Seth Stohs

In some conversations with various people, I think this might be true right now: Travis Blankenhorn has the higher floor, but Trey Cabbage has the higher ceiling.

Per Phil Miller, the Twins have signed RHPs Ryan Vogelsong and Nick Tepesch to minor league contracts.

Trey Cabbage was the Twins third round draft pick in June of 2015 out of high school in Tennessee. After a solid debut in the GCL after signing, he spent his first full season as a professional baseball player with the Twins in 2016. After extended spring training, he went back to his home state and played for the Elizabethton Twins. A year ago at this time, we Got to Know Trey Cabbage, and now we catch up with him to read how he felt about his first full professional season and much more. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Trey Cabbage listening to instruction from Steve Singleton) Trey Cabbage was the Twins third round draft pick in June of 2015 out of high school in Tennessee. After a solid debut in the GCL after signing, he spent his first full season as a professional baseball player with the Twins in 2016. After extended spring training, he went back to his home state and played for the Elizabethton Twins. A year ago at this time, we Got to Know Trey Cabbage, and now we catch up with him to read how he felt about his first full professional season and much more. If you order the 2017 Twins Prospect Handbook, you’ll learn that Cabbage was an incredible three-sport athlete at Granger High School. He is a very mature young man who continues to mature physically. With his work ethic, he’s got a chance hit for a lot of power. He was young for his draft class, so patience will be key. But the upside is tremendous. With that, let’s get to the the questions and answers. Today, let’s get caught up with Trey Cabbage. Seth Stohs (SS): Your first full season, let’s start at the beginning. Discuss your thoughts on your first spring training. Was it what you thought it would be? Trey Cabbage (TC): My first full year was a great experience. My first full spring training was really fun and I learned a lot just by playing, failing, watching and learning.SS: Spring training tends to be pretty busy with a lot of fans, but I imagine once extended spring training starts, there are fewer people there. Describe the work you put in during those months of EST, or is it the same as regular spring training? TC: Extended is a lot less exciting and flashy from the fan and environment standpoint. However, it's great because mostly everyone gets to play everyday. The work you put in during extended is no less important than any other time. Not many people outside of your teammates see the process and it can be tough to get motivated, but you have to have the inner fire to push to the next step.SS: What was the adjustment like for you playing in the Appalachian League in Elizabethton? It was kind of like coming home for you, playing in Tennessee? TC: Playing in ETown was fun because I got to be in the country and small town atmosphere like I'm used to back home. Finally, going on road trips and playing series of games was very exciting too.SS: Now that you’ve been home for a few months, have you been able to put together your overall thoughts on your first full season? What did you learn about yourself on and off the field. TC: I already knew this, yet it becomes more evident year after year: I need to relax and to not press so much.SS: Do you follow other professional or college sports teams throughout the offseason? Do you spend time at your high school watching sports? TC: I'm a huge Tennessee football fan, and I somewhat keep up with their men's basketball team. I'm not big on NFL or NBA, but I do root for the Titans and the Cowboys.SS: How would you describe yourself as a player? What are your strengths on the field? TC: I'm blessed with a good frame and ability. If I will allow myself to relax and let the game come to me, I feel confident in myself to perform in many aspects of the game.SS: What are some areas of your game that you focused on in instructs and through your offseason? TC: I focused a lot on gaining weight. One of my goals is to add some good weight and a little body fat to help with durability for the long playing season. I want to get bigger and stronger, while still maintaining my speed.SS: Whether on the baseball field or elsewhere, what is the best piece of advice that you have been given? TC: On time is late. The early bird gets the worm. Quality of quantity.SS: What are some of the things you do to get away from baseball? TC: I go fishing and hiking, hang out with my girlfriend and my buddies. Just anything to relieve stress.SS: At what point do you not only start thinking about the 2017 season, but when do your workouts and preparation begin? Are you doing anything different after going through a full season? TC: I usually take about 3-4 weeks off after the season is over. Then I begin to lift and strength train. I start hitting in mid-December.SS: Did you learn anything about yourself, or did anything surprise you about working through a full season? TC: I feel like I was pretty well prepared for what I faced. Nothing really caught me off guard.SS: There are probably some high school baseball players reading this. What would one piece of advice be that you would share with them (or maybe have shared with kids back home), or share with a 13-or-14-year-old Trey? TC: Pay attention to those who don't cheer when you do well, those are the people you have to prove wrong. Work for yourself, work until your good-enough is flawless.Thank you so much to Trey Cabbage for taking time out of his busy day to answer our questions. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss in the comments below. View full article

... at Chattanooga...

