Seth Stohs

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.

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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.

He is now throwing in the EST games and so far so good, from what I've heard. It'll be a little while yet. I'd expect mid-June or July. Fernando Romero is closer, in my opinion.

Nick Gordon is going on the 7-Day Concussion List this morning. Ryan Walker was promoted from Ft. Myers to Chattanooga. Sean Miller moves from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers. The Twins signed free agent Tanner Witt to a minor league contract and he's going to Ft. Myers.

I'm not worried about Gordon's errors yet. They've been a mix. I'm not saying it's good, and it is noteworthy. But, he's making adjustments now. He's also going through some personal stuff, I would imagine, that can't be easy. He'll be fine. He's very talented defensively. Like hitting, defense can go in slumps too.

Yesterday, we named John Curtiss as our April Minor League Relief PItcher of the Month. Today we try to do justice to the pitchers who started games in the Twins system in April. This was a very difficult decision as there were a lot of terrific performances, and probably even more should have been mentioned. Just to get considered for Honorable Mention, a pitcher needed to have an ERA under 2.00. The Red Wings had three starters who pitched well enough to get promoted to the big leagues. Cedar Rapids had a couple of guys who really stepped up. Fort Myers’ rotation came in with big hopes and expectations and, for the most part, they pitched really well.So before to our Top 5 starters for the month, here are a few others who deserve to be recognized for their terrific start to their seasons. RHP Jose Berrios (Rochester) – 3 GS, 2-0, 1.06 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 17.0 IP, 8 H, 8 BB, 20 KRHP Alex Meyer (Rochester) – 3 G, 2 GS, 1-1, 1.04 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 17.1 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 19 KLHP Jason Wheeler (Chattanooga/Rochester) – 5 GS, 1-0, 1.93 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 26 H, 4 BB, 25 KRHP Cody Stashak (Cedar Rapids) - 3 G, 2 GS, 2-0, 1.12 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 16.0 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 11 KLHP Randy Rosario (Ft. Myers) - 3 GS, 2-1, 1.02 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 13 H, 3 BB, 10 KTHE TOP FIVE STARTING PITCHERSNumber 5 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Sam Clay - 4 GS, 2-0, 0.79 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 22.2 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 23 K Clay was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2014 out of Georgia Tech. The left-hander started last season in Cedar Rapids but really struggled. So, he was sent down and pitched for Elizabethton. He was able to end the season back with the Kernels but overall posted a WHIP of 1.86 due to 26 walks in 33.1 innings. If this ranking was solely by ERA, Clay would be the top choice, but the walks are still too high. He went at least five innings in each of his starts and gave up one run or less in each. Clay doesn’t throw real hard, topping out around 92 as a starter, but he also has a good curveball. He could trickle up to Ft. Myers in the near future. Number 4 - Cedar Rapids – RHP Randy LeBlanc - 4 GS, 2-2, 1.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 15 H, 5 BB, 16 K LeBlanc was the Twins 10th-round pick in 2014 out of Tulane. He had been drafted out of high school in 2010. Unfortunately, he needed Tommy John surgery in 2011 and had another elbow procedure in 2012. Last year, LeBlanc spent most of the time in the bullpen where he pitched well. However, he begins this season with an opportunity to start in Cedar Rapids, and he’s making the most of it. LeBlanc gets a lot of ground balls. His fastball is in the low 90s and he has a strong change-up. I would guess he would be the first Kernels starter to move up to Ft. Myers. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – RHP Kohl Stewart - 4 GS, 1-0, 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 23.1 IP, 14 H, 6 BB, 26 K The Twins top pick from 2013 returned to the Miracle to start the 2016 season despite just 4.89 K/9 last year. Blessed with a big fastball, it appears that he has cleaned up some mechanical issues and he is more consistent with a mid-90s fastball. He’s got a couple of really good breaking pitches and an improved change-up. Through April, he not only didn’t give up runs or base runners, he has 10.0 K/9. It is certainly an encouraging start for the talented right-hander. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – RHP Felix Jorge - 4 GS, 1-2, 1.40 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, 25.2 IP, 17 H, 4 BB, 22 K Jorge struggled mightily as a 20-year-old in 2014 in Cedar Rapids, enough that he went back to Elizabethton where he was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. What a difference a year made. In 2015, he was the most consistent pitcher in the Twins system. In 20 of his 22 starts for Cedar Rapids, he went at least six innings and never went less than five. He moved up to Ft. Myers this season and is right back where he started. He has had a quality start in all four of his outings. He throws a lot of strikes, sits and 92-94 with his fastball and has a good curveball and a much-improved change-up. Still just 22, Jorge continues to rise in prospect rankings. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers – LHP Stephen Gonsalves - 4 GS, 2-1, 1.44 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 25.0 IP, 12 H, 6 BB, 24 K Stephen Gonsalves was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2013 out of high school in San Diego. Since signing he has been a very consistent performer, no matter what level he has been at. Between the GCL and Elizabethton, he made 14 appearances and went 4-1 with a 1.88 ERA. He made 17 starts in Cedar Rapids where he went 8-4 with a 1.96 ERA. He has now made 20 starts in Ft. Myers (15 last year and now five this year) and is a combined 10-3 with a 2.28 ERA. To say he is ready for the next challenge, AA and the Southern League hitters, might be an understatement. The tall left-hander was named the Miracle Opening Night starter. According to Gonsalves, it meant a lot. “Opening Night was an honor to get that nod, to try to put us out on the right foot. It was a tough one to swallow, giving up a three-run shot in that game, but a good learning opportunity.” Gonsalves gave up the three-run shot in the first inning of that first start. He proceeded to work five more innings without giving up another run. In his second start, he gave up zero runs in six innings. He started his third game with four shutout innings, meaning he went 15 innings without giving up another run. He ended that third start with seven innings and eight strikeouts and just the one run allowed. His fourth start was six shutout innings with just two hits allowed. To summarize, after giving up that three-run homer in his first inning of the season he gave up just one more run over the final 24 innings. Gonsalves not only has good stuff, but he knows how to pitch and use all of his pitches. “My key this month, I believe, was my ability to mix in all four of my pitches in any count. I had a lot of success being able to locate my slider and change-up behind in the counts to keep hitters guessing,” He continued, “My change-up has been key of late. I have thrown all my off speed 45% of the time and used my fastball 55%, but my change-up has been a big part these last two starts by getting more ground outs. Gonsalves is the leader of the Miracle’s very talented starting staff. Consider that the top three performers this month were from Ft. Myers. Randy Rosario is in the Honorable Mention. Keaton Steele has a 2.28 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. And Gonsalves’s roommate, Tyler Jay, has remarkable stuff and is transitioning to being a starter. “The pitching staff is very talented, and it has been a great vibe through us all. It has been a very friendly competition between all of us, helping each other out after each start has been great.” Gonsalves will turn 22 in July. After JO Berrios, there is a small group of starters that could vie for the title of second-best Twins starting pitcher prospect, and Gonsalves is very strongly in that group. Seeing the rise of Berrios has been very encouraging to Gonsalves (and likely others). “Seeing Berrios being brought up to the big leagues gives everyone an excitement knowing the Twins are moving guys up through the system quickly. The Twins are very smart in all the moves they do. They know best when we are ready and what we need to work on to get to that next level.” Coming into the 2016 season, Gonsalves had several goals, but one stood out. It’s one he has been thinking about a lot, one he and I discussed in Ft. Myers in March. “My number one goal this year is to get on track to be a part of the Futures Game in San Diego, in front of my family and friends.” The San Diego native wants the honor for several reasons. “It would mean the world to me to make this Futures Game in my hometown. I dedicated this season to my grandfather. He was my biggest fan throughout my entire life, and my best friend. It was his dream to be able to watch me pitch on a big league team one day. To have the entire family there with my grandparents and cousins and even all my high school friends would make it a very emotional weekend for me and my family. The Futures Game is for top prospects in the game, and it’s fair to say that Stephen Gonsalves is a strong candidate to make the Team USA roster. That game will take place just two days after Gonsalves turns 22. By then, he should have made a few starts in Chattanooga. I can’t imagine he will remain in Ft. Myers much longer based on his past success, his improved pitches and the great success in April. There was a plethora of options for starting pitcher performances in April. Feel free to agree or disagree with the order if you like, but congratulations to each of these individuals on a great start to their 2016 season. Congratulations to the April Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month for 2016, Stephen Gonsalves. Click here to view the article

Between you and Jerry Layne... Twins fans notice every mistake!