Seth Stohs

The Twins made one move on Monday night, but the bullpen is still full of questions. Today, I’m going to write about the internal options for the Twins bullpen should they go that direction. Left-Handed Relief Pitchers RYAN O’ROURKE O’Rourke, the 27-year-old from Massachusetts absolutely dominated same-sided hitters in 2014 at New Britain. He has done very well again in 2015 against left-handers in AAA. Right-handed bats have hit him very well, so O’Rourke should be considered a LOOGY. Of the 36 lefties he’s faced this year, he has struck out 20 of them. (O’Rourke was added to the 40-man roster on Monday night and will join the Twins at Target Field on Tuesday.) CALEB THIELBAR After spending all of 2014 and the final four months of 2013 in the Twins bullpen, Thielbar began the 2015 season in Rochester. He did come up for a six-game stint, but he is back with the Red Wings. He has struggled. In 26 innings, he has walked 17 and struck out just 13. Lefties have posted a .548 OPS on him this year. He remains on the 40-man roster. LOGAN DARNELL Darnell made four starts and three relief appearances for the Twins in 2014. This spring, he was moved to the bullpen exclusively. He has worked 30 innings over 23 appearances and has a 2.40 ERA despite a 1.57 WHIP. However, since May 19, he has given up an earned run in just one out of 11 outings including 23 strikeouts in 19 innings. Left-handers are hitting .306/.364/.306 (.670) against him. He is on the 40-man roster. Right-Handed Relief Pitchers AJ ACHTER Coming into Monday night, Achter had a 2.15 ERA and a 0.69 WHIP. In 37.2 innings, he had just ten walks and 38 strikeouts. He was 13 for 13 in save opportunities. On Monday night, he gave up four runs on five hits in one inning, but that was really his first clunker of the year. Achter has been the most consistent relief pitcher in the Twins minor leagues since moving to the bullpen in 2012. He pitched in 11 innings over seven games last year with the Twins. All he does is get people out. He remains on the 40-man roster. MICHAEL TONKIN If anyone would benefit from frequent flyer miles, it’s Tonkin. He has been up and down from Minnesota to Rochester a dozen times over the last three seasons. In 50 big league games, he has a 3.92 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He also has walked too many and given up the long ball too often. In 17.2 innings at Rochester this year, he has walked three and struck out 27. At some point, the Twins need to just let him pitch in the big leagues and see what they have. He will be out of options in 2016, so they do need to figure out if he can produce in the big leagues. He is on the 40-man roster. ALEX MEYER The progression of Meyer has been well documented here in the pages of Twins Daily. After just nine games in the bullpen, the Twins called him up. It didn’t go well. His struggles with control of the strike zone were apparent. He was sent back to Rochester to continue to work from the bullpen. As a starter, opponents had an OPS of .845. As a reliever, it’s been .672. It’s clear how much movement he gets from his fastball and slider. The Twins can be patient with him. He is on the 40-man roster. MARK HAMBURGER Hamburger was one of the bigger stories of spring training. He made it to the final week of big league camp before being sent to Rochester where he began the season as a starter. After four starts, he had an ERA of 6.30 in 20 innings. He has made 22 appearances out of the bullpen since then and has a 3.47 ERA. He is not on the 40-man roster. SCOTT ATCHISON Over the weekend, the Twins quietly signed 39-year-old Atchison a few days after he was released by Cleveland. He has been placed on the Chattanooga roster for now. He pitched in the big leagues in parts of nine seasons between 2004 and 2015. He is a good reminder of the nature of most relievers. In 2014 with Cleveland, he posted a 2.75 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 72 innings over 70 games. In 23 games (19.2 innings) this season he posted a 6.86 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Most likely, he has an opt-out date and will have to be called up or lost. He is not on the 40-man roster. LESTER OLIVEROS After missing all of 2013 because of Tommy John surgery, he returned and was cautiously used in 2014. He ended the season with the Twins. He wasn’t 100% in spring training and began the season in Rochester. He got off to a fast start, but his performance has leveled off. Overall, he has a 3.79 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 35.2 innings. He has walked just 13 and struck out 46. Opponents posted an OPS of .947 off of him in June, and he missed seven days because he was suspended for throwing at an opposing batter’s head. He is not on the 40-man roster. STEPHEN PRYOR Pryor came to the Twins from the Mariners last August in exchange for Kendrys Morales. He didn’t get a September call-up. He was invited to big league spring training. However, he has been on the disabled