Seth Stohs

I mentioned when I wrote my Notes from Day 3 in Beloit that due to travel, returning to work and some other things, I may not get to Notes from Day 4 for a bit. I really didn’t want it to take almost a week. However, it has. That said, I still feel compelled to write more about my trip to Beloit because it was such a great time. The Snappers are playing really well. Their lineup is really coming together well. Their starting staff has been terrific, generally providing the team with a Quality Start. And, the bullpen is full of very hard-throwers. This weekend, the Snappers returned to Beloit after a brief road trip. Starting last night, they play three games against Peoria, the Cubs affiliate. They just promoted high-profile Cuban defector outfielder Jorge Soler to the Midwest League. Let’s get back to my Beloit trip. If you missed the first days, be sure to read my Notes from Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Sunday started with a quiet morning of writing. After checking out of the hotel, we met Jim Crikket at Applebees for lunch before heading over to the ballpark. The crowds on Thursday and Friday night were fairly small. On Saturday night, the attendance doubled, in part due to postgame fireworks. On Sunday, the Snappers have a great promotion. The first 500 fans would receive a Prince Fielder Beast Mode bobblearms. The line outside Pohlman Field wrapped around the outfield fence and out into the parking lot. Wisely, the first 500 fans got wristbands, and after the 5th inning, they were able to claim their Fielder Bobble arm. The Snappers were playing the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the affiliate of Brewers. Milwaukee is about an hour from Beloit, so there are always a few more fans when this team comes to town. The teams didn’t take batting practice. However, in the batting cage behind the third base, manager Nelson Prada was throwing to Miguel Sano, Kennys Vargas and Tyler Grimes. The game was great. The Snappers won handily. Miguel Sano ripped a long, opposite field home run. It’s probably about 375 to the right centerfield gap, and there is an advertisement board that is probably 20 feet high. The homer went over that. Later, JD Williams ripped a long grand slam that really put the game out of reach. Like Matt Tomshaw and Jason Wheeler the two previous games, David Hurlbut was terrific, giving up just one hit over the first six innings. Tim Atherton went two innings, and Mason Melotakis pitched an inning in relief. After talking to several players and coaches following the game, I enjoyed being a call-in guest of the Gleeman and the Geek podcast. We talked about the Beloit team, but we also talked a lot about Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia and more. I had a chance to see GM Matt Bosen and Director of Media and Community Relations Chrissy Scaffidi before leaving. These two are great. They both work so hard. So does the entire Snappers front office. Seriously, I need to thank especially Chrissy for making the four day trip so great. They were very helpful and accommodating. It was great to catch up with other Twins bloggers like Jeremy Nygaard and Jim Crikket. (be sure to read his blog on his two days in Beloit.) It was good to see AJ Pettersen, who as you know writes here at Twins Daily regularly, again. It was nice to see his brother Josh again. It was great to meet a few more players that I’ve chatted with or tweeted with. Beloit is a great place for minor league baseball. I know that you will likely read many opinions to the contrary, but for all its downfalls, Pohlman Field provides an atmosphere that encourages fan interaction. I enjoyed meeting the fans, and seeing the players talk to fans between the dugout and their clubhouse. That is not the case other places around baseball. Why they don’t get more fans there, I will never understand. I have now made the trip over to Beloit three straight seasons, and I hope to continue that trend in coming years. There is still nearly a month of regular season remaining, so be sure to consider a trip out there. Check out their website and see when they are at home. In fact, the Snappers are hosting the Peoria team the next couple of days. You could see Jorge Soler as well. This Snappers team is fun to watch. They won a playoff spot in the first half, and it appears that they are setting their roster for the playoffs. The lineup is pretty solid. Nate Roberts and JD Williams are doing a very good job at the top of the order. Then the 3-4-5 punch of Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano and Kennys Vargas is powerful. Drew Leachman is coming on again. Their starting rotation has been pitching really well of late, and they have some very strong arms pitching well in the bullpen. We left Beloit at about 5:30, and we got back to the Twin Cities by shortly after 11. Of course, Monday was full of more driving for me. Left the Cities at about 8:30 and got to Perham at about 12:15. Left there about 2:15 and got back to Warroad by 6. Below, you will find a few more pictures from Day 4: Download attachment: Hurlbut Warmup.jpg David Hurlbut warming up before the game with pitching coach Gary Lucas watching. Download attachment: JD Williams.jpg JD Williams Download attachment: Wang-Wei Lin Sign.jpg Wang-Wei Lin signing autographs before the game. Download attachment: Corey Williams.jpg Corey Williams playing a game with a fan. Download attachment: Tyler Jones.jpg Tyler Jones Download attachment: National Anthem by Dugout.jpg National Anthem Line Up Download attachment: Sano Warmup.jpg Miguel Sano warming up Download attachment: Sano after HR.jpg Sano after home run Download attachment: Rosario AB.jpg Eddie Rosario at bat Download attachment: Kennys Vargas Connecting.jpg Kennys Vargas connecting. Download attachment: Sano Fielding.jpg Miguel Sano at third base. Download attachment: Melotakis Warmup.jpg Mason Melotakis warming up. Download attachment: PostGame 1.jpg Postgame - JD Williams Download attachment: PostGame2.jpg Postgame - Nate Roberts and his mustache and Tyler Grimes Download attachment: PostGame 3.jpg Tommy Watkins high-fiving Eddie Rosario with Kennys Vargas and Miguel Sano behind. Download attachment: PostGame4.jpg Postgame - Jairo Rodriguez and Drew Leachman Download attachment: PostGame 5.jpg Postgame - Dallas Gallant and other bullpen arms. Click here to view the article

Kyle Gibson returned to the mound and after struggling in recent starts, he recorded his first win in a month as the Twins topped the Mariners 5-4. Brian Dozier homered for the tenth time this season and Josmil Pinto hit his sixth home run. Glen Perkins made it interesting in the ninth, but recorded the save. In the minor leagues, Mike Pelfrey and Josh Willingham returned to the field in rehab appearances with the Red Wings. There is an unsung player putting up tremendous numbers in New Britain over an 11 game hitting streak while a hitting streak reaches 13 games in Ft. Myers. The Cedar Rapids Kernels are streaking in the wrong direction. Download attachment: Alex Wimmers.jpg Let’s look at the goings on in the Twins system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Columbus 2 Box Score Rochester’s game was the first opportunity for Mike Pelfrey and Josh Willingham to play for a while. Pelfrey made a rehab start for the Red Wings and threw 81 pitches in five innings. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk. He struck out three. Edgar Ibarra struck out three in two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked one. AJ Achter gave up one run on one hit over two innings to record his third Red Wings save. He struck out three and walked none. Josh Willingham batted fifth and was the DH. He went 0-4 with a strikeout in his first game in over a month. Chris Herrmann’s torrid streak continued. He went 2-4 and his now hitting .467 (14-30) since his demotion. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4 and hit his second home run. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with his eighth double. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 4, Harrisburg 3 Box Score With how well Kennys Vargas has been hitting the last few weeks, Reynaldo Rodriguez is quietly putting up great numbers too. Coming into this game, he was hitting .476/.500/.738 (1.238) with two doubles and three home runs in his past ten games. On this night, he extended his hitting streak to 11 games with an eighth-inning, two-run home (his seventh) that gave the Rock Cats the lead, a lead they held on to. Corey Wimberly went 2-5. Nate Hanson and Brandon Waring each hit a double. Matt Koch and AJ Pettersen both went 1-3 with a walk. Pat Dean gave up some hits, but at the end of the night, he had another quality start. He gave up three runs on 11 hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked none. Dan Turpen gave up a hit and walked three over 1.1 innings. Lester Oliveros came on, walked three and got the final five outs to record his sixth save. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 2 Box Score Alex Wimmers was due. He had given up 23 runs in his last three starts. Although eight of the runs in his last start were unearned, he has been getting hit. On this night, the former #1 pick was back in good form. He gave up just one run on two hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out eight. Sometimes we forget that this is his first season after Tommy John surgery and a second arm surgery. There will be some ups and downs, but he needed a good start. Steven Gruver went the next two innings. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk. He struck out three. Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless ninth inning, walked one and struck out one. Jorge Polanco extended his hitting streak to 13 games. He went 2-4 with his eighth double. He drove in the Miracle run as well. Travis Harrison was also 2-4. The two combined for four of the team’s six hits in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Burlington 8 Box Score Aaron Slegers struggled and lost for the first time this season (4-1). He gave up six runs (5 earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Alex Muren pitched the final two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits. He walked one and struck out three. The Kernels’ bats managed just five hits in the game. Mitch Garver went 2-4 with his third stolen base. Michael Quesada hit his first home run of the year. JD Williams doubled, and Bryan Haar hit his second triple of the year. The loss was the seventh straight for the Kernels. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Alex Wimmers, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Oswaldo Arcia, Rochester Red Wings SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Logan Darnell (Listen) New Britain @ Harrisburg (DH @ 5:00 CST) – Matt Summers, Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Daytona @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – Jason Wheeler (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – Ryan Eades (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday, it means that on Saturday 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

After a one-day break, we return today with Part 3 of the Minnesota Twins Top 50 Prospects. After looking at prospects 41-50 earlier in the week, today I'll present prospects 36-40. Be sure to check the links to the previous pieces of this list at the bottom of this article for background into what is considered while making these lists. As always, feel free to discuss each of these players and the rankings of those discussed to this point. Part 3: Prospects 36-40[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In this group, there are some pitchers with #3 upside and some question marks. For one, the question is health and how well he will be able to come back. For others, the question will be whether or not the Twins should have them start or push them to the bullpen? This is definitely not an easy question to answer, and those answers are not needed right away. The fifth person within this list is a very talented, athletic catcher. #40 – Alex Wimmers – RH SP (24) The Twins made Wimmers their first round pick in 2010 out of Ohio State. In 2011, he fought control issues, but came back with a season-ending no-hitter. He made one start in 2012 for New Britain and went on the DL. Later in the summer, he had Tommy John surgery and missed all of the 2013 season with the exception of a few rehab appearances in the GCL. Will the Twins add him to their 40 man roster next month? Regardless, 2014 is a huge year for him. In four minor league seasons, he’s made just 16 starts (counting 6 rehab starts in the GCL in 2013). When healthy, he has a low-90s fastball and a very good changeup and a curveball. Despite injury, he still has the ability to be a mid-rotation type. #39 - Tim Atherton – RH SP (23) The Australian right-hander originally signed with the Twins in 2007 as a hitter, but after being released in 2008, he returned to the Twins in 2011, this time as a pitcher. At Cedar Rapids this year, he made 20 relief appearances before moving into the rotation for 11 starts. His numbers were similar in both roles. He struck out nearly a batter per inning as a starter after striking out 42 in 33.1 innings as a reliever. He has good stuff, tops 90 mph with a fastball and has a very deceptive delivery. Atherton pitched the final innings of a Cedar Rapids no-hitter in early April, a game started by... #38 – Tyler Duffey – RH SP (22) After the Twins used their 5th round pick a year ago on Duffey, he walked two and struck out 27 in 19 relief innings in Elizabethton. He moved into the starting rotation this year in Cedar Rapids and in his first start, he worked the first seven innings of a combined no-hitter. He made nine starts with the Kernels before moving up to Ft. Myers where he made nine more starts and six relief appearances. It would be great to see him strike more out, but he does have a good pitch-mix so it’ll be interesting to see if he can remain in the rotation. Download attachment: CR NoNo.jpg Photo by Rinaldi Photos L to R: Tyler Duffey, Jairo Rodriguez, Josue Montanez, Tim Atherton #37 – Mason Melotakis – LH SP (22) Melotakis was the Twins 2nd round pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State (LA) where he was primarily a reliever. He made 20 relief appearances last year between Elizabethton and Beloit. He was moved to the rotation in 2013 with Cedar Rapids and spent the entire season with the Kernels. He went 11-4 with a 3.16 ERA. He made 16 starts before ending the season with eight games in relief. As a starter, his fastball sat between 89 and 92. As a reliever, he would occasionally hit 97. So, like Duffey, the question will be (and has been since he was drafted), do you want him to start and take longer to possibly get to the big leagues, or should he go to the bullpen where he could move up more quickly? #36 – Brian Navarreto – C (18) Navarreto was the Twins 6th round pick this past June out of high school in Florida. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, he is a very strong, very athletic catcher with a powerful arm and powerful bat. In high school, he unfortunately made a name for himself for reasons that one would not want to be known, but he has tremendous talent. He hit just .226 in the GCL in his pro debut, but had 10 doubles and three homers. He also threw out 34% of would-be base stealers. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So there you have it, Part 3 of my Top 50 Twins Prospect list. We'll be back tomorrow with Part 4, prospects 31-35. Part 1: 46-50 Part 2: 41-45 Click here to view the article

