvious warts aren’t there, but that doesn’t make him good, it just makes him not-bad-in-readily-apparent-ways. It may become clear what his deficiencies are as the season progresses, but losing him in service of a vague effort to spur a team that may well have put themselves in too deep a hole to recover from doesn’t seem like a good use of resources. Because, while he may prove himself to be a poor fit for a team that figures to be young and volatile for the next few years, it’s equally possible that he’ll prove to be a tremendous fit even if the team finishes 71-91. Plus, statistically speaking, firing a manager midseason doesn’t make your team appreciably better in the vast majority of cases. It’s a show of force, but if it doesn’t translate to more wins on the field, it can hardly be considered worth doing. Given that he’ll have just one more year on his contract after the die is cast on this season, it seems more than likely that the Twins will give Molitor the full value of his contract, then evaluate his performance from there. Assuming this year finishes in the same vein as it has started -- if not the exact same path -- that will put quite a bit of pressure on Molitor going into the 2017 season, as he’ll have one impressive season under his belt and one fairly poor one. While there is good reason to keep both Ryan and Molitor where they are for the rest of 2016 season, the takeaway here isn’t that Pohlad was right and that Ryan and Molitor are unquestionably the right people for their jobs. Ultimately, Ryan is the architect of a team that has been dire since 2011 (with a brief respite last year) and Molitor is the final authority on game-to-game matters for a team on pace to finish 47-115, the worst mark in franchise history and the Twins’ first 100+ loss team since 1982. And while 115 losses would be embarrassing even given how the season started, that 1982 mark is very much in play. The takeaway here is that, as with virtually everything in baseball, there is a rhythm and a seasonality to leadership changes, and that jumping out of that order doesn’t necessarily produce better outcomes. If the ownership group believes there is even a 1% chance they’ll want to move on from Ryan come the offseason, they should start making that determination now. Do the necessary due diligence and be ready to make a call at the right moment. Taking the time to do the requisite research, let Ryan know what to expect, and positioning to the public for either his return or his departure will go a long way to making sure the 2017 Twins aren’t fighting these same battles. Next week, I’ll take a deep dive into Ryan’s time with the Twins. The highs, lows, and how he stacks up against some of the league’s top architects right now. Click here to view the article

He was solid early in Cedar Rapids in 2013... He struggled for a couple of weeks in Ft. Myers before taking off. He definitely struggled for 4-6 weeks to start 2015 in AA.

My initial thought is no. I think Ryan Walker would have been the guy either way, just to keep Gordon in place.

Vote for your pick on twitter:

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Walks are nice, and they should show up. For me, it's more generic. I just want to see quality at bats. Good, aggressive swings at good pitches, the ability to lay off of bad pitches, making solid contact. That means more than the statistics. BUT... the statistics may be what helps him with the confidence.

It's a nice four-game stretch... No question. For now, I'd advise just leaving it at that. It's encouraging.

Agreed. This morning, in my mind, I remember typing Baxendale. Guess not. Both very deserving.

