Seth Stohs

Only thing I'm worried about with Stewart is his healthy. He's 20 in high-a. I'd like to see him stay healthy for a full year and see what he can do when he gets on a role. Most 20 year olds are either still in college or getting ready for a short-season season. Way too soon to give up on anyone.Or to start calling people names (not that that is ever OK).

Jeremy, is there any chance that Aiken falls down to the Twins compensatory pick? I'm thinking no, and I know you have Aiken going in the late 1st round, but maybe there's more of a fall.

Very nice compliment. I appreciate that! It is a bit of work, but obviously I completely enjoy it. I really like being able to recognize these players for what they do on a day-to-day basis. Velez is a great story. As I wrote in the forum thread about the Jeff Johnson story, I had a good 5-minute chat with him. I enjoy reading and writing these stories. Thank you! Jeremy, Cody, Eric and Steve do a great job too of writing these stories... and giving me a couple of nights off from them to write other things.

The Twins evened their series with the Blue Jays with a nice 3-2 win. All four affiliates played on Saturday as well. There were some good games. Two of the four games finished in walk-off fashion. A big inning late in the game helped one of the affiliates to a win. Chih-Wei Hu returned to the mound for Ft. Myers.With that, here’s what happened on Saturday in the Minnesota Twins minor league system: TRANSACTIONS Cedar Rapids received outfielder Edgar Corcino from extended spring training. He was one of the more athletic players I saw in minor league camp.Following their game on Saturday night, the Kernels added catcher Alex Real to their roster. He was a 2014 draft pick who was given a 50-game suspension in the offseason.To make room for Real, 1B Tyler Kuresa was sent back to Extended Spring Training.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 2, Buffalo 3 Box Score Tommy Milone made another start for the Red Wings. He gave up twice as many runs in seven innings on this night as he had in his previous four starts. The left-hander gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out six. Mark Hamburger got two outs in the eighth. Michael Tonkin, freshly back from Minnesota, got two outs. Ryan O’Rourke struck out the only batter he faced. Lester Oliveros came in for the bottom of the ninth inning. The first batter, Brad Glenn, hit a solo walk-off home run to end the game. Red Wings announcer Josh Whetzel tweeted following the game that it was the first home run allowed in 92 batters faced by Oliveros. The Red Wings had just six hits in the game. Jose Martinez went 2-3 with an RBI. Josmil Pinto was 1-3 with a walk. Oswaldo Arcia went 0-3 with a walk and is now 0-11 in his four games with the Red Wings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 8, Biloxi 11 Box Score When you score eight runs in a game, you expect to win. However, on this night, pitching was the concern right from the beginning. Biloxi won this game, their third win in the first four games of the series. D.J. Baxendale started. He gave up four runs in the first inning. He went unscathed in the second inning. After three batters reached to start the third inning, Baxendale came out of the game. The Lookouts announcers said that catcher Stuart Turner stepped in front of home plate and called over to the dugout. Manager Doug Mientkiewicz and the team’s trainer came out to check on Baxendale. He was removed from the game. The announcers said he just didn’t look like he had all season. His line (which is probably not the most important piece of this paragraph right now): He gave up six runs on seven hits in two innings. He walked one and struck out two. Madison Boer came on with runners on. He was charged with three more runs on four hits and a walk over 2.2 innings. Cole Johnson came on to replace him. He gave up one run on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Nick Burdi gave up two hits and a walk, but no runs, in his two innings. He struck out three. D.J. Johnson pitched the ninth inning. He gave up one run on two hits. Down 7-0 in the bottom of the third, the Lookouts attempted to come back. Travis Harrison cut the deficit to 7-4 with a grand slam, his third home run of the season. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before the Shuckers tacked on more runs to their lead. Down 11-5 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Lookouts scored three and had Miguel Sano up to bat representing the tying run. However, he flew out to end the game. Jorge Polanco led the offense. He went 3-5 with his seventh double. Max Kepler went 2-4 with his third triple. Miguel Sano returned to the lineup after missing two games with a jammed finger. He went 2-5. Byron Buxton walked twice in the game. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Clearwater 4 (11 innings) Box Score Chih-Wei Hu made his first start for the Miracle in about two weeks. In between, he had a very impressive spot start for the Rochester Red Wings and then skipped a start. He performed well. In six innings, he gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter. Bryan Haar put the Miracle on the scoreboard with his first home run of the season. Down 2-1 in the eighth inning, Niko Goodrum came through with an RBI single to tie the game at two. That’s where the score remained for a while. Todd Van Steensel threw two shutout innings, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out one. Brandon Peterson kept the score right where it was for two innings. He walked one and struck out four. In the bottom of the 11th, Dallas Gallant came on. He gave up a single which was followed by a two-run homer to end the game. The Miracle had just six hits in the game; Bryan Haar had three of those. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 1 Box Score The Kernels played their 50th game of the season, and they got a nice win to improve to 32-18 thanks to a big, four-run seventh inning. Zach Tillery started. He gave up only an unearned run on five hits over four innings. He walked two and struck out two. Lefty Jose Velez tossed two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit, walked two and struck out three. Luke Bard came in next. He struck out three over two shutout frames to get the win. Cameron Booser got the final three outs. In the big seventh inning, J.J. Fernandez led off with a walk which was followed by a Pat Kelly single. After a bad pickoff throw moved both runners up a base, Brett Doe doubled to score both of them and give the Kernels a 3-1 lead. The next batter was Edgar Corcino. He was making his Kernels debut. In the seventh, he singled in another run. Two batters later, Nick Gordon singled in the fifth run of the game for the team. Doe led the way going 2-4 with the two-run double, his sixth of the year. Corcino went 2-3. Gordon went 2-4. Fernandez walked twice and Zach Larson hit his tenth double. On Sunday afternoon, Australian right-hander Sam Gibbons will make his Kernels debut. Please take a moment to read the Cedar Rapids Gazette article on lefty Jose Velez, authored by Jeff Johnson. It is remarkable! TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tommy Milone, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Bryan Haar, Ft. Myers Miracle SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler Biloxi @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (12:00 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

