Seth Stohs

Interesting comparison because they're similar in size, build and stuff... but Guerrier has been a fly ball guy in his career, while Muren is a ground ball type. Obviously that can change and normalize if he continues to move up the system, but there's something to that.

Actually the low innings is the only reason that Gallant and Burdi weren't there. Reed's numbers were absolute video game numbers, and so were Gallant's. But innings pitched factor into this as well, and 57+ nearly doubles 31 and it does double 28 and 20. It's definitely nothing against those guys as much as it's that Peterson and the rest of the top 4 did it for the full season as opposed to half of a season.

In the minors, it isn't necessarily a promotion or demotion to move up or down a level. For instance, Jake Mauer was the manager at Ft. Myers. When Buxton and that talented group were going to Cedar Rapids for their first full seasons, the Twins wanted Mauer to be the one with them. His personality was perfect. His charisma was perfect. His discipline was perfect. So despite moving "down" a level, I think that was a sign of confidence from the organization. Gene Glynn - I like that he has been given few prospects and a lot of guys who are AAAA types, and he has won. He has kept the locker room in a place where that's difficult to do (AAA). He has kept players interested by playing them all over. And they've won. He's got a lot of great characteristics. I also think that Jake Mauer would be a very good big league manager for reasons above, plus he's just got a great baseball mind. Like all good managers, he's thinking situations 2-3 plays ahead.

Definitely can't argue with Oliveros either. He's had a very strong season, especially considering it's his first year back.

Consider this too... The Twins announced Tom Kelly has an interim manager in 1986. He was the 3B coach previously, but before that he had managed many of the Twins young core in the minor leagues. Fast Forward to 2001. The Twins hire Ron Gardenhire. He had been a long-time 3B coach, but he had also spent time managing in the minor leagues. His coaching staff had been managing the crop of players who became that Twins starts from 1998-2006. I think that familiarity is important. Mientkiewicz has managed many of the top prospects. He has won. He has won with ever-changing rosters. I should also say this, a lot of what Doug Mientkiewicz is now is a lot of what Ron Gardenhire was in 2001. He was in his low 40s. He was very firy. I think there are a lot of similarities between Gardenhire and Mientkiewicz. Redmond is a great example of something like this happening. Consider Tigers manager Brad Ausmus had never managed before getting that job this spring. Robin Ventura was manager of the year in his first year after having no previous managerial experience.