I feel like the only time I did that was the first year (2009?), and that took me over a day to get everything signed and shipped and such. Uffdah.

Per Twins Latinos on Twitter, the Twins have signed OF Jonathan Rodriguez to a minor league contract. He was drafted by the Cardinals in 2009 (17th round) and worked his way up, ending 2016 with 39 games in AAA. I tweeted about him and he retweeted it, which certainly would seem to be verification.

Darren Wolfson discussed and highlighted the 2017 Twins Prospect Handbook in his Scoops podcast this week. Also includes information on Brian Dozier. I assume people already are listening to The Scoops podcast, but if not, listen here... http://www.1500espn.com/the-scoop-2/2017/01/pete-najarian-p-j-fleck-brian-windhorst-wolves-nba-ep-54/

Fans of the Minnesota Twins came into the 2016 season with some high hopes and expectations following their first winning season since 2010. The team went on to set a team record with 103 losses. Fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves came into this 2016-17 season with some high hopes and expectations. They had a new head coach with plenty of experience to work with the Wolves young talent. Even with a win on Monday night against Dallas, the Wolves are still just 12-26 on their season. Image courtesy of Brad Rempel, USA Today (Zach LaVine) Fans of the Minnesota Twins came into the 2016 season with some high hopes and expectations following their first winning season since 2010. The team went on to set a team record with 103 losses. Fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves came into this 2016-17 season with some high hopes and expectations. They had a new head coach with plenty of experience to work with the Wolves young talent. Even with a win on Monday night against Dallas, the Wolves are still just 12-26 on their season. Obviously there is no perfect way to compare and contrast two teams, especially in different sports. There are a lot of similarities between the two teams right now beyond disappointing 2016 on-field performances. MIGUEL SANO and KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS These are two big men who were signed with big expectations. Sano was considered one of the best amateurs from the Dominican Republic in the last 15 years. The Twins signed him to the top signing bonus of the year. Towns was clearly the top players available in the draft in 2015 after just one season at Kentucky. Towns was the unanimous choice for NBA Rookie of the Year when he averaged 18.3 points with 10.5 rebounds. Sano finished third place in American League Rookie of the Year voting despite not being called up until July. He hit .269/.385/.530 (.916) with 17 doubles and 18 home runs. Sano took a step back in 2016. He hit .236/.319/.462 (.781) with 22 doubles and 25 home runs. He set the Twins record for strikeouts in a season and didn’t find a defensive position. Towns has averaged 21.4 points and 11.6 rebounds per game so far this season, both improvements. Yet there are times when we read that he hasn’t stepped up yet as much as some would like. In both cases, if those are bad seasons, it symbolizes just how much talent each has, and how good they can be in the coming years. BYRON BUXTON and ANDREW WIGGINS These are two tremendously gifted athletes selected high in the draft creating tremendous expectations. Wiggins was the #1 pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 and soon traded to the Wolves in the Kevin Love trade. Byron Buxton was the second overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Twins and was #1 or #2 in the national prospect rankings three straight years. Wiggins won the 2014-15 NBA Rookie of the Year when he averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds. Buxton struggled in the big leagues until September when he began to show just how good he can be. Buxton hasn’t shown consistency in the big leagues yet. And Wiggins can score 40 in one game and go 2-15 from the field in the next. Both were said to be much stronger defensively than offensively but their athleticism gives hope that they could become all-around players. Buxton has all five tools though he has struggled with the offense for the most part. Wiggins has increased his scoring each year from 16.9 to 20.1 to 22.1 this season. He’s averaging 4.2 rebounds with 2.4 assists. MAX KEPLER and ZACH LaVINE When the Wolves selected LaVine out of UCLA with a mid-first round pickin 2014, it raised some eyebrows. He’s a uniquely-gifted, athletic talent who was very raw when he was drafted. Flip Saunders moved him around a little bit, often playing him at point guard in an attempt to improve his all around game. He has gone from 10.8 to 14.0 to 20.8 points per game. He’s become more than just a flashy dunk champion. He’s become a real three-point threat. He needed more time to develop but he has developed into a key contributor and big part of the future. Kepler was signed in 2009 out of Germany. He needed a lot of development and spent extra time down in the rookie leagues. However, as he moved up the ladder, Kepler