Seth Stohs

I appreciate that. Cody, Jeremy, Steve, Eric and myself really enjoy doing them. (Though I guess I shouldn't put words in others' mouths.)

Congratulations to Tyler Duffey on his first major league win on Saturday night. The right-hander, who is a strong candidate for Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished with six shutout innings. Those who have read these minor league updates and stories on Duffey knew not to make a big deal out of his major league debut. You’ve read about that great curve ball that we witnessed on Saturday. These minor league reports highlight players who perform. You just never know which ones will make it to the big leagues, much less stick there. That’s why it’s fun to get to know them.It was a quieter night in the Twins farm system, but still some strong performances to highlight in today’s minor league report. TRANSACTIONS It was another busy day of transactions through the Twins minor leagues. Following the Twins win on Saturday night, the team announced that Michael Tonkin will make yet another trek back to Rochester with Tommy MiloneLefty David Hurlbut has been promoted to Rochester and will start on Sunday. It may just be a one-game start, but he is excited for the opportunity.In Cedar Rapids, Tanner English was put on the 7-Day disabled list with a thumb sprain. Infielder Sean Miller was activated from the DL.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score Down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Red Wings mounted a nice comeback and earned a win against the division’s top team. Reynaldo Rodriguez led off with his 15th home run of the year. Later in the inning, Argenis Diaz hit a sacrifice fly to score Kennys Vargas to tie the game. And Xavier Avery scored the go-ahead run on a balk. Rodriguez was 2-4 with his 32nd double to go with his home run. Byron Buxton singled twice in four at-bats. He is now hitting .390 in his stint with the Red Wings. Michael Bowden, one week from his opt-out date, earned his ninth win of the year. He gave up two runs on five hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out eight. Mark Hamburger got the next four outs, and Aaron Thompson got the final two outs to record his first save of the year. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Tennessee 4 Box Score Max Kepler hit his eighth home run of the season in the first inning. Unfortunately, the Lookouts had just two more hits the entire game and fell to Tennessee. DJ Baxendale started and gave up four runs (two earned) on nine hits and two walks over six innings. He did not record a strikeout. Alex Muren threw two perfect innings. Corey Williams made his first AA appearance since the final day of the 2013 season. He walked one and struck out two in a scoreless inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Palm Beach 1 Box Score Mitch Garver led the Miracle offense. He went 2-3 with a walk, his 19th double and two RBIs. Aderlin Mejia went 1-2 with two walks, his seventh double and two RBI. Ryan Walker added his fourth double. Ryan Eades made the start and struggled with his control. However, he gave up just one run on two hits in 4.2 innings despite five walks. He struck out two. However, he had to leave the game due to injury. We’ll share more information when we hear something. Brian Gilbert walked one over 1.1 scoreless innings. Tyler Jay struck out two in his perfect inning. Trevor Hildenberger struck out four over his two innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Ft. Wayne 3 Box Score Sam Gibbons was solid in six of the seven innings he pitched on Saturday night. Unfortunately, he gave up three runs in the second inning. He gave up just those three runs on seven hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out six. Jared Wilson struck out one in his perfect inning. Celebrating his 21st birthday, infielder Rafael Valera hit his fourth and fifth doubles. Nick Gordon went 2-4 with his 19th double. Pat Kelly went 3-4. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 0, Bristol 0 Box Score Rain postponed this game. It will be made up at a later date. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The GCL Twins don’t play on Sundays. Their bats forgot to show up on Saturday. The team collected just three hits in the game. Robert Molina’s third double was the lone extra-base hit. Eduardo del Rosario started and gave up two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings. He walked a batter and hit two. He struck out four. Hector Lujan gave up two hits but no runs over the next 1.2 innings. He struck out one. Brandon Poulson worked the eighth inning. He gave up a run on one hit and two walks. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Michael Bowden, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Reynaldo Rodriguez, Rochester Red Wings SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (12:35 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Tennessee @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Cedar Rapids @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Elizabethton @ Bristol (6:00 CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 CST) – TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

Duffey may end up in the bullpen. It might even be likely based on other options, but tonight's start isn't going to be make or break for him.

