Seth Stohs

Download attachment: Aaron Hicks VZ.jpg The story lines at Twins Daily and in most Minnesota media circles on Wednesday was the performance of Kyle Gibson so far in the Arizona Fall League. Simply stated, through two starts, he has been remarkable and given Twins fans reason to hope. As you know, Gibson is joined in the AFL by pitchers Logan Darnell, Caleb Thielbar and Michael Tonkin as well as hitters Chris Herrmann, Evan Bigley and Nate Roberts. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] To this point, the focus has been on the Fall League, but there is plenty of Winter League baseball for us to watch, at least through box scores. There are leagues in the Carribbean, and the Australian Baseball League continues to improve. Aaron Hicks has been the story to follow early in the Winter League seasons. The recently-turned 23-year-old is off to a fast start in Venezuela. He is hitting .412 with two doubles and two stolen bases through the first five games. His team, Bravos de Margarita, is 5-0. He’s been the team’s leadoff hitter and centerfielder. Other Twins players currently on rosters in Venezuela include: Aguilas de Zulia (OF Darin Mastroianni)Caribes de Anzoategui (RHP Lester Oliveros, who had Tommy John surgery in September so won’t play)Tigres de Aragua (RHP David Bromberg, LHP Jose Gonzalez, LHP Edgar Ibarra, RHP Angel Mata, RHP Miguel Munoz, C Josmil Pinto, OF Oswaldo Arcia)Arcia went 0-8 with five strikeouts in his first three games before going 2-3 with a walk and a double in the team’s fourth game. There are also several Twins players in the Dominican Winter League this year: Estrellas de Oriente (C Drew Butera, C Jhonatan Arias)Gigantes del Cibao (RHP Adrian Salcedo, IF Alexi Casilla, IF Estarlin de Los Santos)Leones del Escogido (SS Pedro Florimon,Toros del Estes (Wilkin Ramirez)Twins top prospect Miguel Sano was the first overall pick in the Dominican Winter League draft (Which took place in mid-August) by the Estrellas de Oriente. He’s not yet listed on the roster, but that could be for a couple of reasons. Twins Instructional League just finished up last Friday, and he could get a break for a bit. I also wouldn’t expect him to get a lot of playing time at this stage of his career. Anthony Slama is one of several Twins minor leaguers playing in the Mexican League. The others are: Algodoneros de Guasave (1B Chris Colabello)Tomateros de Calican (RHP Gonzalo Sanudo)Several of the Twins prospects from Australia are playing in the Australian Baseball League, as well as a couple of US players: Brisbane Bandits (LHP Aaron Thompson, 1B Rory Rhodes)Canberra Cavalry (RHP Tim Atherton)Sydney Blue Sox (IF Jacob Younis) - (Hat tip to former Twins pitching prospect Todd Van Steensel who informed me that RHP Tyler Herr and OF JD Williams arrived yesterday and will play for Sydney.)Melbourne Aces (RHP Sam Gibbons, RHP Markus Solbach, 1B Josh Hendricks)Perth Heat (RHP Brendan Wise)I have heard that RHP Tyler Herr is also playing in Australia, but he is not currently listed on a roster. That is likely the case for any of these leagues. Particularly in Venezuela, it is about producing, and quickly. If not, players are released and replaced by others. There are several reasons that players go to these leagues. First, often times their teams encourage it. They want players to get additional at bats in an intense environment. A pitcher like David Bromberg is going to get extra innings in Venezuela that he lost in 2012 due to injury. Some players understand that they don’t make much money in the US during the regular season, and they need to take advantage of the years that they can get additional pay in these leagues. For young players from those countries, it is a pretty neat opportunity to play in front of their friends and families. If nothing else, it can certainly be fun to follow box scores throughout the winter! Click here to view the article

Day 2 in the Twins minor league system meant FIVE box scores to follow. In an unusual event, New Britain and Richmond had a scheduled double header. The Twins affiliates went 4-1 on the day. The Rochester Red Wings and New Britain Rock Cats are a combined 5-0 so far on the early season. As you will see every day throughout the season, here are the scores and highlights from the Twins minor league system. ROCHESTER 3, SYRACUSE 1 Scott Diamond had a frustrating 2011 season with the Red Wings (and in several starts with the Twins). His 2012 got off to a terrific start. The lefty threw 6.1 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struckout three. Carlos Gutierrez finished the seventh inning and then struckout the first two batters of the 8th inning. A triple, followed by a double, ended his night as the Red Wings clung to a 2-1 lead. Anthony Slama came in and got a strikeout to end the eighth. He gave up one hit in the 9th frame, but he struckout pinch-hitter Mark Teahen to end the game and record his first save. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Brian Dozier and Joe Benson each went 2-3 with a walk in the game. After a four-hit debut on Thursday, Matt Carson was 2-4 with his secod double in this game. Aaron Bates was 1-3 with a walk and a double. NEW BRITAIN 6, RICHMOND 2 (GAME 1) Steve Hirschfeld pitched well, but the story in this game was the bat of Evan Bigley. The right fielder went 2-3. He put the Rock Cats on the board with an RBI triple. A couple innings later, he broke things open with a grand slam to give him five RBI in the game. Like Bigley, Pedro Florimon was 2-3. He had a double. Hirschfeld went the first five innings and gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out four. Luis Perdomo came in and struckout four in two scoreless, hitless innings. NEW BRITAIN 4, RICHMOND 1 (GAME 2) Lefty Logan Darnell got the Game 2 start and pitched very well. In five innings, he gave up one run on just two hits. He walked one and struck out four. A couple of former starters made their bullpen debuts and did quite well. David Bromberg pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and Bobby Lanigan gets the save with a scoreless seventh. Chris Herrmann had the big hit in this game. He was 2-3 but his bases-clearing double gave the Rock Cats the lead they were able to hold on to. Deibinson Romero hit his second double of the day. Nate Hanson went 2-2 with a walk. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 2, CHARLOTTE 6 2011 was a frustrating season for Pat Dean, but he came through with a terrific debut to his 2012 season. The lefty gave up two runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out four without walking a single batter. Bruce Pugh came in gave up four runs (3 earned) on four hits, including a home run, in the seventh inning. Caleb Thielbar threw two scoreless innings. He gave up no hits or walks, but he did hit two batters. Danny Santana now has six hits in the season’s first two games after going 3-5 in this game. He also stole hit first base. Angel Morales was 1-3 with a walk. BELOIT 6, PEORIA 1 The Snappers got great pitching, but the story of this game came in the 7th inning. The game was still tied at one a piece when Miguel Sano stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He connected for his first Midwest League hit and his first Midwest League Home Run, a grand slam that gave the Snappers a lead they would hold on to. Tyler Grimes went 2-4 with a double. JD Williams was 1-3 with a walk and a double. Eddie Rosario was 1-2 with two walks. 2011 draft pick Steven Gruver started and gave up just one run on five hits in six innings. He struckout five without walking a batter. Michael Tonkin struckout four in two scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster struckout two in a scoreless ninth. --- Friday, April 6, 2012 Players of the Day Hitter of the Day – Evan Bigley Download attachment: evanbigley.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Scott Diamond Download attachment: scottdiamond2.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, April 7, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Syracuse – 3:05 (CST) – Daryl Thompson Richmond @ New Britain (12:35 CST) – Jason Marquis Charlotte @ Ft. Myers – 5:05 CST) – BJ Hermsen Peoria @ Beloit – 2:00 – Tim Shibuya --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Pohlman at Night.jpg Hopes were high late on Friday night when the Beloit Snappers beat the Clinton LumberKings in Game 1 of the Midwest League playoffs. They would be coming home with two chances to beat the top team in the league. The Snappers lost Game 2 on Thursday night in extra innings. On Friday night, in the decisive Game 3, the Snappers again lost in extra innings to end the series and their 2012 season. Would it also be the final time the Beloit Snappers would be affiliated with the Twins? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]In the top of the 1st inning, the LumberKings got on the board first thanks to an error by Tyler Grimes and later a wild pitch by starter David Hurlbut. In the bottom of the second, Eddie Rosario got on with a two-out single. Miguel Sano hit a double off the wall in right center to score Rosario and tie the game. After the two teams combined for 26 runs scored in the first two game, and each team scored in the first inning, a fair assumption would be that this would be another hitter's dual. Instead, it was quite the opposite. Snappers starter, lefty David Hurlbut, went the first six innings and gave up only that unearned first inning run. He gave up just two hits and walked just one while striking out five. LumberKings starter Mayckol Guaipe gave up the first inning run and that was it as well. He went seven innings and gave up just two hits (both in the 1st inning). He walked two and struck out five. Mason Melotakis came in to start the seventh inning. He gave up just two hits and no runs while striking out five in 2.1 innings. DJ Baxendale got the final two outs of the top of the 9th. Stephen Landazuri came in to the 8th inning. He pitched a scoreless inning. In the bottom of the 9th frame, he got Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano out and two batters later got out of that inning. That brings us to the top of the 10th. Baxendale remained on the mound for the Snappers. Guillermo Pimentel led off with a long home run over the fence in dead center field, just beyond the reach of a leaping Eddie Rosario. Later in the inning, Dan Paolini came through with a solid two-run single up the middle to stretch the score to 4-1. That's what the score was as the Snappers entered the bottom of the 10th. Three batters later, the game and the Snappers season was over. But what a season it was for the Snappers. Knowing they had top prospects Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, expectations were high. The Snappers played very consistent baseball all year long. They won 38 games in the first half and 39 games in the second half of the season. Sano was every bit as good as expected. So was Rosario even though he missed over a month with a broken, well, face. The starting pitchers were solid all year, especially the three left-handers, Jason Wheeler, David Hurlbut and Matt Tomshaw. The bullpen was strong in the first half because of the likes of AJ Achter and Michael Tonkin, but they were just as good after those guys were promoted because they were replaced by hard-throwers like Mason Melotakis, Zack Jones, DJ Baxendale, Taylor Rogers and Tyler Duffey for the playoffs. Of course, that open-ended question remains; will the Twins and the Snappers be able to agree to extend their player development agreement? We won't know for about 10 days. what will happen. But I, for one, think that the Beloit Snappers front office is terrific. Having been there four times in the past three seasons, I have seen first-hand how hard their front office of six works. They deserve a ton of credit. And, I know that the Snappers don't draw very many fans, but there are some very loyal fans who are at every game at home and even some on the road. Those people have loved the Snappers affiliation with the Twins, touting the good people that the Twins bring in. It will be an interesting next ten days to two weeks. For now, I think it important just to think about a very good 2012 Beloit Snappers season that ended with a very good three-game series against the Clinton LumberKings, a team that has now won 19 of their last 21 games. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins went heavy on pitchers and catchers on Day 2 of the 2013 MLB Draft. In fact, through 10 rounds, the Twins have added only one player to their ranks who was not a pitcher or a catcher. Of the eight picks on Day 2, three of them were catchers, two from college and one from the high school ranks. In addition, they chose four pitchers to add to the two they selected on Day 1. They also followed last year's trend of targeting college relievers in the middle rounds. Here are their profiles: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Some notes on the selections of the first 10 rounds: *The Twins drafted three catchers today. While it's interesting, it should be noted that Navaretto is a high-upside pick while Garver is a senior (and will come in under slot) who was taken with Day 3 picks in mind. The Twins also felt that the "low level catching corps needed an upgrade." *None of the first ten selections appear to have signability issues. Some will come in over slot, some will come in under, but all are on track to come to terms. *Stewart will probably sign quickly for nearly the entire slot amount. I projected $4.25m last night and while I think the Twins will find a little savings when all is said and done, the final figure will probably come in a little higher. *The Twins think Gonsalves has a good changeup and the arm strength and slot to develop a slider. For a lefty that you can still dream on a little bit, this could turn out to be a steal. He could also be a dud. But that's what makes the draft so intriguing. Day 1 1st Round (4) - Kohl Stewart - RHP - Texas (High School) 2nd Round (43) - Ryan Eades - RHP - LSU (College) Day 2 3rd Round (78) - Stuart Turner - C - U. of Mississippi Turner is a typical Twins selection. It happens nearly every year that the Twins take a solid defensive catcher and Turner fits that description. With an athletic and powerful body at 6-3, 220, Turner also has shown improvement at the plate. A right-handed bat, Turner is a junior and will likely come in right around slot value. 4th Round (110) - Stephen Gonsalves - LHP - California (High School) The Twins went with a high-upside pick in the 4th round with Gonsalves. Gonsalves was once in the first-round discussion, but struggled early this spring before being suspended in April for “violating a team rule”. At 6-5 and left-handed, Gonsalves typically throws in the high-80s, but needs work on his secondary stuff. A pick that is an extremely “high-reward”, the Twins don’t feel like getting him to sign will be too difficult. 5th Round (140) - Aaron Slegers - RHP - U of Indiana Aaron Slegers has dealt with injuries, but not to his arm. This year, his redshirt-sophomore season is really his first extended look and he has been dominant. At 6-10, there are going to have some question marks (and we’ll let Parker break those down), but Slegers with his mid-90s fastball is going to offer upside that not many others in the organization have. Slegers is looking to lead his team to the College World Series after leading the Hoosiers to the Big 10 Title. 6th Round (170) - Brian Navarretto - C - Florida (High School) He's an athletic high school catcher who was a favorite of Twins Daily's draft expert Jeremy Nygaard. You can find the full profile right here. 7th Round (200) - Brian Gilbert - RHP - Seton Hall University A college reliever, Gilbert has a plus fastball. He was viewed as a future reliever in the majors, but it is not known if the Twins plan to try and convert him to a starter in the minors, as they did with several college relievers from last year's draft. 8th Round (230) - Dustin DeMuth - 3B - U of Indiana Big Ten baseball fans will be familiar with DeMuth, a solid gap hitter. He has the size and arm for third base but hasn't shown the power numbers one would like from the position. There is some thought that with some adjustment that could be developed. The bat will play immediately in the low-minors, but there is a question about his long-term defensive home. 9th Round (260) - Mitchell Garver - C - U of New Mexico This is the 3rd catcher in the first nine rounds the Twins have selected. He varies from the others in that he posted excellent offensive numbers and has only recently quieted concerns about his defense. Those offensive numbers could also be inflated due to playing in Albequerque's hitting enironment. Garver has earned comps to Matt Koch, another west coast catcher, who signed for only $60K. Expect something similar with Garver. 10th Round (290) - C.K. Irby - RHP - Samford Univesity Another college reliever - only this one was moved to a starter by his college team this year. Irby's fastball ranges from 88-95 with late bore and sink. He has shown flashes of a tight 71-75 mph curveball and fades his changeup. A fierce competitor will get the chance to be a starter, but has the pitches and make-up to be a closer. I've been told that "fans will love" Irby, who comes from the same high school as Josh Willingham. View full article

