Seth Stohs

There was thought of him playing last night. They were thinking they would give him one more day or so - from what I've heard...

Without looking, it might be 12... It's a good start, for sure... especially after the first game in which he was 1-7 with three strikeouts. There absolutely is something to said about knowing how to "pitch" rather than just throw. AAA hitters are very good hitters and that Buffalo lineup is full of big leaguers. I definitely think we get worked up too much about strikeouts, sometimes... That kind of stuff matters in terms of elite or top prospect types. But being a smart pitcher and getting quick outs is a good thing too.

It was a long day for those who follow the Twins minor leagues. The Miracle played a game at 10:30 eastern time. The Red Wings played at 1:00 eastern. Then there were two night games. There was an incredible pitching performance in Rochester, though the three other starters on the day struggled. Of course Daniel Palka kept hitting while a couple of other top prospects had multi-hit games with extra-base hits.Continue to to read all about the events in the Minnesota Twins minor leagues on Thursday. TRANSACTIONS Early on Thursday morning, the Kernels announced the RHP John Curtiss and OF Max Murphy had been promoted to Ft. Myers. OF Daniel Kihle moved up to Cedar Rapids from extended spring. Kuo Hua Lo was also promoted from extended spring training, though he was never actually sent back to Ft. Myers after being “demoted” a few days earlier. Though there was no announcement, LHP Mason Melotakis was back pitching for Chattanooga on Thursday which means he was removed from the DL. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Buffalo 0 Box Score The story of this game, without question, was left-hander Logan Darnell. Left off the Twins 40-man roster this offseason, Darnell cleared waivers and was happy to stay with the Twins. He had a strong spring training and was one of the last cuts. On this day, Darnell needed just 105 pitches (71 strikes) to complete nine innings of shutout ball. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out none. Byron Buxton went 2-5. He had a triple late in the game. Earlier in the game, he had a double but was thrown out trying to turn it into a triple. To make things even, he also threw out a guy trying to advance to third in the game too. Wilfredo Tovar went 2-3 with a walk and his seventh stolen base. Adam Brett Walker and Juan Centeno each went 2-4. Stephen Wickens knocked his first home run of the season, his first AAA homer. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Montgomery 6 Box Score DJ Baxendale gave up four first-inning runs and another in the second, but then responded with four scoreless innings. In total, he gave up five runs on five hits. He walked four and struck out five. Mason Melotakis returned from the DL and pitched a scoreless inning. Despite allowing one hit he needed just seven pitches. Trevor Hildenberger made his AA debut with a scoreless inning. He struck out two. He also needed just 12 pitches and ten were strikes. Nick Burdi gave up one run on two hits in an inning. Offensively, Daniel Palka was about it. He went 2-2 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. Travis Harrison drove in the lone run with an RBI double. Pitching for Montgomery was former Twins prospect Chih-Wei Hu. The right-hander from Taiwan gave up one run on four hits and two walks in five innings. He struck out four. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Jupiter 12 Box Score The Miracle played a 9:30 game in Jupiter. It didn’t go well for top picher Tyler Jay. The left-hander gave up six runs (5 earned) on ten hits in 4.1 innings. He walked none but also struck out none. Luke Bard came on and gave up two runs on three hits in 1.2 innings. Brian Gilbert then gave up four runs on three hits and three walks in 1.2 inning. Todd Van Steensel came in and got the final out. Nick Gordon led the offense by going 2-4 with his second triple. He had two errors in the field, giving him six on the season. Logan Wade added his second triple of the year. Chad Christensen knocked his second home run. Alex Real was 2-3 in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, West Michigan 6 Box Score Down 6-5 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Kernels loaded the bases. JJ Fernandez singled in the game-tying run. After a pitching change, a wild pitch scored the winning run. The game started out poorly. Sam Gibbons went the first five innings. He gave up six runs (five earned) on five hits and five walks. He struck out one. Logan Lombana came in and calmed things. He worked three scoreless innings, striking out four batters. Nick Anderson struck out one in a scoreless inning. JJ Fernandez came up with the big hit. It was the third hit for him on the day. Jermaine Palacios and Christian Cavaness each went 1-3 with a walk. Daniel Kihle made his Kernels debut. Unfortunately, early in the game, he had a collision with Jermaine Palacios on a pop fly in the outfield. Kihle left the game. LaMonte Wade came on, playing for the first time in five days due to a hamstring injury. Still not 100%, Wade went 1-2 with a walk. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Logan Darnell, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Byron Buxton, Rochester Red Wings FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (DH 4:05 CST) - (LHP Pat Dean, LHP Taylor Rogers) Montgomery @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (5:35 CST) – RHP Keaton Steele South Bend @Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games. Click here to view the article

