Seth Stohs

It seems that pitching has come to the forefront in baseball, ahead of hitting. We see it at the big league level and with several examples, we have seen it trickle into the minor leagues as well. It’s happening in the Twins minor league system as well. There were several starting pitchers (and relievers as you’ll see tomorrow) who performed well in 2014. Again, I encourage you to read through the top starting pitching candidates for Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year and then discuss and rank them as you see fit. Note also that this is not a prospect ranking. Before getting to the top six, here are others who are worthy of recognition for strong performances on the mound in 2014: HONORABLE MENTION Logan Darnell – Rochester Red Wings (7-6, 3.60 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 115.0 IP, 108 H, 49 BB, 90 K) Sean Gilmartin – Rochester Red Wings (9-7, 3.71 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 145.2 IP, 145 H, 44 BB, 133 K) Kris Johnson – Rochester Red Wings (10-7, 3.48 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 132.0 IP, 115 H, 55 BB, 102 K) Alex Meyer – Rochester Red Wings (7-7, 3.52 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 130.1 IP, 116 H, 64 BB, 153 K) Brett Lee – Ft. Myers Miracle (10-5, 2.45 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 106.1 IP, 111 H, 33 BB, 54 K) David Hurlbut – Ft. Myers Miracle (3-4, 2.20 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 65.1 IP, 62 H, 13 BB, 35 K) Matt Tomshaw – Ft. Myers Miracle (11-6, 3.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 136.1 IP, 152 H, 28 BB, 82 K) Kohl Stewart – Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-5, 2.59 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 87.0 IP, 75 H, 24 BB, 62 K) Lewis Thorpe – Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-2, 3.52 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 71.2 IP, 62 H, 36 BB, 80 K) Mat Batts – GCL/Elizabethton/Cedar Rapids (4-1, 1.78 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 60.2 IP, 40 H, 7 BB, 67 K) Stephen Gonsalves – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels (4-3, 3.02 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 65.2 IP, 54 H, 21 BB, 70 K) Starting Pitcher of the Year #6 – Trevor May – Rochester Red Wings (8-6, 2.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 98.1 IP, 75 H, 39 BB, 94 K) May came to the Twins, with Vance Worley, in the December 2012 trade from the Phillies with in exchange for outfielder Ben Revere. After spending 2013 in New Britain, he moved up to Rochester this year and took a step forward in his prospect status. May put up best numbers since Low-A ball in terms of WHIP, HR/9 and walks per nine. May looked to be in line for a big league call up in June when, after being named to the Futures Game, he hurt his calf. He missed the Futures Game and nearly a month of innings. However, it wasn’t long after his return to the Red Wings that May made his much-anticipated big league debut. He has certainly taken his lumps with the Twins, but he put together a strong AAA debut and earned a spot on this list. #5 – Chih-Wei Hu – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels (8-2, 2.15 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 71.0 IP, 47 H, 15 BB, 64 K) Hu was signed by the Twins out of Taiwan in August of 2012. The 20-year-old began the 2014 season at extended spring training and then made three starts for Elizabethton before being summoned to Cedar Rapids. Though he’s always been intriguing as a prospect since he dominated on his national team through his amateur years, no one could have expected him to do what he did with the Kernels. He became the best starter on a team with several highly-regarded pitching prospects. Blessed with a good fastball that has reached 95 mph, he has several pitches that can be good. With the Kernels, he wasn’t hit, didn’t walk anyone and got a good number of strikeouts. Definitely one to watch! Will he start 2015 back with the Kernels or could he start in Ft. Myers? #4 – Tyler Duffey – Ft. Myers/New Britain/Rochester (13-3, 3.67 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 149.2 IP, 142 H, 30 BB, 113K) Duffey was the Twins fifth round pick in in 2012 out of Rice University where he was a part-time closer. Since signing with the Twins, he has primarily worked as a starter. In 2014, all 14 of his appearances were at the start of ballgames. He began by going 3-0 in four starts with the Miracle before being promoted to New Britain. In 18 starts with the Rock Cats, he went 8-3. Late in the year, he was promoted to AAA Rochester. The assumption made by many was that he would just make a spot-start in a doubleheader and return, but instead, he finished the season with three starts for the Red Wings and went 2-0. Though he averaged just 6.8 K/9 overall, his strikeout rate actually increased with each promotion. As a starter, he has a three-pitch mix and throws his fastball 91-93 mph. When he ended 2013 in the Miracle bullpen, he hit 97 at times. Will he be able to continue starting right up to