Download attachment: Joe Nathan.jpg On Tuesday, many of us voted. Maybe your candidate won. Maybe not. But here at Twins Daily, we also voted for the Top 10 Twins Hitters of All-Time. Generally speaking, the top three players were the same on most ballots. It was also interesting to see how people chose to vote 6-10. Today, I will present a group of twelve of the best pitchers in the Twins 52 year history. You can see how long each spent with heir Twins, how many innings they pitched and how well they performed. Each is pretty good, but the choice is yours. Put your ballot in the comments section, ranking them 1-10. In a couple of days, we’ll be sure to tally the votes and see how these pitchers rank. With that, here are a couple of charts looking at the top Twins pitchers statistically. These lists are alphabetical so as not to provide any bias. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] [TABLE=width: 432] Player Yrs w/Twins W-L (S) ERA ERA+ WHIP Rick Aguilera 1989-1999 40-47 (254) 3.50 130 1.18 Bert Blyleven 1970-76, 1985-88 149-138 3.28 119 1.19 Dave Goltz 1972-1979 96-79 3.48 112 1.31 Mudcat Grant 1964-1967 50-35 3.35 107 1.21 Jim Kaat 1961-1973 190-159 3.34 110 1.23 Joe Nathan 2004-2011 24-13 (260) 2.16 204 0.96 Camilo Pascual 1961-1966 88-57 3.31 113 1.22 Jim Perry 1963-1973 128-90 3.15 113 1.20 Brad Radke 1995-2006 148-139 4.22 113 1.26 Johan Santana 2000-2007 93-44 3.22 141 1.09 Kevin Tapani 1989-1995 75-63 4.06 108 1.27 Frank Viola 1982-1989 112-93 3.86 111 1.30 [/TABLE] As you can see, I did include two closers in the analysis. They certainly stand out compared to other relievers. So, how will you vote for them relative to the starters. It’s also fun to see the Adjusted ERA (ERA+) from the various eras. Johan Santana’s 3.22 ERA during the first eight seasons of this millennium shows an ERA+ of 141 while Jim Perry’s 3.15 ERA through the ‘60s and early ‘70s is ‘just’ a 113 ERA+. [TABLE=width: 376] Player WAR Innings Walks:Strikeouts K/9 Rick Aguilera 14.6 694 179:586 7.6 Bert Blyleven 46.3 2,566 674:2,035 7.1 Dave Goltz 22.5 1,638 493:887 4.9 Mudcat Grant 5.0 780 163:377 4.3 Jim Kaat 27.2 3,014 729:1,851 5.5 Joe Nathan 17.8 463 134:561 10.9 Camilo Pascual 16.9 1,284 431:994 7.0 Jim Perry 24.2 1,883 541:1,025 4.9 Brad Radke 42.6 2,451 445:1,467 5.4 Johan Santana 34.0 1,308 364:1,381 9.5 Kevin Tapani 17.8 1,171 255:724 5.6 Frank Viola 25.0 1,772 521:1,214 6.2 [/TABLE] So how important are the number of innings pitched to you in your rankings? In other words, how does Santana’s or Nathan’s dominance over less innings compare to the longevity of pitchers like Kaat and Blyleven? How important is the strikeout statistic to you? In other words, Santana and Nathan are clearly the most dominant pitchers on this list, but the numbers that guys like Perry and Goltz put up while barely striking out a batter every other inning are also incredible. It also speaks to the era they pitched in, when hitters took pride in not striking out. So, what does your Top 10 list look like? I’ll post mine in the Comments section, but be sure to have your voice heard! Click here to view the article

I’m sure discussions were beginning about what would happen should this game need to go to extra innings. The Twins sent a split-squad roster to play the Rays, so there were only a certain number of pitchers available. That’s when catcher JR Towles stepped to the plate with a runner on in the top of the 9th. The #3-catcher hopeful hit a fly ball that, with the help of a strong wind, landed on the other side of the fence for a two-run homer that gave the Twins a 5-3 lead. Towles comes to the Twins as a minor league free agent. He had once been a top prospect in the Astros system and had a terrific showing as a rookie in 2007. In 44 plate appearances he hit .375. However, in the four years since, he has hit .137, .188, .191, and .184. The Astros had had enough. The Twins likely figured that wouldn’t be much worse than Drew Butera and maybe there is a chance he could return to some level of competency with a change of scenery. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: JRTowles.jpg Rule 5 selection Terry Doyle made the start for the Twins. He went two innings and hit a batter in the first inning and issued a walk in the second inning. However, he gave up no runs and no hits. He also struck out one. Scott Diamond came in and gave up one run on three hits and a walk. He was helped by outfielder Joe Bensonwho threw out a runner at third base from right field in the inning. Luis Perdomo struck out two in his inning, but he also gave up a solo home run. PJ Walters walked three in two scoreless innings. Lester Oliveros pitched the seventh frame and gave up one run on two hits. Aaron Thompson pitched a perfect 8th inning. Casey Fien came in with the two-run ninth inning lead and threw a perfect inning for the save. Surprisingly, Alexi Casilla started the game at second base and played the whole game. He went 3-5 in the game with a stolen base. Trevor Plouffe was 2-3 with an RBI single before leaving the game. Chris Parmelee provided the big blow. In the top of the 6th, he gave the Twins a 3-2 lead with a long home run. The Twins improved to 2-0 against the Rays on the spring. Click here to view the article

On Sunday, Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers reported to Hammond Stadium. On Monday morning, they held their first official practice of the 2014 season. Finally, after a long, cold offseason, we have actual baseball to talk about. Opening Day is still about six weeks away, but over the course of spring training, we will attempt to project the Opening Day Twins 25 man roster.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Today will be version 1.0. Obviously a lot can happen over the next weeks, including injuries and acquisitions, so this list will change from week to week. As a player becomes a given (in my opinion), I will highlight them in red. Download attachment: Scott Diamond.jpg Check out my projections, and then let’s discuss. Be sure to add your projections too. Catchers (2): Kurt Suzuki, Eric Fryer Joe Mauer is now a first baseman. Ryan Doumit was traded. Kurt Suzuki was signed. Josmil Pinto had a nice September debut. So, how is this going to play out? Suzuki is going to be on the big league roster. Will he back up Josmil Pinto, or will he start? When Suzuki is named the primary catcher, will Ron Gardenhire be able to get Pinto enough playing time to justify a spot for him on the roster? To me, the competition is between Chris Herrmann and Eric Fryer for that backup spot right now. Infielders (5): Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, Pedro Florimon, Eduardo Escobar The starting infield has not been in question all offseason, and that remains the situation as spring training begins. Mauer will be just fine at first base. Dozier will attempt to show that the changes he made in late May showed us what he really can do. Florimon showed that he is one of the game’s best defensively middle infielders. It’s a big year for Trevor Plouffe with the impending arrival of Miguel Sano. However, he’s pretty safe for Opening Day. As for the utility infield spot, Escobar will likely compete with James Beresford, Doug Bernier and Jason Bartlett for the utility job. Since Escobar is by far the youngest of the group, and he’s out of options, he’s easily the favorite. The other guys will be competing for the 25th roster spot with several others. Outfielders (6): Josh Willingham, Alex Presley, Oswaldo Arcia, Darin Mastroianni, Jason Kubel, Chris Parmelee Things are much less certain in the outfield than they are in the infield. The only given is Josh Willingham, who will likely be the team’s left fielder. I think that the bat of Oswaldo Arcia puts him on the roster, and I think he’ll primarily play in right field. Centerfield will be an interesting positional battle for the Twins in 2014 spring training. Aaron Hicks again has all the potential, but after his struggles in 2014’s regular season, what will he need to show the coaching staff this spring to begin the regular season with the Twins? Alex Presley came on and, although he has struggled in the big leagues with the Pirates, he has always shown good on-base skills in AAA. Darin Mastroianni was removed from the 40 man roster this offseason, but he has a shot to make the Opening Day roster. Finally, the Twins acquired Jason Kubel on a minor league contract. I want to put his name in red, but I figured I’d wait just a little bit. He likely will be the primary DH and could spend some time in right field as well. Chris Parmelee, also out of options, could compete with some infielders, Chris Colabello and others for that final roster spot. Starting Pitchers (5): Kevin Correia, Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey, Scott Diamond The Twins went into free agency and were very aggressive. They signed both Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes before December. Mike Pelfrey was brought back in December. Those three will join Kevin Correia who was clearly the Twins most consistent, solid starting pitching throughout the 2013 season. That leaves one open spot. As we all know, Sam Deduno, Vance Worley and Scott Diamond are all out of options. I think that Diamond goes into spring training as the leading candidate of that group, especially if Deduno starts the season on the DL. The two that do not receive the 5th starter job will also have a chance to stick around in the bullpen. Kyle Gibson is also in the running for the job, though the fact that he has two option years remaining may actually hurt him. However, I believe he will make more starts for the Twins than the three that are out of options. Prospects Alex Meyer, Trevor May and Sean Gilmartin will all get a good look this spring, and Meyer (and possibly May) will likely make starts for the Twins throughout the season. Bullpen (7): Glen Perkins, Jared Burton, Brian Duensing, Casey Fien, Anthony Swarzak, Caleb Thielbar, Ryan Pressly The first five spots are set, pending injury or trade. Glen Perkins is the closer. Jared Burton, Casey Fien and Brian Duensing are the set-up men. Anthony Swarzak was terrific in long relief in 2014, so will he stay in that role or be given more high-leverage situations. I’m assuming that they will have seven bullpen arms. Based on 2013, Caleb Thielbar and Ryan Pressly should be givens as well. However, the fact that Scott Diamond, Sam Deduno and Vance Worley are out of options while Thielbar and Pressly have two options remaining means that at least for now, I can’t change their font to red quite yet. Matt Guerrier may be in the equation as well, though it may completely depend upon his health. Michael Tonkin has a chance to be a solid big league reliever, but he’s got two options and hasn’t really had much success above AA, so he should start in Rochester. What are your thoughts? What does your roster look like? Click here to view the article

Last week we worked through Minnesota Twins prospects 31-50. This week, we will be continuing our look at the team’s top prospects. Today, we will look at my choices for prospects 26-30. Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments in the comment section below. Again, if you want to look into some of the things that go into my personal rankings, click on the previous parts of this series at the bottom of today’s group. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Part 5: 26-30 In this edition, we have a mix of prospect types. We have a big first baseman who put up some impressive counting numbers and even led minor league baseball in a statistic. He enters this range of prospects with four pitchers. One of the pitchers was a fast-mover while another has moved more slowly. The other two pitchers introduce us to the The Big Three who spent the whole season at Elizabethton this year. Once these guys get to a higher level, they could move up quickly… or, well, down quickly. That’s what makes these types of lists so much fun. Download attachment: Dalton Hicks3.jpg #30 – Randy Rosario – LH SP (19) Rosario is a 6 foot tall skinny left-hander from the Dominican Republic. Just 19, he went 4-3 with a 2.82 ERA at Elizabethton this year. Blessed with a fastball in the 93 to 95 mph range, he also throws a slider and a change-up. From 2012 (GCL) to 2013 (APPY), he improved his BB/9 from 4.5 to 3.6. His season ended early with some shoulder discomfort, but he returned and pitched in the Instructional League. #29 – Dalton Hicks – 1B (23) At 6-5 and (listed at) 228 pounds, Hicks is a menacing figure in the left-handed batter’s box. The Twins 17th round pick in 2012 out of Central Florida, he has a long and powerful swing. He spent the first two-thirds of the season in Cedar Rapids and ended the year in Ft. Myers. In all, his 110 RBI led all minor league baseball, edging out Adam Walker. This year he hit 39 doubles and 17 home runs while hitting .289/.358/.468 (.826). #28 – Brett Lee – LH SP (23) Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011 out of junior college. He made his pro debut by going 4-0 with a 2.68 ERA with E-Town in 2012 while pitching primarily out of the bullpen. He moved to the rotation in 2013 in Cedar Rapids and went 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA. The lefty has a good fastball with some deceptive movement. He’s got good offspeed pitches as well. His future may be in the bullpen, but he should continue to start for now. #27 – Yorman Landa – RH SP (19) Another 19-year-old from this year’s Elizabethton squad, Landa is a right-handed version of Randy Rosario. After going 1-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 33.1 innings in the Gulf Coast League in 2012, he went 3-4 with a 2.78 ERA in 55 innings in 2013 with the E-Twins. He throws hard, though he’ll need to continue to reduce his walk rate. It improved in 2013 to 4.7 from 5.4 in 2012. #26 – DJ Baxendale – RH SP (22) What Baxendale did in the season’s first two months in Ft. Myers was remarkable. Considering the 2012 10th round pick was pushed right to the Miracle, he was my choice for Twins pitcher of the month in April and May when he went 7-0 with a 1.10 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP in nine starts. He was pushed to New Britain where he certainly struggled, going 5-7, 5.63 ERA, 1.42 WHIP in 16 starts. Baxendale has a good fastball that reaches into the low-90s with movement and a full four-pitch mix. He gets a ton of movement, in part, due to throwing from a three-quarter angle. So there you have it, Part 5 of my Top 50 Twins Prospect list. We'll be back tomorrow with Part 5, prospects 21-25. Part 1: 46-50 Part 2: 41-45 Part 3: 36-40 Part 4: 31-35 Click here to view the article