Wheeler was added to the 40-man roster before the 2015 season, but he was really bad in AAA and sent down to AA where he ended the year strong. That's where he is again. As for when he could debut... it'll be awhile. He's in a tough spot. The TWins have at least 8-10 guys ahead of him as SP options. Palka has had a terrific month.

Dislike...

Yeah, he's mostly the Lookouts right fielder. He's played some left field. He also played one game at third base (out of necessity) for the first time in a couple of years.

I've said before that my guess is that Jay will spend the first half of the season starting in Ft. Myers... I would think there's a decent chance he goes to the bullpen in the 2nd half and most likely some of that time will be in Chattanooga.

Chatted with him a couple of nights ago. He said he's had a bit of a hamstring issue. He told me he hoped to play today (Thursday), but we'll see if that happens. I'm sure they'll be cautious, especially in the cold.

I think that is a good comp... We'll see what happens, but he's still young and has a ton of potential!

If I were to ask you which Minnesota Twins minor leaguers could fly, who would you name? The first name that will pop into your head is likely to be Byron Buxton. A little more thought and you’ll think of names like Zach Granite, Nick Gordon, Tanner English, or maybe Manuel Guzman. What if I were to tell you that 6-1, 215 pound Travis Harrison absolutely can fly?In fact, he’s had his pilot’s license for a little over two years. He enrolled in the Paragon Flight School at Page Field in Ft. Myers. Flying is something that “Harry” has always wanted to do. You might say it’s in his blood, or at least in his family history. According to the 23-year-old, “My dad was a private pilot, and so was my grandpa. My uncle was an Air Force pilot for 25 years who flew 141s and then C-17s.” Harrison gets out from time to time and flies some small planes. He currently does not own his own plane, but maybe after a long big league career, he’ll be able to get his own plan and travel all over. He really enjoys being in the air. “The best part of flying is the feeling of freedom. You can fly wherever you want whenever you want. Seeing the world from the air is a small plane is an amazing thing.” Harrison hasn’t made any cross-country flights from his home in Ft. Myers to his hometown in California. He says he hasn’t flown for more than a couple of hours at a time. “Right now, I do it just for fun, not for transportation.” Photo by Jessica Paulmann --------------------------------------------------------------------- Travis Harrison was a supplemental first-round draft pick of the Twins in 2011 out of high school in California. While it wasn’t an easy choice, he decided to sign with the Twins instead of playing for the University of Southern California. In a 2013 interview, Harrison discussed why i was so difficult.”I fell in love with USC. I did. That place is awesome. It’s close enough to my house where there are a lot of people who would support it. But then I got picked by the Twins which is exciting.” Since he signed he has been a big part of a lot of winning teams. His first pro season, 2012, was spent in Elizabethton where he was part of the Appalachian League championship team. He was part of that exciting first year in Cedar Rapids as a Twins affiliate in 2013. They led the Midwest League in Wins, but lost early in the playoffs with so many promotions. In 2014, he was part of the Ft. Myers Miracle team that won the Florida State League championship. In 2015, he was a member of the Southern League championship Chattanooga Lookouts. According to Harrison, “Being on teams that have so much talent is fun for everyone. Everybody pushes everyone. The cool thing is all those talented guys want to win and are not ‘I’ guys.” Harrison is known as a leader on whatever team he is on. He won’t say it, but in talking to some of his teammates, it is clear that he is among the most respected players in the organization. Teammates describe him as a fun guy who bring players together. He treats everyone well, jokes and has a lot of fun. However, when it is game time, he always plays hard and always plays to win first. That attitude may remind fans of Doug Mientkiewicz who has been Harrison’s manager the last two years and against this year. Of Mientkiewicz, Harrison has a lot of respect and a lot to say. “What he does best is he teaches you how to be mentally tough. He’s told me things that try to break me down to my breaking point. What he wants is for me to be so mentally tough that there’s nothing anyone can say to me or do to me that can affect me.” After hitting .240/.363/.356 (.719) with 23 doubles, four triples and five home runs last year with the Lookouts, Harrison returns to Chattanooga for the start of the 2016 season. Through 18 games, he is hitting .246/.333/.415 (.748) with five doubles and two home runs. Earlier this week, he had consecutive three-hit games in which he went a combined 6-9 with four doubles, a homer, and two walks. Those were a couple of games of great results, but Harrison says he has felt good all year. “To be honest, I have felt good for the whole start of the year, but the ball hasn’t fallen in for me. It was nice to have a couple big games there. Got some good pitches to hit and put good swings on them.” Harrison has a singular goal for his 2016. “My goal is simple this year, trust myself 100% all the time. When I do that, it works out really well.” Another goal would likely be to advance up to AAA. And why not? Maybe he can put together a season and earn a September call up. Getting to the big leagues, of course, is a huge goal is for any player, and the same is true for Harrison. As he thinks about his goal eventually coming true, he is reminded of those who have been there for him along the way. “It would be a dream come true! My family is the most important thing to me. No exceptions. They have done so much for me; all of them, my dad, mom, and my two younger brothers (Steven and Curtis). Every time I play, I represent myself, my family, and the Minnesota Twins. He has played with some very talented players over his 4+ years in the Twins organization, and several of his former teammates have found their way to the big leagues, even if just for a cup of coffee for now. Harrison really likes seeing that happen and hopes to enjoy his own long big league career. “It makes me really excited, but to be honest, making the big leagues is just the next step. Honestly, I can’t tell you how happy I am for guys like Buxton and the others. It’s an honor to call these guys friends. I can’t wait until we win a World Series together. And yes, that will happen.” Click here to view the article

