Seth Stohs

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.

As we continue to review information as the 2015 MLB Draft approaches, I thought it would be interesting to look back at players selected with the sixth overall pick. That is the pick that the Minnesota Twins will make on Monday, June 8. So often, we look at the draft and think that, especially with a high first-round pick, the team has to get it right. The team has to find a big league star. The reality is that the draft is a complete crap shoot and it is nearly impossible to predict which players will become big leaguers, much less perennial All Stars.I looked at all of the first-round draft picks going all the way back to the beginning. 1965 was the first year of the amateur draft. I lumped all of the first-round picks together and ran some fun pivot tables. Some of the results are interesting, even surprising. First, let’s take a look the Average WAR (Wins Above Replacement) for the top 12 players selected each year. Admittedly, there is no perfect way of making the data mean a lot. The sample size is just too small. There have been 50 drafts, but the data is incomplete for anyone who continues to play. So, be sure to take this information with a grain of salt. Pick / Avg WAR 1 / 40.8 2 / 35.5 3 / 48.4 4 / 44.6 5 / 38.6 6 / 56.7 7 / 37.1 8 / 49.2 9 / 28.8 10 / 34.5 11 / 26.3 12 / 32.0 The data on this chart shows that the #6 pick has proven to be the best over the history of the MLB Draft. At 56.7 WAR, the #6 spot is 7.5 WAR ahead of the next highest position, the #8 spot. Now, the #6 spot has produced some of the best baseball players in history. The Pittsburgh Pirates took an outfielder from Arizona State with the sixth pick of the 1985 MLB Draft. Barry Bonds turned into one of the best hitters of all time. He posted 162.4 WAR.The Milwaukee Brewers drafted a shortstop out of a high school in Tampa Bay. Gary Sheffield was one of the most feared hitters in baseball during his playing days. He posted a career WAR of 60.2.In 1992, the New York Yankees took a tall, skinny shortstop out of a Michigan high school with the sixth pick. Derek Jeter became the face of Major League Baseball for almost two decades. He posted a career WAR of 71.8.Jeter will most likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Bonds is the all time home run leader and should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And for similar reasons, despite over 500 home runs and an OPS over .900, Sheffield was not, but should have been, a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There is a second tier of players that were also taken with the sixth overall pick in an MLB Draft. Zack Greinke was the sixth overall pick out of high school in 2002. He was at 42.0 WAR coming into this season. That is just ahead of Andy Van Slyke (41.2 WAR) who was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 1979. Kevin McReynolds (29.9) was the top pick of the Padres in 1981. John Mayberry (24.7) was the Astros top pick in 1967. The Cardinals selected Terry Kennedy (21.5) with the sixth overall pick in 1977. Spike Owen (12.5) was the Mariners first round pick in 1982. Former Twins outfielder Ken Landreaux (10.4) was the Angels first round pick in 1976. Former Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli (10.2) was the sixth pick in the 2000 draft. If not for his injuries, his numbers could have been greater. Of 50 sixth overall picks in the MLB draft, only those 11 players have posted a WAR of 10 for their career. To be fair, there are players selected with the sixth overall pick in recent years who are likely to surpass 10 WAR in the next few years. That includes Washington Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon and New York Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler. The last three #6 picks were Albert Almora (Cubs 2012), Colin Moran (Marlins 2013), and Alex Jackson (Mariners 2014). Obviously they have yet to play in the big leagues and could alter these numbers. Of the 50 players taken with the sixth overall pick, 13 players have a negative WAR or 0 WAR. Another 14 of them never (or have not yet) played in the big leagues. Twins fans will likely remember the 1998 draft. The Minnesota Twins took a left-handed starting pitcher. He was very successful in college baseball while playing at powerhouse Arizona State University. He was said to have great mechanics and had worked with his father all the way up. Ryan Mills never pitched in a big league game. The draft is one way for an organization to accumulate talent. Having a high draft pick certainly should increase the odds of getting a more talented, elite-level prospect. But it doesn’t guarantee anything. We would all love for whoever the Twins pick this year to become the next Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield or Derek Jeter. We should also be thrilled if that player becomes the next Zack Greinke or Andy Van Slyke. The important thing to remember is that it’s possible to get a Brian Dozier in the eighth round or a Kent Hrbek in the 17th round. Click here to view the article