It was another exciting night in the Twins minor league system. Find out how the Elizabethton Twins did in the decisive Game 3 in their Appalachian League semi-final against Danville. How did Kyle Gibson do in his second start for Rochester? Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks had strong games, but see how Chris Herrmann got to play hero for the New Britain Rock Cats. It was a busy night in the Twins farm system. The Twins game in Kansas City scheduled for Friday night was postponed because of massive rainfall caused by the overland rains for the storm formerly called Tropical Storm and Hurricane Isaac.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The teams are scheduled to play two games on Saturday, the first starting at 3:10. It is also possible that rain will again alter the new schedule. The Twins will send Cole De Vries and Liam Hendriks to the mound. Esmerling Vasquez is expected to have his contract selected and start for the Twins on Sunday. PJ Walters is also expected to be taken off of the 60 Day Disabled List. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday: ROCHESTER 5, BUFFALO 8 Kyle Gibson made his second start for the Red Wings. The right-hander gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 3.2 innings. He struck out five. He increased his workload to 68 pitches. Daniel Turpen came in and walked all four batters that he faced. He was replaced by Luis Perdomo who got a ground out, but an error caused three of the four runs charged to Turpen to be unearned. Perdomo went 2.1 innings without allowing a run. Anthony Slama struckout five in two innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk to increase his ERA to 1.32. Deolis Guerra struckout two in his scoreless inning. Michael Holliman went 2-3 with a walk. Brian Dinkelman was 2-4 with a walk. Wilkin Ramirez hit a solo homer in the 9th, his 14th of the season for the Red Wings. NEW BRITAIN 4, NEW HAMPSHIRE 3 The Rock Cats are holding on to some slim odds that they could get the final playoff spot in the Eastern League. In this game, the big names showed up. Andrew Albers started on the mound and gave up two runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out six. Aaron Thompson went 1.1 innings, giving up a run on a hit and a walk. He struck out two. David Bromberg went an inning and gave up a hit and two walks but no runs. Bruce Pugh got two outs, and when he left the mound at the end of the top of the 9th, the game was tied at three. The Rock Cats took an early lead. Aaron Hicks doubled to lead off the first. Two batters later, Oswaldo Arcia hit his ninth homer. Two innings later, Hicks singled and stole second before Arcia singled him in. In the bottom of the 9th with two outs, Hicks walked and Chris Herrmann doubled, scoring Hicks with the winning run. Herrmann was 3-5 with his 24th double. Hicks went 2-4 with a walk, his 21st double and his 32nd stolen base. Arcia was 2-4 with hit ninth homer and three RBI. FT. MYERS 1, CHARLOTTE 4 The long Miracle season is coming to an end. Cole Nelson started and gave up four runs (2 earned) on six hits in six innings. He walked three and struckout four. Clinton Dempster came on and gave up no runs despite two hits and two walks in two innings. Michael Tonkin gave up two hits in a scoreless ninth frame. Danny Ortiz went 2-4. Steve Liddle hit his fifth home run. Kyle Knudson went 2-4 with his 10th double. BELOIT 10, WISCONSIN 4 The Snappers fell behind 4-0 after three innings before scoring ten unanswered runs. Jason Wheeler made the start. The lefty gave up three runs on eight hits. In five innings, he walked one and struckout four. Corey Kimes came in and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out one. Corey Williams recorded his 17th save. He struckout four in two perfect innings. Down 4-3 going into the 8th inning, an intentional walk to AJ Petterson loaded the bases. Miguel Sano came off of the bench (after missing four straight games with a sprained ankles) and delivered a game-tying sacrifice fly. Ninth-hitter Tyler Grimes came up and drilled a three-run homer that gave the Snappers a 7-4 lead. The Snappers added three more runs in the ninth inning. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-3 with his 11th double. Eddie Rosario and Drew Leachman were each 2-5. Wang-Wei Lin was 1-1 with two walks. Tyler Grimes went 2-4 with a walk, his seventh home run and four RBI. The 7-8-9 hitters in the Snappers lineup (Pettersen, Rodriguez/Sano-PH/Koch, Grimes) combined for nine of the team’s RBI. ELIZABETHTON, DANVILLE Elizabethton and Danville played in Elizabethton. The winner advanced to the Appalachian League championship series against Burlington. The losing team’s season would be over. To find out who won, click here! --- Players of the Day for Friday, August 31, 2012 Hitter of the Day – DJ Hicks Download attachment: DJ Hicks UCF2.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Andrew Albers Download attachment: Andrew Albers.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, September 1, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Syracuse – TBD New Britain vs New Hampshire – LHP Luke French Ft. Myers vs Charlotte – RHP Miguel Munoz Beloit vs Quad Cties – TBD Elizabethton @ Burlington – RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins – Season Over --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

On Saturday, there were several stories to follow for the Twins' minor league teams. Kyle Gibson was back on the mound, looking to put together back-to-back good starts for the first time this season. How did he do? New Britain finished a suspended game and played a second game. Matt Summers was terrific in Ft. Myers. Jorge Polanco was very good and JO Berrios was back on the mound for the Kernels. The big news of the night is that DJ Baxendale has been promoted to New Britain. Baxendale was the Twins' minor league pitcher of the month for April, and in 28 innings in May, he has not allowed an earned run.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Lefty Matt Tomshaw will head to Ft. Myers from Cedar Rapids to make a start for the Miracle. It’s quite possible that there will be more moves. Check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Saturday: Rochester Red Wings 4, Charlotte Knights 1 Box Score People question the Twins’ brass for saying that Kyle Gibson has not been consistent. Yet even Gibson agrees with that assessment and the stats show it. According to the Red Wings, “Entering the game, Gibson’s ERA in odd starts was 0.50 (2 ER/35.2 IP) but in his even numbered starts he had posted an ERA of 9.00 (17 ER/17.0 IP).” On Saturday, Gibson made his tenth start of the season, coming off his 93-pitch shutout. Could he finally put together a couple quality starts? Yes! Gibson did what he needed to do. The right-hander went eight innings without giving up a run. He gave up just two hits, walked three and struck out seven. Tyler Robertson came on for the ninth. He got one out but was charged with one run on two hits and a walk. Daniel Turpen came on and walked in a run before getting the final two outs. Gibson improved to 4-5 and reduced his ERA to 2.82. He threw 111 pitches, 68 of them strikes. Eric Farris went 3-4 with his fourth double and two stolen bases. Jeff Clement was 3-4 with his fifth double. Deibinson Romero went 0-3 and is now 0-11 with the Red Wings. Game 1 – New Britain Rock Cats 2, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 4 Box Score This game started on Friday night but was suspended due to weather. The teams continued the game on Saturday before finishing this seven inning game. BJ Hermsen started the game on Friday; he worked the first three innings and gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks. When the game resumed on Saturday, AJ Achter was on the mound. He worked two shutout innings, giving up two hits, walking one and he struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came on for two innings, He gave up one run on one hit and two walks. Bruce Pugh walked one in a scoreless inning. Jordan Parraz went 2-4 and hit his first home run in the Twins' organization. Danny Ortiz went 2-4 with his 17th double. Josmil Pinto was also 2-4. Chris Pettit hit his first double with the team. Game 2 – New Britain Rock Cats 4, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 1 Box Score Pat Dean started the regularly scheduled game. The lefty got the start on his 24th birthday, going 5.1 innings. He gave up only an unearned run on six hits and a walk. He struck out one. Michael Tonkin came on and got the final five outs for his seventh save. He struck out two. Danny Santana went 3-4 with his eighth double and his third triple. James Beresford continued his hot streak, going 2-3 with his fifth double. Josmil Pinto was 2-3 with a walk. Nate Hanson went 2-3. Ft. Myers Miracle 6, Charlotte Stone Crabs 4 Box Score When Matt Summers left the game, there were two outs in the seventh inning. He had not yet allowed a run, but he had just hit a batter in the head to load the bases (the batter, Alejandro Segovia, walked off the field). Chad Rodgers came on and gave up a single and a triple and the Miracle found themselves behind 4-2. Summers was charged with three runs on three hits and two walks in 6.1 innings. He struck out five. Rodgers was charged with one run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. In the bottom of the eighth, the Miracle fought back. Matt Koch led off with a walk. Jonathan Murphy doubled him in. Following a pitching change, Aderlin Mejia got on via an error. Stephen Wickens singled in the tying run. Eddie Rosario, returning to the lineup from his brief benching, drove in the go-ahead run with a single. After the next two batters were retired, Angel Morales drove in the fourth run of the inning with his third single of the game and gave the Miracle a 6-4 lead. Cole Johnson came on for the ninth inning and threw a one, two, three inning to record his second save; his ERA is now 0.82. Angel Morales was 3-4 in the game; Jhon Goncalves went 2-4 in his return to the Miracle. Cedar Rapids Kernels 3, Burlington Bees 6 Box Score JO Berrios was back on the mound for the Kernels, looking to stop the team's three-game losing streak. The right-hander gave up four runs (one earned) on nine hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out eight. Matt Tomshaw, who had been scheduled to start on Sunday, pitched a scoreless inning. Tyler Jones returned to the mound from the DL. He worked a scoreless frame. Josue Montanez pitched the final two innings. He gave up two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out one. The Kernels managed just six hits. Jorge Polanco had three of them, including two doubles. He now has fourteen on the season. Byron Buxton was 1-4 with a walk. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