I would say both Stewart and Gonsalves won't be in Ft. Myers too much longer.

If you're looking at OPS, it's never going to be real high.

I don't think too many. He's been terrific for four starts. If he does it for another four, I can't imagine him not moving up. And, frankly, I might be surprised if he makes four more starts now for the Miracle.

He had hit pretty well... Of course, he's got 6 errors in 10 games too, which is more surprising.

If he does that, I'd be impressed. That was pretty incredible!

I think he's ready to move on up... Maybe another start or two. No harm in that. We'll see what happens at the upper levels in the next couple of days.

One of the really cool things about being in Ft. Myers for spring training is getting to the ballpark early. This year, you would see Adam Brett Walker in the cage every morning, working on his swing. Coaches would be running all over, making sure things were set for the day. Some players would be out on Tom Kelly Field getting dozens of ground balls. One thing that stood out to me was the relationship between Jose Berrios and Ervin Santana. To an observer it was clear that they had a real strong relationship. In the clubhouse they were just a couple of lockers apart. They talked together. They worked out together. They often ate together. Santana would walk by and say to Berrios, “Let’s go.” The two would wind up out on the field at Hammond Stadium. They would stretch together. They would then play catch together, including long (very long) toss. Then they would set their gloves down and run foul poles together. It was every day, enough that I had to ask Twins GM Terry Ryan about it at a spring training pre-game gathering with the media. Is it intentional that Santana and Berrios were together as much as they were? “Yeah, it’s by design. Those two have a good friendship. One’s the veteran, been around, has all the knowledge and wisdom and experience. The other is the young kid who hasn’t got there yet, who can benefit from that kind of mentorship. It’s just like (Byron) Buxton and (Torii) Hunter and (Miguel) Sano and Hunter. It’s no different. It’s a good match.”Ryan himself doesn’t get into things like who has a locker where or by who, but there’s no question he’s in favor of it. “That’s up to the manager and the equipment manager. I don’t get too involved in that stuff. There are many times there’d be that approach where you’d sandwich a young player in between a couple of veterans. We did that back in the day with Hunter. There’s nothing wrong with that either. You can gain a lot of knowledge by just sitting there and listening to how those guys handle themselves.” Berrios was not overwhelmed in his second official big league spring training. He was there a year earlier. It’s not like Berrios hasn’t been on the big stage before. In 2013, his first full season as a professional, he came to big league camp to work out and prepare for the World Baseball Classic. He and Eddie Rosario were part of the Puerto Rican team. He pitched against the strong Dominican Republic team. He pitched out of the bullpen, and though he struggled some (I mean, he was just 18!), he did strike out Robinson Cano in a game. When the All-Star Game came to Target Field in 2014, Berrios was named the starting pitcher for the World Team in the Futures Game in the stadium he hoped to soon call home. Last year, he had the honor again, starting the Futures Game in Cincinnati. He has been the Twins (and Twins Daily’s) Minor League Pitcher of the Year the last two