In our final minor league award for the month of April, we will hand out the award for the top minor league hitter. As you saw the last two days there were a lot of strong pitching candidates in April, but there were many fewer candidates for the hitting award. However, there were a few guys that definitely are worthy of the award and deserve to be recognized. Keep reading to find out who we named the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month. Before we get to the hitters, if you missed the first two articles, they are here: Starting Pitcher of the Month - Stephen GonsalvesRelief Pitcher of the Month - John CurtissOffense is down across baseball again in 2016. That has been a trend for the last several years. Also, the Twins have clearly used the draft in recent years to accumulate arms, which is never a bad strategy.Before we jump to the top hitters of the month, here are some other hitters deserving of recognition. These guys had a strong April, however, they just had fewer plate appearances by a significant margin.C Stuart Turner (Chattanooga) – .256/.407/.419 (.824). 11-43 with four doubles, one homer and eight RBI.2B Luis Arraez (Cedar Rapids) – .313/.393/.479 (.872). 15-48 with two doubles, two homers and five RBIC AJ Murray (Cedar Rapids) - .231/.370/.400 (.770). 15-65 with five doubles, two homers and 10 RBI.THE TOP FOUR HITTERS Number 4 - Cedar Rapids – 2B/C Rafael Valera - .239/.365/.437 (.801). 17-71 with six doubles, four triples and eight RBI. Valera came up to Cedar Rapids midway through the 2015 season and ended up being their primary second baseman the remainder of the season. At Instructional league, however, he spent his time working behind the plate. To start this season, Valera has already played second base, third base, left field and catcher. The 21-year-old didn’t hit for average, but he got on base and showed a lot of extra base power. He walked 12 times in the month. He was a triples machine early in the month. He had two in one game. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – SS Nick Gordon - .333/.363/.483 (.845). 29-87 with six doubles, two triples, one homer and nine RBI. The Twins top pick from 2014, Gordon has moved up another step in 2016. A year ago, he hit .277/.336/.360 (.696) in 120 games in Cedar Rapids. He came to Ft. Myers for spring training having added 15 pounds this offseason and it helped him get off to a strong start. Gordon played most days, hitting second or third in the order for the Miracle. While he didn’t walk a lot, he drove the ball a little more than he did a year ago in Iowa. He went on the 7-day concussion list yesterday after a collision on Tuesday night. Number 2 – Chattanooga – OF/1B Daniel Palka - .338/.424/.538 (.961). 27-80 with seven doubles, three homers and 15 RBI. Palka was the third-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013 out of Georgia Tech. As a 23-year-old last year, he hit .280/.352/.532 (.885) with 36 doubles, 29 home runs, 90 RBI and 24 stolen bases in High-A ball. Following the season, Terry Ryan was able to acquire Palka straight up for Chris Herrmann. First impressions are always nice. When Palka got an opportunity to play with the big league club in a spring training game, he launched two home runs in a game and then added a third the next time he joined the team. Now 24, Palka missed the first few Lookout games, but he has been hitting at the top of their order since. He had one stretch during the month when he reached base in 14 straight plate appearances. Palka has a chance to really fill up a stat sheet, including the strikeout column. He walked 11 times and struck out 25 times also. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – OF LaMonte Wade - .361/.430/.542 (.972). 26-72 with six doubles, two triples, one home run and ten RBI. LaMonte Wade was the Twins ninth-round draft pick last June out of the University of Maryland. Many experts, including Twins Daily’s draft guru Jeremy Nygaard, believe he could have been drafted much higher if not for a broken hamate bone that cost him significant playing time in his junior season. In 64 games at Elizabethton last year he hit .312/.428/.506 (.934) with eight doubles, five triples and nine home runs. As impressive, he walked 46 times while striking out just 34 times. That ability has continued into his 2015 season. In April, he walked ten times and struck out just eight times. However, Wade doesn’t go to the plate looking to walk, and he isn’t just a contact-hitting slap hitter. Wade explained, “I’m always looking for a fastball elevated up over the plate to drive until I get two strikes. Then I just try to get the ball in play and do a job for the team.” Following his E-Town season last year, Wade was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he played for the Kernels through their run to the Midwest League championship series. The half-dozen games helped prepare him for the league. “Every game is hard-fought and filled with talented players. It comes down to which team can do the little things more consistently and play clean defense.” What playing in Cedar Rapids in September couldn’t prepare him for was playing in Cedar Rapids in April. As you can tell, based on him being our choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month, he handled the conditions just fine. “The weather has been fine for the most part. Some days are better than others as far as the cold, but we don’t use that as an excuse because we know the other team has to compete in it as well.” Wade may not have any one tool that is elite, but he also doesn’t really have a glaring weakness in his game. He can hit for average. He has a good approach at the plate. He isn’t a big home run hitter, but he does have gap-to-gap power. He has a little above average speed. He is a good defensive outfielder, capable of playing center field, though he profiles more in the corners. He also has an average-to-slightly above average arm. Wade’s goals for the season include “to be more consistent at the plate and get back to the playoffs and win it all this time. I believe we have the team to do it.” Wade is off to a fast start, which is great to see. What will be very interesting is to see how long he stays in Cedar Rapids, particularly if he continues at a similar offensive pace. It may not be real long before he joins the Miracle in Ft. Myers. While there were not a lot of great performances offensively in the Twins system, there were a couple of guys that got started with a very strong April. IF you were to make an argument that Daniel Palka should have been out choice for April Hitter of the Month, I wouldn’t put up a big argument. I asked the other Minor League Report authors for their thoughts, and each agreed that the numbers are so similar that they went with the guy that controls the strike zone so well, and that was LaMonte Wade. Congratulations to the April Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month for 2016, LaMonte Wade. Click here to view the article

Fastball, slider, change... He was on his way up prospect rankings two years ago. He had put up big numbers on the radar gun in the GCL the year before. He had just been called up, along with Lewis Thorpe, to Cedar Rapids, but he only made 2-3 starts there before the elbow injury. He missed the rest of 2014 ,and then while rehabbing the elbow last year, he tore a ligament in his knee and had another surgery. He's throwing hard again now, so he has to be close, and hopefully he takes off from where he was.