Age: 19 (DOB: 12/18/93) 2012 Stats Rookie: .248/.344/.429, 5 HR, 20 RBI, 33 R, 11/14 SB ETA: 2016 Yesterday, when writing about Minnesota Twins #3 prospect Aaron Hicks, Nick wrote “When it comes to physical tools, Aaron Hicks is tough to top.” If there is anyone in the Twins organization that could, it will be fellow outfielder Byron Buxton. At 6-2 and 180 pounds, Buxton is a tremendous five-tool athlete. Although he was a prospect on a national stage throughout his high school career, he made a name for himself when he put on a batting practice display at the 2011 Under Armour All-America game. As a senior, he hit .545/.649/.852 with 35 stolen bases in 36 attempts. While Hicks was taken with the 14th overall pick in 2008, Buxton was the second overall pick in the 2012 draft. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Deemed the best player available in the draft, he signed fairly quickly to a $6 million signing bonus ($200K under slot), the highest signing bonus of the year. When the Twins drafted him with the second pick, he was sent to Ft. Myers to prepare to start his professional career. A couple of weeks later, he debuted with the GCL Twins. He missed time with a hamstring strain, but in 27 games, he hit .216/.324/.466 (.789). He hit four doubles, three triples and four home runs. On August 6th, he and fellow 2012 1st round pick and Twins Daily #8 prospect JO Berrios were promoted to Elizabethton. With the E-Twins, he hit .286/.368/.429 with six doubles, a triple and a home run. He also stole seven bases in seven attempts and patrolled centerfield for the Appalachian League champions. Following the season, Baseball America named him the top prospect in both the Gulf Coast League and the Appalachian League. The Good Knowing how important the #2 overall pick was to the future of the organization, VP of Player Personnel, Mike Radcliff, was heavily involved in the scouting and the draft. Regarding Buxton, Radcliff said, “He has high-end physical tools, and the ceiling to impact the game in all phases. Regarding Buxton’s first go-‘round in professional baseball, Radcliff called it “successful” and added, “For a young prospect, he handled the rigors of pro baseball and established himself in the development process.” Twins Director of Minor League Operations Brad Steil added, “Byron showed his impressive athletic ability and tools. He got off to a slow start in the GCL, but he handled himself well and made adjustments to pro ball, and that’s really what the first year is all about.” Byron Buxton has all of the tools. He can hit, and despite his slender frame, he has a ton of power potential. He can run. In fact, according to Jeremy Nygaard’s profile in the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2013, “his speed is eye-popping too as one scout measured him at 3.89 seconds from home to first base. That time matched Bo Jackson for the fastest out of the batter’s box for a right-handed hitter.” He once tagged up and scored from second base on a routine fly ball to right field.His speed also can be demonstrated in centerfield where he gets to balls that most wouldn’t. He has a very strong arm which is illustrated by a 98-mph fastball that he used to strikeout 18 batters in seven innings in the Georgia AA state championship game in 2012. Unlike Hicks, who was clocked with a 97-mph fastball in high school and was scouted by most pro teams as a pitching prospect, Buxton has been viewed solely as an outfielder. What are his best tools? Steil says, “His speed and arm strength are easy to see. You can also see that he’s a professional kid and a good worker.” According to Radcliff, “His bat’s speed is unique. He is a top-of-the-scale runner. His arm and defensive skills are special.” Along with his great tools, scouts were just as impressed with his competitiveness, his makeup and his great family. The Bad The toughest part about toolsy high school draft picks is that it often takes time and patience for those tools to turn into skills. A FanGraphs article warned Twins fans from thinking that Buxton will move up terribly quickly. It used fellow-toolsy outfield pick Aaron Hicks as the comparison. Most scouts tend to believe that the “hit” tool is the one that Buxton will struggle with most. In 189 rookie-league plate appearances, Buxton struckout 41 times. Over 600 plate appearances, that would equate to 130 strikeouts. As Steil noted, “As with most high school drafts, learning how to take professional at bats and make adjustments will be the biggest challenge, but he did show a pretty good feel for the strike zone for and 18-year-old." Radcliff agreed, “As is the case with any young prospect, the development of his hit approach will dictate his advancement and ultimate performance ceiling.” It’s impossible to know how an 18-year-old with a ton of talent, athleticism and tools will turn out as a big leaguer. There is the fact that baseball is not exactly an easy game. Radcliff added, “Buck’s challenge for 2013 is to continue to develop his skills and realize that importance of maintaining his body and respect the game.” The Bottom Line Byron Buxton fits the long line of high Twins draft picks who are immensely talented and athletic. As has been the case with most of them, patience will be a virtue for the player, the organization and for the Twins’ fans. There is a chance that he will spend the 2013 season in the Twins’ new Midwest League affiliate, the Cedar Rapids Kernels, though that is not a given. According to Steil, “I think Cedar Rapids is realistic to start the season. We’ll see how spring training goes and we’ll do what we think is best for Byron’s development. As the FanGraphs article concluded, “For all of the questions surrounding the development of Aaron Hicks, it now appears the Twins were correct to move him slowly. Buxton may need to be treated with the same kid gloves. This leaves Minnesota as the perfect landing spot for the teenage phenom.” When asked how good Buxton can be, most believe that his floor is BJ Upton. Yes, the same BJ Upton who just signed a 5 year, $75.25 million free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves. When asked about his ceiling, many say that he has the ability to be as good as guys like Justin Upton ad Matt Kemp while the name of Andrew McCutchen continues to pop up. Radcliff remarked, “At this stage of his development, there are no limits. Our organizational hallmarks of patience and attention to detail will all him to dictate his own advancement.” Steil added, “He certainly has the tools to be a very good defensive centerfielder and an impact type of player in the Major Leagues. Keep in mind that he’s only entering his first full professional season, so the focus will be on skill development and helping him learn the game.” The Twins wanted to be sure about that #2 pick. In fact, the Twins sent 11 scouts to see Buxton play at Appling County High School, a small town with incredible humidity in outstate Georgia. However, fans of the high school baseball team showed up to watch Buxton and his teammates. In conclusion, Mr. Radcliff pointed out, “Our scouts had the conviction in their projections to believe he can be a franchise player." [TD’s Top Ten Prospects: #10: Max Kepler] [TD’s Top Ten Prospects: #9: Trevor May] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #8: J. O. Berrios] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #7 Eddie Rosario] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #6 Kyle Gibson] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #5 Alex Meyer] [TD's Top Ten Prospects: #4 Oswaldo Arcia] [TD’s Top Ten Prospects: #3 Aaron Hicks] View full article

Download attachment: Roberts_Nate_600-321.jpg It has been another interesting week for Twins prospects who are playing in the Winter Leagues. The Arizona Fall League came to an end on Saturday afternoon when the Peoria Javelinas (the team the Twins prospects played for) won the championship game. Some prospects tours on the winter leagues are coming to an end while a few others began playing this past week. Here’s how players from the Twins system did during the week from November 12-18. ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE Player of the Year – Nate Roberts, OF[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Roberts went 3-4 with a walk in the AFL Championship game on Saturday. He led the league in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage. In his 19 games, he went 29-65. He hit .446/.565/.662 (1.226) with five doubles, three homers and 15 RBI. He walked 12 times while striking out just seven times. He was also 6-8 in stolen base attempts. Evan Bigley – In 16 games, he went 15-62. He hit .242/.319/.371 (.690) with four doubles, two triples and nine RBI. Dan Rohlfing – He played in five games after replacing Herrmann in Arizona. He went 6-18 and hit .333/.435/.333 (.768) with five RBI. Logan Darnell – Darnell pitched in nine games, the last two were starts. He went 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA. In 18.1 innings, he gave up 18 hits, walked five and struckout 17. Hitters hit .257 off of him. Kyle Gibson – He made six starts. He was 3-2 with a 5.40 ERA. In 23.1 innings, he gave up 31 hits, walked eight and struckout 21. Opponents hit .326 off of him. Caleb Thielbar – He pitched in 11 games. In 13 innings, he gave up 21 hits, walked eight and struckout 12. Opponents hit .375 off of him. He was 1-0 with an 11.08 ERA. Michael Tonkin – Tonkin pitched 10 games in relief. He was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. In 14.2 innings, he gave up just eight hits, walked two and struckout seven. Opponents hit just .163 off of him. Chris Herrmann – he played in just three games before leaving Arizona due to inflammation in his left shoulder. In those three games, he went 5-10 with a double. He walked twice and struckout once. VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE Player of the Week – Deolis Guerra, RHP Guerra got off to such a fast start this season in New Britain and started out well when he was promoted to Rochester, but things quickly went downhill, and he ended the season on the Disabled List. He’s pitching late-inning relief in his home country and he had a good week this week. He pitched in three games. In three innings, he gave up no runs on three hits. He walked none and struckout three. He recorded a save as well. Oswaldo Arcia – 6 Games, 4-21 (.190 – in one game, he was 2-5 with a walk, his fourth HR and five RBI. Brian Dozier – 2 Games. One hit in six at bats over his first two games in Venezuela. Eduardo Escobar – 4 Games, 3-12, two walks Darin Mastroianni – 4 Games, 3-10, 1 BB, 1 SB Edgar Ibarra – 1 Game, 2 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout. Bruce Pugh – 3 Games, 3.1 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts. Dakota Watts – 3 Games, 4.1 innings, 5 hits, 1 run, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts. MEXICAN WINTER LEAGUE Player of the Week – Chris Colabello, 1B Another week, another impressive performance by Chris Colabello. In six games this week, he went 10-20 with his ninth double and his ninth home run. He raised his average to .339 and his OPS to 1.065. Anthony Slama – 4 Games, 3.1 innings, 6 hits, 4 earned run, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts. 1 save. Gonzalo Sanudo – 2 Games, 2.2 innings, 0 hits, 0 earned run, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts. DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE Player of the Week – Deibinson Romero, 3B Romero made his 2012 Dominican debut with three games this week. He was 0-4 in the first game. The next day, he went 3-4 with a triple and four RBI. Those were the only three hits he had in the three games, but it was still the best performance of the week. Miguel Sano – 1 Game, 0-1 with a walk. Jhonathan Arias – 1 Game, 0-1. Drew Butera – 5 Games, 1-10 (.100), RBI Pedro Florimon – 4 Games, 1-12 (.083), 2 BB, 5 K Luis Perdomo – 1 Game, 1 inning, no runs, 1 walk, two strikeouts. PUERTO RICO WINTER LEAGUE Player of the Week – Daniel Ortiz, OF Ortiz was the Twins 4th round pick in 2008 out of Puerto Rico. He began 2012 back in Beloit, but it wasn’t too long before he moved up to Ft. Myers. This past week, he played three games and went 6-10 (.600) with a home run. Jorge Fernandez – 3 Games, 0-4, 3 K Angel Morales – 6 Games, 3-20 (.150), 2B, 2nd home run, 1 BB, 8 K Kennys Vargas – 3 Games, 1-14, 2B, 7 K Nelvin Fuentes – 1 Game, 1 inning, 0 runs, 1 hit, 2 walks. Josue Montanez – 2 Games, 5 IP, 5 hits, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts. AUSTRALIAN BASEBALL LEAGUE Player of the Week – Sam Gibbons, RHP Gibbons spent the 2012 season with the GCL Twins. He made a start this past weekend and went five innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. He walked two and struckout three. Logan Wade – 2 Games, 2-6 (.333), 1 strikeout, 1 stolen base Josh Hendricks – 3 Games, 2-7 (.286), 2B, RBI, 2 walks, 1 strikeout Feel free to discuss or ask any questions that you like. Also, feel free to pick a player of the week. Here were the nominees: Arizona – Nate Roberts Venezuela – Deolis Guerra Mexico – Chris Colabello Dominican – Deibinson Romero Puerto Rico – Daniel Ortiz Australia – Sam Gibbons Click here to view the article

