Seth Stohs

Twins minor league affiliates played a season-high six games thanks to two postponements from Friday becoming doubleheaders on Saturday. Overall, it wasn’t a very good day for the Twins farm teams, achieving just one win on the day. With Trevor May having left his start in Seattle, could it mean that Ricky Nolasco’s rehab start in Cedar Rapids on Sunday becomes more meaningful? Continue reading and be sure to ask any questions you may have in the Comments.RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 – Rochester 4, Syracuse 5 Box Score The Red Wings got off to an early lead in the first game of their doubleheader. With one out in the second inning, the team got back-to-back-to-back singles from Reynaldo Rodriguez, Danny Ortiz and Jose Martinez to give them a 1-0 lead. Syracuse answered in the top of the third. In the bottom of the fourth, Brock Peterson singled to lead off the inning and two batters later Danny Ortiz hit a long home run to right field to give them a 3-1 lead. Later that inning, Aaron Hicks hit a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1. Mark Hamburger made the start for the Red Wings. Through five innings, he allowed just one run despite walking four batters. However, the sixth inning proved to be the downfall for the team in Game 1. In the sixth, Hamburger gave up two singles and got an out on a sacrifice bunt. He was replaced by A.J. Achter who walked the one batter he faced to load the bases. He was replaced by lefty Ryan O’Rourke who struck out the one batter that he faced. Michael Tonkin was brought in with two outs and the bases still loaded. He proceeded to give up three straight singles before getting the final out. The Red Wings loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, but they were unable to score. Both teams went scoreless in the seventh inning and the Red Wings fell 5-4. Danny Ortiz went 2-3 with a walk and his second home run. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-3 with a walk and a double. Jose Martinez also had two hits. Going back to the pitching, Hamburger went 5.1 innings and was charged with three runs on five hits. He walked five and struck out four. Achter issued the one walk and that batter came around to score. O’Rourke struck out the one batter he faced. Tonkin went 1.1 innings. He gave up one run (in addition to all three inherited runners) on three hits. He struck out two. Game 2 – Rochester 5, Syracuse 2 Box Score The story in this game was certainly Lester Oliveros. With the rainouts, Game 2 was to be a “bullpen game” and Oliveros was tabbed to start. It was just his third start as a professional baseball player. The other two? They came in his first professional season, in 2006, in the Venezuelan Summer League! How did he do? I would say he responded quite well. He was able to complete four innings and did not allow a run. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out nine. Logan Darnell came on to replace Oliveros in the fifth inning and threw two more scoreless frames, though he gave up two hits and walked a batter. Ryan Pressly got the seventh inning and gave up two runs on one hit and two walks. Doug Bernier led the way with a 3-4 game at the plate. Danny Ortiz had the only extra-base hit, his first double of the year. The Red Wings scored took a 5-0 lead thanks to a three-run fifth inning. The split means that the Red Wings are now 8-7 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 10, Tennessee 16 Box Score It is not often that a team scores in double figures and loses. Of course, it’s also not often that a team’s starter gives up nine runs and the team wins. The Lookouts grabbed a 6-3 lead in the fourth. However, they gave up six runs in the fifth inning to fall behind 9-6. Then in the top of the sixth inning, the Lookouts regained a 10-9 lead, but in the bottom half of the inning, they gave up three more. And then they gave up four more in the bottom of the eighth. In his previous appearance, Alex Wimmers was terrific in his return to starting this season, throwing five shutout innings. On this night, things didn’t go so well. In his 4.1 innings, he gave up nine earned runs on 10 hits (two home runs) and three walks. He struck out two. Jake Reed came on and worked 1.2 innings. He was charged with three unearned runs on two hits. He struck out two. DJ Johnson gave up four runs on three hits and three walks in 1.2 innings. Dallas Gallant was able to get the final out. There were positives on the offensive side of the ball. Byron Buxton returned after a two-game break and went 2-5 including a three-run homer, his second of the season. Levi Michael led the offense. He went 3-4 with his second double and second home run. He also stole his second base. Jorge Polanco was 2-5 with his third double and third home run. Dalton Hicks added his first home run of the season. Miguel Sano added a late double, his second. The Lookouts are now 7-8 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 4 (11 innings) Box Score A night after playing 17 innings, the last thing Jeff Smith and his team wanted to do was play extra innings on Saturday night. And, they played extra innings on Saturday night. Ryan Eades was back on the mound and was very good again. He threw five shutout innings before giving up two runs in the sixth inning. In total, he gave up five hits, walked one and struck out three. The Twins were not planning on adding anyone to the roster to replace the DL'd Kohl Stewart, but after using so many pitchers on Friday night, they decided to have left-hander Jose Velez make an appearance. Velez was signed by the Twins after pitching in the independent Frontier League in 2014. He struck out 82 batters in 57 innings for Evansville a year ago. On this night, he gave up one run on one hit in two innings. Todd Van Steensel pitched scoreless ninth and tenth innings. He returned to the mound for the eleventh inning and gave up one run to take the loss. The Miracle had just six hits and Alex Swim had three of them. Chad Christensen hit his first home run of the season. The Miracle fell to 6-11 on the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1 – Cedar Rapids 1, Kane County 6 Box Score Through three innings this was a 1-1 game, but Kane County scored three in the fourth and tacked on another two in the sixth to take a commanding lead and get the win in the first of two games. The Kernels committed four errors which certainly didn’t help the cause. Each of the four infielders had one. Michael Cederoth made the start and went the first four innings. He gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits. He didn’t walk any and struck out three. Sam Clay got the next two innings. The lefty walked two and struck out two while not allowing a run. C.K. Irby got the seventh inning and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. The Kernels had just six hits in this game. Tyler Kuresa went 2-3. Nick Gordon hit his first double of the season. Game 2 – Cedar Rapids, Kane County Box Score Felix Jorge started and he was really good again. He gave up two runs on four hits. In six innings, he walked one and struck out five. Unfortunately, the two runs were enough for him to take the loss. Miles Nordgren came on and threw a scoreless seventh. The Kernels again did little on offense. They had just four hits. Nick Gordon and Trey Vavra each hit a double. Even with the loss, the Kernels are 11-6 this year. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Lester Oliveros, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Levi Michael, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (12:35 CST) – LHP Pat Dean Chattanooga @ Tennessee (1:05 CST) – RHP Tyler Duffey Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (3:05 CST) – LHP Brett Lee Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – RHP Ricky Nolasco Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