it's 8.9... 9\.7 is what he was at with Cedar Rapids.

If the Twins are competing in August, maybe he gets called up, but I doubt it. They have Jones, Burdi and Chargois in AA already and Tonkin, Achter and Oliveros at AAA. Jay hasn't done much starting. I think they'd start him out in E-Town for 3-4 short starts and and then get him to Cedar Rapids. The goal for this year won't be to push him too much, too fast. It'll be to keep him healthy so that he can start next season in Ft. Myers. (This is all my guess)

The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates will pass the 50-game plateau this week. Each week, we will be posting the Twins Minor League Leaderboard in the Saturday morning. From week to week, we can see several things change on these lists. A hot week. A cold week. An injury.For most statistical categories, we’ll look at the Top 5 players, though some leeway is given in the event of ties (or just common sense). For hitters, I am using 140 plate appearances as the cutoff for BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, IsoD and IsoP. For pitchers, we’ll look at ERA, WHIP, K/9 and BB/9. I am using 32.0 innings as the cutoff for starters and 16.0 innings as the cutoff for relief pitchers. Here is the Minnesota Twins Minor League Leader Board through games played on Friday, May 29. HITTERS As you can see, some players have now passed 200 plate appearances for the season. The sample size is starting to get larger. Many of the same names are appearing on these lists. Feel free to comment below on what stands out to you. Plate Appearances: Niko Goodrum (213), Byron Buxton (209), Zach Granite (208), Max Murphy (201), Nick Gordon (194) Batting Average: Trey Vavra (.346), Alex Swim (.339), James Beresford (.324), Zach Granite (.320), Max Kepler/Jorge Polanco (.315), On-Base Percentage: Trey Vavra (.406), Zach Granite (.402), Travis Harrison (.377), Alex Swim (.368), James Beresford (.365), Isolated Discipline: Mitch Garver (.131), Tanner English (.125), Niko Goodrum (.106), Miguel Sano (.102), Michael Gonzales (.094), Travis Harrison (.092) (I like this statistic because it’s easy to calculate, but it also shows which hitters are not as reliant upon getting hits to get on base. It is simply (OBP-BA). A guy can have a low batting average, but he can still have value if he’s getting on base at a good percentage.) Slugging Percentage: Adam Brett Walker (.541), Trey Vavra (.538), Byron Buxton (.511), Danny Ortiz (.506), Max Kepler (.493), Miguel Sano (.490) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.288), Byron Buxton (.245), Miguel Sano (.248), Danny Ortiz (.226), Trey Vavra (.192) (Like Isolated Discipline, Isolated Power is easy to calculate. It is just (SLG-BA). In other words, how many extra base hits is the player getting? How much power is he showing? Again, it’s showing that a player can be valuable even if he doesn't hit for high average.) OPS: Trey Vavra (.944), Max Kepler (.852), Adam Brett Walker (.846), Danny Ortiz (.839), Byron Buxton (.836), Miguel Sano (.835), Hits: Alex Swim (59), Zach Granite/Jorge Polanco (57), Trey Vavra (54), Byron Buxton (50), James Beresford (48) 2B: Max Kepler (16), Travis Harrison (15), Danny Ortiz (12), Adam Brett Walker/Reynaldo Rodriguez (11), 5 Tied with 10. 