If you watched the Twins game, you might think that was a minor league game. It was a long game! Consider Wednesday night’s Ft. Myers game was complete in one hour and 55 minutes. “El Corzo” stayed hot, while one of the organization’s top pitching prospects had a nice response to his first bad start. Continue on for much more on the events in the Twins farm system throughout Wednesday.TRANSACTIONS It was another busy day of transactions, and it actually started immediately following Tuesday night’s Twins game in Houston. Alex Meyer was optioned to Rochester with JR Graham replacing him on the Twins roster. Graham will likely only be on the roster until Saturday when Ervin Santana comes off of the disabled list. In Chattanooga, Engelb Vielma went back on the disabled list, this time with a strained oblique. Ryan Walker was promoted to the Lookouts from Ft. Myers. As a results of his Tuesday night collision with Chad Christensen, Nick Gordon was placed on the 7-day concussion list. Sean MIller was promoted from Cedar Rapids. The Twins also signed 25-year-old free agent infielder Tanner Witt. Witt spent time in the independent leagues the last couple of years and also saw time in the Orioles and Cubs systems. Taking Miller’s spot in Cedar Rapids was infielder Alex Perez. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8. Syracuse 2 Box Score The Red Wings played an early morning game. They jumped out to an early lead, in part thanks to Adam Brett Walker’s fourth home run of the year. They got a solid start and some really impressive relief work. They then added on in the late innings. Pat Dean recorded his first win of the season. The southpaw gave up two runs on nine hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out three. He left the game in the seventh inning after giving up a single and a walk. Brandon Kintzler came in and gave up a first-pitch single to load the bases. However, he struck out the side to end the Syracuse threat. Kintzler worked a perfect eighth inning. Marcus Walden came in to pitch a scoreless ninth inning to end the game. Five Red Wings hitters had two hits. The team had 12 hits and walked five times. Byron Buxton went 2-4 with a walk and two doubles. He already has four two-baggers. He is now hitting .302. James Beresford went 2-5 with his fifth double. Max Kepler went 2-4 with his second triple to bring his batting average back to .205. Kennys Vargas went 2-4 and is now at .217. Adam Brett Walker went 2-3 with a walk and his fourth homer. The Red Wings are now 12-15 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Mobile 1 Box Score I think it’s fair to say that DJ Baxendale deserved better. The right-hander gave up just one run over eight innings and took the loss. He gave up just four hits. He walked one and struck out five. His ERA dropped to 2.92. The Lookouts had eight hits, but they just were not able to get a run across the plate. Nine-hitter, Leonardo Reginnato went 3-3. Dalton Hicks went 2-4 in the game. The Lookouts did not draw a walk and struck out 14 times, including eight combined K's from their 2, 3 and 4 hitters. The team is now 11-15 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Palm Beach 0 Box Score Coming off of a really rough start, Tyler Jay certainly wanted to improve this time out. He did. The hard-throwing left-hander threw 6.1 scoreless innings. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out seven for the win. Brandon Peterson walked one and struck one out over the next 1.2 innings. Luke Bard recorded his second save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Edgar Corcino stayed hot. After going 2-4 with a walk, a home run and four RBI each of the last two games, Corcino went 3-4 in this game. So in his last three games he is 7-12 with two walks, two homers and eight RBI which, I believe, could be categorized as “pretty good.” In addition, Chris Paul went 1-3 with a walk. Trey Vavra added his fifth double. The game was completed in 1 hour and 55 minutes. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Lansing 2 Box Score Andro Cutura put together a quality start and was helped by plenty of offense on this night. The right-hander went the first six innings and gave up just two runs. He gave up five hits, walked three and struck out five to improve to 3-1. Logan Lombana worked the final two innings without giving up a run. The bottom of the ninth was not played due to rain. The Kernels offense had ten hits and walked another five times. Luis Arraez led the way going 3-5 with two doubles and four RBI. Nelson Molina went 2-4. Zander Wiel and JJ Fernandez each added a double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tyler Jay, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Luis Arraez, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (6:05 CST) - LHP Andrew Albers Chattanooga @ Mobile (6:35 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele Cedar Rapids @ Great Lakes (4:05 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

I don't even disagree with this, and yet, not to make excuses, but the situation and the needs completely changed while he was up there. They had to adjust. And, once they put him into the rotation (for a spot start), they had to adjust the timeline. Obviously he was doing his between-start work in preparation for his start, in the same way he normally would.

He was great as a starter in 2014 there... He was really, really bad there in 2015... So, I think it's OK for him to get the third year there... I love that he's back starting. I think his first three appearances as a starter give enough reason for optimism that keeping him starting is the way to go. But he's not Berrios, and he hasn't been Duffey, and the rest of the staff is set right now. So, let him go to AAA and keep starting and show that the three outings weren't a fluke. If it's not, they'll make room, and he'll get another shot. If so, well, then move him to the bullpen. Of course there is stuff to learn at AAA For him. He would be the first to tell you that (although I assume I just beat him to it?). The guys the Cardinals call up had control and command when called up. Totally different situation. There's nothing hurting him by being in Rochester.

There are plenty of reasons to question Molitor and Ryan... I don't think this Meyer decision is really one of them.

Hughes is in the rotation. Santana is coming off the DL on Saturday to start. He's in the rotation. Nolasco deserves more starts. Milone was already sent to the bullpen. Berrios is in his spot. Gibson is on the DL. Duffey is in his spot, so when Gibson comes off the DL, likely Berrios or Duffey get sent down, unless something else happens. Meyer is only 26. Contrary to popular belief, that isn't old. For me, as I've said, I would love to see him make it as a starter, and I believe he can.

As I've said elsewhere, I want him starting. He isn't going to start with the Twins, so he needs to start in Rochester. We (Twins fans) and more important, the Twins brass, needs to find out if Meyer can be the guy he showed through his first 3 appearances (17.1 innings), or if he's closer to what we saw in 2015. With the kind of upside and potential he has, thanks to that big fastball and devastating curveball, I'm willing to give him more time in Rochester starting before throwing him in the back of the bullpen.

I'll be surprised (and somewhat disappointed) if Gonsalves finishes May with the Miracle.

Engelb Vielma to the DL today, strained oblique.