On Wednesdays, Jeremy Nygaard is responsible for the Twins Minor League Report. However, he was at the Twins game with his kids and a bunch of school kids. They got to see the Twins sweep the Boston Red Sox and move into a tie for first place with the Royals in the AL Central. They also got to help Jeremy celebrate his birthday. We won’t disclose how old Jeremy is, but it is quite a bit older than JO Berrios who celebrated his 21st birthday on Wednesday. The Ft. Myers Miracle won in extra innings on Wednesday night to improve to 23-22, the first time they’ve been over .500 since early April. That is interesting because now all four of the Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates – and the big league club – are playing over .500. There have not been many times in recent years when we could say that.With that, we were back to a full slate of games in the Twins farm system on Wednesday. Continue to read how the teams and the players did. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Durham 2 Box Score The Red Wings got good pitching, six doubles and a late home run to win a Wednesday afternoon game in North Carolina. Taylor Rogers got the starting nod. The left-hander went seven innings and gave up two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out three to improve to 4-3 with a 3.34 ERA on the season. Casey Fien struck out two in a rehab outing. He pitched perfect innings in back-to-back and likely will be with the Twins when they start their series at Target Field against the Blue Jays on Friday. AJ Achter came in for the ninth inning and struck out two. Jose Martinez went 3-4 with his fourth double. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-5 with his 10th and 11th doubles. Kennys Vargas went 2-4 with a walk and his second double. Doug Bernier went 2-4 and drove in two runs with his fourth double. Danny Ortiz added his 11th double of the year. Argenis Diaz went 1-3 with two walks. Josmil Pinto hit a late, two-run homer, his fifth of the season. It was his first hit in 19 at -bats. Coming into Wednesday, he was hitting .158/.200/.281 (.481) in his last 15 games. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 6, Biloxi 8 Box Score The Lookouts have the best record in the Southern League North Division. Biloxi has the best record in the Southern League Southern Division. The two teams began a five-game series in Chattanooga on Wednesday night and hopefully each game will be as competitive as this one. Things started out well for the Lookouts. In the bottom of the first inning, they got on the board when a Travis Harrison single scored Jorge Polanco. In the third inning, Buxton led off with a double and advanced to third. He scored one batter later on a Miguel Sano groundout. The Lookouts then scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a commanding 6-1 lead. Adam Walker doubled off the top of the wall in left field to score Max Kepler. Walker later scored on a wild pitch. Soon after, Buxton launched a ball to deep center field. It stayed in the ballpark and instead of another triple, Buxton raced all the way around the bases for an inside-the-park home run. Unfortunately, the Lookouts were not able to add more. Alex Wimmers got the start and was charged with two runs on six hits and a walk in five innings. Cole Johnson came on and struggled mightily. He was charged with three runs on two hits and two walks in just 0.2 innings. Nick Burdi came on to get out of that inning, holding the 6-5 lead. However, he gave up a run in the seventh on two hits to tie the score at six. Jake Reed pitched a perfect eighth frame. JT Chargois came on for his Double-A debut. He got the first two batters out, but then he gave up three straight singles. Fortunately, a Walker-to-Sano-to-Kepler relay throw got the runner trying to take the lead. Madison Boer came in for the 10th inning. He walked two and both came around to score. The Lookouts were unable to tie the score in the bottom of the 10th inning, and that was the ballgame. Buxton led the way. He hit his sixth home run and his sixth double. Travis Harrison went 3-5. Stuart Turner went 2-4 with his third home run. Max Kepler had two hits, including his 14th double. Jorge Polanco also had two hits. The Lookouts are now 28-17 while the Shuckers improve to 28-18. For Biloxi, shortstop Orlando Arcia went 3-6 in the game with a double and a home run. He is now hitting .343 with 13 doubles and three home runs this season. As you may have already guessed, the 20-year-old infielder is the brother of Twins outfielder Oswaldo Arcia. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Clearwater 5 (10 innings) Box Score Mat Batts had to wait an extra day to make his Miracle and Florida State League debut, but it didn’t faze him at all. He pitched very well. The left-hander worked seven innings and gave up just one run. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out three. As impressive, he has a 12-to-3 groundout-to-flyout rate in the game. Batts left the game with a 4-1 lead. Ethan Mildren began the eighth inning for the Miracle. He gave up two runs on three hits and got just two outs. Todd Van Steensel came on and got the final out of the eighth inning before the tying run scored. However, he was charged with a run on two hits and three walks (one intentional) in the ninth. It tied the game at four and sent the teams to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, a Niko Goodrum single drove in two runs and gave the team a 6-4 lead. Alex Muren came on for the bottom of the tenth. He gave up an unearned run on two hits, but it was good enough to record his first save of the season. Alex Swim got on base four times. He went 2-3 with two walks. Chad Christensen had two hits including his second home run. Goodrum had two hits including the big 10th inning hit. Zach Granite had an RBI double early in the game. With the win, the Miracle are now 23-22. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 3 Box Score For the 30th time this season, the Cedar Rapids Kernels were able to shake hands at the end of the game following a win. They fell behind 2-0 early, but after that, it was all Kernels. Felix Jorge made his eighth start of the season, and for the seventh time, he completed six innings. He was charged with three runs on five hits. He walked none and struck out five. Lefty Jose Velez came on and worked scoreless seventh and eighth innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out two. Luke Bard gave up a walk and a hit, but no runs, in the ninth inning to close out the game. Everyone contributed to the offensive output on this night. All nine hitters had at least one hit. Five players had doubles. Nick Gordon went 1-3 with two walks and his fifth double. Max Murphy went 2-3 with a walk, his ninth double and three RBI. Trey Vavra did not play after hurting his ankle on Tuesday night. He said it was swollen but not serious. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Mat Batts, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Byron Buxton, Chattanooga Lookouts THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester – No Game Scheduled Biloxi @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Ft. Myers @ Clearwater (DH @ 4:00 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades, LHP Brett Lee Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Jared Wilson Please feel free to discuss the Twins minor league system and the games from Wednesday. Click here to view the article

