Seth Stohs

I'm going to take Cody Stashak...

Remember that Levi Michael is also on the roster and hasn't played the first three games. As for Gordon/Vielma, SS/2B... it'll be interesting to see how it goes. Sometimes guys need to get into a flow. Maybe Mauer will have Gordon play SS for a week with VIelma at second and then switch them around the next week. It's a trend of three games so far, so I'm not ready to say too much about it. It's also possible they've just decided that they're going to go with Gordon and hope he can do it. Vielma can still play SS. If he spent the full season at 2B, he'd still be a great SS.

Yeah, I just updated that thread and noticed...

NIck Burdi - Steve Lien Stephen Gonsalves - gocgo LaMonte Wade - goulik Wander Javier - Bob Sacamento Alex Kirilloff - Bob Sacamento Niko Goodrum - Ben Noble Fernando Romero - Dance with Disco Dan Zack Granite - Willihammer Luis Arraez - bluechipper Lewin Diaz - Shane Wahl Daniel Palka – bluechipper Eduardo Del Rosario – Hosken Bombo Disco Kohl Stewart – raindog Adalberto Mejia – goulik Justin Haley – goulik Lewis Thorpe – Bob Sacamento Travis Blankenhorn - gunnarthur Trey Cabbage - gunnarthur Clark Beeker - Hosken Bombo Disco Sean Poppen - Hosken Bombo Disco Engelb Vielma - goulik Felix Jorge - ashbury john Aaron Slegers - ashbury john At this stage, all players are eligible to be drafted and you can select as many as you want.

You'll have to check the Day 3 thread too, but I think they're all available.

Note: I added the note about Luis Arraez's injury.

He had 25 games and 102 plate appearances there last year.

The first Saturday of the minor league season presented us with several interesting story lines. Two pitchers that Twins fans have high hopes for made their first starts of the season, Jose Berrios for Rochester and Fernando Romero in Chattanooga. The Red Wings had to wait two days, but they played their first game of the year. Meanwhile, Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers both played their home openers. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo of Mitch Garver) The first Saturday of the minor league season presented us with several interesting story lines. Two pitchers that Twins fans have high hopes for made their first starts of the season, Jose Berrios for Rochester and Fernando Romero in Chattanooga. The Red Wings had to wait two days, but they played their first game of the year. Meanwhile, Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers both played their home openers. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Saturday. It might help get your mind off of the fact that the Twins will not have an undefeated 2017 season. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 10, Syracuse 0 Box Score They had to wait a couple of extra days to start their season, but things went well in the season debut for the Red Wings. Jose Berrios still received the Opening Day call. The right hander used 77 pitches to work through six shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, walked one and struck out seven batters to improve to 1-0. Just 48 of his 77 pitches (62%) were strikes, but he was able to work through that well. DJ Baxendale came in for the seventh and earned a three-inning save. He continued the shutout and gave up just one hit. He walked none and struck out three. Mitch Garver got things going and kept it rolling. He drove in the first run for the Red Wings with an RBI double. A couple innings later, he added a two-run double. He came to the plate three more times, but he was walked twice and also hit by a pitch. Late in the game, Ben Paulsen added his first hit, and it was a big one. His grand slam capped a six-run seventh inning. Matt Hague went 3-6 with two doubles. Byungho Park went 2-4 with a walk and a double. Daniel Palka went 2-4 with a walk. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Mobile 3 Box Score It was the much-anticipated 2017 debut of Fernando Romero for Chattanooga. After just 11 starts in Ft. Myers, Romero was pushed to AA this year. He gave up just one run through three innings. However, his final line was three runs on three hits and three walks in 3.1 innings. He struck out four. Ryan Eades came on and gave up a hit, a walk and hit a batter, while striking out two in 1.2 innings. 27-year-old Nik Turley was another minor league free agent signed by the Twins. He’s been on 40-man rosters in the past. The left-hander gave up one hit in four scoreless innings. He walked none and struck out ten (yes, that is accurate). The Lookouts had some chances. They had the bases loaded and were unable to score in the seventh inning. They scored two runs in the eighth inning. In the ninth, down by one, they had a runner on third base with one out and were unable to bring in a third run. Dan Gamache went 2-4 and drove in one run. Ryan Walker and Engelb Vielma each hit a double. Nick Gordon had a single and a walk in the game. He started at shortstop for the third time in three games. Vielma started at second base for the third straight game. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Jupiter 2 Box Score David Fischer was the starter for the Miracle on their opening night at Hammond Stadium. The right-hander threw four shutout innings. He gave up five hits and struck five out without a walk. Anthony McIver came in and worked the next two innings. He gave up a run on a hit and two walks. Williams Ramirez went the next two innings. He gave up a run on two hits and two walks while striking out three. Lefty Jonny Drozd recorded the save with a perfect ninth inning, including two strikeouts. Daniel Kihle made his first start of the season. He went 2-2, was hit by a pitch, doubled and hit a home run. Alex Perez was 1-3 with a walk and an RBI double, his second of the season. Luis Arraez was carted off the field after tripping awkwardly over first base in the 7th inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Beloit 7 Box Score The Kernels made the trek back to Cedar Rapids following their Friday doubleheader in Beloit. Cedar Rapids was able to play their home opener. When Travis Blankenhorn knocked a three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, it gave the Kernels a 6-1 lead. Unfortunately, it was a lead they were unable to hold. Sean Poppen started for the Kernels. The right-hander from Harvard provided the team with a quality start. He gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits in seven innings. He struck out seven without issuing a walk. Lefty Andrew Vasquez came on for the eighth inning. He gave up a run on two hits in the inning. Tom Hackimer came on to hold a two-run lead in the ninth inning. Hackimer was charged with three earned runs on three hits and a walk before getting out of the inning. Blankenhorn had the homer (video below), and he went 2-4 with a walk and a double as well. Shane Carrier also added his first home run of the season. Jaylin Davis added an RBI triple. Caleb Hamilton went 1-3 with a walk. https://twitter.com/BaseballByTom/status/850911615746813955 TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Nik Turley, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mitch Garver, Rochester Red Wings SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (DH @ 12:05 CST) - RHP Nick Tepesch, Drew Rucinski (bullpen game) Mobile @ Chattanooga - (1:15 CST) - RHP Felix Jorge Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (3:05 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – RHP Alex Schick Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's Opening Day games. View full article