If you take a look at the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month for April 2013, you will see some absolutely remarkable statistics put up by the likes of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Josmil Pinto, Eddie Rosario and Adam Walker. Buxton and Sano have not played due to injury. Rosario is serving a suspension. Pinto is up with the big league club, hitting pretty well. Adam Walker has struggled in April, but he does have five home runs. I don’t know if any of the top five on this list would have appeared in that report, but there were a few really strong offensive performances in the Twins system in this season’s first month. Download attachment: Mitch Garver 2.jpg Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in April: Number 5 – Ft. Myers – Travis Harrison - (28-87) .322/.368/.471 (.840) with eight doubles, one triple, one home run and 15 RBI. Harrison got off to a slow start this year. Through the first ten days, he struggled to get on base. However, he has been on fire during the second half of the month. A move to left field (from third base) has likely created some challenges. Once he started hitting, he transitioned from the bottom of the order to batting second. He’s hit doubles, and I believe he has the potential to bust out soon with a lot of home runs. He’s also sneaky-quick on the base paths, a very smart ball player. Number 4 – Rochester – Doug Bernier – (20-56) .357/.431/.571 (1.002) with six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. Bernier was one of the great, positive stories of the 2013 Minnesota Twins season. The 33-year-old had a two-game cup of coffee with the Rockies in 2008. He didn’t give up on his dream and got to spend the second half of the season with the Twins. He returns to Rochester where he has been playing all over the baseball field, including in the corner outfield spots. He is also off to a terrific start with the lumber, specifically showing a lot of extra base hits. Number 3 - Rochester – Chris Parmelee - (30-92) .326/.382/.511 (.893) with five doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI. Parmelee, the former first round pick, had to be frustrated this spring when the Twins designated him for assignment to remove him from the 40 man roster. No team claimed him and he reported to the Red Wings. He didn’t start out hitting much, but he came on really strong late in the month. He ended the month on a 13-game hitting streak (which he extended on Thursday) and showed more of his power. Last weekend, one of his home runs was a walk-off for the Red Wings. Number 2 – Jorge Polanco – Ft. Myers Miracle - (32-93) .344/.421/.495 (.915) with six doubles, one triple, two home runs and 15 RBI. Remember when the early reports on Jorge Polanco, when the team signed him as a 16-year-old, he was known for his glove. And, he does play good defense. However, this spring, they have decided to move him to shortstop at least for the time being and he has really struggled. He has not struggled at all with the bat. He is a top of the order bat. He takes quality at-bats and has good extra base power. In my opinion, the purpose of moving Polanco to shortstop is to give him a more clear path to the big leagues now that Brian Dozier has taken over at second base. That alone tells us how much the organization believes in him. The April Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Ft. Myers Miracle C/1B Mitch Garver (25-78) .321/.413/.628 (1.041) with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 15 RBI. Garver was a fourth-year senior selected in the 9th round last year out of New Mexico. He was runner-up for the 2013 Johnny Bench Award. Fellow Twins 2013 draft pick Stuart Turner won the award. Often a four-year senior taken in the top ten rounds is strategic. They don’t have much leverage, so they can be signed for less than slot value which allows the team to go above in other places. That said, Garver had a strong career in college and he has a strong bat. He showed that offensive potential in the month of April. Though he went hitless in his first game, he went on a strong run for the next two weeks. He hit for a lot of power and showed a willingness to take walks. He leads the Midwest League in several power categories including extra base hits, total bases and home runs. Drafted as a catcher, Garver spent a lot of time in spring training working with Tom Kelly at first base. He’s been a mainstay in the middle of the Kernels lineup. There were several solid performances in April that weren’t included in the Top Five. Here are some Honorable Mentions who just missed out on the Top Five. Kennys Vargas (22-79) .278/.363/.443 (.806) with four doubles, three homers and 12 RBI.Tanner Vavra (22-64) .344/.391/.438 (.829) with six doubles and eight RBI.Zack Larson (27-88) .307/.351/.455 (.806) with 10 doubles, one home run and 13 RBI.Feel free to comment and discuss. Click here to view the article

This afternoon, the Twins Gulf Coast League team will be playing its first game of the season. As is typical, this is a group with players from all around the world. It is a group of players from the Dominican, Venezuela, Germany, Taiwan, and Australia getting an opportunity. There are several players on this roster who have spent time in the Dominican Summer League. There are young players drafted the last year or two. There are some college picks who are more raw and there just isn’t room for on the Elizabethton roster. It is a mixed bag that manager Ramon Borrego will work with. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Right now, there are just a couple of names to know, to pay special attention to. Amaurys Minier and Kohl Stewart are the big names. However, over the course of the season, we’ll get to know more about several other players and most likely there will be a few more players that we will be excited about. PITCHERS (18) The first six pitchers will begin the season as the starters. Lewis Thorpe – Thorpe is a left-handed pitcher signed by the Twins last July. Still just 17 years old, Thorpe has a fastball in the upper 80s that touches 91-92. Sam Gibbons – The 19-year-old right-hander was signed out of Australia in July of 2011. Last year with the GCL Twins, he was 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA. In 35.1 innings, he walked eight and struck out 22. Fernando Romero – Romero signed out of the Dominican Republic in November of 2011. The 18-year-old went 1-4 with a 4.65 ERA last year in the Dominican Summer League. In 31 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 28. Damian Defrank – Another Dominican right-hander, Defrank signed in April of 2012. He went 0-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 14 starts in the DSL last year. In 53 innings, he walked 16 and struck out 27. He is still 18 years old. Leonel Zazueta – Zazueta signed last August from Mexico. He is an 18 year old who already throws in the mid-90s. This is definitely one prospect to watch. Kohl Stewart – Stewart, as you know, just signed a contract that came with a $4.5+ million bonus. He throws hard and has (at least) four pitches. His future is remarkably bright, but the work starts now. Brandon Easton – The Twins 24th round pick this month out of Lakeland Community College, he also played first base in school. But, at 6-6 with a big fastball, he struck out 78 in 59.2 innings this spring. Stephen Gonsalves – Like Stewart, Gonsalves was the Twins 4th round pick and signed for an over-slot value this week. The long lefty throws in the upper 80s and is very projectable. He’s got a long ways to go, but he has big potential. Derrick Penilla – The 21 year old lefty was the Twins 15th round pick this year out of Mount San Antonio College where he struck out more than a batter per inning. Reyson Zoquiel – The 19-year-old lefty signed with the Twins in July of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year in the DSL, he went 0-3 with a 6.34 Era in 32.2 innings over 23 games. He struck out 37, but he walked 35. The year before, he walked 15 and struck out 11 in 18 innings. Jose Abreu – Signed from the Dominican Republic in September of 2010, the 20-year-old right-hander went 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA last year in the DSL. In 40 innings, he walked nine and struck out 23. A year earlier, he was 3-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 41.2 innings. He had walked 12 and struck out 29. Miguel Gonzalez – An 18-year-old right-hander from the Dominican, he signed in July of 2011. Last year in the DSL, he went 1-4 with a 2.01 ERA. In 44.2 innings, he walked 20 and struck out 35. Josh Guyer – The Twins signed Guyer from Australia last August. He is a hard-throwing 19-year-old who will debut this week. Zach Hayden – The 21-year-old is a right-hander from the University of South Carolina in Aiken. He was the 23rd round pick of the Twins this month after striking out 43 batters in 21 innings. Of course, he also walked 23 batters. Chih-Wei Hu – Signed from Taiwan last August for $220,000, the 19-year-old righty is 6-1 and 210 pounds. He throws in the low-90s already. Markus Solbach – Solbach signed with the Twins out of Germany in February of 2011. This will be his third season with the GCL Twins. In 2011, he went 3-3 with a 1.91 ERA in 15 games in relief. Last year, he was 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA in 11 games, though he walked just one and struck out 14 in 17 innings. He is 6-5 and 195 pounds. Tyler Stirewalt – The Twins 21st round pick this month out of Fresno State, Stirewalt is the definition of a project. He is 22 and 2012 was his first year of baseball in college. He played football at the college before switching to baseball. He is a great athlete and has been clocked at 94 mph. Jared Wilson – The Twins drafted Wilson a year earlier, but he went back to UC Santa Barbara for his senior season. He was their 19th round pick this year. He has very good velocity on his fastball and a good curveball, he just has poor control. He’s also already 23. CATCHERS (4) Jorge Fernandez – Fernandez was the Twins 7th round pick a year ago out of Puerto Rico. He played 30 games for the GCL Twins last year and hit .263/.288/.283 with two doubles. He is 6-3 and 190 pounds, a switch hitter and does have a high ceiling. Joel Polanco – The 20-year-old signed out of the Dominican in December of 2010. In 44 DSL games in 2011, he hit .205/.366/.283 with eight doubles. Last year, in 39 games, he hit .254/.369/.381 with 15 doubles. Brian Navaretto – The Twins 6th round pick this year out of high school in Florida. He is 6-3 and 220 pounds already. However, he’s a very good athlete but very raw, as you would expect from an 18-year-old. Alex Swim – The Twins 22nd round pick this year, Swim is 22 years old. He caught all 46 games this spring for Elon University. INFIELDERS (5) Jonatan Ynojosa – Signed by the Twins in 2009, the 20 year old has played 119 games in the DSL over the past three seasons. Combined, he has hit .171/.297/.217. Will Hurt – The Twins 16th round pick last year from Lexington Catholic (Ben Revere’s alma mater), he got off to a slow start last year. He hit just .141/.221/.141 in 27 games. He is very fast. Nelson Molina – The 18-year-old was the Twins 11th round pick this year from Puerto Rico. He is already 6-3 and 170 pounds, so he’s got some room to grow. Scouts believe that he can stick at shortstop. Engelb Vielma – Vielma will turn 19 tomorrow. Last year in the DSL, he hit .268/.354/.331 in 44 DSL games. He added four doubles and three triples. Amaurys Minier – Minier is the player to watch on this roster. Signed last July for $1.4 million, he is already moving to third base in the GCL. He is 6-2 and 200 pounds, but he has great strength and bat speed. OUTFIELDERS (6) Chad Christensen – The Twins 25th round pick this month out of the University of Nebraska, he was the Huskers shortstop his first two years and played in the outfield the last two years. Jason Kanzler – The fifth-year senior has a very nice power-speed combination. The 22-year-old was the Twins 20th round pick this year out of Buffalo. Zack Larson – The Twins drafted Larson last year in the 20th round out of high school in Florida. The Twins had some bonus money to use and were able to use it to sign this talented player. He is 6-2 and 185 pounds. Lsat year in 15 GCL games, he hit .250/.318/.325 with a double, a triple and three stolen bases. Adonis Pacheco – Last year in the DSL, Pacheco hit .322/.408/.536 with nine doubles, 12 triples, four homers and 34 RBI. He also stole 18 bases in 23 attempts. He was signed by the Twins in September of 2009, and last year was the 21 year old’s third season in the DSL. Rick Schwarz – The Twins signed the 18 year old in May of 2012 from Australia. He was an infielder there, but is a great athlete and has some upside. Ryan Tufts – Tufts was signed recently out of a tryout camp in Florida. The last he played was at Palm Beach State Junior College. He is a very good athlete that the organization thought was worth signing and giving an opportunity. There is the roster. Let the games begin! It’ll be fun to get to know more about these players. View full article

