Seth Stohs

After looking at the May Relief Pitchers of the Month, we turn our attention to the starters in the Twins farm system. There were some really strong performances. In fact, one starter who went 5-0 did not make the top five list. Another with a strikeout per inning and a 2.43 ERA didn’t make the top five. Some of the Twins top pitching prospects had impressive months and a couple of lesser known minor leaguers continued to put up numbers. With that, let's jump to the starting pitchers. Here are the Top 5 Starting Pitchers for the month of May: Download attachment: Taylor Rogers2.jpg Number 5 – Rochester – Kris Johnson - 5 GS, 3-0, 1.13 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 32.0 IP, 24 H, 14 BB, 30 K The 29 year old came to the Twins from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the offseason in exchange for Duke Welker, who was the Player to be Named Later in the Justin Morneau deal last July. The 2013 International League Pitcher of the Year has been even better so far this season. Overall, he’s 5-2 with a 1.83 ERA after posting a 2.39 ERA last year. Johnson’s month began with a spot start with the Twins where he struck out five (and walked six) in just 4.1 innings. The lefty sits 89 to 91 and touches 93 at times. He’s got a good mix of pitches. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – David Hurlbut - 5 GS, 2-1, 2.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 36.0 IP, 31 H, 2 BB, 20 K The Twins drafted Hurlbut in the 35th round in 2009 and again in the 28th round in 2011 out of Cal State-Fullerton. He has pitched in pretty much every role in the Twins farm system in just a couple of years. He has pitched in long relief, short relief and also been a closer. However, each year, his team ends up making him a starter and each year he pitches well in the role. 2014 is no exception. The 24-year-old works fast with three good pitches and incredible control. He doesn’t have the strikeout stuff of others, but he limits base runners by not handing out free passes. Long-term, maybe he will be a reliever, but for his minor league teams, he has been a leader in the rotation. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – Trevor May - 5 GS, 3-2, 1.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 23 H, 13 BB, 30 K In May’s first start in May, he walked one and struck out 11 over six innings. In his second start, he gave up four earned runs on eight hits and three walks in just 4.1 innings. Since then, he has not given up a run. In his last four starts, he has worked 26 scoreless innings. The streak has pushed his overall numbers this season to 5-3 with a 2.62 ERA. His walk rate continues to drop (although it is still 3.6 per nine) which is encouraging. May has certainly put himself in a position to be called up when the Twins have a need. Of course, so have Kris Johnson and Yohan Pino. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – JO Berrios - 5 GS, 3-1, 1.84 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 29.1 IP, 23 H, 12 BB, 36 K May was a big month for the young Berrios. First, he became a first-time father. Also, as of last week he is no longer a teenager. And yet, he is in the Florida State League putting up some impressive numbers. The 2012 supplemental first round pick from Puerto Rico has not let the fact that he’s over three years younger than the league average player in the league get in his way. In May, he put things together. Berrios has had quite the start to his professional career. He dominated at two levels of rookie league that first summer. In 2013, he was on the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic. He found himself making a few Top 100 prospect lists. This season, he has been terrific. Berrios throws hard, sitting 92 to 94, but he has touched 96 mph on several occasions. He has a very good curveball and a slider. He also has an ever-improving changeup. Also note that his June 1 start gives him a pretty good start toward June pitcher of the month consideration. And the TwinsMinor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Number 1- Ft. Myers – Matt Tomshaw - 4 GS, 4-0, 0.67 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 19 H, 5 BB, 11 K Earlier in the month, I wrote about two Unsung Southpaws, #3 David Hurlbut and this month’s Starting Pitcher of the Month, 25-year-old Matt Tomshaw. Both would not fit on your top 40 or top 50 Twins prospect lists, but both have been tremendous. Look at what Hurlbut, Berrios, May and Johnson did this month. And for that matter, look at what the three pitchers that I listed as Honorable Mention below accomplished. Now take another look at what Tomshaw did in May. In mid-April, Tomshaw had made three relief appearances and he was sent back to Extended Spring Training. Why? To work on The Thing! It is a pitch he had not been able to use the last two seasons. Now, it is a pitch that they want him to throw a lot in a game. When asked to describe The Thing, Tomshaw describes it as, “…like a knuckle split. Moves left to right and drops. Occasionally straight down or an abrupt right turn.” The other thing is that after sitting in the mid-to-upper 80s earlier in his career, Tomshaw now sits 89 to 91 mph with his fastball. He also throws a curveball and a changeup. Upon returning to the Miracle, he made one April start and gave up one run in four innings. In his five innings, he has worked at least six innings in each start. He gave up zero earned runs in three of the four and just two runs in 7.2 innings on May 20. In his final May start, he gave up three hits over eight shutout innings. There were a lot of very good starting pitching performances in May. It was difficult to rank the five above, and here are a few more starters who were strongly considered: Honorable Mention: Sean Gilmartin – New Britain – 5 GS, 3-1, 2.43 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 37.0 IP, 33 H, 12 BB, 37 KTaylor Rogers – New Britain – 6 GS, 5-0, 2.41 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 37.1 IP, 37 H, 11 BB, 31 KKohl Stewart – Cedar Rapids – 5 GS, 0-1, 2.74 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 21 H, 11 BB, 19 KWe’ll be back tomorrow to discuss Hitter of the Month. Please feel free to comment and ask questions. [/hr]Twins beat the Yankees on Sunday, so you win today. Get 50% of a Large or XL pizza at PapaJohns.com when using the promo code 'TWINSWIN'. Click here to view the article

Saturday was a very busy night in the Twins farm system. It started with the Minier Show in the afternoon. There were a ton of great performances and very exciting games throughout the Twins system. Vance Worley continued to pitch as we all hope. Taylor Rogers continued his tremendous run with the Miracle. The Rock Cats used a few big innings, but could they pull off a win? A couple former Gophers had a big day. So much to get to! Check out what happened in the Twins farm system, Saturday in the minor league parks:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 2, Louisville Bats 1 Box Score Chris Colabello provided Vance Worley with all of the offense the Red Wings' starter needed to help manager Gene Glynn to his 300th career win. Worley worked nine innings and gave up only an unearned run on two hits and a walk. He struck out five. In his past three starts he has given up just one earned run in 23 innings. Overall in Rochester he is 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA. Doug Bernier went 2-4 with his 11th double. Colabello went 2-4 including a two-run homer, his 16th of the season. New Britain Rock Cats 12, Akron Aeros 7 Box Score This game was pretty uneventful until the 8th inning. Going into the eighth, the Rock Cats were down 3-0. They scored three in the top of the 8th to tie the game, but gave up three runs in the bottom of the inning. The Rock Cats then scored four runs in the top of the 9th to grab a one-run lead. However, in the bottom of the ninth Akron scored a run to tie the game. The game went to the 11th inning. After three in the eighth and four in the ninth, the Rock Cats scored five runs in the top of the 11th. Eddie Rosario singled in one run and Miguel Sano hit a two-run triple. That was followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Reynaldo Rodriguez. The Rock Cats had 17 hits, with all nine starters getting at least one. Danny Santana and Eddie Rosario each went 3-6. Rosario stole his first AA base. Nate Hanson hit his 10th and 11th doubles. Miguel Sano was 2-6 and his triple was his first with the Rock Cats. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 19th double and 11th home run. Danny Ortiz also had two hits. Virgil Vasquez went the first 5.2 innings. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on seven hits and two walks, striking out two. Edgar Ibarra got the next five outs. Dan Turpen came on and gave up three runs (2 earned) on one hit and four walks. Cole Johnson came on and got the final out of the 8th. Matt Hauser entered the game for the ninth and gave up the run that tied the game. He then worked a scoreless tenth frame. AJ Achter came on to protect the five run lead in the 11th, and he got all three batters he faced. Ft. Myers Miracle 7, Jupiter Hammerheads 1 Box Score Taylor Rogers was given terrific run support, but on this night it wasn’t all needed. The lefty improved to 6-1 with a 1.56 ERA since his late April promotion. On Saturday he went six innings and gave up one run on four hits. He uncharacteristically walked four while striking out two. Jose Gonzalez came on and walked one and gave up one hit in two scoreless innings. Ryan O’Rourke worked a scoreless ninth. Former Gopher Mike Kvasnicka missed the first two-plus months of the season due to a broken hamate bone in his hand. On Saturday, he went 2-4 with his second double, his first home run in the Twins organization and four RBI. Aderlin Mejia went 4-5 and is now hitting .351. Kennys Vargas had another two-hit game, including his 23rd double. Andy Leer was 2-3 with a walk. Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3 Box Score The Kernels brought their hitting shoes to the park. Their eight runs came on 18 hits. All nine starters had at least one hit and six had two or more. Travis Harrison went 3-4 with a walk and his 20th and 21st doubles. Dalton Hicks and Jorge Polanco each went 3-6. Adam Walker was 2-4. Niko Goodrum went 2-6 with his 14th double. Byron Buxton went 2-5 with a walk and his ninth triple. He also stole his 32nd base. Michael Quesada singled in the 9th, the last Kernel to get a hit, after previously walking twice. Brett Lee was on the mound to start for the Kernels. The left-hander gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three. Alex Muren came on and got all nine batters he faced. Tyler Jones came on for the ninth inning and walked one and struck out one before getting the final out. Elizabethton Twins 6, Bristol White Sox 2 Box Score Yorman Landa is one of the talented starters from last year’s GCL squad. He began his 2013 campaign very well, working five innings and giving up just one run on five hits. He walked one and struck out eight. Ethan Mildren came on and gave up one hit in his inning. Brandon Peterson then struck out two in his inning. Lefty Austin Malinowski went the final two innings. He gave up an unearned run on one hit and three walks. He struck out two. Kelvin Ortiz led the offense. The right fielder went 2-3 with a walk and a double. Rory Rhodes hit a home run and stole a base. Romy Jimenez went 1-3 with a walk and a double. GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 5 (11 innings) Box Score Amaurys Minier was again the top story for the GCL Twins. After going 2-4 with a double and a home run on Friday, he went 2-3 with two walks, a single and a triple. 4-7 with two walks, a single, a double, a triple and a home run in two games! Chad Christensen went 2-5 with a double. Lance Ray (rehab) was 1-4. Fernando Romero started and went the first three innings. He gave up two unearned runs. He didn’t allow a hit, walked two, hit a batter and struck out four. Josh Guyer struck out three (and walked one) in a scoreless inning. Leonel Zazueta gave up one run on two hits and a walk and recorded just two outs. A rehabbing Bruce Pugh got the next four outs, one on a strikeout. Reyson Zaquiel recorded two outs. He walked one and struck out a batter. Damian Defrank gave up one run on six hits in 3.1 innings. In the 11th, Jose Abreu came on and gave up the unearned, winning run. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

There are a lot of ways to win a ball game, but one of the most unlikely occurred in Rochester on Saturday night. A 29-year-old from Marshalltown, Iowa, who was drafted by the Minnesota Twins eleven years ago got to play hero... twice. Another minor league free agent signing helped lead the New Britain Rock Cats to a big victory. A great way to get a win happened with the Ft. Myers Miracle: if your pitcher throws a complete game shutout, there is a good chance your team will win. Of course, life in the minor leagues can also teach us how to lose. We saw a couple of those on Saturday as well. Poor starting pitching and poor defense are often quick ways to a loss.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Saturday: Rochester 7, Syracuse 6 (12 innings) Box Score Based on the final score alone, it might be hard to believe that this game, through nine innings was tied 1-1. The Chiefs opened it up with a big, five-run tenth frame. The Red Wings attempted a comeback, and Jeff Clement had the chance to play hero… twice. Well, to see how, you’ll just have to read below. PJ Walters started for Rochester, and was very good through five innings. He did not give up a run. However, in the sixth inning, his control eluded him. He issued three free passes in that frame, one of which drove in a run. Overall, he went 5.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits; he walked five, hit one and struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came on and continued his streak of scoreless innings and appearances. He got four outs, so he has now not given up a run in 20 appearances and 25.2 innings. Michael Tonkin gave up one hit through the eighth and ninth innings. However, Luis Perdomo came in to start the tenth. He got one out, but he walked one, hit one and gave up a hit and was charged with three runs because Cody Eppley allowed the inherited runners to score, plus two more. That brings us to the bottom of the 10th, Red Wings down 6-1. To that point, the Wings had just four hits. With two outs, Chris Parmelee cut the lead to 6-2 with an RBI single. Soon after, the bases were loaded, and Jeff Clement stepped to the plate. The unlikely happened: Clement launched a grand slam to tie the game at six. So, it was off to the 11th inning. Eppley stayed in the game, but after getting two outs, he had walked two more batters. Shairon Martis came in and got the final out of the 11th inning and pitched a scoreless 12th frame as well. With one out in the bottom of the 12th inning, Deibinson Romero walked for the third time. Eduardo Escobar came in to run for him. Who stepped to the plate? Jeff Clement, and he came through again. He doubled and Escobar scored the winning run. Aside from Clement, Josmil Pinto and James Beresford each had two hits in the game. New Britain 6, Erie 4 Box Score Despite a 99 minute delay to the start of this game, the Rock Cat bats showed up right away. They scored four runs in the bottom of the first and the team held on for the rest of the game. Reynaldo Rodriguez again had a big game. The first baseman went 3-4 with his 24th double and his 15th home run. Danny Santana went 2-4 with his 18th double. Kyle Knudson went 2-3 with his second AA double. BJ Hermsen got a spot start. He tossed the first three innings and gave up three runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out two. Blake Martin came on and gave up one run on one hit in 1.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Dan Turpen went the next 1.1 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and a walk and struck out two. Jose Gonzalez pitched a scoreless inning. Matt Hauser came on for the final two innings and struck out two. Ft. Myers 5, Tampa 0 Box Score For the second time in his last four starts, lefty Taylor Rogers threw a complete game shutout. In his nine innings he gave up five hits, walked three and struck out seven. Download attachment: TaylorRogers2.jpg Photo by Linwood Ferguson/Ft. Myers Miracle Darin Mastroianni, in his second rehab game, was 3-5 with two doubles. Dalton Hicks was 3-4 with a walk. JD Williams was 2-4 with a walk and his eighth stolen base. Matt Koch went 2-5 with his 17th double. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-4. Cedar Rapids 2, Quad Cities 5 Box Score Going into the ninth inning, 2012 top pick Carlos Correia had the same number of hits (four) in the game as the Kernels did. It was also just one more than the number of errors the Kernels committed. Cedar Rapids got two singles in the ninth, but couldn’t come up with the big hit. Niko Goodrum had the lone extra base hit, his 20th double. Mason Melotakis started for the Kernels. The lefty gave up four runs (2 earned) on eight hits. He walked none and struck out five. Dallas Gallant came on and gave up one run on one hit and one walk in his inning. He struck out two. Tim Shibuya pitched the final three innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out two. Elizabethton 6, Bluefield 14 Box Score It was not a good start for Tanner Mendonca. He gave up eight runs (5 earned) on five hits and three walks in just two innings. The three earned runs came in the first inning because of a throwing error by Mendonca. He was replaced by Kuo Hua Lo who gave up two runs on three hits over the next three innings. He hit two batters and struck out five. Carson Goldsmith came on and got two outs. He gave up one run on one hit and one walk. Andrew Ferreira retired the four batters he faced. Brandon Peterson then gave up three runs on four hits and a walk over the final two innings. He struck out three. Lead off man Zach Granite went 3-5. Mitch Garver went 2-4 with his tenth double and four RBI. Rory Rhodes went 2-5 with his ninth double. GCL Twins 10, GCL Red Sox 8 Box Score Amaurys Minier returned to the GCL lineup for the first time since leaving the July 24th game with a quad injury. He had just one hit in the game, but it was his sixth home run. Jason Kanzler was 2-5 with his second double. Zach Larson was 2-5 with his sixth double. Adonis Pacheco was 1-2 with two walks. Alex Wimmers had a rough start in his rehab. The righty gave up eight runs (5 earned) on nine hits in three innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out two. Brandon Easton came on and worked the next three innings, giving up no runs on one hit. He walked none and struck out four. Miguel Gonzalez gave up one hit and one walk in his two innings. He struck out four. Jose Abreu came on to earn his fourth save. He walked one and struck out one in the ninth inning. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. Click here to view the article