Yesterday, we named JO Berrios as the Minnesota Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Today, we will be diving into the top relief pitchers for the season. Clearly the Twins have made it a focus tto obtain power arms in recent years, particularly in the draft. Many of them have moved up the system and are performing very well. Hopefully several of those power arms will quickly work their way up the farm system to the majors.It’s been a very good year for relievers in the Twins minor leagues. I think we need to recognize several more pitchers who have had terrific seasons. HONORABLE MENTION Jim Fuller – New Britain Rock Cats (3-1, 1 save, 2.41 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 56.0 IP, 48 H, 30 BB, 68 K)Ryan Pressly – Rochester Red Wings (1-4, 6 saves, 2.98 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 60.1 IP, 55 H, 21 BB, 63 K)Jared Wilson – Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-4, 2.95 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 58.0 IP, 46 H, 25 BB, 56 K)Nick Burdi – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle (2-0, 5 saves, 2.66 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 20.1 IP, 13 H, 10 BB, 38 K)Brandon Bixler – Cedar Rapids Kernels (7-4, 2.68 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 74.0 IP, 49 H, 37 BB, 77 K)Chris Mazza – Cedar Rapids Kernels (4-4, 2.79 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 48.1 IP, 47 H, 11 BB, 62 K)Dallas Gallant – Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-1, 5 saves, 0.64 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 12 H, 9 BB, 46 K)Michael Tonkin – Rochester Red Wings (3-4, 2.80 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 45.0 IP, 41 H, 12 BB, 46 K)Feel free to debate them, or ask any questions you may have. Relief Pitcher of the Year #6 – Alex Muren – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle (4-2, 1 save, 2.77 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 74.2 IP, 65 H, 12 BB, 55 K) Muren was the Twins 12th round pick in 2012 out of Cal State-Northridge. He has worked out of the bullpen since signing and despite not having a huge fastball, he has put up solid numbers all the way through. In 2014, he began in Cedar Rapids. The 22-year-old posted a 2.89 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 56 innings over 29 games in Cedar Rapids. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where he posted a 2.41 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP. He averaged just 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings, but he doesn’t hurt himself with walks, having given up just 1.4 walks per nine innings. Muren is successful because he has been able to coax about 2.8 ground balls per flyout and keet the ball in the park. #5 – Jake Reed – Elizabethton Twins/Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-0, 8 saves, 0.29 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 31.0 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 39 K) Should Reed be on this list since he only started pitching in late June? Well, just take a look at those numbers again and tell me that we shouldn’t find some place for him in the top 6. Including the playoffs, he ended the season by tossing 24.2 consecutive scoreless innings. The 21-year-old was the Twins 5th round pick this June out of the University of Oregon. He is blessed with a mid-90s fastball and good secondary stuff too. Like fellow 2014 pick Nick Burdi, Reed could move up quickly in the Twins farm system. In fact, he will be participating in the Arizona Fall League this year. #4 – AJ Achter – New Britain Rock Cats/Rochester Red Wings (4-4, 7 saves, 2.17 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 78.2 IP, 47 H, 25 BB, 80 K) Achter won this award in 2012, his first year as a reliever. Last year, he was the runner up to Tyler Jones. This year, he falls to #4 on the list, but he is doing it at the highest level. He was the Reliever of the Month the first two months of the season. And on September 1st, he learned that he was headed to the big leagues. Achter was the lone representative of the Rochester Red Wings in the AAA All-Star game. He pitched in every role for the Red Wings this season. He was the closer, a set up man, a long reliever and even made a spot start. He has three or four pitches and when he has control, he can be very good. #3 – Todd Van Steensel – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle (1-0, 9 saves, 1.39 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 58.1 IP, 38 H, 24 BB, 71 K) It’s been an interesting ride for Van Steensel the last five years. He signed with the Phillies and pitched in the GCL in 2009. He was released, but he signed with the Twins and pitched at Elizabethton in 2011. The Twins released him after that season. Then, he pitched in the Netherlands and in his native Australia. He became a reliever, started throwing harder and the Twins gave him another opportunity before spring training this year. He began the season at extended spring training but was soon promoted to Cedar Rapids where he became a late inning man. In 34.2 innings, he walked just nine and struck out 45. He posted a 1.30 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where he fit into the sixth and seventh innings. With the Miracle, he worked 23.2 innings and struck out 26. The 23-year-old has a big, tall leg kick and then throws a low-to-mid 90s fastball with a sharp slider. #2 – Lester Oliveros – New Britain Rock Cats/Rochester Red Wings (4-3, 18 saves, 1.64 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 65.2 IP, 44 H, 27 BB, 88 K) Oliveros came to the Twins in August of 2011 in the Delmon Young trade. In September of 2012, he had Tommy John surgery and aside from a few rehab appearances, he missed the entire 2013 season. The Twins chose to start him off in New Britain where he dominated as the team’s closer for the season’s first half. In 24 games and 30.1 innings, he posted a 0.89 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP. He walked 14 and struck out 36. He was just as good in Rochester where in 24 games, he worked 35.1 innings. He walked 13 and struck out 52. He finished the season very strong in August and earned his September recall to the big leagues. Relief Pitcher of the Year – Brandon Peterson – Cedar Rapids Kernels/Ft. Myers Miracle (2-1, 4 saves, 1.56 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 57.2 IP, 37 H, 19 BB, 84 K) In June of 2010, Brandon Peterson was finishing his senior year in high school. He was Burnsville high school’s shortstop and their top pitcher. His team played in the Minnesota state high school championship game. They lost 5-3, but Peterson became the first high school player to hit a home run at Target Field. Now Peterson’s ultimate baseball goal is to pitch in Target Field and attempt to not give up home runs for the Minnesota Twins. After two years at Des Moines Area Community College, Peterson went to Wichita State where he had a strong junior season in 2013 with the Shockers. After the season, he was the Twins 13th round draft pick. Since signing, he has been a strikeout machine. In 27.1 innings with Elizabethton last year, he struck out 40. He began the 2014 season in Cedar Rapids where he pitched in just nine games. In 12.2 innings, he walked just two and struck out 19. He posted a 0.71 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. He was quickly promoted to Ft. Myers. In 45 innings, he walked 17 and struck out 65. He posted a 1.80 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He did not give up a home run all year. Though he did not get as much name recognition as teammates like Nick Burdi and Zack Jones late in the season, Peterson was a vital man in the seventh and eighth innings for the Miracle. Peterson throws a fastball that sits 92 to 93 mph and occasionally touches 95. He also has a slider in the low 80s. ---- Congratulations again to Brandon Peterson and all of these relief pitchers who had some terrific seasons of the bullpen in the Twins farm system. We’ll be back tomorrow with the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Year. Click here to view the article