The results were there in Ft. Myers, but also the coaches, manager, Twins front office people, etc., were watching and likely saw what they needed. It was clear that he had to be sent down, and he did what he needed to do. As for the Twins not being forthcoming, what should they say? Has anyone even asked them? I don't think they need to say anything, and other teams wouldn't either, unless asked.

6 starts ago, he did the same thing. Well, 5 shutout innings and then didn't get an out in the 6th. Without those two innings, his ERA would be amazing!

Those numbers are remarkably similar. When I did the story on Thorpe a month or so ago, I asked about Wells. They are rooming at the complex in Ft. Myers. He is actually 6-0 and 185 now... and yes, left-handed.

Throughout the night, this report was updated live. As Twins affiliates scored or innings passed or pitchers did something, it was updated. I hope you enjoy this format. Feel free to comment on it as maybe it can be done more as we move forward. The games are all complete, so be sure to check out everything that happened in the Twins minor league system.All that and more can be found as you work your way through today’s minor league report. TRANSACTIONS It was another busy day of transactions through the Twins minor leagues. Relievers Adrian Salcedo and Tim Shibuya promoted from Chattanooga to Rochester.Relievers Nick Burdi and Corey Williams promoted from Ft. Myers to Chattanooga.Reliever Matt Summers put on the ‘Restricted List’ in Chattanooga.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 5 (FINAL) Box Score 6:32: The game is delayed due to rainy conditions in the area. Looking to start at 6:40 (CT) 6:54: The Red Wings twitter account notes that JO Berrios gave up two hard hit fly ball/line drives that Byron Buxton ran down and made look easy. 1-2-3 inning. 7:02: JO Berrios now has two strikeouts through two perfect innings. 7:08: Six up, Six down so far for the Red Wings hitters. 7:16: Berrios with a 1-2-3 third inning. Two strikeouts through three perfect innings. 7:25: Berrios with another scoreless inning in the 4th. Perfect game bid is over after hitting a batter. 7:37: Berrios with another 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Through five innings, he has given up no hits. He's needed just 52 pitches (36 strikes). Red Wings have just one hit, a Doug Bernier single in the 3rd. 7:53: Berrios strikes out the side in the 6th inning to maintain the no-no. He's primarily throwing changeups and curveballs and batters are just looking silly. On the second strikeout, the batter threw that bat at the ball in an attempt to make contact. 8:02 - The Red Wings score two runs in the bottom of the 6th inning. Doug Bernier walked and went to second on an infield single by Byron Buxton. After a James Beresford sacrifice bunt, Reynaldo Rodriguez drove in Bernier with a ground out. Kennys Vargas followed with a single up the middle to score Buxton from second. Scranton's starter Brady Lail was removed from the game. 8:10: Berrios's no-hit and shutout bids are over as Rob Refsnyder homers to lead off the 7th inning. 8:18: After the homer, Berrios gave up a single, hit a batter and then gave up a 3-run homer to Yankees prospect Aaron Judge. That was followed by a single, a wild throw to 1B that advanced him to second, and another single. Another single made it 5-2 and Berrios's night is done. 8:24: Adrian Salcedo making his AAA debut. Berrios line 10 minutes ago: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K Berrios line now: 6 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 8 K 8:31 - Salcedo strands two of Berrios's runners. Strikeout-throw-out double play to end inning. 8:48: With two outs in the bottom of the 7th, Byron Buxton came to the plate representing the tying run. On a full-count pitch from former All Star Andrew Bailey, Buxton struck out on a fastball up and in. 9:08: Xavier Avery drove in a run, but the Red Wings left a couple on base and trail by two heading into the ninth. 9:13: Aaron Thompson comes in to replace Adrian Salcedo who had a very nice AAA debut. He went two innings and struck out three. No hits, no walks, no runs. 9:17: Thompson has a 1-2-3 top of the ninth. Byron Buxton is due to bat third in the bottom of the ninth. LP: Berrios (3-2, 3.38 ERA) Multi-Hit Games: Kennys Vargas (2-4) CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 14, Tennessee 2 (9th inning) Box Score 6:37: The Lookouts got things going right away in the 1st inning. A leadoff double by Stephen Wickens was followed by a single by Max Kepler. Third-place hitter Dalton Hicks homers and gave the Lookouts a 3-0 lead. Fourth batter Adam Brett Walker walked and scored on a Travis Harrison triple. Sixth-hitter Levi Michael singled in Harrison and it is 5-0 now. 6:55: Aaron Slegers has given up two hits and a walk, but no runs, through two innings. 7:00: Max Kepler's sacrifice fly scores Shannon Wilkerson. 7:09: Adam Brett Walker launched his 27th homer of the year. It was his first since July 26. 7:22: Following Walker's home run, the Lookouts added two when Shannon Wilkerson tripled in Levi Michael and Heiker Meneses. The Tennessee starter was removed, down 9-0. 8:23: Stephen Wickens, Travis Harrison and Levi Michael all have three hits so far. 8:30: Add Shannon Wilkerson to the three-hit list. In the 6th inning, Wilkerson hit a bases-loaded triple to give them a 13-2 lead. 8:39: Aaron Slegers is done after 6 innings. He gave up 2 runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out two. Nick Burdi came on for the 7th, his return to the Lookouts. He gave up a single, but struck out the side in that inning. 8:51: In his second inning of work, Burdi had a 1-2-3 inning and struck out two more batters. 