list all season. Over the weekend, he began a rehab stint in the GCL. He has made two appearances and would likely go to Rochester (or even Chattanooga) before going further. He is not on the 40-man roster. Starting Pitchers TAYLOR ROGERS Rogers has been a starter since he was drafted in the 11th round out of Kentucky. In four seasons, he is 33-21 with a 2.96 ERA. More relevant to the here and now, he is 7-5 with a 3.04 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP with Rochester. With so much starting pitching depth, the bullpen is an option for Rogers. A quick look at his AAA splits this year shows that he has been really dominant against lefties. They are hitting .178/.197/.186 (.383). He has given up no home runs, two walks and 36 strikeouts. Right-handers have hit .296/.352/.423 (.775) with six home runs, 25 walks and 41 strikeouts. He is not on the 40-man roster, but he will need to be added following the season, so if he continues to pitch well, he could find himself In the Twins bullpen. TYLER DUFFEY Duffey has been the one example of drafting a college reliever and trying to make him into a starter can be successful. He was a co-closer at Rice with JT Chargois. Since going pro, he has primarily started. He began this season with eight starts in Chattanooga and posted a 2.56 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He now has made eight starts in Rochester and has a 2.44 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. He’s got good control, throws strikes, and has a good mix of pitches. However, as a reliever, he can hit 97 which would make his secondary pitches look even better. Again, due to the Twins starter depth, Duffey may need to come up as a reliever. Like Rogers, he was a spring training invite and would need to be added to the 40-man roster following the season. He could come up before that. JOSE BERRIOS Berrios was recently promoted from AA to AAA. After 15 starts, an 8-3 record, a 3.27 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP with the Lookouts, he moved up to Rochester where he made his first start on Friday. He is clearly the Twins top starting pitcher prospect. He has great stuff, fastball, change-up and breaking pitches. He could come in out of the bullpen (which would be short-term) if the Twins remain in the pennant race. A September call up may be less likely as he doesn’t need to be added to the 40-man roster until after the 2016 season. So there you have it, the internal options that are there should the Twins decide to make more changes in the bullpen without trading away prospects and talent. We’ll be back later in the week to talk more about the Twins bullpen.

The Minnesota Twins used their 13th round pick of the 2010 draft to select O’Rourke, a four-year senior from Merrimack College. In high school, O’Rourke was a three sport athlete. He played football, hockey and baseball. He thinks that it is important for kids today to be involved in more than one sport. “I think playing more than one sport is crucial. All the kids that I talk to, or parents that ask me to talk to their kids, I tell them to go out there and find as many things as you can possibly do athletically and try to excel in them. Work as hard as you can because the stuff that translates to the mound is great, not just physically, but mentally. It’s great.” Though he skated with the Merrimack hockey team in college, he didn’t play on the team. However, he had a role in his years in high school hockey. “I kind of had to be the guy who checked a lot of people. I’ve taken that bulldog mentality, and I try to bring it to the mound. At this point in my career, I’m coming out there for one or two innings, so I need to bring my all for that point and time. All the sports I’ve played tell me that I need to come with everything I’ve got. I try to take that to the baseball mound as well. ” O’Rourke began his professional career splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. After a solid 2011 season in Beloit, he returned to the Snappers roster to start the 2012 season. Through mid-July, he was struggling with a 5.59 ERA in 29 appearances. Already 24, he could not help but wonder about his future in baseball. “Without a doubt, there’s a thought that creeps into everyone’s head. You could be the best or the worst player in the world, but there’s a point where that thought always creeps into your head. I did think about it. Am I out of my league? Is this too far above me?” Fortunately, O’Rourke had some supporters. “I had a few conversations with coaches and staff and the front office. They told me that they believed in me, that the numbers were kind of a fluke. I believed them. I think the confidence that they gave me really propelled me to the next year, 2013, and this year, 2014. Just knowing that someone is there in your corner, I think that really helps. Confidence is probably the most important thing that you can have on the mound. There can be days when your stuff is not there, but if mentally you