Today, we continue to work through my Top 50 Twins Prospects list by looking at my choices for prospects 11 through 20. Last week, we looked at prospects 21-30, prospects 31-40, and prospects 41 through 50. For those that don’t think the Twins have any shortstop prospects, you may want to check out this section. There are some high-quality, future big-league arms in this range. A couple of them were just drafted last year. Unfortunately, a couple of them are currently having some injury issues. There is also a guy who may be Ryan Doumit’s successor… or Joe Mauer’s? Without further ado, let’s get to the list. Here are my choices for Twins Prospects 11-20:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] #20 –Pedro Florimon, SS The Twins claimed Florimon from the Orioles in December. Days later, they DFAd him and when he cleared waivers, the Twins out-righted him, a great strategy to bring in talent yet not lose a 40 man roster spot. The switch-hitting 25 year old was originally signed by the Orioles in 2004 out of the Dominican Republic. He played for AA Bowie last year and hit .267/.344/.396 with 27 doubles, four triples, and eight home runs. He also stole 15 bases. He went 1-8 with a walk, a double and six strikeouts with the Orioles in September. He impressed the Twins coaches this spring with his glove and arm. He began the season with 30 games in New Britain. He hit .283/.347/.372 with four doubles and two home runs. He moved up to Rochester where he has played 19 games and hit .257/.304/.378 with a double, triple and two home runs. #19 – Matt Summers, RHP Summers was drafted in 2008 by the New York Yankees, as an outfielder. Instead of signing, he went to UC-Irvine and gradually became a pitcher. The Twins used their 4th round pick to take Summers. Due to innings, they had him pitch in the Elizabethton bullpen. In 20.2 innings ,he gave up 11 hits, walked five and struckout 36 batters. Moving to the Midwest League this year, has been a learning experience for Summers. He struggled early but has been much better in May. Overall, he is 4-3 with a 4.21 ERA. In 55.1 innings, he has given up 48 hits, walked 19 and struckout 29. Summers has a fastball in the mid-90s with a sharp slider as well. #18 – Danny Santana, SS The Twins signed Santana, the 22 year old shortstop, from the Dominican Republic in December of 2007. The 5-11, 170 pounder has an incredible tool set. Defensively, he has tremendous range and a great arm. Offensively, Santana is a very aggressive hitter. He is not one to walk much. That is evident by the fact that he hasn’t had an OBP over .300 since 2009 in the GCL. He isn’t a big guy, but he is aggressive and has good extra-base pop in his bat. Last year in Beloit, he hit 15 doubles, five triples and seven home runs. He also stole 24 bases. In 41 games with the Miracle this year, he is hitting .299/.322/.414 (.736) with five doubles, three triples and three home runs. #17 – Madison Boer, RHP The Twins went with a local product with their second round pick in 2011. They drafted the 22 year old right-hander from Eden Prairie out of the University of Oregon. In college, he went back and forth between the bullpen and the starting rotation. When he is a starter, his fastball sits between 92 and 94 mph, but when pitching out of the bullpen, he hits 97. He also throws a hard slider. After signing, he went to Elizabethton, where he predictably dominated. In 17.1 innings, he walked two and struck out 31. He struggled with a 6.75 ERA in eight Beloit innings, although he did walk just one and struckout twelve. He began this season with five starts in Beloit where he went 2-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 27.2 innings. He moved up to Ft. Myers where he has lasted just 20.2 innings in five starts. He is 0-5 with an 11.76 ERA. That said, in his most recent start, he gave up just one earned run in five innings. #16 – Niko Goodrum, SS The Twins used their 2nd round pick in 2010 on a high school shortstop named Cartier Goodrum. “Niko” got off to a horrible start in the GCL after signing. Last year in Elizabethton, he was terrific but it was lost behind the big seasons of Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario. He hit .275/.352/.382 with ten doubles, three triples and two home runs He stole eight bases, and although he committed a lot of errors, he has great range and a very strong arm. Long and lanky, he will need to bulk up a little to continue hitting for any power. The 20-year-old will go back to Elizabethton and hopefully put up some big numbers. #15 – Levi Michael, SS To say that the last twelve months have been tough for Levi Michael might be an understatement, well, other than that seven-figure signing bonus. His North Carolina team advanced to the College World Series, but he struggled mightily. He fell to the Twins with the 30th pick even though many draft experts ranked him much higher. He signed at the very last minute, and he didn’t play at all last season because he had so many injuries. The Twins started him in Ft. Myers this year, and he has really struggled. Just 21 years old, he is quite young for his draft class thanks to skipping his senior year of high school to go play in college. The switch-hitter should eventually hit for average with some gap power. He has a good glove and hands, but average range and arm, so most believe he’ll eventually move to second base. #14 – BJ Hermsen, RHP The 22-year-old was the Twins 6th round pick in 2008 out of high school in Iowa. The Twins went well over slot to sign him and keep him from going to Oregon State. Hermsen split the 2011 season between Beloit and Ft. Myers. He was my runner-up for 2011 Twins minor league pitcher of the year. He went 13-8 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. In 151.1 innings, he walked just 37 and struck out 101. Despite a 6-6 frame, Hermsen relies on control of an 85-89 mph two-seam fastball that has very heavy sink. His four-seamer can touch 91-92. He has a very good curveball and changeup, but teammates are most impressed by his poise. He made just nine starts at Ft. Myers (5 last year, 4 this year) before being promoted to AA New Britain. In five starts there, he has already pitched 35 innings. He is 2-1 with a 2.83 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. The Twins will need to decide following the season whether to add him to the 40 man roster or not. It’s hard to imagine that they wouldn’t, at this point. #13 – Adrian Salcedo, RHP The Twins signed Salcedo out of the Dominican Republic in December of 2007. The 21-year-old has been very successful at every step up the ladder. In 2011 in Beloit, he went 6-6 but posted a 2.93 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. In 135 innings, he walked just 27 and struck out just 92. At 6-4 and 175, he is lanky and very athletic. His fastball is in the low-90s. He also has a good curveball and a good changeup that sit between 84 and 86 mph. This year he moved up to Ft. Myers and really struggled. In seven starts, he went just 22.1 innings. Twice he left in the first inning. Once, due to a one-hopper that broke his nose, and the other time due to a blister. However, he allowed 27 hits, walked 15 and struckout 13. With control issues that he had never fought before, immediately there was concern about his elbow. He was put on the disabled list with an elbow injury and has had an MRI. For now, he will be rehabbing. #12 –Alex Wimmers, RHP Speaking of rehabbing, that is what Wimmers is doing down in Ft. Myers despite being diagnosed with a partially torn UCL. You can’t help but feel bad for the 2010 first-round draft pick from Ohio State. When he was drafted, his changeup and poise were deemed most major league ready. 2011 was a tough year, and yet by the end, he had overcome Blass Disease and finished the season with a 7-inning, no-hitter. The 23-year-old began this season with New Britain and made one start. That’s when the elbow issue started, and he hasn’t pitched since, and reports I’m hearing indicate it might be awhile before he pitches again. However, when healthy, the two-time Big 10 Pitcher of the Year has a good fastball at 88 to 92 mph. He throws a curveball, and his changeup is terrific. #11 – Chris Herrmann, C The Twins used their sixth round pick in 2009 draft on the athletic, versatile Herrmann. In college, he played all over the infield and outfield. The Twins drafted him as a catcher. He has played a lot of outfield in his time in the Twins system, but in the last two years, he has spent the majority of his time honing his catching skills. In 2011, he split time between Ft. Myers and New Britain and hit a combined .269/.385/.399 with 19 doubles, six triples, eight homers, 62 RBI and ten steals. He went to the AFL and hit .380/.456/.620 with six doubles and two homers. For the second straight season, he was invited to big league spring training where he continued to impress. He started out slow in New Britain this spring, but he is now hitting .260/.310/.410 with 14 doubles and four home runs. Herrmann could be with the Twins as early as September. So, there you have my choices for Twins prospects 11-20. Later this week, I’ll be back with my next installment which will be The Top Ten Twins Prospects. If you have any questions or comments on any of these prospects, please feel free to ask. Download attachment: ChrisHerrmann.jpg (photo courtesy milb.com) Click here to view the article

Eddie Rosario has been on fire since his promotion to New Britain. In 33 games, he is hitting .318/380/.473 (.853) with ten doubles, two triples and two home runs. Meanwhile, the offensive adjustment to AA has been more of a challenge for Miguel Sano. In 32 games, he is hitting just .204 with 32 strikeouts. He is walking 10% of the time, and he has 13 extra base hits. Last night, the two of them led the Rock Cats to a 8-7 win. Meanwhile, the Cedar Rapids Kernels got a great start, and some major power production from a guy who has been overlooked much of the season. For all that, and much more, check out what happened in the Twins' farm system on Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 5, Syracuse 4 (5 innings) Box Score It was a rain-shortened game, but the Red Wings got another win. PJ Walters started and went just 2.2 innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out four. Cody Eppley walked two over the next 1.1 innings, but no hits and no runs. Aaron Thompson gave up one run on three hits in his inning but gets credited with the save. Brian Dinkelman led the offense. He was 2-2 with his second triple. Jeff Clement drove in two runs. New Britain 8, Binghampton 7 Box Score The Rock Cats got a lot of runs and they needed each one. Miguel Sano provided the big hit. He was 2-3 with two walks in the game and he drilled a grand slam, his seventh homer with the team. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 with a walk and his 10th double. Danny Santana went 2-4 with a walk. He also stole his 17th and 18th bases. Evan Bigley went 3-4 with a walk and his second and third doubles. Following his complete game, one-hitter, Virgil Vasquez gave up five runs on six hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out one. Dan Turpen gave up two hits and a walk in one inning. He struck out two. Dakota Watts gave up one run on three hits in his two innings, while he struck out four. Cole Johnson gave up one run on two hits and a walk in one inning. Ft. Myers 3, Dunedin 6 Box Score Manuel Soliman had a rough start. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits and five walks in four innings. He struck out two. Matt Tomshaw was perfect over the next two innings, striking out one. Steven Gruver came on and gave up three runs on three hits and three walks and recorded just two outs. Tyler Jones gave up two hits but no runs over the next 1.1 innings. He struck out two. Aderlin Mejia went 3-4 with his 14th stolen base. JD Williams is now hitting .455 in his first three games at Ft. Myers after going 2-4 with an RBI in this game. Matt Koch hit his 16th double. Cedar Rapids 4, Lake County 1 Box Score Great pitching and big hits help win ball games, right? That’s the formula that worked for the Kernels on this night. It all starts with pitching though, and Brett Lee provided another spectacular start. Lee went nine innings and gave up one run on six hits; he walked one and struck out ten. It was his second straight complete game! He is now 7-4 with a 3.30 ERA. Adam Walker provided the power. He went 2-5 with his 19th and 20th home runs and drove in three runs. Max Kepler went 3-4 with his second steal. Jonathan Murphy was 2-5 with his second stolen base. Niko Goodrum stole his 10th and 11th bases. Photo by Cedar Rapids Kernels Elizabethton 6, Bristol 0 (8 innings) Box Score Another rain-shortened game, but the E-Twins are happy to get any games in lately. Yorman Landa was on the mound and he was good again. He threw five shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He did walk three and hit two other batters. He struck out three. Kuo Hua Lo gave up just a walk over the next two innings. Ryan Walker was 3-4. Rory Rhodes went 2-3 with a walk. Mitch Garver was 2-4. GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Alex Swim led the offense by going 3-4 with his third double. Jorge Fernandez hit his fourth double. Jared Wilson started. The fifth-year senior went just two innings and gave up three runs on one hit, two walks and two hit batters; he struck out three. Chih-Wei Hu gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the next three innings. Jose Abreu gave up just one hit over the final three innings. He struck out two. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article

Download attachment: Baker_Scott.JPG According to several sources (including MLB's), the Cubs have signed RHP Scott Baker to a one year contract. Baker was drafted by the Twins as their 2nd round pick in 2003 out of Oklahoma State. He advanced quickly through the minor leagues and debuted with the Twins in mid-2005. In seven seasons with the Twins, he compiled a career record of 63-48 with a 4.15 ERA (102 ERA+). Baker missed all of 2012 after having Tommy John surgery. As more information becomes available, be sure to discuss here. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Seen as cool and calm on the mound, he was often compared to Twins Hall of Famer Brad Radke. Others were often frustrated by Baker, wondering if he had any fire. Overall though, he had a very solid, very underrated career with the Twins. UPDATE - According to sources, the deal is 1 year at $5.5 million PLUS incentives. Click here to view the article

In the last two days, we’ve discussed the top pitchers, starters and relievers, in the Minnesota Twins farm system. Today, we’ll write up some of the top hitters. While there were tons of great pitching performances in the month of May, it was a bit more difficult to find top hitting performances. That said, we have five below and a couple of honorable mentions that are deserving of recognition. A quick reminder. Twins Daily is covering all angles of the Major League draft, which starts on Thursday night with the first two picks. On Thursday at 6:00 PM, join Jeremy Nygaard and Seth Stohs, with guest John Bonnes, for a special Twins Hangout. The Twins should pick around 6:30 PM, so we’ll be discussing what the previous picks could mean for the Twins. Be sure to check out TwinsDaily.com for more details on Thursday night. Also, on Thursday at 9:00 PM, the show will continue on KFAN where we will discuss the draft’s first round as well as the Twins second pick which should be made during that hour. So without further ado, here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in May: Number 5 – Rochester – Oswaldo Arcia - (21-70) .300/.342/.614 (.956) with seven doubles, five home runs and 18 RBI. Should Arcia be on this list? Maybe not. Some of these stats were compiled as part of his major league rehabilitation stint. About half of them were after he was taken off the DL and optioned to Rochester. While he was rehabbing, he was unable to stay on the field for more than two days in a row. Seemingly the day he was optioned, he started crushing the baseball. That isn’t a surprise. Arcia is a big leaguer who was just getting rid of some rust with the Red Wings. Number 4 – New Britain – Reynaldo Rodriguez – (36-107) .336/.368/.579 (.947) with eight doubles, six home runs and 16 RBI. After hitting 21 home runs last year for New Britain, Rodriguez re-signed with the Twins in the offseason. The 28 year old Colombian returned to the Rock Cats this year, moving into the outfield. He hit just .231 in 2013 but this year he is hitting .306/.353/.527 (.880). He has 15 doubles and eight homers,and as you can see, most of those extra base hits came in May. Originally signed in 2003 by the Yankees, Rodriguez spent a couple years in the independent leagues before signing with the Red Sox. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – Jason Kanzler - (29-81) .358/.411/.605 (1.016) with three doubles, one triple, five home runs and 19 RBI. Kanzler began the 2014 season at Extended Spring Training. A week later, he was promoted to the Kernels to play centerfield. He was the Twins 20th round pick last year out of the University of Buffalo where he had won a couple NCAA Gold Glove Awards. He hit just .220 last year in the GCL with 15 extra base hits. He was also 13 for 14 in stolen base attempts. He has been very good this year with the Kernels. Overall, he is hitting .309/.358/.481 with five doubles, four triples and five home runs. He also has ten steals in 12 attempts. Number 2 – New Britain – Kennys Vargas - (38-106) .358/.430/.566 (.996) with seven doubles, five home runs and 24 RBI. Little Papi (who is actually bigger than Big Papi) had a very impressive month. Importanlyt, he was pretty consistent throughout the month with a couple of six game hot streaks. Early in the month, he had a six-game streak where he went 12-28. Later in the month, he had a six game stretch in which he went 12-21. He continues to show he can hit for average and power from both sides of the plate. The 24-year-old from Puerto Rico has put himself squarely into future Twins plans. He has greatly improved his plate discipline and approach. The May Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Download attachment: Danny Ortiz.jpg New Britain Rock Cats OF Danny Ortiz (40-103) .388/.402/.660 (1.062) with 12 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 23 RBI. Ortiz was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico. The 24-year-old had a tough first month, likely disappointed to be back in the Eastern League. He hit .227 and managed just four extra base hits. He took off in May, though. He has certainly been a streaky hitter, having had some really terrific months over the years. Although his MLB future would appear to be a fourth or fifth outfielder, he is the kind of guy who is still young and could play for a long time. He can play all three positions well. He is a fundamentally sound defender. His biggest flaw is that he completely lacks the will to do much walking. In May, he had 14 multi-hit games, including four three-hit games for the Rock Cats. Although he was consistent throughout the month, he finished very strong. In his final five games, he went 10-19 with three doubles and a triple. In a mid-month three-game series against Richmond, he had eight hits including three doubles and a home run. Listed at just 5-11 and 175 pounds (which seems pretty accurate), Ortiz can pack a big punch. Overall, he is hitting .324/.340/.500 (.840) with 16 doubles, two triples and four home runs. He and Vargas, along with Eddie Rosario, teamed together this spring to help their Puerto Rican team into the Caribbean Series. In time, all three could contribute to the Twins as well. There were several solid performances in May that weren’t included in the Top 5. Here are some Honorable Mentions who just missed out on the Top 5. Deibinson Romero (29-102) .284/.378/.490 (.868) with 10 doubles, a triple, three homers and 15 RBI.Adam Walker (27-103) .262/.296/.524 (.821) with six doubles, seven homers and 20 RBI.Feel free to comment and discuss. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Tyler Duffey Rice 3.jpg Here we are. It’s September 1st which has so many meanings to a baseball fan. Rosters can expand. Elizabethton and Beloit will play in their league playoffs. It also means that it is time to report the August players of the month for the Twins farm system. I know it’s a holiday weekend, but that’s no reason not to check out Twins Daily, right? The plan is to post the top relievers today, followed by the top starting pitchers tomorrow and the top hitters on Labor Day. Having looked at the numbers, there were a lot of terrific performances in August. That’s encouraging as you want to see improvement in players throughout the year.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] With no further ado, here are my choices for the Top 5 Twins Minor League Relief Pitchers in August: -------- Number 5 – Ft. Myers – RHP Ricky Bowen - 8 G, 0.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 13.0 IP, 13 H, 4 BB, 14 K The 25-year-old Bowen has been a very consistent performer for the Miracle all year. His ERA pre and post All Star break have both been over three. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – RHP AJ Achter - 6 G, 0.90 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 11 K Achter had to wait awhile to get his promotion to the Miracle. However, he has made the move flawlessly. He has terrific control and strikes out more than a batter in the inning out of the bullpen. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – RHP Michael Tonkin - 9 G, 2.38 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 10 H, 2 BB, 21 K Tonkin finally got the promotion to Ft. Myers in mid-June, and he has not missed a beat. He continues to show great control and an ability to miss bats. This week, he found out that he would be representing the Twins in the Arizona Fall League. Number 2 – Elizabethton – Josh Burris - 7 G, 1.32 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 14 K Burris was the Twins 17th round draft pick in 2012. He signed on the deadline date which means that his debut came this June with the E-Twins. He has been a key component in the team’s bullpen. He is now 7-0 on the short-season. A great athlete, he has a very live arm. Occasionally, he struggles with his control, but he has a very good fastball and a sharp 12-6 curveball that helps him miss a lot of bats. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Elizabethton – Tyler Duffey - 7 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.33 WHIP, 12.0 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 18 K Duffey was the Twins 5th round pick this summer out of Rice. This summer, he has been filling a role similar to the one he filled in college, setting up JT Chargois (Twins 3rd round pick). In August, he has been completely dominant, walking none, giving up few hits and striking out a batter and a half per inning. Overall, he has walked two and struckout 29 in his 19 innings. Duffey, like many of the other hard-throwing relievers drafted by the Twins, could move quickly through the Twins system. So what do you think? I’ve listed five relievers here that deserve be recognized for their terrific performances this past month. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys? Feel free to include others like Anthony Slama who recorded four saves in his nine appearances. In his 11.1 innings, he gave up ten hits, walked five and struckout 19. Click here to view the article

