Seth Stohs

Offensively, Tovar was a whole bunch of notches below Knoblauch, and Knobby won gold glove awards and would have had a bunch more if not for playing in the same league as Roberto Alomar.

Over the weekend, outfielder Torii Hunter hit his 207th and 208th home run in a Minnesota Twins uniform. In doing so, he tied and then surpassed his mentor Kirby Puckett on the all-time Twins list. Throughout this season, Hunter has passed some Twins greats in many all-time categories. At some point, we need to consider that the 40-year-old is among the best players in Minnesota Twins history.Let’s start by pointing out that there is a Big 6 atop the Minnesota Twins offensive record book due to them being on a Twins roster for many, many years and accumulating a lot of statistics. Obviously they accumulated those stats and all that playing time by being great players for a very long time in a Twins uniform. Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Tony Oliva and Joe Mauer are the top six hitters in Minnesota Twins history. However, Torii Hunter is among a group that would be in the second tier and as this season continues he will likely find himself at the top of that list. If he comes back to the Twins in 2016, which I believe becomes more and more likely as he continues an impressive 2015 season, he could move into that upper group. If we take a look at where Hunter ranks among hitters in the 55-year history of the Minnesota Twins, it is clear that he has not just been a very good player, but he has been a Twins Great. Games Played: 1,322 – This season, Hunter has surpassed Bob Allison and Justin Morneau into eighth place. He should pass Gary Gaetti by the end of the season.Runs Scored: 719 – He has passed Chuck Knoblauch to move into seventh place.RBI: 765 – He has passed Rod Carew and Gary Gaetti to move into sixth place.Hits: 1,303 – He passed Gary Gaetti to move into eighth place on the list. He is 15 hits behind Justin Morneau.Total Bases: 2,253 – He passed Gary Gaetti to move into eighth place, and there is a chance he could catch Justin Morneau.Doubles: 274 – He is currently in seventh place, 15 doubles behind Justin Morneau.Home Runs: 208 – After passing Gary Gaetti earlier this season, Hunter passed Kirby Puckett over the weekend to move in to sixth place on the Twins list. He is three homers behind Bob Allison. He is 12 homers behind Tony Oliva, and he is 13 homers behind Justin Morneau. So, if he were to end the 2015 season with 30 home runs, he would be third on the all-time Minnesota Twins home runs list. He is not likely to catch Harmon Killebrew’s 475 Minnesota Twins home runs.Stolen Bases: 127 – He is in fifth place, seven behind Kirby Puckett. (Note – he is one for three in stolen base attempts so far this year.)Strikeouts: 933 – He will likely pass Kirby Puckett’s 965 strikeouts to move into second place in Twins history. He won’t catch Harmon Killebrew.Grand Slams: 9 – One more grand slam and he will tie Harmon Killebrew for the Twins record.Add in his defense and he moves up to the top of the second tier, probably the sixth-best offensive player in Minnesota Twins history. His seven Gold Gloves are second in Twins history behind Jim Kaat’s 11. Kirby Puckett won six with the Twins. Hunter represented the Minnesota Twins in two All Star games. It would be very interesting to know what kind of statistics Hunter would have been able to put up had he remained in the Twins organization instead of spending the past seven years in Anaheim and Detroit. How far up the list would he be? So where would Torii Hunter rank to you among the Top 10 Twins position players since the organization moved to Minnesota in 1961? The Top Six: Harmon Killebrew, Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew, Kent Hrbek, Joe Mauer, Tony Oliva The Next Five: Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau, Gary Gaetti, Bob Allison, Chuck Knoblauch. One could make an argument that we are able to watch two of the top seven or eight position players in the 55-year history of the Twins in Minnesota on a nightly basis. Please use the comments below to rank the Top 10 Twins position players in Twins history in your opinion, and then discuss with others. Click here to view the article

I'm as guilty as anyone, but I think we make too big of a deal out of the strikeouts. The talent is there. He has a chance to be quite good.

I would guess some of those guys from those Edmonton teams (Michael Cuddyer, Michael Ryan, maybe Todd Walker) I would think Hicks will get back to Chattanooga.

Just to bring this topic up to the front page for a little while. If you have adopted any players, be sure to write about them soon. Brag up their accomplishments, promotions, big games, everything.