think that you’re the top of the hill that day, then you’ll probably have a good day. Yeah, there was a time back then where I didn’t think I was very good. That’s always there. You just kind of have to kick that aside and focus on what you can control.” In Beloit, Jon and Erin Pingel decided that, for the first time, they would be willing to be a host family for members of the Beloit Snappers. They, along with their two young children, were fortunate to be able to host O’Rourke. According to Erin, “We were very excited those two stayed with us. We had met them the year before, and we really liked that Ryan picked AJ (Achter) to room with him.” O’Rourke is a very competitive pitcher on the mound, but what about off the field? According to Ping, “He was fun, just one of the kids. They played their games, and then they came home and played with the kids in the backyard.” O’Rourke made some adjustments and figured some things out the last two seasons. In 2013, left-handed batters hit just .173/.214/.250 (464) against him. Those are tremendous numbers. In 2014, the southpaw limited lefties to a .114/.162/.129 (.291) stat line. “I really can’t explain it. I don’t know if I attack them differently. I throw fastballs and sliders to lefties and righties, so it’s not like my pitches are different. Obviously my pitches are coming from different angles, one is seeing it break in and the other is seeing it break away. I’ve even asked lefties on my team to step in against me, and they just say it’s a really sharp breaking ball. I don’t know what it is I do. I just go out there. I’m just going to keep going out there and doing what I know how to do and what I’m blessed to do. I’m not really trying to change up anything at this point.” With that kind of success against left-handed batters, that sounds like a good plan. That said, he knows that he is not yet a finished product. He said, “I need to refine some things, yes, but with the success I’ve had against lefties, I’m just going to try to build on that. Work on whatever I was weak at and build my strength. You may be asking yourself, “Did Ryan O’Rourke cut down on the number of pitches he throws now that he’s pitching solely out of the bullpen? What is his strategy on the mound?" “I throw the same bag of tricks I had as a starter now as a reliever. I’ve thrown a couple of change-ups this year to righties and lefties. I’ve thrown a lot of curveballs to lefties and righties. I throw a ton of two-seamers to lefties and righties. I don’t know what it looks like to them. In my head, I try to speed up and slow down stuff depending on what the batter is doing. If he’s trying to cheat to a fastball, maybe I’ll throw a really slow breaking ball. If he’s trying to sit back on my slider, maybe I’ll throw a cutter, so they think it’s a fastball, jump on it and it tails away a little. I just try to mix things up with every pitch I have. There are not too many people in the world who can just throw two pitches and get away with it. Mariano Rivera only had to throw one pitch. I really just use everything I have and keep it down, keep it low.” O’Rourke has seen his role altered, particularly in 2014. Whereas previously he would typically pitch an inning or two, he now was being used as a LOOGY (left-handed one out guy). O’Rourke provided a scenario. “This past year, I really started focusing on it because I would see a left-hander is batting fourth next inning. The coach would be like ‘Ryan, you have the fourth hitter. The fourth batter gets up, you get it.’ That’s where I kind of saw my role of OK, here’s a lefty, you need to get a lefty.” As he saw more and more success against same-sided hitters, he noticed some changes. “I started seeing batters just kind of standing there and just being like, ‘I’m going to wait for him to prove that he can throw three strikes because I’m not going to swing at a ball and miss.’ Then toward the end of the year, the managers were just pulling every lefty. If a lefty was coming up, they’d just put in a righty.” Sure, O’Rourke probably would have liked to face more left-handed hitters, but he understood and looked at it the right way. “I just took it as a compliment.” After playing in Puerto Rico during the previous offseason, Ryan O’Rourke had the opportunity to play in Venezuela this year. He pitched 12.2 innings over 21 appearances for Aguilas del Zulia before coming back to the States for the holidays and for some rest before spring training starts. He was very excited about going to Venezuela and had goals to make the most of the opportunity. “I was told this is the hardest winter league. My goal was to go down there, enjoy myself, immerse myself in the culture and have a good experience. That was goal #1 for me. And goal #2 was to get better at baseball, learn what guys are going to do, everything. A lot of the hitters there are veterans, big leaguers. I mean, I faced Bobby Abreu down there. That was pretty cool!” There are many difficulties for American ballplayers in Venezuela. One