Great to see. They're definitely jumping more and more into these technologies.

Yeah, Parker posted that video on the Twins Daily Facebook page last night. It's great!

I'm thinking it'll be weekly, or every other week. We'll see. I think it's good.

Not that it's the be-all, end-all, but Scioscia still has several years left. He signed a 10-year extension in 2009 through the 2018 season. Not that he couldn't be let go as Arte Moreno has shown a willingness to spend and then eat contracts.

Rain and weather conditions caused postponements in Rochester and in Cedar Rapids. Both teams will try to play doubleheaders on Saturday. Two games washed out, but the Ft. Myers Miracle played almost enough to make up for it. Chattanooga got a home run from Miguel Sano to end their losing streak. Also, today is the first time I’ve provided a Twins organizational statistical leaderboard, so you can see which minor leaguers are leading the way so far.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester, Syracuse Box Score The temperatures hovered right around the freezing mark and there was snow in the air and on the ground in Rochester on Friday. The teams will attempt to play a doubleheader on Saturday CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Mississippi 2 Box Score All series in the Southern League are five-game series. Mississippi had won the first four games of the series, but the Lookouts got some strong pitching, a little power and a clutch hit in the ninth inning to take the final game of the series. D.J. Baxendale got the start for Chattanooga. The right-hander entered the game with 12.1 shutout innings. In the seventh inning, he got a strikeout to start the inning. That put him at 18.2 scoreless innings to start the season. Unfortunately, he gave up a run before recording the second out of the inning and a second run which tied the game at two. Nick Burdi got the final out of the seventh inning and pitched a scoreless eighth as well. The game was scoreless through the first five innings. In the top of the sixth inning, Miguel Sano came to the plate with a runner on base and launched his third home run of the season. (Click here to see Sano's home run) The score remained tied at two until the top of the ninth. Stuart Turner led off the frame with a walk. Stephen Wickens pinch-ran for him. One out later, Jorge Polanco singled Wickens to second base. Max Kepler drilled a single to right field that scored Wickens and gave the Lookouts a 3-2 lead. Closer Zack Jones came in for the ninth inning. He got a strikeout, a groundout and a soft infield pop out to end the game. It was his third save of the season. Max Kepler made his second straight start in center field. Byron Buxton is healthy. Doug Mientkiewicz chose to give Buxton another day off, hoping it will help jump-start his season. The manager also switched up his lineup. He flip-flopped Miguel Sano and Travis Harrison, moving Sano down to fifth in the order. Also, after missing two games, Adam Brett Walker returned to the Lookouts lineup. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 4 (17 innings) Box Score If your team is going to play 17 innings – essentially two games in one – you would sure like to win the game. Unfortunately, that was not to be for the Miracle on Friday night as they lost a heartbreaker to the St. Lucie Mets. Ethan MIldren started and gave up three runs on eight hits. He struck out four batters without issuing a walk. The bullpen took over after that. Down 1-0 after two innings, the Miracle got a leadoff double from Jason Kanzler. He was bunted to third and after a Niko Goodrum walk, Kanzler scored on an infield single by Aderlin Mejia. The Miracle were down 3-1 going into the fifth inning. Niko Goodrum led off that inning by