I don't know that he'd develop more power. He's pretty mature physically. But, his increase in power would obviously come from an improvement in his approach.

The Scott Boras is his agent part probably tells what the odds of Wieters sticking around are.

On Saturday, there were six games in the Twins minor league system. There were also a couple of transactions. In the games, it became clear how much strong starting pitching helps a team win, but home runs also help. Which 2015 draft pick homered? Which relief pitcher was clocked just shy of 100 mph? These topics and much more can be found as you work your way through today’s Minor League Report.TRANSACTIONS On Saturday morning, the Twins and Red Wings announced that they had signed RHP Michael Bowden. The 28-year-old had been pitching in AAA Norfolk (Baltimore organization), but he opted out of his contract last week. He’ll join the Red Wings rotation. To make room for him, Greg Peavey was sent back to Chattanooga. Dalton Hicks, who has been on the Lookouts disabled list since early May and has played a handful of games in the GCL, has been added to the Ft. Myers roster. Brett Doe returned to Cedar Rapids. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Columbus 5 Box Score Taylor Rogers had a bad first inning. He gave up four runs. However, he gave up only those four runs on six hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out three. Alex Meyer came on and gave up one run on two hits in 1.1 innings. He struck out two without issuing a walk. Caleb Thielbar got the next three outs. Cole Johnson came in and got the final two outs, both on strikeouts. The Red Wings managed just five hits in this game. James Beresford hit his 16th doubles of the season. Oswaldo Arcia hit his 12th double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 3 Box Score The Lookouts got a lead, added some insurance and held on for a win. David Hurlbut made the start. He threw seven shutout innings. In his time, he gave up four hits, walked three and struck out five. JT Chargois struck out one in a perfect inning. Kennys Vargas hit his fourth Double-A home run of the year to give the Lookouts a 4-0 lead heading into the ninth. It’s a good thing because Alex Muren came on for the ninth and gave up three runs on four hits and two walks, but he did walk off the mound with a 4-3 win. Vargas went 2-5 with the home run. Aderlin Mejia went 2-4. Max Kepler hit his ninth triple. Heiker Meneses hit his second triple. Adam Brett Walker hit his 23rd double and stole his seventh base. Marcus Knecht hit his second AA double and stole his second base. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 – Ft. Myers 0, Tampa 2 Box Score Game 1 of the doubleheader was delayed a little over an hour, but they were able to get both games in on Saturday. When they started, Kohl Stewart took the mound. The right-hander went six innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on seven hits. He walked three and struck out seven. Corey Williams struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning. The Miracle managed just three hits in the game. Michael Quesada hit his fifth double, and Logan Wade hit his 11th two-base hit. Dalton Hicks went 0-3 in his first game of the year with the Miracle. Jason Kanzler was ejected from the game following a called third strike in the fourth inning. Game 2 – Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 1 Box Score The Miracle offense was still quiet in game 2 but scored enough runs to pick up a win. Zach Granite went 1-2 with his eighth double. Michael Quesada went 1-2 with his sixth double. Hicks was 0-2 with a walk. The two Miracle runs scored on sacrifice flies from Granite and Mitch Garver, who went 1-2. Stephen Gonsalves improved to 4-1 with 2.36 ERA with the Miracle. It was the tenth win of the season for Gonsalves. The left-hander gave up one run on four hits. In six innings, he walked two and struck out two. Zack Jones got his first Miracle save of the year. He didn’t give up a run despite allowing two hits and a walk. He was helped out by Jason Kanzler. With two outs in the seventh inning (final inning in minor league double-headers), there was a single to right. The runner tried to score from second base, but Kanzler gunned him down to end the game and secure the Miracle win. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 00 Box Score Australian right-hander Sam Gibbons made the start for the Kernels. He threw six shutout innings, giving up four hits, walking four and striking out four. Yorman Landa struck out three in two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit and walked two. Reports from the press box said that Landa hit 99.7 mph with his fastball. Jared Wilson gave up a hit and walked one in the seventh inning to pick up his second save since moving back to the bullpen. Tyler Kuresa went 2-4. Pat Kelly doubled for the 10th time, and Austin Diemer hit his second double. Nick Gordon went 1-3 with a walk and his fourth triple. Tanner English walked twice. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Kingsport 3 Box Score It was a good day for the E-Town offense. Alex Perez went 3-5 with his third double. Travis Blankenhorn was 2-5 with his second home run and his first stolen base. LaMonte Wade went 2-4. Amaurys Minier hit his fifth double. Kamran Young homered for the second time. Cody Stashak went the first six innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits. He struck out seven without walking a batter. Jose Abreu struck out three in two perfect innings. Kuo Hua Lo gave up one run on two hits in his inning. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox Box Score These two teams were rained out on Friday, so they were supposed to play a doubleheader on Saturday. However, Mother Nature won this one, pouring rain again, and postponing the games until a later date. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – David Hurlbut, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Travis Blankenhorn, Elizabethton Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (5:05 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Chattanooga @ Tennessee (4:05 CST) – Alex Wimmers Lakeland @ Ft. Myers (DH at 3:05 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – LHP Luke Westphal Elizabethton @ Kingsport (3:00 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Click here to view the article