of the obvious ones is the language barrier. O’Rourke worked on it, and he really thrived. “I took Spanish in college, but I’ve probably learned more in minor league baseball. Down there, it’s 100% necessity that you need to know. If you know broken Spanish, you’ll get by, but I got pretty close to conversational fluency. All the Americans were asking me to translate. We’d go out to eat and guys would ask me to sit with them so I could order for them.” All in all, it was a great opportunity for the 26-year-old left-hander from Massechusetts. “I went down there and it was a great experience. I was happy with what I accomplished on the field, and I was happy with everything I learned off the field. My time there, I think I spent it intelligently, and I’m happy I did it. I think that the Twins were happy I did it as well.” Whether it was his performance in Venezuela, or his performance with the New Britain Rock Cats (and one appearance with Rochester) in 2014, O’Rourke made an impression. Enough of an impression that while he was sitting on the beach in Venezuela one day, he received a call on his cell phone with a Minnesota number. “Terry Ryan called me and asked how are things were going down there. He talked to me about the season, said I had a good year and that there are always things to improve on. Then he told me that they were going to invite me into spring training. It was a short, quick conversation. It was a good conversation. I was excited, and surprised. You always think in the back of your head that you have a chance.” Being a non-roster Invitee to big league spring training guarantees nothing for a player, but as O’Rourke acknowledges, it is an opportunity. “That’s the way I look at it. In minor league camp, we always have a talk that someone in that room is going to get to the big leagues that year who didn’t pitch at all in big league camp. And it does happen every year. Look at AJ Achter last year. He was in minor league camp, pitched and got a call in September. But, the amount of guys that were in big league camp that pitched in the big leagues last year was exponentially higher. I’m hoping to make the team right out of camp, don’t get me wrong, but if that doesn’t happen, I want to get the first call. I mean, that’s just the reality of it.” He was very excited for his long-time friend AJ Achter when he got his September call up to the big leagues. “Everyone in the locker room that day was just pumped. Couldn’t happen to a better guy.” However, O’Rourke sees Achter’s situation as something more. “I was probably one of the first guys that AJ met in pro ball and we’ve been great friends ever since. It was just a great moment for me for it to happen to him because… this might sound weird, but look at my good buddy getting called up there. It’s motivation. I’ve been with him every step of the way. So, what’s to say I can’t do it too?” So, what will it be like when Ryan O’Rourke does, at some point, get that call that he will pitch in the big leagues? What will it be like to don that Minnesota Twins uniform in a regular season game for the first time? He quickly pointed out, “Don’t knock the spring training games. That will be a big moment too.” He continued, “Everything’s a step on the way. When you get the call from A-Ball to High-A, that was a good moment. High-A to AA was a cool moment. AA to AAA… They’re all cool moments. But getting the call to the peak of baseball is going to be… I don’t know… I don’t know. I’ll probably sit there and wonder if it’s real. When it happens, it’s going to be a great moment. I’ll just think of all the long bus rides, the struggles, the ups and downs, and all that culminating in the eventual biggest moment of your life when you get called up to the big leagues. I’ll probably call my Mom and my Mom is going to start crying. I’m going to work hard and if it happens, it happens. That’s why I play baseball. That’s why I give it all I have to put myself in a position to get that call.” On the morning of Christmas Eve, Ryan O’Rourke boarded a six-passenger plane in Venezuela. It traveled to Aruba where they encountered a storm that shook the plane. Somehow, the pilot landed the plane safely. Another flight later, and he was home with his family for Christmas and some time off before heading down to Ft. Myers in early February for his first spring training. He’ll try to get to some Boston Bruins games and hopes to get to a Patriots game in Foxboro if they keep their season alive. I’m sure that, on some level, O’Rourke has felt his career has been as shaky as that small plane ride. The Pingel family calls him “A kid at heart.” He is also a kid with heart, heart that has him attending big league spring training next month. O’Rourke has kind of always been an underdog, and he’s been able to get to this point. He’s certainly one guy to cheer for this spring. (Almost three years ago, in the early days of Twins Daily, Ryan O’Rourke wrote an article for our site which you can read by clicking here.)