started putting up more numbers. As he reached AA in 2015, he was sitting at 6-3 and 220 pounds. He was the Southern League MVP and the Twins choice for minor league hitter of the year. He filled out the stat line, hitting for average, showing power, getting on-base, stealing bases and playing good defense at multiple positions. While there isn’t a slam-dunk contest in baseball, but Kepler’s athleticism gives him a good chance of being a well-rounded player. JOSE BERRIOS and KRIS DUNN Berrios was a supplemental first-round pick in 2012 and debuted in 2016 before his 22nd birthday. He continued to improve and became a Top 25 prospect in all of baseball. Kris Dunn had a solid career at Providence to the point the he became the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft. Berrios certainly struggled in his debut in 2016, posting a 3-7 with an 8.02 ERA and a 1.87 WHIP, but that doesn’t (or shouldn’t) take away any of the luster of his potential. Likewise, Kris Dunn has had a frustrating rookie season. To this point, he is averaging just four points per game, with 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds. Then again, he’s been averaging just under 16 minutes per game. Both are known for their work ethic and should have stronger sophomore seasons as they get more opportunity. JORGE POLANCO and TYUS JONES Polanco was signed the same day that Max Kepler was signed. They were added to the 40-man roster in 2013 after strong seasons in Cedar Rapids. Polanco - out of 40-man roster necessity - debuted with two very small cups of coffee in 2014. The same thing happened in 2015. Early in 2016, he came up and sat on the bench most of the time. Finally after Eduardo Nunez was traded, he began playing every day. Given the opportunity, he hit a solid .282/.332/.424 (.757) with 15 doubles, four triples and four home runs. The question with Polanco is more his defense. He struggled at shortstop statistically. He would likely move to second base with a Brian Dozier trade, where he would probably be better, but certainly not a Gold Glove caliber player. Apple Valley native Tyus Jones went to Duke where he won a National Championship as a freshman and was named the Final Four MVP. He decided to come out for the draft and the Cavaliers selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2015 draft. Flip Saunders made the trade to acquire the point guard. As a rookie, he played an average of 15 minutes in a little less than half of the games. This year, he’s averaging a little over 10 minutes in a little more than half of the game. However, he has improved his shooting, including hitting 44% of three-pointers so far. One would think that if/when the Wolves trade Ricky Rubio, Jones (and Dunn) would both see quite a bit more playing time. Jones has improved his offense and defense. Because he is not a big guy, he will struggle defensively, particularly down on the post. OTHERS? Maybe there are other similarities. Could you compare Gorgui Dieng, a defensive stopper/rebounder to a guy like Ryan Pressly. Both have been around a few years and can be solid performers and may be underrated. Or maybe we could say that Trevor May and Shabazz Muhammad are similar to their teams. Muhammad comes off the Wolves bench and can provide energy and some instant offense, hoping to end a run by the other team and giving the team back momentum. Maybe he could be compared to a Trevor May who is brought into the game to keep the opponents from taking back a lead and can energize the crowd by throwing hard and getting strikeouts. Who is the Ricky Rubio of the Twins? Maybe Eddie Rosario? SUMMARY Maybe a couple of these are stretches, but it doesn’t lessen the thought that there are similarities. The teams are young and their core players are very young. Maybe the concept of ‘veteran leadership’ does have some value. On a smaller roster like the Wolves, it may have an even more important role. The Wolves core - Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine - are all 21-years-old. Kris Dunn is 22. The Twins core - for their next playoff run (we hope) - includes Miguel Sano (23), Byron Buxton (23), Jose Berrios (22), Jorge Polanco (23) and Max Kepler (23). Fans of these two teams should feel excited about the future of both organizations despite all of the losing in these seasons. There is value in taking lumps, making improvements and hopefully becoming a team that knows how to win. View full article

I've head nothing that would indicate that Ramon wouldn't be back. Last year, the GCL coaches were: Manager: Ramon Borrego Hitting Coaches: Javier Valentin, Steve Singleton Pitching Coaches: Cibney Bello, Virgil Vasquez All we know - from this report - is that Toby Gardenhire has a job in the Twins system, and I've heard that it is as a hitting coach in the GCL.

Toby Gardenhire to coach in the GCL.

After the Stout season last year, Toby came down and helped out in the GCL. Now, he's left Wisconsin-Stout to become the GCL hitting coach. (or one of the GCL hitting coaches - there were two last year) He's now a full-time Twins employee. This is a positive.