I don't think that's unusual. Aside from a handful of players, most players develop power as they get older, more mature (physical and emotional), learn how to get lift, all while moving up and facing better pitching. That said, I think Minier and Diaz and several others have the ability to hit for a lot of power.

Yup, and Buxton is just shy of the PA limits. He's there too.

My lasting memory of him from spring training was spring of 2014, in an intrasquad game, he hit a LONG home run off of JO Berrios. Earlier, he had hit a LONGER homer (though it was just foul).

Terrific... He's thrown out over 50% of base stealers the last two seasons. He's got some things to work on, calling games, continuing to block well, etc. But he's got a big arm and size and could be good.

Here is a look at the updated Twins minor league standings and statistical leaders through Friday, July 24. This is a good way to get to know which players are putting up the best numbers this year. It looks beyond the top prospects. Feel free to discuss.STANDINGS Here is a quick look at where the teams rank in their divisions. For Cedar Rapids, Ft. Myers and Chattanooga, we’ll consider their 2nd half standings as well as their overall record for the full season. As you recall, Cedar Rapids and Chattanooga have already clinched playoff berths for their first half performances. Rochester is 53-47 overall. They fell 1/2 game behind Scranton/Wilkes Barre in the International League North Division. The two teams have been going back and forth atop the division. Chattanooga is also 52-42 overall this season. However, in the second half, they are in fourth place, just 9-17, and 9.5 games behind Birmingham. Ft. Myers is 16-12 in the 2nd half. They are in third place and four games behind Palm Beach in the division. Overall, they are 54-44 this year. Cedar Rapids is 57-42 overall on the season. Despite a 16-13 record in the 2nd half, they are in fourth place in the division, seven games behind Kane County. Elizabethton is 13-16 on the season. They are three games behind Greeneville and two games back of Kingsport. The GCL Twins are 14-12. They are four games behind the GCL Red Sox in the division. HITTERS For batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, IsoD and IsoP, we used a minimum of 270 plate appearances. Plate Appearances: Zach Granite (403), Reynaldo Rodriguez (388), Jorge Polanco (382), Adam Brett Walker (380), Nick Gordon (376) Batting Average: Max Kepler (.325), Alex Swim (.318), James Beresford (.302), Jorge Polanco (.297), Miguel Sano (.274) On-Base Percentage: Max Kepler (.404), Miguel Sano (.374), Mitch Garver (.359), Alex Swim (.357), Zach Granite (.356) Isolated Discipline: Mitch Garver (.125), Travis Harrison (.109), Miguel Sano (.100), Marcus Knecht/Niko Goodrum (.097), Tanner English (.094) Slugging Percentage: Adam Brett Walker (.563), Miguel Sano (.544), Max Kepler (.502), Danny Ortiz (.424), Reynaldo Rodriguez (.420) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.299), Miguel Sano (.270), Danny