Happy Minor League Opening Day! This is a great day for me. Opening Day with the Twins was tremendous, but when minor league opening day hits, we as Twins fans suddenly have as many as five games and box scores to follow! Last September, the Minnesota Twins made the business decision to leave Beloit and enter into a player development agreement with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. It’s fair to say that both sides are excited about this relationship. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Tonight, the Kernels will open their 2013 season, ironically, against the Beloit Snappers, now an affiliate of the Oakland A’s organization. Gary Keppel, Kernels Team President and Board of Directors member told a group of media before their Meet the Kernels night at Perfect Game Park, “We are truly, truly excited to have the Twins here. We had a great affiliation for 20 years with the Angels, but we are looking forward to a long, long relationship with the Twins. I think it’s going to be great for our fans that as the players develop and get toward the big leagues that they’ll be able to take a four hour trip up there to go up and see those players. They’ll be in the same time zone so they can catch more games on TV. But, from a selfish standpoint, we’re very, very excited that those folks are going to be coming down.” Yesterday, I hopped in my car in Eagan, Minnesota, at about 12:20 p.m. I headed south on I-35. Shortly after Mason City, Iowa, I exited and took highway 18 East/27 South and took that until Cedar Falls, Iowa, where I connected with highway 380 and headed south. At 4:45, I arrived in Cedar Rapids, the home of the Twins new Midwest League affiliate. With a quick stop to grab something to eat, and one stop to add some gas, I still arrived at the ballpark in just under four-and-a-half hours. It’s not a very long drive from the Twin Cities, and this summer, it will be worth your time to take a trip or two to see the Kernels. They have a group of very talented players on this spring’s roster, and more will be coming when the likes of 2012 first round picks J.O. Berrios and Luke Bard, as well as fellow Top 10 Twins prospect Max Kepler come to town. Byron Buxton, the 2nd overall selection in the 2012 MLB draft will be starting the season as the team’s primary centerfielder and leadoff hitter. Since being drafted, he has drawn comparisons to the likes of BJ Upton, Andrew McCutchen and Adam Jones. One long-time baseball person in Cedar Rapids, having seen him for the first time last night, observed that he looks so much like a young Willie Mays, facially, body type and his style and arm from centerfield. High praise, but he still has some work to do before he’ll be ready for the big leagues. Former Twins infielder and current Kernels hitting coach Tommy Watkins said of Buxton, “I got a chance to see him in instructional league last year. He has amazing ability. I mean, he’s got all the tools, and he’s a great guy to go along with it. I think you’ll be very happy with how he plays the game.” Kernels manager Jake Mauer said, “He is, tool-wise, what you expect a #2 pick to be. One thing that’s really struck me is the person that he is, and how he goes about his business. That’s very exciting. We had a meeting with all of our guys individually today. We go over objectives throughout the season, what we expect, roles and all that. When it came to Byron, we just want him to be himself and just to go out and play. Obviously there are some expectations and things like that, but once you’re between the lines, you’re the only man out there. All that other stuff doesn’t really matter.” I asked where he would hit, thinking he could be a leadoff hitter who steals a ton of bases, or a Number 3 hitter because of his power potential and all-around game. Mauer added, “he’s going to lead off for us to start here. He’s a young man that will be similar to Aaron Hicks and we’ve had this conversation with him throughout the minor leagues. He can lead off. He can hit third. Obviously Aaron is up there in the big leagues now getting an education on… that’s a tough draw, Justin Verlander right out of the shoot, that’s introduction to big league pitching there… Byron’s going to lead off and probably be our primary centerfield. You’ll see him out there quite a bit. Tools-wise, it’s kind of cultivating all of them. He’s going to learn some things, tendencies. He’s got a chance to steal a lot of bases. And then again, he’s got a chance to be a middle of the lineup type hitter, and that’s kind of rare. You don’t find a guy with that tool set and the things that he can do. But the biggest thing for him is to get through the season. It’s going to be a long year. It’s the first time he’ll get to play in over 140 games we’re going to play. So, it’s him getting prepared, not only physically, but also mentally. That’s something we’re looking forward to see how all these boys react to that.” When Buxton himself was asked what he was going to be working on the most, he hesitated for a couple of seconds. Teammate Travis Harrison jumped in saying, “He’s pretty good at a lot of things!” Harrison is another very exciting prospect in the Twins system. He was the team’s first supplemental first round pick in 2011 out of high school in California. He gave up a scholarship to USC to sign with the Twins. He hit for average last year in Elizabethton, but did struggle early in that short-season with the glove at third base. It’s an area he knows he needs to improve upon. “I want all parts to see improvement. Everyone knows I need to get better at defense. I know that. That’s what I’ve been working really hard in the offseason trying to get better at. But then again, I can always be a better hitter as well, so, if you were to say a strength, I’d say hitting, but hopefully by the end of the season, it’ll be both.” Watkins also spoke well of what he’s seen from the 20-year-old. “I think Travis has made some tremendous strides. The good thing about it, he wants to get better. I think you just take it slow. One day at a time. It’s a process. It’s every day getting ground balls, getting games under your belt. But he’s doing a good job, and he wants to get better. I think that’s the main thing.” Mauer added, “He was an outfielder in high school, so he is fairly new to him as far as playing in the infield. Tommy hit the nail on the head, he wants to get better and that’s part of the battle. He believes that he can play third. We believe that he can play third. Just from the beginning of spring to where he is now, he’s made some pretty good strides and we just expect him to keep continuing to get better. If he wants to, which he does, I think you’ll see a big difference from April to August in him defensively.” And that is what the purpose of the Midwest League. The lower levels of the minor leagues are often designed to allow players to get instruction, get into games, and get better. A year ago, I saw the Beloit Snappers play two games in early June and saw some struggles from the likes of Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario defensively. When I returned in early August, I saw both of them had improved greatly. This is a talented roster. I talked briefly with shortstop Niko Goodrum, who said he is up to 200 pounds after being drafted at maybe 170 pounds. He looks ready to play. Last year’s Appalachian League MVP, Candido Pimentel will play a lot of second base this year. Jorge Polanco will play both middle infield positions. Dalton Hicks and one of the unsung players from last year’s Beloit Snappers run, Drew Leachman will get time at first base. Tyler Grimes has made the transition to catcher and reports are quite positive on how well that has gone. The starting pitchers in this rotation will be Taylor Rogers, Hudson Boyd, Mason Melotakis, Tyler Duffey, David Hurlbut and Brett Lee. The bullpen includes arms like Tim Atherton, Steve Gruver, Tyler Jones, Chris Mazza, Manuel Soliman and Matt Tomshaw. Following the press conferences, Kernels players were on the stadium’s concourse, meet and greeting fans and host parents. I talked to several players who were so impressed with the Kernels and with the Cedar Rapids community. Host parents volunteer to have the players stay with them. Players don’t have to pay them a dollar. Given the fact that most of the players on the Kernels roster will make just $1,500 per month during the season, that is an important factor. The Kernels will provide pre and post game food to the players. Tommy Watkins showed me around the clubhouse. It is very impressive. The manager has an office. The coaches have their own room. There is a room set up for when instructors like pitching coordinator Eric Rasmussen, or roving instructor Paul Molitor come to town. Adjacent to the player’s clubhouse is a very impressive weight room with free weights and machines. There are two batting cages under the bleachers as well. In a word, the stadium and the atmosphere at Perfect Game Field and of the Kernels management is staff is “professional.” One new thing at Perfect Game Field in 2013 is their new LED scoreboard. It measures 30 feet tall by 48 feet wide. It’s huge, and it’s very clear. It was built by Daktronics who has built scoreboards for many Major League stadiums. It’s one of the largest scoreboards in the Midwest League, and they tout it as the biggest TV in Iowa. In fact, when the Kernels season opening game is complete tonight, they will show the NIT championship game between Iowa and Baylor on the scoreboard. Keppel talked more about the affiliation with the Twins. “You’ll see from Brad Steil, Bill Smith and Terry Ryan that it’s a high-quality organization. That they have the same values we do in terms of community service, developing players within the organization and having them develop within the framework of what they want to do.” Keppel also informed media that “the Twins have developed a Harmon Killebrew Community Service Award that they are going to give to one player at each of their affiliates. It’s just a testimony to how much they think of community service and how much they want to develop players off the field as well as on the field.” It was a lot of fun to be at Meet the Kernels night. Following the player’s time on the concourse greeting fans, they held a short practice on the field, under the lights. They stretched and threw. They took a solid round of infield, and then they took a full round of batting practice. Tyler Grimes launches home runs. Adam Walker hit a ball out of the ballpark in left field. Byron Buxton hit after him and hit some long home runs, but after Walker left the ballpark, Buxton hit one even further. The temps dropped throughout the evening, from probably 46 degrees to the upper 30s. Temperatures at game time tonight are expected to possibly touch 60, so it won’t even be all that bad. This will be a fun group to follow and watch develop, but it was great to see these young men truly enjoying playing baseball. If you have a chance, come down this weekend and see this group. Find a time during the summer and watch these guys, many of whom you may see playing in Target Field in a couple of years. You won’t be disappointed. Pitching Matchups this weekend: Thursday - 6:35 p.m. - LHP Taylor Rogers vs RHP Raul Alcantara Friday - 6:35 p.m. - RHP Hudson Boyd vs RHP Michael Ynoa Saturday - 2:05 p.m. - LHP Mason Melotakis vs LHP Seth Streich Sunday - 2:05 p.m. - RHP Tyler Duffey vs RHP Vincent Voiro View full article

