Seth Stohs

We’ll do short profiles of our Top 8, but first, here are some Honorable Mentions. Honorable Mention James Beresford – Rochester Red Wings – 153-498 - .307/.341/.359 (.701) – 21-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 50-RBI Danny Ortiz – Rochester Red Wings – 120-484 - .248/.295/.430 (.725) – 31-2B, 3-3B, 17-HR, 78-RBI Travis Harrison – Chattanooga Lookouts – 95-396 - .240/.363/.356 (.719) – 23-2B, 4-3B, 5-HR, 54-RBI Niko Goodrum – Ft. Myers Miracle/Chattanooga Lookouts – 96-414 - .232/.331/.367 (.698) – 17-2B, 6-3B, 9-HR, 38-RBI Alex Swim – Ft. Myers – 107-344 - .311/.349/.360 (.709) – 13-2B, 2-3B, 0-HR, 38-RBI TJ White – Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers Miracle – 113-450 - .251/.336/.342 (.678) – 23-2B, 6-3B, 2-HR, 54-RBI Edgar Corcino – Cedar Rapids Kernels – 90-330 - .273/.340/.376 (.715) – 16-2B, 3-3B, 4-HR, 41-RBI Nick Gordon – Cedar Rapids Kernels – 133-481 - .277/.336/.360 (.696) – 23-2B, 7-3B, 1-HR, 58-RBI Hitter of the Year Here are the top eight vote-getters for Twins Minor League hitter of the year. #8 – Jorge Polanco – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings (139-525 - .288/.339/.386 (.725), with 23 doubles, 3 triples, 6 HR, 53 RBI) Polanco has had another solid season in the Twins system. As he did in 2014, Polanco moved around frequently. He spent the first half in Chattanooga. He has again had two brief cups of coffee with the big league club. He spent 22 games in Rochester. Following his most recent demotion from the Twins, he went back to the Lookouts. In 95 AA games this year, Polanco hit .289/.346/.393 (.739) with 17 doubles, three triples and six home runs. In 22 AAA games, he hit .284/.309/.352 (.661). Defense has been a much bigger concern for Polanco as he committed 28 errors in the minor leagues. In four games with the Twins, he had two more errors, though he was 3-10 at the plate. Where does he fit in the organization? Can he play enough defense at shortstop to be a big league regular? It will be interesting. #7 – Kennys Vargas – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings (69-244 - .283/.414/.496 (.910), with 9 doubles, 2 triples, 13 HR, 46 RBI) Though there were consistently rumors in spring training that Vargas could begin the season in the minor leagues. However, he was the fifth hitter in the Twins Opening Day lineup. However, he struggled mightily and was sent to Rochester. Weeks later, he returned, but the struggles continued. On July 1st, he was sent down to AA Chattanooga. It was what he needed to jump-start his season again. In 35 games, he hit .287/.417/.516 (.934) with three doubles, two triples and seven homers. He moved back up to AAA. He was the Twins Daily Hitter of the Month in August and returned to the Twins on September 1st. This is obviously not a list that Vargas wanted to be on, but he handled it well and the hope would be that he takes what he learned and take a step forward in his big league career. #6 – Byron Buxton – Chattanooga Lookouts/Rochester Red Wings (89-292 - .305/.367/.500 (.867), with 10 doubles, 13 triple, 7 HR, 45 RBI) After missing much of the 2014 season, excitement was high for the Twins (and baseball’s) top prospect. 2015 has been a topsy-turvy year for the phenom. He hit .180 through the first 12 games. Doug Mientkiewicz gave him two straight days off to clear his mind. He responded by hitting .338 (1.056 OPS) over the next 16 games. Then he went 1-21 (.048) over the next five games. However, over the next 25 games, he hit .347/.422/.564 (.987) with 12 extra base hits. He was called up to the Twins and hit .189 in his 11 games with the Twins. However, he missed about six weeks due to a thumb injury. When he returned, he was sent to Rochester. He hit .400 and hit in all 13 games he played in with the Red Wings. At that point, Aaron Hicks was hurt and Buxton returned to the Twins lineup. He had multiple hits in four of his first six games and has hit .282/.326/.378 (.705) in 31 games since his return. More important to the 2015 Twins, his defense is centerfield has been even more impressive than touted. It’s clear in watching him that he has the potential to be great, but he still has work to do. #5 – Tanner English – Cedar Rapids Kernels (75-243 - .265/.359/.406 (.764), with 22 doubles, 8 triples, 5 HR, 36 RBI) English was the Twins 11th round pick just last year out of the University of South Carolina. He struggled early in the season, batting ninth for the Kernels and working through some mechanical issues. From July 4 through August 14 (36 games), he went on a tear. He hit .328/.400/518 (.918) with 13 doubles, two triples and three home runs. Looking for a longer sample size, he hit .285/.364/.440 (.805) with 18 doubles, seven triple and four home runs over his final 76 games. Unfortunately, his season came to an abrupt end on August 14th with a collision in left centerfield that ended his season with a thumb injury. English is a tremendous defensive centerfielder with great range and a strong arm. He has good speed and stole 28 bases in 33 attempts this year. #3 (Tie) – Reynaldo Rodriguez – Rochester Red Wings (113-401 - .255/.307/.446 (.753), with 34 doubles, 7 triples, 16 HR, 80 RBI) Rodriguez just finished his third season in the Twins organization. Although he has been good and productive in his first two seasons, 2015 was his best. The 29-year-old from Colombia originally signed with the Yankees in 2005. He played some independent league ball and also spent four years in the Red Sox organization. He spent the entire 2013 season in New Britain. He spent most of 2014 with the Rock Cats, though he did play ten games with the Red Wings. Rodriguez punished left-handed pitching to the tune of a .882 OPS compared with a .707 OPS against right-handers. #3 (Tie) – Miguel Sano – Chattanooga Lookouts (.274/.374/.544 (.918), with 18 doubles, 1 triple, 15 HR, 48 RBI) As we all know, Sano missed the entire 2014 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. As one would expect after not playing a meaningful game for nearly 17 months, Sano struggled early, shaking off rust. After an 0-3 on May 1st, Sano was hitting .152/.300/.364 (.664) in 19 games. At that point, he took off. Over his next 47 games, he hit .320/.403/.611 (1.014). That was through June 29th. His next game was with the Twins on June 2nd, and he has continued to rake, hit home runs, drive in runs, walk, and strikeout with strong regularity. #2 – Adam Brett Walker – Chattanooga Lookouts (100-356 - .239/.309/.498 (807), with 31 doubles, 3 triples, 31 HR, 106 RBI) Walker was the Twins 3rd round pick in 2012. He put together a very interesting 2015 season. His batting average dipped a little, and yet his walk rate improved. He also led minor league baseball in strikeouts with 195. However, it’s hard to ignore the productivity, and the consistent productivity. He led his league in home runs for the third straight season. He drove in over 100 runs for the second time in three seasons. He continued to surprise people with some sneaky stolen bases. He moved from right field to left field. The strikeouts, of course, remain a huge concern in the short and long term. However, few minor leaguers have as much raw power as Walker. His power is on par with Miguel Sano’s. Still just 23-years-old, the hard-working Walker will be added to the Twins 40-man roster following the season. Hitter of the Year – Max Kepler – Chattanooga Lookouts (131-407 - .322/.416/.531 (.947), with 32 doubles, 13 triples, 9 HR, 71 RBI) Kepler’s spring training ended a little early due to a minor injury. He started his season with six games with the Ft. Myers Miracle. But that was just a tune up. He was promoted to Chattanooga and after that, he didn’t stop hitting. He was the Twins Daily minor league hitter of the month in May when he hit .359/.400/.583 (.983) with 13 doubles, two triples and two home runs. He was the runner up for Twins Daily hitter of the month in June and July (though the Minnesota Twins named him their top minor league hitter both of those months. In June, he hit .364/.472/.580 (1.052) with five doubles, two triples and three homers. In July, he hit .306/.412/.556 (.967) with five doubles, two triples and three homers. In August, he finished fourth in Twins Daily hitter of the month voting, but he still hit .301/.405/.495. In his career, he had struggled against left-handed pitching. In 2015, he hit .322/.394/.478 (.872) against southpaws. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, Kepler should continue to develop power. For now, he has a lot of doubles power and his speed turns some of them into triples. He even stole 19 bases in 23 attempts in 2015. Last month, Parker wrote about Kepler’s continued improvement. In it, Lookouts hitting coach talked about the incorporation of a leg kick and how they made him more aggressive. It worked. Kepler put up numbers that aren’t seen often. He was named the Southern League MVP. Baseball America and MLB.com put them on their 2015 Minor League All Star teams. He has led the Lookouts to the Southern League playoffs. Many were worried about his overall numbers the last couple of years. However, he is still just 22-years-old. In 2013, he turned his remarkable tools into skills. So there you have it. There were some really terrific offensively performances by Twins minor leaguers in 2015. THE BALLOTS In an attempt to be transparent, here are the votes from our Twins Daily minor league writers: Seth Stohs – 1.) Max Kepler, 2.) Adam Brett Walker, 3.) Reynaldo Rodriguez, 4.) Miguel Sano, 5.) Kennys Vargas, 6.) Byron Buxton, 7.) Tanner English, 8.) James Beresford Jeremy Nygaard – 1.) Max Kepler, 2.) Aaron Hicks, 3.) Kennys Vargas, 4.) Miguel Sano, 5.) Byron Buxton, 6.) James Beresford, 7.) Adam Brett Walker, 8.) Reynaldo Rodriguez Cody Christie – 1.) Max Kepler, 2.) Adam Brett Walker, 3.) Tanner English, 4.) Jorge Polanco, 5.) Reynaldo Rodriguez, 6.) Mitch Garver, 7.) Danny Ortiz, 8.) Travis Harrison Steve Lien – 1.) Max Kepler, 2.) Adam Brett Walker, 3.) Miguel Sano, 4.) Byron Buxton, 5.) Reynaldo Rodriguez, 6.) Nick Gordon, 7.) Danny Ortiz, 8.) Travis Harrison Eric Pleiss – 1.) Max Kepler, 2.) Adam Brett Walker, 3.) Tanner English, 4.) Travis Harrison, 5.) Jorge Polanco, 6.) TJ White, 7.) Mitch Garver, 8.) Reynaldo Rodriguez. Feel free to discuss. How would your ballot look?

CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 6 (11 innings) Box Score The Lookouts got out to an early lead and got a strong start. The game was tied in the later innings and there was bonus baseball in Chattanooga on Saturday night. The team fell behind in the 10th but got a huge, clutch homer to send it to the 11th. Unfortunately, they did not have a second comeback and fell to the Biscuits. With one out in the bottom of the first inning, Jorge Polanco singled and Max Kepler walked. A Travis Harrison single drove in Polanco. Kepler advanced to third and Harrison took second base on the throw. Dalton Hicks came up next and drove in both runners with a single. The Lookouts had a 3-0 lead. That was it for the Lookout scoring, at least for a long while. Jason Wheeler started and threw well. The left-hander worked six innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out five. Nick Burdi came on and gave up two really quick runs to tie the game in the seventh. However, Burdi settled down and finished two innings, allowing just the two runs and striking out four. JT Chargois came in and threw a scoreless ninth inning. Bonus Baseball in Tennessee for the playoffs. Chargois came out again for the tenth frame. In it, he gave up two runs before getting the third out. Things looked bleak, but in the bottom half of the 10th inning, Shannon Wilkerson led off with a walk. He rounded the bases when Jorge Polanco blasted a long home run to tie the game at five. Brandon Peterson came on for the 11th inning. The Savage, Minnesota, native really struggled with his control. He walked the first two batters. After a sacrifice bunt, there was another walk to load the bases. Unfortunately, a blooper to center dropped out of Jorge Polanco’s glove and one run scored. Peterson then coaxed a double play, but the damage had been done. The Lookouts went 1, 2, 3 in the bottom of the 11th inning. Polanco went 2-5 with the home run. Adam Brett Walker doubled in his first at-bat before striking out in his final four at-bats. The Lookouts also had four errors in the game. The series is tied at one game apiece and now head back to Montgomery. That is where games three and four, and if necessary, game five, will be played. At 6:20 (central time) on Sunday, the teams will play Game 3. Right-hander Greg Peavey will take the ball for the Lookouts.

KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 2 Box Score The Kernels got a perfect combination of very strong start coupled with a couple of big hits and held on to win Game 1 of the second round of the Midwest League playoffs. Cedar Rapids got on the board right away in the top of the first inning. Rafael Valera led off the game with a walk. Two outs later, TJ White walked as well. That brought LaMonte Wade to the plate and he drove a ball to deep right-center. It hit the warning track and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. Valera scored, but had the ball stayed in play the Kernels would likely have scored two. Wade went 2-4 on the night. Keaton Steele struggled at the start. He gave up a leadoff single and hit the second batter. After a fielder’s choice, the clean-up man, Harrison Bader, drove in Peoria’s Darren Seferina to tie the game at one. Steele and Peoria’s starter Matt Pearce exchanged zeroes through the sixth inning. However, the Kernels were able to get to Pearce in the seventh. The inning began with Chris Paul being hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch, Max Murphy hit a long home run to give the Kernels a 3-1 lead. Murphy, the Twins ninth-round pick in 2014 out of Bradley University was back in familiar territory. The Bradley baseball team plays at Dozer Park, the same field that the Peoria Chiefs call home. Steele completed eight innings and gave up just the one run. He gave up two hits, did not walk anyone and struck out a season-high nine batters. Nick Anderson came in for the ninth inning after recording saves in the Kernels two wins in the first round. It was a little nerve-wracking. The leadoff man tripled and scored on a single. However, Anderson struck out the next three batters to record his third save of the postseason. On Sunday afternoon at 4:05 in Cedar Rapids, left-hander Randy Rosario will take the mound for the Kernels in Game 2. Should a Game 3 be necessary, Randy LeBlanc is scheduled to start on Monday in Cedar Rapids.

As Kurt Suzuki laid on the ground after a home plate collision with the Royals’ Jarrod Dyson. On Twitter, I was being asked what the Twins would do if Suzuki needed to miss significant time. In mid-September, the Twins would have to rely on the combination of Chris Herrmann and Eric Fryer down the stretch. On September 12, 2009, Justin Morneau dove head-first into first base in an attempt to avoid a tag. He jarred his back and ended up with a stress fracture in his lower back. It was all bad news. Morneau had just reached 30 home runs and 100 RBI. The team was also 5 ½ games back of the Detroit Tigers. At 70-72, the situation looked bleak. The good thing was that the Twins were scheduled to play the Tigers seven more times over the final 20 games. Little did we know at the time that they would play them an eighth time, in Game 163 at the Metrodome. Michael Cuddyer moved in to first base. Jason Kubel was primarily DHing, and he moved out to right field. The DH position was filled with the likes of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris. But if the Twins were going to get to the playoffs, they needed those two to step up, but others as well. And, that’s exactly what happened. The offense took off, and the Twins went 17-4 down the stretch, catching the Tigers and winning Game 163. Here is a look at how the hitters performed over that final stretch. MICHAEL CUDDYER The team-first Cuddyer stepped up. Over the final 21 games, he hit .325/.398/.675 (1.073) with three doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 24 RBI. He also played very well at first base in Morneau’s absence. Overall, Cuddyer hit 34 doubles, 32 homers and drove in 94 runs. This final stretch got him a lot of MVP votes. JOE MAUER Mauer’s MVP season was absolutely incredible. Though Cuddyer hit the home runs and drove in 24 runs, Mauer was on base most of the month. In 21 games starting September 13, he hit .378/.521/.527 (1.048) with five doubles, two homers and 14 RBI. Those numbers are amazing, but they were right in line with his full-season numbers in 2009. Overall, he hit .365/.444/.587 (1.034) with 30 doubles and 28 homers. ORLANDO CABRERA The Twins acquired the 34-year-old shortstop from Oakland in exchange for former 2nd-round pick Tyler Ladendorf (who made his MLB debut for the A’s in 2015). Cabrera was magnificent down the stretch. He played all 21 games and hit .355/.378/.538 (.915) with six doubles, a triple, three homers and 19 RBI while playing a strong shortstop. JASON KUBEL Kubel moved out to the outfield from DH and hit well down the stretch. He played in 20 of the final 21 games and hit .278/.333/.597 (.931) with five doubles, six home runs and 21 RBI. DENARD SPAN The 25-year-old Span was in his first full season with the Twins and did a great job leading off. He played in 19 of the final 21 games and hit .333/.398/.397 (.795) with three doubles and a triple. He drove in 11 runs and scored 16 times. DELMON YOUNG The 23-year-old was in left field. He played all 21 games and hit .353/.380/.576 (.957) with five doubles, a triple, four home runs and 17 RBI. NICK PUNTO Ron Gardenhire loved his defense and his approach at the plate. He was a polarizing figure with fans. However, he took over at second