3B: Byron Buxton (11), Max Murphy/Tanner English (5), Aaron Hicks (4), Levi Michael/TJ White/Pat Kelly (3) HR: Adam Brett Walker (12), Miguel Sano (9), Danny Ortiz (7), Trey Vavra/Byron Buxton (6), Josmil Pinto/Brock Peterson (5) Runs: Byron Buxton (37), Zach Granite (34), Max Murphy (32), Adam Brett Walker/Miguel Sano (31), Nick Gordon (30) RBI: Adam Brett Walker (39), Byron Buxton (34), Danny Ortiz (32), Miguel Sano/Zack Larson (30), Trey Vavra (28) SB: Tanner English (16), Byron Buxton (14), Zach Granite (13), Niko Goodrum/Nick Gordon/Engelb Vielma (11). STARTING PITCHERS (>36 IP) Innings: Tyler Duffey (64.1), Taylor Rogers (62.0), Pat Dean (54.2), JO Berrios (63.1), Pat Dean (61.0), Greg Peavey (53.0) ERA: Chih-Wei Hu (1.10), Stephen Gonsalves (1.31), Mat Batts (2.08), Pat Dean (2.36), Felix Jorge (2.42), WHIP: Stephen Gonsalves (0.79), Chih-Wei Hu (0.85), Felix Jorge (0.93), Aaron Slegers (0.97), Mat Batts (1.03) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (12.4), JO Berrios (9.9), Alex Meyer (9.7), Chih-Wei Hu (9.2), Mat Batts (8.9), Tyler Duffey/Alex Wimmers/John Curtiss (8.8) BB/9: Aaron Slegers (1.5), John Curtiss/Felix Jorge (1.7), Pat Dean (1.8), Tyler Duffey/Greg Peavey (2.0), Strikeouts: JO Berrios (70), Stephen Gonsalves (66), Tyler Duffey (63), Mat Batts/Taylor Rogers (47) Wins: JO Berrios (6-2), Chih-Wei Hu (5-0), Stephen Gonsalves (5-1), Pat Dean (5-3) RELIEF PITCHERS (>16 IP, Games: AJ Achter (21), Alex Muren/Brandon Peterson/JT Chargois (17), Madison Boer/Zack Jones/Todd Van Steensel (16). Innings: Alex Muren (28.1), Todd Van Steensel (27.1), Randy LeBlanc (27.0), Madison Boer/Trevor Hildenberger (26.2), Brandon Peterson (25.0) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.34), Cameron Booser (0.81), Brandon Peterson (1.08), Zack Jones (1.56), Mike Theofanopoulos (1.82), Lester Oliveros (1.99) WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.49), AJ Achter (0.60), Zack Jones (0.92), Tim Shibuya (0.97), Madison Boer (0.98), Cameron Booser (0.99) K/9: Cameron Booser (14.1), Lester Oliveros/Todd Van Steensel (13.5), Brandon Peterson (12.6), Cole Johnson (11.8), Zack Jones (11.4), JT Chargois (11.2), Trevor Hildenberger (11.1) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.2), Zack Jones (1.3), Tim Shibuya (1.7), Jake Reed (2.1), Cole Johnson (2.2) Saves: Zack Jones/AJ Achter (7), Michael Tonkin/Cameron Booser/Trevor Hildenberger (5), JT Chargois/Todd Van Steensel (4). There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, May 29. What are your thoughts? What surprised you? Click here to view the article