Dalton Hicks has had a neck injury in the past that was quite serious. A bit before spring training, he re-aggravated it. Doctors weren't willing to say that it wasn't a life-threatening type of injury, so he decided to retire. Good guy. I wish him well.

Hopefully... Other than right-handed versus left-handed.

You've got Vielma...

You've got 'em!

Crazy story for sure!! Fun read though.

Del Rosario is definitely a sleeper. I like him a lot. I think he was ranked #44 by me this offseason, but he's impressive. He's little, but he's got good arm action and some pretty decent stuff.

They're yours.

Today is the third day... it's 'draft' is in the Adopt-A-Prospect 2017 Forum.

Here is a quick update of which players have been adopted: NIck Burdi - Steve Lien Stephen Gonsalves - gocgo LaMonte Wade - goulik Wander Javier - Bob Sacamento Alex Kirilloff - Bob Sacamento Niko Goodrum - Ben Noble Fernando Romero - Dance with Disco Dan Zack Granite - Willihammer Luis Arraez - bluechipper Lewin Diaz - Shane Wahl Daniel Palka – bluechipper Eduardo Del Rosario – Hosken Bombo Disco Kohl Stewart – raindog Adalberto Mejia – goulik Justin Haley – goulik Lewis Thorpe – Bob Sacamento At this point, anyone can be adopted, and you can draft up to 2-3 at one time, if you like.

Might as well.

I wouldnt worry about Lachlan Wells yet. It'seems possible he's slotted in as their #5 or #6 starter and they were just getting him work. Also possible that they want him pitching all season, so they're keeping his innings down early in the year. Like you, I don't think it makes any sense to move him permanently yet.

Turns out all the Twins had to do to get off to a good start was not swing. Of course it's not that simple. The Twins have done a lot of things well en route to their 3-0 start, but one thing that sticks out in particular is the number of walks they've been able to pile up. Image courtesy of Brad Rempel, USA Today Turns out all the Twins had to do to get off to a good start was not swing. Of course it's not that simple. The Twins have done a lot of things well en route to their 3-0 start, but one thing that sticks out in particular is the number of walks they've been able to pile up. Twins hitters tallied 23 walks in the opening series against the Royals, while the pitching staff issued just nine free passes. To put that into perspective, last season the Twins didn't draw their 23rd walk until the eighth game of the season. Not surprisingly, all those walks did in the Royals, as they were outscored 21-5. The Twins had some great timely hitting, the bullpen has been excellent and even the defense has been solid, but anytime you get that many walks, good things are going to happen. So, what does this mean? Well, in such a small sample we can't be sure. Maybe it means the Royals pitching staff is going to stink. Or maybe they just got off on a bad foot. But, maybe it means we'll see a more patient approach from the Twins this season. With new leadership comes new philosophies and new and different things that are stressed. Maybe patience is especially being preached this season. Or maybe Twins hitters are just more comfortable taking what comes during an at-bat, as opposed to trying to make something happen. One of the things I've really admired about new hitting coach James Rowson's style is he seems to put a big focus on getting hitters confident and comfortable. MikeBerardino of the Pioneer Press did a great feature on how Rowson was trying to help Miguel Sano take the next step in which Rowson said “You look at [sano] and you realize he doesn’t need anyone’s help to be good. He’s a good player right now.” What an outstanding message to send to a young player like Sano. Late last season, the team was threatening to send its young slugger down to the minors. Quite a difference a few months makes. Free agent addition Jason Castro leads the team with six walks, but Sano has three, which is tied for second with Robbie Grossman. Maybe the thing that sticks out the most is the pair of walks Eddie Rosario drew in Thursday's 5-3 win. The free-swinging Rosario entered the season averaging one walk for every 30 plate appearances. Is it possible we're seeing these younger Twins hitters coming into their own? Could this be the year they get comfortable instead of constantly worrying about being sent to the bench, or back to Rochester, after a few bad games? Well, right now it looks just about as possible as the Royals just having a rotten pitching staff. Only time will tell. View full article