Palka is pretty much in the same category as AB Walker a year ago. They'll definitely want to get his AAA K-rate down. Hildenberger isn't invited to big league spring training. He's not making the Opening Day roster.

I'm not sure why it's make or break time for them. Maybe for Wimmers since he was up and taken off the 40 man. He'll be in the same position as he was last year. Baxendale and Wheeler weren't added to the 40 man roster or invited to big league spring training. Hildenberger is 25-26, but there's no rush, especially after ending last season on the DL. He's been in the org less than 2 years. Melotakis has two option years left. He's exactly where Chargois was a year ago at this time, so he's doing fine after his TJ recovery. Zack Jones had shoulder surgery in September, so not much he can do in 2017.

From the time I've been in there Eduardo Escobar appears to be a uniter. He and Dozier are obviously very close, but he's often talking to the young, Spanish-speaking players. And I definitely don't think it's accurate to say that Mauer and Dozier aren't doing those things. Ervin Santana may or may not be. I've seen him with Berrios, but that's about it. (I'm not in there enough to know for sure what all happens. Then again, when anyone from the media is there, we don't see how the players are when it matters, behind the scenes.)

This is my thought too... The Twins are trying everything to work out a good deal for Dozier and keep optios open. Tells me they haven't received anywhere near an acceptable offer.