crushing his second home run of the season, cutting the deficit to one. Two innings later, Kanzler got things going again with a leadoff single. After another sacrifice bunt and another Goodrum walk, Aderlin Mejia singled in Kanzler to tie the game at three. That’s where the game remained through 16 innings thanks to an impressive, workman-like effort by the Miracle bullpen. Tim Shibuya came on and threw three, one-hit innings. He struck out six. JT Chargois struck out two batters in his inning. Brian Gilbert got a walk and a strikeout over his two innings. Brandon Peterson threw two scoreless innings, walking two and striking out two. Alex Muren worked out of trouble with scoreless innings in the 15th and 16th. Madison Boer entered the game in the bottom of the 17th. He gave up two hits before issuing an intentional pass to Michael Conforto, his third intentional walk of the game. With one out and the bases loaded, Boer gave up a sacrifice fly that ended the game. Mejia went 3-8 in the game with the two RBIs. Niko Goodrum went 2-5 with three walks and his second home run. Jason Kanzler went 2-6 with a walk and a double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids, Kane County Box Score Rain washed out this game on Friday night. The Kernels and Cougars will attempt to play two games on Saturday afternoon in Iowa. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – DJ Baxendale, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dalton Hicks, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (11:35 CST) – RHP Mark Hamburger and TBD Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:05 CST) – RHP Alex Wimmers Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (2:00 CST) – RHP Michael Cederoth & RHP Felix Jorge TWINS MINOR LEAGUE BATTING LEADERS (through Friday, April 24) From time to time, I’ll take a look at the leaderboard in the organization. Below are the top five at several offensive categories: BA: Dalton Hicks (.395), Trey Vavra (.362), Zach Granite (.340), Josmil Pinto (.325), Reynaldo Rodriguez (.319), Nick Gordon (.302) OBP: Dalton Hicks (.480), Zach Granite (.456), Josmil Pinto (.438), Trey Vavra (.388), Aaron Hicks (.375), Niko Goodrum (.364) SLG: Trey Vavra (.660), Dalton Hicks (.558), Adam Brett Walker (.556), Aaron Hicks (.490), Zach Granite (.468), Niko Goodrum (.462) OPS: Trey Vavra (1.047), Dalton Hicks (1.038), Zach Granite (.924), Aaron Hicks (.865), Josmil Pinto (.863), Adam Brett Walker (.832) Hits: Zach Granite, Dalton Hicks, Trey Vavra (17), Nick Gordon, Zach Granite, Alex Swim (16) 2B: Niko Goodrum (7), Travis Harrison (6), Dalton Hicks (5), Zach Granite (4), 10 tied with 3. HR: Adam Brett Walker (4), Brock Peterson, Miguel Sano, Trey Vavra (3), 4 tied with 2. Runs: Zach Granite (16), Trey Vavra (10), Tanner English, Marcus Knecht, Miguel Sano (9), 4 tied with 8. RBI: Nick Gordon (14), Zack Larson, Trey Vavra (12), Dalton Hicks (9), 4 tied with 8. SB: Tanner English (6), Zach Granite (5), Zack Larson (4), 4 tied with 3. Innings: Tyler Duffey (20.2), Kohl Stewart (20.1), Stephen Gonsalves (20.0), DJ Baxendale, Taylor Rogers (19.0), Mat Batts (18.1) ERA >= 12 IP: Pat Dean, Ryan Eades, Felix Jorge (0.75), Stephen Gonsalves (0.90), DJ Baxendale (0.95), Mat Batts (1.47) WHIP >= 12 IP: Chih-Wei Hu (0.61), Stephen Gonsalves (0.65), Mat Batts (0.71), Pat Dean (0.75), Tyler Duffey (0.87), Felix Jorge (0.92) BB/9 > 12 IP: Chih-Wei Hu (0.5), Stephen Gonsalves (0.9), Aaron Slegers (1.2), Tyler Duffey (1.7), Ethan Mildren (1.8), Mat Batts (2.0). K/9 >= 12 IP: Felix Jorge (14.2), Stephen Gonsalves (13.5), Jose Berrios (12.9), Alex Meyer (12.3), Pat Dean (11.2), Chih-Wei Hu (10.0) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games or the leader board. Click here to view the article

