Seth Stohs

Same hamstring, re-aggravated a couple of games into his return. He's out for the season and he'll participate in Instructs in the Dominican.

Bernier was added as a September call up... Though it's just a week, there is a different. OK, maybe 'easy' wasn't the right word, but again, my bigger point is the other options were Walker and Palka and I'd rather them get 35 more at bats than 7-8 in MLB.

That's a fair question... I may have to be more willing to edit titles.

I have predicted he would, but I'd also given up on there being a whole lot of rhyme or reason with who goes to the AFL. It's not just top prospects. It's generally guys who need some extra time for whatever reason (play them against good competition, make up time lost for injury, etc.).

Updated.

Byron Buxton was named International League Hitter of the Week.

I'd oh someone less than a dollar if anyone would have taken me up on it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Schafer sticks for the rest of the year. I'm just saying I wouldn't. I'm fine with him coming up now, but in my mind, he should be DFAd when the minor league season is done. We'll see. I won't place any sort of bet on that one.

Player of the Week: 8/22-8/28: Double-A Chattanooga outfielder Zach Granite is the Twins minor league player of the week... Granite played seven games for the Lookouts, hitting .357 (10-for-28) with two doubles, six runs scored, two RBI and six stolen bases...the 23-year-old was drafted by the Twins in the 14th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft out of Seton Hall University...Granite has played in 118 games for the Lookouts this season, hitting .300 (146-for-487) with 16 doubles, eight triples, four home runs 49 RBI, 81 runs scored and 50 stolen bases...he leads the Southern League in batting average and stolen bases and ranks second in runs scored...

Jarvis Brown, Les Straker, Paul Sorrento... These guys all have World Series rings...

Pretty easy choice. They need an extra outfielder. Rochester's season is over on September 6th. In 7 more games, Palka and Walker can get probably 30-32 plate appearances playing in Rochester. In the next 7 games with the Twins Palka or Walker would probably get 4-5 plate appearances. Easy decision if you ask me. (Then again, when rosters expand, I'd take Schafer off the 25 and 40 man rosters and call up guys with a future.)

It doesn't count as an option because he wouldn't be optioned. What is does is takes up a spot on the 40 man roster that someone else can't get in the offseason. Since Gonsalves doesn't need to be added this winter, and others do, and there isn't any upside of pushing Gonsalves to MLB, it doesn't make sense to do.

It's ten games at the end of the year... Could be wearing down some, playing in the heat of Florida every day for 6 months. Could just be a slump. It's been a positive year for the shortstop.

I'm pretty sure that they all have an opinion, and Brad Steil has an opinion... And they know where Blankenhorn is defensively, and I'm certain they are just fine with how much playing time he's getting in the field. In game is one place to work on things, but he's getting plenty of grounders before games... Arraez isn't a great 2B either, and he's getting some time there. Blankenhorn will also get a ton of work there (or somewhere) in Instructional League. His bat is what has him up in Cedar Rapids.

Maybe... Ballots are out right now... It'll be interesting. Maybe more interesting will be which pitcher will be the #1 prospect in the system.

