Seth Stohs

No question on Fernandez. He's had a terrific year, and he was drafted a year before Navarreto.

Turner and Garver will move up. Swim seems to have moved to RF, but he should move up to FM as well. Navarreto may move up. He really struggled early and missed time, but he's got some doubles, so there's some chance he could move up to CR next year.

The Twins have put in the time and developed a terrific core of prospects. We saw Santana, Vargas, and now May. Arcia's had more time to go through some ups and downs. Next year, with health, we could see another wave in Meyer, Sano, possibly Buxton and even Berrios, along with Burdi, Jones, etc. I'm of the opinion that you let these guys play and see what you have, what sticks. Hopefully a nice, solid core of players will come out of that. If you noticed one thing about those 87 and 91 teams, the key players were the guys who came up together and developed that core. When they were ready, they complemented the roster with pieces. When the Yankees won 4 WS in a row, it was because of their core four (remember they have only one once since they started spending in free agency). For me, I want to see which of these guys turn into that next core. And, the idea of signing a 30+ year old #1 starter should be about 20 times more scary than the Nolasco signing has been.

Turner - I think that he has the chance to be a solid starting catcher in the big leagues. His floor is a really good backup catcher in the big leagues. Mitch Garver also put himself on that trajectory, making him one to watch too. Thorpe - he's doing quite well in the MWL. It took him awhile, and that control is still something to watch. I would suspect he would spend up to a half-season in Cedar Rapids again to start the season. It'll be good for him to get that time.

We would love that guy (.250/25/100) in the big leagues... but Walker's high-A contact rate means that he would not currently be able to come close to any of those numbers in the big leagues. He's developing very well. he's younger than most of those college guys drafted his year. he's not old for the level. Also, he will get to play extra games by staying with the Miracle at this point. In the playoffs. Why hurt his teammates for an extra couple of weeks of AA time? The organization really likes Walker, but they're doing what's best for him. The organization certainly sees his talent and his gifts. No question about it. They want him to be able to continue doing those things all the way up. You have to be able to recognize (and work on) those flaws to get there. I'm probably higher on Walker than anyone you'll see a Top 50 or Top 30 Twins prospect list from, but I'm in agreement that he is where he should be. He'll start next season in AA either way. He was a top 12 Twins prospect for me coming into the year, and that's where he'll be going into next season too.

Jeremy and I discussed on Twins Hangouts. It could just be that they (or Burdi) decided Burdi wasn't going to play. It could be that they are going to wait until they find out more about Buxton. If they need to replace Buxton, maybe they add Adam Walker meaning that they can't have another Ft. Myers player, so maybe someone like Alex Wimmers goes in place of Burdi. It could be an attempt to get clearance for a player in another Winter League. Could be several things, including nothing.

Wonderful report! I really like how you lay it out and come to the final summary at the end. I completely agree with this assessment!

Playing every day means that the organization believes in him immensely. There's more to the game than hitting HR. Believe me, they're likely very excited about his power/production potential. However, a .290 OBP in Hi-A means a .250 OBP in the big leagues. He does have work to do, no question. It's good that he spent the full season in the FSL.

He's pitched in 2-3 games for the Rock Cats already. He wasn't a PTBNL. He was named right away when the deal was made.

It's the same as has happened the last two years with Eddie Rosario. Sano (like rosario) is not eligible to play in the AFL because he's on the roster of another Winter League team... unless that team gives the Twins/MLB a waiver saying they can. So, Rosario's team in Puerto Rico is allowing Rosario to play. It's unlikely that the Twins asked Sano's team for such a waiver this year, but they could have tried.

Yeah, Burdi will be up quick while not overdoing it. It does make some sense for him to pitch there, though it's been such a long season for a college pitcher, considering he started pitching in january!

Good catch on Nick Burdi being on the AFL team's roster... I can't imagine why the team wouldn't announce that, or what would be going on. The Twins have said for a month or two now that Miguel Sano would not play in the Arizona Fall League or the first half of the Dominican Winter League. He will be rehabbing in Ft. Myers. It's possible he will play in the DWL following the holidays in preparation for big league camp.

