Seth Stohs

With that, let's get to know these starting pitchers. Below are the Top 5 Starting Pitchers for May. We begin, however, with a few players deserving of mention. Rochester LHP Pat Dean – 6 GS, 3-3, 3.07 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 41.0 IP, 45 H, 7 BB, 11 K Chattanooga/Rochester – RHP Tyler Duffey – 6 GS, 2-2, 2.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 37 H, 9 BB, 37 K Ft. Myers LHP Brett Lee – 5 GS, 1-2, 2.70 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 33.1 IP, 29 H, 12 BB, 16 K Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers LHP Mat Batts – 4 GS, 1-1, 1.96 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 21 H, 7 BB, 23 K TOP 5 STARTING PITCHERS IN MAY Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Felix Jorge - 5 GS, 2-1, 2.97 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 30.1 IP, 25 H, 4 BB, 20 K 21-year-old Jorge really struggled in his early-season showing with the Kernels last year but went on to be the Appy League Pitcher of the Year. He came back to Cedar Rapids this year and has been very good. Overall, the lanky right-hander is 3-2 with a 2.42 ERA. In 48.1 innings over eight starts, he has a 0.93 WHIP due to just 36 hits and nine walks. He has very good mechanics and sits in the low-90s. He has a good feel for pitching. Number 4 – Chattanooga – RHP JO Berrios - 6 GS, 4-1, 2.61 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 41.1 IP, 33 H, 9 BB, 42 K May is a big month for JO Berrios. On the 27th, he turned 21 years old. On the 15th, his daughter turned one. I believe even his wife’s birthday is on the 13th, and on that day, he threw a nine-inning, complete game, two-hit shutout at Birmingham. He was able to go at least six innings in all but one of this six starts. Through the end of May, Berrios had gone 6-2 with a 2.84 ERA. Opponents had hit just .242/.305/.360 off of him in May. He continues to pitch in the low-to-mid 90s with really good secondary pitches and control. Berrios has solidified himself as the Twins top pitching prospect. Could a move to Rochester be imminent? Number 3 – Ft. Myers/Rochester – RHP Chih-Wei Hu - 4 GS, 2-0, 0.78 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 16 H, 7 BB, 18 K Hu had a very interesting month. The right-hander from Taiwan made two starts at Ft. Myers before it was announced that he was going to make a spot start for the AAA Rochester Red Wings. Hu pitched better than anyone could have hoped or expected. He gave up just one run on two hits in six innings. He walked four, but he also struck out six. He quickly returned to Ft. Myers where he didn’t make his next start for 11 days. He didn’t miss a beat. He gave up two runs (one earned) in that start. The stocky right-hander tops out about 95 mph though he sits 91-93. He’s got a palm ball, a couple of breaking pitches and everything he throws gets a lot of movement. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Stephen Gonsalves - 5 GS, 3-1, 1.61 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 16 H, 9 BB, 36 K Gonsalves was our choice for Starting Pitcher of the Month for April. Overall, he is now 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP in nine starts this year for Cedar Rapids. He has dominated the Midwest League all year. In fact, his only loss came on May 1. In that start, he gave up two runs over seven innings. However, that was the game that the Kernels were no-hit by Clinton. Batters hit .165/.257/.206 (.463) in the month of May. Gonsalves has an advanced baseball and pitching knowledge. He is tall, strong and has the pitches and good control to be very successful as he continues to advance and grow. He won’t turn 21 for another month, so he’s got a lot of room yet for growth. Following his June 1 start, he announced that he has been promoted to Ft. Myers to continue his season. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester Red Wings – LHP Tommy Milone - 5 GS, 4-0, 0.70 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 25 H, 3 BB, 47 K At the end of April, when Ricky Nolasco came off of the disabled list, the Twins needed to open up a spot in the starting rotation. The decision was made to have Tommy Milone continue to start, so he was sent back to Rochester because he had an option remaining. Understandably, he was disappointed, but he said all the right things. He also performed on the field as you would hope. OK, that’s not true. There’s no way that there could be any hope that he would be as incredible as he has been with the Red Wings. In his first start, he threw 6.1 shutout innings. He just got better from there. In start number two, he threw eight shutout innings. Then he threw his first professional complete game shutout. In his next start, he went another 8.1 innings without giving up a run before giving up a solo home run with an out in the ninth. To summarize, he went 37.2 innings without giving up a run in AAA. In those 31.2 scoreless innings, he gave up just 20 hits, walked two and struck out 41. He made one more start in May and pitched “just” a regular quality start. He gave up two runs in seven