seasons. In 2014, he combined to go 12.8 with a 2.77 ERA between Ft. Myers and New Britain (With a spot start in Rochester). In 2015, he went 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA between Chattanooga and Rochester. In his first three starts so far in 2016, Berrios has gone 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA. Though he struggled with control and command in spring training and in his first couple of starts. In fact, in his 17 innings he has eight walks. His 4.2 walks per nine innings is double what it was in 2015, though again, it is such a meaningless sample size that it shouldn’t be taken too highly. In his most recent start, Berrios needed 32 pitches to get through the first two innings and just 17 were strikes. Over the final five innings of his outing, he was very efficient and a strike-throwing machine. That is what he has been in the past two seasons. What should we expect from Berrios? I would expect him to be quite nervous today, and tonight (if rains don’t push his debut back another day). So, it’s always important not to make too much of that first impression. However, when he is on, he’s got good control and command. He has a good fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, sitting 92-94 and touching 96. There isn’t a ton of movement in it, but he’s able to work down in the zone and potentially get strikeouts up in the zone because he has enough velocity. He has a good changeup. He has a very good curveball. All three of them can be strikeout pitches. There is no way to know with 100% accuracy what Berrios’s career will look like. However, from a pure-prospect situation, Berrios is easily the best Twins pitching prospect since Francisco Liriano. He has been maybe overlooked because his status as a Twins prospect has been behind the likes of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano. But in this offseason, Berrios was a consensus Top 40 prospect in all of baseball. He was our choice for #2 Twins Prospectin 2016. Like Liriano, Berrios has electric stuff. Berrios’s mechanics are certainly better than Liriano’s were when he came up. We all have seen his workouts and his work ethic on his social media sites. From my interactions, Berrios is very strong mentally and spiritually. He is a very confident young man, still just 21, but he also is humble. These are all qualities that help build the picture of what could be with Jose Berrios. There is no way to know how his debut will go. There’s no way to know when the “right” time to call up any prospect might be. Would it have been last August? Maybe. Is it late April 2016? Maybe. As Ryan said, “You’re trying to bring kids along, and you’re trying to get them some help and you’re trying to show them the way.” On Tuesday morning, Berrios got on a bus in Rochester and made the trek west to Buffalo with his Rochester teammates. When he got there, he learned from his manager Mike Quade that he was heading to Minnesota and would make his debut against Cleveland on Wednesday. Assuming the weather cooperates, Berrios will stand on the Target Field mound tonight and in the first inning, he will face off against Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor. That will be a surreal moment for both, I’m sure. As Berrios said of Lindor, “We are friends. We are family.” As disappointing as the 2016 Twins have been, Berrios’s promotion is a good reminder of what the future could include and could be for the Twins and the fans. Happy Jose Berrios Day! Click here to view the article