It was another interesting day for the Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates. One starter carried a no-hitter into the late innings. Two other starters worked into the sixth inning with shutouts. The Kernels inched closer to a playoff berth thanks to a quality start and three, three-hit games. Byron Buxton kept a streak going. Hey, when the big league club can’t find wins, there are always multiple positives in the farm system! The two Twins short-season affiliates are less than a week from the end of their regular seasons. As of now, Elizabethton would be in the playoffs. The GCL Twins are one game behind the Red Sox. Continue reading for all the details for a Saturday in the minor league parks. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photos of Travis Blankenhorn, Sam Gibbons, Luis Arraez, Stephen Gonsalves) It was another interesting day for the Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates. One starter carried a no-hitter into the late innings. Two other starters worked into the sixth inning with shutouts. The Kernels inched closer to a playoff berth thanks to a quality start and three, three-hit games. Byron Buxton kept a streak going. Hey, when the big league club can’t find wins, there are always multiple positives in the farm system! The two Twins short-season affiliates are less than a week from the end of their regular seasons. As of now, Elizabethton would be in the playoffs. The GCL Twins are one game behind the Red Sox. Continue reading for all the details for a Saturday in the minor league parks. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 4 (11 innings) Box Score The story of this game through six-plus innings was left-hander Nick Greenwood. He didn’t give up a hit until there were two outs in the seventh inning. Former Twins and Red Wings player Chris Parmelee hit a double to break up the no-no. The next batter homered to end the shutout. So, in total, Greenwood gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out four. Alan Busenitz came on for the eighth inning. He gave two runs on three hits which tied the score at four. The game went to extra innings. Jake Reed threw two scoreless innings, striking out one. The Wings took the lead on the top of the 11th inning. Edward Mujica came on and recorded his 24th save of the International League season, but it was his first save for the Red Wings. He gave up two hits, but he struck out three. For the fourth straight game, Byron Buxton homered. He went 2-6 and the homer was his 11th of the season for the Red Wings. Mitch Garver drove in two runs with his first International League home run. Adam Brett Walker went 2-4 and drove in a run. Wilfredo Tovar hit his 23rd double. In the 11th, he walked to bring in the winning run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Mississippi 1 Box Score Saturday was Stephen Gonsalves’s turn to start for the Lookouts. He improved to 8-1 and dropped his ERA to 1.64. The southpaw gave up five hits and walked two over 5.2 shutout innings. He struck out six. Todd Van Steensel came on and got the next four outs. He needed just ten pitches to do it. Mason Melotakis returned from the disabled list to pitch the eighth inning. He gave up two hits and issued a walk but he struck out three batters to get through the inning without allowing a run. Raul Fernandez got the ninth inning. He gave up a run but recorded his fifth save. The Lookouts had just five hits in the game, but they were big ones. Edgar Corcino got the team on the board with a two-run triple. It was his fifth triple for the team. Travis Harrison provided some insurance with his seventh home run. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 0, Jupiter 3 Box Score Sam Clay was on the mound for the Miracle. The left-hander gave up three runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out six batters. Luke Westphal, Michael Theofanopoulos and Confesor Lara each threw a scoreless inning. “Theo” struck out three, and Lara struck out two. The Miracle had just five hits on the game. Their top four hitters combined to go 0-15. Brad Hartong went 2-3 in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Clinton 2 Box Score The Kernels are fast-approaching clinching a playoff spot in the Midwest League. On Saturday night in Clinton, they inched closer thanks to a strong start from Sam Gibbons. The Australian right-hander gave up just two runs on nine hits over six innings to record his seventh win. He struck out two without issuing a walk. Michael Cederoth walked two and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Anthony McIver gave up a hit, but he got the final three outs to preserve the win. Brandon Lopez went 3-4 with his first two MWL doubles. He was also hit by a pitch. Luis Arraez went 3-4 with a walk. He hit his 29th and 30th doubles, drove in two runs and stole his third bag and raised his average to .351. Travis Blankenhorn also had three hits in five at-bats. He had a triple and two RBI. Zander Wiel went 2-5 with two RBI. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Greeneville 0 Box Score The two teams combined for just seven hits in this game. Caleb Hamilton, who walked twice, scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ariel Montesino.The E-Twins had just four hits overall. Tyler Wells, who struck out 14 in seven shutout innings his last outing, threw six shutout innings in this game. He gave up two hits, walked two, hit one and struck out three. He improved to 5-2 on the season. Colton Davis returned to the mound after not pitching for nearly a month. He struck out two in two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked one. Patrick McGuff came on for the ninth and recorded his ninth save. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Taylor Clemensia started for the Twins and went just 1.2 innings. He gave up three unearned runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out one. He really struggled to find the strike zone. Moises Gomez came on in relief and worked the final 6.1 innings. He gave up just one run on four hits. He struck out two without issuing a walk. His season ERA actually went up to 0.83 in 32.2 innings. Aaron Whitefield again led the way. He went 2-2 and stole his 29th and 30th bases of the season. He also threw two runners out from the outfield. In the second, he left the game with a sore non-throwing neck/shoulder (per Bob Sacamento). The Twins had just five hits in the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Stephen Gonsalves, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Luis Arraez, Cedar Rapids Kernels SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (3:05 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler Mississippi @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (12:00 CST) - RHP Keaton Steele Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (2:00 CST) – RHP Brady Anderson Elizabethton @ Greeneville (5:00 CST) - RHP Ryan Mason GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Saturday's games. View full article

According to Mike Berardino, RHP Ervin Santana has cleared waivers. As we know, that means that he can be traded to any team the rest of the season. It's somewhat surprising with the combination of 1.) how well he's pitching and 2.) a very reasonable two years and $28 million remaining on his contract. With a weak free agent starting pitcher market this offseason, the Twins should be able to ask for - and maybe get - a big return for Santana.