the big leagues? We shall see. But for now, he had a very solid 2014 season as a starting pitcher. He should start 2015 in the Red Wings rotation. #3 – Taylor Rogers – New Britain Rock Cats (11-6, 3.29 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 145.0 IP, 150 H, 37 BB, 113 K) Rogers was my choice for Twins minor league starting pitcher of the year in 2013 when he went 11-6 with a 2.55 ERA in Ft. Myers after opening last year with three starts in Cedar Rapids. This spring, he jumped right to New Britain and got off to a slow start. Through his first five Rock Cats starts he was 1-3 with an 8.14 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP. His strikeout and walk rates were very good (9.6 K/9, 1.8 BB/9), but he was very hittable. And then a switch flipped. In his final 19 starts, he went 10-3 with a 2.31 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. His strikeout rate dropped to 7.2 per nine and his walk rate increased 2.4 per nine, but he was pitching so much better. The left-hander is able to maintain 92-94 mph throughout a game. He also has a very good slider. He was the Twins 11th round pick in 2002 out of the University of Kentucky. The 23-year-old will head to the Arizona Fall League next month. He will likely begin 2015 in Rochester and we could see him sometime in 2015. #2 – Jason Wheeler – Ft. Myers/New Britain/Rochester (11-9, 2.67 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 158.1 IP, 151 H, 37 BB, 115 K) Wheeler will likely become a lawyer at some point after his playing career is over. After his 2014 season, those days may have to wait a while. The 6-8 left-hander was the Twins eighth round pick in 2011 out of Loyola Marymount. In 2013, he went 9-4 with a 3.70 ERA at Ft. Myers but returned to the Miracle to start 2014. It proved to be quite beneficial. Encouraged to be more aggressive with his fastball, his performance was much better. In 13 starts, he was 6-5 with a 2.51 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He was promoted to AA New Britain where he made 12 starts. There, he went 5-4 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.14 ERA. He even made a spot start for Rochester and gave up two runs in five innings. Not a strikeout pitcher, Wheeler averaged 6.5 K/9 through the season. His fastball sits 89-91, though at times he has hit 94. He also has a good changeup and curveball as well. The 23-year-old will likely start 2015 with the Rock Cats depending upon who remains in the Rochester rotation. Starting Pitcher of the Year – Jose (JO) Berrios – Ft. Myers/New Britain/Rochester (12-8, 2.76 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 140.0 IP, 118 H, 38 BB, 140 K) 2013 was a long year for Berrios. He went to big league camp in preparation for representing Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Then, after pitching in the bullpen for Puerto Rico, he was stretched out for a month before joining the Cedar Rapids Kernels. He went 7-7 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP as a 19-year-old, but he clearly tired late in the year. Fast-forward to 2014 and Berrios was pushed to Ft. Myers. In 16 starts for the Miracle, he went 9-3 with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. In 96.1 innings, he gave up 78 hits, walked just 23 and struck out 109. Pitching Coach Gary Lucas informed me that in June, he sat down with Berrios, as he did with all pitchers, and discussed his goals. Berrios quickly responded with three goals. First, he wanted to start in the Florida State League All-Star game. Second, he wanted to be named to the Futures Game. Third, he wanted to get promoted to AA New Britain. Check-Check-Check. Berrios was the starter for the World Team in the Futures Game at Target Field and threw a 1-2-3 inning. Three weeks earlier he had been the starting pitcher in the Florida State League All-Star Game, and one week before the World Game he had made his AA debut. With the Rock Cats, he made eight starts and went 3-4 with a 3.54 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 40.2 innings. There was a scare involved though. In one start, he wasn’t hitting the same velocities he had been all season, and he left the game with a shoulder problem. It turned out to be some shoulder stiffness. He skipped one start and came back without missing a beat. On the final weekend of the season Rochester was still in playoff contention. Berrios was called up to make a start. It didn’t go so well. He gave up six runs in three innings, but what a learning experience for the guy who is, with little doubt, the top pitching prospect in the organization. He was the Twins supplemental first-round draft pick in 2012 out of Puerto Rico. He won’t even turn 21 years old until next May. Though unlikely, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Berrios could debut with the Twins around that time. In January, JO Berrios was kind enough to do an interview with Twins Daily. Thanks to his aunt, that interview is available in both English and Spanish. --- There you have it, my Top 6 Twins minor league starting pitchers in 2014. Feel free to discuss.