The Twins fell to the Blue Jays thanks to one of our favorite Old Friends. Chris Colabello’s two-run homer off Glen Perkins was the difference in the Jays 6-4 win. Colabello is a good reminder of why these minor league reports are so important. He was a minor league free agent signed after eight seasons in independent ball. He has made it to the big leagues and contributed. In these daily reports, we don’t solely focus on the prospects. We focus on all players who deserve to be recognized because you never know which ones will get to The Show. Colabello was mentioned frequently in these reports in his two-plus seasons in the organization.With that, here’s what happened on Friday in the Minnesota Twins minor league system: TRANSACTIONS Casey Fien’s rehab stint in Rochester ended as he was activated by the Twins. To make room for him, Michael Tonkin was optioned yet again to Rochester.Ethan Mildren was played on the disabled list by the Ft. Myers Miracle. Matt Summers was removed from the Chattanooga disabled list and sent to the Miracle.RED WINGS REPORT The Red Wings had a few games rained out in the season’s first week. Tonight, Rochester played a doubleheader in Buffalo because of a rain out in early April. Game 1 – Rochester 2, Buffalo 1 Box Score In the top of the second inning, Danny Ortiz walked. Two batters later, Ryan Wheeler hit his first Red Wings home run to give the team a 2-0 lead. That was all of the run scoring for the Red Wings. It was also one of just five hits for the team in Game 1. Doug Bernier’s fifth double was the lone extra base hit. Fortunately, lefty Pat Dean was up to the challenge. The left-hander gave up a run in the bottom of the second inning, and that was it. He got one out in the bottom of the seventh before AJ Achter came in to get the final two outs and record his seventh save. Dean went 6.1 innings and gave up just the one run on six hits. He walked two and struck out two. Game 2 – Rochester 2, Buffalo 4 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game 2. Danny Ortiz doubled in two runs in the third inning. However, the Bisons followed that with a big four-run inning in the bottom half of the third frame. Tyler Duffey made his second AAA start of the season. In the first two innings, he gave up just one hit. He gave up the four runs in the third inning, but then got another five outs. Duffey was charged with four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out three. Logan Darnell came on and got the final out of the fifth inning as well as the first two outs in the sixth inning. He had one walk and one strikeout. Alex Meyer came on to get the final out of the inning. He got it, on a strikeout. Ortiz led the offense. He was 2-3 with his 12th double. Josmil Pinto entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh and doubled. Following the split, the Red Wings are now 27-22. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Biloxi 3 Box Score Greg Peavey has really turned around his season after a very slow start in April. He gave up two runs in the second inning, but then he settled in and went six innings. The Lookouts tied the game at two in the fifth. With Carlos Paulino on second base and Byron Buxton on first base, Jorge Polanco hit a long single. Paulino scored, but the throw from the outfield got away from the catcher and Buxton scored all the way from first base. That’s where the game remained until the top of the eighth. Tim Shibuya came out for his second inning after a scoreless seventh frame. He gave up a run on three hits. The Lookouts tried to come back in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Buxton walked and then stole second on the first pitch. However, Polanco grounded out to end the game. The Lookouts had just five hits in the game. Stephen Wickens went 2-4. Buxton had a walk and a single. The stolen base was his 14th of the year. He also was credited with two outfield assists. Peavey gave another quality start. He was charged with only those two runs. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out two. Shibuya took the loss. He gave up the one run on three hits. He struck one out and didn’t walk anyone. D.J. Johnson pitched the ninth inning. He gave up one hit and struck out two. Miguel Sano was out of the lineup for the second straight games. Before the Twins game on Friday night, GM Terry Ryan told the writers that Sano had a jammed finger. Chattanooga, the top team in the Southern League’s North Division is now 29-18. Biloxi, the leader in the Southern League’s South Division, is 29-19. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Clearwater 7 Box Score Kohl Stewart was back on the mound following the best start of his season. On this night, he wasn’t his best. He gave up four runs in the first inning. Overall, he gave up six runs (five earned) on ten hits. He walked none and struck out one. Brian Gilbert came on and struck out one over two perfect innings. Matt Summers made his first appearance in a game this season. He struck out one in a perfect inning. Alex Muren pitched a scoreless eighth inning. However, he gave up the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to take the loss. The Miracle offense showed up. They had 15 hits in the game. Zach Granite went 3-5 with his fifth Miracle double. Alex Swim, Ryan Walker and Niko Goodrum were each 2-5 in the game. Bryan Haar went 2-4. Tanner Vavra came in later. He had a pinch-hit RBI single and added a second RBI single later in the game. With the loss, the Miracle are now 24-24. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 2 Box Score Keaton Steele made just his second start for the Kernels, and it was a good one. The right-hander went seven innings and gave up just one run on five hits. He walked three and struck out six. Randy LeBlanc recorded his first save of the year with two scoreless innings. Pat Kelly had a terrific game. He went 3-4 with his third triple of the year. Brett Doe was also 3-4 with his fifth double and two RBI. Zack Larson went 1-3 with a walk and his fifth double. The Kernels improved to 31-18. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Keaton Steele, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Pat Kelly, Cedar Rapids Kernels SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (4:05 CST) – LHP Tommy Milone Biloxi @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – RHP DJ Baxendale Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Zach Tillery Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