Happy Minor League Opening Day! Unfortunately, two of the four Minnesota Twins full-season affiliates had weather that wiped out their games and forced them to be postponed. For the two teams that played, the bats might have been left in Ft. Myers, though they did get a solid start from one of their top pitching prospects. Read on for our first Twins Minor League Report of 2017. The will be one every day, at least until Labor Day. And then we'll follow the Twins affiliates in the playoffs. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs, Twins Daily (photo of Kohl Stewart) Happy Minor League Opening Day! Unfortunately, two of the four Minnesota Twins full-season affiliates had weather that wiped out their games and forced them to be postponed. For the two teams that played, the bats might have been left in Ft. Myers, though they did get a solid start from one of their top pitching prospects. Read on for our first Twins Minor League Report of 2017. The will be one every day, at least until Labor Day. And then we'll follow the Twins affiliates in the playoffs. Find out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system on Thursday, even if it is abbreviated. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester , Syracuse Box Score Bad weather in Syracuse not only postponed Thursday’s game, but the forecast pushed their Opening Day game to Saturday. They will play one on Saturday and two games on Sunday. Jose Berrios will start the game on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the team announced that Zack Granite had been placed on the disabled list with a strained oblique. He later told me that he suffered the injury on the last day of spring training camp though he doesn’t expect to be sidelined for too long. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Mobile 2 Box Score Kohl Stewart was given the Opening Day nod by Lookouts manager Jake Mauer. The right-hander gave the team six innings and was charged only with an unearned run. The stat line looks familiar for the 2013 first-round pick. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out just one. He needed 86 pitches, and 52 of them were strikes. He had five ground outs and eight fly outs. In the seventh inning, Stewart was replaced by Mason Melotakis. The lefty walked one and struck out two in a scoreless inning. “Melo” turned things over to Luke Bard. Bard walked one and struck one out in a scoreless eighth innings. He struck out the side, kind of, in the ninth inning. However, he also gave up a one-out solo homer that pushed the deficit to 2-0. The Lookouts were just unable to muster any offense in the game. In the first inning, Edgar Corcino and Travis Harrison each singled, but the team had just one more hit (another Corcino single) the rest of the game. Corcino went 2-4, and Harrison was 1-3 with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Jupiter 4 Box Score The Miracle were able to get some hits, even some extra base hits. They just were not able to turn them into an runs. Chris Paul went 2-4. Alex Perez was 2-4 with a double. Sean Miller had a double. Luis Arraez hit a two-out triple, but he was stranded too. In the ninth inning, they got two base runners on before the final out. Dereck Rodriguez was pretty solid through the first four innings. He had given up just one run. However, he ran into trouble in the fifth inning. His final line? He was charged with four runs on seven hits and a walk in 4.1 innings. He struck out four. Randy Rosario came on in relief and got two outs right away to get out of the fifth inning without any further damage. In the 6th inning, a batter reached by error and then next batter was hit by a pitch. However Rosario was able to get the next three out to keep the game at 4-0. Lachlan Wells came on and gave up just one hit over two scoreless innings. He struck out three without issuing a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids, Beloit Box Score The weather in Beloit was also poor, forcing the postponement of the Snappers/Kernels Opening Night game. The teams will play two games on Friday, starting at 4:30. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kohl Stewart, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Alex Perez, Ft. Myers Miracle FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse - Friday game postponed. Teams will play on Saturday. Mobile @ Chattanooga - (6:15 CST) - LHP Matt Tracy Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:30) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Beloit (DH @ 4:30 CST) – RHP Eddie Del Rosario, RHP Tyler Wells Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Thursday's Opening Day games. View full article

You get Haley and Mejia...

Might have meant oldER... at least that's what I edit it to. Ha!