MIRACLE MATTERS Game 4 – Ft. Myers 4, Daytona 2 (11 innings) Box Score For the first time in team history, the Ft. Myers Miracle are the champions of the Florida State League. It did not come easily as the team had to work a little overtime to accomplish the feat! In the top of the first inning, Aderlin Mejia led off and advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Niko Goodrum. He moved up to third base on a wild pitch. Travis Harrison hit a sacrifice fly to give the Miracle a 1-0 lead. In the fourth inning, Stuart Turner led off with a single. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and then to third on an infield single by Max Kepler. Tyler Grimes came up and hit a double down the left field line to give the Miracle a 2-0 lead. DJ Baxendale started and did not allow a run in the first three innings. However, the Daytona Cubs scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth and another unearned run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at two. That is where the score remained until the 11th inning. Adam Walker led off with an opposite field double. After Tyler Grimes popped up a bunt attempt, Jason Kanzler came to the plate and unloaded a long home run over the left field wall. The blast gave the Miracle a 4-2 lead. It was a lead that would be held by Zack Jones in the bottom of the 11th frame. Jason Kanzler photo by Linwood Ferguson, Ft. Myers Miracle Baxendale started and gave up only the two unearned runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out seven. Brandon Peterson came on and got out of the sixth and worked a 1-2-3 seventh. Nick Burdi got out all six batters he faced, four of them on strikeouts. DJ Johnson was hitting 95 when he pitched the 10th inning. He gave up one hit and struck out two. With the lead, Zack Jones was brought in for the 11th and pitched a 1-2-3 inning for the save, wrapping up the championship. Aderlin Mejia did a great job as a leadoff man. He went 2-3 with two walks. Tyler Grimes also had two hits including his RBI double. Max Kepler went 2-4. But the offensive hero on this night was Jason Kanzler. He was just 1-5 in the game and struck out twice, but there was no bigger hit than his 11th inning home run that gave the Miracle the lead. Several of these Miracle players were on the Appalachian League championship team in 2012 as well as being a part of the terrific team in Cedar Rapids a year ago. This team has a culture of winning. Congratulations to Doug Mientkiewicz, pitching coach Gary Lucas, hitting coach Jim Dwyer, all the players and any of the players who spent time with the Miracle in 2014. That was a pretty impressive, talented group of players. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Nick Burdi, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jason Kanzler, Ft. Myers Miracle Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Miracle game and season.

MIRACLE MATTERS Game 4 – Ft. Myers @ Daytona - Postponed The day off may have been just what the two teams need as they have not had a day off since the playoffs began. However, for the Miracle, this delay could prove very beneficial. Had Game 4 been played on Sunday, the Miracle likely would have employed a bullpen game. However, with the game moved to Monday, the Miracle will be able to start DJ Baxendale on regular rest. And, if it were necessary, Matt Tomshaw could start Game 5 on regular rest. The two teams will play again on Monday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Daytona. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 2 - Cedar Rapids 2, Kane County 4 Box Score This game started out as quite the pitcher’s duel. The Kernels managed just one hit through the first five innings off Cougars starter Paul Blackburn who struck out seven. John Curtiss, making his first start for the Kernels, was certainly up to the challenge. He threw five shutout innings. He walked three but he did not allow a hit until the fifth inning. The right-hander was the Twins sixth-round pick in June out of the University of Texas where he was that team’s closer. After pitching in the College World Series and then signing with the Twins, he went to Elizabethton where he was a starter. With Lewis Thorpe placed on the disabled list, Curtiss was called up before this series started. Jared Wilson came on to replace Curtiss in the sixth inning. He gave up a solo home run to Jacob Rogers. However, in the top of the 7th, the Kernels were able to get on the board and take the lead. With one out, Jonatan Hinojosa singled. It was followed by a two-run homer by Chad Christensen. In the bottom of the 7th, Wilson issued a walk to lead off the inning and then gave up a two-run homer to Carlos Penalver. One out later, Brian Gilbert replaced Wilson and got out of the inning. Gilbert gave up another run in the bottom of the eighth. The Kernels were not able to get any closer and fell 4-2. The team had just four hits in the game. Besides Christensen’s homer, Max Murphy’s double was the only extra-base hit. The Kernels season comes to an end, but it has sure been a good run. After going just 31-39 in the first half, the Kernels went 42-28 in the second half to earn a spot in the Midwest League playoffs. Then won two of three against Burlington in Round 1 of the playoffs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – John Curtiss, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) – DJ Baxendale Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Kernels game and season.