We return today with another Q&A with a Twins 2016 draft pick. Casey Scoggins was the Twins 39th round pick from the University of Tampa. The senior signed quickly and reported to Elizabethton. A week later, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he primarily led off and played centerfield for the Kernels as they made their playoff run. A little more on Scoggins from the scouting report of the outfielder (from the 2017 Twins Prospect Handbook): 8]Scouting Report: No stranger to south Florida, Scoggins grew up on the east side of the state in Port St. Lucie and went to Jensen Beach high school. He went to Santa Fe CC in Gainesville where he was the mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year as a freshman when he hit .400/.515/.438. He had a down year as a sophomore. He went to Tampa University for the final two seasons. He hit .352/.425/.421 (.846) and then .348/.431/.548 (.979) as a senior. All four years of college he walked more than he struck out. In addition, he was a two-time ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winner and the national defender of the year. For a 39th round pick, Scoggins has some tools. He’s got above average speed. He is a terrific defensive outfielder. And he has good leadoff hitter qualities. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr (photo of Casey Scoggins) We return today with another Q&A with a Twins 2016 draft pick. Casey Scoggins was the Twins 39th round pick from the University of Tampa. The senior signed quickly and reported to Elizabethton. A week later, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he primarily led off and played centerfield for the Kernels as they made their playoff run. A little more on Scoggins from the scouting report of the outfielder (from the 2017 Twins Prospect Handbook): 8]Scouting Report: No stranger to south Florida, Scoggins grew up on the east side of the state in Port St. Lucie and went to Jensen Beach high school. He went to Santa Fe CC in Gainesville where he was the mid-Florida Conference Player of the Year as a freshman when he hit .400/.515/.438. He had a down year as a sophomore. He went to Tampa University for the final two seasons. He hit .352/.425/.421 (.846) and then .348/.431/.548 (.979) as a senior. All four years of college he walked more than he struck out. In addition, he was a two-time ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winner and the national defender of the year. For a 39th round pick, Scoggins has some tools. He’s got above average speed. He is a terrific defensive outfielder. And he has good leadoff hitter qualities. Let’s get to the Q&A. Get to know a little bit more about Kernels outfielder and Twins 2016 draft pick Casey Scoggins. Seth Stohs (SS): Growing up in south Florida, which was your favorite team and who were some of your favorite players? Casey Scoggins (CS): Growing up I didn't really have a favorite team. I like different players such as Torii Hunter, Barry Bonds, Jim Edmonds, Derek Jeter, and David Eckstein. Torii was my favorite outfielder because he always made sick plays and robbed home runs and David was my favorite infielder because he was small and scrappy like me. SS: What were some of your best memories from high school baseball? Did you play other sports? Participate in other activities? CS: My favorite memory from high school was playing in the State Tournament my freshman year. A lot of my favorite memories came from playing summer ball throughout high school on a team called Team Worth we were always the underdogs every tournament we went to because we didn't have any big-name kids on the team. We would beat some of the top teams, and it was just a good feeling. I also played football and soccer in high school. SS: What were your options coming out of high school? What was it about Santa Fe College and then Tampa that made them the right place for you at those times? CS: Well coming out of high school I didn't have the grades and a lot of colleges, especially Jucos, told me I was too small and not big enough to play. Coach Wiggs at Santa Fe gave me a chance to walk on my first year, and I did what I had to do to make my way into the starting line up. After freshman year of college, I verbally committed to the University of Florida for my junior junior year. Some other D1 schools recruited me also and the long story short, things didn't work out with Florida, and I fell in love with Tampa and felt at home when I went on my visit. SS: You won a couple of college Gold Glove awards. How much pride do you take in your defense and what makes you so good, in your opinion? CS: Defense is what I take pride in. I'm not the biggest guy offensively, so I told myself I want to be the biggest threat defensively. It started growing up with my dad. He was an outfielder for the University of Florida. He started me with baseball. But, I’ve got to give credit to my mom also because at all my dad’s softball games growing up, she was the one that threw me fly balls, and I always liked running them down and trying to rob home runs. So between my parents, I was literally taking fly balls almost every day growing up for fun and I had no idea. But winning a Gold Glove made me feel like I'm getting somewhere, but I can still get better. Hopefully I get one at the next level. SS: Did you talk to a lot of scouts before the draft? Specifically, did you talk to any of the Twins scouts? CS: I actually talked to a handful of scouts at the end of my junior year and throughout my senior year. The Twins didn't come into play till Day 3 of the draft. SS: Drafted by the Twins in the 39th round... is that about where you thought you might be selected before the draft? CS: Absolutely not. I thought I would go way before that based on how the scouts were talking to me. But, being a senior sign, I figured it might happen, but not as late as it did. It just gives me more motivation. I'm very thankful that the Twins are giving me an opportunity to show what I can do. SS: Did you watch or listen to the draft? Where were you and who were you with when you found out? How busy was your phone at that time? CS: I was at home with my parents and now fiancé and some friends. I didn't want to listen to the draft, but my parents did, so I gave in. My phone didn't get busy until Day 2 and 3. That's when the phone calls started coming in pretty steady. SS: In these early stages of your career, what would you say are your biggest strengths as a player? CS: My biggest strengths, I would say, are my defense and my aggressiveness, chippy play. Also, my ability to work counts and get on base. SS: What was the adjustment like, on and off the field, going from college to pro baseball? CS: Honestly I adjusted pretty easy. Joe Urso at Tampa runs his program like pro ball so I did pretty well with the overall adjustment. But, if I had to pick, I would say pitching was the biggest adjustment for me. Just seeing better pitching. In E-town, my at-bats weren't the best, but then when I got to Cedar Rapids, I was able to get comfortable. SS: Were you surprised to move up to Cedar Rapids so quickly, and what was the atmosphere like during the playoff push and in the playoffs? CS: Oh yes, I was very surprised especially with my slow start in E-town. It caught me by surprise, but I knew that I was a better player than what I was showing. I felt more comfortable moving up. The playoffs were great even though it wasn't the outcome we wanted. The atmosphere overall was awesome. The baseball, it just felt different. The series with Clinton, even though they didn't have a lot of fans, the baseball was like playing in the College World Series again. SS: What do you enjoy doing away from the game of baseball? CS: I enjoy spending time with my family and my fiancé. I like to try and travel as much as I can. I also like to try to help my old coaches from college anyway I can with what they need if I see them or see a player they might like. I was lucky enough to form great relationships with my college coaches so that's why I can go them if they need any help. SS:Do you have any specific personal goals for 2017? When do you head to Ft. Myers? CS: My goals for myself is to have a better season than last. Definitely get a lot more stolen bases. Just don't put too much pressure on myself. I go back to Ft. Myers the beginning of March, but I'll probably go back a little earlier if I'm allowed just because I'm getting bored here on the east coast, and it's not bad to get settled in early. SS: Who are some of the coaches and others who have helped you get to this point in your career? CS: A lot of people helped me along the way. My dad and mom obviously, but it started in Little league, then my travel-ball coaches. They helped me develop and get to college. Now, my college coaches polished me and help me mature and develop to make it to pro ball. Coach Wiggs at Santa Fe and Coach Urso at Tampa, they put me in position and pushed me to get better and put me in position to be seen. SS: Favorite Baseball Movie? CS: As a kid it was Little Big League. Now it’s Moneyball.Thank you very much to Casey Scoggins for taking the time to respond to our questions. View full article

Bone Bruises are very painful... He pretty much missed the year. I'm sure they're not going to push him too much early in the year, and letting him start spring training March 7th instead of February 16th or something is probably wise. I'm more surprised that Hildenberger isn't on the list, but again, he missed the final month of the minor league season with an elbow injury, so same thing. He says he's doing well right now though.

