Seth Stohs

I'd say he should move up after Brandon Peterson and then Todd Van Steensel.

Chattanooga got three hits from Byron Buxton and a big home run in a one-run win over Tennessee. One pitching prospect made his debut at a new level. Another top prospect had a rough outing for the first time this season. Nick Gordon had another multi-hit game. He has a six-game hitting streak and is hitting .400 (8-20) during that stretch. Check out all that happened in the Minnesota Twins farm system on Friday night. A reminder, check back here on Saturday morning for the updated Minor League Leader Board.RED WINGS REPORT Pawtucket @ Rochester Box Score They were able to play just two innings before the rains came, causing the game to be suspended. The Red Wings had a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI double off the bat of Oswaldo Arcia. Lefty Pat Dean gave up two hits, but no runs, in two scoreless innings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Tennessee 5 Box Score It was a back and forth game, but fortunately, the Lookouts came out the winner in this game. They got things going right away in the first inning. Byron Buxton led off with a single and then scored immediately on a triple by Jorge Polanco. Max Kepler singled in Polanco and the Lookouts had a 2-0 lead. Going into the sixth inning, the score was tied at two. Mike Gonzales came to the plate with Travis Harrison on base. Gonzales launched his fourth home run of the season and second straight game with a homer. Brett Lee made his AA debut on this night. The left-hander gave up two runs through the first five innings. He went back out for the sixth inning and the first three batters reached base. Jake Reed came in with two runners on base and gave up a sacrifice fly to tie the game. Lee was charged with four runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out one. The game was tied heading into the eighth inning. Jorge Polanco led off with a walk which was followed by a single from Travis Harrison. With runners on first and third, Max Kepler flew out which allowed Polanco to score, but Harrison was doubled off. The Lookouts had a lead, but there were two outs. Next batter was Adam Brett Walker and he hit his second triple of the year. Michael Gonzales continued his big night. He singled in Walker to give the Lookouts a two-run lead. Reed got one out in the seventh inning, and JT Chargois got the final two outs. With a lead, Cole Johnson came in for the final two innings. He gave up one run on one hit. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out three for his first save of the season. Buxton went 3-5. Adam Brett Walker went 2-4 with the triple. Gonzales had two hits including his fourth home run. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Bradenton 6 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu has been one of the top pitchers in the Twins system through the season’s first two months. At some point, even the best guys have an off day. For Hu, that came on Friday night against the Marauders. The right-hander gave up six runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks in just 3.2 innings. He struck out three. It increased his season ERA with the Miracle from 1.10 to 2.01. He was replaced by Alex Muren who gave up just one hit over the next 2.1 innings. He struck out two. Todd Van Steensel pitched the final two innings. He walked one and struck out four. The Miracle offense managed just four hits in the game. Zach Granite had two of them. The speedy outfielder also stole his seventh base for the team. Mitch Garver walked twice. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, South Bend 9 Box Score Keaton Steele was terrific in his first couple of appearances with the Kernels, but he really struggled on this night. He gave up six runs on nine hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out one. Jose Velez came on and gave up two runs on one hit and three walks. He did strike out four batters. Trevor Hildenberger gave up a run for the first time in over 25 innings. Amazingly, he gave up as many runs in this game as he had in the entire season before it. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out four. He saw his ERA rise from 0.31 to 0.59. Nick Gordon led the Kernels’ offense. He went 2-4 with a walk and his sixth double. Brett Doe went 2-3 with a walk. Edgar Corcino moved from the 9-hole in the lineup to the third spot and went 2-5. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Todd Van Steensel, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Gonzales, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:05 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Bradenton @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – RHP Aaron Slegers Cedar Rapids @ West Michigan (6:00 CST) – RHP Zach Tillery Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

I was going to do the same thing. Caught myself just in time! And that Swarzak game was awesome. Did we go to Murray's after that?

It doesn't mean a lot when it comes to what will happen on the field, but it absolutely is something that scouts know of, are aware of, and will make comps relative to. Pete Rose Jr wasn't a prospect, but he got opportunities because of his dad. Nick Gordon got drafted high and has been pushed quickly by the Twins because of his background. Doesn't guarantee anything. There are no guarantees, but it absolutely is noteworthy in scouting.

In spring, and with the roster decisions early, I really felt that Terry Ryan was more in control than he has been, and I think that remains the case. But I obviously don't know.

Plouffe, Dozier, Hunter.