9:02: Heiker Meneses doubled and scored later on a ground out by Shannon Wilkerson, who now has six RBI on the night. 9:08: Alex Wimmers comes in for the ninth inning. He gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. WP: Aaron Slegers (1-1, 3.46 ERA) Multi-Hit Games: Stephen Wickens (3-5, BB, 2B), Travis Harrison (3-5, 3B), Levi Michael (3-4, BB, 3B), Shannon Wilkerson (3-5, 2-3B, 6 RBI), Dalton Hicks 2-5, HR, 3 RBI), Heiker Meneses (3-5, 2B) - All nine batters had at least one hit. HR: Dalton Hicks (4), Adam Brett Walker (27) MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Palm Beach 2 (FINAL) Box Score Omar Bencomo gave up an unearned run in the first inning. 6:56: Palm Beach starter Daniel Poncedeleon has walked three and hit one through two no-hit, no-run innings. 7:12: Just the unearned run so far allowed by Omar Bencomo through four innings. 7:32: The Miracle put two on the board in the bottom of the 4th to take a 2-1 lead. With the bases loaded and one out, Ryan Walker reached on a fielder's choice to score Tanner Vavra (who had been hit by a pitch to lead off). Then Zach Granite scored on a wild pitch. 8:14: Bencomo gave up a run in the sixth inning. We're tied at 2 going into the seventh inning. 8:26: Omar Bencomo's night is done. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits. He walked three and struck out one. Jake Reed replaced him. He gave up one hit, but struck out two in the 7th. 8:49: An Engelb Vielma eighth inning single scored Zach Granite to give the Miracle a 3-2 lead. 8:59: Zack Jones comes in and records the Save. The Miracle win. WP: Jake Reed (1-0, 0.00) S: Zack Jones (2nd Save, 1.35) Multi-Hit Games: Engelb Vielma (2-4), KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Ft. Wayne 10 (FINAL) Box Score 6:36: In the top of the first, Nick Gordon hit his 18th double and scored on a single off the bat of Edgar Corcino. Randy Rosario gave up a run on two hits in the bottom of the first to tie the score. 6:44: Tanner English removed from the game with Zach Larson taking over. Not ejected. Will try to find out more. 6:58: The Kernels scored three runs in the 2nd inning. The big hit was a two-run triple from Brian Navarreto. He scored on an Austin Diemer single. 7:05: Lefty Randy Rosario gave up three runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning and now it's tied at four. 7:24: Brian Navarreto throws out another would-be base stealer to end the third inning. He's been over 50% in that category as a pro. 7:40: Sounds like Tanner English left the game after colliding in left centerfield with Austin Diemer. The report is that he left with an "arm injury." 8:05: Randy Rosario's final line: 6 earned runs on 4 hits and 4 walks in 4 innings. He struck out 4. Ethan Mildren comes in for the 5th. 8:42: After a scoreless fifth inning, Mildren gave up four runs in the sixth inning. Kernels down 10-4. 8:55: Mike Theofanopoulos walked one and struck out six in two shutout innings. Multi-Hit Games: Edgar Corcino (2-4) E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Bristol 0 (Final) Box Score 6:38: Three hits and a walk through two innings, but no runs yet for the E-Twins. Onesimo Hernandez with a flawless first inning. 6:59: One hit allowed in the 2nd inning by Hernandez, but he struck out the other three batters. No score after two. 7:14: Four runs in the top of the third innings for the E-Twins. They got a single, a walk and a single to lead off the inning. With the bases loaded and no one out, the Bristol starter struck out the next two batters. However, he walked Travis Blankenhorn to score the first run. Daniel Kihle singled in two. After a pitching change, Manuel Guzman singled in Blankenhorn. 4-0 E-Twins. 7:48: They're now in the 6th inning. Onesimo Hernandez has six strikeouts in five innings. 7:59: Hernandez with 7 strikeouts in six shutout innings. Two hits. 8:06: E-Twins add three more in the 7th inning. Daniel Kihle's first pro homer drove in Amaurys Minier and Travis Blankenhorn and gives them a 7-0 lead. 8:43: Onesimo Hernandez done after seven innings. He gave up no runs on four hits. He walked none and struck out eight. Tyler Stirewalt pitched a scoreless eighth frame. 8:54: Tyler Stirewalt struck out three over two scoreless innings. He completed the 7-0 shutout win. Multi-Hit Games: Alex Perez (3-5), LaMonte Wade (2-3, 2 BB, 2B), Daniel Kihle (2-5, HR, 5 RBI), Manuel Guzman (2-5, BB) HR: Daniel Kihle (1st professional home run) WP: Onesimo Hernandez. 5-0, 3.23 ERA. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 7, GCL Red Sox 0 (Final) Box Score Lefty Lachlan Wells started and improved to 4-2 with a 2.13 ERA. He gave up two hits over five shutout innings. He struck out six without issuing a walk. Miguel Gonzalez went the final four shutout innings. He gave up four hits and struck out four. He also didn't walk anyone. Christian Cavaness continues to hit. He went 3-4 with a single, his sixth double and his second triple. Blake Schmit went 2-4. Ruar Verkerk was 2-4 with his first double. Josmil Pinto, still DHing, went 1-4. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Onesimo Hernandez, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Shannon Wilkerson, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre (6:05 CST) – RHP Michael Bowden Tennessee @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – TBD Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Cedar Rapids @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Elizabethton @ Bristol (6:00 CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 CST) – TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below Click here to view the article