As has been mentioned, the Twins are likely to be linked to many names over the next couple of months. One name I think we will hear a lot about is lefty Scott Kazmir. In 2013 with Cleveland he went 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. There is certainly a lot of risk, but he will be 30 through the 2014 season. He made strides in the 2013 season that might make some believe that he could take yet another step forward in 2014. Considering where he was the last couple of seasons, the fact that Kazmir is expected to get a multi-year deal at around $8-9 million per year is really quite remarkable. Victor Zambrano for Scott Kazmir? If you ever wanted to know what kind of crazy used to happen at that July trade deadline, and possibly why it doesn’t happen as often any more, look no further than this July, 2003 trade between the Mets and the Rays. Zambrano was a back-of-the-rotation guy that apparently the Mets thought could take them to the playoffs, and Kazmir was a Top 10 prospect in all baseball, blessed with an upper-90s fastball. To no one’s surprise, Kazmir became a star with the Devil Rays. He went 10-9 with a 3.77 ERA as a rookie in 2005, though he was raw and led the league with 100 walks in 186 innings. By 2006, he led the league with 239 strikeouts in 206.2 innings. He never had pinpoint control, but he was young and continuing to improve. From that 2005 rookie season through his age-24 season in 2008, he never posted an ERA over that season’s 3.77. However, in 2009, at age 25, he had a 5.92 ERA when he was dealt to the Angels in August. He ended the season fine, but in 2010, he went 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA in 28 starts. In 2011, he made one appearance for the Angels before being sent down to AAA Salt Lake. There, he made five starts and in 15.1 combined innings, he was 0-5 with a 17.02 ERA before being released. In 2012, he got an opportunity in his home state of Texas, playing for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League. In 14 starts for former Twins third baseman Gary Gaetti, he went 3-6 with a 5.34 ERA. Certainly not the kind of showing you would hope for from a guy with his history. I mean, he was the Game 1 starter for the Rays in the 2008 World Series. But, as you know, things have changed. The lefty went to Puerto Rico and, although he wasn’t throwing in the upper-90s any more, the reports were that he looked good, and was throwing strikes. So, Cleveland gave him a minor league contract with the opportunity to make their roster. He pitched well in spring training and earned a spot on Cleveland’s roster. He got hurt late in spring and made one start for Columbus before coming up to the big leagues again. Kazmir was good in 2013. He went 10-9 and posted the 4.04 ERA. His WHIP was a little high, at 1.32, but he had a solid return. Certainly a nice season considering where he had been. His 2.7 BB/9 rate was the lowest of his career. He also pitched well against the Twins. Regarding Kazmir, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, “When he was in Tampa, he was young and his body flew everywhere. He’s definitely in more control and command of the strike zone. You don’t see him flying all over. I remember him back there, glove flailing all over the place and the ball coming out at 98, consistently, but missing the strike zone. On his good days, you had no chance. He’s definitely in more command of his body and control of his plate. Now more than ever. The ball has a certain little jump at the end that really jumps on you. Nice little cutter. Decent little change up. His fastball looks like you should get to it, but it jumps. Good for him. He’s worked really hard to get back and I’d say he’s a really good pitcher.” Earlier in the week, I wrote about having appropriate expectations during rumor season and particularly when looking at the top pitchers from this year’s free agent class. Each one of them have risks and/or injuries in their recent history. Scott Kazmir will sign with someone and be a big risk. As much as Ubaldo Jimenez had been bad for several years before 2013, Kazmir had been bad enough to get released by a team that owed him $12 million and he ended up pitching poorly in the Atlantic League. However, like Jimenez, Kazmir has the ability to miss bats and that makes him very intriguing. Download attachment: Scott Kazmir.jpg His 4.04 ERA is alright, but his 3.16 xFIP is very impressive. In 158 innings, he struck out 162 batters. Kazmir is very intriguing. The Twins Daily Offseason Handbook projected two years and $18 million for Kazmir. I think I would jump all over that. What do you think? How hard should the Twins go after Kazmir? Click here to view the article

Recently, we have reviewed the catchers, the first basemen, third basemen and middle infielders. Today we will be looking at the outfielders in the Minnesota Twins organization. If I thought separating the middle infielders was difficult, imagine separating the Twins' outfielders into three positions? Think about it. Do we know who will be starting, for certain, at any of the three positions, much less who the fourth or fifth outfielders will be?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Big Leaguers Josh Willingham had a down season in 2013 after winning a Silver Slugger Award for his tremendous 2012 season. His best defensive position is probably DH, and he’ll likely spend some time there, but he will catch what he gets to in left field. Oswaldo Arcia struggled with the glove in his 2013 debut, though he had never played left field in his pro career until he was called up to the big leagues. I believe if he goes to right field, full-time, he will look better in time. Not great, but better. His bat is pretty potent, though he will need to avoid those prolonged slumps where he struggles to make contact. The centerfield situation will likely again have Aaron Hicks and Darin Mastroianni involved, along with the favorite, Alex Presley. Mastroianni was removed from the 40 man last month, but he’s got a chance to be the fourth outfielder. Hicks hit great in spring training a year ago and then really struggled. He’s got immense talent and will get another chance. However, with Byron Buxton on the horizon, his time in centerfield may be limited. Chris Parmelee is out of options. He’s played both corner spots and some first base. Since Arcia has options, is it possible Parmelee gets April in right field? And don't forget that Chris Colabello played some right field for the Twins after never playing outfield in the minor leagues. He remains a bench option as well. 2013 Draft Picks The Twins have drafted a lot of pitching early in the draft the last couple seasons and in 2013 they did not select an outfielder until the 14th round. The Twins took three college outfielders, all capable of playing center field. In the 14th round, they selected Seton Hall junior Zachary Granite. He is a speed guy who plays very good defense. He played in Elizabethton in 2013 and hit .285/.362/.343 with four doubles and five triples. He also stole 14 bases and was named to the Appy League postseason all-star team. In the 20th round, they took a four year senior from the University of Buffalo named Jason Kanzler. He went to the GCL and hit just .225/.286/.390 with six doubles, six triples and three home runs. He stole 13 bases in 14 attempts. As a senior, he hit .330 with 12 home runs and 21 stolen bases. He also won his second college Gold Glove. Ivory Thomas was the team’s 34th round pick. Another four year starter, Thomas spent his first three seasons at Cal-State Fullerton before playing at Cal-State Dominguez Hills his final season. He hit .383 and was on base about 52% of the time during the season. He didn’t sign until late, so he played in just 16 games in the GCL. Prospect Rankings Just three outfielders appear in my Top 30 Twins Prospects list, and all three of them are in the Top 11. Download attachment: BuxtonWalkerJimenez.jpg Byron Buxton is the greatest prospect ever. All right, that may, or may not, be a bit excessive, but he is the clear choice for the #1 prospect in all baseball, which also makes him the pretty clear choice for #1 prospect in the Twins organization. That is pretty impressive because Miguel Sano would be the top guy in most organizations. Buxton has all the tools. He has elite speed which he uses on offense – turning ground outs into hits, or turning doubles into triples – and defense – where he has great instincts to go with the tremendous range. He also has a very powerful arm. He has the ability to hit for average and should continue to add some power to his game. He can steal a lot of bases. He also has a very advanced approach at the plate. He is patient, and like the Twins’ Joe Mauer, isn’t afraid to hit with two strikes. Yet, coaches and teammates talk about him as a very coachable, very respectful young man who has a drive to not only be good, but to be great. Prospects like Byron Buxton don’t come around all that often. He could be up in the 2nd half of 2014 if all continues to go well. Max Kepler was also listed in the first base grouping as that may be the future position for him, but he has played more outfield to this point. He is my #9 Twins prospect. Unfortunately, his 2013 season was delayed by an elbow injury. When he arrived in Cedar Rapids for the second half, he played quite a bit of centerfield, taking over for the promoted Buxton. He has good speed, though at 6-4 and probably 220 already, he is a better fit in the corners, probably left field. He is a solid outfielder and looks graceful on the field. Offensively, he holds his hands high and has a very quick, very powerful swing. As he matures, he is going to add even more power. He struggled against left-handers in his time with the Kernels, so that will need to be monitored, but he is all about potential. He was added to the 40 man roster following the season. Adam Brett Walker was the Twins' 3rd round pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville. He had been a Baseball America Top 100 prospect for the draft, and the Twins were thrilled that he was still available when they picked. After his powerful 2013 performance in Cedar Rapids, I ranked him as the #11 prospect for the Twins. People want to talk about the negative with Walker. He spent the full season in Cedar Rapids as a 21 year old. He walked just 31 times in 553 plate appearances for an IsoD of just .041. If he can find a way to get that up to 0.55-0.60 in the next year or so, then it won’t be such an issue. However, his power is incredibly impressive. I would feel comfortable saying that, outside of Sano, Walker has the best power potential in the Twins' farm system. He drilled 31 doubles, seven triples and a Midwest League Leading 27 home runs. His 109 RBI led the league as well, and it was just one behind fellow Twins prospect Dalton Hicks for tops in all of minor league baseball. He also stole 10 bases in 10 attempts during the season. He is 14-14 as a professional after going 40-41 during his three seasons at Jacksonville. 2014 will be an interesting season for the right fielder. He’ll start the year in Ft. Myers but has a chance to move up to New Britain with a strong first half. Just outside of my Top 30 you will find JD Williams. He was the Twins' 10th round pick in 2010 out of high school. At the time, he was a toolsy project with terrific speed and very good strength. He was pushed to Beloit in 2012 and showed some signs but he did struggle. He returned to the Midwest League to start the 2013 season and showed great improvement. He hit .281, and he got on base 39% of the time. He also showed power with 12 doubles, six triples and eight home runs. He earned a second half promotion to Ft. Myers where he got off to a fast start before struggling late. He stole 26 bases between the two stops. Danny Ortiz gets forgotten in prospect rankings because of the Twins outfield depth. He doesn’t put up numbers that blow you away. He just puts up solid all-around numbers while playing good defense. I think he can be a fourth outfielder type. He’s not a burner, but he can play centerfield. He was the Twins 4th round pick in 2008 out of high school in Puerto Rico. With New Britain a year ago, he hit .258 with 27 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs. Listed at just 5'-11", he is not a big guy, but he has surprising pop in his bat. One year ago at this time, Nate Roberts was a popular choice for a Top 30 prospect. He was coming off of a showing in the Arizona Fall League where he led the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. He did that despite having spent the season at Low-A Beloit (because he had missed so much time with knee injuries). That was the story in 2013, too. He had knee surgery before spring training last year. He played in one game in Ft. Myers and had to undergo another knee surgery. He still has the skill set to be a good leadoff hitter, but he needs to stay healthy. Zach Larson is a young prospect worth watching. He has solid tools all around, but he can really hit. He could hit for average and for power. He's an adequate defender in the outfield though he doesn't run real well. But he can hit. He was the Twins 19th round pick in 2012 out of high school. He was paid well over slot. He began 2013 in the GCL but earned a promotion to Elizabethton where he was arguably their top hitter in his time there. Roster Projections In each installment, I have been making my roster projections. Obviously additional signings or injuries will affect all this, and that’s why it is important to have more than just two or even three at each level. There are also always players put on the disabled lists. This just gives an idea of who could be at each affiliate at the start of the season. Minnesota: Josh Willingham (LF), Alex Pressley (CF), Oswaldo Arcia (RF), Darin Mastroianni (4th), Chris Parmelee (UT), Jason Kubel (DH)Rochester: Chris Rahl (LF), Aaron Hicks (CF), Wilkin Ramirez (RF), Jermaine Mitchell (4th), Evan Bigley (5th), Eric Farris (UT), Nate Hanson (UT), Chris Colabello (RF/1B)New Britain: Danny Ortiz (LF), Byron Buxton (CF), Mike Kvasnicka (RF), Lance Ray (4th), AJ Pettersen (UT)Fort Myers: Max Kepler (LF/1B), JD Williams (LF/DH), Jonathan Murphy (CF), Adam Walker (RF), Nate Roberts (4th/DH)Cedar Rapids: Jeremias Pineda (LF), Zach Granite (CF), Dereck Rodriguez (RF), Jake Proctor (4th), Jason Kanzler (4th)Extended Spring Training: Zach Larson, Ivory Thomas, Ryan Tufts, Jorge Fernandez, Adonis PachecoFeel free to discuss the players and the roster. Just a quick note. I will be working on the organizational depth chart for pitchers, but I am going to wait a week to ten days. I’m doing that for a couple reasons. First, I think it’s possible that the Twins add another pitcher or two on minor league deals (does Johan Santana come to mind?). Also, I will be making the long trek down to the Twin Cities on Thursday. I’ll be at the Diamond Awards, Twins Fest and the Twins Daily Winter Meltdown, so it will be a busy weekend. Click here to view the article