On Thursday afternoon, MLB announced its 2014 Arizona Fall League rosters. Six Minnesota Twins were announced as members of the Salt River Rafters, including a couple of their top prospects. According to Dustin Morse, the Twins will add an additional pitcher. The season will open on October 7. The Arizona Fall League is a good place for some of baseball’s best prospects. It’s also a great place for players who missed time during the regular season to get some playing time. The Twins have sent some who fit into either of these categories, and sometimes both.The plan is for Byron Buxton to repeat in Arizona after playing well there last year. It’s been a long, frustrating season for the outfielder. In his 2013 season, split between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers, he was named the Twins minor league hitter of the year and in the offseason was the consensus #1 prospect in all baseball. He received an invite to big league spring training. Unfortunately, he has been mostly hurt since mid-March when he dove for a ball in a minor league spring training game and hurt his wrist. After returning, he was hit by a pitch in the right wrist and missed about a week. More recently, he was promoted to AA New Britain but in his first game he collided with right fielder Mike Kvasnicka and suffered a concussion that cost him the rest of the regular season. He has been named to the Arizona Fall League despite the fact that he has not yet been given clearance to resume baseball activities. If Buxton is unable to play, he will be replaced by another Twins farmhand. Like Buxton, Max Kepler will be spending another stint in the Arizona Fall League. Last year, he was very young and probably not quite ready for the competition, but he generally held his own. He has also missed a bit of time in 2014 due to injury and illness. On the season, he is hitting .257/.330/.386 (.716) with 17 doubles, six triples and five homers with the Ft. Myers Miracle. However, he has been much better of late. The third Twins position player returning to the AFL this year is Eddie Rosario. The 2B/OF from Puerto Rico missed the first 50 games this season due to a suspension for a drug of abuse. In 71 games with New Britain, he has shown flashes despite overall numbers of .237/.281/.389 (.670). He has hit 19 doubles, three triples and six home runs for the Rock Cats. Taylor Rogers will be pitching in the Fall League. He was my choice for Twins starting pitcher of the year in 2013. He really struggled in the first four starts of this season, but he has rebounded very well. Overall in 23 starts, he has gone 10-6 with a 3.42 ERA in 137 innings. He has walked just 37 and struck out 104. Rogers missed a couple of starts last month with biceps tendinitis. Another left-hander, Mason Melotakis, was also named to the AFL. He began the season as a starter in Ft. Myers, but he was moved to the bullpen where he has thrived. He has struck out 17 and walked just two over 14.2 innings in twelve outings. Melotakis missed two of three weeks with elbow inflammation earlier in the month. The final Twins representative in the Fall League is the newest member of the organization, right-hander Jason Adam. He came to the Twins from the Kansas City Royals in the Josh Willingham trade. He had moved to the bullpen with the Royals AAA team, but the Twins want him to start and sent him to AA to do such. UPDATE: For what it's worth, the Salt River Rafters' roster includes RHP Nick Burdi. Of course, injury and other things could alter this roster, but please feel free to discuss. Who could the seventh player be? There are certainly several options. Click here to view the article

Yeah, in a way they do somewhat control their own destiny... kind of.

It's a story I'd told many times, but I was really bored, so I did a Yahoo search for "Twins Dork" and got Twins Geek... This is one that I remember from way back when! Good stuff!

Corrected... thanks for pointing that out... We do hate Mondays! Ha!

that's usually the case...

The pitchers who are able to go from being a mid-90s fastball with plus secondary pitches into guys who sit in the 90-92 range with even better secondary stuff are the ones who have a chance. But to be able to maintain 96+ for more than 6-8 years (or after age 31) isn't likely.

I don't think it has anything to do with maturity... I recall a very veteran Carl Pavano taking a bat to a water cooler. I have no problem with May if he throws his glove down or if he just calmly goes and sit upset. I thought he was better, and that's all I care about. He didn't walk anyone, but gave up hits. Now next start hopefully he can take another step. That's all that matters.

I don't know if I'm convinced that Kepler is heading back to Ft. Myers next year. I was a month ago when he was hitting .220 and missing a lot of time. But since he's been back in the lineup pretty much every day, he's been tremendous. Still think he may start at Ft. Myers again next year, but that's not a given at all.