The Win-Loss record has nothing to do with Sano or any individual player. Obviously it takes more than one player for a team to win on any given day or over any period of time. Also, check the Walk:Strikeout rates of the Santana, Vargas and Arcia trio compared to Sano. Much better knowledge of the strike zone. Obviously, he'll have to make a bunch of adjustments over time.

Average would probably be fair... he moved to left this year which is an adjustment. He won't be a gold glover, but he's not Arcia.

Some quotes from Mientkiewicz, watching/listening to lots of their games and seeing him taking a lot of pitches, working counts. He'll never be confused with passive at the plate, but he is working counts more.

I think he's just a bullpen guy. That's what he was last year before the surgery.. He can dominate in the pen.

I think strides are being made. He is a really hard worker, and he isn't just going up there hacking. I do think his approach at the plate will work to his favor at some point...

I would say that Gonsalves ranked similarly to Berrios coming into his MWL season... and Gonsalves's MWL performance was much better than Berrios's. Gordon is a better prospect than Polanco was during that season... but Polanco's prospect status really took off that year in Cedar Rapids. I think Gordon has a higher upside than Polanco, but he's also got a lower floor. A ways to go.

I was going to mention the Field of Dreams. It's a must-go in my opinion. I've now been there three times in four trips there. If you take the route up to Rochester and rather than the 35W way on the way back, the drive is quite scenic in many places... and there's a Laura Ingalls Wilder home in Burr Oak, IA!!

Pretty much sure their additions of LaTroy Hawkins and Mark Lowe will outweigh their flyer on Joba Chamberlain.

Like that Michael walked three times in the game maybe?