2012 was a frustrating, injury-plagued season for one of the newest members of the Minnesota Twins organization, Sean Gilmartin. It’s fair to say that he is excited about getting a fresh start with a new organization. The left-hander was the first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves in 2011 after a fine three-year career with the Florida State Seminoles. In December, the Twins acquired the southpaw in exchange for Ryan Doumit. At Twins Fest, Twins Daily had the opportunity to chat with Gilmartin and get to know a little more about him. Gilmartin spends his offseason at his home in Georgia. He made the trek north to the cold and winter weather of Minneapolis for Twins Fest weekend. Being new to the organization, he knew just one of his new teammates. As he said, “Everybody’s new except Trevor Plouffe. We actually went to the same high school together. He graduated two years before me. He played with my brother when my brother went there, so we know each other pretty well.” Crespi Carmelite high school (in Encino, California) has developed some pretty decent ballplayers. Along with Plouffe and the Gilmartin brothers, there are several other former big leaguers from the high school. Catcher Rick Dempsey made his big league debut as a 19-year-old in 1969 and stayed in the big leagues through the 1992 season. RHP Jeff Suppan had a 17 year big league career. Sean Gilmartin’s brother, Mike (26), was a 27th round pick of the Oakland A’s in 2009 out of Wofford. After four seasons in the A’s organization, he split 2013 between the Reds and Nationals organizations. Sean Gilmartin was selected in the 31st round of the 2008 draft out of high school. Instead of signing, he went across the country and played at Florida State where he became one of the top collegiate pitchers in the nation. It was pretty clear he would be taken somewhere in the first round of the 2011 draft. Heading into the draft, there was a lot of talk about the Twins being very much interested in the southpaw. “When I was in school my junior year, I think I talked back and forth with the Twins maybe three or four times leading up to the draft,” Gilmartin recalled, “Yeah, I had a couple of conversation with a few of their scouts.” That year, the Braves had the 28th overall pick. Two picks after Atlanta took Gilmartin, the Twins selected infielder Levi Michael. Recall that Alex Meyer was the #23 pick in that same draft, and that the Twins took Travis Harrison and Hudson Boyd in the supplemental first round. You may also be interested to know that two former Twins draft picks were taken earlier in the first round in 2011. The Astros took OF George Springer with the 11th pick (Twins 48th round pick in 2008), and the Cardinals drafted 2B Kolten Wong with the 22nd pick (Twins 16th round pick in 2008). Download attachment: Sean Gilmartin 3.jpg In 2012, he began his season in AA where he posted a 3.54 ERA in 20 starts. He was promoted to AAA where he finished the regular season with seven more starts. He also had a very impressive showing in the Arizona Fall League. 2013 was a frustrating year for Gilmartin. He made 17 starts for AAA Gwinnett and posted a 5.74 ERA with a 1.59 WHIP. The reality is that he was pitching with shoulder tendonitis. He said, “It was tough last year, you know, being as close as I was to my goal of being in the major leagues. I started the year out pretty well and ended up getting hurt. Tried to pitch through an injury and figured out that isn’t the best thing to do. So, like you said, velocity is usually around 89, 90, 91, and I was throwing it up there at 83 to 85 and that doesn’t get it done.” In the Arizona Fall League in 2012, he was touching 93 at times. With tendinitis, continuing to pitch is just not really an option. Rest is the only way to improve. “(I) took time off, took about a month or so on the DL to get back. Made my last four starts. Came back healthy. It was basically just a little bit of deficiency in my shoulder program, so I’m working this year to get the shoulder strong.” What has the offseason plan been for Gilmartin in an attempt to regain his arm strength? “Not really a lifting program, just different shoulder exercises, a lot of manual resistance work with a PT guy.” His 2013 year ended with significant news for his career. After being a team’s first round pick less than 18 months earlier, he was traded to the Twins. What were his thoughts about the trade when he heard the news? “It’s a new opportunity, definitely looking forward to it. I’m thankful that the Twins were wanting to trade (for me), so I’m looking forward to the opportunity. It’s a new experience for me, so I’m enjoying it.” So when he is on, what does Sean Gilmartin throw, and what are keys to his success? Going right to the source, Gilmartin said, “(I’ve got a) four-pitch mix; fastball, changeup, curveball and slider. I think my most effective pitch, when my fastball location is where it needs to be, is my changeup. But everything stems off my fastball and my fastball command and being able to throw the fastball where I want.” It will be an interesting spring training for the lefty. He doesn’t need to be added to the Twins 40-man roster until after the 2014 season, but the Twins decided to make him a non-roster invite to big league camp. He’ll have an opportunity to put his injury and his frustrating 2013 season behind him. However, with the Twins depth of arms in the big leagues, with some out-of-options pitchers and some top prospects in the upper levels, it is possible that the Twins could send Gilmartin to either AAA Rochester or AA New Britain. What are Gilmartin’s hopes and expectations for spring training? He said, “I’ve been trying not to worry about where I’m going to start the year this year. I did a little bit of that last year, and it didn’t help me out in spring training. This year, I’m just going into spring training and getting myself ready for the season and getting people out. That’s the main thing as a pitcher is to get people out. Throw the ball over the plate, throw strikes, get people out, give your team a chance to win.” And what are his goals for the 2014 season? “For any pitcher, really, you look at the amount of innings pitched a starting pitcher throws. That’ll give you an indication of whether he’s doing his job or not.” Sean Gilmartin enjoys hunting and golfing in his free time, a couple of hobbies that he is certain to share with several of his teammates. With the Twins, there will be no need whatsoever to rush Gilmartin. He will not turn 24 years old until May 8. He will be able to work on what he needs to work on to make himself more big league ready. He profiles as a mid-to-back-end of the rotation starter. Considering that the Twins were looking to trade Doumit, and he was not going to catch any more, getting a player of Gilmartin’s potential is a coup. Click here to view the article

Joe Mauer is the Twins lone All Star representative tonight in Kansas City. In over 52 seasons in Minnesota, the Twins have had many All Stars, obviously at least one each year. There are the greats of the game, like Killebrew, Carew and Puckett who went to many All Star games. And there are the Coomer's and Engel's. Below, I'll post all of the Twins All Star representative by years, with some notes to follow. Feel free to discuss the best and the worst, and any other notes you find interesting: 1961 - Harmon Killebrew, Camilo Pascual 1962 - Earl Battey, Jim Kaat, Camilo Pascual, Rich Rollins 1963 - Bob Allison, Earl Battey, Harmon Killebrew, Zoilo Versailles[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 1964 - Bob Allison, Jimmie Hall, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Camilo Pascual 1965 - Earl Battey, Jim "Mudcat" Grant, Jimmie Hall, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Zoilo Versailles 1966 - Earl Battey, Jim Kaat, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva 1967 - Rod Carew, Dean Chance, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva 1968 - Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva 1969 - Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, John Roseboro 1970 - Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Jim Perry 1971 - Leo Cardenas, Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Jim Perry 1972 - Rod Carew 1973 - Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew 1974 - Rod Carew 1975 - Rod Carew 1976 - Rod Carew, Butch Wynegar 1977 - Rod Carew, Larry Hisle, Butch Wynegar 1978 - Rod Carew 1979 - Roy Smalley 1980 - Ken Landreaux 1981 - Doug Corbett 1982 - Kent Hrbek 1983 - Gary Ward 1984 - Dave Engle 1985 - Tom Brunansky 1986 - Kirby Puckett 1987 - Kirby Puckett 1988 - Gary Gaetti, Tim Laudner, Kirby Puckett, Jeff Reardon, Frank Viola 1989 - Gary Gaetti, Kirby Puckett 1990 - Kirby Puckett 1991 - Rick Aguilera, Jack Morris, Kirby Puckett 1992 - Rick Aguilera, Chuck Knoblauch, Kirby Puckett 1993 - Rick Aguilera, Kirby Puckett 1994 - Chuck Knoblauch, Kirby Puckett 1995 - Kirby Puckett 1996 - Chuck Knoblauch 1997 - Chuck Knoblauch 1998 - Brad Radke 1999 - Ron Coomer 2000 - Matt Lawton 2001 - Cristian Guzman, Joe Mays, Eric Milton 2002 - Eddie Guardado, Torii Hunter, AJ Pierzynski 2003 - Eddie Guardado 2004 - Joe Nathan 2005 - Joe Nathan, Johan Santana 2006 - Francisco Liriano, Joe Mauer, Johan Santana 2007 - Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau, Johan Santana 2008 - Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan 2009 - Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan 2010 - Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau 2011 - Michael Cuddyer 2012 - Joe Mauer It is a lot of fun for me to look back at the Twins All-Star history. Here are some more notes: Kirby Puckett was the All Star game MVP in 1993.In 1961 and 1962, there were two All Star games. In 1961, Harmon Killebrew was selected to play in both. In 1962, Earl Battey, Camilo Pascual and Rich Rollins played in both.Joe Mauer is representing the Twins for the 5th year in the All-Star game. That puts him in 5th place on the Twins list, moving ahead of Earl Battey, Joe Nathan and Chuck Knoblauch who each represented the Twins four times.Rod Carew is tops on that list with 12 consecutive All Star appearances with the Twins from 1967-1978. Harmon Killebrew represented the Twins ten years between 1961 and 1971 (only missing 1962). Kirby Puckett went to ten consecutive All Star games from 1986-1995 (and probably would have gone a few more times). Tony Oliva went to eight straight from 1964-1971.The 1987 World Series champion Twins only had one representative at the All Star game that season. The following year (when they actually had a better regular season record), they had five representatives.From 1967-1971, Rod Carew, Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva went to all five All Star games.Oliva and Killebrew teamed at the All Star game each season from 1964-1971. Following that duo on the list are Rick Aguilera and Kirby Puckett who were All Stars together from 1991 through 1993, and Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau who both went in 2008, 2009 and 2010.The Twins hosted the All Star game in 1965 and 1985.What else do you enjoy about the All Star game? For me, it's about the player introductions and then to see how well the Twins players do in their opportunities. It should not be a game to determine Home Field Advantage in the World Series. It is an exhibition of MLBs players and teams and I wish that's what it was about. Fill free to share you All Star game memories or favorite moments below. Download attachment: CarewASG.jpg Click here to view the article

The weather has certainly been a factor in Beloit the first three days of this trip. The first two days, it was so hot. Temperatures hovered in the mid-90s and humidity was quite high. On Saturday, however, the weather was a little different and that crazy humidity finally burst into some impressive thunderstorms. Would there be baseball, or would we have to make a tough decision about whether to stay for a doubleheader on Sunday? (Note- we had already decided we would!) Saturday morning started out well with some high-quality blog writing (my opinion, maybe not yours). [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]At noon, Travis, Jeremy, Jed and I went to Jerseys for lunch. I have to admit that the steak sandwich is pretty great. It was fun because it was just four guys, sitting around a sports bar, chatting about the state of the Twins, players in the Twins farm system and other deep questions like Will Jeff Bagwell get into the Hall of Fame and what would we do with Stephen Strasburg down the stretch? Although it was quite warm and the clouds were gray and the wind was picking up, it had not yet rained. However, I had received notice that the Snappers would not be having batting practice and weren’t arriving at the ballpark until 5:00. It was no surprise as the weather reports certainly indicated that some severe weather was headed our way. What it also meant was that we had a couple more hours to kill. We all agreed that a movie would be the best way to do that. So, we went over to the Luxury Theatre, and when we saw that the movie Ted was playing, we all unanimously agreed that it was the one we must see. And we were not disappointed. The four of us laughed most of the movie. Certainly not a cutesy teddy bear movie. That’s for sure. But it was one of the better comedies I have seen in a long time. Plus, there is a baseball connection in the movie as arguably the most emotional moment occurred at Fenway Park! Well, throughout the movie, we could hear thunder and pouring rain outside the theatre’s walls. When we got out of the movie at around 4:20, it was still raining, sometimes even quite hard. We went back to the hotel where we met the infamous Jim Crikket of Knuckleballs fame. He had driven to Beloit from Cedar Rapids and noted that the dark clouds followed him the whole way. We all sat around until about 5:30 when the rain pretty much stopped. We headed over to the field. I was impressed. When we got to Pohlman Field, the grounds crew and the front office had just pulled the tarp off the infield and the field looked really good. Other volunteers were working furiously, toweling off the seats that were soaked from the rain. Again, the Snappers work with a smaller group and what they were able to do to get the field ready to play was remarkable! I talked briefly with Dallas Gallant. The team had all worked out in the morning together. The pitchers had just gone on the field a half-hour earlier to run through another pre-game stretch and their daily work. For the first time, I ventured down the third base line, past the dugout. There is a picnic area that I thought required a special ticket to go into, but it didn’t. During the warm ups, I went out there and was able to get some really good pitchers. I talked to Tommy Watkins and AJ Pettersen down the line. Yes, the below picture of AJ does show him wearing a catcher’s mitt. As he wrote recently at Twins Daily, when he is not in the lineup, he enjoys being a bullpen catcher. I met Justin Rinaldi and his brother Vincent Rinaldi. They are the young guys behind Rinaldi Photos. You’ll definitely want to check out their work here. Also, they will be at the Snappers games the next three days and likely will post many more pictures. They now are traveling the Midwest League taking photos and they are really good. And then it was time to start the game. When you see my July Twins minor league pitchers of the month, you will certainly see Jason Wheeler. The lefty from Loyola Marymount went 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA in five starts. His first August start technically started out shaky as he gave up two runs on three hits in the first inning. However, box scores alone don’t tell you that two of the singles rolled through the right-side of the infield and the other was a well-placed bunt single. After that inning, Wheeler was great. He went a total of eight innings and gave up only those two runs. He gave up a total of six hits and one or two of the other three were of the bloop variety. Wheeler gets the loss in the 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, but he was very impressive. Again, at 6-8, Wheeler stands out. He does not throw hard, likely topping out at 90 at this time. But he has terrific control of his fastball, a very good curveball, and a changeup, and an occasional slider. In this contest, he struck out ten batters. In general, he kept the opposing hitters completely off balance. 2012 10th round draft pick DJ Baxendale came in and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth frame in which he struck out the side. He pitched for Arkansas in the College World Series and then quickly signed with the Twins when his team was eliminated. He has now pitched in nine games out of the bullpen between Elizabethton and Beloit. He he pitched ten innings and given up three hits, walked on and now has struckout 22 batters. He has kind of a deceptive, three-quarters delivery and has a very sharp slider to go along with a plus-fastball. Kennys Vargas provided the offense. In the 2nd inning, he drilled a fastball probably 410 feet, just to the left of center field for his 7th home run in 12 games with the Snappers. He rounded the bases, and he even did the David Ortiz, point-to-the-sky when he touched home plate. Seriously, the resemblance to Big Papi are uncanny. Miguel Sano had a double down the right field line. He might have been able to get a triple on it but was held up at second. Sano is such a big man. Once he gets going, he can fly around the bases. There are little parts of his game that are often forgotten about, or people don’t know or hear about, because all we hear about are the home runs and the strikeouts. Like yesterday, I mentioned his incredible arm. Today, it’s his speed. He can really move quickly. Eddie Rosario was held to just one hit in this game. He played second base and actually was a part of two double plays. One was on a bounding ball up the middle that he fielded, stepped on second and threw to 1B. The second was on a line drive that he threw to first to get the runner who strayed too far from the bag. Another day, another game in which Nate Roberts was on base half of the time. He had a solid single up the middle, and later he had a long at bat that resulted in a walk. One of the highlights for me was in the middle innings, I was going to go walk around. I like standing next to the Snappers dugout, by the on-deck circle once in a while because you get a great view of the hitter. While I was standing there, someone asked if I was Seth. I turned and said, “Yes, I am.” I knew who it was, but he introduced himself as Matt Tomshaw, who the night before pitched a great seven innings. Since he pitched yesterday, he was in charge of filming today’s game which means that he had a list of things that he was supposed to get video for throughout the game. The Snappers pitchers and a couple of their hitters as well. Anyway, he was between duties and it was very nice of him to come up and say hi. It was nice chatting with a guy who has obviously risen up in the eyes of prospect guys like myself since being a late-round draft pick just a year ago. Following the game, we talked to AJ a little bit. Wang-Wei Lin came over to say hi again. He’ll be in the lineup again on Sunday. A few other players came over and shook hands. Later, Miguel Sano was walking through the crowd, and as you can imagine, several were asking for his autograph, or to get a picture with him. I have read several places that he can be a difficult sign, but in the three days that I have been here so far, he has been signing quite a bit. Frankly, he seems much more relaxed and seems to enjoy it a little bit. He has acknowledged us each day. As he was finishing up, he came over to shake AJ’s brother’s hand, and then he came over and extended his hand to me and we shook hands. At that time, we went and sat down and enjoyed a tremendous fireworks display. The crowd was announced at just over 2,200 people which was great to see. With that, we have one more game to see here in Beloit. This afternoon at 2, the Snappers will again play the Timber Rattlers. Lefty David Hurlbut will be on the mound for the Snappers. It is Prince Fielder “Beast Mode” bobble arms day today at Pohlman Field so there should be a nice attendance today. Also, the weather isn’t supposed to be quite so unbearable, maybe into the low 80s! A great day for a ball game. When the game finishes this afternoon, Travis and I will be back on the road, headed back as far as the Twin Cities tonight. Then tomorrow morning, an early departure for home. So, I likely won’t get to a Day 4 report until maybe Monday. So, be sure to check out my Twitter feed for updates throughout the day and going forward. However, I do need to give a huge Thank You to Chrissy Scaffidi, the Snappers Director of Media and Public Relations, who has helped us out tremendously throughout our time here. As busy as she is, she’s made time for us and been remarkably helpful to us. GM Matt Bosen also spent some time with us over the first three days which is very appreciative. Again, as the Snappers are working with a six-person front office, and those six have so many duties beyond whatever is in their job description, their support of myself and Twins Daily has been very much appreciated. I can’t encourage Twins fans from the Twin Cities or anywhere enough that it is well worth it for you to make the trek to Beloit. It isn’t that far… I guess it’s about 13 hours each way for me, but it’s likely well less than that for you to make a trip. The baseball is good. This is a good product that they’re putting on the field. There are great prospects. There is some serious talent. The atmosphere at Pohlman Field is awesome, and the players and coaches are so accessible and for the most part, very personable. The team is going to be in the playoffs in September, and tickets are already available for that. IF you are at all able, I would certainly encourage a trip to Beloit to see the Snappers. And now, here are several pictures from Saturday: Download attachment: Pohlman at Night.jpg Pohlman Field at Night! Download attachment: Wheeler Warmup.jpg Jason Wheeler pre-game Download attachment: EddieMiguelKennys.jpg Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas Download attachment: AJ Pettersen Catch.jpg AJ Pettersen Download attachment: Drew Leachman 2.jpg Drew Leachman Download attachment: Kennys and Miguel.jpg Kennys Vargas and Miguel Sano Download attachment: Miguel Sano Walk.jpg Miguel Sano Download attachment: Kennys Vargas Walk.jpg Kennys Vargas Download attachment: Wang-Wei Lin Walk.jpg Wang-Wei Lin Download attachment: Nate Roberts Walk.jpg Nate Roberts Download attachment: Miguel Sano Signing.jpg Miguel Sano Download attachment: National Anthem.jpg National Anthem (Matt Koch Catching) Download attachment: Kennys Vargas Swing.jpg Kennys Vargas Click here to view the article