Tonight, Brian Dozier made his Major League Baseball debut. He fielded a ground ball off the bat of Albert Pujols in the first inning and made all of the plays throughout he game. He was hitless in his first three at bats against Jered Weaver. In the bottom of the 8th inning, he singled right up the middle against reliever Dave Carpenter for his first big league hit. At first base, he as patted on the helmet and congratulated by Albert Pujols. Soon after he scored his first run. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It seems like we have heard a lot about Brian Dozier since this spring when he made a strong impression on the coaching staff and the media. Dozier has been on two or three SethSpeaks Weekly Twins podcasts, and I had the opportunity to meet him on a couple of occasions. Today, I'd like to share with the Twins Daily readers the story on Dozier that I wrote for my 2012 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. I wrote articles, using quotes from the subjects, on my choices for minor league hitter of the year (Dozier), starting pitcher of the year (Liam Hendriks) and relief pitcher of the year (Andrew Albers). Here is my Dozier story, and I believe it shows why he is a person (And a player) that Twins fans should root for. ---- Minor League Player of the Year: SS Brian Dozier By Seth Stohs, SethSpeaks.net Brian Dozier grew up in the small town of Fulton, Mississippi. The town’s population is just shy of 4,000 in the northeast corner of the state. To Dozier, it’s the “best place on earth to me. Everything is always the same. You always know what you’re going to get when you come back here.” Occasionally, Dozier tells people that he’s from Tupelo. “I’m actually ten minutes outside of Tupelo. I tell people sometimes when I’m the road that I’m from Tupelo just because a lot of people have heard of Tupelo with Elvis being from there.” But Dozier is proud of his Mississippi roots. “It’s awesome. Everybody knows everybody. All of my best friends are still here. It’s just very laid back, and I love it here.” Brian Dozier was the choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Year for 2011. It may be a cliché, but Dozier can be described simply as a “Baseball Player.” If you’re looking for someone in the Twins farm system that represents the organization perfectly, look no further than Dozier. “I grew up around baseball. My dad was my coach throughout all of my years. I had an older brother – two years older than I am – that I looked up to throughout my younger days, and even now. He has taught me a lot.” Although he grew up a big Mississippi State fan, watching all the greats that came through there, Dozier decided to attend the University of Southern Mississippi. “I had a lot of offers. I’m actually from right outside of Ol’ Miss and Mississippi State, two great SEC schools that kind of recruited me. I chose well by going to Southern Miss, I believe. It was also a great fit with me, a blue collar program, and I fell in love with the coaching staff.” Dozier was very successful in college. As a freshman, he played in 62 games and hit .368/.442/.488 with eight doubles, four triples and three home runs. As a sophomore, he played in 61 games and hit .339/.402/.456 with 17 doubles and four home runs. In his junior year of 2008, he played in 64 games and hit .342/.403/.476 with 17 doubles, two triple and five home runs. Despite these tremendous numbers, he went undrafted and returned for his senior year. Unfortunately, a broken collar bone cost him time during his senior season. It limited him to just 37 games, but he hit .391/.485/.587 with 13 doubles, a triple and four home runs. However, it was all worth it. “We had the opportunity to go to Omaha (to play in the College World Series) which was one of the best times of my life my senior year.” In his four seasons, he walked 87 times while striking out just 73 times. He was also hit by a pitch 25 times. The Twins used their 8th round pick in 2009 to draft the shortstop. “I was very blessed to be drafted by the Twins and believe it was a great fit for me.” He signed quickly and reported to Ft. Myers where he spent five games with the GCL Twins. He was then sent to Elizabethton where he hit .353/.417/.431 with 7 home runs in 53 games with the E-Twins. He was able to get off to a fast professional start, and he quickly credits the coaching staff. “Right out of the gate, we have the best managers in our rookie system in Elizabethton, Ray Smith, Reeder (Jeff Reed) and Shelly (Jim Shellenback). Those guys have been around the game so long, and they are just so knowledgeable about everything. I remember going to Elizabethton and Reeder being my hitting coach. I didn’t really have to ask him much. Rather, I just fed off his stories. The stuff he was telling, it just gave you goose bumps. He talked about playing with Barry Bonds, catching a perfect game, that kind of stuff. And, he taught me a lot. Right away, he found a little hole in my swing, and we got going on fixing that on Day 1. Elizabethton had a great influence on me.” He began 2010 with the Beloit Snappers. In 39 games, he hit .278/.347/.338 with seven doubles and a triple. On May 22, he was promoted to Ft. Myers. He played 93 more games and hit .274/.352/.354 with 11 doubles, one triple and five home runs. On the season, he walked 60 times with 57 strike outs. He had 16 stolen bases in 21 attempts. He successfully laid down 12 sacrifice bunts. It was a solid 2010 season for Dozier, his first full season in the Twins system. It came as a surprise to many when the Twins announced that Dozier received an invitation to big league spring training. Dozier said, “I was very much surprised. I got the invite on Christmas Day. We were opening presents and that was the biggest one of them all. Very blessed.” Merry Christmas, indeed! Dozier made a strong impression on the Twins coaching staff, but he also learned a lot from the experience. “For me, the experience to get to know all the guys. I came in the first day, and I was locker mates with Michael Cuddyer, who I’ve been watching for years on TV. He has become a friend of mine now. I learned a lot from him and the other older guys, how they are on and off the field, how they interact with fans. I think that’s the biggest thing. As a young guy, you worry so much about the baseball side, you also have to think about the stuff that comes with it. I had an awesome time and had a lot of fun.” Having ended 2010 in Ft. Myers, he knew that he would not be making the big club. He was sent back to Ft. Myers to start the 2011 season. He played in 49 games with the Miracle. He hit .322/.423/.472 with 11 doubles, five triples and two home runs. Again, he credited his manager, Jake Mauer. “I tell you what, he’s a player’s coach. He’s been there, gone through the system and everything. He really relates to his players very well.” He moved up to New Britain and worked for former Twins hero Tom Brunansky, a member of the Twins 1987 World Series championship team. Dozier said, “He is one of the best when it comes to hitting. He knows how to hit. Actually, when I got moved up, he found a couple of little tweaks in my swing that I never knew I was doing. He showed me on film. I was like, ‘Well, that makes sense!’ Ever since then, since that first week, we worked really hard in the cage, and he found a couple of things, and it took off from there.” Under the tutelage of Brunansky and manager Jeff Smith, Dozier played in 78 games with the Rock Cats and hit .318/.384/.502 with 22 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs. Just days after he was promoted to New Britain, he was hit in the face with a pitch and missed just a week. Mark Dolenc is a Minnesota native who spent the past two seasons in New Britain. He said, “When Dozier came up, he immediately stepped in and took on a leadership role.” Dozier said, “I think from a leadership aspect, everybody kind of looks to the shortstop. They are the captain on the infield. I know Gardy takes a lot of pride in his shortstop being like the quarterback on the field. I’ve taken that to heart a lot. Same thing with my college coach, he was the same way. I’m not a big vocal guy. I never have been. I do try to put myself into the right situations, the right place at the right time, not only on the field but off the field. We see a lot of guys that aren’t playing the game the way it is supposed to be played, but if you play the game the way it is supposed to be played and always give 110%, people respect that. I try to do that each and every day.” Not only did Dozier put up big numbers for the Rock Cats, but he did so while helping his team push for a spot in the playoffs. The team fell short on the final day, but it was a great experience. “We had a great year with the Rock Cats. Even in Ft. Myers, before I got called up, we were in the race for the first half of the division. I left a week early to go to New Britain and found myself in a great situation. They were in a playoff race the whole time I was there. You can’t ask for anything else when you come down to the wire. It just makes it that much more fun.” So how does he separate winning with personal development in the minor leagues? “Sometimes everybody is worried about stats and you want to move up, but at the same time, stats will come if you work hard and put yourself in the right position for when the time comes. So you have to sit back and let that take care of itself and just play the game of baseball. Sometimes, especially at this level, we get into this mindset that it’s such a business. We try to do too much, but it’s a game. It’s a game we all grew up loving to play. We’ve got a group of good friends that have we’ve made over the years. If we just go out and play that game, which we all love to do, we have a lot of fun, and that’s what we did.” Combined, Dozier hit .320/.399/.491 with 33 doubles, 12 triples and nine home runs. He scored 92 runs and drove in 56. He stole 24 bases. He was hit by 11 pitches. He successful laid down 10 sacrifice bunts. He primarily played shortstop (93 games), but he also played 28 games at second base and three games at third base. Late in the season, he found out that he was invited to participate in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. He was excited. “It’s a great opportunity to play with and against the best guys in the minor leagues. I’m truly blessed that they picked me for that.” In 26 games for the Mesa Solar Sox, Dozier hit .296/.358/.454 with eight doubles and three home runs. He scored 27 runs and knocked in 22. He was four-for-four in stolen base attempts. He was selected to play in the league’s Rising Stars game, and in his first at bat, he homered. Did he get out of the AFL what he was hoping to? “Yeah, I really did. The Fall League offers so much. You get to see where you are versus some of the best competition in the game at our level. I got to meet a lot of new guys, guys I’ve played against but never actually got to develop a friendship with. Now I have, and hopefully I can play many years against them down the road. I got to play under a great manager in Joe McEwing. He’s so intelligent with the game. I got to learn a few things from him. Actually, he gave me some insight on being set up for the play. I think that’s the biggest thing I learned from ‘Super Joe.’ I had a great time.” Between 1998 and 2006, Joe McEwing played in 754 games with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Kansas City Royals and Houston Astros. He was a very solid utility player. He played more than 45 games in the big leagues at second base (238), left field (161), shortstop (99), third base (92), right field (79), first base (61) and center field (46). McEwing ended his playing career after the 2008 season and has quickly moved up the coaching ranks in the White Sox organization. In 2011, he was the manager of the Triple-A Charlotte Knights. After Robin Ventura was named the new manager of the White Sox, McEwing was named the Third Base Coach. McEwing was a great influence for Dozier. “He stressed to me that I’m still a young guy and primarily a shortstop, and the Twins want me to play shortstop, but down the road, you never know, may have to play second base. I may have to in the near future. He saw one little thing with my set up before plays, a tip, and it flew out from there, improved my range. I’m very grateful for that. Anything you can learn from a guy like Joe McEwing is always positive. He’s a great guy, and I’m lucky that he got to be our manager out there.” 2011 was a great year for Brian Dozier. But he knows that he still has more work to do before he reaches his goal of getting to the big leagues. “I’ve just got to be prepared. I have to get myself into the best shape possible. I’m not taking too much time off from baseball. Swinging that bat. Taking ground balls. All that footwork and stuff to put myself in the best possible position when I go to big league camp in February.” With all the Twins issues and injuries in 2011, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire mentioned Brian Dozier several times as a guy he would like to see up with the Twins. It didn’t happen for various reasons, many of them business-related. But Dozier said, “I’m going to get there, it’s just the fact that you’ve got to wait it out and prepare yourself so when that time does come, you’re fully prepared and ready to go. I felt like I had a pretty good year and put myself in the talk up there (with the Twins management) to actually be called up just two years into the system, which is great. Hopefully I can work hard this offseason and get that opportunity next year.” There is a strong likelihood that Twins fans will see Dozier in the big leagues sometime in 2012. And when he gets there, Twins fans will see a “Baseball Player.” They will see a team-first leader. They will see a guy who is proud of where he is from and appreciative of all those who have helped him get to where he is. He hasn’t played in a big league game yet with the Twins, but Brian Dozier is already a strong representative of what defines a “Minnesota Twin.” Download attachment: BDozierMiracleHit.jpg Click here to view the article

Under the lights of Friday night lights, several Twins minor leagues shined brightly. None more so than Miguel Sano, the Dominican third baseman whose tremendous power makes him one of the game’s top prospects. He wasn’t the only Twins minor league leaguer to have a strong night. Niko Goodrum returned to the Cedar Rapids lineup with a big game. One of the few prospects in Rochester had a nice game and then got some great news after the game. Elizabethton got a great start and five players got on base at least five times in their final game of the season. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Friday.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 3, Buffalo Bisons 6 Box Score The Red Wings tailspin continues as they lost for the eighth time in their last ten games. It was also the third time that the team blew a late lead in the last eight games. The big hit in this one was a 3-run homer off the bat of Andy LaRoche. Kyle Gibson made the start and worked the first four innings. He did not give up a run. He allowed two hits, walked four and struck out four. Logan Darnell, making his first relief appearances in the regular season since 2010 in Elizabethton, was charged with three runs (2 earned) on one hit and two walks in two innings. AJ Achter came on and gave up two runs on one hit in just 0.1 innings. Edgar Ibarra gave up one hit and struck one out in 0.2 innings. Virgil Vasquez gave up one run over the final two innings. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck out one. Eric Farris went 2-3 with his 23rd stolen base. Antoan Richardson stole his 25th base for the Red Wings. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with his eighth and ninth doubles. He was told after the game that he is heading for Minnesota and will be on the roster starting Sunday! New Britain Rock Cats 7, Reading Fightin Phils 3 Box Score Miguel Sano has had some big games this year, and this one ranks right up there. He went 3-4 with his 15th double and his 34th and 35 home runs of the season (19 with the Rock Cats). He drove in three runs and now has 102 combined on the season. Nate Hanson went 2-4. Jordan Parraz went 2-4 with his 11th double. Download attachment: Miguel Sano NB.jpg BJ Hermsen made the start and gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits over five innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out four. Corey Williams gave up two hits and walked two batters over two shutout innings. He struck out three. He was credited with the Win in his AA debut. Dakota Watts struck out three over two perfect innings. Ft. Myers Miracle 4, Bradenton Marauders 3 Box Score Taylor Rogers was just getting in some more work before the playoffs. The left-hander started and gave up just one hit over the first four innings. He struck out five. Tyler Duffey came on and pitched a scoreless fifth inning. Chad Rodgers gave up three runs on four hits over three innings (but he got the Win to improve to 8-2). Zach Jones struck out the side in the ninth. Stephen Wickens led the offense by going 3-3 and stole his 20th base. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-4. Matt Koch hit his 20th double. Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, Kane County Cougars 2 Box Score The Kernels continue to roll toward the playoffs with a big win to give them an 86-49 record on the season. They used a big six-run fourth inning to do most of their damage. Niko Goodrum returned to the lineup after coming off of the Disabled List. He went 3-5 with his 21st double, fourth home run and three RBI. Jonathan Murphy went 2-5. Jorge Polanco hit his fifth homer, and Max Kepler hit his ninth of the season. Josue Montanez continued to pitch well. On this night, he gave up two runs on seven hits over seven innings. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out five. Dallas Gallant went one scoreless inning. Brian Gilbert gave up two hits, but no runs, in a scoreless ninth inning. Elizabethton Twins 8, Pulaski Mariners 7 (12 innings) Box Score I guess the E-Twins didn’t want their season to end, so they worked a little overtime. Yorman Landa started and went six shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out two. Tanner Mendonca came on to start the seventh inning and walked two, gave up a single, walked another and gave up another single to load the bases before being relieved by Ryan Eades. Eades gave up a bases-clearing double, and then a triple. Mendonca was charged with five runs allowed without recording an out. Eades was charged with one run on two hits and a walk over two innings. Andre Martinez came in and gave up one run on one hit and one walk in one inning. Austin Malinowski went the final three innings and gave up just one hit. He struck out three so his season ends with an impressive 2.01 ERA. Rory Rhodes led the offense. He went 4-6 with his 13th and 14th doubles. Zach Larson went 3-6 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Bryan Haar went 3-5 with a walk. Zach Granite was 2-4 with three walks and his fifth triple. Logan Wade went 3-6. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Click here to view the article