innings. Milone was promoted to the Twins and will make the start in Boston this afternoon (Thursday). Before the game, Ricky Nolasco will throw a bullpen and the team will determine whether or not he will go on the disabled list. If they decide that Nolasco is all right, he will start on Saturday. That means that this could be a spot start for Milone with the Twins and he could be returned to the Red Wings after the game. If Nolasco does go on the DL, Milone will have at least a couple more opportunities to stake his claim on a rotation spot with the Twins. The 28 year old is a big league pitcher. He’s not a AAA pitcher and he’s not a AAAA pitcher. He should be in a starting rotation. It’s strange for the Twins and their fans to have pitchers throwing so well that a legit big league starter is sitting in AAA waiting for an opportunity. However, because he was in the minor leagues for the full month, his incredible numbers simply can’t be ignored. What a tremendous month for the left-hander. Please feel free to post your comments on Milone, Gonsalves, Hu, Berrios, Jorge and the rest of the Twins minor league starting pitchers who pitched well in May. Let us know what you think.

Before we get to the Top 6 Twins Minor League hitters for May, here are a few hitters who are very worth of mention: Chattanooga OF Adam Brett Walker (27-107) .252/.304/.533 (.837) with seven doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 28 RBI. Rochester 2B James Beresford (31-98) .316/.356/.388 (.744) with seven doubles and 12 RBI. Ft. Myers C/1B/OF Alex Swim (36-102) .353/.383/.392 (.775) with four doubles and nine RBI. Chattanooga SS Jorge Polanco (40-110) .364/.398/.445 (.844) with four doubles, a triple, a home run and 15 RBI. Cedar Rapids OF Max Murphy (32-114) .281/.362/.456 (.818) with eight doubles, three triples, two home runs and 18 RBI. And now, let’s get to the Top 6 Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitters for May: Number 6 - Chattanooga – OF Travis Harrison - (29-97) .299/.400/.474 (.874) with nine doubles, one triple, two home runs and 19 RBI. With all the names and prospects in Chattanooga, Travis Harrison has quietly been their most consistent performer throughout this season. When I talked to him at spring training, he said he learned a lot last year in Ft. Myers under Doug Mientkiewicz and was looking forward to continuing to work with the former Twin in 2015. He expected a big season and to this point, he’s been up to the challenge in AA. Through his first 47 games this season, he is hitting .277/.367/.428 (.775) with 15 doubles, a triple, three home run and 27 RBI. In May, he had a mid-month, nine-game hitting streak in which the final three games were multi-hit games. Harrison was the first of two supplemental first-round picks by the Twins in 2011 out of high school in California. Number 5 - Rochester – OF Danny Ortiz - (32-108) .296/.339/.537 (.876) with ten doubles, two triples, four home runs and 25 RBI. Ortiz became a free agent following the 2014 season. The 25-year-old was the Twins fourth-round draft pick in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico and has gradually worked his way up the system. He re-signed with the Twins and was invited to major league camp. He had spent most of the second half of the 2014 season in Rochester and that’s where he started the 2015 season as well. In the first 45 games, he has hit .274/.326/.494 (.820) with 12 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 32 RBI. He has been a fixture for Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican Winter League the last half-dozen seasons. He has definitely flown under the radar and could be a fourth or fifth outfield option if the Twins needed one. Number 4 – Chattanooga – 3B Miguel Sano - (30-99) .303/.374/.556 (.929) with eight doubles, one triple, five home run and 22 RBI. Miguel Sano has been a fixture near the top of prospect rankings since the Twins signed him to a $3.15 million signing bonus as a 16-year-old in October of 2009. After missing all of 2014 after having Tommy John surgery, it was expected that he would be rusty in his return. In 18 April games, he hit just .159/.303/.381 (.684) with two doubles and four extra-base hits. As you can see above, he has turned it around in May. Doug Mientkiewicz gave him a couple of days off in late April. He didn’t turn it on right away, but eventually, his bat just took off. Overall, he is now hitting .250/.354/.506 (.860) with ten doubles, a triple and ten home runs. He’s getting close to where he was two years ago. Number 3 - Chattanooga – OF Byron Buxton - (33-119) .277/.326/.571 (.897) with five doubles, nine triples, four home runs and 27 RBI. Buxton didn’t miss all of 2014 like Sano, but he never was able to get into any sort of routine. He had multiple wrist injuries, a head injury and then another hand injury in the Arizona Fall League. He came to spring training this year in great shape and ready to roll, but as you would expect, he struggled early. Through his first 12 games, he was hitting just .180/.241/.300. He got a couple of games off and came back on a tear. In the next ten games, he hit .415/.479/.805 (1.284). Then came another tough stretch. In the next 14 games, he hit .155/.190/.293 (.484). In his final ten games of May, he hit .357/.449/.738 (1.187). So, he’s been a little inconsistent (OK, a lot inconsistent) and yet, he has been remarkably productive at the plate and in the field. He showed his speed on defense, but also with the doubles, NINE triples and one of his four home runs was of the inside-the-park variety. Like Sano, he’s getting there. We need to be patient, but we can also start getting really excited. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – 1B/LF Trey Vavra – (35-88) .398/.466/.568 (1.034) with six doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI. Vavra was the Twins 33rd round pick a year ago out of Florida Southern College. Since signing, he has raked. He was a middle-of-the-order bat in Elizabethton last year, notching 20 doubles. He’s been the Kernels’ top hitter all year. In fact, if not for a late-month ankle injury, there’s a good chance he might be atop this list. Instead, he’ll have to settle for being Number Two this month. He leads the Kernels in most offensive categories. In fact, he’s in the top two in the organization in many offensive categories. In 42 games on the season, he is hitting .346/.406/.538 (.944) with 10 doubles, a triple, six home runs and 28 RBI. Hopefully he can get back on the field and keep hitting like he has all year. The May Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Chattanooga Lookouts 1B/OF Max Kepler (37-103) .359/.400/.583 (.983) with 13 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 14 RBI. For the second straight month, the first baseman for the Chattanooga Lookouts is the winner of the Hitter of the Month Award. Last month, Dalton Hicks posted an OPS over 1.000 on his way to the award. Unfortunately, Hicks has been out of the lineup for the month due to an injury in his trapezius muscle. Max Kepler started playing first base most days which allowed the Lookouts to continue with an outfield of Harrison, Buxton and Walker on most days. Occasionally Kepler got a DH day, or a start in the outfield, but he played a lot of first base. And he hit. Man, did he hit. He hit for average. He didn’t take a lot of walks, but when things are going well, and you’re pounding the ball, aggressiveness is good. He also had a ton of extra base hits and took over the Southern League lead in doubles from teammate Travis Harrison. After a solid season in Ft. Myers in 2014, Kepler returned to the Arizona Fall League where he posted an OPS of .806 for the AFL Champion Salt River Rafters. It was something he called “a great experience!” He had a nice showing early in big league camp, but a familiar foe got him again. He was injured and missed a lot of time in spring training. “It was a very similar injury to what had happened in 2013 before Iowa, a flexor pronator strain. It’s always disappointing, but having dealt with it before, I knew exactly what to do to get back ASAP. I’m feeling great now!” His season began a few days late and with a six-game “rehab” with the Ft. Myers Miracle. Then he joined the Chattanooga Lookouts. He struggled early. In his first seven games, he hit just .185. There was definitely an adjustment to the new league and AA competition. “I kind of knew what to expect, having been to the Fall League the last two years. Getting to experience the speed and level in Arizona definitely slowed things down once I got to Chattanooga. Struggles, I expected. I always try to stick with the same mentality, See Ball, Hit Ball.” As you have read, that Lookouts lineup is pretty special. Six Lookouts hitters show up in today’s report of the top hitters in the organization in May. A couple others were strongly considered for honorable mention. The team won a lot of games in May. “I’ve been with this group of guys for the last three to four years, and it’s been a lot of fun. Team has a lot of chemistry and a bright future.” It seems like Kepler has been around forever. He signed in July of 2009 from Germany. However, he turned just 22 years old in February. He is hitting .323/.362/.523 (.885) through his first 34 games in AA. His future looks bright. It should be a special year for Kepler and the Lookouts. “My goals are to win, stay healthy, and hopefully get to contribute to the Twins success at some point this year.” Kepler has transformed from a guy who had a lot of tools and a lot of athleticism to a guy who is now putting up really good numbers in the upper levels of the minor leagues. If he continues to play at a solid level through the season, I fully expect that Kepler will debut with the Twins in September. There were several strong performances in May. The Lookouts stole the show, but Trey Vavra has been keeping up. In May, some of the organization’s biggest stars put up some big numbers. Max Kepler shone brightest. Feel free to discuss the top hitters in the Minnesota Twins organization in May. We’ll be back tomorrow to conclude our monthly awards with the top starting pitchers in the organization in May.