MIRACLE MATTERS Game 3 - Ft. Myers 7, Daytona 8 Box Score After the Miracle won Game 2 on Friday night in Ft. Myers, the team (and their opponents) made the 210 mile drive north to Daytona where Game 3 was played on Saturday. To make it worse, the Saturday game was delayed over two hours due to rain. When it started, the Miracle sent Brett Lee to the mound. The left-hander gave up five runs on eight hits and four walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out one. DJ Johnson came on to get the final out of the sixth inning and worked a scoreless seventh inning as well. Stuart Turner had a great game. In the first inning, he hit a two run double. He ended the game 4-4 with a walk and three RBI. Niko Goodrum went 1-3 with two walks. Tyler Grimes went 2-4. The game was tied going to the 8th inning. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the inning, Aderlin Mejia squibbed a ball down the third base line and there was no play. It gave the Miracle a 6-5 lead. DJ Johnson remained in the game for the bottom of the 8th. After getting the first out, he gave up a walk and a single before giving up a three-run homer. Johnson finished the inning. With one out in the top of the ninth, Dalton Hicks hit his second home run of the playoffs to cut the deficit to 8-7. However, the Miracle were unable to tack on one more and fell by that score. The two teams will play again on Sunday afternoon and Jackie Robinson Stadium in Daytona. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1 - Cedar Rapids 2, Kane County 5 Box Score The Kernels are going to have to repeat their efforts from the first round if they want to advance to the Midwest League finals. On Saturday night, they lost at home to Kane County and will need to win twice in Geneva, Illinois. Ryan Eades got the start in his first playoff start and despite some control issues was able to limit any damage. He gave up just one run through the first five innings of the game. In the sixth inning, he got the first two outs but then walked the next two batters before Brandon Bixler got out of the sixth frame. Eades finished the day giving up one run on two hits in 5.2 innings. He walked six and struck out four. In the seventh inning, Bixler gave up a hit and a walk, but an error allowed two unearned runs to score. After another walk, Josue Montanez came on and got a strikeout and a force out to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh frame, Ryan Walker reached on an error and scored on a Tanner English triple. English was stranded there with the Kernels down 3-2. Then in the eighth inning, Montanez gave up one run. Hudson Boyd came on for the ninth inning and served up a solo home run to get to the final score of 5-2. Tanner English, playing his first game for the Kernels, went 3-5 with the triple. Jonatan Hinojosa and Alex Swim each had two hits. Max Murphy added a double. Game 2 of this Best of 3 series will be at 6:00 on Sunday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Eades, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Stuart Turner, Ft. Myers Miracle SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Ft. Myers @ Daytona (4:35 CST) – TBD Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:00 CST) – John Curtiss Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games.

After winning at home in Games 1 and 2, the Miracle will have a chance to claim the championship in Daytona on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the Kernels will host Kane County in Game 1 on Saturday night. There were plenty of heroes in the two games. And, there were a couple of Kernels transactions after their game which will be mentioned later in today’s report. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 2 - Ft. Myers 5, Daytona 0 Box Score Ethan Mildren picked a good day to find ways to work out of trouble. The right-hander gave up five hits and four walks over his five innings, but he was able to keep Dattona scoreless. He struck out three. Todd Van Steensel has been kept busy in these playoffs. He worked one inning and gave up only a walk. Steven Gruver came on for the seventh inning. He gave up a walk and a hit and recorded two outs before leaving the game with an apparent injury. However, Nick Burdi came on and got the final seven outs, three of them strikeouts, to record the save. He gave up just two hits. The Miracle tallied three runs in the third inning. Travis Harrison singled in Aderlin Mejia with the first run. Dalton Hicks followed with a triple to score Harrison and make it 2-0. The next batter, Stuart Turner, hit a sacrifice fly scoring Hicks. The Miracle got a little insurance in the 8th inning. With the bases loaded, Niko Goodrum and Travis Harrison each took a bases-loaded walk to drive in a run and give the Miracle a 5-0 lead. The teams will now travel way north to Daytona where they will play Game 3, and potentially two more games. One more win and the Miracle will earn their league championship. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 3 - Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 2 Box Score After losing Game 1 in Cedar Rapids, the Kernels were tasked with winning for a second straight night on the road in Burlington. They were up to the challenge. Cedar Rapids took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Ryan Walker tripled and scored on a groundout by Logan Wade. One batter later, Chad Christensen hit a solo home run. Young Stephen Gonsalves was given the starting nod. The lefty gave up two runs on six hits and a walk in the game’s first five innings. Both runs came in the bottom of the third inning. Jared Wilson worked the sixth and seventh innings, giving up nothing. He struck out two. Then in the top of the 8th, the Kernels reclaimed the lead. Jonatan Hinojosa singled. He advanced to third base on a double by Logan Wade. Chad Christensen singled in Hinojosa to give the Kernels a 3-2 lead. It was followed by a Max Murphy double that scored Wade. With a late-inning lead, Jake Mauer turned to the dominant bullpen guys. Dallas Gallant got the eighth inning and struck out two. Jake Reed came on for the ninth inning for the second straight night. He didn’t have to work quite as hard as he had on Thursday. He had a 1-2-3 inning to record his second straight save and send the Kernels to the next round. If you’re counting, that is now 24.2 innings since he has last given up a run. The Kernels will start the 2nd round of the Midwest League playoffs on Saturday night. They will be playing host to the Kane County Cougars. Games 2 and 3 will be at Kane County (Chicago area). The Kernels will add outfielder Tanner English and right-handed pitcher John Curtiss to their roster from the Elizabethton squad. To made room, two players were put on the disabled list. Mitch Garver, who hadn’t played since being pinch-hit for in the sixth inning of Game 1, was put on the disabled list for a concussion. Lewis Thorpe was put on the disabled list with “elbow” listed as the injury. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ethan Mildren, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chad Christensen, Cedar Rapids Kernels SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Game 3 - Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) – Brett Lee Game 1 - Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Ryan Eades Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games.

Here are my choices for the Top 5 Twins Minor League Relief Pitchers in August, starting with several honorable mentions. HONORABLE MENTION RHP AJ Achter – Rochester – 8 G, 17.1 IP, 14 H, 5 BB, 18 K, 2.60 ERA, 1.10 WHIP RHP Stephen Pryor – Rochester – 12 G, 17.2 IP, 6 H, 14 BB, 18 K, 1.02 ERA, 1.13 WHIP RHP Michael Tonkin – Rochester – 12 G, 12.1 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 14 K, 2.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP LHP Jim Fuller – New Britain – 7 G, 13.2 IP, 12 H, 7 BB, 16 K, 1.32 ERA, 1.39 WHIP LHP Mason Melotakis – Ft. Myers/New Britain – 10 G, 13.0 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 20 K, 1.38 ERA, 1.00 WHIP RHP Brandon Peterson – Ft. Myers – 7 G, 10.1 IP, 8 H, 4 BB, 15 K, 1.74 ERA, 1.16 WHIP RHP Todd Van Steensel – Ft. Myers – 8 G, 13.1 IP, 9 H, 7 BB, 13 K, 0.68 ERA, 1.20 WHIP RHP Chris Mazza – Cedar Rapids – 10 G, 20.0 IP, 22 H, 6 BB, 34 K, 3.15 ERA, 1.40 WHIP RHP Randy LeBlanc – Elizabethton – 7 G, 17.0 IP, 19 H, 1 BB, 14 K, 1.59 ERA, 1.18 WHIP RHP CK Irby – Elizabethton Twins – 9 G, 16.0 IP, 12 H, 4 BB, 30 K, 1.13 ERA, 1.00 WHIP RHP Trevor Hildenberger – GCL Twins – 10 G, 10.1 IP, 10 H, 1 BB, 15 K, 1.74 ERA, 1.06 WHIP TOP 5 MINNESOTA TWINS RELIEF PITCHER OF AUGUST 2014 Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Dallas Gallant - 9 G, 1.46 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 22 K Gallant was #2 on this list in July, and he was just as good in August. The hard-throwing right-hander continued to dominate the Florida State League as a set-up man who also recorded two saves in the month. He has walked a few too many, but his stuff is such that he doesn’t give up many hits. In fact, opponents hit just .122 off of him in August with a .422 OPS. After missing the first 50 games this season, Gallant is a guy who will likely start in Ft. Myers next year, but with some others, he could move up quickly. Number 4 – Elizabethton – LHP Sam Clay - 7 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 11 H, 4 BB, 20 K Clay was the Twins 4th round pick this June out of Georgia Tech. His first nine appearances with Elizabethton were pretty brutal. However, he has figured something out and has been very good the last month. In fact, he didn’t give up a run and found ways to miss bats. This is just the start of the run of 2014 Twins draft picks who appear on this list. Number 3 – Rochester – RHP Lester Oliveros - 12 G, 0.90 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 15 H, 7 BB, 31 K His first big league appearance in over two years following Tommy John surgery didn’t go so well, but Oliveros has been spectacular throughout the 2014 season. He was dominant in August while also being a workhorse for the Red Wings. The still-just-26-year-old throws hard and has had much better control of his breaking ball than we saw the other night. With a strong September, he could find himself in the mix for a roster spot on Opening Day 2015. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – Nick Burdi - 10 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 17 K When he was drafted, we knew about the 100 mph fastball, and we had heard about the 91 mph slider that he flashed early in the college season. Burdi has touched those numbers in his 2+ months in professional baseball. He was promoted to Ft. Myers at the end of July, and he is yet to give up a run. He has plenty of strikeouts, but it’s more encouraging to see his walks decreasing. Burdi is a guy who will likely fly through the Twins farm system and could certainly be in Minnesota in 2015. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids – Jake Reed - 8 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 16 K Reed also won this award in July when he posted a 0.18 WHIP through that month, his first month with the Kernels. The 5th round pick from Oregon remained dominant in the season’s final month. He is strong enough yet that the Twins are sending him to the Arizona Fall League this year. In August, he went 1-0 and recorded three saves. Opponents hit just .116 off him with a silly .295 OPS. Reed throws hard, hitting 97 at times. He has a breaking pitch that will need to improve, but considering he’s been a pro for a little over two months, he’s on a good track toward Target Field. So what do you think? I’ve listed five relievers here (along with several other honorable mentions) who deserve to be recognized for their terrific performances this past month. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? With the start of the NFL season tonight, be sure to also bookmark VikingsJournal.com!

So let’s get into the updates. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 2 - Ft. Myers 6, Bradenton 2 Box Score They play nine innings, but sometimes just one of those innings can make the difference. That was the case in this game. The Miracle scored six runs on five hits in the bottom of the 3rd inning to take a 6-1 lead. Aderlin Mejia had an RBI double. Travis Harrison had a two-run double high off the jetBlue Green Monster. The next batter, Dalton Hicks, fell behind 0-2. However, he got a pitch that he could handle and drilled a two-run homer to give the 6-1 lead. Of course, one big inning may not be enough if the pitching isn’t strong. On this night, DJ Baxendale put in arguably his best performance of the year. The right-hander from Arkansas gave up only an unearned run on six hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out five. Todd Van Steensel came on and walked one and struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning. For the second straight night, Zack Jones came on and pitched the ninth. It wasn’t pretty, but Jones got the job done. He gave up one run on one hit. He walked two batters consecutively, but he came back to get a fly out and a three-pitch strikeout to end the game. The Miracle complete the two-game sweep and advance to the Florida State League Championship Series. In the northern division, Daytona completed a two-game sweep as well. Because both series completed on Wednesday, they will begin the championship series on Thursday in Ft. Myers. The Miracle have spent the last several weeks playing their home games at jetBlue Stadium because there are more renovations happening at Hammond Stadium. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1 – Cedar Rapids 0, Burlington 2 Box Score This game was certainly a pitcher’s duel through the early innings. Chih-Wei Hu got the nod to start the first game of this series. Despite being up against his season’s innings limit, Hu was able to provide the Kernels with five shutout innings. He gave up just four hits, walked one and struck out seven. Chris Mazza came on and gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Eric Aguilera, in the sixth inning. In the seventh frame, he got the first two outs. However, a single, a wild pitch and a single gave Burlington a 2-0 lead. After another single, Mazza was replaced by Dallas Gallant who retired all seven batters he faced, four on strikeouts. The Kernels just were not able to get much offense going. Heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, the team had just five hits. Alex Swim singled for the second time in the game. However, he was doubled off when JD Williams lined out. With two outs, Max Murphy recorded his second single of the game. However, Logan Wade struck out to end the game. These two teams will play again on Thursday night. A loss would end the Kernels season. A win would set up a Game 3 to determine who would advance to the next round of the Midwest League playoffs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – DJ Baxendale, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dalton Hicks, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Daytona @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Matt Tomshaw Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – Mat Batts Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games.