Twins fans may have gone to bed on Friday night excited to get their first glimpse of the 2014 Minnesota Twins. Saturday's noon (central time) Twins game will be televised on Fox Sports North. Twins fans were also holding on to a hope that uber-prospect Miguel Sano might be able to avoid Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately, that proved to be just a dream. On Saturday morning, Twins media was informed that Sano will head to Minneapolis next week and have Tommy John surgery.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Miguel Sano FSN.jpg Sano is a clear top ten prospect in the game of baseball. He is regarded as the top third base prospect and the best power-hitting prospect in baseball. He hit 35 home runs in 2013 between Ft. Myers and New Britain. There was some hope that he could surface with the Twins sometime, maybe early, in the 2014 season. However, in just his second game in the Dominican Winter League, Sano came out of the game with a sore elbow. After seeing Twins doctors and the respected Dr. James Andrews, the decision was made for Sano to rest for two months, and then start a throwing program in January. Things went well until Thursday's intrasquad game. Sano made two nice plays and showed off his strong arm. However, when he had to make an off-balanced throw, the pain came back. The Pioneer Press's Mike Berardino posted a Tout video of an interview he conducted with Sano after learning the news. It's sad, and you can just seen the sadness and disappointment in his face. He is expected to miss the entire 2014 season. Recovery time from Tommy John surgery for position players is generally in the six to eight month range as opposed to the twelve (or more) months it takes a pitcher to return. It will be interesting to see how the Twins and Sano handle his return. Could he be some at bats in a rehab in the GCL late in the summer? He should be ready for Instructional League. Could they send him to the Arizona Fall League? There is no reason to believe that he won't be at 100% before next spring training. Twins fans can hope. Best wishes to Miguel Sano. Click here to view the article

Adam Brett Walker knows his role on this Cedar Rapids Kernels team, and on the 4th of July, he came through. “My main goal this year was to drive in runs. I think that’s kind of a main part for me. When runners are on, runners in scoring position, I try to have a quality at bat.” Walker came to the plate in the bottom of the 2nd inning of a scoreless game with Max Kepler on first base. Walker crushed the first pitch over the wall in left center field, and the ball likely didn’t get over 20 feet in the air. “I was trying to look for a fastball over the plate. He threw four straight (balls) to Max. He was just trying to get it over, get a strike over. I was trying to put a good swing on it.” The blast proved to be all the Kernels offense needed thanks to Josue Montanez and a couple relievers.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Montanez was put into the starting rotation following the Midwest League All-Star game after pitching in the Kernels bullpen. On this night, he was very good. He began with five shutout innings. The lefty was throwing a fastball between 88 and 90. He showed a very good changeup at about 80 to 82. He also had a good curveball in the low 70s. In total, he went 5.2 innings without allowing a run. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out five. Alex Muren entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth. He needed just one pitch to get out of that inning and keep the shutout going. In the seventh inning, he gave up one run that cut the lead to 2-1. Dalton Hicks stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 8th and hit a long home run over the 400' sign in centerfield to get that run back and give the Kernels a 3-1 lead. Tyler Jones worked the final two innings to record the save. He struck out two, including the final batter on a 96 mph fastball. Catcher Michael Quesada was asked if he could tell before the game that Montanez could have a good night. His response might surprise you. “Honestly, he didn’t really have anything in the bullpen. He just pitched on pure guts. The change up was our key pitch, our out pitch. He did a really good job of keeping guys off balance and throwing strikes when he needed to.” There’s little question about what happened in the sixth inning. Quesada continued, “He got a little tired at the end, but it’s expected. He’s typically a reliever and switching over to the starting role. So for him, it’s still getting used to going longer innings and throwing more pitches.” Hicks and Walker’s home runs were, for each, his 13th, putting both within one homer of team leader, Travis Harrison, who has 14. Hicks and Harrison were both 2-4. The game was played in front of 5,631 fans at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids. It was the second-largest crowd at the stadium. The game started at 5:05. Fans were entertained throughout the game by a couple of dueling pianists. The played and sang the classics . Following the game, the were a couple of presentations. One very neat thing that the Kernels have done several times throughout the year is have a silent auction for special Kernels uniforms. On Thursday, the Kernels wore special Armed Forces jerseys. Each player’s game-worn jersey was auctioned. Every player’s jersey went for at least $100, and all of the money goes to charity. Following the game, the winners of each auction go down to the field and get the jerseys from the players. They are able to get them signed and take pictures with them as well. It’s really a neat thing. At that point, they opened up the field and kids were able to run the bases, and people were allowed to play catch in the outfield. Later in the evening, the Kernels put on a firework display. They timed it well with the Cedar Rapids Downtown fireworks show, which followed soon after. It’s always a great trip to watch the Kernels. This is a well-run organization and they are great people. Spent a good 20 minutes talking to GM Doug Nelson who told us that they are quite pleased with the increased attendance this year. Although there is no way to officially say so, it is likely more people from Minnesota and/or Twins fans from Iowa, are coming to games. I definitely recommend getting to Cedar Rapids for a weekend of Kernels games if and when you can. A great time would be the final weekend of July. It will be Twins weekend and Tony Oliva and others will come and there will be plenty of fun throughout that weekend. This roster, even after the promotion of Byron Buxton, is tremendous and very fun to watch. Rochester Red Wings 6, Pawtucket Red Sox 2 Box Score Pedro Hernandez started and got the win. The lefty gave up two runs on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out three. Aaron Thompson recorded the three-inning save thanks to three shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Drew Butera had the big hit. He was 2-4 with a long home run, his second of the season. Chris Colabello doubled for the 22nd time this year. Jermaine Mitchell made his Red Wings debut and recorded an infield single. New Britain Rock Cats 6, Portland Sea Dogs 4 Box Score The Rock Cats were down 4-0 after one inning. Slowly, the offense fought back. Trevor May started and gave up those four runs on eight hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out six. Cole Johnson worked the next two innings and did not allow a run. He walked two and struck out three in two innings. Dakota Watts picked up his first save of the year with a perfect ninth. Jordan Parraz hit a three-run homer (5th with Rock Cats) to cut the lead. Josmil Pinto also homered for the 12th time. Eddie Rosario was 2-5. The game was tied going into the bottom of the ninth. With a runner on, Miguel Sano hit a pinch-hit double to give the Rock Cats the lead. Eddie Rosario followed with an RBI single; he also had a fifth inning triple. Ft. Myers Miracle No Game Scheduled. Elizabethton Twins 5, Bluefield Blue Jays 6 Box Score Felix Jorge joins Yorman Landa and Randy Rosario as three very exciting young pitching prospects for the E-Twins. In this game, Jorge threw five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit, walked none and struck out four. Ethan Mildern gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs, in his one inning. Dallas Gallant worked a scoreless eighth. Logan Wade led the offense by going 2-3 with his first triple and first home run. Mitch Garver was 2-4. Javier Pimentel notched his fourth double. Zach Granite doubled for the first time. That brings us to the 8th inning with the E-Twins ahead 5-0. Gallant remained in the game to start the eighth. He was charged with three runs on two hits and two walks. Kuo-Hua Lo came on to get those final outs. However, he gave up three more runs on three hits and a walk and the E-Twins were unable to score in the top of the ninth. GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles Rays 4 Box Score The story here, of course, is that Twins top pick from last month’s draft, Kohl Stewart, made his first professional appearance. He gave up one run on two hits in two innings. He walked none and struck out two. Brandon Easton came on and gave up one run on two hits in his two innings. Dan Sattler made his second appearance and went 1-2-3. Josh Guyer gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. Fernando Romero came on for the final three innings. He walked one and struck out five. Evan Bigley made another appearance and went 2-4. Zach Larson led off the bottom of the first inning with his third home run of the season. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

The trade deadline has come and gone which means just one thing: it’s time to start announcing our Minnesota Twins Minor League Awards. Today, we’ll start with the starting pitchers for July. This month the numbers of the five players ranked are better than they were in June. Consider: Miracle righty Tyler Duffey went 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA and opponents batted just .202 off of him and he isn’t in the top 5. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Matt Tomshaw made two starts and three long-relief appearances totaling 25 innings. He went 1-0 with a 2.88 ERA and 22 strikeouts. He’s also not quite on this list. Here’s a look at the Top 5 starting pitching performers from July. --- Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Mason Melotakis – 5 G, 4 GS, 3-1, 2.51 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 26 H, 3 BB, 17 K Melotakis was the Twins 2nd round draft pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State University in Louisiana where he was primarily a relief pitcher. He is one of the pitchers who has been given an opportunity to start this year. Overall, he has done well. He is 9-3 with a 3.38 ERA. As important, he has thrown just about 100 innings. After striking out nearly 13 per nine innings between Elizabethton and Beloit’s bullpens a year ago, he has struck out just 6.2 per nine this year as a starter. He throws a fastball between 89 and 91, although earlier in the year, he was frequently touching 94. He had a very good month in June. The one game that he came out of the bullpen was the start that was given to a rehabbing Mike Pelfrey. Melotakis went the final three innings and was credited with the save. He ended the month with a very good 8.1 inning performance. Where will he wind up at the end of the day? We ho in the big leagues, but will it be as a starter or as a reliever? Number 4 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Tim Atherton - 4 GS, 1-1, 1.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 18 H, 6 BB, 26 K Atherton was inserted into the Kernels starting rotation at the end of June. He made four starts in July and went at least five in all of them. Atherton has a busy delivery which can be deceptive for hitters. He also throws in the low 90s and gets good movement on his pitches. Overall with the Kernels this year, he is 5-3 with a 2.37 ERA in 25 games (20 out of the bullpen). He has 70 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. Long-term, he may be a bullpen guy, but the Australian has the arm strength to eat some innings. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Brett Lee - 4 GS, 2-0, 1.57 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 22 H, 4 BB, 22 K Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011, out of St. Petersburg College. He pitched for Elizabethton last year and has been with the Kernels all season. Overall, he is 7-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 18 games (16 starts). In 100.1 innings, he has walked just 23 and struck out 78. On July 12th and 19th, he threw back-to-back complete games, giving up one run in each start. Lee has a good three-pitch mix that could keep him as a starter as he moves up the system. He throws a fastball in the low-90s and has the changeup and slider/curveball to go with it. Number 2 – Rochester – LHP Andrew Albers - 6 GS, 4-2, 2.23 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 40.1 IP, 32 H, 8 BB, 36 K Albers was the June winner in this category and he was about as good in July. There is no question that the 27-year-old has been the most consistent starting pitcher in the upper levels of the Twins organization (including the big leagues). Like Lee, Albers has now finished July with back-to-back complete games. He also ends July as the International League leader in strikeouts. Overall, Albers is 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 22 starts. Although he doesn’t throw terribly hard, he has 116 strikeouts in 132 innings. One hopes that at some point this year Albers will get an opportunity to make his big league debut with the Twins. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Photo by Linwood Ferguson/Ft. Myers Miracle Ft. Myers – RHP Matt Summers - 5 GS, 2-1, 0.25 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 35.2 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 26 K Summers was the Twins 4th round pick in 2011 out of UC-Irvine. In 2012, he started at Beloit but quickly moved up to Ft. Myers. This year, he began with the Miracle, but made three appearances with New Britain late in June before returning to the Miracle. Since that time, he has been amazing. Just to highlight, he gave up just ONE earned run in 35.2 innings this month. He gave up a total of three runs. He began the month with a complete game. His most recent start lasted four shutout innings, though he needed 97 pitches to go that far due to some walks. He is actually a very good control pitcher. Summers throws 92 and has good secondary pitches. Overall with the Miracle this season, he is 4-5 with a 2.49 ERA in 19 starts. In 108.1 innings, he has walked just 30 and struck out 78. He could (or should) move back up to New Britain when there is a need. What do you think? Please feel free to discuss and ask questions. View full article