Again, this is not a prospect ranking. We'll get to that later in the offseason.

Doc - I'd generally agree with that, but I really wouldn't undersell Taylor Rogers. I think he could be legit.

Meyer had good strikeout numbers and a decent ERA... However, he has the highest WHIP of anyone listed (Top 6 of HM), and without doing math, his BB rate was the highest (along with Thorpe).

Vasquez's numbers overall were pretty pedestrian, but his value to the organization obviously isn't in his ability to move up as much as it is to be a model for younger pitchers and to eat innings, helping save the bullpen. The no-hitter was awesome. I couldn't put him in this list, but he served his purpose.

Strikeouts can certainly play a big role in prospect rankings, but I look at a lot more than that in this award.

Guys with potential to be 1s or 2s are Meyer, Berrios and Stewart.

Forgot Michael at 2B and Kepler at 4 OF spots and 1B... Top of head doesn't always work. Just a lot of talent!

No worries... Only two 21 year olds on the team. The rest are older. Kepler and Burdi are the only 21 year olds. If Berrios would have stuck with the Miracle all season, he is only 20 until next May.

I posted that on Twitter last night... after the excitement of the Miracle winning, it it me that there would be no more minor league box scores for Twins affiliates until April. We'll have the Arizona Fall League and the winter leagues in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Australia... but kind of sad!

Last week, I posted the August minor league award winners, but today it’s time to start the big, year-end, player of the year awards here at Twins Daily. What I’ll be doing is posting write-ups on the top six or seven players, along with several players worthy of honorable mention. I’ll rank my Top 6, but I certainly welcome your feedback.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. Click here to view the article

C: Stuart Turner 1B: Dalton Hicks/Mike Gonzales 2B: Eddie Rosario SS: Jorge Polanco, Aderlin Mejia 3B: Miguel Sano, Niko Goodrum LF: Travis Harrison CF: Byron Buxton RF: Adam Walker By midseason, with promotions, guys like Kanzler and Garver could be there too. SP: Berrios, Lee, Wheeler, Baxendale, RP: Zack Jones, Nick Burdi, Brandon Peterson, DJ Johnson, Todd Van Steensel, Tyler Jones And I know I'm missing guys... but this is pretty impressive bunch.

Game 4 had to wait one extra day due to rain in Daytona on Sunday night, but on Monday the Miracle and Cubs were back in action. What a game it was, as extra innings were needed to determine a winner! The Miracle won their first Florida State League title. Keep reading to find out which players were able to play the role of hero in such a big game.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. Click here to view the article

I know on the Twins Hangouts, Jeremy and I have talked about that, and for the last couple of months, my response has been that I think Ryan will tell Gardy that Anderson has to go, and that Gardy will resign. I don't know if that would happen, but that's my guess. Hopefully Mientkiewicz is named the next manager soon after...

It seems that they're continuing to pitch him about every 4th day, which is normal for college relievers their first full year. So, I think that it's a little surprising he'd go 2.1 innings, but not too much.

Rains postponed Game 4 of the Florida State League Championship series in Daytona which might have been a blessing in disguise. Unfortunately, the 2014 Cedar Rapids Kernels season has come to a close as the team fell 4-2 to Kane County. The Cougars advance to the Midwest League Finals.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. Click here to view the article