On Friday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins played the Baltimore Orioles to a 2-2 tie at Hammond Stadium. The big news of the day was that the Twins had restructured closer Glen Perkins’ contract. Meanwhile, on the back field, the two Twins' Class A affiliates were playing spring training games against the Class A affiliates of the Tampa Bay Rays. It may not sound all that great to many, but when the Cedar Rapids team threw three of the Twins top young pitching prospects, it made for must-see-MiLB! Kohl Stewart, Fernando Romero and Lewis Thorpe all took the mound for the Kernels. On the other field, minor league baseball’s top two RBI producers of 2013 started where they left off.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Let’s start with the Cedar Rapids game? Why? Because pitching is what wins, right? And the (distant) future of Twins pitching was on display. Download attachment: Kohl Stewart 3.jpg Making the start for the Kernels roster was 2013 first-round draft pick Kohl Stewart. He struggled a little bit with his control the first couple of batters. The leadoff batter hit a leadoff single up the middle. He stole second before the next batter singled to right field, the lead runner stopping at third. It was at that point Stewart took off a bit. He got a weak ground ball to first base (the run scored). He then struck out the next two batters on curve balls. In the second inning, he struck out the first two batters, both also on the curve ball. He walked the third batter on a close, 3-2 pitch. He had a two-strike count on the next batter when the base runner was caught stealing. In the third inning, Stewart got a broken-bat grounder to the short for the first out. He fielded his position well on a comebacker from the second batter. The third batter got hold of one and hit a triple off the wall in left field. However, Stewart recorded the third out on a soft liner to the third baseman. That was it for Stewart in the outing. He gave up one run on three hits. He walked one batter and struck out four. He was consistently throwing 93-94 mph with the fastball and touched 95 (and he makes it look easy). The curveball was a very impressive pitch and had other pitchers sitting behind home plate shaking their heads. Asked for his thoughts on his first outing, he said, “I felt good. I was a little wild in the first inning, but the more I went on, the more comfortable I was. I kind of settled in the second and third inning. There’s a lot more out there.” He threw three of his four (or more) pitch mix in the game. He didn’t even throw what some believe could be his best pitch, the slider. Said Stewart, “I only threw fastball, curve, change today, two-seam. I didn’t throw the slider today.” Next in for the Kernels was hard-throwing 19-year-old Fernando Romero. He came in and was very impressive. The strong-legged, strong-armed right-hander made things look pretty easy in his first inning. He got a broken-bat groundout to first base on the first batter. He then struck out the next two batters he faced. In his second inning, he struck out the first batter. The second batter hit a bounding ground ball. Shortstop Jonatan Hinojosa made a terrific play but the throw to first was just a little late. The next batter reached out and hit a grounder through the right side for a single. Romero responded with a strikeout. However, the sharp breaking ball got by the catcher for a wild pitch and a run scored. Romero did get the final two outs without further damage. So, Fernando Romero gave up one run on two hits in two innings. He walked none and struck out four. As impressive, the radar gun showed his fastball between 92-95 mph, touching 96 a couple of times. He breaking ball clocked in at about 84-86 mph. He also had a changeup in the 83 mph range. For the 6th inning, the Kernels brought Lewis Thorpe into the game. Things weren’t easy for him in his first inning. The first batter singled. The next batter hit a ball to shortstop that was an error. He recorded the first out with a fly out to center field. The next batter had a single to right to load the bases. At that point, Thorpe bore down. He got a strikeout on a sharp curve ball. Then, he pumped up his best fastball of the day to get a strikeout for the third out of the inning. In the 7th, Thorpe walked the first batter. The next batter bunted, and Thorpe fielded his position well and got the out. With a runner on second, he got a line out to third base which was turned into a double play when the runner was too far off second base. In his two scoreless innings, he gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. He sat between 89-91 mph with his fastball. His breaking pitch and changeup are in the low 80s. You can see the competitive fire, even in a game like this. When he had the bases loaded and just one out, he got the two needed strikeouts on two different pitches. The curveball was sharp, and the fastball hit 93 mph. He found that second gear, so to speak. Though the three pitchers threw for the Cedar Rapids Kernels work group today, it is unlikely that any of them will start the season with the Kernels. They will most likely start the season at Extended Spring Training. Christian Powell and Chris Mazza each pitched an inning as well. Offensively, Zack Larson had two singles in four at bats. Alex Swim caught the final six innings. He went 1-1 with a double and a walk. Chad Christensen went 2-2 with a two-run single. On the other field, the Ft. Myers Miracle played as well. They used five pitchers. Lefty Mason Melotakis went the first three innings and looked like he was throwing pretty hard and showing a good breaking ball. Minnesota-native Brandon Peterson worked the next two innings. The reliever from Wichita State throws really hard (I was unable to see a radar gun) and showed a sharp slider. He looks like he could be really effective out of the bullpen. Todd Van Steensel continues to impress. He looks like a guy who can come in and get hitters out. He gave up a couple of hits, but he looked strong. Finally, Alex Muren worked the final two innings. Pedro Florimon played for the Miracle. He batted each of the first three innings and played three innings in the field. In the first inning, he batted second and flew out to left field on the first pitch. In the second inning, he batted third and struck out looking. In the third inning, he batted second, swung at the first pitch and bounced back to the pitcher. In the second inning, he fielded a ground ball cleanly, but the throw short-hopped Dalton Hicks for an error. Two batters later, he got another ground ball, fielded it smoothly and made a strong, chest-high throw. Don’t be surprised if he gets a start for the Twins by Sunday. In 2013, Dalton Hicks led minor league baseball with 110 RBI. Coming in second was Adam Walker with 109. It appears that the duo is starting 2014 on the right track. In the second inning, Walker crushed a ball well beyond the fence in left field for a home run. In the sixth inning, he came up with the bases loaded and drove in two with a single up the middle. Logan Wade and Zach Granite scored. Hicks came to bat next and his double drove in two more. Walker was 2-4 with the three RBI. Max Kepler also hit the ball well. He had a line drive triple to the gap in left centerfield and displayed very good speed. He added a single later in the game. Hicks was 1-2 with a walk and the two-run double. Please feel free to comment and ask any questions that you would like. Click here to view the article

Saturday night was Minnesota Twins night at Perfect Game Field in Cedar Rapids. The rains came, but there was an excitement because Twins great Rod Carew made the trek to Iowa. Before the game, he was briefly in the Kernels locker room. He then spent over an hour signing autographs and shaking hands with fans that lined up, around several corners, trying to meet the Hall of Famer. He joined Morgan Hawk, the Kernels radio man who was also on TV locally on that night, for the first two innings. At that time, he was made available to the media. He spent 15 minutes talking about all kinds of topics with the small group. Here is Part 1 of that interview, a look at his career. In the next two days, I'll post two more parts of the interview. Download attachment: Rod Carew Interview2.jpg Of course, the first question he was asked was if he had been to Cedar Rapids previously, he said that he had. “It was in the dead of winter and it was cold.” Carew never played in Cedar Rapids. The 68-year-old spent just over two years in the minor leagues before he advanced to the big leagues. He made us aware of an interesting rule from a previous era. “Back then, they could take 28 guys north, and at the end of the month they cut down to 25 man rosters.” The Twins history is rich. He played his first big league game with the Twins on April 11, 1967. Carew talked about debuting with the Twins, with some great teammates. “As a 20-year-old kid coming up and being on the same club as Harmon Killebrew, and Tony Oliva, and Jim Kaat, and Mudcat Grant, and Earl Battey. Those are guys that I learned a lot from, especially Tony Oliva and Harmon Killebrew, and we remained friends until his death.” He said that he continues to think about Killebrew frequently since he passed away a couple of years ago. “It’s still hard. We know we’re not going to live forever, but when you get close to someone. He was my mentor. I learned so much from him, and then to lose him. I still think about him. My wife and I were just talking about Harmon a couple of days ago, about his passing, so he’s always here, he’s always in my heart.” He continued, “One thing I learned from Harmon is that it doesn’t cost anything to be nice. And so, when he told me that, I thought to myself that I would go through the rest of my life, no matter what happens, I’m always going to be nice.” Last week marked 50 years since the Minnesota Twins signed Carew out of high school in New York City. Asked to reflect on that time, he said, “You know, I never thought that I would accomplish the things I accomplished in baseball. As a young kid, you hope that you do well, but I never thought I would go on and do the things that I did. But I was fortunate, I had people around me that worked with me and talked to me, so that helped. I was blessed with God-given talent, but having God-given talent is not all that it is. You also have to work. You have to continue honing those skills or trying to get better." And to be an all-time great, Carew had to have a competitive edge. “I was greedy. I was never satisfied. If I had three hits one day, I wanted four. If I had four hits one day, I wanted five.” He continued, “That was my mentality. I learned that from being Tony Oliva’s roommate for ten years. He always used to tell me, ‘Rookie, get as many base hits as you can.’ So I was very fortunate.” Carew's numbers are remarkable. In 19 years, he hit .328/.393/.429 (.822). He finished his career with 3,053 hits. He was an 18-time All Star. He won seven batting champions. He had six Top 10 finishes in MVP voting and won the 1977 award. That season was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, in Twins history. He hit .388/.449/.570 (1.059). His OPS+ was 178! He had 239 hits including 38 doubles, 16 triples, 14 homer runs, drove in 100 and scored 128 runs. He played his final game on October 5, 1985, and in 1991, he was inducted into Baseball's Hall of Fame. What does it mean to be a Hall of Famer to Rod Carew? “HOF means you’re at the top of your profession. And to be in the same place with Ty Cobb, Ted Williams, Christy Matthewson, and Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson and all those great players. As a young kid, you don’t think about that. You don’t think about playing to get to the HOF. You’re thinking about playing and surviving and hoping you stay healthy to do good things. I was fortunate to do that. It’s one of the greatest fraternities in the world. When we get together Hall of fame weekend, we have a good time. Pitchers talk about how they used to get you out, and hitters talk about how many HR they used to hit off of you. It’s just a great time that we have together.” Over the next couple of days, I'll continue to post Mr. Carew's comments regarding several topics including what he tells young players and how the game is different today than in his era. Click here to view the article

“It excites me a lot. Look at that line. Those guys have all been mentored by the guy in front of them. Me being mentored by Denard Span means I'm the next one in line. I've still got to get to the big leagues, still have to earn my place as a big league center fielder.”[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Those were the words of Aaron Hicks at Twins Fest when asked what it meant to follow in the Minnesota Twins centerfield lineage of Kirby Puckett to Torii Hunter to Denard Span. As Hicks looks to be the Twins next great, long-term centerfielder, I thought it would be fun to look back and the others, the other guys who got a chance to play some centerfield for the Twins and, for whatever reason, were not able to make their name for themselves. Assuming Aaron Hicks takes over the centerfield job, he will be the one to follow Denard Span. That said, it is important to note that Ben Revere, who was the Twins first-round draft choice in 2007, a year before Hicks was the Twins first round pick, did play a lot of centerfield the last two seasons as well. And also, don’t forget that the centerfielder who was the Opening Day centerfielder immediately following the departure of Torii Hunter was Carlos Gomez. So many think that Kirby Puckett passed the centerfield torch to Torii Hunter, but that is not technically the case. Hunter was the Twins first round pick in 1993. That was the last year in which Puckett was the Twins primary centerfielder. However, Puckett did still mentor the very young Hunter on and off the field. In 1994, Kirby Puckett moved to right field and the be-goggled Alex Cole was the primarily Twins centerfielder. Late in that 1994 season, Rich Becker took over as the team’s centerfielder, a position he would man through the end of the 1997 season. In 1998, the Twins brought in Otis Nixon and he played 108 games in center field. Torii Hunter took over the centerfield position in 1999, although he had his stint in Rochester in 2000. Matt Lawton and Jacque Jones each got some time at the position as well, but it was basically Hunter’s job until he left for the Angels following the 2007 season. Kirby Puckett debuted with the Twins on May 8, 1984, against the Angels. He was the Twins centerfielder for the better part of a decade. However, the position has been played by many over the previous decade, for various reasons. For some, it was poor play. For others, they left for greener pastures when the Calvin Griffith regime deemed them too expensive to keep. Let’s go back to 1961, when the Twins came to Minnesota. Their centerfielder was Lenny Green. He had come with the team from Washington where he had taken over the position in 1960. He was there into the 1964 season. However, in 1963, Jimmie Hall became the primary centerfielder. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in a year in which he hit 21 doubles and 33 home runs. He remained the starter through 1965. He lost playing time in the World Series because he hit left handed and the Dodgers had Sandy Koufax in their rotation. In 1966, Ted Uhlaender took over for Hall, who played other positions more often and then was traded to the Angels following the season. Uhlaender was the centerfielder through the 1969 season. Cesar Tovar played all over the diamond during his years with the Twins. In 1969 and 1970, he was the primary centerfielder. Jim Holt played a lot of centerfield in 1970 and 1971. In the 1970s, the Twins had some pretty good performers in centerfield, but they seemed to take turns a lot. Steve Brye played a lot of centerfield from 1972 through 1976. Larry Hisle played the position frequently from 1973 through 1977. Dan Ford was the team’s primary centerfielder in 1975 and again in 1978. He moved to the corner outfield in 1976 and 1977 because of the emergence of Lyman Bostock. For a couple of years in the ‘70s, the Twins would have had an outfield of Dan Ford, Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle. That’s a pretty strong outfield. The Twins and the Angels certainly seemed to enjoy trading with each other. The Angels also signed many free agents from the Twins during these years. Following the 1978 season, the Twins traded Rod Carew to the Angels in exchange a package of players that included Ken Landreaux, who was the team’s centerfielder in 1979 and 1980. He hit .294 with 50 doubles, 16 triples and 22 home runs in those two season and was an All Star in 1980. Following 1980, he was traded to the other Los Angeles team, the Dodgers, for a package that included Mickey Hatcher. Hatcher was in the Twins outfield for several years, primarily in left field. However, in the 1981 season, he played primarily in centerfield. Before the 1982 season, the Twins made another trade with the Dodgers to acquire Bobby Mitchell. He had 13 plate appearances in 19 games for the Dodgers in the two previous seasons combined. HE came to the Twins and was the primary centerfielder in 1982 and played some there in 1983. In 1983, Darrell Brown took over in centerfield. The Twins had acquired him as a free agent in December of 1982. He hit .272/.297/.304 (.601) with six doubles and two triples. He got another month in 1984 before the team called up Kirby Puckett, a singles hitting, speedy outfielder who would go on to become one of the greatest players in team history and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. We read so much about the Twins line of centerfielders from Puckett to Hunter to Span. And now that will be handed over to Aaron Hicks and he is not taking that lightly. There is a good chance that, once he establishes himself, he will start mentoring Byron Buxton to take his position and run with it. Hopefully this review of the Twins centerfield position has been a fun look at the history of the Minnesota Twins. I always enjoy being reminded of names that I haven’t read or heard about in a long time. Those of you who have been fans of the Twins since the early years should really enjoy telling the rest of us stories you recall about some of these players. I hope you’ll use the comments to do just that. View full article