Each night this week, before I went to bed, I would go outside. In the clear, dark night, I looked up into the sky and saw the Perseids meteor shower. On Monday and Tuesday nights, there were quite a few in the sky, maybe one every couple of minutes. This morning, I woke up a little before 4:00 a.m. Nature called, so I went outside which is why it’s so nice living in the country. In the fifteen minutes that I was out there, I bet I saw 100 meteors flying through the sky. While standing out there, I couldn’t help but wonder which flying objects in the sky were Miguel Sano home runs. On Wednesday night, Sano launched two home runs well over 400 feet. He now has seven home runs in 135 plate appearances. He is hitting .295/.409/.571 (.980) with ten doubles, seven homers and 25 RBI.Of course, seeing that performance brought me back to the first time I saw Miguel Sano homer. In 2012, I saw six Beloit Snappers games. It was their final season as the Twins Midwest League affiliate. It was my third year of going to some games there, and since then, I have been going to see games in Cedar Rapids. That 2012 Snappers lineup was very interesting. Eddie Rosario batted third. Miguel Sano batted fourth. Kennys Vargas batted fifth. Eddie Rosario was playing second base. In my opinion, he was a good athlete, but it was clear that second base wasn’t going to be a good option. Miguel Sano was at third base. In the first two games I saw him play, I saw his struggles on defense. On one play, there was a bounding ground ball that he had to charge, he pushed the ball nearly to the first base dugout. I also saw him drop a pop-up. It wasn’t pretty. When I went back to Beloit a couple of months later for four games, Rosario looked competent at second base. Miguel Sano looked really good at third base. He looked much more prepared before each pitch. He displayed softer hands and made all the plays. He always displayed a very powerful arm. I saw him taking ground balls at shortstop during batting practice and asked his coach, Tommy Watkins, about it. Watkins told me that they encouraged him to take grounders at short and to move around in the outfield during batting practice. Why? To remind him that he is a great athlete, that he can move his feet, and that he can still do those things at third base. The sixth Snappers game I saw, Sano had not yet hit a home run. I wondered if I just wouldn’t see one. However, in either his second or third at-bat, he displayed his tremendous power. He launched a drive to right-center field. In Beloit, there was a tall sign behind the wall. The ball traveled over that sign. Opposite field. It was the kind of raw power that we had heard about, but to see it from the then-19-year-old was impressive. To that point, I had seen him hit some vicious line drives for hits and line outs. The talent was clear, but to see that kind of home run power was remarkable. People in Cedar Rapids told me that they rarely see home runs travel over their batter’s eye in center field. They said that Sano and Vargas each did it that year when they played the Kernels in Cedar Rapids. He spent that full season with the Snappers and hit 28 home runs in the regular season, plus two more in the playoffs. He had hit 20 home runs in the short season in Elizabethton a year earlier, one less than teammate Eddie Rosario’s league-leading 21. In 2013, he began the season in Ft. Myers, and the day after the Miracle clinched the first-half division title, he (and Rosario) were promoted to AA New Britain. In all that season, Sano hit 35 home runs. At Twins Fest in January 2014, Sano was doing a media session. He answered several questions about his elbow and his size and such. I prefaced a question to him by saying “You hit 30 homers in Beloit, and then hit 35 home runs last year…” Sano looked at me and a big smile came upon his face. I continued, “What is your goal for 2014? 40?” The smile grew as he said, in much-improved English, “Maybe 45. Maybe 50.” He also talked about how important it was for him to take a lot of walks too. With Sano, it doesn’t come across as bragging. He is clearly a kid who knows that he is immensely talented and he has big goals for himself. He doesn’t just want to be good. He wants to be great. It was clear to me after that day that Miguel Sano would be a superstar. Not just an all-star, but a superstar. He has the immense talent as the baseline, but he has the personality that fans will love. Of course, he missed the 2014 season after having Tommy John surgery. We had no idea how he would come back in 2015, or how long it would take to shake off the rust. He began the season back at AA, this time in Chattanooga. He struggled. Manager Doug Mientkiewicz gave Sano two straight games off (April 26 and 27) as a ‘mental break’ because of his struggles. After going 0-3 on May 1, Sano was hitting .150/.292/.333 (.625) with 20 strikeouts in 72 plate appearances. From May 2nd through June 29th, Sano hit .320/.403/.611 (1.014) with 16 doubles and 11 home runs. He also reduced his strikeout rate. On June 30th, he was