On Wednesday night, the Beloit Snappers traveled to Clinton to play Game 1 of their Best of Three Midwest League Quarterfinal. The LumberJacks are one of the hottest teams in all of baseball. They won the final ten games of the regular season and won 17 of their last 18 games. They won the division’s second half title by 10 games. However, on this night, the two teams went back and forth for nine innings, and in the end, the Snappers won Game 1 by a score of 8-6 in a game where literally every player contributed to the win. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] As hitting coach and former Twins infielder Tommy Watkins stated after the game, “It was exciting. It definitely had a playoff feel!” Download attachment: Snappers Logo.jpg Beloit started lefty Jason Wheeler. During the regular season, he was 14-6 with a 3.45 ERA. After the Snappers went scoreless in the top of the first, Clinton scored two runs in the bottom of the inning on a Ramon Morla two-run double. (Some Twins fans may remember that he and Oswaldo Arcia battled at the top of most offensive categories in the Appalachian League two years ago.) The Snappers clawed back. In the top of the second, after singles by Kennys Vargas and Drew Leachman, Stephen Wickens bunted them to 2nd and 3rd. Matt Koch flew out but it was deep enough to score Vargas on a very close play at the plate to cut the deficit to 2-1. In the top of the third, Wang-Wei Lin doubled off the wall. He advanced to third on a ground out. With two outs, Miguel Sano grounded up the middle. The shortstop made the play, but Sano beat the throw to first and tied the game at 2-2. Unfortunately, the LumberJacks reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the 4th inning with two runs. The Snappers answered back quick with a run in the top of the 5th inning to cut the lead to 4-3, but it could have been more. Eddie Rosario doubled in Nate Roberts. Miguel Sano came up and hit a fly ball to deep centerfield. Rosario tagged up and slid safely into third base. However, Clinton appealed at second base, saying Rosario left too early. The umpire agreed and called Rosario out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 5th, Ramon Morla hit a long home run to again increase the lead to two at 5-3. Wheeler’s night ended. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on ten hits. He walked two and struck out four. DJ Baxendale came in and got the final out of the inning on a strikeouts. He would work two innings and gave up one hit and one walk but no runs. He struckout four. In the top of the 7th, the Snappers were still down 5-3. AJ Pettersen walked to lead off the inning, and Nate Roberts followed with another base on balls. Wang-Wei Lin bunted the runners to second and third with just one out. Eddie Rosario came up again, and he came through again! He hit a line drive to left field. Pettersen scored, and when the left fielder bobbled the ball, Roberts scored as well. Rosario was out trying to advance to second base, but he had tied the game 5-5. With two outs in the bottom of the 7th, Tyler Duffey replaced DJ Baxendale. Duffey was making his Snappers debut lets than 48 hours after he helped the Elizabethton Twins to an Appy League championship. Now he was pitching in a tied, Game 1 of the Midwest League playoffs. Since August 1st, Duffey had pitched 18 shutout innings in ten games. He had given up just seven hits, walked none and struckout 31. He got the final out of the 7th inning. The top of the 8th inning started with a double by Kennys Vargas. Speedy JD Williams replaced him at second base. Drew Leachman, who was already 3-3 in the game laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that sat right on the foul line to advance Williams to third. Although Leachman was already 3-3 in the game, he had no concerns about being asked to bunt. “(Throughout the season), I usually just do it on my own. I think I have five bunts on the year and four have been hits. It’s kind of my secret tool.” (So, Snappers fans, don’t tell anyone from the Midwest League.) Stephen WIckens came up and with the infield playing in he hit a single through the middle to give the Snappers their first lead of the game at 6-5. Duffey came out for the 8th inning. He struckout the first batter of the inning. However, Dillon Hazlett came up and hit his second home run of the game to tie the score again, this time at six. AJ Pettersen led off the top of the 9th inning with a single to left. Nate Roberts bunted him to second base. Wang-Wei Lin grounded to shortstop, but the ball was booted. With runners now on 2nd and 3rd, a wild pitch scored Pettersen to give the Snappers a 7-6 lead and move Wang-Wei Lin to second base. One pitch later, Lin advanced to third on another wild pitch. Eddie Rosario grounded to second, and even with the infield in, he had no play at the plate so he got the out at first. The Snappers now had an 8-6 lead. For the bottom of the 9th, the Snappers went with lefty Mason Melotakis. He gave up a run to lead off the inning, but it was followed by a ground ball to shortstop and a grounder back to the mound for two outs. The final batter gave a scare, hitting a fly ball that Nate Roberts caught on the warning track, but the Snappers held on to that 8-6 win. Drew Leachman, who was 3-3 with the sacrifice bunt in the game, said, “What a game!! Unbelievable! It just feels good to be able to put the team in a position to win!” Download attachment: Drew Leachman 5.jpg In his last two at bats, AJ Pettersen walked and singled. Each time he scored an important run. What were his thoughts going into those plate appearances? “I was trying to make their bullpen guys work for it. I always know that if I can get on, the guys behind me will move me around and it worked out late tonight!” Download attachment: ajpettersen.jpg Pettersen continued, “That was quite the game! It was definitely intense!” Eddie Rosario led the offense. He went 3-5 with a double and three RBI. Kennys Vargas was 2-4 with a double. Download attachment: Eddie Rosario 4.jpg Tyler Duffey gave up a run for the first time in six weeks, but he was credited with the Win in this game. What was it like pitching in Game 1 two days after helping Elizabethton to their championship? “(It was) a little nerve-wracking at first, but more exciting than anything, just to be out there. I’m excited to be here and to have the opportunity to play for another championship.” Game 1 was full of ups and downs, and it was very intense. Between the Elizabethton Twins’ run to an Appy League Championship (Which was won with three extra innings games) and now the Beloit Snappers playoff run, I may end up with an ulcer. The Snappers boarded their bus after Game 1 in Clinton and will make the 100 mile trip back to Beloit where Game 2 will be played at 6:30 tonight. Right-hander Cole Johnson will take the mound for the Snappers against right-hander Jordan Pries. Johnson was the Twins 44th round pick just a year ago out of Notre Dame. After starting this season at Extended Spring Training, he has gone 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 16 games. In 42 innings, he has walked just 11 and struck out 48. Pries was the Mariners’ 30th round pick in 2011 out of Stanford. In seven starts for the LumberJacks, he is 4-0 with a 3.49 ERA. In 38.2 innings, he has walked seven and struck out 33. Should there need to be a Game 3, it will be at 6:30 on Friday night in Beloit. The Snappers would send lefty David Hurlbut to the mound. If you’re in or near Beloit and have a chance, I definitely recommend trying to get to Game 2 and to follow the Snappers playoff run. Be sure to check out the Snappers website or call their box office at (608) 362-2272. Click here to view the article

Worried about rush hour traffic, I left my sister’s place early, just to make sure I was in Woodbury by 8:45. Traffic wasn’t bad, so I was there before 8. By 8:15 or so, Scott (the man behind Territory Train) had arrived, and the bus was there by 8:30. I was thrilled that we were 1.) on a Lorenz Bus, and 2.) that our bus driver would again be Ed (the same driver from when I had gone on a Twins Train trip to Detroit two years earlier). There was even more good news, the bus had wireless internet and some electrical outlets. This trip was going to be great!! The bus was supposed to depart Woodbury at 9:00 on Friday morning, but everyone was there early and the bus left at 8:45. We made one stop, in Mason City, Iowa, for lunch. Yes, I went to Buffalo Wild Wings! Yum! We arrived at our hotel in Moline, Illinois, at about 3:45, which is nice because we were able to get settled in a little and rested up. We left for the Quad Cities ball park (which is in Davenport, Iowa) at about 5:00, knowing the gates opened at 5:30. I have to be honest. I was really, really excited about going to Modern Woodsmen Park. If you have seen the excellent baseball movie Sugar, a lot of it takes place at this field. Being there was even more incredible than seeing it on TV or in a movie. The biggest thing is the bridge that creates a picturesque view for the stadium. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Sano in Quad Cities.jpg We got to the stadium, and got our tickets. We entered and got the free Quad Cities River Bandits door mat! Very nice! Once we entered the ball park area, the bridge certainly stands out. Its presence down the right field line is incredible, but the stadium is nice all around. They have a great scoreboard that provides instant replays. They have another big scoreboard on the right field wall that gives the mug shots of the hitter and his stats. For the River Bandits, they had a quote from the player. For instance, OF Virgil Hill’s said that he is the son of two Olympians. One person on the Territory Train is Josh Pettersen. He is Snappers infielder AJ Pettersen’s brother. So when we got in, we were able to go down by the Twins bullpen and talk to AJ for 10 to 15 minutes before he had to go stretch and throw with his teammates. He wasn’t in the lineup on Friday night. Download attachment: ajpettersen QC.jpg Soon after, AJ brought over Snappers hitting coach Tommy Watkins who spent a few minutes chatting with the group. We talked about his time spent in Quad Cities in 2003. At that time, the Twins Low-A, Midwest League affiliate was in Quad Cities. However, they did not play a game in the ballpark the first two months of the season because the river had flooded. I asked how far the water came up. “Over the field? I asked? Watkins chuckled, “Oh no! Up to that second level of seating and those suites.” Unbelievable! Snappers’ starting pitching Jason Wheeler walked by to start his pregame work. At 6-8, he certainly stands out in a crowd. Download attachment: Wheeler Bullpen.jpg There were several fans from Beloit who had also made the trek, and many of the players were excited to see them. Some even went over and took pictures for them (like Miguel Sano and Jhon Goncalves below) Download attachment: Sano and Goncalves.jpg As you can see in the picture above, we had some very good seats. We were just behind the Quad Cities dugout, staring out at the field with the bridge over the top. Just a remarkable view. And then the game started. JD Williams started the game by hitting a long fly ball to deep left that the left fielder completely lost in the sun and turned into a double. A sacrifice fly and a couple of walks later, Drew Leachman came to the plate and drove in two runs on a single to give the Snappers a 3-0 lead. Matt Koch singled to start the second, advanced on a passed ball, and then scored on a single by JD Williams to increase the lead to 4-0. In the top of the third, the first two batters got out. Leachman singled which as followed by a wild pitch. Koch walked. Then Jairo Rodriguez singled in Leachman. The next batter was JD Williams and he blasted a long home run well over the fence in left field. Download attachment: JD Williams HR Swing.jpg Wheeler walked the first batter of the bottom of the third. Four of the next five batters singled. By the end of the third innings, the Snappers lead was 8-3. Let’s advance to the top of the 5th. Leachman led off the inning by getting on base on an error. Matt Koch hit another long home run to left. Wheeler gave up two more runs in the bottom of the 5th. He left the game having given up five runs in the five innings. (However, it was good enough to get credited with the win. He is now 7-1 with a 3.23 ERA.) The tall, left-hander didn’t throw hard, but he was very cool on the mound. His fastball touched 89-90 ph. He had a pretty OK changeup, and a good curveball in the upper 70s. David Hurlbut came in and went the final four innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out five. He looked pretty good. Like Wheeler, his fastball was in the upper-80s, and he appeared to have a pretty good change up as well. Last July when Travis Aune and I went out to Beloit for three Snappers games, I believe we saw them score 3-4 runs in those games combined. It was nice to see the Snappers with an 11 run, 12 hit, 7 walk performance, and it was good again to see on Saturday night too. Following the game, we were able to talk to AJ Pettersen for a little while longer as a very impressive fireworks display was taking place over the river in center field. The Snappers got on their bus and made the drive back to Beloit. Territory Traingot back on its bus and we just went to our hotel. Because we had plans to meet with some of the players for lunch on Saturday, late-morning, we had to get up early in the morning. Day 1 was a long day, but it was a really fun day. The bus ride was great and didn’t seem all that long. Getting to see the ballpark in Quad Cities was maybe even something I would put on a baseball fan’s bucket list. Talking to a couple of players and getting a few minutes to chat with Tommy Watkins was terrific. And topping that all off with a fun Snappers offensive performance and a win. Day 1 was great. Check back later for my Day 2 notes. (I may include scouting reports on players in the Day 2 report, or I may make that a Part 3, dependent upon time and internet access on the bus today!) Click here to view the article