He's finally healthy, and he's pitching very well.

A long road to the big leagues finally led Alex Wimmers to the big leagues. On Thursday afternoon, he got The Call. On Friday night in Toronto he struck out two in a perfect first big league innings. It’s a good reminder for all of the Twins minor leaguers not to give up on their dreams as long as they can hang on. Byron Buxton kept a streak alive. Alex Kirilloff broke out of his first pro slump. There was a grand slam, and a walk-off home run. And there was a lot of strong starting pitching. It was a full, exciting day throughout the Twins minor league system. Continue reading for all the details. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Jaylin Davis) A long road to the big leagues finally led Alex Wimmers to the big leagues. On Thursday afternoon, he got The Call. On Friday night in Toronto he struck out two in a perfect first big league innings. It’s a good reminder for all of the Twins minor leaguers not to give up on their dreams as long as they can hang on. Byron Buxton kept a streak alive. Alex Kirilloff broke out of his first pro slump. There was a grand slam, and a walk-off home run. And there was a lot of strong starting pitching. It was a full, exciting day throughout the Twins minor league system. Continue reading for all the details. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 1 Box Score Adalberto Mejia may be shut down, but if Friday was his final start, he went out with a good one. The left-hander acquired from the Giants for Eduardo Nunez gave up just one run in seven innings. He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out five. Neil Ramirez worked the final two innings and gave up just one hit. He struck out four. Byron Buxton got things going in a big way. He went 2-5 and hit a three-run homer. It was his tenth homer for the Red Wings this season. It was also his third straight game with a home run. (Should I mention he also struck out three times?) Wilfredo Tovar went 3-4. Leonardo Reginnato - who was named to Brazil’s WBC-Qualifier team on Friday - went 2-4 with his second Red Wings double. Mitch Garver went 2-4, and Adam Brett Walker went 2-5. Kennys Vargas added his 15th double. The Red Wings are now 75-59 and in third place in the division. However they are 3.5 games back of Lehigh Valley for the one wild card spot up for grabs. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Jacksonville 2 Box Score Felix Jorge put together arguably his best start since joining the Lookouts. The right-hander went seven innings and gave up just two runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out three. Luke Bard gave up one hit in a scoreless eighth inning. He struck out one. Zack Jones recorded his second save and dropped his ERA to 1.80 with a one-hit, scoreless ninth frame. Niko Goodrum went 2-5 with his seventh double. Stuart Turner went 2-4. Edgar Corcino and Engelb Vielma each went 1-3 with a walk. Vielma was also hit by a pitch. So was Travis Harrison who was 1-2 with a walk. Before the game, the team announced that Mason Melotakis came off of the disabled list. To make room, OF Shannon Wilkerson was released. The Lookouts are now 69-61 overall. They are 33-25 in the second half, 2.0 games behind Montgomery, and 2.5 games behind Jackson. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Jupiter 4 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez has become an innings-eater with the Miracle. On this night, he gave up four runs (three earned) on nine hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out just one. John Curtiss worked a perfect eighth inning. Tanner English led the offense by going 3-4. Joe Maloney added his 16th double. Trey Vavra and Alex Perez each had an RBI single. The Miracle are now 66-64 overall. In the second half, they are 32-29, two games behind Jupiter and 1.5 games behind St. Lucie in the FSL South Division. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Clinton 5 Box Score The Kernels had a terrific night with the bats, but Tyler Beardsley recorded his first Midwest League win. He gave up two runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out three and did not issue a walk. Zander Wiel went 3-5 with his 15th home run. Travis Blankenhorn was 3-5 with his fifth Kernels double. Jaylin Davis went 3-4 with a walk and his sixth home run. JJ Fernandez was 2-5 with his 25th double. Overall, the Kernels are 73-57. In the 2nd half, they are 37-24 which is six games behind Clinton. However, since Clinton also won the first half, the Kernels have a five game lead over Burlington for a second-half playoff berth. Their magic number to clinch a playoff spot is five. UPDATE - Please read SD Buhr's comment below for the Kernels actual playoff scenario... I forgot the Midwest League's playoff rules. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Burlington 6 Box Score Mitchell Kranson was the Twins ninth-round pick this June out of California. On Friday night, he sent E-Twins fans home happy. He led off the bottom of the ninth with his fourth home run, a walk-off, to give the E-Twins the win. Alex Kiriloff kept the Twins close early in the game. He had a two-run triple (his first pro triple), and a two-run homer (his seventh homer). Shane Carrier went 2-4 in the game. Miguel De Jesus worked the first four innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out three. Hector Lujan gave up three runs on five hits over the next 3.1 innings. He struck out two. Patrick McGuff got the final two outs of the eighth inning. He gave up a run in the ninth which tied the game at six and set up the Kranson heroics. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 5, GCL Reds 4 Box Score Sometimes all a team needs is one big inning, and that’s what happened for the Twins on Friday afternoon. A five-run, seventh inning was enough to give them the win. The big hit came off the bat of Lean Marrero. Following a bases-loaded walk by Aaron Whitefield, Marrero hit his second homer of the year. The grand slam gave the Twins a lead they were able to hang on to. Jorge Munoz went 2-3 with a walk. Zach Featherstone was also 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. Jordan Balazovic was on the mound for the Twins. He gave up only an unearned run over the first five innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out one. Callan Pearce gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. Onas Farfan came on and struck out three over 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings. He did hit one batter. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Adalberto Mejia, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jaylin Davis, Cedar Rapids Kernels SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (6:05 CST) - LHP Nick Greenwood Mississippi @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) - LHP Stephen Gonsalves Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (4:30 CST) - LHP Sam Clay Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Elizabethton @ Greeneville (5:00 CST) - TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox - LHP Taylor Clemensia Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss Friday's games. View full article