called up to the Twins. And he has continued to hit ever since. He hit .455 (10-22) in his first seven games, including at least one hit in each game. He also has 45 strikeouts in 135 plate appearances, which is awful. However, he also has 23 walks to go with the ten doubles and seven home runs. It will be fascinating to see how Sano’s career turns out. Obviously the strikeout rate will need to be reduced. However, after needing to make adjustments through each level of the Twins minor league system, he is at the pinnacle of the game. He will have to prove that he can continue to make adjustments and improve. The type of plate appearances that he is having, despite the strikeouts, is encouraging. He can do it. We almost forget that before the 2014 season, Miguel Sano was a top ten prospect according to Baseball America. He was ranked as the top third base prospect in baseball, ahead of the Cubs’ Kris Bryant. Now fully healthy and recovered, Sano is reminding us all of why. ------------------------------------------------------------ I wish I had started going to the Twins Midwest League affiliate sooner. The first year that I went was 2010. I went to Beloit and watched them play two games against, ironically, the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The Kernels were led by 18-year-old outfielder Mike Trout, who was clearly the best player on the field. Aaron Hicks was the Snappers centerfielder. The two starting pitchers I saw were Edgar Ibarra and Michael Tonkin. The first game we saw, Brian Dozier was the shortstop. Following the game, he was promoted to Ft. Myers. Danny Santana was promoted and started at shortstop that next night. He had three errors and went 0-5 with three strikeouts, but even then his tools and athletic talent were on display. In 2011, I saw starts from Tonkin, AJ Achter and Ryan O’Rourke. 2012 is when I saw six games, two early in the season and four late in the season. Aside from Rosario, Sano and Vargas, Danny Ortiz and Nate Roberts (and his mustache) were on the team. In 2013, the Twins moved their affiliate to Cedar Rapids and then provided them with a stacked roster. I was there for their first three games and then for two or three games later in the season. Taylor Rogers was the opening night starter. Tyler Duffey threw seven innings of a no-hitter in his first start for them. JO Berrios joined the rotation a month after the season began because he had pitched out of the Puerto Rico bullpen in the WBC and needed to be stretched out. Jorge Polanco was the first player from this team to make the big leagues. Byron Buxton joined him in June. When Buxton was promoted to Ft. Myers, Max Kepler joined the team. Travis Harrison, Dalton Hicks and Adam Brett Walker provided a ton of power. Kohl Stewart was the headliner for the 2014 Cedar Rapids team, but I saw Lewis Thorpe make a start there. Stephen Gonsalves arrived later too. I was there for Nick Burdi’s professional debut. I was there for Opening Day this year and the Kernels first three games this year. Nick Gordon stood out as the top prospect, but there is a lot of talent on this roster. I mention this because it is fun for me to see the future and see the talent. I can then see beyond the box scores and do my own scouting on the Twins prospects. So can you. The Kernels also do a great job of entertaining fans between innings and with fireworks shows after a number of the games. They have 12 more home games on their schedule before they will play at least one home playoff game. If you have a chance to get to a couple of them, you’ll enjoy it. I’m still hoping to get down there for another series this year… maybe. Click here to view the article

I'd say AJ called this one pretty good. I sure have enjoyed watching him playing in a Twins uniform!!

I do think that Buxton getting more big league reps would make the Twins better. I think that Shane Robinson is a fine 5th OF. I think Buxton will be a star in this game for a long time. I don't think think him getting an extra 10-12 games in AAA after missing 6-7 weeks.

Or drop him at that time (though it'll almost be September). Once Buxton gets a few more games under his belt, then they can make that decision.

I should add to my previous comment... when Byron Buxton has more than 3 games under his belt... and I expect him called up within the 20 days... call him up and play him every day... However. Buxton's the future. Buxton should play CF nearly every day. platoon Rosario and Hicks in LF... let the other play RF whenever Hunter gets a day off... let Robinson then become the 5th Outfielder who is used in emergencies.

I haven't listened, but ... I'm with Bonnes on this one... Buxton just missed like 6-7 weeks... he should be playing every day in AAA. Shane Robinson is a guy that can play once or twice a week, and play really good defense, and probably go 2-8 most weeks. Buxton will be up very soon (within 16 days, I'm sure), and he'll play a lot. Robinson being on the roster hurts nothing. Especially if we claim to believe that outfield defense is important.