Ortiz (.181), Max Kepler (.177), Reynaldo Rodriguez (.164) OPS: Miguel Sano (.918), Max Kepler (.906), Adam Brett Walker (.882), Jorge Polanco (.730), Alex Swim (.726) Hits: Alex Swim/Jorge Polanco (106), James Beresford (100), Max Kepler/Zach Granite (94), Adam Brett Walker (92) 2B: Max Kepler (26), Reynaldo Rodriguez (23), Adam Brett Walker/Danny Ortiz (22), Travis Harrison (20), Jorge Polanco (19) 3B: Byron Buxton (12), Max Kepler (8), Tanner English/Max Murphy (7), TJ White (5) HR: Adam Brett Walker (26), Miguel Sano (15), Danny Ortiz (11), Reynaldo Rodriguez/Oswaldo Arcia (9) Runs: Zach Granite (61), Reynaldo Rodriguez (57), Miguel Sano (55), Adam Brett Walker/Tanner English (54), Nick Gordon (52) RBI: Adam Brett Walker (84), Reynaldo Rodriguez/Danny Ortiz (55), Miguel Sano (48), Zach Larson (43) SB: Tanner English (29), Engelb Vielma (23), Nick Gordon (22), Niko Goodrum (21), Byron Buxton (20) STARTING PITCHERS (>75 IP) Innings: Tyler Duffey (123.1), Taylor Rogers (122.1), Pat Dean (118.2), JO Berrios (115.1), Greg Peavey (109.2) ERA: Stephen Gonsalves (1.68), Chih-Wei Hu (1.99), Mat Batts (2.06), Felix Jorge (2.10), Tyler Duffey (2.41), Aaron Slegers (2.88) WHIP: Felix Jorge (0.91), Mat Batts (1.047), Aaron Slegers (1.053), Chih-Wei Hu (1.08), Stephen Gonsalves (1.09), Tyler Duffey (1.10), JO Berrios (1.12) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (9.8), JO Berrios/Mat Batts (8.9), DJ Baxendale (8.2), Tyler Duffey (8.0) BB/9: Aaron Slegers (1.5), Greg Peavey/Mat Batts (1.9), Pat Dean/Felix Jorge (2.0), Tyler Duffey (2.1) Strikeouts: JO Berrios (114), Tyler Duffey (109), Mat Batts/Stephen Gonsalves (99), Taylor Rogers (85) Wins: Stephen Gonsalves (9-2), JO Berrios (9-3), Five with 7 Wins RELIEF PITCHERS (>30 IP, Games: AJ Achter (38), Todd Van Steensel (35), Alex Muren/JT Chargois (33), DJ Johnson (32), Brandon Peterson (31) Innings: Randy LeBlanc (59.2), Alex Muren (57.1), Todd Van Steensel (53.2), Mike Theofanopoulos (49.2), Brandon Peterson (49.0) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.77), Luke Bard (1.35), Alex Muren (1.57), Brandon Peterson (1.65), Randy LeBlanc (1.96), Todd Van Steensel (2.18) WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.66), AJ Achter (0.87), Luke Bard (0.93), Brandon Peterson (1.00), Alex Muren (1.01), Randy LeBlanc (1.07) K/9: Cameron Booser (12.6), Trevor Hildenberger (11.7), Lester Oliveros (11.6), Brandon Peterson (11.4), Todd Van Steensel (10.9), Nick Burdi (10.5) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.0), Tim Shibuya (1.8), AJ Achter (2.5), Randy LeBlanc (2.7), Alex Muren (3.0) Saves: AJ Achter/Trevor Hildenberger (14), Todd Van Steensel (12), JT Chargois (11), Zack Jones (10) There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, July 24. What are your thoughts? What surprised you? Click here to view the article

Stuart Turner (CHAT) - last 9 games - .344/.405/.406 (.812). Brian Navarreto (CR) - last 20 games - .329/.338/.411 (.749) Mitch Garver (FM) - last 46 games - .291/.395/.382 (.777)

If you’re looking solely at wins & losses, it was not a good night in the Twins farm system. The affiliates went 0-4 and two teams were rained out. That’ll make for a busy day on Saturday with eight games scheduled. Of course, development always trumps wins and losses in the minor leagues and there were still some quality performances on Friday. Continue on to read what happened on Friday in the Twins farm system.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Columbus 8 Box Score The Red Wings fell behind early and were unable to mount a comeback. Greg Peavey started. The right-hander gave up eight runs (five earned) on six hits in 3.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Logan Darnell came on and was terrific. The southpaw went 4.1 scoreless innings. He gave up just five hits, walked none and struck out three. James Beresford led the offense. The second baseman went 3-5 with his first home run of the season. Eric Farris went 3-4. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-4 with his 23rd double. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4. Jorge Polanco had a single. He also committed his eighth error with the Red Wings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 8 Box Score Jason Wheeler made the start for the Lookouts. The lefty went six innings. He was charged with six runs on ten hits. He walked three and struck out four. Brandon Peterson worked the final two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Adam Brett Walker went 2-5 with his 22nd double. He drove in his 83rd and 84th runs of the season. Heiker Meneses went 2-5. Stuart Turner was 1-2 with a walk. Levi Michael walked twice. MIRACLE MATTERS Tampa @ Ft. Myers Box Score The Miracle game was postponed by rain. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 13 Box Score It wasn’t exactly a pitcher’s duel in Cedar Rapids on Friday night. It’s hard to win when a team doesn’t get good pitching or defense. Randy Rosario made the start, but he was only able to get two outs before leaving. He was charged with five unearned runs thanks to two errors. He gave up four hits and walked two as well. Randy LeBlanc came on and threw 3.1 shutout innings. However, in one more inning, he did give up two runs. Cam Booser came in for the sixth inning. He was charged with six runs on five hits and three walks in the inning. Luke Bard then struck out three in two scoreless innings. And then in the ninth, infielder Rafael Valera pitched. He gave up one hit and walked one, but he didn’t allow a run. And he even got one strikeout. The offense was able to put up seven runs. Brian Navarreto led the way. He went 2-5 including his first home run of the season. Tyler Kuresa went 2-4 with a walk and his ninth double. Austin Diemer went 2-5 with his first Kernels double. Sean Miller is now hitting .342 since his promotion to the Kernels after a 2-4 game. Tanner English notched his seventh triple. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Kingsport 5 Box Score Sam Clay started this game. The southpaw gave up five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks over just 3.1 innings. He struck out seven. Nate Gercken came on and struck out five over 3.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Tyler Stirewalt came on and pitched a scoreless inning. He gave up one hit and struck out one. The E-Twins mustered just three hits in this one. Rainis Silva walked twice. Travis Blankenhorn drove in the lone run with a single. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox Box Score Like the Miracle, the GCL Twins were postponed due to rain in Ft. Myers. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Nate Gercken, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – James Beresford, Rochester Red Wings SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (6:15 CST) – TBD Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:05 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Tampa @ Ft. Myers (DH at 4:05 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart, TBD Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Elizabethton @ Kingsport (6:00 CST) – RHP Cody Stashak GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox (9:00 CST) – TBD, TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

And since May 22 (47 games), he is hitting .301/.381/.382 (.763). He just had one bad month and has been pretty good since then. He's got a great swing and a good approach at the plate. I just think he needs to add his man muscles and he'll develop some good pop.

I think Mat Batts is right up there with Gonsalves, Hu and Duffey as the top starting pitchers this year, and of those names, his is probably the most surprising. But, maybe it shouldn't be. He was successful in D1. He's left-handed, and he's got a very deceptive delivery. It'll be interesting to see how he does in AA!