I started blogging two years before Trevor Plouffe was drafted by the Twins, so... I'm old!

SDBuhr caught up with Gonsalves this spring (Read Here) about working with Strasburg and Shields. When I was in Cedar Rapids, he said there were several other big leaguers working out with them too. It's always good to be able to pick the brains of others, and especially guys who are at the level that he wants to get to. As for the bunt, I don't have a problem with it because it's the 4th inning of a close game.

It should be noted that although Gonsalves has good control, there is absolutely no indication that it was intentional at all. My guess is that it wasn't.

Thank you! He's a really good kid. And a pretty good pitcher.

It does, especially for the internationally-signed players. They're signed at 16 whereas most US-born, drafted high school players are signed at 18.

It was in the 4th inning. Definitely not an issue at that point.

Fixed.

I don't know that answer for certain. I do know that TJ White is the Kernels primary 3B and they also have Jonatan Hinojosa. I know that 2014 college draft picks Tyler Mautner and Blake Schmit can play 3B and they're still at Extended Spring Trainin. Might be about opportunity and what's up above and below the level.

On Wednesday night, the Twins traded veteran minor league catcher Dan Rohlfing to the New York Mets for cash considerations. Rohlfing had been the Twins’ 14th round draft pick in 2007 out of high school in St. Louis. He was one of the longest-tenured players in the Twins organization. Below, you will find a list of the 10 players who have been in the Twins organization the longest, without interruption. In other words, Torii Hunter, who signed with the Twins in 1993, is not included on this list.To make the this list, a player had to have been signed before 2008. There are some interesting names that you may not have realized have been with the Twins for as long as they have. In fact, there may be a couple that you have never heard of and I’ll add a few more names to take us to 2008. So, here you have it, a look at the 10 longest-tenured players in the Minnesota Twins organization: Honorable Mention There are still six players drafted by the Twins in 2008 who are still in the organization. We’ll call them all tied for 11th place. Aaron Hicks (1) – The Twins top pick (14th overall) is currently in AAA Rochester after starting the last two seasons as the Twins Opening Day center fielder.Danny Ortiz (4) – Ortiz split 2014 between AA New Britain and AAA Rochester. He re-signed with the Twins as a free agent this winter and went to big league camp with the Twins. He is also in Rochester.BJ Hermsen (6) – Hermsen was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2012 and was on the 40-man roster in 2013. He injured his oblique and wasn’t able to regain his form. He pitched in the bullpen much of 2014 and re-signed with the Twins this offseason. He had Tommy John surgery earlier this month.Michael Gonzales (9) – The big, burly first baseman/DH is currently hitting in the middle of the Chattanooga Lookouts lineup. Drafted after a year at junior college, he has slowly worked his way up the system.Nate Hanson (28) – Hanson was drafted after his junior season at the University of Minnesota. He quickly worked his way up to AA and has split time between AA and AAA the last two years. He is currently with the Rochester Red Wings.Michael Tonkin (30) – He is also on the 40-man roster and has spent time with the Twins during the past two seasons. He was sent to Rochester to start this season, though he will certainly spend time with the Twins again this year.The Top Ten #10 – Also in December of 2007, the Twins signed shortstop Danny Santana from the Dominican Republic. He moved up basically one level each year. In 2014, it was a surprise when he was promoted to the Twins after just 24 games, but he put together a strong rookie campaign while playing a new position, center field. He has moved back to his shortstop position this season. #9 – In November of 2007, the Twins signed a slender 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic, Adrian Salcedo. At one point in the low minors, he was a top ten prospect. In 2012, he injured his shoulder and elbow