The story of the last couple of days in the Twins minor leagues has been all the transactions. There has been a lot of player movement. Then again there were some great performances today in the system. Two guys had four hits. One pitcher had a no-hitter into the 6th inning. Two starters gave up zero runs in six innings. Overall, a very nice night in the Twins system. Continue on to read about the pitchers and the hitter highlights from Tuesday’s games. But we’ll start with the Transactions, knowing there are likely several more moves coming. (We’ll try to update anything we hear in the comments section.)TRANSACTIONS Things have been busy on the transaction list the last few days, for the Twins and throughout the minor league system. Today was a busy day, but expect to hear several more in the next day or two. Before Wednesday’s Twins game, the team announced the starters Ervin Santana (back) and Kyle Gibson (shoulder) were going to the Disabled List. Reports came out around noon that JO Berrios was on the way to Minnesota and will start on Wednesday night against Cleveland. Later, we learned that Jorge Polanco would be returning to the Twins as well. Alex Wimmers was promoted to AAA Rochester. The Twins released Brett Lee from the Chattanooga roster. Trevor Hildenberger and Luke Westphal were promoted from Ft. Myers. Brandon Peterson was sent down to Ft. Myers. Brian Navaretto was placed on the disabled list for the Miracle. That explains the promotion of Kevin Garcia from extended spring training previously announced. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Buffalo 7 (14 innings) Box Score In the last week, the Twins have taken Tyler Duffey, Alex Meyer and now JO Berrios from the Red Wings. Meyer was supposed to start on Tuesday, so this was a bullpen game. The last thing the team needed was extra innings, especially considering Berrios had been scheduled to start for them on Wednesday. Seven pitchers worked for the Red Wings. David Martinez made the spot start. It was the second time he’s started for the Red Wings this season and the second time that he completed six innings. Martinez went 6.1 innings and gave up three runs (two earned). He gave up six hits, walked none and struck out five. Brandon Kintzler came on and got just one out. He gave up two hits and a run (plus two inherited runs) and got just one out. Buddy Boshers got two outs, one on a strikeout. Marcus Walden gave up a hit and walked two in his scoreless inning. Dan Runzler then gave up just one hit over 2.2 scoreless innings. Next, Alex Wimmers worked two scoreless innings in his AAA debut, completing the 13th inning. The game was tied at four going into the top of the 14th. Adam Brett Walker found himself at the plate with the bases loaded. Walker crushed a ball to right field that hit near the top of the wall. Walker’s triple scored three runs and gave the Red Wings a 7-4 lead. Wilfredo Tovar followed with an RBI single which proved important. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 9, Jupiter 1 Box Score When Stephen Gonsalves is on the mound, his team typically doesn’t need a lot of runs, but on this night, they provided some anyway. The Miracle used a five-run third inning and a three-run sixth. Alex Swim led the way with three hits in five at-bats. Nick Gordon was very good as well, going 2-3 with two walks. He also stole his fourth base. Ryan Walker was also 2-5. Of course, Gonsalves was terrific. In fact, the lefty had a no-hitter into the 6th inning. In total, he went six shutout innings. He allowed two hits, walked two and struck out six. With the win he is now 2-1 with a 1.44 ERA. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, West Michigan 0 Box Score The Kernels got a run early and held on. The shutout means that they have not allowed a run in 19 straight innings. Randy LeBlanc got things started out well. The right-hander went the first six innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out four. CK Irby struck out three over the next two innings. He gave up just one hit. John Curtiss got the ninth. He gave up two hits, but maintained the shutout. He struck out one. The Kernels managed just five hits in the game. Sean Miller was 2-3, and he drove in JJ Fernandez with a single for the game’s lone run. Luis Arraez went 1-2 with a walk and his second double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Brett Walker, Rochester Red Wings WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga - No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart West Michigan @Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Andro Cutura Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Tuesday games. Click here to view the article

Appears to be true that position doesn't matter in the regular season in terms of the 10-day wait.

I think the 40 man roster will be used just fine...

My guess is that it's temporary until a pitcher or two come down from the Twins. Wimmers could give more than an inning in the bullpen start today and come back. They probably don't want to mess with Chargois for that short of a move.