University of Illinois pitcher Tyler Jay starts up a lot of conversations about how he has been utilized in college. His team boasts plenty of pitching talent, but Jay is likely the best of the bunch, is left-handed, and boasts a deep starter’s repertoire and secondary skills. But for whatever reason, he has only started one game in his three year collegiate career in the Big 10. This hasn’t stopped him from being projected high in the first round of this year’s draft however, as scouts hold little doubts about his ability to transition into a starter as a pro.Will the allure of a power left-handed arm be too much for the Twins to pass up? Who is this guy? At 6’1”, 175 lbs, Jay doesn’t have the prototypical front-line pitcher’s build, but we’re all familiar with how this can idea can be misrepresented (e.g.: Jose Berrios). This hasn’t prevented him from obliterating the Big 10 since he stepped on campus, and Jay has improved his numbers substantially in every season. As a freshman, he pitched in eighteen games and amassed 20.1 innings out of the pen with a 3.10 ERA. As a sophomore, Jay assumed the closer role and appeared in twenty-three games, totaling 41.2 innings. He racked up ten saves, and lowered his season ERA to 1.94. This season as a junior, he put a large stamp on his amateur career. He reduced his ERA even further to a ridiculous 0.64, and racked up thirteen saves in twenty-eight appearances over 56.1 innings. He allowed just twenty-nine hits (only four for extra bases, and zero home runs) and just six walks, while striking out sixty-five. He also pitched with Team USA last summer, and didn’t surrender a run in 16.2 innings while striking out twenty-one. For his collegiate career, he amassed a 10-5 record with twenty-three saves, 132 K’s over 118.1 innings, allowed just sixty-eight hits and twenty-nine walks, and held hitters to a .168 batting average. Touted as an excellent athlete with smooth mechanics, there is little question that whatever MLB team drafts him will push him into a starting role, and this is before even mentioning his pitching repertoire. He will hit mid-to-high 90s with his fastball, which has also has big arm-side run as a left-hander. This alone would get him noticed, but his changeup, slider, and curveball all rate as above-average and flash plus at times as well (here’s a Fangraph’s post showing a “plus”-flashing change). This potential four-pitch mix combined with advanced control makes it easy to see why he has been a riser on draft boards through the year. Why the Twins will pick him In the past two MLB drafts, the Twins front office has taken a bit of an unorthodox approach by targeting big time arms early in the draft, most of who pitched out of bullpens in college, with the intent to see if they could handle starting games instead of finishing them. I’ve already mentioned the parallels Jay holds with the Twins in that regard. Since Brad Radke fronted starting rotations for Twins, they've also fallen in love with pitchers with advanced command and control, allowing them to limit walks. Jay is considered to have some of the best control in this draft, if not the best, with Keith Law of ESPN rating it as “plus-plus.”(Insider required) Add the fact that he is left-handed, andarea where some might say the Twins are lacking high-upside pitching prospects, and Jay’s appeal to the Twins is even greater. Why the Twins will not pick him As mentioned, many evaluators believe Jay has been miscast in his role as a reliever with the Illini. In the same column above, Law goes so far as to opine “He would have been a top-five pick had he been used as a starter all year and he continued to show the kind of stuff he has in his longest relief outings this spring.” This usage as a reliever has made him hard to consistently scout, so a team like the Twins picking at number six, might not be confident enough in their evaluations to pull the trigger on him that high. He also gets nailed for being undersized, would likely lose a few ticks on his fastball as a starter, and there would be questions about his endurance to pitch more innings until he does so. Most problematic of all could be his recent movement into the top five on draft boards, with Kiley McDaniel of Fangraph's latest mock sending him to Colorado at number three. As amazing as it sounds compared to just a few weeks ago, he might not be available. Even if he were to falter as a starter, Jay’s current profile reads a lot like a certain All-Star lefty locking down the Twins major league bullpen right now. Whether a future looking something like Glen Perkins is enough for Minnesota to pick at number six may be the question when it comes to selecting, or not, Tyler Jay on June 8th. Click here to view the article

Aside from talking to Mark Hamburger, Trevor May is very interesting to chat with. He is a deep, critical thinker. Ask him a quick question, you're probably not going to get a quick answer. He's very analytical and thoughtful.