A big Thank You to everyone who made it along the path of the Twins Daily Touch ‘Em All Pub Crawl on Saturday. It was great to meet so many of you. It was a busy day in the Twins minor leagues, with two doubleheaders. The Kernels inched closer to clinching an unexpected playoff berth thanks to another tremendously pitched ball game. The Miracle had a couple prospects with three hits.. Virgil Vasquez pitched for the first time since his no-hitter last Saturday, but for a different team. Check out all that and more below in today’s Twins Minor League Report for Saturday's games.RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 – Rochester 3, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score Chris Herrmann led the offense, and the Wings got just enough pitching to pull out Game 1 on Saturday. Herrmann went 3-3 with his 16th and 17th doubles. Chris Colabello hit his 10th double. Pedro Florimon hit his fourth home run of his Red Wings season. Sean Gilmartin started and went 4.1 innings. He gave up two runs on three hits. He walked four and struck out four. Mark Hamburger walked two in 1.2 scoreless relief innings. Michael Tonkin gave up a hit and a walk but recorded his ninth save of the year. He struck out two. Game 2 – Rochester 1, Scranton/Wilkes Barre 2 Box Score The offense struggled in the second game, managing just four hits. Pedro Florimon drove in the team’s lone run with his 16th double. Virgil Vasquez, fresh off of his New Britain no-no, was promoted to start the second game. He was needed because Yohan Pino made the Game 1 start in the Twins doubleheader. He pitched well, giving up just two runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out 11. He gave the Red Wings innings, using 119 pitches to complete the game and save the bullpen. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Altoona 1 Box Score Jason Wheeler posted yet another strong start for the Rock Cats. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out eight. Alex Wimmers gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three. Jim Fuller struck out two in a scoreless ninth. Jorge Polanco went 2-3 with two walks. Levi Michael was 2-3 with one walk. Brandon Waring went 2-4 with his 27th double. Kyle Knudson went 2-3 with a walk and his 11th double. Reynaldo Rodriguez knocked his 36th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Charlotte 7 Box Score Ethan Mildren had a rough start on this day. The right-hander was charged with six earned runs on nine hits and two walks over the first 4.1 innings. He struck out one. BJ Hermsen went the next 2.2 innings and gave up a run on four hits and a walk. Alex Muren pitched a perfect frame. Adam Walker went 3-4 with his first triple of the season. Max Kepler was 3-4 as well with his 16th and 17th doubles. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-3. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Burlington 0 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu was very good. He gave up four hits and a walk over six shutout innings. Brian Gilbert struck out two over two scoreless frames. Jake Reed struck out one in the ninth to record his fourth save with the Kernels. Reed's scoreless streak is now at 19.2 innings and his ERA with the Kernels is just 0.41. The only earned run he has given up with the Kernels came in his June 30 debut with the team. He gave up an unearned run in his second game and that was the last run he's allowed. The Kernels won despite just five hits. Alex Swim went 2-4 with one of the RBIs. The other two Kernels’ runs scored on ground ball double plays. Jonatan Hinojosa had a hit. He has at least one hit in all 11 games since his return to the Kernels. He is 18-49 (.367) over that stretch with two doubles and four triples. The Kernels can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday with a win in Quad Cities or with a loss by Peoria in Clinton. Magic number is one. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 9, Pulaski 2 Box Score The E-Twins had a good mix of offense and pitching in this game. Lefty Derrick Penilla was the pitching half of that equation. He went six innings and gave up two runs on four hits, a walk and five strikeouts. Sam Clay then struck out five over two scoreless innings. Josh Burris struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning. Jeremias Pineda went 2-5 and scored three runs in this game. He also stole his 21st base. Tyler Kuresa went 2-5 with his 12th double and four RBI. He has an impressive 40 RBI on the short-season. Will Hurt went 2-3 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 – GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score It’s been a tough season for the GCL Twins, so Saturday’s double-header sweep had to feel good them. In the first game, Alexis Tapia went the first 5.1 innings and gave up one run on five hits. He walked none and struck out five. Leonel Zazueta gave up an unearned run on one hit and two walks in the final 1.2 innings. Manuel Guzman went 2-4 with his fourth double. He also stole his 17th base. Rainis Silva was 1-3 with a walk and drove in two runs. Tyree Davis hit his second double. Game 2 – GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 0 Box Score Zach Tillery started the second game and threw 5.1 shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out two. Trevor Hildenberger struck out three in the final 1.2 innings to record his ninth save. Amaurys Minier went 2-3 with a walk and his 10th double. Rafael Valera hit his second triple. Manuel Guzman was 1-3 with a walk and his 18th stolen base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Walker/Max Kepler, Ft. Myers Miracle SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes Barre @ Rochester (12:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey New Britain @ Altoona (5:00 CST) – Pat Dean Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (4:00 CST) – DJ Baxendale Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:15 CST) – Mat Batts Elizabethton @ Pulaski (DH @ 4:00 CST) – TBD, TBD GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – No Game Scheduled Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win in Game 1 on Saturday against the Tigers, it means that on Sunday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

We'll be doing a lot of minor league stuff. I'll certainly again try to project rosters (probably after new year's, or at least after the winter meetings). I'll try to get a roster from the instructional league. I still think Kepler starts next year at Ft. Myers, but that could change too.

Kepler is definitely playing very well of late. he's healthy. He's playing every day. And there's just so much talent. It's good to see that, including the extra base hits, in the FSL.