and missed most of the year. He moved to the bullpen in 2013. He struck out 76 batters in 73 innings in 2013 in New Britain. He re-signed with the Twins this offseason and was invited to big league spring training. He returns to AA in 2015, this time to Chattanooga. #8 – On July 4, 2007, the Twins signed a left-handed hitting outfielder named Oswaldo Arcia. Arcia debuted as a 21-year-old in April of 2013 and has certainly shown signs of being the type of power-hitter that the Twins and their fans long for. He has 35 big league home runs and won’t turn 24 for two weeks. #7 – Jairo Rodriguez signed with the Twins in May of 2007. The last two years, he signed quickly to return to the Twins as a backup minor league catcher. In 2013, he played for Cedar Rapids, New Britain and even played in a game with Rochester. In 2014, he split time between Ft. Myers and New Britain. The now-26 year old is not currently on a roster, but he is reportedly in Chattanooga if there would be a need for a catcher. #6 – Josmil Pinto signed with the Twins in February of 2006. He could have become a minor league free agent following the World Series in 2012, but he decided to avoid that and return to the Twins. They added him to the 40-man roster a year ago and he had another strong season in 2013, including a tremendous showing with the Twins in September. He showed flashes of a solid bat in his time with the Twins in 2014, though he was quite inconsistent. The 26-year-old is currently mashing in Rochester and should be up with the Twins, in some capacity, soon. #5 – James Beresford, from Australia, signed with the Twins in August of 2005 as a skinny kid. His missed a season due to injury and has gradually worked his way up the system. He had the opportunity to become a minor league free agent the last couple of offseasons and each time came back to the Twins. He got to AAA in the second half of 2013 and put together a solid 2014. He was again at big league spring training this year and returned to Rochester where he is the team’s second baseman. #4 – Brian Duensing was one of two third-round picks by the Twins in 2005, out of the University of Nebraska. He moved quickly through the Twins minor league system as a starter. He was given a couple opportunities as a starter with the Twins, but his inability to get right-handers out while dominating lefties meant he was given an opportunity out of the bullpen. He’s been a solid left-handed reliever the last couple of years. He is currently on the disabled list for the first time in his seven big league seasons. The Twins had five first-round draft picks in 2004 due to losing Eddie Guardado and LaTroy Hawkins. #2b – With the 22nd overall pick in '04, the Twins drafted local, selecting lefty Glen Perkins from the University of Minnesota. He came through the organization as a starter. In fact, he won 12 games as a rookie in 2008. He moved to the bullpen in 2011 and was the Twins closer by the middle of 2012. He has been an All-Star the last couple of seasons and is signed through 2017 with an option for 2018. #2a –With the 20th overall pick, the Twins selected shortstop Trevor Plouffe. As you know, he’s been the Twins starting third baseman the last couple of seasons. He became much more consistent offensively and defensively in 2014. He is in the second of four arbitration seasons. #1 – Joe Mauer remains the longest-tenured Twins player, having signed in 2001 after being the #1 overall pick in the draft. No need to get into all of his accolades, like his AL MVP, the three batting titles, the Gold Glove Awards, the Silver Sluggers, etc. He moved to first base in 2014 after his Hall of Fame-caliber first decade in a Twins uniform at catcher. He’s played every game this season as he looks to rebound from a sub-Mauer season in 2014. So there it is, the players in the Twins organization who have been in the system the longest, consecutively. Some of the names may not surprise you, but I’m pretty sure that you wouldn’t have guessed everyone on this list. Feel free to leave your thoughts, or let me know if I forgot anyone. Click here to view the article

scroll up to see who has been taken. http://twinsdaily.com/topic/17587-article-2015-adopt-a-prospect-sign-up-here-now-live/?p=324645