Perkins has been the best closer in baseball in 2015. He is 27-27 in save opportunities, and he has been absolutely dominating. He has a 1.31 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. He is very deserving of another All-Star nod. Brian Dozier will be in the Final Five vote, but the Twins don't have a good history in the online voting. Lew Ford and Pat Neshek have been on the online vote. Through 81 games, Dozier is hitting .260/.331/.511 (.842) with 26 doubles, three triples and 16 homers. From primarily the lead-off spot, he leads the league with 62 runs. Jose Altuve was announced on Sunday as the starter for the AL in the fan vote. Jason Kipnis is the one second baseman who has a better WAR than Dozier in the American League. No other second baseman was named to the All-Star reserves. The Boston Red Sox are going to be represented by super-utility man Brock Holt. Dozier is in the final five vote. You can #VoteDozier. The other four up for the final spot are Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts, OF Yoenis Cespedes, OF Brett Gardner, and 3B Mike Moustakus.

TRANSACTIONS Jorge Polanco was promoted from Chattanooga to Rochester. Nate Hanson was placed on the disabled list. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Lehigh Valley 4 Box Score Oswaldo Arcia hit a LONG blast on the 4th of July off of Phillies top pitching prospect Aaron Nola. It measured at well over 450 feet and was his fourth with the Red Wings. However, on this day, the story was Tyler Duffey. The right-hander was charged with two unearned runs on four hits in seven innings. He walked four and struck out two. However, he extended his streak without allowing an earned run to 29.1 innings . The last time he gave up an earned run was on June 11. He left the game with a 3-2 lead. Alex Meyer, just back from Minnesota, came on and gave up two runs in the eighth inning to take the loss. Jorge Polanco’s AAA debut was a mixed bag. He went 1-4, but he also committed two errors. James Beresford went 2-4 with his 13th double. Reynaldo Rodriguez, Danny Ortiz and Wilkin Ramirez each went 2-4. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 0, Jacksonville 3 Box Score Brett Lee was terrific, and efficient, but the Lookout bats were only able to manage two hits and continued to struggle since not playing for three straight days. Max Kepler and Heiker Meneses each had a single and a walk in the game. Due to frustration, hitting coach Chad Allen was ejected in the sixth inning. Brett Lee fell to 0-2 on the season, but he worked all eight innings and threw just 77 pitches (58 strikes). He gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out two. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Things got a bit scary at the end, but in the end, the Miracle held on for another win. Mat Batts started and gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. The southpaw walked two and struck out six. His Miracle ERA drops to just 2.01 since his promotion. Dallas Gallant struck out two over two scoreless innings. With a 5-0 lead in the ninth, Tyler Jay came in to the game. He gave up three runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk and recorded the first two outs. Todd Van Steensel came on and gave up a hit before recording the final out and his tenth save. Mitch Garver led the offense. He went 1-1 with two walks, was hit by a pitch, scored three runs and stole a base. Ryan Walker and Chad Christensen each went 2-4 with an RBI. Jason Kanzler was also 2-4. Zach Granite went 2-4 with a walk and a triple. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 0 Box Score Zach Tillery was terrific and improved to 5-3 on the season. He threw seven shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked one and struck out three. Randy LeBlanc came on for the final two innings. He walked two, struck out two and didn’t allow a run. Edgar Corcino led the offense. He went 2-4 with his seventh double. Zack Larson hit his 15th double. Pat Kelly hit his fourth triple, and TJ White hit his fifth triple. E-TWINS E-NOTES Greeneville 10, Elizabethton 3 Box Score Brandon Easton is a left-hander who throws gas. When he left Ft. Myers this spring, he was hitting 98 mph with his fastball. Through two starts, Easton has struggled. In this game, he walked five in 1.2 innings. He was charged with three runs on three hits. Through four innings (two starts), he has given up eight runs, seven hits and walked nine. That said, he has huge potential in that arm, so they’ll need to be patient. Onesimo Hernandez came on and got four outs and within that he gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk. Nate Gercken gave up one run on four hits in three innings. He walked one and struck out two. Tyler Stirewalt gave up just one hit over two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Manuel Guzman went 2-4 with a walk. Daniel Kihle went 2-4. Ariel Montesino drove in two runs and stole a base. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 11, GCL Red Sox 1 Box Score It was a big day for the GCL Twins bats. Luis Arraez went 3-6 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Jermaine Palacios went 3-5 and stole his second base. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-3 with two walks and his fourth double. Bryant Hayman went 1-3 with two walks and his first double. Brian Olson went 2-5. Williams Ramirez went five innings and gave up one run on two hits. He walked three and struck out six. Rich Condeelis struck out four over two, one-hit innings. Stephen Pryor made a rehab appearance, striking out two in a perfect inning. Johan Quezada walked one and struck out one in a scoreless inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mat Batts, Ft. Myers Miracle/Zach Tillery, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Luis Arraez, GCL Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (12:35 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (5:05 CST) – RHP DJ Baxendale St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (3:05 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – LHP Randy Rosario Elizabethton @ Princeton (4:00 CST) – RHP Cody Stashak GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games.

TRANSACTIONS Very early on Friday morning, Darrin Wolfson tweeted that Aaron Hicks was on his way to Kansas City. To make room for him, Shane Robinson was again placed on the Family Emergency List. Earlier in the day, the Twins announced the infielder Doug Bernier had been removed from the 40-man roster. He cleared waivers and stayed with Rochester. Following the Twins game, Alex Meyer was optioned to Rochester. A corresponding move will be announced on Saturday, but we know that Ervin Santana needs to be activated from the suspended list. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 5 (16 innings) Box Score Fans in Lehigh Valley got a lot of extra, free baseball action on Friday night. They also got to see the 2015 AAA debut of JO Berrios. The 21-year-old right-hander was charged with five runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out four. Mark Hamburger came on and gave up a hit in one inning. Ryan O’Rourke got the final out of the seventh inning. Then some bullpen arms got some extended work. Michael Tonkin struck out eight in three perfect innings (read that sentence again). AJ Achter threw two scoreless innings, though he gave up a hit and walked three. He struck out four. Logan Darnell worked four scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out six to get the win. In the top of the 16th inning, Eric Farris singled, and James Beresford advanced him to second with a bunt. Nate Hanson came up and came through with an RBI with a game-winning single. In 16 innings, the Red Wings had just eight hits. Oswaldo Arcia hit his third home run. Eric Fryer walked and added his first homer. He will leave the team now to join Team USA for the Pan-Am Games. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 19th double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 3 Game 1 - Box Score The Lookouts had not played in four days, so they played two games on Friday. The team had a scheduled day off which was followed by two rainouts. The bats cooled off with the delay (and the Miguel Sano promotion possibly, too). In Game 1, the team had just five hits. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 and drove in the lone run. Stephen Wickens walked twice. Kennys Vargas batted third and went 1-3. David Hurlbut started the first game. The southpaw gave up three runs on six hits and four walks in five innings to take the loss. He struck out three. Alex Muren made his AA debut and threw two perfect innings. He struck out one. Chattanooga 1, Birmingham 6 Game 2 - Box Score Game 2 wasn’t any better for the Lookouts. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 in the second game too. He hit his 14th double. Max Kepler struck out three times, but he added his 14th double. Mike Gonzales doubled for the 10th time this year. Kennys Vargas walked twice. Alex Wimmers started game two. He gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three. Jake Reed gave up one run in his innings. JT Chargois gave up a run on a hit in his inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Palm Beach 4 (10 innings) Box Score Yet another extra innings game for the Miracle. Unfortunately, they ended up on the losing side of this one. Ryan Eades started and was only able to complete four innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Corey Williams came on and gave up one run over two innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out one. Matt Summers gave up two hits over three shutout innings. He struck out one. After getting one out, Todd Van Steensel gave up a first-pitch home run to Luke Voit. Voit went 3-5 in the game with two doubles before the walk-off homer. Jason Kanzler (The Muscles and Mustache Man) led the offense. He went 2-5 with his sixth double and his sixth home run. Bryan Haar and Aderlin Mejia also had two hits. Mitch Garver went 1-3 with a walk and his 13th double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 4 Box Score The Cedar Rapids offense continues to struggle. In this game, they had just five hits. TJ White was 1-3 with a walk. Brett Doe hit his eighth double. Nick Gordon had a single and the lone RBI. Jared Wilson had his first rough start of the year. In just 1.2 innings, he gave up three runs on three hits and four walks. Luke Bard gave up three hits over 3.