Download attachment: Carew Killebrew.jpg Happy Election Day 2012! It may be happy for you for many reasons. Maybe your candidate will win. Or, maybe you are just happy that you don’t have to see any more political advertisements on TV for a couple of years. In any case, be sure to take time today to make your voice heard on a ballot. Here are Twins Daily, you haven’t read any articles on the politicians, and you won’t. However, on this election day, I did think it would be fun to take another look at some of the greatest Minnesota Twins players over their 52 seasons in Minnesota. Below, I will list 12 candidates. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Of course, there are a handful at the top of everyone’s list, but I encourage you to ‘vote’ in the Comments below. Rank them 1-10, and at the end of the day, we can take a look at see who Twins Daily ranks as the Top 10 Twins hitters of all time. Of course, on your voting ballot today, you can feel free to write-in me (or anyone else). Likewise, if I missed a candidate you would consider, feel free to write him in. With that, here are a couple of charts looking at the top Twins players statistically. These lists are alphabetical so as not to provide any bias. [TABLE=width: 441] Player Yrs w/Twins Games H-AB 2B/3B/HR Bob Allison 1961-1970 1236 999-3926 167/41/211 Rod Carew 1967-1978 1635 2085-6235 305/90/74 Michael Cuddyer 2001-2011 1139 1106-4072 239/35/141 Gary Gaetti 1981-1990 1361 1276-4989 252/25/201 Kent Hrbek 1981-1994 1747 1749-6192 312/18/293 Torii Hunter 1997-2007 1234 1218-4492 259/26/192 Harmon Killebrew 1961-1974 1939 1713-6593 232/21/475 Chuck Knoblauch 1991-1997 1013 1197-3939 210/51/43 Joe Mauer 2004-Curr 1065 1270-3933 247/20/94 Justin Morneau 2003-Curr 1151 1190-4254 257/16/204 Tony Oliva 1962-1976 1676 1917-6301 329/48/220 Kirby Puckett 1984-1995 1783 2304-7244 414/57/207 [/TABLE] I notice that each Twins decade is represented by at least one or two players. In other words, even through some of the bad times, the Twins have always had a hitter or two in their lineup that put up numbers. Here are some more numbers: [TABLE=width: 379] Player WAR BA/OBP/SLG OPS (OPS+) Bob Allison 28.4 .254/.361/.479 .840 (131) Rod Carew 60.4 .334/.393/.448 .841 (137) Michael Cuddyer 10.2 .272/.343/.451 .794 (111) Gary Gaetti 24.8 .256/.307/.437 .749 (100) Kent Hrbek 35.7 .282/.367/.481 .848 (128) Torii Hunter 24.7 .271/.324/.469 .793 (104) Harmon Killebrew 56.1 .260/.383/.518 .901 (148) Chuck Knoblauch 36.3 .304/.391/.416 .807 (114) Joe Mauer 37.0 .323/.405/.468 .873 (135) Justin Morneau 19.2 .280/.351/.492 .842 (123) Tony Oliva 39.7 .304/.353/.476 .830 (131) Kirby Puckett 48.2 .318/.360/.477 .837 (124) [/TABLE] What role does defense play in your vote? The Twins player with the best defensive WAR in their years is Greg Gagne, and he isn’t on this list at all. However, this overall WAR number does include defense which clearly has helped a couple of players and hurt others. I also find it interesting comparing the OPS+ numbers from era to era. So, what is your Top 10? How does your ballot look? I’ll post mine in the Comments section, but be sure to have your voice heard today! Click here to view the article

For the first time in several years, Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau has been able to enjoy an offseason free of concussion symptoms. “I feel good. I’ve been able to do everything I want to do. I feel strong. It’s a good feeling. I can use the cliché of ‘best I’ve ever felt’ or ‘Best shape of my life.’ I feel good. I have been able to do everything I’ve done in the past to help me prepare for the season.” That’s the kind of news that Twins fans should be excited to hear. His season came to an end a few games early because of the recurring wrist issues he was having last season. “I started swinging after New Year’s, but I started working out, building up the strength gradually. I took about five weeks off.”[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Justin Morneau.JPG Morneau won the AL Most Valuable Player Award in 2006 when, as a 25-year-old, he hit .321/.375/.559 (.934) with 37 doubles, 34 homers and 130 RBI. In 2008, he played in all 163 Twins games and hit .300/.374/.499 (.873) with 47 doubles, 23 homers and 129 RBI. He finished second to the Red Sox Dustin Pedroia in AL MVP voting. In 2010, Morneau was hitting .345/.437/.618 (1.055 OPS) with 25 doubles, 18 homers and 56 RBI. Unfortunately on July 7, he suffered the concussion that cost him the rest of the season. Its side effects lasted throughout the 2011 season. Following a healthy offseason, Twins fans may hope that Morneau can return to those same MVP-caliber levels, but does Morneau think that he can be that productive again? “I don’t see why not. I mean, I’m not 38 or 39 or 40. It’s something that I expect. I’m still young enough to produce and produce the way I expect myself to. I don’t feel like I’m too far off... I don’t see why I can’t get back to that point.” In 2012, Morneau was able to play in 134 games and had 570 plate appearances, his most since 2008. He got off to a slow start in April, and then he really struggled in June after returning from the DL with the wrist injury. In July and August, he posted OPS of .848 and .850. When asked whether he thought his season was a success, he replied, “I don’t know. What did we finish with, 96 losses or whatever? We finished last.” When he was asked to discuss his personal success, he continued, “I’ve said it before, personal success doesn’t matter if the team doesn’t do well. I mean, I’m not ever happy just to play. Obviously getting out there is good, but you want to be successful. It’s a hard way to gauge it. Yes, I’m glad I got to play, but am I happy about the year? Definitely not. It’s one of those things. It’s good, but I expect more.” With the Twins losing seasons and Morneau’s contract, his name came up frequently in trade rumors last July as well as during the offseason. Does he think about trade talks and where he might be late in the season if the Twins season is not a success? “I’m not going to look on the negative side of it. I’d rather think that we’re adding players at the deadline at this point (rather) than trading anybody. So that stuff will be out of my control when it does come about. Whenever the deadline does come, it won’t really be up to me. So, hopefully we play well enough that we’re adding players and don’t have to worry about that.” One thing Morneau is looking forward to is the World Baseball Classic and being healthy enough to play for his native Canada. “It should be fun. It’s always good to get together with the Canadian boys. It’s a good time. It’s a different experience. (Also) gives us a little break from spring training, which will be good too.” Team USA is in the same bracket and will play Canada. Could Glen Perkins be brought in to face Morneau? “If he’s in the game, that means we’re either up or it’s close, so he’s in to face all nine left-handed hitters that we run up there.” (Morneau added that the Canadian team does have right-handed hitters Brett Lawrie and Russ Martin.) Morneau is also excited to see what his Twins lineup can do this season. “We’ll be deep. We’ll have (Trevor) Plouffe at seventh or eighth or wherever he’s hitting, and (Chris) Parmelee all year. Hopefully all the experience over the last couple of years will do him well. Left. Right. Left. Right. Pretty good balance, and power. It’ll be interesting to see, whoever is hitting leadoff, or if we move guys up in the order to not worry about the new 1-2 hitters. That’s Gardy’s job. I feel like we have a deep lineup with power. We have a chance, and that’s all you can ask for.” Morneau is entering the final season of his six year, $80 million contract that he signed in January 2008. He and Michael Cuddyer had a joint press conference to announce their multi-year deals before Twins Fest that year. In his comments, it certainly appears that Morneau is not concerned heading into a contract year. “I’m already pretty set in life. I’ve been through enough to know I love the game. I missed the game when I was away. I enjoy every day. It’s hard for me to look too far into the future. I try to take every day, every game and realize when something is taken away how much you miss it. That stuff will take care of itself. It’s out of my concern. My job is to play first base and help win games. The rest will happen when it happens.” He understands the business side of the game as well. In his home, he has a picture of the 2006 Twins hanging. Recently, he was looking at it. “It’s amazing how many guys are still playing. When you win, it seems like you stick around for a while, like Cuddyer, (Matt) Guerrier, (Jesse) Crain and (Joe) Nathan and a bunch of guys. Pretty good turnover since then.” “Hopefully we get back to winning and that’s really what we’re here for.” Click here to view the article

SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE The Twins and Red Wings were the only two organizational teams in action on this Easter Sunday. Coincidentally, both teams used strong starts from their pitchers and big offensive outputs to power their records back to .500. The Twins announced before today's game that they were awarded OF Sam Fuld off waivers. (He'll join the team on Tuesday.) To make room for Fuld, Darin Mastroianni was designated for assignment.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Though Mastro had an option left, the team was required to make room on their 40-man, which they'll have as soon as Jason Bartlett's paperwork goes through. For now though, it's Mastro that goes. He'll remain in the Twin Cities until this process plays out (with him likely to clear waivers and accept an assignment to Rochester). He would have the right to elect free agency. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 9, Syracuse 3 Box Score Trevor May was the story of the day for the Red Wings. May threw 89 pitches in six innings. He allowed only one hit and a walk. He struck out four and picked up his first win of the season. His ERA drops under 3.00 to 2.93. Offensively, Rochester put up season-highs in both runs (9) and hits (17). Chris Parmelee saw his average jump to .305 with a 4-for-5 day. He drove in one run and scored twice. From the 9-hole, Doug Bernier went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a walk and a run. Danny Santana, James Beresford and Eric Farris all had two-hit games. Chris Rahl had a three-run home run. Earlier on Sunday, the Red Wings announced that Deolis Guerra would be placed on the DL with a hamstring strain. It's purely speculation, but it wouldn't be shocking to see Matt Guerrier fill that role by "taking the next step." MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (11:00 CST) – Scott Diamond New Britain vs New Hampshire (5:35 CST) - Pat Dean Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST) - Alex Wimmers Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:30 CST) – Aaron Slegers --- A couple of losses in the upper levels and a couple of wins in the lower levels quickly summarizes a Saturday in the minor league ballparks. There was a dramatic win in Cedar Rapids again last night, something that has become commonplace the last couple seasons. On Easter Sunday, just one of the Twins affiliates has a game. At 1:00 PM, Trevor May will take the mound for the Rochester Red Wings. Look back at this article later Sunday where you’ll be able to see what happened in that one. Download attachment: Travis Harrison.jpg Here is a look at what happened in the Twins farm system on Saturday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Syracuse 4 Box Score Kris Johnson started and went six innings. He was charged with four runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out eight. Ryan Pressly came on and threw two scoreless innings despite allowing a hit and walking three. He struck out two. The Red Wings managed just five hits. Deibinson Romero went 2-3 with a walk. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 1, Portland 6 Box Score Sean Gilmartin struck out a career-high nine batters. He didn’t walk any either. However, he gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings to take the loss. Matt Summers came out of the bullpen for the final four innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. He walked none and struck out four. New Britain managed just six hits in the game. Matt Koch was 2-4 with his first Eastern League home run. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 0 Box Score David Hurlbut has spent time in the bullpen and starting. Whenever he has started, he has been very good. That was the case on Saturday again. The left-hander threw five shutout innings in his first start of the season. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out one. Tim Shibuya came on and was perfect for two innings, striking out one. Brian Gilbert finished the game with two shutout innings. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 with his fifth double. Max Kepler notched his first double of the season Travis Harrison went 2-4 with his third double. Harrison is 12-25 in his last six games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, West Michigan 6 (12 innings) Box Score Bryan Santy knocked his first home run in his short stint with the Kernels, and it came in the bottom of the ninth to tie the score and send it into extra frames. The Kernels gave up a run in the top of the 10th to fall behind again. With two outs, Jason Kanzler singled and scored on a pinch-hit double from Mitch Garver. The game continued into the 12th. Engleb Vielma walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a Joel Licon sacrifice bunt. Jason Kanzler followed with a game-winning RBI single to end it. Kanzler went 2-6 with his third steal, but his two hits were pretty big. Tanner Vavra, Chad Christensen and Zack Larson each had two hits. Felix Jorge started and gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out two. Alex Muren came on and gave up two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings, but no runs scored. Yorman Landa struck out four in two scoreless innings. Hudson Boyd went 1.2 innings and gave up a run on two hits and two walks. He struck out two. Brandon Peterson came on for the final out of the tenth inning. He worked two more scoreless innings and struck out three. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – David Hurlbut, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Matt Koch, New Britain Rock Cats FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (1:00 CST) – Trevor May (Listen) New Britain – No Game Ft. Myers – No Game Cedar Rapids – No Game Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