Over the next weeks and months, I will be posting some Get-To-Know-‘Em interviews with some Twins minor league players. It’s always fun to get to know the people, the personalities behind the ballplayer. Today, we are going to start with an interview with middle infielder and 2013 draft pick Ryan Walker. The Twins selected him last June in the 18th round of the draft out of the University of Texas in Arlington. He began his pro career in Elizabethton and spent a week in Cedar Rapids. So, without further ado, let's get to know, Ryan Walker.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Ryan Walker UTA.jpg Twins Daily (TD): Growing up in Texas, who was your favorite team, and who were some of your favorite players to watch? Ryan Walker (RW): My favorite team was always the Rangers since they were only ten minutes from my house, and I was able to go to games often. I never had a real favorite player until Adrian Beltre. He’s fun to watch, does things different, but is an awesome baseball player at the same time. TD: What are your best memories from your high school baseball days? Did you play other sports? RW: My favorite memories in high school were playoffs and having to carpool to some games because the bus didn’t show up. A lot of fun times just being around guys that I’m still friends with today. I didn’t play any other sports in high school, although I would’ve liked to. TD: Talk about your decision to go to UT-Arlington. Were you recruited elsewhere too? RW: I wasn’t recruited to too many Division 1 schools, most likely because of my size. UTA ended up being a perfect decision, and I couldn’t have had a better time there with that coaching staff and teammates. TD: What were your best memories/moments from your college playing days? RW: The best memories, game-wise, were the conference championship games my sophomore year when we ended up winning it. It seemed like every game was just great baseball and several great plays and clutch hits just made it a great time. Outside of actual games, some of our trips to Seattle and other cities were extremely fun and times I definitely won’t forget. TD: As the draft approached, were you seeing or talking to more scouts? Did you have much conversation with any Twins scouts? RW: I talked to probably fifteen or so scouts, but the Twins scout I actually sat down with one time and talked to several times. He seemed excited about getting me, and it got me excited at the same time. TD: When the Twins took you in the 18th round, where were you and what was that experience like? Was that about where you were expecting to be picked? RW: When I saw my name picked, I was actually at my brother’s baseball game so my family was there, and they started congratulating me. Everyone in the stands kind of looked at us like we were crazy. I really didn’t have an exact idea of where I’d be going, but it worked out well. TD: What was the adjustment to pro baseball like for you? (in E-Town and then with the move up to Cedar Rapids) RW: The main adjustment to pro ball, I’d say, is just playing daily compared to 3-4 games a week in college. As for the baseball part itself, I try to take an almost naïve approach and treat it like it’s all really the same game, no matter the level. Obviously the ball comes harder, moves more, and people are faster, but I think 90% of problems for me are from overthinking. TD: If you were to write up a scouting report on yourself, what would it be? What would you say are your strengths, and an area you want to work on to improve most? RW: Strength and size have always been areas I continually improve on. I like to bunt when it’s there because hits are hits to me, but at the same time, adding strength to consistently drive gaps is definitely an asset. TD: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? RW: Oh wow! That’s a long list. Every coach I’ve ever had, and teammates that instilled the drive to succeed along with my parents. They always got me the lessons or equipment needed and that stuff you don’t really appreciate as much until later when you actually have to buy gloves and cleats regularly in pro ball! I also think my parents hate cooking now because of how much food I consume. TD: Outside of baseball, what do you enjoy doing (hobbies, etc.)? RW: Outside of baseball, I have a ton of things ranging from ping pong to playing banjo. I usually wear my friends out because of how many hours I can play ping pong without stopping. I really just like finding skills and getting good at them. I learned to write computer code last summer. I’ve been skydiving, basically anything exciting and challenging, and I probably enjoy it. TD: As spring training is now just a couple of months away, what are you most anxious about excited about? RW: I’m really looking forward to the first full year of pro ball. I’ve put in a ton of work this offseason so I really am just excited to go in and know I’m at the peak of what I’m capable of and have no regrets. TD: Have you set any goals for yourself for the 2014 season? RW: I only set a few goals, and the ones I do tend to be extremely lofty goals because I don’t really feel like there’s any other way to do it. I’d like to lead the league in hitting and make an All Star game. TD: Favorite Baseball movie? RW: Mr. 3000 is one of my favorite baseball movies. TD: What is one of thing about yourself that you would want Twins fans to know? RW: One thing I’d like Twins fans to know is… in about a month or two, I’ll be playing a mean banjo! Thank you to Ryan Walker for taking time to answer these questions. If you have any further questions for Walker, leave them in the comments below. Maybe he'll stop by to answer some, or I may be able to get some answers as well. Who knows? Maybe we can get some video of him playing his banjo before his next Q&A here! Click here to view the article

On Monday night, the Pioneer Press's Mike Berardino tweeted that an MLB Official told him that the Twins were no longer "in the mix" on AJ Pierzynski. In recent days, it had been reported that the Twins and Pierzynski's representatives were making progress in contract discussions. UPDATE - Monday morning, it was announced the Pierzynski has reached terms with the Boston Red Sox. What does that mean for the Twins pursuit of a catcher? Discuss in the Forum! Download attachment: pierzynski-barrett.jpg I just can't help but thinking whether the Twins really should be considering a reunion with AJ Pierzynski. So, I thought I'd write it out to see what I thought. He really has had a very good MLB career. He was an All-Star in 2002. He had the best numbers of his career as a Minnesota Twins catcher. He hit .301/.341/.447 (.788) in his time with the Twins and played in the 2002 All-Star game. In 2003, he hit .312/.360/.464 (.824) the season before he was traded. He was a very good player. In my mind, it makes absolutely no sense for the Twins to bring back the 37 year old catcher. Some may think it is his personality that makes me think this. Not the case at all. As Ozzie Guillen famously once said of Pierzynski, "If you play against him, you hate him. If you play with him, you hate him a little less." That is not the reason for not bringing him in, however. Twins fans have been booing Pierzynski ever since he left. First, I am not a person who believes in booing people, so I have never partaken in that ridiculousness. I've never understood it. He was huge in the Twins' last playoff series win. He was a big part of the organization's turnaround in the early years of this century. He did not ask to leave. He was traded. And in that trade the Twins acquired Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan. That turned out pretty well for the Twins, particularly when you consider it also opened the door for Joe Mauer to play. Sure, there were the times he would try to clip Justin Morneau's feet as he ran by first base on ground balls. Sure, he is an irritant. But again, those are not reasons for the Twins to not bring back Pierzynski. Joe Mauer has moved to first base full time, and the Twins could use a veteran catcher. They have Josmil Pinto, but he could use some mentorship, or even some additional time in AAA in 2014. So, it does make sense to bring in a player like Pierzynski. Pierzynski has been a winner throughout his career. That is a phrase the Twins have used a lot this offseason. Some may believe his personality has helped his teams to the playoffs. Others say that he's been just one piece on the teams he has been on. He has been remarkably durable through his career. Annually, he has played in no fewer than 128 games since the 2002 season. That said, he went on the disabled list for the first time in his career in 2013. Not that that means anything necessarily, but it's certainly not unusual for a catcher at 37 to start getting hurt more often. So, I have acknowledged that it is not his personality that makes me say the Twins should not go after AJ Pierzynski. It's not his success or performance earlier in his career. He has been on very good, winning teams. He is going to want a multi-year contract, and I don't think that makes a lot of sense for a 37 year old catcher when you've got a 25 year old catcher who is nearly ready. It's also simply about performance. Frankly, Pierzynski was not very good in 2013 with the Texas Rangers. He hit .272, but he got on base just 29.7% of the time! Yes, he had 17 home runs for the Rangers, but do we actually expect him to hit for any power as a left-hander at Target Field? I mean, I would anticipate him hitting about .265/.290/.350 (.640) as a Twin. Defensively, Parker tweeted earlier today that he was worth -11.4 RAA (or Runs Above Average) due to framing in 2013. That's pretty bad. He also threw out just 26% of would-be base stealers in 2013. He hasn't topped 30% in any season since the 32% he threw out for the Twins in 2002. So to summarize... AJ Pierzynski is going to be a 37 year old catcher, is looking for a multi-year contract at a starter's wage, likely $7 to $9 million per year, who no longer has much ability to hit and is apparently allergic to walking and doesn't do a very effective job defensively. Don't get me wrong. If he is willing to come here for one year and $5-6 million, I'm fine with that. I won't write a scathing article or anything. There are other options. If the Twins choose to go big, they could sign Jarrod Saltalamacchia for three or four years. He's nine years younger than Pierzynski and still has some upside. JP Arencibia was terrible with the Blue Jays, but now that Toronto decided to sign Dionner Navarro for the next two years, Arencibia will likely be non-tendered. Ryan Hanigan is said to be available. And, there are any number of veteran, backup catchers available. So yes, it was a relief to hear that the Twins are likely out of the AJ Pierzynski sweepstakes, but until he signs elsewhere, I will remain a little nervous. So what do you think? Should AJ Pierzynski be a priority for the Minnesota Twins this offseason? Click here to view the article

Like everyone else, I have read the reports on Kohl Stewart. Big fastball. Very good curveball. Developing changeup, and quite possibly, the best slider in the organization. I ranked him #4 in my personal Top 30 Twins prospect lists, and he also was the #4 choice in the Top 10 Twins Prospect rankings. I got to see him pitch three innings in a minor league spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays Class Low A affiliates the other day. After the game, I had the opportunity to talk to him for five minutes to learn a little bit more.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Kohl Stewart 6.jpg As we all know, Stewart was a terrific high school quarterback in Texas. He was one of the top quarterback recruits in the entire country. However, he also had a fastball that reached 97 mph and at least three other quality pitches. Because of that, the Twins selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2013 draft. Stewart signed quickly with the Twins, giving up that scholarship to Texas A&M. This past fall, instead of getting ready for a football season (likely redshirting since Johnny Manziel was the starting QB at Texas A&M), he went to the Twins Florida Instructional League and learned more about pitching. Was it strange for him not to be wearing the helmet and shoulder pads? Did he miss football? Stewart said, “No. I was still able to hang around it. I hung out with all my buddies. Chilled out with my family and had a good time.” In Friday’s game against the Rays, Stewart showed off a couple of dominant pitches. His fastball sat around 92-94 and touched 95. His curveball was devastating to hitters, and he recorded four strikeouts. He also showed a couple of changeups. However, his best pitch is generally considered his slider. The Twins (and most teams) do not wanting their young pitchers throwing too many slider. In fact, he did not throw a slider in the outing. He’s still young and really hasn’t thrown a lot of innings in his life because of football. He’s working on other things this spring. He said, “Fastball command. Really working on the curveball, which I threw today, and the two-seam fastball.” In Ft. Myers, he has a lot of good teachers around, excited to work with him. Stewart mentioned that “Ivan (Arteaga) has been working with me a lot. Just in the two times I’ve thrown with him, he’s helped me a lot. Raz (Twins minor league pitching coordinator Eric Rasmussen) has always been in my ear about certain stuff. I think both of them have helped me a lot.” But others have helped him get to this stage in his life as well. When asked who has helped him get to this point, he said, “It’s been a lot of people. A lot of people. Dennis Fay, who I work out with in the offseason has been real big for me. It’s just kind of been a lot of people.” As far as where he spends the 2014 season, he isn’t too worried about that. He understands that it isn’t something he can control, but that he can be instrumental in what the team decides to do. He said, “Not really up to me. I’m just trying to refine myself as much as I can, command my stuff as well as I can. After that, it’s up to them.” On Friday, he started for the Cedar Rapids work group, but he was followed in the game by a couple other young Twins prospects, Fernando Romero and Lewis Thorpe. There are other strong young arms in the Twins lower levels, and they’re all working together well. Stewart said, “I think we all kind of help each other out. To be honest with you, I think there are a lot of guys in the system that are really good, that help each other out.” When Stewart signed, he and fellow 2013 draftee Stephen Gonsalves came to Target Field and were able to meet go to the clubhouse and on the field, and meet many in the organization. “I met (Joe) Mauer. I met (Justin) Morneau. I met a lot of guys in the clubhouse that day. Go to talk to Bert Blyleven. All those guys.” The is a lot that goes with being a top draft pick, and it can’t be easy for someone so young. “There’s a lot of Twins people that have been here a long time. They kind of expect a lot of things out of the guys they draft. I think there’s definitely an expectation. The guys that they’ve drafted in the last two years have been… the numbers they’ve been putting up… Like Buxton, I think there’s definitely an expectation that’s carrying itself up to the big leagues.” Is Kohl Stewart feeling that pressure already? “Oh yeah, I definitely feel it in the locker room, and around the other minor league guys. Everybody wants to win, and do well, and move up. So, I think everybody’s kind of feeding off of that for now.” Growing up in Houston, Stewart grew up an Astros fan and went to several games. “Got to see Clemens, I mean, that run they made in 2005 team was fun. Those guys were kind of staples growing up.” Of course, things have changed for Stewart in the last year. His allegiances lie elsewhere. “I’m a Twins fan now… for good!” Most likely, he will remain in Ft. Myers and work with the players in Extended Spring. It is certainly possible that he could be in Cedar Rapids sometime in 2014. As he grows on the mound and off of it, he has the chance to move quickly. Whether he debuts with the Twins in 2017 or 2018 or 2019, it is most important that when he comes up, he’s ready. His star certainly shines bright. There’s no question about that. For now, Stewart is among 75 or more pitchers working hard in minor league camp, just waiting to find out where they will begin their 2014 season. Stewart remains focused on the things he can control. “I’m trying to take as much as I can from as many pitchers as I can. Hoping I can be as good as I can.” That could be really good! Click here to view the article

Kyle Gibson gave up a few hits but was able to get through six shutout innings against the Rangers. Unfortunately, the Twins were unable to do much with their bats and the Twins lost by a score of 1-0. Quality pitching was a consistent theme throughout the Twins minor league system on Wednesday night as all four of the affiliate’s starters also put together quality starts. Danny Ortiz remains the hottest hitter in the Twins farm system, and there were some close games. So, continue reading to find out what’s going on down on the farm. Download attachment: David Hurlbut 22.jpg Photo by Linwood Ferguson, Ft. Myers Miracle INJURY UPDATES Twins Daily learned that a couple of minor leaguers had successful surgery on Wednesday. Cedar Rapids left-handed pitcher Randy Rosario had elbow surgery. Outfielder Jake Proctor, who was at Extended Spring Training, had shoulder surgery. TRANSACTIONS It was learned that Mark Hamburger’s suspension is over and he will be reporting to New Britain. Dallas Gallant came off the reserve list and was sent to Extended Spring Training. Eddie Rosario is due to come off of the DL and will play some games for the Miracle as early as today. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Syracuse 3 Box Score Alex Meyer’s first two starts of May were a struggle. However, he gave up just one run in 10.1 innings over his two previous starts. On Wednesday, it was more of the same for Meyer. He was perfect through three innings and ended up with a quality start. The right-hander went six innings and gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits and three walks. He struck out eight. Ryan Pressly came on and was charged with one run on three hits. He walked one and struck out one. Aaron Thompson came on and gave up a hit and a walk but survived the ninth inning for his second save of the year. Deibinson Romero led the offense by going 3-4 with his 13th double. Pedro Florimon was also 3-4 (and is now hitting .227). Eric Fryer went 2-4 with his sixth double and first triple. ROCK CATS REVIEW Game 1 – New Britain 9, Portland 8 Box Score With one out in the bottom of the second inning on Tuesday night, this game was suspended with the score already 5-5. The teams finished the game last night. Pat Dean was charged with six earned runs on six hits and a walk. Dan Turpen came on and gave up one run over the next 2.2 innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out one. Cole Johnson threw the next three innings. He gave up one run on three hits, a walk and he struck out four. Lester Oliveros recorded the win on his 26th birthday. He worked the final two innings and gave up only one hit. He struck out four. Danny Ortiz has been on fire! In this game, he was 3-5 with his second triple and two RBI. Nate Hanson went 2-4 with a walk and his 12th double. Tony Thomas was 2-4 with his 10th double. Reynaldo Rodriguez was 2-5 including his eighth home run. Kennys Vargas was 2-5. Game 2 – New Britain 4, Portland 2 Box Score Through six innings, Taylor Rogers had not allowed a run and given up just three hits and two walks. His team had a 4-0 lead. He began the 7th inning, looking for a seven-inning complete game. However, he gave up a double, single, single and double and left the game with a 4-2 lead and a runners on second and third. Matt Summers came in and got a pop-up in the infield followed by a strikeout. Ryan O’Rourke came on and got a big strikeout to end the game. It was his first save of the season. Rogers is now 5-3 with a 4.69 ERA. It was his seventh straight quality start. His final line was two earned runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five. Corey Wimberly was the instigator at the top of the lineup. He went 3-4 with his 11th and 12th stolen bases. Danny Ortiz continued his stretch of dominance. He went 2-3 with his 14th double and all four RBI. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Clearwater 5 (11 innings) Box Score The Miracle got a second straight great start, but the bullpen was unable to hold the lead and the Miracle fell in extra frames. After Matt Tomshaw threw eight shutout innings the night before, unsung southpaw David Hurlbut gave up only an unearned run over his eight innings in this game. He gave up just four hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out a season-high 10 batters. Brian Gilbert took over in the 9th. Unfortunately, he recorded just two outs and gave up a big, three-run homer to tie the game. Steven Gruver came on to get the final out of the inning. He also pitched a scoreless tenth frame. However, he gave up a run in the 11th and took the loss. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 with a first-inning triple, his second three-bagger of the year. Aderlin Mejia went 2-5. Adam Walker connected for his tenth home run of the season. It was a solo blast off rehabbing big leaguer Shawn Camp. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 2 Box Score Aaron Slegers had given up 21 runs over his previous three starts. On this night, he turned that around with a very strong outing. He gave up one run on three hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out four. Alex Muren then gave up three hits over two shutout innings. He walked none and struck out four. Todd Van Steensel gave up a solo homer in the 9th but that was the only hit as the Kernels picked up the win. Jason Kanzler continues to hit very well. He went 2-4 with his fifth double and fourth triple. He drove in two runs as well. Bryan Haar went 2-4 with his ninth double. Michael Quesada was 2-3 with his sixth double and two RBI. Ryan Walker was 2-4 and drove in a run. 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 – Danny Ortiz, New Britain Rock Cats THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Syracuse @ Rochester (10:05 am CST) – Logan Darnell (Listen) New Britain @ Portland (10:00 CST) – Tyler Duffey (vs Henry Owens) (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Clearwater (6:00 CST) – Jason Wheeler (Listen) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Ryan Eades (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