I think he can be a big leaguer. He knows his versatility will help him and be important. Obviously he'll have to keep working and improving, and getting stronger and all of that. The odds are against any minor leaguer that isn't drafted in the top 10 picks, pretty much, so there's no way to know. But there's a lot of talent with Trey.

I completely agree with this. I was going to ask Jeremy if he thought the Gonsalves Factor might help the Twins sign him. I think it could, even though it shouldn't. So I think it should be all about the medical. That said, in early June, he'll only be about 3 months post- Tommy John so there won't be anything much to go on. But he has, by far, the highest upside, so I'd be in favor of taking him.

Reminder, you can now adopt prospects at will. Just jot down here which players you have adopted. We'd love to have every minor leaguer have his own forum so that we can post updates. For instance, Trey Vavra hasn't been picked up. He was hitting .372 with a (1.098 OPS) coming into today. He had 7 hits over the last two games. That should be somewhwere. I'd love to see a page for everyone. Keep adopting!

They are both really hard workers and really good baseball players, very knowledgeable of the game.

Trey Vavra got the day off on Monday. On Tuesday, he went 3-5 including a big three-run homer that jump-started a big offensive game for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. On Wednesday night in Wisconsin, Vavra went 4-4 in the Kernels win. As you’re reading this, he is hitting a robust .372 with seven extra base hits in his 11 games. Trey Vavra is the son of Minnesota Twins bench coach Joe Vavra and the younger brother of Ft. Myers infielder Tanner Vavra. You’ll find out below that his family support is very important to his development.It has been a long and winding road to professional baseball for Vavra. It’s been a good story to this point since he signed with the Twins after being their 33rd round draft pick in 2014. Treysen Vavra was born about a month before the Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1991 and grew up in Menomonie, Wisconsin. He played baseball and hockey growing up. In fact, he was leaning toward playing hockey rather than baseball after high school. “All through the summer, I was deciding whether I was going to play hockey or baseball,” Trey said, “I decided I was going to play hockey. I had a whole bunch of Juniors teams that I had the opportunity to go play for. I had it all lined up to go to Alaska to play. That was kind of the route I was looking to go to. Then Tanner got red-shirted, so I decided I’d go play baseball. Tanner was playing at Madison Area Technical College. They had been teammates in hockey, but the two had not been teammates often in their youth baseball. So it was a good opportunity for both of them. “For hockey, we were teammates all the way up. Two years in a row, I got to play on varsity with him. For baseball, I was a sophomore. He was a senior. I just got called up for playoffs, so not much there. Obviously I was the little brother tagging along. If someone didn’t show up, I’d play outfield, but that’s when we were little.” Trey Vavra played in two NJCAA World Series at Madison, finishing third (with Tanner) and then fourth. Both years, he was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player and to the All-Tournament team. Following his two years of junior college, Vavra accepted a full-ride scholarship to Division I Eastern Illinois. He played every game and hit well. In fact, he was named the team’s MVP. However, he wasn’t drafted. The school proved not to be a great situation for him on the baseball field. A straight-A student, there were also academic reasons that he decided to transfer following that school year. During his summers, he played in the Northwoods League, for the Duluth Huskies. “It was awesome. I got to stay at my aunt in Superior. That was incredible. Obviously she is a huge supporter of me.” Four of his teammates were playing at Florida Southern, a Division II school in Lakeland, Florida. That’s where Vavra decided to spend his final year of baseball eligibility. The school also gave him the opportunity to graduate with a degree that year. He explained, “I went to Eastern Illinois. I was under the impression that I could get out of school in two years because I was a straight-A student. First academic meeting, I learned that was not the case. I lost most of my credits when I transferred there,” He continued. “So then I went to Florida Southern and I got all those credits back. If you get A’s in all your credits, they transfer universally. I didn’t know that at the time.” Vavra graduated a year ago with a degree in Business Administration. The