Nick Gordon and Stephen Gonsalves are the big named prospects who were invited to Twins spring training. Here is the full press release: TWINS ANNOUNCE 2017 SPRING TRAINING INVITES Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that 16 players on minor league contracts have been invited to major league spring training camp in 2017. Joining the Twins will be six pitchers: right-handers Raul Fernandez, Jake Reed, Drew Rucinski, Aaron Slegers and Alex Wimmers; left-handed pitcher Stephen Gonsalves; catchers Eddy Rodriguez and Dan Rohlfing; infielders Tommy Field, Bengie Gonzalez, Niko Goodrum, Nick Gordon, Matt Hague, Leonardo Reginatto and Ben Paulsen; and outfielder J.B. Shuck. Of the 16 players invited to camp, seven have major league service time: Matt Hague (Toronto and Pittsburgh), Tommy Field (Texas, Los Angeles-AL, Pittsburgh and Colorado), Ben Paulsen (Colorado), Eddy Rodriguez (San Diego), Drew Rucinski (Los Angeles-AL), J.B. Shuck (Houston, Los Angeles-AL and Chicago-AL), and Alex Wimmers (Minnesota). Twins pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on Tuesday, Feb. 14, with their first workout slated for Wednesday, Feb. 15. The balance of the squad is scheduled to report on Saturday, Feb. 18 with full-squad workouts beginning on Sunday, Feb. 19, which coincides with the Twins Open House at CenturyLink Sports Complex. The Twins currently have 56 players scheduled to report to 2017 spring training.

Depends on the opponent. The Red Sox games sell out quickly. Most games are pretty full. For some, you could get them a couple days ahead of time. Note - Spring Training tickets are available starting on Saturday at 8 a.m. (I think the press release said 9 eastern)... at TwinsBaseball.com, or by calling 800-33-Twins.

For more on the Red Wings coaches, here is their press release: Quade to Manage Wings for Third Season in 2017 Allen, Cliburn and Bennese also return, Burks joins staff ROCHESTER, NY – The Minnesota Twins have announced that Mike Quade, Chad Allen, Stu Cliburn and Larry Bennese will all return to Rochester while Tyler Burks will join the Red Wings staff for the 2017 season. Quade, 59, enters his third season as manager of the Red Wings in 2017, leading Rochester to a 158-130 (.549) record in his first two campaigns. Next year will be his 20th season as a minor league manager and sixth in the International League. Quade’s 1,365 minor league wins rank him 12th among active MiLB managers. Allen, 41, is set for his second year as Rochester’s hitting coach. He briefly played for the Red Wings in 2002 when the club was affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles. Allen spent the previous three seasons with the Twins Double-A teams in New Britain (2013-14) and Chattanooga (2015) before joining the Wings. Cliburn, 60, returns to Rochester as pitching coach for a second consecutive season, a role he also held from 2006-08. Before rejoining the Red Wings in 2016, he spent the previous seven seasons as pitching coach for the Twins Double-A affiliates in New Britain (2009-14) and Chattanooga (2015). Overall, 2017 will be Cliburn’s 26th season as a coach in the Twins organization. Bennese returns as Rochester’s Athletic Trainer for the fifth consecutive season and his 22nd overall in the Twins organization. He was honored as the International League’s Athletic Trainer of the Year in 2014. Bennese received his Bachelor’s in Sports Medicine from Penn State University. Burks joins the Red Wings as Strength and Conditioning Coach after spending a majority of last season with the GCL Twins as a Strength and Conditioning Intern. He was also with Double-A Chattanooga from early August through the end of the 2016 season. Burks earned his Master’s in Nutrition & Human Performance from Logan University (MO) and his Bachelor’s in Physical Education/Exercise Science from the University of Central Missouri.

Per the Red Wings, they will have the same coaches with Mike Quade. Pitching Coach - Stu Cliburn Hitting Coach - Chad Allen

Per Mike Berardino, the Twins also signed veteran RHP Jim Miller to a Minor League deal: