Seth Stohs

I'm not down on Jay at all... I just don't make much of first-year numbers, good or bad.

Slegers was already moved up which should help. Eades may have been close, but now with the oblique injury, it's doubtful. I don't think Stewart or Gonsalves move up this year. Batts possibly could.

I'm sure they're able to throw 100-105, though that can change from start to start depending on how they did previously, rest, how things are going, etc.

Not apples to apples, but I know which one I will rank higher (probably) in my rankings. A lot will depend on what happens when Jay begins to start next year.

Yeah, it took him 3-4 starts to figure things out in the FSL. He and Batts have both been remarkable in the FSL since moving up.

Ha! Not sure what happened there. I just updated it. He signed with the Saints.

Agree on all counts. Extending Suzuki made no sense. Extending Hughes just wasn't necessary. But I really liked the Nolasco deal at the time. He's always been a solid starter whose performance and peripherals were always better than his ERA showed. I thought it was a good risk. I still like the Santana deal. I don't have much problem with that. The reality is that #3 type of starters gets $12-13 million a year. And after how bad things were, I didn't have a problem with them grabbing some starters with a lot of experience. And again, the Mauer contract was never going to make sense from a "baseball" sense, but it made complete sense from a business sense. He was elite, and that's what happens. Players get paid for what they've done, knowing that those years 5-8 aren't going to be as good as those pre-free agency deals have been.

Which goes back to why signing free agents is rarely a wise investment. That's always been the case. The reality, for whatever reason, is that after age 31 or 32, players don't get better. You get value from guys within that first six seasons. That's why it's so vital to build from within and have that be the core. They're getting close to having that again.

When the Twins announced that May would pitch Friday and Duffey would pitch Saturday, there were two thoughts by Twins fans: 1.) Excitement because they wanted May to be stretched out so he could pitch more innings. 2.) Upset because Duffey was getting another start instead of Berrios. In hindsight, after Duffey was terrific, they decided he'd get more starts and May would go back to the bullpen. At that point, it became a clear mistake to have May start on Friday. As you wrote, it hurt them on Thursday, and Monday and Tuesday, at least to some degree. I don't think those two things (bullpen being a priority and having a Rule 5 guy) are the same. It would be silly at this stage to return Graham (who has been pretty OK all things considered, role, never pitching above AA, etc.) to the Braves. How this year's bullpen was built was very similar to how previous years' bullpens were constructed. Go with the guys who have had success before, mix in a couple of minor league free agents and a couple of internal options. It definitely has not worked this year like it has in past years. Finally, the hard-throwing guys that they drafted that I thought could surface this year have not been good. Burdi has been better of late (exception tonight). Jones and Reed struggled too. JT Chargois is pitching for the first time in two years, so he shouldn't be pushed too much, and yet he's pitched (well) at two levels. I still expect Burdi, Reed and Jones, along with Chargois, to be big-time bullpen arms in the future. Thompson and Boyer were really good for 5-6 weeks during their hot stretch. Perkins was perfect, which wasn't sustainable. Also, the starting pitchers were consistently going 7 innings which helped the bullpen. That's the biggest issue.

I agree with this actually. I liked the Nolasco and Santana contracts when they were signed. I still believe Santana will be fine. I liked the original Hughes contract, and the Suzuki one was fine, but they didn't need to extend either of them.

What a night in the Twins system! The Twins found another way to lose to the Yankees. Byron Buxton continued to hit. Two top-ten prospects threw complete games for the Ft. Myers Miracle. With that true, the top pitching performance of the night came from Cedar Rapids. That says a lot when you consider the Elizabethton starter didn’t give up a hit.All that and more can be found as you work your way through today’s minor league report. TRANSACTIONS There were a couple of transactions in the Twins system on Tuesday: Lefty David Hurlbut, promoted to Rochester over the weekend for one start, was returned to AA Chattanooga.RHP Matt Summer was sent down to Ft. Myers.Danny Santana was activated from the 7-day disabled list. Eric Farris was placed on the DL for Rochester.In former Twins minor league news, as of last week when he was released from the Rochester roster, Nate Hanson has signed with the 62-19 St. Paul Saints. He was in their lineup on Tuesday night.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Buffalo 5 Box Score Byron Buxton extended his hitting streak to all 12 games he’s spent with the Red Wings. He went 2-4 with his second double. Danny Santana was 2-4 with his seventh double and fourth triple. James Beresford was also 2-4. Kennys Vargas’s fifth double drove in two runs. Logan Darnell made the start and the lefty worked into the sixth inning. In 5.2 innings, he gave up three unearned runs. He allowed three hits, walked five and struck out three. Tim Shibuya, the Twins 23rd round pick in 2011, made his AAA debut. He gave up two hits over 1.1 scoreless innings in relief. Aaron Thompson came on to start the eighth, but he gave up two hits and walked a batter without recording an out. Mark Hamburger came in and allowed two of the inherited runners to score on a hit, but he got through the eighth inning holding a one-run lead. Michael Tonkin came on and pitched a perfect ninth for his 14th save. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Pensacola 8 Box Score Greg Peavey had a rough one. He gave up six runs on four hits and four walks and recorded just four outs. Alex Wimmers came on and struck out three over 2.2 perfect innings. Brandon Peterson struck out one in a flawless inning. Nick Burdi gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over 1.2 innings. He struck out two. DJ Johnson got the final out with a strikeout. The Lookouts went 1-2-3 in the first two innings. Niko Goodrum led off the third inning with his fifth home run. He went 2-3 in the game. Max Kepler was 1-3 with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 – Ft. Myers 4, Charlotte 1 Box Score Stephen Gonsalves continues a remarkable 2015 season. The left-hander went all seven innings of game one. He gave up just one run on four hits. He walked one and struck out seven. He improved to 6-1 with a 2.23 ERA with the Miracle. Josmil Pinto was added to the Miracle roster after DHing in four games with the GCL Twins. He was the DH and third hitter in this game. He went 1-4 but hit a solo home run. The other big hit came off the bat of Tanner Vavra. He hit a two-run single in a three-run fifth inning. Logan Wade hit his 17th double. Game 2 – Ft. Myers 5, Charlotte 2 Box Score Kohl Stewart followed Gonsalves’s complete game with one of his own. He gave up two runs on six hits over seven innings. He did not walk a batter. He struck out two and recorded 13 groundouts. He is now 6-7 with a 3.21 ERA on the season. Tanner Vavra again led the way. He went 2-2 with a walk. Aderlin Mejia went 1-2 with his eighth double and two RBI KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, Kane County 1 Box Score Keaton Steele deserved better. The right-hander gave up just one run on three hits over eight innings. He walked none and struck out four. However, he took the loss. The Kernels bats just couldn’t get anything going. They managed just six hits in the game. Zach Larson went 2-3 with his 18th double. Edgar Corcino went 2-4. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 6, Danville 2 Box Score Cody Stashak was back on the mound. Through five innings, he gave up only an unearned run. He gave up no hits, walked two and struck out six. He came out of the game and was replaced by Logan Lombana. He gave up one run on four hits over two innings. He struck out two and didn’t walk a batter. Kuo Hua Lo struck out four over the final two innings to drop his ERA to 1.03. Stashak improved to 5-1 with a 1.58 ERA. Kamran Young led the offense. He went 2-4 with his sixth double, his second triple and four RBI. LaMonte Wade went 1-2 with two walks. He also stole his sixth and seventh bases. Manuel Guzman walked twice. He stole his 16th, 17th and 18th bases. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 5 Box Score Christian Cavaness led off the game by being hit by a pitch. He stayed in the game and scored a run, but he was replaced by Jorge Andrade who went 3-3 for the rest of the game. He also stole his ninth base. Roberto Gonzalez went 2-4 in the game. Ariel Montesino had a single and a walk. Blake Schmit went 1-4 and drove in two runs. He has hit .324 in his rehab stint. Williams Ramirez started and gave up three runs (two earned) on six hits. In 4.2 innings, he walked once and struck out four. Max Cordy came on and worked the next 2.1 innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He struck out two. Johan Quezada gave up one run on one hit and one walk in his inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Keaton Steele, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner Vavra, Ft. Myers Miracle WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (12:35 CST) – LHP Pat Dean Chattanooga @ Pensacola (6:35 CST) – LHP Brett Lee Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (6:00 CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Ft. Myers (6:35 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Elizabethton – No Game Scheduled GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00 CST) – TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

I might be reading this wrong... are you saying that he stay in the bullpen going forward, beyond this year? I can see him working in the bullpen this year if they are completely out of it... but not going forward. That's a lot of money for an 8th inning guy.

I was just listening to 1500espn, and they announced that Nate Hanson has signed with the Saints. Nice signing for an already really great team.

Duensing got the lefty, and aside from a blooper and a liner past a drawn-in 3B, O'Rourke has been dominant against lefties.

Yeah, becoming a LOOGY or a reliever can happen at any time. He's got three good pitches and he's just 24, so he can still develop. He's left-handed. The thing about starting is that you face so many more batters and pitch in so many different situations. A reliever may come in with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out... Tough situation. A starter may face that situation once a game. Have to find a way out of it with minimal damage. So yeah, he can be a LOOGY any time, but he's got talent and stuff, so keep him starting. If you need a lefty-reliever up, bring him up and put him in that role.

I believe in track record though. I get that he's 40. I get that he's struggled, but there's still plenty left. Even last night, he crushed a few balls foul. The bat speed is still there, just needs some hits to fall in. That's not to say that he will play well. No way to know that. I don't think we know that Buxton would play well. He didn't in the small sample when he first came up. Don't get me wrong. I would want to play Buxton over Hunter for the last 6 weeks, but it doesn't guarantee anything.

No one is saying that you need to ignore the past stats, but give the guy a little credit for moving up to a new league, experiencing the expected struggles and really coming on the last couple of months. He's made some sort of adjustment. If he can post .650-.680 OPS all the way up, and eventually into the big leagues, with his defense, that makes for a pretty solid player. Definitely one to watch. No one is saying he should be a top ten prospect, maybe not even top 20, but definitely one to watch.

Right, but if he can post a .750 OPS for the final 5-6 weeks playing 4 times a week, that would be great.

They will keep evaluating the young player and those guys will continue to play. No question about it. But, in my opinion, if they are going to the playoffs this year (as long of a shot as it is), I think they're going to have to be led by Mauer, Hunter, Dozier, Plouffe, etc. Sano, Rosario, Hicks, Buxton will all have that opportunity too. It'll be fun to see how everyone responds.

On Monday night in New York, the Minnesota Twins found another frustrating way to lose to the Yankees. It’s something Twins fans should be used to, but it brings out strong feelings every time. With a tough road trip underway, starting with a tough loss is not what anyone wanted. The Twins find themselves in a battle for two wild card spots. This road trip may go a long ways in determining whether the Twins are contender or pretender.Here is a quick look at how the standings look heading into Tuesday’s games: The New York Yankees lead the Blue Jays in the AL East, but many still believe that Toronto could win that division. If that is the case, the Twins are 5.5 games behind the Bronx Bombers. That’s what makes Monday night’s loss so frustrating. It was a winnable game. The Twins scored plenty of runs and they matched the powerful offense of the Yankees. Eduardo Nunez, in this Mike Berardino tout video, shouldered the loss. He said “It’s all on my back. I think I lost the game.” Sure, he had the final play in the game, but there was plenty of blame to go around. Kyle Gibson gave up a three-run homer to Brian McCann on an 0-2 pitch in the first. When the Twins fought back and took the lead, Gibson was unable to slow the Yankees offense. He gave up six runs in five innings.Ryan O’Rourke, who has been very good against left-handed batters, gave up singles to the two left-handed hitters he faced (admittedly a bloop single and a liner past a drawn-in Trevor Plouffe at third base).Brian Duensing got the left-hander he was asked to face on a strikeout, but then gave up a game-tying homer to Carlos Beltran.The manager, Paul Molitor, kept giving up outs by sending base stealers. They were successful just twice in five attempts on the night.One could question the decision to challenge the Eddie Rosario catch, leaving Alex Rodriguez on first base, rather than Mark Teixeira, orThe decision to not hold A-Rod on first, allowing him to steal second and score right after that. There was plenty of blame.ROUGH ROAD AHEAD The Twins have two more games in New York, where they actually have played well in recent years. Then they play four games in Baltimore against an Orioles team that currently holds the second wild card spot. After a day off next Monday, the Twins will play three games in Tampa against the Rays. Then they return home and play the AL West-leading Houston Astros in a three-game series. After a series at Target Field against the White Sox, the Twins travel to Houston for three more games. After that series, a trip to Kaufman Stadium for three games against the Kansas City Royals. The Royals, of course, hold a 12.5 game over the Twins in the AL Central. The Twins have played really well at Target Field yet have completely struggled on the road. Their next nine games are away from Target Field. 18 of their next 24 games are on the road. If they can remain in contention that long, their final 19 games include three against the White Sox, six against the Tigers and six against Cleveland. The only team they play that is currently in a possible playoff position is the Angels, though they have four games at Target Field against them. Considering where the Twins were at the All-Star break (11 games over .500), the second half has been quite frustrating. Considering where the Twins were after one week of the season, we should be thrilled that the Twins are in the position that they are with 44 games to play. Even more important, players like Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Aaron Hicks and Byron Buxton are going to be getting big league at-bats in important situations. It can only help them in the long run. Pitchers like Tyler Duffey, Trevor May and Ryan O’Rourke are getting to pitch in big situations in big ball games. In the last month, many of the veterans have struggled while the young players are doing as much or more than could rightfully be expected. The veterans (hitters, starters and relievers) will need to step up if the team is to remain in contention. The Twins had a frustrating loss in the first of their ten-game road trip against some key competitors in a playoff race. However, they still sit at 59-59 with 44 more games to play. We asked for meaningful games in August and for the first time in five years, we have them. Click here to view the article

Most of his hits in Rochester have been infield singles. That is true. Yesterday, he did hit a home run, so maybe it's starting to turn. He's also looked pretty bad on some down-and-away sliders when I've watched. Not surprising. That's what he was doing before the injury and that's what he's going to have to stop doing to become the player that we think he can become. They're not making these things up. I want to see him up here too, and he will be soon.

I'll try to explain, but I don't think I can do it without being a little wordy. In December, these types of players would be eligible for the MLB Rule 5 (unless protected on MLB 40 man roster): Players signed in 2012 out of college (or 19+)Players signed in 2011 who were less than 19 when they signed. For the AAA Rule 5, they have to be protected on the AAA roster: Players signed in 2013 out of college (or 19+)Players signed in 2012 who were less than 19 when they signed. And then the same pattern for AA. Using an example... Adam Brett Walker needs to be added to the Twins 40 man roster, so he could be lost in the MLB Rule 5 draft if they don't protect him. He was a 3rd round pick in 2012 out of college. If he's not protected on the 40 man roster, he's certainly going to be protected on the AAA roster. In fact, he had to be protected on the AAA roster last year. The minor league rosters generally aren't made public... I've never seen them, at least.

Tweeted this last night: Nick Gordon is 2-4 with a double so far tonight. In his 67 games since 5/22, he's hitting .307!