I'm certain they kept track of all of the innings he threw for 6-7 weeks in Extended Spring Training. He likely went 3-4 innings 7-8 times, so that's another 30ish innings which really puts him at about 120 innings this year. Also, in reality, Romero is going to miss one, maybe two starts.

According to a tweet by Ken Rosenthal, the Minnesota Twins are looking to hire a president of baseball operations type. That person would then be in charge of hiring a new general manager and other front office types. This has become the trend in the last decade or so throughout baseball, and it would seem to be a good direction for the Twins to go as well. Image courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, USA Today According to a tweet by Ken Rosenthal, the Minnesota Twins are looking to hire a president of baseball operations type. That person would then be in charge of hiring a new general manager and other front office types. This has become the trend in the last decade or so throughout baseball, and it would seem to be a good direction for the Twins to go as well. Here is the tweet from Rosenthal: https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/769215559527309312 This is a direction that Nick presented back in May, even before the announcement that GM Terry Ryan had been fired. He wrote that he believes current Twins president Dave St. Peter does his job well as it is currently laid out, but adds that the duties associated with that title are changing across the majors. Nick wrote: St. Peter would likely remain in his current role of running the Twins business, but this new president of baseball operations would be more involved in roster construction and such. Few names have been mentioned as potential candidates over the last month or so. Ben Cherington appears to be a favorite. Darren Wolfson has reported that he is very much interested. The Twins hired a search firm, Korn Ferry, to conduct their search and make recommendations. A new president of baseball operations would likely come in and evaluate current Twins front office personnel, including interim GM Rob Antony, along with outside options to determine the new general manager and other front office posts. Presumably, the Twins will want to hire a president of baseball operations by the end of the season so that person could get his or her staff in place. They would certainly want to have new staff in place by organizational meetings (which could be pushed back). View full article

Melotakis just came off the Disabled List today, and has been on a couple of times already this year. He got through the year healthy, so I think he'll be shut down. That's just smart. Landa throws 100, but he's been on the DL for 3+ weeks now.

Ironically, I agree with me. For those that didn't see it on Twitter, I'd guess that Albers is working long relief in Toronto, then get DFAd, and Wheeler come up to start Monday or Tuesday. It'll come down to numbers. Trading Suzuki will make it more likely for Garver. I'd like to see Wheeler and Baxendale. Hard to find a lot of at bats for Palka or Walker, but both deserving of a look. Palka needs to be added to the 40 man anyway. Reed does not have to be added, so it makes little sense to bring him up for September.