As you’ve noticed, I enjoy writing stories about guys that don’t get as much attention. It’s why I cover the minor leagues. It’s because I enjoy the human interest side of baseball. Sure, we’ll write about the big stories too here, but getting to know the other guys who are putting in work every day down here in Ft. Myers is important too. Doug Bernier is a guy who knows about hard work and perseverance. He made his big league debut in 2008: two games and four at bats (no hits) with the Colorado Rockies in 2008.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In 2013, shortly after his 33rd birthday, and about five years since his debut, he got the call he’d worked so hard to get again. At the All-Star break, he learned the news that he would be heading back to the big leagues as a member of the Minnesota Twins. “It was so awesome. It was like all the work that happened, to actually get to the big leagues and play and get some time there. You know, the first two weeks there, my mind and heart were just racing all the time. But after a little bit, I was able to slow down and it just kind of felt like baseball a little bit. That’s exactly what I wanted to feel when I got up to that level. It was a blast, and that was something that I thought about every day this offseason and it’s where I want to get back to.” Download attachment: Doug Bernier ST.jpg Photo by Steve Mitchell Many would have left the game sometime in between, satisfied to get that one chance to forever call himself a big leaguer. Bernier has those moments cross his mind too, but obviously he is thrilled he didn’t quit on himself. He also had a very strong supporter encouraging him along the way. “There was a couple of times where I was getting frustrated, but I also talked to my wife about it a little bit. She was totally supportive. She wasn’t like ‘hurry up and hang ‘em up so we can have a normal life.’ It’s cool just to have the support from her, and she’s like, ‘If you still love it, and you still believe you can do it, and you still believe you can play in the big leagues, go for it.’ And that’s what we did, and that made me relax a little bit, and I just went out there and played and had fun. So that was a little easier.” At the end of the season, the Twins designated Bernier for assignment, removing him from their 40 man roster. Maybe 24 hours later, he re-signed with the Twins. It was an easy choice for the veteran. “To me, it was easy. This is the place I wanted to be. Sometimes you can just kind of feel right away the closeness between the guys, the chemistry. I felt like even on the minor league side here. There was a closeness between the guys which is pretty unique. And it’s just a fun place to play baseball every day. And also, I had the opportunity to play in the big leagues last year. After the season, for me, it was a no brainer. I wanted to be back here.” Bernier has always played a very good defense. He takes a lot of pride in it and works at getting even better. “I’ve kind of always been that guy. I’ve had a lot of years in the past where I struggled offensively, but being able to stay consistent defensively has kind of kept me around. They tell you to separate offense and defense. That was something I had to do because if I didn’t, I’d have been out of the game a long time ago.” Bernier came into spring training this season with the same mentality he has every year, to make himself better. “I mean really, I’m just trying to do what I can to try to improve my game. I know there’s a lot of things I can work on. I’m just trying to go about it, do the best I can. Just trying to improve myself, and hopefully with that it can help the team. Just working on playing multiple positions, and trying to get better offensively. That’s just kind of the process of spring but everything’s feeling alright.” Bernier is a guy who not only wants to play baseball, but it is really important to him to be able to help others. Maybe they won’t experience the same journey he has, but players of all ages, kids and adults, often have questions about the game. Bernier and his wife found a way to do that. They started the Pro Baseball Insider website to put themselves in a position to help others. Twins Daily contributor AJ Pettersen has contributed a few articles to Bernier’s site as well. “The thing we started with Pro Baseball Insider is… I was doing lessons on the side, and we were getting kids that were asking, ‘Why do you do this? Or why do you do this? My high school coach is telling me this, is this good or is this bad?’ A lot of times, it’s just knowledge and information. I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of the best baseball players in the world. I feel like, sometimes kids have questions like, ‘Are plastic spikes good, or are metal better?’ Things that you kind of take for granted that they have questions about.” Bernier continued, “Being able to talk to a bigger community of kids and parents, I thought was a pretty cool thing for me. So we decided to put the website together with some basic instruction on there. We have a little feature where people can e-mail and we can communicate back and forth. Sometimes we go in-depth on things. It was basically just a way to communicate things I’ve learned and what others have learned. I guess the professional way of doing things to try to teach kids when they’re young so hopefully they don’t have to go through the same mistakes that I had to battle through. I guess that was kind of the idea behind it.” Giving back is something that is often said, but it isn’t always followed up on. Bernier said that he gets quite a few e-mails from people each week. 2013 was certainly a dream season personally for Doug Bernier in many ways. After such a long time, he finally got a chance to get back to the big leagues last year, appearing in 33 games with the Twins. He was able to take a few weeks off after the season and spend some quality time with his wife and daughter. He was able to reflect for a while on all that happened but also looks forward to getting back in 2014. “It was a couple of weeks of being able to reflect. Once I started working out, it was just how I do it. Just get back and work hard. At that point, I wasn’t thinking about the past. I was just kind of thinking about what I was doing that day and thinking about this upcoming season.” Less than three weeks until Opening Day, and Doug Bernier is still on the Twins spring training roster. The odds may not be real high that he starts the season in the majors, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he surfaces with the Twins again in 2014. Click here to view the article

When the Twins came to Minnesota from Washington for the 1961, one of the players that came was first baseman Don Mincher. On Sunday night, Mincher passed away at the age of 73. Mincher originally signed in 1956 with the Chicago White Sox but in April of 1960, he was traded along with Earl Battey and cash to the Senators for Roy Sievers. He made his big league debut with Washington in 1960. He stayed with the Twins through the 1966 season when he was traded to the Angels with Pete Cimino and Jimmie Hall for Dean Chance. In his seven seasons with the Minnesota Twins, he played in 617 games and hit .244/.340/.450 (.798) with 77 doubles, 10 triples, 92 home runs and 270 RBI. He was the Twins starting first baseman from 1964-1966 and in those three years, he hit .247/.331/.482 with 59 doubles, 7 triples and 59 home runs. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Upon leaving the Twins, he was an All Star with the Angels in 1967. He was the All Star representative of the Seattle Pilots in 1969 after being their second pick in the 1968 expansion draft. He played for the Oakland A's. He was traded to the new Washington Senators team in 1971 and went with that organization to their new home as the Texas Rangers in 1972. He finished his career with the Oakland A's. He didn't stay out of baseball forever. In 1985, he became the president and GM of the Huntsville Stars (minor leagues - Double A), and later bought the team. In 2000, he became the interim president of the Southern League. He sold his Huntsville team and was the league's president until October of 2011 when he retired due to health issues. Download attachment: DonMincher.jpg Click here to view the article

The weather on Friday meant that the Red Wings needed to play their second double-header of the week. For the second time this week, the now 6-2 Red Wings swept a double-header. Australian James Beresford led the way, continuing to be the most consistent hitter at the start of this season. Mitch Garver had hit two home runs on Friday to take over the organizational lead in home runs this season with four. In the Twins 7-1 win over the Royals on Saturday, Brian Dozier led off with his fourth homer. Then later in the afternoon, Adam Walker hit his fourth homer of the year. Of course, with the Twins three top pitching prospects starting on Saturday, there’s plenty of pitching to talk about as well.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: James Beresford 2.jpg TRANSACTIONS The Twins put Josh Willingham on the disabled list officially on Saturday and recalled Michael Tonkin. AJ Achter was promoted to the Red Wings. Virgil Vasquez came off of the Red Wings disabled list and was sent to New Britain. Stephen Wickens, who has not yet played for the Rock Cats, was placed on the 7-day DL. He has a strained rotator cuff. RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 – Rochester 4, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score Alex Meyer made his second start; he was not helped by his defense at all. A couple errors caused him to allow two unearned runs. In his 5.1 innings, he gave up three runs (1 earned) on six hits. He walked none, hit one and struck out five. Aaron Thompson came on and got the final five outs. He gave up just one hit and is credited with the win. Offensively, James Beresford led the way. He went 4-4 with his second and third doubles, a stolen base and two RBI. His 7th inning double scored Chris Rahl with what proved to be the winning run. Danny Santana went 2-4 with his second double. For the IronPigs, Clete Thomas went 2-4. Game 2 – Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score The Red Wings got pitching and power in this game to win again. Eight Red Wings players had one hit. Five of those hits went for extra bases. In the second inning, Eduardo Nunez hit a two-run homer, his first in the Twins organization. In the third inning, Chris Parmelee hit a two-run homer, his first of the year. Wilkin Ramirez had a triple. Doug Bernier and Chris Rahl hit a double each. Yohan Pino started game two and went four innings. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five. Matt Hoffman made his first appearance of the season and struck one out in a perfect inning. Ryan Pressly walked one in his two innings. He struck out two. James Beresford went 1-3 in the second game. He is now hitting .500, 14-28 on the season. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 4, Portland 10 Box Score On a day when the Twins top three starting pitching prospects took the mound for their team, a former Top 10 Twins prospect had a rough go of it out of the Rock Cats bullpen. Matt Summers made his second start for the Rock Cats this season. The right-hander gave up three runs on six hits in five innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out four. Then Adrian Salcedo entered the game in the sixth inning and was only able to record one out, on a strikeout. The flame-thrower gave up four hits, walked one, hit one and threw two wild pitched and was charged with six runs. Virgil Vasquez came on for his first outing of the season. He went 1.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits, walked one and struck out three. Lester Oliveros came on for one inning and gave up only one hit. He struck one out. Nate Hanson is hitting .314 after going 2-4 in this game. Brad Boyer and Danny Ortiz each had an RBI double. Mike Kvasnicka also added his first double of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 5 (10 innings) Box Score The Miracle got a huge, late-inning hit, but it was all for naught as the team lost in extra innings. Down 3-1 going into the 8th frame, Adam Walker came up with two on and two outs. He launched his fourth home run of the season to give the Miracle a 4-3 lead. However, the Mets tied the game in the 8th and won it in the 10th. JO Berrios started and gave up three runs in six innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five. Steven Gruver gave up an unearned run in the seventh inning. However, he pitched to two batters in the 8th inning and one of them came on to score the tying run. Brian Gilbert got three outs in the eighth and ninth innings. He hit one batter and gave up one hit. He struck out two. Tim Shibuya came in for the 10th inning. He got one out, but gave up the winning run on two hits and a walk. Jorge Polanco went 2-3 with two walks in the game (he is hitting .419). Walker went 2-5, and stole his first base of the season. Michael Gonzales got the Miracle on the scoreboard with a 2nd inning solo home run. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Lansing 3 Box Score Kohl Stewart made his second start for the Kernels. He threw three perfect innings, the first, the second and the fourth. However, in the third inning, he gave up three runs on four hits and a walk. His day was done after the fourth inning with two strikeouts. In that third inning, three of the hits were on ground balls that touched an infielder’s glove. Josue Montanez came on and struck out three in two shutout innings. Brandon Bixler threw a scoreless seventh inning, but the Kernels were still down 3-1 going into the 8th frame. With two on and two out, Tanner Vavra singled in both runners to tie the game at three. (Vavra had driven in the team’s first run with a groundout earlier.) Zach Larson hit the next pitch down the left field line. His fifth double scored Vavra all the way from first base and gave the Kernels their first lead. Bixler began the bottom of the eighth inning, but the first batter walked. Brandon Peterson came on and got the next three batters out to maintain the one-run lead. In the top of the 9th, Bryan Haar led off with a triple off the top of the wall in left field, a throwing error allowed Haar to score the team’s fifth run. Peterson gave up two base runners in the 9th but got out of it without allowing a run for his first save of the year. Joel Licon went 2-4 with a double. Vavra went 1-4 with his three RBI. He is hitting .417 on the year. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brandon Peterson, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – James Beresford, Rochester Red Wings Sunday's probable starters: Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) – Kris Johnson (Listen) New Britain @ Portland (12:00 CST) – Sean Gilmartin (Listen) Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (12:00 CST) – Mason Melotakis (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (1:05 CST) – Felix Jorge (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Remember: Thanks to the Twins win over the Royals on Saturday, it means that on Sunday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