And they're already at 13 pitchers, so DFAing Stauffer and promoting Milone would still leave them at 13 pitchers.

Also Danny Valencia is crushing the ball, playing in the outfield as part of a platoon. He just continues to hit left-handed pitching well. Also, Steven Tolleson is playing quite a bit for the Blue Jays. The former Twins farmhand was on the Twins 40-man roster until they signed Jim Thome at Twins Fest in 2010.

The Twins and the Royals both had the day off on Thursday which means the Twins remain in first place! In the minor leagues, Rochester had the day off, but the other three affiliates were in action. In Chattanooga, JO Berrios made another start. That alone should make you want to keep reading. Plenty of action on Thursday.TRANSACTIONS A couple of transactions from Thursday. Australian RHP Sam Gibbons was promoted to Cedar Rapids from Extended Spring Training.RHP John Curtiss was placed on the disabled list with a strained forearm. He had left his most recent start with elbow pain. He had Tommy John surgery in 2012.1B/LF/DH Trey Vavra was also placed on the 7-Day disabled list with a sprained ankle.RED WINGS REPORT Scheduled off day. Back at it tomorrow against the Buffalo Bisons. LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Biloxi Shuckers @ Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts were out-hit 9-7 and were just 1-8 with runners in scoring position, but picked up another win to move to 29-17 on the year. Jose Berrios started for Chattanooga and did his regular Jose Berrios thing. 7.1 innings, two earned runs, no walks, and seven strike outs. He gave up all nine of the Biloxi hits, but held the Shuckers to 1-7 with runners in scoring position. Berrios was cruising into the eighth inning with a shutout, but after retiring Nick Shaw to begin the eighth, the next three batters went single, single, double, scoring a run and ending Berrios' evening. Lifted with that one out in the eighth, Berrios was replaced by Zack Jones who finished the game to pick up his seventh save of the season Jones promptly walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, gave up a sacrifice fly to the next batter, and then induced a ground ball to Max Kepler to escape the threat. Jones then sent the Shuckers down 1-2-3 in the ninth to preserve the Lookouts victory. Byron Buxton was 0-3 with a walk and two strike outs, the first time in more than a week Buxton failed to record a hit, ending a seven-game hitting streak. Jorge Polanco was 2-4 with an RBI and a stolen base (one of three stolen bases for the Lookouts on the evening), his tenth of the year. Adam Brett Walker was 1-4 with two strikeouts but made that hit count, a two-run home run, driving in what proved to be the game-winning run. It was his league-leading 12th home run of the season. Final Score: Biloxi 2, Chattanooga 3 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Clearwater Threshers - Game 1 Box Score Ryan Eades is looking a lot more like a first-round draft pick in 2015 than he did in either 2013 or 2014 and has rewarded the Twins for their patience with him. He pitched five innings of three-hit ball for the Miracle on Thursday night, walked two and struck out six. Eades has given up three runs or less in seven of his eight starts so far this year. Eades was replaced by Luke Westphal who earned his first hold of the year with a perfect sixth inning and Brandon Peterson picked up his second save of the year with a scoreless ninth. Peterson put up great numbers in 2014 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels and earned an early promotion to Fort Myers where he pitched to a 1.80 ERA over 45 innings, racking up 65 strike outs while walking 17. This year, back at Fort Myers, Peterson continues to have a K/9 over 13 with 35 strikeouts in just 24 innings and he has already walked 14. Peterson may have made an adjustment in recent weeks as he has walked just two batters in his last nine innings of work while striking out 12. The Miracle managed just five hits in this low scoring affair, and leadoff man Zach Granite was the only player with two hits, going 2-3 with a double and a run scored (via wild pitch in the first inning). The Miracle added the winning run in the top of the fourth, set up by two more wild pitches from Threshers starter Mark Leiter Jr. Final Score: Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 1 (seven innings) Fort Myers @ Clearwater Threshers - Game 2 Box Score Miracle starter Brett Lee was tagged for six runs in 4.2 innings, giving up four of those runs in the fifth inning alone before being lifted for Dallas Gallant. Lee gave up six hits, six runs, walked four and struck out one. Dallas Gallant pitched a scoreless inning and a third and gave up two hits. The Miracle again managed just five hits in the second game of the double header, lead by Tanner Vavra, hitting ninth, who went 2-3 with a pair of RBIs. Zach Granite doubled and scored another run as part of a 1-4 performance in the nightcap. The Miracle had just five hits, but they also worked five walks and were 3-10 with runners in scoring position, but could not come up with a big hit to put up a crooked number. Final score: Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 6 (seven innings) KERNELS KORNER Wisconsin Timber Rattlers @ Cedar Rapids Box Score A tough game on both sides of the ball for the Kernels who picked up just four hits on the evening and gave up runs in five different innings, losing 6-0 to a pretty bad Timber Rattlers squad. Jared Wilson was charged with his first loss of the season, giving up eight hits, five runs (four earned) over five innings. He walked two, struck out two, and gave up two home runs. Michael Theofanopoulos came in for an extended relief outing, pitching three innings. He gave up two hits, an earned run, walked two and struck out two. Trevor Hildenberger finished the game and struck out a pair of Timber Rattlers in the ninth. Just those four hits I mentioned earlier for the Kernels on Thursday night, all singles, to go along with only one walk and nine strike outs. Not an exciting game for the 1,957 fans in attendance at Perfect Game Field as the Kernels only managed to push two runners into scoring position the entire evening. 2014 first-round draft pick Nick Gordon was 0-3 with three strike outs, but he did reach base on a HBP in the fourth. Zack Larson picked up a pair of hits, providing half of the Kernels hits, going 2-4 with a pair of singles. Final Score: Wisconsin 6, Cedar Rapids 0 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Jorge Polanco, Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Jose Berrios, Chattanooga Lookouts FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester @ Buffalo Bisons - Game 1 - Pat Dean (4-3, 2.47) vs. Miguel Castro Rochester @ Buffalo Bisons - Game 2 (Make up of 4/10) - Tyler Duffey (0-1, 2.57) vs. Jeff Francis Biloxi Shuckers @ Chattanooga - Tyler Wager (5-1, 2.01) vs. Greg Peavey Fort Myers @ Clearwater Threshers - Kohl Stewart (1-3, 2.60) vs. Brandon Leibrandt Clinton LumberKings @ Cedar Rapids - TBD vs. Keaton Steele (1-0, 3.72) Click here to view the article