TRANSACTIONS As was mentioned here in yesterday’s report, Stephen Gonsalves tweeted that he has been promoted to Ft. Myers. This has not yet been announced officially. On Tuesday morning, Dereck Rodriguez tweeted that he was in Atlanta and excited to be heading to Cedar Rapids. That move was later verified by the Kernels. Along with that move, the Kernels announced that RHP Jared Wilson was being promoted to Ft. Myers as well. The Miracle announced that LHP Brett Lee has been promoted to AA Chattanooga. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester @ Lehigh Valley Box Score This game was delayed and then postponed by rain. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Tennessee 9 Box Score Let’s start with the positive. Adam Brett Walker hit his Southern League leading 13th and 14th home runs of the season and drove in all three runs for the Lookouts. That’s all I’ve got for positive. Here comes the rest of the game story This game got out of hand for the Lookouts early. Alex Wimmers made the start. He pitched a scoreless first inning, but then he gave up three in the second, one in the third and three more in the fourth. He gave up seven runs on ten hits and two walks in four innings. Madison Boer came on and worked scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth frames. He was left in the game and got the first two outs in the seventh. He then walked the next two batters. D.J. Johnson came in and gave up a walk and then a two-run double, both runs charged to Boer. Johnson worked 1.1 innings without being charged with a run. Zack Jones struck out one in a perfect ninth inning. In the first inning, Miguel Sano singled and stole second. In his next at-bat, he grounded into a double play. An inning later, he came out. The report from the announcers indicated that he may have re-aggravated his jammed index finger. MIRACLE MATTERS Charlotte @ Ft. Myers Box Score Game Postponed by rain. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids Box Score No Game Scheduled. DAY IN THE DSL We aren’t going to cover the Dominican Summer League here. However, we don’t want to completely forget that they are playing. On Tuesday, the DSL Twins beat the DSL Mariners 11-1. Because we need something positive – besides Walker – I figured I’d provide some highlights from this game as well. Antonio Tovar (RF) went 4-5 with a triple and three RBI. Emmanuel Morel (DH) went 2-3 with two walks and a triple. Jean Carlos Arias (CF) went 2-5 with a home run and three RBI. Jorge Munoz went 2-5 with his first double. Edgar Herrera (LF) went 2-4 with a walk and a double. Jorge Parra (1B) went 2-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Juan Herrera went the first four innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Danny Feliz threw three shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. Miguel De Jesus struck out three over the final two innings. Most of these kids are between 17 and 19, though there are a couple of 20 year olds as well. They play about six days a week. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Zack Jones, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Brett Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (DH @ 5:05 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler, Taylor Rogers Tennessee @ Chattanooga (10:15 a.m. CST) – RHP JO Berrios Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (DH @ 4:00 CST) – RHP Jared Wilson, Kohl Stewart Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games.

There were a lot of very strong May performances out of the bullpen at the Twins affiliates. Below, you’ll find the Top 6 Relief Pitchers for the month, but first a few relievers worthy of mention: RHP Nick Burdi – 8 G, 2-0, 2.03 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 13 H, 3 BB, 15 K RHP JT Chargois – 9 G, 0-0, 2 Saves, 0.00 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 11 K RHP Madison Boer – 8 G, 2-2, 2.55 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 13 H, 7 BB, 10 K LHP Mike Theofanopoulos – 9 G, 1-0, 1.56 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 17.1 IP, 12 H, 8 BB, 16 K RHP Zach Tillery – 7 G, 2 GS, 1-1, 1 Save, 1.88 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 19.0 IP, 16 H, 6 BB, 19 K Now let's get to the Top 5 Minnesota Twins Minor League Relief Pitchers for May 2015: Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Cameron Booser - 9 G, 0.68 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 5 H, 9 BB, 17 K The Twins signed the left-hander as a non-drafted free agent late in 2012. He turned 23 at the beginning of May. He was terrific in April and even better in May. Overall, he has a record this year of 1-0 with five saves. He has an overall ERA of 0.77 with a WHIP of 0.99. As noticeable, he has struck out 35 batters in 23.1 innings, a rate of 13.5 per nine. He will have to improve his control as he has walked 13 batters. However, his stuff is tremendous and opponents have just ten hits off of him all year. He is blessed with a fastball that easily reaches into the upper 90s and even touches triple figures at times. When I talked to him in Cedar Rapids, he fully acknowledged that he was still learning how to pitch, and that is very exciting. Number 4 – Chattanooga – Zack Jones - 9 G, 1.74 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 9 K Though he hasn’t been talked about as much as some of the other relievers who began the season in Chattanooga, he has been Doug Mientkiewicz’s most consistent, reliable bullpen arm all season. Overall, he is 3-1 with 7 saves. In 17.1 innings (over 16 games), he has a 1.56 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. The biggest improvement this year has been his control. He’s walked just five batters through the season’s first two months. Blessed with a fastball that sits between 95 and 98, Jones was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2012 out of San Jose State. He missed most of last season due to an aneurysm in his right shoulder. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – Brandon Peterson - 11 G, 1.10 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 8 H, 8 BB, 25 K Peterson was the Twins 13th round pick in 2013 out of Wichita State. The Savage, MN, native was our choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2014. He returned to the Miracle to start this season and continues to dominate the league. Overall, he is 1-0 with two saves in his 18 appearances. He has posted an ERA of 1.00 and WHIP of 1.04 in his 27 innings. He has struck out 13.0 per nine innings, which is the same rate he had in 31 games with the Miracle last year. His lone flaw to this point is 15 walks in 27 innings which will need to be addressed. Number 2 – Rochester – AJ Achter - 12 G, 0.75 ERA, 0.42 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 11 K Michael Tonkin and Ryan Pressly were promoted. People talked about Lester Oliveros. All the while, AJ Achter outperformed them all in Rochester. When Tonkin promoted to the Twins, Achter took over as the Red Wings closer and did very well. He was 7-7 in save opportunities. On the season, he has pitched 21.2 innings in 21 games. He is 3-2 with the seven saves. He has a 2.08 ERA and a 0.60 WHIP. He’s walked just five and struck out 20. The 26-year-old debuted with the Twins last September and deserves to be back up with the team in 2015. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – Trevor Hildenberger - 9 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, 18.2 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 23 K Hildenberger was a close runner-up for this award in April, and he dominated the Midwest League in May as well. Not only did he not allow any runs, but opponents hit just .083/.113/.100 (.213) against him. He has worked a few times for just one inning, but for the most part, he is throwing two or three innings at a time. He currently has a streak of 25 innings without allowing a run and has given up just one run in 28.2 innings through the season’s two months. I’m going to make a paragraph just for his 2015 season numbers, just because they are so ridiculous. In 14 games and 28.2 innings, he has an ERA of 0.31 and a WHIP of 0.49. He has been successful using two fastballs (two-seam and four-seam), a changeup and a slider. Hildenberger pitched for four seasons at Cal-Berkeley, so he is already 24-years-old. It is inexplicable to me why he remains in Cedar Rapids, but he is taking it all in stride. He told Twins Daily, “I try not to worry about moving up or not. I just keep getting the next hitter out no matter where we are or what the situation is.” Most likely the day after the Kernels either clinch a playoff berth or after an All- Star game appearance, he will find himself packing and heading back to Ft. Myers, this time to join the Miracle. Who knows? It could be even sooner. Hildenberger was the Twins 22nd round pick last