I agree with most of this, with one exception: I think Vargas should be up, but I thought Hicks was in the minors no more than a week or two too long, so that's not a big deal. Pinto has done nothing this year to show that he's improved and may be a minimal improvement over Herrmann as the backup, but not much. And, yeah, Arcia should absolutely be in the minor leagues. He is a mess. Other than that - which I don't even disagree with vehemently - I agree with the other things.

That one is on me! I'm a bit behind the times! Ha!

All else being equal, there is an outfielder from the suburbs of Atlanta who makes all the sense in the world as the choice for the Twins when they make their first-round pick on Monday night. Could outfielder Daz Cameron be the Minnesota Twins choice in this year’s first round?The Twins certainly have a track record of selecting athletic high school players with a tool box filled with potential. Twenty two years ago, the Twins selected a very raw, talented outfielder from Little Rock, Arkansas, who yesterday knocked his 200th home run in a Twins uniform. Most scouts also will give a second (or third, or fourth, or…) look at a player with big league bloodlines. A year ago, the Twins used their first-round pick on Nick Gordon, the son of big league pitcher Tom Gordon, and the brother of Marlins 2B Dee Gordon. Also, Georgia has been a hotbed for baseball prospects for the last decade, and the Twins have several picks from the state. They used a second-round pick on Niko Goodrum in 2010. In 2012, the Twins selected Byron Buxton with the second overall pick in the draft out of his high school in Georgia. Who Is This Guy? Daz Cameron is well known in the national youth baseball circuit. He’s played on some national teams. He has put up stats and has all the tools. When you read about him, it is likely that one of the first things you’ll be told is that he is the son of former big league outfielder Mike Cameron. Fair or not, that likely puts a little more pressure on the 18-year-old. Daz Cameron graduated from Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy in McDonough, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. He hit .392 as a freshman. As a sophomore, he hit .434 with seven home runs. His senior season just recently ended. He hit .455 with 10 doubles and eight home runs. He also stole 19 bases. Listed at 6-0 and 186 pounds, Cameron has a commitment to Florida State University. We do have to mention that Mike Cameron had a solid career. He spent parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues, spending time with the White Sox, Reds, Mariners, Mets, Padres, Brewers, Red Sox and Marlins. He played in an All-Star game. It surprised me to learn that he won only three Gold Gloves because he was known for his great defense. Though he hit just .249, he had a career OPS of .782 and hit home runs. Right or wrong, blood lines matter. Teams are looking for the next Ken Griffey, Jr., who Mike Cameron was once traded for. Why the Twins Will Pick Him As we pointed out in the lead, Cameron fits in a lot of categories that the Twins historically have liked in top draft picks. The blood lines are important. Obviously part of that is simply genetics, but it is more than just that. It’s understanding the life style. It’s having been in big league clubhouses, watching big leaguers prepare for games and not being overwhelmed by something they haven’t necessarily seen before. It also means that he has connections with people who have been where he wants to be. He will have coaches, but he can also talk to his father about things he is going through. But bigger than the blood lines, the draft is all about the tools. Daz Cameron has all of the tools. His upside is that of a five-tool talent. When the Twins drafted Buxton in 2012, he was known as having five-tool potential, but his “hit” tool was reportedly the weakest. For Cameron, the belief is that the “hit” tool is his strongest. A Perfect Game report claims Cameron “can flat-out hit.” He is believed to be not as athletic as his father was as a prospect, but he is said to be much more polished. Cameron will have power. He has very good, though not elite, speed. He plays good defense and can play center field. He also was clocked as throwing 90 mph from the outfield. He is said to have a good approach at the plate. People also talk about his maturity and poise. That would also stand out to scouts and front office types. Why the Twins Will Not Pick Him Daz Cameron is represented by advisor Scott Boras. Reports have come out that the Boras/Cameron Camp are looking for big money, well over slot for the #6 spot in the draft. A team drafting Cameron will likely have to pay the extra cost to sign him. To do so, that team will need to be creative with the rest of their Top 10 picks to have the necessary money. The Twins draft pool (top 10 picks) is just shy of $7.4 million, so if Cameron wants $6 million, it will make it tough for the Twins to sign many more of their top ten picks without drafting several college seniors. The Twins don’t make their second draft choice until the 73rd overall pick, so they will not have much for extra funds. Also, it would not be good if the Twins made a pick and were unable to sign the player, even though they would wind up with the #7 pick in next year’s draft if that did happen. OF course, all this doesn’t include the fact that from a talent standpoint, it is very possible that he will have already been drafted by the time the Twins pick at six. In fact, he could very well be taken in the top three picks. Over the last two weeks, Twins Daily has profiled several players that the team could draft with the #6 pick in the 2015 draft. Most have been college pitchers, but we have profiled a couple of high school outfielders as well. When it comes to what the Twins typically look for in a draft pick, Daz Cameron fits the mold. Will he be there when the Twins pick, and if so, will the Twins risk being able to sign him? What do you think? Previous Twins Daily Draft Profiles: Swanson/Rodgers/Tate Walker Buehler Andrew Benintendi Kyle Funkhouser Carson Fulmer Tyler Jay Brady Aiken & Kolby Allard Kyle Tucker Jon Harris Alex Bregman Click here to view the article