Florida Southern decision was also good for Vavra on the baseball field. The head coach for Florida Southern is former big leaguer Lance Niekro, the son of former Twins pitcher, Joe Niekro, and the nephew of Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro. Lance Niekro spent parts of four seasons with the San Francisco Giants and is still just 36 years old. Vavra recalls, “Phil was at all of our games, all of our home games.” But it wasn’t just the Niekro family that sat in the stands of Florida Southern games. “One of the assistant coaches was Colin Kaline. Al Kaline is his grandpa. The Tigers are right there in Lakeland. He came to all of our games. Charley Manuel came out to scout most of us for the Phillies. We had all of those guys there. ” Vavra played well. He led the conference in most offensive categories including hits, doubles and home runs. He began to hear from a lot of scouts early in the season. When draft day came in June of 2014, he wasn’t sure where he would go or when. Was he expecting to still be there when the Twins picked in the 33rd round? “No! They projected me to go anywhere from 15 to 20, somewhere in there. As a senior, I kind of expected to go around the 20th round. It didn’t work out.” Though his dad and brother were in the Twins organization, he wasn’t necessarily expecting to be taken by the Twins. “I actually didn’t talk to the Twins nearly as much as the other teams. After those rounds passed, I was just looking to get picked so that I could keep playing and didn’t have the Indy ball route. I just wanted to keep playing and very thankful that the Twins picked me up.” Trey Vavra signed quickly and was assigned to the Elizabethton Twins. He adjusted well to pro ball and had a terrific season with the E-Twins. In 50 games, he hit .319/.392/.454 (.846) with 20 doubles and a home run. It was important for him to succeed right away and know that he belonged. He said, “Everyone is a top-tier player. For me, as a 33rd round pick, I was trying to just fit in, rather than be The Man at first. At this level, everyone is the same. Once you’re drafted, it’s what you do with your opportunity. That’s the biggest thing I had to overcome, just to go out there and play.” He was able to learn under the tutelage of the veteran coaching staff at Elizabethton. Manager Ray Smith was in his 28th season on the Elizabethton coaching staff, 21 of them as manager. Hitting Coach Jeff Reed was in his 13th season as the Elizabethton hitting coach. Vavra had not met either of the former big leaguers previously, but he said he learned a tremendous amount from each. “Those are two great coaches to start out with. Jeff was out there every day working with me. I couldn’t thank him enough. We got into a routine, and he helped me not just hit the ball the other way, or hit the ball pull side, but drive the ball. He told me to not get some complacent hitting singles, but drive the ball.” Vavra has played several positions defensively. In college, he mainly played first base and third base and also got some time in the outfield. With Elizabethton, he played first base and left field. He knows that being able to play different positions will be important to his playing career. Following the Elizabethton season, he was invited to the Twins Florida Instructional League where he added another position to his resume. “I played 3B and 1B in college, spotty outfielder once in a while. I’d never caught before, in a game, before Instructs. That’s kind of the new project. I don’t really care as long as I get to hit.” In fact, he believes that his defensive versatility helps him on the offensive side of the game, especially on the bases. “Playing out there, playing all the different positions, it helps me offensively too. What they’re doing. How they’re playing me. What’s a tough throw for the left fielder if he’s going to the gap? Be more aggressive on the base paths.” Hitting is what Trey Vavra likes to do the most. How does he describe himself as a hitter? “That’s my thing, is to stay in the gaps. I’ve been taught that all the way up. Work off the other side. If the guy comes up, you can pull the hands. I just try to stay the other way, drive the ball the other way, up the middle, left-center. If the guy tries to run one in on me, I can still react in.” THE VAVRA FAMILY Treysen Vavra is the middle child of Joe and Lesa Vavra. Tanner is the eldest son, currently an infielder with the Miracle. Terrin is the youngest, a senior in high school who, as one might expect, is quite a baseball player. As you know, Joe has held several jobs within the Twins organization including third base coach and hitting coach of the big league club before being named the team’s bench coach by manager Paul Molitor. Lesa Vavra has been a huge influence on her boys and their paths. She did it all for the family. According to Trey, “Mom was the taxi. She’s the rock, for sure. My dad’s gone pretty much nine months out of the year. She always keeps us positive. It’s crazy how much she’s done for us. She keeps all of our schedules straight. When I was in college, she had her iPad watching me in college, listening to Tanner’s game and watching Terrin’s game. Or vice versa. In high school, we all played three sports, so she led all of our stuff for that.” He continued, “My mom was our hitting coach when he’s (Dad) not there. It’s kind of funny. She’s the one getting all the phone calls and then he gets the fun ones. When we played well, we called him.” Joe was always a good ear for the boys, but he has also let them be themselves. “The one thing I would say, from him, is he always says ‘Hit the ball hard. Drive the ball.’ That always stuck with me. If you’re struggling, it’s real easy to just flip the balls and get your hits rather than drive the ball hitting line drives. Nothing mechanical with him. He doesn’t talk to us any about mechanics because he’s not here. It’s just ‘Be on time and go out there and drive the ball.’” It is also very clear that Trey really looks up to and admires his older brother, Tanner. “In terms of what he’s done for me, talk about a story of never letting anything get in your way. Talk about a worker. He set the tempo for how to act as a professional for me. Not even as a professional, but as a college player, and how you work. Like I said, I was going to play hockey so I went the route to go ‘play’ baseball. He was like ‘No, you don’t just play. You’ve got to work at it.’ That’s helped me a lot. I can’t say enough good things about him.” Likewise, Tanner is very proud of Trey. “Trey is a great kid, and a great brother. He's a good person and a good ball player. Off the field he is a simple guy. He will probably be fishing with Max Murphy and never has given anyone problems. On the field, he is simply going to give his best every play and going to try to find a way to win. He is a competitor and a good teammate. They don't come much better than him.” Regarding their youngest brother, Terrin, Trey beams with pride. “He’s the best of the three of us. What hurts him is he’s in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin. Exposure-wise, it’s tough. He’s got a dozen-and-a-half D1 offers right now. He throws 90 off the mound in high school, plays short, bats left-handed. He’s going to find a spot somewhere.” LOOKING FORWARD Trey Vavra is off to a terrific start with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Through his first 11 games, he has hit .372/.400/.698 (1.098) with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 11 RBI. If there were a Player of the Half-Month of April, he would likely be the front-runner. His hitting coach this year with the Kernels, Tommy Watkins, is really impressed with Vavra and his approach at the plate. “Vavra has an idea. He’s a baseball guy, been around the game. He knows how to handle the bat. He’s very easy to work with. He has a plan. For him, it’s just fine-tuning.” Vavra doesn’t like to make statistical goals for his season. “I try not to put any numbers out there because you can either trap yourself getting to that number or if you pass that number. So I’m just trying to stay on the path that I was on last year and continue to drive the ball. Obviously we want to win the whole thing. It’s pretty early, but we’ve got a good group of guys. Hopefully we can keep winning.” On the current Cedar Rapids Kernels’ roster, you will find that 17 players were drafted in 2014. “A lot of these guys are from E-Town last year, and we played together in the playoffs with them. You know what guys can do and what guys can’t do. You start playing off that. You have guys from last year’s team like (Zach) Granite and (Zack) Larson. Larson is our middle of the lineup guy. Granite’s a guy that’s going to steal a lot of bags and get on base and create some havoc out there. I’m pretty excited about it.” He concluded by saying, “That’s what we have to do, just go out there and stay on the path, try not to get to up or too down.” It’s early, but there have already been a lot of “ups” in Trey Vavra’s professional career. Hopefully he’ll continue to take professional at-bats, drive the ball and then make adjustments. That’s the key for every ballplayer, whether a first round pick, or a 33rd round pick. He’s on a good team with close teammates and coaches who are very supportive and encouraging. As you read above, he also has some very strong family support. He’s certainly a player that Twins fans can cheer for. Click here to view the article