base late in this season. He played in all 21 of the final games and hit .250/.407/.297 (.704) with three doubles. In that stretch, he walked 17 times and obviously played great defense. MATT TOLBERT 2009 was the year they brought in Joe Crede. As he had in previous seasons, Crede ended up out for the season with recurring back issues. Tolbert wasn’t much of a hitter, but he started 18 of the final 21 games. After September 13th, he hit .313/.347/.448 (.795) with four doubles, a triple and a home run. GAME 163 HEROES Mauer and Tolbert each had two hits in Game 163. But that game was also a reminder that anyone can play hero in a big game or a pennant stretch. In the final inning, Carlos Gomez was on second and scored on a game-winning single off the bat of Alexi Casilla. Bobby Keppel was the winning pitcher, his first and only major league win. BRIAN DUENSING People may forget, but Duensing was alright as a starting pitcher for a while. In his final four starts of that 2009 season, he went 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA. On September 13th, with the Morneau news fresh, Duensing threw seven shutout innings. He backed that up with 6.1 scoreless innings in his next outing. OTHERS Francisco Liriano was pretty bad and had been moved to the bullpen later in the season. Scott Baker went 2-1 despite a 4.61 ERA. Jeff Manship wasn’t great, but he picked up his first career win in Game 160. Joe Nathan posted a 1.46 ERA and recorded nine saves. The Twins went 12-0 in games he pitched. SUMMARY 2010 was the last time the Twins were in the playoffs and Twins fans were involved in a pennant race. However, the second half of the final month of 2009 was as exciting as it gets in the baseball world. The former MVP gets hurt. Things don’t look good. Someone needs to step up. Everyone did step up. Mauer was amazing. Cuddyer had some huge home runs. And then there was Game 163, one of the most exciting games in Twins history. So, what will happen in the final three weeks of the 2015 season? There’s no way to know. The Twins are just 1.5 games back of a playoff spot. Who will step up? Will it be a big name? Will Miguel Sano hit a few more big home runs? How will the rookies respond? Will the veterans lead the way? Will a role player come up in a big situation and come through? In reality, they will need a combination of all of the above. No one knows the answers to those questions. All I know is that it’s going to be a lot of fun to find watch!

So, let's go back to early April. You pick the date. Do you prefer to go back to Opening Day, or a week later when the team was 1-6? Now ask yourself how you think the Twins outlook for the rest of the season would be if you knew that on Labor Day, Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco would both be on the Disabled List. Glen Perkins isn't even on the road trip because of a bad back after missing time with a pain in his neck. The bullpen was full of question marks. Joe Mauer was still hitting just .267. Kurt Suzuki was hitting like Kurt Suzuki of old. Torii Hunter's offense was showing his 40 years. The Twins just lost two out of three in Houston including a really tough, late loss on Sunday. Then remind yourself that this team is 1.5 games behind Texas in the race for the AL's second wild card berth. They are again five games over .500. As impressive, after that really difficult, late-innings loss on Sunday in Houston, the Twins found the resiliency they've shown on several occasions this year. Just when you think they're out, they lure us back with a winning streak or an improbable, resilient win. It may sound cliché by now, but this playoff race stuff is fun. Twins fans have waited four years for this. By Labor Day, many of us - even us diehards - would be channel surfing rather than watching each pitch and each inning. That means being on the edge of our eats as Kevin Jepsen sweated through his Saturday night save. It means lunging from your chair when Byron Buxton came up with the big catch to win that game and end Houston's threat. It means being disappointed when Tyler Duffey was removed from Sunday's game only to see Trevor May cough up the lead on Jed Lowrie's grand slam. It means understanding that those games happen through a baseball season, but moaning about its implications in the standings. The Twins have given us in 2015 what we've wanted for the last four years. Hopefully they can remain in this thing and continue to give us meaningful games to watch through September, and maybe even into October. They will need to continue getting strong performances from veteran and rookie alike. When Tommy Milone came back from AAA, he began with seven straight starts where he gave up two runs or less, something he has now done in 11 of 16 post-return starts. Torii Hunter has had five hits in his last two games. He had six hits in his previous 18 games. While Miguel Sano gets all the headlines, and deservingly so, Eddie Rosario continues to get some big hits - including that big, two-run triple over the weekend. He also continues to play great defense and last night got another outfield assist. It has been a difficult season for Kurt Suzuki, but in his past 20 games, he is hitting .298. Joe Mauer isn’t putting up Mauer-like numbers that fans got accustomed to in the first decade of his career, but his numbers remain tremendous in clutch situations. With Runners in Scoring Position, he is hitting. 