The Twins had another off day on Monday, following the long Father’s Day afternoon at Target Field on Sunday. On Monday afternoon, the team flew to Pittsburgh where they will play three inter-league games against the Pirates before heading to Cincinnati for three games against the Reds. In the minor leagues, Monday was the first game for the GCL Twins and Tuesday will be the first game for Elizabethton. The Florida State League returned to action on Monday following its All Star break. Meanwhile the Midwest League started its All Star break. We saw a couple of player transactions on Monday, and will likely hear of more on Wednesday morning following the MWL All Star game. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] All season, you have been getting reports on up to four Twins minor league affiliates. Today, there are reports on five teams. Tomorrow, there will be notes on all six Twins domestic affiliates. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Monday: ROCHESTER 1, DURHAM 6 The highlight for the Red Wings in this game came in the first inning. Rays All-Star 3B Evan Longoria, who is with Durham on a rehab assignment, hit a line drive down the 3B line. Danny Valencia dove, made the play, got up quickly and threw out Longoria at 1B. Longoria removed himself from the lineup before his next at bat due to a setback. Steve Hirschfeld was brought back up from New Britain to take this spot in the rotation. He gave up six runs on 13 hits in just four innings. He didn’t walk any and struck out just one. Carlos Gutierrez struck out three in two perfect innings. Lester Oliveros gave up two hits and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Tyler Robertson and Brendan Wise each threw one scoreless frame. The Red Wings had five hits. Sean Burroughs was 2-4. Danny Valencia hit his ninth double. Rene Rivera hit his fourth home run. NEW BRITAIN – No Game Scheduled The Rock Cats had a day off. In some sad news, Mark Dolenc was released on Sunday. I’ve heard some reports that he is close to signing with another organization, but not yet. FT. MYERS 1, JUPITER 2 The second half started for the Miracle on Monday with the news that top hitter Oswaldo Arcia and recently-signed reliever Dan Sattler had been promoted to New Britain. Cole Nelson made the start for the Miracle. The lanky lefty gave up two runs on five hits in 6.2 innings. He walked four and struck out four. Miguel Munoz came in and got two outs, although he gave up a hit and walked two. Matt Hauser got the final two outs. The offense managed just two hits in the game, singles by Danny Santana and Andy Leer. Santana stole his seventh base of the year. Levi Michael walked two times. BELOIT – All Star Break Eight Snappers players were named to the Midwest League All Star team. However, Eddie Rosario will not play. The game is on Tuesday night. GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 5 The Gulf Coast League got started on Monday. Kuo Hua Lo got the start for the Twins. In four innings, he gave up one run on three hits. He walked none and struck out five. Gonzalo Sanudo came in and gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. Felix Jorge pitched the final two innings and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. The offense managed just four hits. The first two runs came in the fifth inning. Logan Wade tripled, and it was followed by an RBI double from Javier Pimentel. Two batters later, Aderling Mejia doubles in the second run. The Twins did have six stolen bases including two each for John Murphy and Kelvin Ortiz. It was a tough professional debut for Bryan Haar who struckout in all four of his at bats. Note – 1500 ESPN’s Patrick Reusse spoke with Jim Rantz who said that 1st round pick Byron Buxton would likely not play for four or five days. First, he just got to Ft. Myers a week earlier, and second they want him to get acclimated to the GCL and wood bats, etc. --- Players of the Day for Monday, June 18, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Carlos Gutierrez Download attachment: CarlosGutierrez.jpg Hitter of the Day – Rene Rivera Download attachment: Rene Rivera.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, June 19, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Durham – LHP Luke French New Britain @ Altoona – TBD Ft. Myers @ Jupiter – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit – Midwest League All Star Game Elizabethton @ Danville – RHP Hudson Boyd GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles – LHP Austin Malinowski --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012 – Now Available as an e-book for $6.99 by clickinghere. You can, of course, still get the print version for $13.99 by clicking here. Last week, I started looking at the depth throughout the Twins system. I reviewed the catchers, first basemen and third basemen. After a weekend at Twins Fest (which I’ll write about very soon), I thought it would be good to get back into the Organizational Depth Chart series. Today, I am going to write about the Middle Infielders. I decided to put the shortstops and second basemen together because so many of these players can and will play both positions. As I’ve said before, the purpose of this series is two-fold (if not more). First, it’s a look at the depth at or near the big leagues. Second, it’s a glance at the depth at the position throughout the system. You can find out who might be coming up to the Twins if there is a need, and you can find out who the prospects to watch might be. I need to reiterate that these are my thoughts. I have no insider information to know where players will be playing for certain in 2012. Obviously after spring training, some of these players will be let go. There will be Disabled List players, extended Minnesota Twins Jamey Carroll (SS), Alexi Casilla (2B), Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Luke Hughes About the time spring training starts, Carroll will turn 38 years old. Most consider him a utility player, and he probably is because he plays multiple positions. He has accumulated more than 350 plate appearances five of the last six years. The last two years, he has combined for 924 plate appearances. He played 129 games at second base, and another 135 and shortstop. The Twins are bringing him in for the next two seasons to be their starting shortstop. He’s an on-base machine, perfect for the #2 spot in the lineup. Alexi Casilla has proven himself to be a solid utility infielder but has often shown that he can’t handle an every day job. I thought last year was his last chance to prove that, but he’s getting another opportunity in 2012. I’m not going to say Luke Hughes is the answer, but Casilla has received so many opportunities, I’d rather Hughes get a shot at the regular, daily second base job with Casilla as a role player. We don’t know if Hughes will hit, but he does have some pop in his bat. We know that Casilla won’t do much. I’m understanding that Nishioka needs and deserves to start 2012 with an empty slate. 2011 was an awful year for him. He was adjusting to so many things on and off the field, and then he was hurt within the first week and never fully recovered. The best thing would have been for him to get a lot of time in the minors last year. Maybe that can happen in 2012. Rochester Red Wings Brian Dozier (SS), Pedro Florimon (2B), Ray Chang, Brian Dinkelman Brian Dozier was the minor league player of the year in 2011 and hopes to build upon that starting in spring training in 2012. There is little chance he’ll open with the Twins. In fact, there’s a better chance he returns to New Britain and based on the past, I would not be shocked if he did start the season with the Rock Cats. But he’s ready for AAA, and nearly ready for the big leagues. Part of why I would like to see Hughes get the starting gig with the Twins, is because by June, he could move to the bench with Carroll shifting to second base and Dozier jumping to the Twins. But, let’s see how he starts the 2012 season before counting any eggs, or something like that. The Twins claimed Florimon from the Orioles in December, but nearly immediately placed him on waivers. He cleared and was outrighted to Rochester. He jumped from AA to the big leagues with a September call-up. He will certainly get plenty of time at shortstop with Dozier moving to second. Chang will play all around the infield. He was the Red Wings starting shortstop while he was with the team last year, before his broken leg. Dinkelman finally got his chance with the Twins last year and hit .301. He struggled in Rochester. He can play second base but can also play the corner outfield positions. New Britain Rock Cats James Beresford (SS), Estarlin de Los Santos (2B), Chris Cates James Beresford is tremendous with the glove. He is a smooth fielder with soft hands and a strong arm. He can play both middle infield positions well and is a leader on the infield. His play in international competition has really been impressive. He has hit for average in his minor league career. He takes really good, quality at bats. But because he is almost exclusively a singles hitter, he will not be walked often. He also doesn’t strike out much. He works very hard to gain weight, and hopefully that will happen soon to give the opponents a little concern for extra base hits. De Los Santos was once considered a quality prospect in the Twins system. He was added to the 40 man roster, but that lasted just a year. 2011 was a lost year for him. He spent most of the season on the Disabled List, rehabbed quite a bit in the GCL. He got a little time at Ft. Myers, played second base before he finally ended his season with elbow surgery. Although he could have become a free agent at the end of the season, he signed quickly to remain with the Twins. Cates is a strong defender at both middle infield positions. He also has a very strong arm. Ft. Myers Miracle Tyler Grimes (SS), Danny Santana (2B), Reggie Williams, Adam Bryant Grimes was the Twins 5th round pick just last year out of college baseball power house Wichita State. He missed a little bit of time after signing with the Twins and reporting to Beloit. He can hit. He’s another on-base percentage guy with some pop in his bat. He has good speed and plays solid defense. Santana primarily played shortstop in Beloit, but he will likely get time at second base and in centerfield as well in 2011. He has great range, soft hands and a very strong arm. He does have pop in his bat although his 2011 numbers don’t necessarily show it. He has a immense talent and all the tools, but he will need to start putting it together. Reggie Williams was a fourth round pick in 2007 out of high school. He is a terrific athlete, and he will play all around the diamond in 2012. He can play four infield positions and probably all three outfield positions. He primarily plays 2B, 3B and LF, but who knows, we may even see him behind the plate this year. Beloit Snappers Levi Michael (SS), Eddie Rosario (2B), AJ Pettersen, Stephen Wickens, Nick Lockwood One question we’ve been hearing all offseason is Where will Levi Michael start his 2012 season? The Twins have had top college pitchers jump straight to Ft. Myers. All indications are the Michael will begin the season with the Beloit Snappers. Making me want to get to Beloit early in the season is an infield that should include Michael, Rosario and Miguel Sano. I would also expect that Michael would get no more than a half-season in Beloit before being promoted. Rosario was the Appy League co-MVP last year when he hit .337 with 38 extra base hits, including 21 home runs in 67 games. He also is a tremendous center fielder. During Instructional League, he was moved to second base. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. I would assume he will continue to get some time in the outfield as well. Sano will likely see some time at shortstop. Minnetonka native and former Gopher and last year’s 25th round pick AJ Pettersen said he is willing to play anywhere, but he is a natural shortstop who started there for the Gophers four years. Wickens is a Canadian who is a four year college shortstop as well with very good on-base skills. I would expect that Michael will be promoted in mid-June with Niko Goodrum moving up to take his spot. Nick Lockwood is a tremendous defensive second baseman. Although he didn't hit much at E-town last year, he has a strong, line drive swing and uses the whole field. Extended Spring Training/Short-Season Niko Goodrum (SS), Jorge Polanco (SS), Wander Guillen (2B) Goodrum had a very strong season with the Elizabethton Twins, even if it was lost behind the big seasons of Sano and Rosario. He is a tremendous athlete who will take a while to develop. That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts the season at Extended Spring Training. I would, however, be surprised if he spends any more time with Elizabethton. I would expect him to be promoted to Beloit whenever there is a need, or whenever Michael is promoted. Polanco signed with the Twins for over $750,000 two years ago. He and Miguel Sano split 2010 between the DSL and GCL. Polanco returned to the GCL in 2011 and didn’t do much with the bat. Touted for his terrific defense at shortstop, he played 19 games there in 2011, 14 at third base and 11 at second base. He also played all three outfield positions. He will spend 2012 in Elizabethton. Wander Guillen is a third baseman, but with Travis Harrison around, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Guillen play more at second base, where he has played a little the past two seasons. He also should advance to E-Town in 2012 after splitting 2011 between the DSL and GCL. TOP THREE PROSPECTS 1.) Eddie Rosario, 2.) Brian Dozier, 3.) Levi Michael, 4.) Niko Goodrum, 5.) Danny Santana, 6.) James Beresford, 7.) Tyler Grimes, 8.) Jorge Polanco SUMMARY After what Twins fans saw at the shortstop position in 2011, it was pretty clear that the Twins needed a change in 2012! Alexi Casilla started the season as the shortstop and through five weeks was hitting about .150. Trevor Plouffe got a couple of games. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was given an opportunity. It wasn’t pretty all season. Jamey Carroll should bring consistency to the position. He may not have a ton of range, but he will make most of the routine plays and it winds up that trait is pretty important. Cailla and Hughes may be a solid platoon and the Twins should see again what they have in Nishioka, if anything. Brian Dozier is on the cusp and we should (or at least could) see him by July. The lower levels of the system actually provide a bunch of solid prospects to at least be excited about. Rosario is intriguing as a second baseman. Scouts love Levi Michael and he could move fairly quickly. He was one of five college shortstops the Twins drafted in 2011 (Michael-1, Grimes-5, Bryant-9, Pettersen-25, Wickens-33), each of which should get a lot of playing time in 2012. Accumulating a lot of talent in the lower levels is great, and hopefully a couple of them will continue to progress through the system. Click here to view the article