In the draft, the Minnesota Twins – and other teams – have a tendency to get into patterns. As we know, with their first-round picks the last couple of decades, the Twins have either gone high school hitter or college pitcher. In our draft previews this week, we have already looked at couple of college pitchers who could be there when the Twins select at #6.Today, we look that arguably the top college pitcher available in this year’s draft, Carson Fulmer. Who Is This Guy? Earlier in the week, Parker introduced us to Walker Buehler, a right-handed pitcher from Vanderbilt. Buehler is considered a top 10 to top 15 pick in the upcoming draft. He won’t be the first pick from that school. That will be infielder Dansby Swanson who could be taken first overall. In fact, Buehler likely won’t be the first member of the Vandy starting rotation to be drafted. That will most likely be right-hander Carson Fulmer. Fulmer went to high school at All Saints Academy in Lakeland, Florida. Following his high school career, the Boston Red Sox made him their 15th round pick in the 2012 draft. Instead of signing, he went to Vanderbilt, the college that has produced the likes of David Price, Sonny Gray and Mike Minor in recent years. Right away in 2013, he went 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 26 games coming out of the Commodores’ bullpen. In 52.2 innings, he gave up just 37 hits, but he walked 25 and struck out 51. As a sophomore in 2014, he made 16 relief appearances (and had 10 saves) before ending the season with ten starts. He went 7-1 with a 1.98 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. In 91 innings, he gave up just 61 hits. He still walked 41, and he struck out 95. Fulmer was the team’s starting pitcher in the College World Series championship game. He went 5.1 innings and got a no decision, but Vanderbilt won the title. This season, he is 11-2 with a 1.97 ERA in 15 starts. In 100.2 innings, he has given up 67 hits, walked 38 and struck out 136. He has twice been named the national pitcher of the week.He had a stretch in which he didn't give up a run for 24 innings. Fulmer could very well be the first college pitcher drafted this year – though most believe that will be UC-Santa Barbara RHP Dillon Tate. Most mock drafts have Fulmer not getting past the White Sox with the #8 pick. In Jeremy Nygaard’s mock first round draft, he had Fulmer going #7 to the Red Sox. Why the Twins Will Pick Him Though the Twins have done a nice job in recent years adding power arms, the old adage is wise, “You Never Have Enough Pitching.” Quality pitching is hard to come by, and as we’ve seen with the Twins in recent years, it costs a lot of money to get even mid-rotation starters via free agency. The draft provides a team with the opportunity to add a high-quality, young arm that they can have control of through the formative, and then the best, years rather than the expensive years. The Twins have a history in recent years of drafting mostly pitchers who stand at least 6-4. There are some obvious exceptions, such as JO Berrios and Mat Batts. But for the most part, the Twins draft tall pitchers. Carson Fulmer stands at 6-0 and weighs in at 190 pounds, but he packs some punch into his frame. Fulmer has a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s, but he has hit 98 on several occasions. As you can see from his stat lines, he has not always had great command of his pitches, though he is usually right around the plate. He has a plus breaking ball that he can throw as a slider in the upper 80s or a slower curve ball in the lower 80s. His changeup is a work-in-progress as he often still throws it too hard, in the upper 80s. If he can develop that into a pitch in the low-80s, he could become the next Sonny Gray. Fulmer has been a big part of some very good teams and very good pitching staffs at Vanderbilt. He does not turn 22 until December, but he is a guy who could move relatively quickly up the organizational ladder. That will depend on two things, his control and his ability to improve his changeup. He could be a guy who arrives at Target Field and starts contributing within two years. He has the stats, and he has the accolades, but he also has a few of the intangibles. As you would expect from someone choosing to go to Vanderbilt, he is quite smart. He has been named to several Academic Honor Rolls. His coach, Tim Corbin, called him a “rare combination of power arm, skill, athleticism, mentality and competitiveness.” Ten years ago, the Twins drafted Ryan Mullins, a soft-tossing left-handed pitcher in the third round out of Vanderbilt. In the third round of the 2011 draft, the Twins selected hard-throwing lefty reliever Corey Williams from the school. Why the Twins Will Not Pick Him Some of it is height, but some of it is mechanical. There is some thought that Fulmer could wind up in the bullpen. Obviously there are the thoughts out there that because he’s just 6-0 tall, he may not be able to get the downward plane a taller pitcher would, leaving his pitches flat and able to be hit a long ways. Fulmer throws hard and he is a max-effort type of pitcher. In other words, he has a lot going on in his delivery and some think that may be best suited for the bullpen. As you saw in his stat pack above, he was a bullpen guy at Vanderbilt during his freshman year and the first half of his sophomore season. The Twins have certainly had no problem drafting power, college arms in recent years with the idea of making them starters. In Fulmer’s case, he has been starting (and successfully at a major college program) for the last season and a half. Most believe that he will be able to start, which is why he is considered a Top 8-10 pick. Some mock drafts have had Dillon Tate falling to the Twins, and if he does, I think they will have a hard time passing on him. The Twins also have a long track record of success developing athletic, toolsy, high school hitters, and there are several of them that will be available when the Twins draft at #6. So, at the end of the day, it appears that the Twins will likely pick between high school hitter and college pitcher. If it’s college pitcher, don’t be surprised if it’s Carson Fulmer. Previous Twins Daily Draft Profiles: Swanson/Rodgers/Tate Walker Buehler Andrew Benintendi Kyle Funkhouser Click here to view the article

Yeah, he's "pretty good." The Lookouts announcers definitely brought his name up a bunch of times.

It's Mat Batts.

As a corner outfielder! He's the best hitter I've ever seen, and I have a hard time believing any hitter has ever been better.

We're looking into it. That was the 1st thing I posted on Twitter last night after the initial Byron Buxton just hit an inside-the-park home run tweet. I hoped there would be video. We've heard that at least one of the TV affiliates in Chattanooga did get it. I also know they were in a tornado warning last night, so I don't know if it's been posted anywhere yet. As soon as it is, I'll tweet it and try to get it here.

Good catch! 12:3 was actually the ground ball to fly ball rate for the night. I have corrected this in the article. Thank you!

I think that is a fair statement.

Usually on a rehab assignment, a player will get a certain number of plate appearances. Also, with the game out of reach, it made sense to make a move. I also think it's possible that he'll be there for a while beyond his rehab.