year out of Cal-Berkeley. He pitches from an interesting angle. “I would describe myself as sidearm. I know my release point can rise up from time to time, but I definitely categorize myself as sidearm.” The right-hander hasn’t always thrown from the side. “It started back at the end of my third year at Cal Berkeley when my teammate wore the wrong number jersey to practice. My pitching coach, Mike Neu, commented on what he pictured when he saw my teammate’s number. I asked him what he pictured when he saw my number 26, and he said a sidearm pitcher because UCLA and Washington both had sidearm relief pitchers with the number 26. At that point in time I had thrown a cumulative 12 innings in three years and was clearly not effective enough to compete. So he asked me to throw a bullpen from a lower arm angle. I obliged not realizing it was a permanent change. He liked what he saw and sent me off to summer ball in Bend, Oregon, in the summer of 2012 to refine my new style and experience some growing pains.” As a senior in 2014, he pitched in 28 games. He was 3-3 with 10 saves and a 2.83 ERA. In 47.2 innings, he gave up 41 hits, walked 11 and struck out 48. It was enough to get him drafted by the Twins where he has continued to work on his new delivery while experiencing a ton of success. In that same 2014 draft, the Twins selected Hildenberger’s teammate, LHP Michael Theofanopoulos. If nothing else, the Twins have an advantage on other organizations should a Scrabble tournament be played where only names of players in their organization can be used. It was a positive for both to come to professional baseball together as teammates. “Theo and I were lucky to be drafted together by the same team in the same year. We had known each other for the previous four years playing at Cal together and were friends coming into the draft. It made the transition from college to professional baseball easier and gave me a no-brainer catch partner when we first started. We lived together last summer in the GCL and in instructional league, and now we live together with the same host family here in Cedar Rapids. It's nice to have someone who knows your pitching history to discuss outings or mindsets so candidly.” Hildenberger worked with pitching coach Ehren Wasserman in the GCL last year and has been working with Kernels pitching coach Henry Bonilla this season. He says that he has been able to learn from each. “Luckily, Wass was a sidearm pitcher who pitched with the White Sox in the major leagues, so I was able to learn specific tips to help me improve my slider and fastball command. Henry has taught me a mindset that has helped me become successful at this level. To keep attacking hitters with the same pitch or location until they prove they have made an adjustment. He stopped me from overthinking as I did in 2014 and allowed me to become more relaxed and confident in my approach.” The Kernels are 32-18 at this stage of the season, and as you would expect with a record like that, the clubhouse has a terrific atmosphere. “The Kernels Clubhouse is extremely loose right now (May 31). We're competing with everyone we play. Our starting pitching has been outstanding. Our defense kept us in games. Our bullpen has been magnificent. And our offense has led the way with timely hitting. As a staff, we are aggressive and relaxed, knowing our defense will back us up and our hitters will provide enough offense to win. It’s extraordinarily fun to come to the ballpark every day knowing the starter and every guy in the ‘pen will do his job, giving us a chance to win. Booser, Theo, LeBlanc, Bard, Velez, and Cederoth have all dominated lately, allowing us to win tight games.” Speaking of dominating, did I mention yet that Hildenberger, through two months and 28.2 innings with the Kernels, has an ERA of 0.31 and a WHIP of 0.49? He’s also giving up 3.5 hits per nine, 0.9 walks per nine and striking out 11.9 batters per nine innings. However, Hildenberger has bigger goals for 2015 than just dominating for two months or (gasp) a Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month award. He started with team goals before considering his personal goals. “My goal is to make the playoffs this year. Last year, I spent with the GCL Twins, and we missed out on the postseason. When I got called up to Elizabethton, I got a taste of what the playoffs were like. So hopefully we can keep winning games and clinch a playoff berth in the first half. Personally, my goal is to be in Fort Myers (High-A) by the end of the season and help them reach the postseason as well. Being an older guy, I know getting drafted at 23 isn't exactly an advantage, and that you have to perform right away. Hopefully I can continue the success I've had early here in 2015 and advance towards the ultimate goal of helping the Twins bring a World Series championship to Minnesota.” Count me in on someone that would love to see that as well! Congratulations on a great month of May and a great two month start to the season, Trevor Hildenberger. I’m thinking the Miracle bullpen will be adding a side-armer very soon. So what do you think? I’ve ranked the top five bullpen arms in the Twins organization in May, along with another five that deserve to be recognized for their May performance as well. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? Be sure to check back later for the Starting Pitcher and Hitter of May.