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be writing about some of the biggest topics of the Minnesota Twins' spring training. Some of those are position battles. One such ‘battle’ fans will be playing close attention to in 2014 is one that was pretty big in 2013. Who will go into the 2014 season as the Twins starting centerfielder? Though you will likely read about this being a three man race for the job, it is likely really just between two players. That said, the player who may get the most attention at the position is a fourth option.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] LOOKING BACK Before we start thinking about 2014, let’s take a look back to one year ago. The Twins had traded Denard Span and Ben Revere. By the time of Twins Fest, the Twins' front office was touting Aaron Hicks as ready to take over. Sure, they also often said that Joe Benson, coming off micro-fracture surgery, and Darin Mastroianni would also be competing for the job. However, there was little to no question who would open the season as the Twins starting centerfielder. It was called a competition through spring training. Since it was called a competition there had to be a winner, and there was no question who won that challenge. Aaron Hicks hit like crazy in the very small sample size of spring training. In 73 at-bats, he hit .370/.407/.644 (1.051) with six doubles, a triple and four RBI. He also was three for three in stolen base attempts. Darin Mastroianni played pretty well too, but he entered the regular season with an ankle injury that cost him the majority of the year. Benson struggled, as was expected after missing much of the 2012 season. He hit just .151/.286/.283 (.569) with two doubles, a triple and a home run. After continued struggles, Benson was DFA'd and claimed by the Texas Rangers. He signed a minor league contract with the Miami Marlins this offseason. Of course, what fans remember much better than the spring training stats of Hicks are the numbers he put up in the regular season. He hit just .192/.259/.338 (.597) with 11 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. He certainly flashed some talent. How about the game against the White Sox when he stole a home run with his glove and hit a home run from both sides of the plate? Or, how about the throw in Yankees Stadium to nail a runner at third base? However, for the most part, it was a disappointing season for Hicks. Download attachment: AlexPresley.jpg In August, the Twins received Alex Presley from the Pirates in the Justin Morneau trade. He made 28 starts for the Twins to end the season and hit .283/.336/.363 (.699) with four doubles, a triple and a home run. Presley has struggled in parts of four seasons in the big leagues. Overall, he has played in 232 games and hit .264/.304/.411 (.715). In 733 minor league games, he has hit .292/.352/.437 (.789). LOOKING TO SPRING Let’s start with the obvious. Wilkin Ramirez is likely not in competition for the starting centerfield job. He may be competing for the 25th man on the roster, but it’s fair to say he won’t be the Twins starter. Also, Darin Mastroianni may be involved in the competition this spring, but ultimately, he’s fighting for a fourth (or fifth) outfield job after being designated for assignment during the offseason. The big question for Twins fans (and frankly, the front office) has to be; what does Aaron Hicks have to do this spring to win the centerfield job? Think about it. If he puts up the remarkable spring statistics he did a year ago, will he win the job? What are the intangibles that manager Ron Gardenhire will need to see for him to get the job. Hicks certainly has the potential and the tools to be a very good, all-round outfielder. He may never hit for average, but he has shown an ability to get on base. He does have extra base power. He plays tremendous defense and has a very strong arm. The Twins certainly have not given up on him. He gained ten pounds this offseason in an attempt to get stronger. He did not play winter ball which allowed him to clear his head and rest his body. He should come to camp strong. We know he will be either the Twins starting centerfielder or the Rochester Red Wings starting centerfielder. He will not be a backup at this stage of his career. The Twins brass need to determine what is best for him, long-term. However, the incumbent right now is Presley. Though he hasn’t shown a lot in the big leagues, his minor league career implies he could become a decent player. Specifically, he has shown an ability to get on base, and he has shown some extra- base pop. He is a solid defender, though certainly not in the class of Aaron Hicks. He probably profiles more as a fourth outfielder than a starter. That’s probably what he is with the Twins as well. He is likely the favorite for opening day starter, but at the end of the day, he is most likely a stop-gap. He is a place-holder maybe for Aaron Hicks who should come up sometime in 2014 and get another shot. He is also, in the big picture, a stop-gap till Byron Buxton arrives. Oh, Byron Buxton… He will also be at big league spring training this year. The consensus #1 prospect in all baseball is the talk of minor league baseball. The question with him is not IF, but WHEN. When will Buxton come up to the Twins, and just how great can be become. Of course, we also need to remember he has just a half-season of High-A ball under his belt. He is likely to start the season in New Britain, but a midseason promotion to the Twins is not out of the realm of possibility. In spring training, he will be looking to make an impression on the coaching staff. SUMMARY This will be an interesting competition to watch. As noted, I really believe it is a two-man race between last year’s opening day centerfielder (Aaron Hicks) and the incumbent for the job (Alex Presley). Ask yourself the question I did above: What do you think Aaron Hicks needs to do, or needs to show, to be the starting centerfielder? Presley is out of options, and he’s a solid outfielder, so he appears to be a shoo-in for the opening day roster, but should he be the starter? And, ultimately, how long will Twins fans have to wait for Byron Buxton. Buxton could force Hicks to a corner outfield spot and Presley to the role of backup outfielder again. How do you see this position battle playing out throughout the spring? Click here to view the article

After eight Minnesota Twins minor league games to report on Thursday night, it was nice that all six Twins' affiliates played just one game on Friday night. There were a couple of one-run losses, and a walk-off win. Two teams had little offense, and the one team that seemingly gets big offense every day did so again. Brett Lee was easily the pitcher of the day with a complete game when his team needed it the most. With the extreme struggles and frustrations surrounding the Twins' big league team, it’s nice to have some good teams and terrific prospects to follow throughout the minor leagues. Here is a look at what happened in the Twins farm system Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 7, Pawtucket 8 Box Score PJ Walters returned to the Red Wings rotation Friday night. He started with three scoreless innings before giving up one in the fourth and three in the fifth. He allowed those four runs on five hits in 4.1 innings. He walked four and struck out three. Luis Perdomo gave up two runs on a hit and two walks over 1.2 innings. He struck out three. Blake Martin gave up two runs on two hits and two walks (while striking out two) in one inning. AJ Achter threw a 1-2-3 inning. Antoan Richardson provided much of the offense on this night. The speedster went 4-5 with three doubles (12 on the year). Chris Colabello went 1-3 with two walks. Doug Bernier hit his fifth triple. New Britain 1, Trenton 4 Box Score The offense was pretty much non-existent for the Rock Cats in this game. They managed just six hits. Miguel Sano and Josmil Pinto were both 1-2 with two walks. DJ Baxendale took the mound. The righty gave up three runs (2 earned) on nine hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out two. After that point, the bullpen got some usage. Cole Johnson came on and struck out two over the next four outs. BJ Hermsen gave up a hit and recorded a strikeout in his scoreless inning. Dan Turpen entered and gave up a run on a hit and recorded just one out. Tom Stuifbergen came on and got the final two outs of that inning. Matt Hauser worked a scoreless inning. Ft. Myers 0, Lakeland 5 Box Score Speaking of little offense, the Miracle were shut out Friday night. Jhon Goncalves went 2-3 with a walk and his 18th double. Byron Buxton went 1-3 with a walk. Levi Michael went 1-2 with two walks. Manuel Soliman started and went 4.1 innings. He was charged with four runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two. Chad Rodgers came on and gave up one run on two hits in 2.2 innings. He walked one and struck out two. Zack Jones pitched the final two innings. He gave up two hits and no runs; he struck out four. Cedar Rapids 7, Dayton 1 Box Score On Thursday night, Kernels pitchers gave up 13 runs on 11 hits and ten walks. Manager Jake Mauer was none too happy about it, and he told the Metro Sports Report after the game, “We’ve just got to get better. These guys have to find a way to throw the ball over the plate.” Later, he added, “You’ve got to go out there and you’ve got to compete. It’s your day. You just have to do it one day a week. That’s all we ask.” On Friday night, Brett Lee competed, giving Mauer and his Kernels teammates exactly what they needed. The left-hander went nine innings for his team. He gave up one run on five hits. He threw strikes, walked one and he struck out three. He improved to 6-4 with a 3.54 ERA on the season. Photo by Cedar Rapids Kernels Adam Walker led the offense. He gave the Kernels an early lead with a long, three-run home run, his fifteenth of the season. He was 2-4 and added another RBI. Dalton Hicks went 1-3 with a walk and his 29th double. Elizabethton 6, Bristol 5 Box Score The E-Twins came from behind to win this game. Down a run in the 8th frame, Stuart Turner doubled in the tying run. Then, with two on and two out in the bottom of the ninth, Mitch Garver singled in Bryan Haar with the winning run. Haar was 3-4 with a walk and his second double in the game. Garver was 3-5. Turner was 2-5 and the double was his first of the year. Rory Rhodes and Ryan Walker each added two hits. Yorman Landa started and was charged with three runs (2 earned) on five hits in five innings. He walked four and struck out six. Brandon Peterson gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Andrew Ferreira gave up two runs on one hit and three walks in his inning. Brandon Bixler struck out four over two scoreless innings. GCL Twins 7, GCL Red Sox 8 Box Score The GCL Twins fell behind early in this one, tried to claw its way back and fell just short. Sam Gibbons started. He was charged with seven runs (3 earned) on seven hits; he walked one and struck out none. Lewis Thorpe came on and worked the next 3.2 innings. He gave up only an unearned run on three hits. He walked none and struck out five. Dan Sattler pitched another scoreless inning. Miguel Gonzalez gave up one hit and struck out three over two scoreless innings. Amaurys Minier went 2-5 with his fourth home run. Jason Kanzler was 2-4 with a triple, three RBI and his fifth stolen base. Brian Navarreto and Jonatan Hinojosa each went 2-5. Adonis Pacheco was 1-2 with two walks and his fourth double. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article