Over this past weekend, I was in Cedar Rapids to watch the Kernels play. On Saturday night, the Kernels and their fans celebrated Twins Night. TC Bear was in attendance, but the headliner was Twins legend and Hall of Famer Rod Carew. After signing autographs for fans and joining the radio broadcast for two innings, Carew talked to the media. In Part 1 of that interview, Carew shared his thoughts on his playing career. In Part 2, Carew provided his thoughts on working with today's players. In Part 3 today, Carew talked about various topics from his relationship with Tony Gwynn to his most recent conversation with Aaron Hicks. Carew talked about being very excited to work with the Twins, with Tony Oliva and Joe Mauer, during the upcoming All-Star festivities at Target Field. “It’s a great stadium, they did a heck of a job building the stadium. I know that the Twins are going to do a great job in representing the organization and baseball.” He was also asked about his thoughts on Tony Gwynn who just recently passed away. “Very, very upsetting. Tony and I are very good friends. When I was traded to California, he and I became very good friends. We spent time together during spring training. We always talked about hitting. He always wanted to talk to me about hitting. Over the years that I was out there, we just became very good friends. I would call him and talk to him about coming down to the University to help him with the guys. He always wanted me to do that. He was a guy with a big heart. He had a big heart, always willing to help people. He reminds me so much of Harmon, a very humble person away from the baseball field. He would talk to anyone, just like Tony Oliva. Those guys have that kind of personality that you can walk up to them and talk to them about anything and they’re going to take the time to do so.” Aaron Hicks said at Twins Fest that he spends a lot of time talking to Carew, working out and hitting with him, in the offseason in Southern California. He said during spring training that he talks to him frequently throughout the season as well. I asked Carew if he had talked to Aaron Hicks recently, and how he was doing. Carew noted, “Aaron Hicks, to me, is one of the most talented kids in the organization. I hate to see that talent go to waste. I just spoke to him and chewed him out. I told him, 'you can have all the talent in the world. I’ve seen players with your talent, but if you don’t learn how to play the game, understand the game, and you’re not willing to work hard and get better, then you’re just going to be in the minor leagues.' I had a very father-son talk with him.” He was also asked for his thoughts on the prevalance in shifts in the game today. He said, “I’ll tell you. It’s working out. I know they couldn’t put the shift on me when I played because they didn’t know where I was going to hit the ball. But, hitters have to understand that if they’re going to play a shift on you, you’ve got to try to make an adjustment where you can take the ball to the opposite field. If you want to keep pulling the ball and hitting into outs, then you’re going to have 0-3 or 0-4 days. They have to start making adjustments to take the ball the other way.” So, who in today’s game reminds Carew of himself? “One of the kids that I really admired since he came up was Derek Jeter. He used the whole field to hit. Played the game the same way every single day. The kid that I look at now is Mike Trout. The same demeanor, comes out every day, plays hard, has a smile on his face, and has a good time when he’s out there.” It was truly an honor to get to interview Rod Carew. He proved himself to be a true gentleman. As always if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to discuss. Download attachment: Rod Carew AP.jpg Carew photo from AP. Click here to view the article

As the Fourth of July is approaching, I have found myself asking several people, “What happened to June? It just flew by. It seemed like just four or so weeks ago that I was posing my May Twins Minor League Hitter, Starting Pitcher and Reliever of the month. And here we are again. Over the next couple of days, I will post my June recipients. I am going to start by the area that was far and away the weakest for the organization in June, starting pitching. BJ Hermsen won the award in April and May, but in June he fell back to a solid, but unspectacular level. In previous months, I’ve been posting a top five or a top six. This month, I can only give you a top four Twins minor league starting pitchers. I guess if I went to five, I would pick tonight’s Twins starter Liam Hendricks. However, he made just two starts in Rochester in June before being promoted to the Twins. He was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP. In 15.2 innings, he gave up seven hits, walked three and struck out 18. Unfortunately, the starting pitching in June was pretty weak. Hendriks was strongly considered. Below, you will find my rankings of the Top 5 starting pitchers in the Twins farm system in the month of June. Be sure to vote for your choice in the comments. --- Number 4 – Beloit – RHP Tyler Jones - 3 GS, 0-2, 3.50 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 10 H, 5 BB, 23 K The Milwaukee native was promoted to the Snappers in late May. After one relief appearance, he was moved in to the rotation. He made just three starts in June and wasn’t credited with a win, but he showed an ability to throw strikes while still missing bats. The 2011 draft pick out of LSU has a ton of talent. Of course, in his first July appearance, he was again pitching out of the bullpen. Number 3 – Rochester – RHP Sam Deduno - 4 GS, 1-0, 1.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 19.0 IP, 8 H, 13 BB, 28 K With Liam Hendriks unable to get through five innings again tonight despite being given a five-run lead, it would hardly be shocking if Hendriks is sent back to Rochester and Deduno gets added to the 40 and 25 man rosters. He missed over six weeks due to a bum shoulder, and when he returned in early June, they were quite patient with him. But Deduno pitched well. Certainly, he walked too many, but the hits allowed and strikeouts are encouraging. The Twins signed him this offseason as a six-year minor league free agent. He does have previous big league service time. Number 2 – Beloit – Matt Summers - 6 GS, 3-1, 3.18 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 34.0 IP, 26 H, 10 BB, 20 K Summers was the Twins 4th round pick in last year’s draft out of UC-Irvine where he was the conference’s pitcher of the year. He went to Elizabethton and pitched/dominated out of the bullpen. He began the 2012 season with the Snappers and in the starting rotation. After a rough April, Summers was on this last in May, and had his best month in June. Although the strikeouts are down And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Beloit – LHP David Hurlbut - 5 GS, 1-1, 1.61 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 28.0 IP, 23 H, 9 BB, 26 K The Twins scouts must have liked something they saw in Hurlbut. Despite very mediocre numbers his first year of junior college, the Twins drafted him in 2009. Instead of signing, he went to play at his hometown Cal State-Fullerton. He pitched in just 34 innings out of the Fullerton bullpen over two years, but the Twins still drafted him in the 28th round last year. He came up to Beloit in mid-May and after spending time in the bullpen, he made some starts starting at the beginning of June. He was terrific posting solid all-around numbers. The lefty doesn’t throw hard, but he controls three pitches. Download attachment: DavidHurlbut2.jpg Photo courtesy Jim Crikket/Knuckleballs. What do you think? Only four pitchers were mentioned for June (unless you count a few words on Hendriks). For those of you who are in Minnesota or the Upper Midwest, this list is another sign that you need to make the trip to Beloit and see the Snappers. Yes, Summers was a known commodity a year ago as a fourth round pick, but David Hurlbut is a late-round pick that is also worth watching. I saw two Snappers game in early June and saw both Hurlbut and Summers pitch. Let’s be honest. This list is a pretty strong indicator of where the Twins are currently at regarding starting pitching. There were few other choices. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? Click here to view the article

The day started with news that Kendrys Morales was in the Twins Cities taking a physical. At an 11:00 press conference, the Twins made the signing official. Though he may not play much in the next week or so, he is certainly a potent bat who will be able to hit in the middle of the Twins lineup. Sam Deduno struggled with his control in a manner we haven’t seen too often the last two seasons. The bullpen didn’t help, and the Twins fell to the Houston Astros, which has one of the league’s best records since mid-May, by a score of 14-5. They will now begin a long road trip on Monday against the Blue Jays. However, this is the Minnesota Twins Minor League Report, so let’s see what happened in the Twins farm system Sunday: Download attachment: Jorge Polanco 6.jpg RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Gwinnett 4 Box Score There wasn’t much offense for the Red Wins who fell behind 3-0 after two innings. Logan Darnell started and went 5.1 innings. He gave up four runs on eight hits. He walked three and struck out two. AJ Achter came in and got the final two outs in the sixth inning. He went 2.2 perfect innings, striking out three. The team managed just six hits. Eric Farris continues to do well at the top of the Red Wings lineup; in this game he went 1-3 and walked twice. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 and was also hit by a pitch. The Red Wings are now 36-27. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 7, Binghamton 3 Box Score For the eighth time in his last nine starts, lefty Taylor Rogers provided the Rock Cats with a quality start. In six innings, he gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out three. Jim Fuller came on for the seventh inning and struck out two. Cole Johnson got the eighth inning, giving up four runs on four hits and a walk to take the loss. Matt Koch was the lone Rock Cat with more than one hit. He went 2-4. Nate Hanson was 1-3 with a walk and his 13th double. Eddie Rosario was 1-3 with a walk. Kennys Vargas drove in two runs. In his rehab appearance, Sam Fuld went 1-3 with a walk and played eight innings. The Rock Cats are 28-32 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Jupiter 3 Box Score Jason Wheeler was terrific again, but his outing lasted one batter too many (in retrospect, of course). The lefty went seven shutout innings and gave up just three hits and a walk. However, he came out for the 8th inning and gave up a leadoff single before coming out of the game. Unfortunately, that runner came around to score, as did two more Hammerheads. The Miracle scored two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough. Wheeler was terrific. He was charged with the one run on four hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out eight. Brandon Peterson came on and gave up two runs on two hits. Steven Gruver got the final two outs but only after an inherited runner scored. The Miracle managed just five hits as well. The two runs came in the top of the ninth when Jorge Polanco hit his fourth home run of the year. Mike Gonzales added his ninth double. The Miracle fell to 36-26. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Kane County 2 Box Score Ethan Mildren put together one of his best starts of the season for the Kernels. He gave up two runs on six hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out six. He improved to 2-3. Alex Muren struck out two in two perfect innings. Todd Van Steensel came on to protect a one-run lead in the ninth. He gave up one hit and hit one batter, but he struck out two to hang on to the lead and record his fifth save. The Kernels scored three runs but had just five hits. Jason Kanzler went 2-3 with his fifth triple. Joel Licon was 1-1 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. The win puts the Kernels at 28-35 this year. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dan Rohlfing, Rochester Red Wings MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett (5:35 CST) – Kris Johnson (Listen) New Britain – No Game Scheduled (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Jupiter (5:35 CST) – DJ Baxendale (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 CST) – Kohl Stewart (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. Click here to view the article

The Twins lost 4-0 on Wednesday afternoon to the Royals. The Yankees are coming to town for a four game series. The Rochester Red Wings pitching staff has been tremendous all season. However, when the Triple-A All-Star game rosters were announced on Wednesday morning, just one player from the Red Wings was named to the roster. In their game on Wednesday, a Red Wings hitter was one hit away from the cycle. Surprisingly, the one hit that he didn't have was a single. There were a couple affiliates that had the day off on Wednesday. Continue reading to find out what happened throughout the Twins' farm system: Download attachment: Doug Bernier.jpg photo of Doug Bernier by Steve Mitchell RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Pawtucket 7 Box Score Doug Bernier has had a terrific season, and on this day, he was very good. He went 3-5 and was just a single away from a cycle. He hit his 13th double, first triple, fifth home run and drove in three runs. Chris Rahl went 3-4 with his 11th double and three RBI. Deibinson Romero went 2-4 with a walk, his 22nd double and his seventh home run. Pedro Florimon went 2-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Sean Gilmartin made the start. He gave up three runs on five hits, three walks and a hit batter in five innings. He struck out six. AJ Achter gave up one run on two hits and two walks in two innings. Michael Tonkin gave up three runs on three hits (including a home run) in 1.1 innings. He struck out three. Lester Oliveros came in and got the final two outs, one on a strikeout. Earlier in the day, AJ Achter was named to the AAA All-Star team. Almost inexplicably, he was the only Red Wings player named an All-Star. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain, Binghamton Box Score This game was postponed due to rain. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Bradenton 6 (10 innings) Box Score The Miracle fell behind early, but they scored five runs in the top of the 9th inning to send it to extra innings. Unfortunately, they lost in the 10th inning. Tim Shibuya started the game for the Miracle. He was charged with five runs on eight hits over four innings. He walked none and struck out three. Mason Melotakis struck out two in one scoreless inning. Madison Boer struck out three over two scoreless innings. Brian Gilbert gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Tyler Jones pitched a scoreless ninth, but he gave up a single run in the 10th frame and took the loss. Michael Gonzales hit his 12th and 13th doubles in five at bats. Travis Harrison was 2-5. In the ninth inning, Adam Walker drove in two runs with his 16th homer. Two batters later, Dalton Hicks tied the game with a two run homer, his fourth of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Wisconsin 1 Box Score Lewis Thorpe may not have lasted through five, but he pitched very well. In 4.2 innings, he gave up only an unearned run on five hits. He walked one and struck out eight. Chris Mazza got the next four outs, three of them on strikeouts. Alex Muren gave up two hits, but no runs, in two innings. He struck out two. Hudson Boyd walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning. Zach Granite led the offense. He went 3-5 with his second double. Bryan Haar went 2-4 with a walk and his 15th double. Alex Swim went 2-4 with three RBI. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton Box Score No Game Scheduled. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 4 Box Score The GCL Twins managed just five hits. Manuel Guzman went 1-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Frank Encarnacion went 1-3 with a walk, his first double and his second stolen base. Onesimo Hernandez gave up one run on one hit over four innings. He walked two and struck out three. Mat Batts walked one and struck out two in three hitless innings. Callan Pearce gave up one run on two hits in one innings. He struck out two. Seth Wagner gave up two runs on three walks in 0.2 innings. Trevor Hildenberger gave up a hit and a walk before recording the final out. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Lewis Thorpe, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Doug Bernier, Rochester Red Wings THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Pawtucket (5:15 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen) Binghamton @ New Britain (DH - 4:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey, Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 CST) – Matt Tomshaw (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Wisconsin (7:05 CST) – Ryan Eades (Listen) Bluefield @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Sam Gibbons (Listen) GCL Twins @ GCL Rays (11:00am CST) – TBD. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

Following in John’s footsteps, I thought the For Better or Worse series might be fun to bring to a couple of the minor leaguers. Today, we’ll take a look at Minnesota Twins top prospect Miguel Sano. I’ll take a look at his 2012 season, give a few reasons why he could be better in 2013 and a few reasons why he could be worse in 2013. And then at the end of the article, you’ll be asked, “What do you think? Will he be better, or will he be worse?” [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 2012 Recap Coming off of a 20 home run season in 2011 in short-season Elizabethton, Sano was one of the youngest players in the Midwest League in 2012. He began the season as an 18-year-old. He led the league in walks and strikeouts, but he also led the league in home runs. He came into the season as the Twins top prospect, and Baseball America ranked him as the 18th best prospect in baseball. He did nothing to lessen his prospect status on the field. In 129 games, he hit .258/.373/.521 (.893) with 28 doubles, four triples, 28 home runs and 100 RBI. He made the transition from third base to shortstop full time. He played 125 games at third base and committed 42 errors. His fielding percentage was just .884. He was the #1 overall pick in the Dominican Winter League. Although he has not played a lot for Estrellas de Orientes. Although his playing time has been somewhat sporadic, he has had 49 at bats in 20 games. He hit .265/.373/.571 (.944) with three doubles and four home runs. Download attachment: Miguel Sano 2.jpg Why He’ll Be Worse First and foremost, he will be moving up a level to play in Ft. Myers. The Florida State League is more advanced than the Midwest League. He will again be one, if not the, youngest players in the league. Although he has the world of potential, he did strikeout 144 times, or ever 26.0% of his plate appearances. He has tremendous power, but the ball parks in the Florida State League are bigger than in the Midwest League as well. Why He’ll Be Better In reality, if Sano puts up the same numbers in a more advanced league, that is like an improvement. Sano is an incredible athlete. He’s about 6-3 and assumed to be around 245 pounds. He is like a shorter version of Lebron James. He has tremendous power to all fields. He may hit a few less home runs, but he also could hit a bunch of doubles. Although his strikeout rate is high, observers noted that he seemed to have much better control of the strike zone in 2012 than in 2011. He will need to continue to lay off tough pitches. However, Sano also walked 14.5% of the time in 2012 and had an Isolated Discipline of .115. That said, having Kennys Vargas hitting behind him all season should allow him to see a few more pitches. Sano is huge and powerful, but he is quite fast and runs the bases very well. Defensively, Sano had a lot of errors, but he was much improved in the second half. After posting 30 errors in the season’s first half, he had just 12 in the second half. Having seen him play in early June and then again in early August, he looked so much better at the hot corner, much more relaxed, and ready before each pitch. If he would stop growing, he could take big strides with the glove on the immaculate fields in the Florida State League. So, which will it be? Will Miguel Sano get better or worse in 2013? Let us know what you think. Something to Consider In 2002, Joe Mauer spent the entire season in the Midwest League (for Quad Cities). He turned 19 in mid-April. In 2012, Miguel Sano spent the entire season in the Midwest League (for Beloit). He turned 19 in mid-May. In 2003, Joe Mauer spent the first half of the season in the Florida State League for Ft. Myers. He then spent the second half in New Britain. The Twins traded AJ Pierzynski following the season so that Joe Mauer could be their Opening Day starting catcher in 2004, at the age of 20. Is it possible, in your mind, that Miguel Sano could be on the same path? If he starts the season in Ft. Myers and plays in New Britain in the second half, could he be the Twins Opening Day starting third baseman in 2014, at the age of 20? Click here to view the article

We can certainly talk about those guys. I'd encourage people to ask questions to the Twins Hangouts podcasts. We talk a lot about players that don't get talked about a whole lot. All those guys you wrote about have been discussed. Corey Williams had Tommy John surgery April 1. Wrote about Chargois and a bunch of other hurt players in a forum posted this morning. Wrote about Harrison in my Q&A on Puckett's Pond (there's a link to it in the minor league forum). I believe in his power despite his numbers.