The Minnesota Twins bullpen has been a problem for the last couple of months. Finding a bridge from the Twins starters to All-Star closer Glen Perkins has been a challenge. As the July trade deadline is now one week away, we are likely to hear lots of rumors involving relievers, but there are a few guys in the minor leagues who warranty consideration for a big league bullpen gig, including right-handed starter Tyler Duffey.Duffey began the 2014 season with four starts in Ft. Myers. He moved up to Double-A and then ended his season with three starts in Triple-A Rochester. He earned an invitation to big league camp, but then he began this season back in Double-A, this time with Chattanooga. He had to be disappointed, but he handled it well. He made eight starts and went 2-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 52.2 innings. He earned a promotion back to Triple-A Rochester. In his first four starts for the Red Wings, he went 0-4 with a 5.64 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in just 22.1 innings. Opponents hit .312/.340/.387 (.727) against him. However, he has made some adjustment and in his seven starts since then he is 4-1 with a 0.74 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP over 48.1 innings. Opponents have hit just .174/.230/.236 (.466). While with Chattanooga, he had a streak of 16.2 innings without allowing a run. With the Red Wings, he had a streak of 33.2 innings without allowing an earned run. In most recent Twins seasons, Duffey would likely already be making starts in Minnesota. However, the Twins starting rotation has been strong this season. Even if the Twins were to remove a starter from their current rotation, Trevor May would be the guy who would jump back into the starting rotation. No offense to Taylor Rogers or JO Berrios (who had another strong start on Thursday), but if the Twins needed a starter from Rochester, Duffey would have to be the choice. That brings us back to the Twins struggling bullpen. Is it time for the Twins to give Tyler Duffey an opportunity in their bullpen? Duffey has been primarily a starter in the Twins minor league system. You recall, however, that the Twins drafted Duffey in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. At Rice University, he was a reliever. He was a co-closer with JT Chargois (current closer in Chattanooga). In other words, the bullpen role would not be unfamiliar to him. If the Twins were to call up Duffey in the next couple of weeks to pitch out of their bullpen, it wouldn’t have to mean that he would need to remain a reliever. Depending on the Twins offseason, he could be moved back to the starting role in the 2016 season if that makes sense. It would be a move to help them in their hopes to make the playoffs in 2015. That isn’t to say that you call him up and immediately throw him into the eighth inning. The goal would simply be for him to help bridge the gap from starter to Perkins. There are games when they need a guy to finish the sixth or pitch a couple of innings. Duffey can do that. His transition to starter happened in the Twins minor leagues in 2013, his first full pro season. As he told Twins Daily in a spring training interview, “Except for a summer when I went to the Cape and somebody got sick and I made a couple of starts, but other than that, I was a closer/second-inning panic guy to come in and throw four innings.” His stuff is ready for the big leagues as a starter. As a starter, he works with a fastball in the low-90s. His best pitch is his 12-6 curveball. He also has a decent change-up. In his limited time in pro ball when he has worked out of the bullpen, his fastball has touched 97. He said that one of the keys to his success has been his sinker. He is a ground ball pitcher. Duffey is not currently on the Twins 40-man roster. He would need to be added, though I’m sure the Twins could find someone to remove from the roster if a move were needed. There are relievers in Rochester who have pitched well in AAA and deserve an opportunity as well. Michael Tonkin has been back and forth between the Red Wings and Twins for the last three years. At some point, they just have to give him an opportunity and stick with him for an extended period of time. He is out of options in 2016. If there is a most-deserving reliever in Rochester, it has to be AJ Achter. The former 46th round draft pick has been consistently terrific since being moved to the bullpen before the 2012 season. He debuted last September with the Twins. With the Red Wings this year, he is 4-2 with a Twins minor league-leading 14 saves. He has a 2.81 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in 41.2 innings for the Red Wings. He’s walked just 2.6 per nine innings while striking out 9.3 per nine innings. Starter Taylor Rogers, a southpaw, has limited left-handed AAA hitters to just a .189/.206/.197 (.403) line this year. With Brian Duensing improved of late and Ryan O’Rourke doing very well in his two weeks with the Twins, particularly against lefties, Rogers should continue to start for Rochester. However, he should also be a strong consideration for September recall. JO Berrios is certainly the top prospect in Rochester. The 21-year-old dropped his AAA ERA from 5.60 to 4.01 with seven shutout innings on Thursday. He has very good stuff and will likely be considered for a promotion in August as well. He doesn’t need to be added to the Twins 40-man roster until after the 2016 season, but if the Twins believe he can help them win in 2015, they won’t hesitate to promote him. AJ Achter should already be in the Twins bullpen. Tyler Duffey should be strongly considered as a bullpen arm down the stretch for the Minnesota Twins. If you’ve endured the past four seasons as a Twins fan, this dilemma – plenty of deserving candidates for promotion to the Twins – is more than welcomed! Click here to view the article

Mainly I just wanted to know what the Twins record was over time. I mean, I knew in my mind that the Twins did traditionally poorly against west coast teams, but I wondered aloud if it was real or just perception. I think the data shows something. I threw out a few ideas, but I don't think there is one answer that's right or wrong. I suppose it would be good to know also how home teams fare in general.