The Twins are always looking to add more right-handed power bats. It has been a need for a couple of decades. With their third-round draft pick in the 2012 draft, the Twins selected outfielder Adam Walker out of Jacksonville University. Just look at the numbers he put up in his three years of college. In 51 games as a freshman, he hit .312/.400/.635 (1.035) with 14 doubles and 16 homers. In 61 games as a sophomore, he hit .409/.486/.682 (1.168) with 23 doubles and 13 homers. Then in 2012 as a junior, he hit .343/.426/.581 (1.007) with 14 doubles and 12 home runs.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Adam Walker Jack.jpg Upon signing, he went to Elizabethton. He played in 58 games and hit .250/.310/.496 (.805) with seven doubles, four triples and 14 homers. In 252 plate appearances, he walked 19 times and struckout 76 times. However, he played a huge role in the Elizabethton Twins 2012 Appalachian League championship. As you recall, in the decisive Game 3 of the championship series, he came to the plate in the bottom of the 9th with his team down by four runs. Following a wild pitch, there were runners on 2nd and 3rd with two outs. Walker got a pitch he was looking for and he launched a game-tying home run to send the game to extra innings. A couple of innings later, he was in the on-deck circle when teammate DJ Hicks launched a walk-off grand slam to give the team the title. That was his introduction to professional baseball. Now, he attempts to work on the things that will help him push toward advancing to the big leagues. He will work on learning the outfield. He will work to put the ball in play more frequently. He will continue to work on his power swing. One thing is a given. He will work. And today, he was willing to take the time to participate in our 12 Questions With series. Let’s get it started. Download attachment: Adam Walker.jpg --- Twins Daily (TD): Growing up, who was your favorite team, and who were some of your favorite players? Adam Walker (AW): Growing up, my favorite player was always Ken Griffey Jr. I always enjoyed watching him but I haven't quite found a new favorite players since he has retired. My favorite team growing up had to be the Brewers. Being from Milwaukee, it was hometown team. TD: Tell us a little bit about your high school career. Have you always played in the outfield? Did you participate in other extra-curricular activities? AW: In high school, I played football (Quarterback) and basketball (Forward) along with baseball. Baseball was always my favorite sport though. Growing up, until I got to college, I was a catcher actually. So I was recruited out of high school as a catcher but moved to the outfield and played some first as well in college. TD: Were you heavily recruited out of high school? What made you choose Jacksonville U? AW: I was recruited by a decent amount of schools in the Midwest area. A big part of my decision was getting south and having some better weather. So it was hard to get recruited being from the Midwest. My main options were between Jacksonville, Louisville, and Western Carolina. Jacksonville seemed like a good school for me being from a smaller high school. The coaches were great to me and they had a winning program. TD: You put up huge numbers all three years in college. What are some of the best memories from your collegiate years? AW: My best memories were in my sophomore year. We went to University of Florida and beat them by a good amount while they were the number one team in the country. Later that season, we made it to a regional and that was a great time. That experience was great and I enjoyed it a lot. TD: The Twins selected you in the 3rd round in 2012. Had you talked to Twins scouts, and is that about where you thought you might be drafted? AW: I had talked to the twins before the draft, and I knew they were interested in me. I went to a pre-draft workout in Target Field just days before the draft. I was not sure what team I would go to but I had an idea I would be taken some time around the 2nd or 3rd round. Download attachment: Adam Walker Leadoff.jpg TD: You signed quickly and reported to Elizabethton. What was the adjustment to pro ball like for you? AW: It was an interesting adjustment for me. The main adjustment was getting used to playing every day. Coming from college when you play 4 games a week to playing 7 was a big part. It wears on your body a lot more, and it was a grind. I would see better depth in pitching on teams and they attacked you with fastballs a lot more than I saw in college. Once I made some adjustments to that, I felt a lot better at the plate. TD: You had 14 regular season home runs and three huge homers in the playoffs. Discuss the championship series and particularly the monster home run you hit in the bottom of the ninth to complete a huge comeback in the championship game. Then to win the game in extras on DJ Hicks' walk-off grand slam! What a game! AW: That championship game was the most exciting game I have ever been a part of. The emotions I felt throughout the game were crazy. For me, hitting that game tying home run in the 9th was the biggest hit of my life. I just tried to tell myself to get a good pitch to hit. I was able to get a pitch up, and I didn't miss it. At the end of the game, I was on deck when DJ hit the game-winner. So I felt like I had the best spot in the stadium. I was extremely happy for him and it was a great experience. I am glad I was able to win a championship with that group of guys. TD: Were there any lessons you learned from your time in the Instructional League? AW: In the Instructional league, I learned a lot more about the defensive part of the game. This past summer was my first full season as an outfielder, so it was nice to be able to learn more about the position. I felt like I had gotten better defensively while I was there. As far as hitting went, there was not as much learning but just slight adjustments that would be able to help me not miss pitches I could handle. It was a good learning experience for me. TD: How would you describe yourself as a player? What are your strengths and what areas do you need to improve most to advance through the minor leagues? AW: I feel I can be a valuable part to a team because I bring a good bat to the order. I have always hit fairly well and I have power which helps with run production. I am working on being more consistent which will help be more of a game-changer. I have struck out a lot but with work, I will cut down and that will only make me a better hitter. Defensively, I am going to continue to keep working in the outfield, and I feel my athleticism will work well in the outfield. TD: How has your offseason been, and when do you start prepping for the 2013 season? AW: The off season has been going well for me. I took some time off after instructional league. Now I have been working out and lifting. I am trying to get stronger so I will be prepared to make it through the whole season next year. I am hitting and working on my defense as well. I am trying to come back to spring training prepared to be at my best. TD: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this stage in life and in your career? AW: My Parents have been a huge part of getting me to where I am right now. They sacrificed a lot to get me the work I needed to get better. They always push me to be the best I can be in all aspects of life. They are my best supporters and encourage me to keep working. TD: What do you enjoy doing when you're not playing baseball? AW: I am a pretty laid back person so I don't do too much outside the baseball field. I just enjoy being with my friends and hanging out. I love sports so when I have the opportunity to check out sporting games I usually watch those. TD: What is your favorite baseball movie? AW: My favorite baseball movie has to be The Sandlot. I just love watching it because it reminds me of when I was younger and just played the game for fun. It kind of reminds me that this game is fun and to enjoy it. --- It’s always fun to get to know the Twins prospects before they become household names. Thank you very much to Adam Walker for taking some time to answer our questions. Best wishes to him on a long and successful career. Please feel free to discuss in the comments. Click here to view the article

At Twins Daily, we believe that the Minnesota Twins minor leaguers deserve to be recognized. The success of Adopt-a-Prospect is evident. It provides a place on the internet where minor leaguers can be recognized for their achievement. Last week, 41 Twins minor leaguers were “Adopted” and you can learn more about them here. Starting at 9:00 a.m. central time on Friday, April 26, more players can be adopted. (Adopt HERE) For the first time, we are going to do a second round of Adopt-A-Prospect. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]We will allow people to adopt a second player. The other rules remain the same. Start a new thread with the player’s name, and in the first post, tell us all about your player. Brag up your players. It should be a lot of fun to “adopt” some of the lesser-known minor leaguers and learn all about them and be able to share that with Twins Daily readers. Be sure to check out the other rules below, and if you feel that you can meet the requirements, please stop by on Friday and adopt-a-prospect. Take a look at who has already been drafted below. Then check out the Twins Daily Rosters & Payroll list for the minor league rosters and decide who you would like to learn more about. Then, down below in the Comments, after I’ve kicked of Adopt-a-Prospect 2 on Friday morning, post your adoption! Download attachment: Kernels NoNo.jpg Adopted Players in Phase I (these players are not eligible): Alex Meyer - markos Mark Sobolewski - 5kfan Hudson Boyd - whanson16 James Beresford - SDBuhr Trevor May - Qirko Levi Michael - siouxjv Niko Goodrum - MarcusE Oswaldo Arcia - Anorthagen Jason Wheeler - MWLFan Eddie Rosario - Mr. Ed Jose Berrios - righty8383 Dalton Hicks - nicksaviking Mason Melotakis - stringer bell Chris Herrmann - Shane Wahl Kyle Gibson - Joe A. Preusser AJ Pettersen - Pogue Bear Miguel Sano - mntwinsforever Max Kepler - Sssuperdave Joe Benson - ashburyjohn Travis Harrison - 2wins87 Tyler Duffey - chance Chris Colabello - jay Byron Buxton - YourHouseIsMyHouse Danny Santana - chuchadoro Kyle Knudson - sbknudson Jorge Polanco - gunnarthor Luis Perdomo - PeanutsfromHeaven German Minier - AM. Felix Jorge - badsmerf Angel Morales - tw1ns1 Brett Lee - DAM DC Twins Fans Caleb Thielbar - goulik Drew Leachman - rcfarmer Zack Jones - MNFan4Life Nate Hanson - Mr. Horrorpants Tim Shibuya - Mike in SD Adam Walker - TRex Angel Morales - cmathewson Michael Tonkin - WatchThatBaseballSoar DJ Baxendale - Matt VS Josmil Pinto - Keenan Rules of Adopt-A-Prospect: 1) Twins Daily members can only ‘adopt’ ONE prospect at this time, in Adopt-a-Prospect 2. Each Twins prospect can only be adopted once. It will be first-come, first-serve in a new thread here that will be opened at 9:00 a.m. CST on Friday morning. (We will have another Adopt-a-Prospect after the Draft where you could draft a third prospect.) 2) Once you have confirmed that you have that player, you can post a thread. The title of the thread you start should just be that player's name. First post must be an introduction of the player. The format of the post is up to the individual, but please be sure to get all the important information needed on the player. For Example, Name, Position, Handedness, Drafted/Signed/Acquired (out of where/what round), Previous Stats, etc. Feel free to make it as detailed as you want. (There are a lot of websites you could link to such as their Baseball-Reference, The Baseball Cube, First Inning, Fan Graphs, MiLB.com, affiliate’s websites, etc.) 3) After the initial post (and throughout the season), you MUST update the thread AT LEAST once every week. If you fail to do this, the prospect can be taken away from you. [if a player is inactive due to injury or suspension, this requirement is waived as appropriate.] If you would like to update more often, please feel free. Updates should, at least, include Year-To-Date numbers for the player. The more information given, however, the better. Brag up your prospect! 4) Any major event (i.e. Promotion/Demotion/Trade/Perfect Game/4 HRs in one game...) must be reflected in the thread within a day of the event. Failure to update for this purpose may result in losing your adoptee. 5) Threads will be closed one week after a prospect has been traded out of the organization. However, if the player is traded back to the Twins (for some reason), the member who had the prospect will have the option to regain the prospect. 6) If a player is placed on the 25-man roster, this is wonderful news and you can continue that player’s thread. Reward for your player getting to the big leagues is that you can adopt a second prospect at that point. Even if the first player is eventually sent back to the minor leagues, you can maintain both prospect threads. 7) All other rules which are enforced on the main board will be enforced here. Click here to view the article

I wondered why the Twins called up Jonatan Hinojosa to Cedar Rapids. Now we know. From Bob Nightengale on Twitter: Class A #Twins IF Jonatan Hinojosa receives 50-game PED suspension for testing positive for metabolites of Nandrolone. Hardball Times' Bill Baer said this of Nandrolone: Because he was on the Cedar Rapids roster, his suspension can start right now. Had he stayed in EST, his suspension would not have started until the Elizabethton season starts in late June. Hinojosa is the fourth Twins minor leaguer currently suspended. Eddie Rosario, Dallas Gallant and Mark Hamburger are the others. They are all in Ft. Myers playing in Extended Spring Training games. Download attachment: Jonatan Hinojosa.jpg Download attachment: Jonatan Hinojosa 2.jpg ~~~ Since the Twins beat the Tigers 5-3 yesterday (Saturday), you can get 50% off a L or XL pizza from PapaJohns.com if you use the 'TWINSWIN' promo code on Sunday. ~~~ Click here to view the article