352/.463/.448. With Runners on 2nd and 3rd or bases loaded this year, he is hitting .500/.571/.611. Since Danny Santana was sent down to Rochester (and Jorge Polanco to Chattanooga), Eduardo Escobar has hit .333/.368/.544 with 13 doubles and five home runs. Miguel Sano carried the team for about a month. He’s in a real slump right now. Byron Buxton has struggled offensively. Tyler Duffey has probably been the Twins second-best starting pitcher in the last month. But now the season is down to about three weeks, and the Twins are just 1.5 games back of Texas and 1.5 games ahead of the Angels. Here’s a quick glimpse at the remaining schedule: Two @ Kansas City Three @ Chicago (White Sox) Three vs Detroit Four vs LA Angels Three vs Cleveland Three @ Detroit Four @ Cleveland Three vs Kansas City 25 games remaining. 21 of them are within the division. Four games against an Angels team that is just 1.5 games behind them. Seven games against a surging Cleveland team that has a terrific rotation. How many will the Twins need to win in order to achieve that second wild card position? Would going 15-10 be enough? Would they need to go 19-6? Of course, there is no way to know. It’s not going to be easy down the stretch, but we are reminded that when a team is in contention and every game matters, nothing comes easy. But this is what we’ve wanted. Meaningful games in September. We’ve got that!!

Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Another day, another solid start for a Red Wings pitcher. On this day, Michael Bowden gave up just one run over 5.1 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out five. Loek van Mil came on and walked one over 1.1 scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson struck out one of the four batters he faced and got out. Mark Hamburger gave up two hits, but struck out two, in his scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with a walk. Doug Bernier went 2-4 with two RBI. Carlos Paulino went 0-1, but he walked three times. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Jackson 10 (10 innings) Box Score The Lookouts entered the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday night's game trailing 8-1. They chipped four runs off that lead. They spotted the Generals two more runs in the seventh, but knocked off in that inning and then put up another four-spot in the eighth to knot the game at 10 and send it to extras. An error allowed Stephen Wickens to score the walk-off run. Shannon Wilkerson led the late-inning offensive juggernaut, going 4-6 with his 11th stolen base. He came up a home-run short of the cycle. Jorge Polanco doubled among his two hits. With the exception of D.J. Hicks, all starters drove in a run; Jairo Rodriguez drove in two. Travis Harrison was 1-3, but drew three walks. Levi Michael doubled and also swiped his 18th bag of the year. Brett Lee gave up seven runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings. He walked and struck out one. He was relieved by Jake Red who gave up a home run among the three he allowed. He recorded four outs. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless inning and a third. Brandon Peterson collected the win. He pitched two scoreless frames and struck out four. The Lookouts conclude their regular season with a Monday matinee. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 5 Box Score The Miracle fell in their final game of the season. They end their season with a 76-63. That is the best overall record in the Florida State League South Division. However, because they did not win the division in either half, they will not make the playoffs. The Miracle also set an attendance record at Hammond Stadium this season. Luke Westphal started and gave up two runs (1 earned) on nine hits in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out five. Brian Gilbert went the next 1.1 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. Tyler Jay walked one and struck out one in his inning. Zack Jones gave up two unearned runs on three hits in his inning. He struck out one. Alex Muren finished it with a perfect inning. Ryan Walker went 2-2 with his seventh double. Zach Granite was 2-3 with his tenth double. Engelb Vielma went 1-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 1 Box Score The Kernels are prepping for their playoff run. We learned from Jeff Johnson (The Gazette, Cedar Rapids) that they will use Felix Jorge, Sam Gibbons and Keaton Steele in their upcoming series against Quad Cities. Randy LeBlanc ended his season with a quality start. He gave up one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three and improved to 9-5 with a 3.03 ERA. Luke Bard gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three. Nick Anderson picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth. Nick Gordon led the offense. He went 2-4 with his seventh triple and an RBI. TJ White was 1-3 and drove in a run. Austin Diemer went 2-3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers Jackson @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Feel free to leave any questions or comments below.