My bad... I'll be quiet and let Jeremy respond. Sorry!

I'm guessing he will have little to do with the final decision. He will tell Deron Johnson to take the Best Player Available and he'll let them make the decisions. As he should.

These things tend to work themselves out, and when it becomes apparent what needs to be done, it may be a different thing that we think right now. I would have penciled Arcia into the outfield for a long time. Now, I can't do that. Many such examples. Depth is good.

For me, it's more about adjusting to the role, knowing how to warm up and get ready for an inning, or between innings. It may also be adjusting to going just fastball and slider (which could improve his control if he's not worried about a third pitch).

He's the one hitter in Rochester that is probably pretty close to coming back up. Likely when they go back to 12 pitchers.

"Finding out what they will do" is just a small part of it. Lee and Hurlbut have earned their promotions over plenty of time. Injury is what slowed them down, slowed them from likely starting in Chattanooga. I'd almost consider their time in Ft. Myers as glorified rehab assignments (especially Hulbuts'). That said, the Twins will also be making quite a few draft picks in less than a week. Those players will need to get to the GCL or ET, which may push more guys to CR, which may push more guys to FM... They have to push some guys. That's the reality of it.

They are handling Hu very strange. They're promoting him as quickly as anyone I've seen in my decade of "covering" (or just paying pretty close attention?) the Twins minor leagues. He made THREE appearances in Elizabethton in 2014. He made NINE starts for Cedar Rapids in 2014. He has made SEVEN starts in Ft. Myers in 2015. He was trusted to make the sport start in Rochester. I'd say they're pushing him along quite quickly.

Lee was an All Star last year in the Florida State League and then got hurt in the 2nd half and started this season late. He's pitched into the 8th inning in three of his last four starts. His most recent start, he didn't go eight, in part, because it was a 7-inning game. He's pitching well. He's a fringe prospect, sure, but they need to find out how he'll do in AA. Same thing exactly (down to the injuries and timeline) with David Hurlbut. Proceeding wisely with a guy like Hu is pretty important. There'll be room. He'll get there.

I would assume that Nolasco, with as much big league time as he has, would be out of options. If not, he has the right (due to service time) to refuse a minor league demotion, I believe. Jeremy might be more well-versed in this. Nolasco was actually pretty decent in May. He obviously got run support and you'd love to see more, but he wasn't terrible at all.

Tim Belcher didn't sign with the Twins in 1982. He went to school and was drafted a year or three later. He went on to a solid, though not spectacular career. I think #4 is the right ranking here for Mauer. Hard to argue with three Hall of Famers in front of him, but there's no way to put anyone ahead of him.

I have to say that I disagree with part of what Jeremy asserted in his report. I don't think it's time to call up Alex Meyer, especially after reading about his inefficiency. Now, that said, if he has another month in the bullpen under his belt and he's dominating, absolutely, bring him up. Right now, the only Red Wings player whose performance is screaming promotion is AJ Achter.

Yes. That's why he didn't debut until this past weekend.

Starting pitching has been much improved so far this season for the Twins. Few would argue that getting quality starts is the most important thing for a team that wants to win. After reviewing the top minor league hitters and relief pitchers in recent days, today we review the top starting pitcher performances in the month of May. In this list there are a few of the Twins top starting pitcher prospects and names that we saw in April. Sustaining success at a level shows a lot, and often leads to promotions around this time of the season. We saw that with some of the starters mentioned below.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 KChattanooga/Rochester – RHP Tyler Duffey – 6 GS, 2-2, 2.56 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 38.2 IP, 37 H, 9 BB, 37 KFt. Myers LHP Brett Lee – 5 GS, 1-2, 2.70 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 33.1 IP, 29 H, 12 BB, 16 KCedar Rapids/Ft. Myers LHP Mat Batts – 4 GS, 1-1, 1.96 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 21 H, 7 BB, 23 KTOP 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. Click here to view the article