Yeah, I didn't phrase that well... my point was just that if it's a guy that can be Ben Revere, it's a good pick later in the round, not at 6. Just from talking to Jeremy, I do think his upside is higher by quite a bit.

I'd have to leave that to Jeremy to say what the comp is... I hope people realize how few "Byron Buxtons" there are, and that even at six, you're most likely not going to find one. If his downside is Revere, that's a pretty good guy to take... in the late first or 2nd round, but you're right, not at 6. I seem to think he has a bit more power than that though.

Vandy just continues to be a hot bed for pitchers. It's remarkable!

JO Berrios turned 21 years old today and he's pitched in AA for almost a year (20 starts maybe?). Hu made 9 starts in Cedar Rapids (and less in Elizabethton) and he's now doing well in Ft. Myers and will likely be up in Chattanooga soon. Stewart is already in Ft. Myers and Gonsalves will be there shortly. I think this concept of being afraid to move pitchers up quickly should go away.We're talking about a max of 3-4 more starts, not another year.

Booser is still learning to pitch, but he tops out at 100. I can't think of one decent reason that Hildenberger remains in Cedar Rapids (other than the playoff thing, which might be it). He's just so good. 22 consecutive scoreless innings. Well over a K per IP. Very good control. He needs to move up. And will.

First, thank you for sharing your thoughts from the game. It's always fun to read first-hand perspectives. As for the scoreboard reading of the pitches, the scouts are right. We've written about that several times in these forums before, but the Cedar Rapids scoreboard is 2-3 mph slow. The assumed reasoning is the positioning of the radar gun itself. It was reported last night that his final pitch, a strikeout, came on a fastball that hit 94.