Matt Tomshaw was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 42nd round of the 2011 draft out of Jacksonville University. Upon signing, he went to the GCL, but soon he was used by the Ft. Myers Miracle. Impressively, he became the Miracle’s best starter the last month of the season. Tomshaw is a 6-2, 200 pound left-hander who may not throw hard, but he knows how to pitch. In 2012, he began the season in the Beloit bullpen. It wasn’t long before he was in the rotation. He missed a month with injury, but he proved to be a consistent, quality starter for the Snappers. Overall, he was 4-6 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 86.1 innings. He should spend the 2013 season back with the Ft. Myers Miracle.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Matt Tomshaw.jpg He recently answered some questions for our newest 12 Questions segment, and it begins now. TWELVE QUESTIONS WITH… Matt Tomshaw 1.) Growing up in New York, who was your favorite team and who were some of your favorite players? MT: My favorite team growing up was the New York Yankees. When I started to fall in love with baseball at a young age Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Tino Martinez, Mariano Rivera, and Roger Clemens were all the Yankees that I would imagine myself being while playing in the back yard with my friends and family. 2.) Tell us about your high school career (baseball and/or other extra-curriculars). MT: Baseball by far was my favorite sport in high school, but I ventured out quite a bit, playing football in my first two years, and basketball for two years in the later part of my high school career. I had to stop playing football because of my crazy schedule with baseball. Traveling all over the country during the summer prohibited me from training with the football team so I gave that up and “fall ball” didn’t really give me time for basketball some years. All that time spent traveling really helped me to get seen and signed by Jacksonville University. Basketball is my second love. I am not the best at it but it pushed me to work harder trying to keep up with the guys that were faster and taller than me. I played varsity baseball for three years under Mike Groppuso, a former first round pick by the Houston Astros back in 1991. I developed and matured as a person under his watch. 3.) What were some of the highlights of your college playing days at Jacksonville U? MT: Some of the highlights I remember most from college include, going to two regional tournaments both in Gainesville, Florida, my sophomore and senior years were an experience that I will cherish forever. The atmosphere where every game was win or go home, every big play that was made I felt like a kid again. So happy to be playing baseball. One of my biggest wins was against University of Florida during the regular season at their stadium. They just came off taking two from Vanderbilt that weekend. At the time, Florida was ranked 4th in the nation, and we ended up beating them 11-2. After the College World Series was over and Florida finished 2nd only to South Carolina, did it hit me how big of a win that was. Also in my senior year in game 1 of the conference tournament against Eastern Tennessee State University, I threw a complete game allowing 5 hits, 1 unearned run and winning 2-1. 4.) The Twins drafted you in the 42nd round of the 2011 draft... were there a lot of other scouts talking to you? The Twins have drafted several players from the college. MT: Well truthfully the Twins were the only team that talked to me at all. Another reason why the UF game was so big my senior year was because that was the first time that any scout showed interest in me, at least to my knowledge. I didn’t receive letters or questionnaires at all during the season. The next game they came to watch me pitch was in that game one of the conference against ETSU. After the game, my coach let me know that the Twins were interested in drafting me. The final day of the draft I was watching the computer screen in my room wondering if I would have to go get a “real job” or get to play this game that I love some more. When I saw my name go across the screen I just fell backwards onto my bed and smiled. I was and am so thankful that someone gave me a chance to play baseball at the professional level. I’ve always dreamed about making it to the MLB ever since tee ball. I have to say it is pretty cool seeing some of the guys I played with in college like Jamaal Hawkins, Adam Brett Walker and Jonathan Murphy in the same farm system. It’s nice to see familiar faces and have relationships through the long season with all the ups and downs that occur. 5.) You signed quickly and went to Ft. Myers. After several appearances for the GCL, you moved across the parking lot to help the Ft. Myers Miracle, becoming one of their best pitchers down the stretch. How would you describe your adjustment to pro baseball and what did you learn from that first season? MT: The adjustment from college to professional baseball was something I liked. I liked going to class and taking tests and all, but I have to say after I graduated and went to Fort Myers, I was happy to just be waking up at the crack of dawn to play baseball. Some of the challenges I had were making the adjustment and staying mentally focused the entire day. The days in the GCL included an entire practice before every game, every day. One of the attributes that I like a lot is the laid back feel of pro baseball. Yes, you concentrate and work hard at improving yourself, but you also take a step back and have a good time because you’re doing what you love. 6.) You moved to the Midwest League and had a very good season despite missing some time with injury. You started in the bullpen but quickly became a mainstay in the starting rotation. What are your highlights from this 2012 season in Beloit, the team and the full-season? MT: Working with Gary Lucas, the pitching coach, was a blast. He brought all of his experience and knowledge that he attained from his Major League career and helped mentor us throughout the year on and off the field. I’m originally from New York and I have lived in Florida now since I finished with school so the Midwest wasn’t exactly a familiar place to me. Seeing all the farms and meeting such nice people everywhere made the year more enjoyable. In my first full season, I had some growing pains. After the injury, I knew what I had to do as far as maintenance for the arm which made it easier on me mentally, just knowing that everything is okay in there. The guys on the team were awesome. Playing with guys like Sano, Rosario and Vargas bring a comedic atmosphere to the ball club, which helps ease the tension when times are tough. 7.) How would you describe yourself as a pitcher? What pitches do you throw? What is your out-pitch, and tell us about… “The Thing.” MT: I think I’m a pitcher in the traditional sense; I mix up my pitching sequence and the speeds to hinder the batter’s sense of comfort in the batter’s box. I do my best to get hitters out with the minimum number of pitches thrown. I try to induce as many groundball outs as possible. That keeps the defense on their toes and in the game, and for the most part keeps me in the game as long as possible. The pitches I throw include two seam (sinker), four seam fastball, curveball, changeup, cutter, and what I call a knuckle split. I rely a lot on the two seam for the majority of the groundballs that I get. Well I started throwing “The Thing” when I was around 10-11 years old. My father was a good baseball player and knows quite a bit about the game and told me that I wasn’t allowed to throw any off speed like my friends because my arm wasn’t developed or strong enough to regularly throw them. Growing up a Yankees fan, I watched Tim Wakefield quite a bit. I tried to replicate the grip that he held the ball with, but I eventually found a grip that worked and my father approved. As a kid I always wanted to throw things as fast as I could and that didn’t change when I throw “The Thing”. Ever since then I’ve thrown it at every level. Usually everywhere I go, the pitching coaches are weary of it because it’s not what they are used to working with. I remember my freshman year of college my pitching coach wouldn’t call the pitch, but with a little bit of persuasion he allowed me to throw it and it created more opportunities for me. The reason I call it a knuckle split is because I hold it like one and when I throw it, I throw it with around the same effort level as the fastball but because of the grip it has a knuckling movement back and forth, with drop off when it reaches the batter. Some days I find myself getting around it a little more than normal and it will cut into a righty. Most of the time it will break down or even occasionally away from a righty. That messes with catchers sometimes. As for an out pitch I would like to say the knuckle split, but I also like to use my curveball to get out of many jams. The curveball is a safer pitch to throw with runners on base because of the fact that the knuckle split has a later break and with a little bit more of spontaneity. 8.) When did you start preparing for the 2013 season, and what did you learn from your first full season to help you prepare for the length of the season? MT: I started preparing right away. When I say that, I didn’t go right from Beloit to home and start working out. I would spend time thinking about what Gary Lucas suggested I worked on this off season, and what shoulder programs I would do to keep my arm as strong as possible. The first season was filled with new learning experiences for me when it came to eating healthy and preparing your body for the everyday grind that is asked upon all of us. Eating healthier will be my objective this year. It’s hard getting out around 11 at night and getting the proper nutrients to get you ready for the next day. I have some things I will be doing to ensure I’m making the right food choices majority of the time. 9.) Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career as a baseball player? MT: No doubt, without my parents’ support and help, I would have never gotten any of these opportunities that I have been grateful for. My father literally went on every tournament, every showcase all over the country with me. They both supported me and kept me on the right path to success. Every coach that I have ever had has shaped me in some way or the other to be the baseball player I am today. From my friend’s dad back in Tee Ball, Billy Stote, to my Travel coaches Bob Brinkman, Bob Schlanger and Bill Buckman, to my high coaches Mike Groppuso, T.D. Mills, to my college coaches Terry Alexander, and Tim Montez, to the pitching coordinator Eric Rasmussen and the pitching coaches Ivan Arteaga, Steve Mintz and Gary Lucas. All of the teammates I’ve had have played a big part as well in my development. 10.) If you weren't playing baseball, what would you be doing (your career of choice)? MT: Well if baseball wasn’t an option, I would use my degree in finance and work somewhere in the financial world. This offseason I had a job as a Mortgage Professional helping people try to refinance their current mortgages. Before I could be licensed to be a Loan Officer I had to leave that job to start training longer and harder, and the hours didn’t mesh well with my throwing and training schedule. 11.) Favorite baseball movie? MT: I would say I’m torn between The Rookie and Major League. Major League is so funny and I can watch it multiple times a year and still laugh at the same jokes and antics every time like it’s my first time. But The Rookie just always gives me hope that one day I will be blessed enough to make it to the Majors and do my best. 12.) Favorite baseball book? MT: “The Science of Hitting” by Ted Williams was a book my uncle gave to me as a kid. I still can picture to this day the hitter’s zone that Ted illustrated in the book showing where his weaknesses and strengths were as a hitter. I remember the different colors that were attributed with each zone. As a pitcher, I always shoot for the gray color zones which for Ted was in the outside bottom third of the zone where he would average a batting average between .230-.270. Thank you Matt! Best of luck in spring training and throughout the 2013 season! Click here to view the article

On Day 1, the Minnesota Twins used their first round draft pick on prep shortstop Nick Gordon. They followed that by selecting flame-throwing Louisville closer Nick Burdi with their second round pick. On Day 2, the Twins made eight selections and seven of their were pitchers. All eight came from the college ranks. So, what will the Twins do on Day 3? They will draft 30 more players. At noon, the draft will resume, and Twins Daily will continue to update you on the Twins selections. Download attachment: mlb-draft.jpg Looking at the current Minnesota Twins roster, it becomes clear that although few from Day 3 will make it to the big leagues, it is where you can sometimes find a hidden gem. Jason Kubel was drafted out of high school by the Twins in the 12th round of the 2000 draft. He's had a very solid career. Twins cleanup hitter Josh Willingham was the 17th round pick of the Florida Marlins in 2000. Casey Fien was the Tigers 20th round pick in 2006. Caleb Thielbar was drafted by the Brewers in the 18th round of the 2009 draft. Michael Tonkin was a 30th round pick in 2008 by the Twins. Of course, in the 17th round of the 1978 draft, the Twins took a kid from Bloomington. Kent Hrbek went on to have a Twins Hall of Fame career. Of course, a year earlier in the 17th round, the Twins selected Scott Ullger, and he's still in uniform with the team! In all, 900 players will be drafted on Saturday. Which 30 will the Twins take? 11th Round (320) - Tanner English - CF - South Carolina English has game-changing speed and top-flight defensive ability. 12th Round (350) - Pat Kelly - 2B - Nebraska (from Red Wing, MN) Kelly helped recruit Ryan Boldt to Nebraska (and I thought for sure I had mentioned him in a draft story at some point, but can't find it) and now he's heading home. Eventually. Hopefully. He's homered at Target Field before, so there's that: And defense: 13th Round (380) - Zach Tillery - RHP - Florida Gulf Coast (Dunk City) 14th Round (410) - Tyler Mautner - 3B - U. of Buffalo When I saw this name the first time, I thought for sure I read "Taylor Lautner", which, of course, would be pretty radical if you're into werewolves. 15th Round (440) - Roberto Gonzalez - RF - High School (!!) My favorite Day 3 pick. I've heard great things about the Miami-Dade CC commit. He's almost like a Dominican guy, you're dreaming on him. He's raw, and that's an understatement. Has shown glimpses of plus power, speed and arm throughout the fall, but can't put them all together. Sounds like signing him could be an issue, but if that gets done, you're looking at a guy with all the tools. 16th Round (470) - Tyler Kuresa - 1B - UC-Santa Barbara (Twins drafted him in the 11th round in 2010) (Sr) 17th Round (500) - Mat Batts - LHP - UNC-Wilmington (5th-year Sr) 18th Round (530) - TJ White - 3B - UNLV 19th Round (560) - Jarrard Poteete - C - Connors State College (OK) - JC 20th Round (590) - McCarthy Tatum - 3B - Clovis (CA) high school Tatum is committed to Fresno State and will likely end up there. High school teammate of Jacob Gatewood. 21st Round (620) - Onis Farfan - LHP - Ridgewater (MN) College - JC - He's from New Hope, MN. 22nd Round (650) - Trevor Hildenberger - RHP - Cal Berkeley (5th-year Sr) 23rd Round (680) - Miles Nordgren - RHP - Birmingham Southern (Sr) 24th Round (710) - Alex Real - C - New Mexico 25th Round (740) - Taylor Hearn - LHP - San Jacinto College North (JC) 26th Round (770) - Blake Schmit - SS - Maryland (Sr) (from Eden Prairie) 27th Round (800) - Gabriel Ojeda - C - Puerto Rico HS 28th Round (830) - Austin Diemer - CF - CS Fullerton 29th Round (860) - Cameron Avila-Leeper - LHP - California HS 30th Round (890) - Theo Theofanopoulos - LHP - Cal Berkeley 31st Round (920) - Sam Hilliard - LHP - Crowder College (Missouri) 32nd Round (950) - Orynn Veillon - RHP - High School in Lafayette, Louisiana 33rd Round (980) - Trey Vavra - 1B - Florida Southern U (Joe's son, Tanner's brother) 34th Round (1,010) - Mike Baumann - RHP - Mahtomedi (MN) High School 35th Round (1,040) - Brad Mathiowetz - C - Rochester Mayo High School (MN) 36th Round (1,070) - Kirvin Moesquit - SS - High School in Florida 37th Round (1,100) - Tyree Davis - CF - High School in California 38th Round (1,130) - Brett Doe - C - Baylor University 39th Round (1,160) - John Jones - C - High School in Florida (Orlando, again) 40th Round (1,190) - Dalton Guthrie - SS - High School in Florida. He is the son of former Twins pitcher Mark Guthrie. Click here to view the article