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two without a walk. Cameron Booser was charged with an unearned run over three innings of relief. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three. E-TWINS E-NOTES Greeneville @ Elizabethton Box Score The game was postponed due to rain.. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 3 (13 innings) Box Score Another extra innings game, but a walk-off win for the GCL Twins on Friday. With two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning, Jorge Andrade walked. Lean Marrero singled, and then Luis Arraez singled him in to end the game. Arraez went 3-6 in the game. So did Jermaine Palacios. Lewin Diaz went 1-3 with two walks. Travis Blankenhorn added his third double. With the extra innings, pretty much everybody got a chance to pitch (slight exaggeration). Luis Hernandez started and gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two without a strikeout. After that, 11 shutout innings from the bullpen. Miguel Gonzalez struck out four batters in three perfect innings. Callan Pearce gave up a hit and a walk and recorded two outs. Max Cordy walked two and hit a batter, but he got two outs before allowing any runs. Hector Lujan struck out one in a scoreless inning. Chris Mazza returned to the mound and threw two shutout innings. He walked one and struck one out. Yorman Landa rehabbed as well. He gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. Brandon Poulson worked the final inning. He gave up a hit and walked two, but he struck out two and gave up no runs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Michael Tonkin, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jorge Polanco, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Chattanooga @ Jacksonville (6:05 CST) – LHP Brett Lee St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – LHP Mat Batts Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) – RHP Zach Tillery Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) – LHP Brandon Easton GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00 am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games.

Let’s get to the Top 6 Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitters for June: Number 6 – Ft. Myers – SS Engelb Vielma - (27-78) .346/.411/.372 (.783) with two doubles and 10 RBI. He’s listed at 5-11 and 150 pounds, and I would guess that's pretty accurate. Though he has committed 11 errors at shortstop so far this year in Ft. Myers, he is known for good range, good hands and a strong arm. Signed out of Venezuela in 2011, Vielma spent a year in the DSL before coming to the States in 2013. Last year, he played in 112 games for the Kernels and hit .266/.313/.323 (.636) with 13 doubles, four triples and a homer. He stole 10 bases. Overall this year with the Miracle, the just-turned-21-year-old is hitting .246/.297/.583. He has five doubles, a triple and a home run in 70 games. He has stolen 19 bases, as well. Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – DH Alex Real - (25-80) .313/.374/.438 (.811) with four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI. Real was the Twins 24th round pick in 2014 out of New Mexico where he teamed with Mitch Garver. Both were catchers so Real played first base most of the time until his final season when he got more time behind the plate. A 50-game suspension cost him the first two months of the 2015 season. His first game was on June 1 with the Kernels. He has caught just six times. In 23 games, he is now hitting .333/.389/.452 (.842) with four doubles and two home runs. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – C Mitch Garver - (29-88) .330/.416/.420 (.836) with eight doubles and 10 RBI. Mitch Garver was our choice for 2014 Twins minor league hitter of the year. In his first full season, Garver hit .298/.399/.481 (.880) with 29 doubles and 16 home runs. He earned a big league spring training invitation. It was a struggle for Garver the first two months of 2015. So despite his impressive June, his overall numbers are still working their way up. In 68 games for the Miracle, he is hitting .236/.349/.288 (.637). Defensively, he has made big improvements and throws out base stealers with regularity. Number 3 - Chattanooga – OF/1B Max Kepler - (32-88) .364/.422/.580 (1.052) with six doubles, five triples, one home run and 17 RBI. Kepler was the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month in May and he continued to rake in June. Signed by the Twins in July of 2009, Kepler has consistently moved up the system. In 58 games with the Lookouts this year, Kepler is hitting .346/.417/.556 (.973) with 20 doubles, eight triples and three home runs. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, there is a good chance that he will continue to add more home run power as he grows. He turned 22 before spring training started. Number 2 – Chattanooga – 3B Miguel Sano – (26-79) .329/.432/.658 (1.090) with eight doubles, six home runs and 17 RBI. Sano was signed by the Twins in October of 2009 under a lot of scrutiny and uncertainty. Since signing, he has put up big numbers at every level. After missing 2014 with Tommy John surgery, Sano struggled in April. However, he has been dominant again since then. Through 66 games at Chattanooga, Sano hit .274/.374/.554 (.918) with 18 doubles, 15 homers and 48 RBI. On Thursday night in Kansas City, Sano made his major league debut. In his fourth at-bat, he got his first big league hit, an infield single (of course). The June 2015 Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Chattanooga Lookouts OF Adam Brett Walker (30-95) .316/.371/.758 (1.129) with seven doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and 28 RBI. With all of the prospects in the Twins system, it is likely that the most discussed Twins prospect on the pages and in the forums of Twins Daily is Adam Brett Walker. In 73 games this season, Walker has hit .272/.328/.612 (.940) with 23 homers and 67 RBI. He is putting up huge numbers this season at AA Chattanooga. His 23 home runs lead all of minor league baseball. He has 20 more RBI than anyone else in the Twins system, and he is also on pace for over 180 strikeouts. The 2013 third-round pick out of Jacksonville has hit big home runs and driven in a lot of runs since signing. Along with the 11 home runs that he hit in June for the Lookouts, he also won the Southern League’s Home Run Derby championship. In 2014, he won the Florida State League’s Home Run Derby. Asked if he had won it in 2013 in the Midwest League, he said that he was third in the division in home runs at the All-Star break and only the top two from each division participated. In most organizations, Walker’s power would be best in the organization. With the Twins, there is a chance that Miguel Sano has as much raw power, but it’s close. There has been some adjustment to the Southern League for Walker. “I think the adjustment is having some better plate discipline this year. Not only laying off balls, but hitting the balls up in the zone.” What were his goals coming into the season? “I was hoping this would be the year for 30 home runs, and I wanted to reach 100 RBI again. I’m glad to be on pace now.” Walker has always had a knack for driving in a lot of runs. How does he explain it? “I just try to have a quality at bat, like always. I wouldn’t be able to get RBI without my teammates getting on base. They are the biggest part of my RBI success this year.” What is his approach going into each at-bat? “In most of my at bats, I am just looking to get a pitch up in the zone that I can handle. If I get barrel to the ball, good stuff happens.” He spends a lot of time working with Lookouts hitting coach and former Twins outfielder Chad Allen. “Chad and I will work on keeping my swing short and quick, but mostly talk about my approach, plate discipline and swinging at good pitches.” He played for former Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz last year in Ft. Myers and again this year in Chattanooga. “Doug is awesome. He is a lot of fun to play for, but he expects a lot from us. He has really taught us a winning mindset and to play for each other as a team.” In his pro career, he has primarily played right field. This season, he and Travis Harrison flip-flopped with Harrison played right and Walker moving over to left field. It also was a little bit of an adjustment. “There was a short time period when it felt a little weird, but I feel I’ve become well-adjusted to left field and I’m comfortable there now.” As for goals for the remainder of the season, Walker didn’t get into specifics. However, he said, “I just try to learn and get better day to day, and make adjustments to become a better player. I want to continue reaching my goals that were made earlier in the season.” A September call up for Walker is certainly within the realm of possibility. If not, he should be a given to be added to the Twins 40 man roster following the season. There were several strong performances in June. The Lookouts stole the show, scoring a ton of runs. Feel free to discuss the top hitters in the Minnesota Twins organization in June.