PJ Walters was terrific in his Twins debut, but the Twins lost by a score of 2-1. He gave up a single run in the fifth inning. In the sixth inning, Walters hung a 3-2 curveball to Jose Bautista who hit a line drive barely over the fence in left field for his tenth Target Field home run in ten Target Field games. The unfortunate thing is that Walters made a 2-2 pitch on the outside corner at the knees, a pitch that had been called a strike all game, but it was called a ball, extending the Bautista at bat. The Twins bullpen was also terrific. Brian Duensing threw two perfect innings, and Jeff Gray pitched a scoreless ninth frame. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Unfortunately, the Twins left a lot of base runners on again in this game. In the sixth inning, Brian Dozier led off the inning with a double, but was stranded at third base. In the eighth inning, Joe Mauer led off with a double off the top of the wall just left of center field. He never even got to third base. Drew Hutchinson, the Jays starter, pitched well, and got a lot of good bounces. On Sunday, Scott Diamond will take the mound for the Twins, attempting to help the Twins split this four-game series against the Blue Jays. On Saturday, the Twins minor league affiliates won tree out of four games. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the day: ROCHESTER 0, SYRACUSE 11 The Red Wings played as if they were awaiting a night game. Unfortunately, they played an afternoon game and it didn’t go so well. Daryl Thompson made the start. The right-hander gave up seven run (6 earned) on seven hits and four walks in just 3.2 innings. Tyler Robertson struck out two over the next 1.1 innings. Anthony Slama threw two innings, allowing just a walk. Casey Fien gave up four runs on five hits in the eighth inning. The Red Wings managed just five hits in the game. Clete Thomas was 2-3 with a walk. He hit his third double and first triple. Danny Valencia was 0-4 in his return to the Red Wings. Rene Tosoni and Ben Revere were a combined 0-7 as well. NEW BRITAIN 8, READING 4 If Twins fans have learned anything early this season, it is that it all comes down to starting pitching. In this game, BJ Hermsen was terrific again. The right-hander from Iowa threw seven innings and gave up just two runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out three. In doing so, he picked up his first AA win. Blake Martin threw a scoreless eighth frame. Luis Perdomo gave up two runs on three hits in the ninth. Wilkin Ramirez has been really good since coming up to the Rock Cats. On his night, he was 3-4 with a walk, his second and third triples and his fourth home run. He has played just 11 games with the Rock Cats and is hitting .388 with three doubles, three triples and four home runs. That is pretty strong production for the talented, 26-year-old outfielder. It was also a very productive night for Aaron Hicks. He was 3-4 with a walk and his fifth and sixth doubles. He also stole his eighth and ninth bases. Nate Hanson was 2-4 in the game. Evan Bigley’s eighth double drove in the Rock Cats first run of the game. Joe Benson is still struggling. He is now 2-21 (.095) in his first five games with the Rock Cats. FT. MYERS 3, CHARLOTTE 1 Dan Rohlfing drilled a two-out, two-run double in the first inning. It was his fourth double and proved to be all the offense that the Miracle would need. Andy Leer was 2-4. Lance Ray added his tenth double and stole his second base. Pat Dean made the start and gave up just one run on eight hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out two. Kyle Waldrop made his first rehab appearance and pitched a scoreless sixth inning. He gave up a hit, got two flyouts and a strikeout. Nelvin Fuentes came in and threw two scoreless innings. Ricky Bowen recorded his second save with a scoreless ninth inning. Oswaldo Arcia helped the pitchers. He threw out a runner at home. BELOIT 3, CLINTON 1 Matt Summers got off to a slow start for the Snappers, but he has been much better of late. On Saturday afternoon, the right-hander from UC-Irvine gave up one run on seven hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out five. AJ Achter continued his domination of the Midwest League with a scoreless eighth inning. Corey Williams gave up a hit and two walks, but no runs, in the ninth inning to record his sixth save of the season. Tyler Grimes hit a two-run home run in the 5th inning to give the Snappers a 2-0 lead and enough run support for Summers. It was his second homer of the year. Jhonathan Goncalves was 2-4 with his ninth double. Adam Bryant and Drew Leachman were each 2-4. Eddie Rosario added his 12th double of the year. In his last three starts, Summers has given up just three earned runs in 20 innings. --- Players of the Day for Saturday, May 12, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Matt Summers (photo courtesy of Justin Rinaldi, Rinaldi Photos) Download attachment: Matt Summers.jpg Hitter of the Day – Wilkin Ramirez Download attachment: Wilkin Ramirez.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, May 13, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Syracuse – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain vs Reading – LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers – No Game Schedule Beloit @ Clinton – LHP Matt Tomshaw --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

I can’t imagine that there is a worse starting rotation in Major League Baseball than the Minnesota Twins. It was really bad last year. They added only Jason Marquis in the offseason. Scott Baker had elbow surgery that turned into Tommy John surgery. Francisco Liriano, who teased in spring training, has been so bad that he’s having a skipped start after just four starts. The Twins starting staff has an ERA over seven right now. Understandably, the thing we hear from most Twins fans is that the Twins absolutely must use their first draft choice, the #2 overall pick, on a college pitcher. The reason is obvious. The Twins need pitching, and they need it now. The perception is that college pitchers come up quickly and make an impression. Sometimes that is the case, but I wanted to do a little bit of research to show that is the right thing to do.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I decided to go online and look up all of the college pitchers drafted in the top 25 players each year from 1980 through 2010 (31 years worth of data). I noted their draft slot so that I could compare pitchers drafted in the Top 5 compared to those drafted between 21 and 25. I honestly had no idea what I would fine. I know I many times have a preconceived notion that many high-profile college starting pitchers are often overused. There have been so many top college pitchers who get to the big leagues relatively quickly, have some quick success when they get there, and then their arm (shoulder or elbow) burns out, and they are a shell of their former selves. I know there are also some exceptions to that rule. I decided to use Career WAR as the stat of choice. I wanted some sort of comparative statistic that would be semi-constant in meaning. In other words, career ERA isn’t a good stat because it doesn’t provide any context, such as number of innings pitched, or what the league ERA may have been at a given time. Obviously Wins are never a good stat to use for a pitcher. So, you can argue if WAR is the right statistic for this analysis, but I think it is appropriate. I’m certain that it will be no surprise to anyone to find out that Roger Clemens, the 19th overall pick in the 1983 draft out of the University of Texas, is the leader in WAR among the 222 college pitchers selected in the top 25 picks over 30 years. His 145.5 WAR is followed most closely by Mike Mussina, the 20th overall pick in the 1990 draft out of Stanford, who had a career WAR of 85.6. Kevin Brown, the 4th overall pick in the 1986 draft from Georgia Tech, posted a career WAR of 77.2. No other college pitcher drafted in baseball’s top 25 picks from 1980 through 2010 has posted a career WAR of 36. To be fair, Justin Verlander, the #2 overall pick in the 2004 draft from Old Dominion, has career WAR of 32.5, and presumably, he will continue to pitch well for years and wind up much higher. That said, Mark Prior, the #2 overall pick in the 2001 draft from USC, had a career WAR of 16.0 through his first four big league seasons, and his career WAR was 15.8. So, you just don’t know. Here are the Top 25 college pitchers drafted in the Top 25 picks of the first round in the 1980-2010 draft, by WAR: [TABLE=width: 424] [TD=width: 53, bgcolor: transparent]Draft Yr [/TD] [TD=width: 52, bgcolor: transparent] Overall [/TD][TD=width: 129, bgcolor: transparent]Name [/TD] [TD=width: 189, bgcolor: transparent]College [/TD] [TD=width: 99, bgcolor: transparent]Draft Team [/TD] [TD=width: 43, bgcolor: transparent] WAR [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1983 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 19 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Roger Clemens [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Texas [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Red Sox [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 145.5 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1990 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 20 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Mike Mussina [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Stanford [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Orioles [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 85.6 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1986 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 4 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Kevin Brown [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Georgia Tech [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Rangers [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 77.2 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1981 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Mike Moore [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Oral Roberts [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Mariners [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 35.7 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1988 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Andy Benes [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Evansville [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Padres [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 35.7 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1987 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 5 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Jack McDowell [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Stanford [/TD] [TD=width: 99]White Sox [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 35.0 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1986 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Greg Swindell [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Texas [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Indians [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 34.9 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1988 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 17 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Charles Nagy [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Connecticut [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Indians [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 34.4 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1991 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 23 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Aaron Sele [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Washington St [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Red Sox [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 33.6 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 2004 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Justin Verlander [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Old Dominion [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Tigers [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 32.5 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1999 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Ben Sheets [/TD] [TD=width: 189]NE Louisiana State [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Brewers [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 31.7 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1985 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 3 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Bobby Witt [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Oklahoma [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Rangers [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 31.5 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1983 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Tim Belcher [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Mt Vernon Nazarene College [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Twins [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 31.4 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1999 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 9 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Barry Zito [/TD] [TD=width: 189]USC [/TD] [TD=width: 99]A's [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 31.3 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1995 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 12 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Matt Morris [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Seton Hall [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Cardinals [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 29.5 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 2006 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Tim Lincecum [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Washington [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Giants [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 27.9 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1984 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 24 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Terry Mulholland [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Marietta College [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Giants [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 26.2 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1993 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 12 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Billy Wagner [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Ferrum College [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Astros [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 24.7 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1984 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Billy Swift [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Maine [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Mariners [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 24.4 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 2004 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 12 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Jered Weaver [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Long Beach State [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Angels [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 24.3 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1988 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 8 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Jim Abbott [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Michigan [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Angels [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 23.4 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1998 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 14 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Jeff Weaver [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Fresno State [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Tigers [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 23.2 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1981 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 9 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Ron Darling [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Yale [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Rangers [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 22.1 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1989 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Ben McDonald [/TD] [TD=width: 189]LSU [/TD] [TD=width: 99]Orioles [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 21.8 [/TD] [TD=width: 53] 1998 [/TD][TD=width: 52] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 129]Mark Mulder [/TD] [TD=width: 189]Michigan State [/TD] [TD=width: 99]A's [/TD] [TD=width: 43] 21.1 [/TD] [/TABLE] Among that list, you can see a few things. There are several pitchers who have high WAR because of longevity (Mulholland, Swindell) and you can see a lot of pitchers who were pretty good but injuries derailed their careers (Sheets, Witt, Morris, McDonald). Will today’s aces like Verlander, Lincecum and Jered Weaver continue to increase their WAR over time, or will they suffer some of the circumstances that so many of these guys (and the guys with career WAR of less than 20) dealt with in their careers? Of the 222 pitchers drafted in the Top 25 overall picks from 1980-2010, the 25 shown above are the only ones with a career WAR of 20 or higher. Here is a breakdown: Career WAR Pitchers >20 25 10.1 - 20 25 5.1 - 10 16 0 – 10 78 No MLB 49 Many of you may wonder why I included the Top 25 picks from each of those years, rather than just the Top 2 picks since the Twins have the #2 pick. I did so for a couple of reasons. First, the Twins have more than just two options for the draft this year. When the draft is analyzed in five or ten years, the Twins selection at #2 will be compared against guys drafted at #3, #4, #5 and throughout the first round picks. Secondly, I was of the opinion coming into the research that the likelihood of finding an “ace” was just as good at #20 as it is at #2. Finally, in 2009 and 2010, the Twins selected college pitchers. In 2009, the Twins took Kyle Gibson with the 22nd overall pick. In 2010, the Twins used the 21st overall pick on Alex Wimmers. I wanted to understand the success rates of guys taken with those picks as well. (NOTE – Gibson and Wimmers are included in the No MLB Experience category up above, and we all hope that at some point, they will get to the big leagues and be successful.) (The Twins have had high picks such as Adam Johnson and Ryan Mills that didn't pan out, but they also have found success with the likes of Mark Redman and Matt Garza in the first round.) The next thing I did with the data was look at each of the 25 draft slots. I counted how many times in those 31 years of drafts that a college pitcher was chosen with that pick. I showed the average career WAR for those players. I showed how many have No Major League experience because they are included in the ‘average.’ I also showed which pitcher drafted in that slot has the highest career WAR. Here is that chart: [TABLE=width: 427] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] Draft Slot [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] College Pitchers [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] Avg Career WAR [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] No Maj Lg Experience [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Highest Career WAR [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 11 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 15.5 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 0 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Mike Moore/Andy Benes (35.7) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 9 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 16.3 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 0 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Greg Swindell (34.9) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 3 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 7.5 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Bobby Witt (31.5) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 4 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 14 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 8 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Kevin Brown (77.2) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 5 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 9 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 4.7 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Jack McDowell (35.0) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 6 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 11 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 2.1 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Ricky Romero (9.8) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 7 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 0.8 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Dan Reichert (3.7) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 8 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 7 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 5.7 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 4 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Jim Abbott (23.4) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 9 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 7 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 11.4 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Barry Zito (31.3) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 7 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 9.1 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Ben Sheets (31.7) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 11 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 8 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 1.8 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 5 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Max Scherzer (10.9) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 12 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 5 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 17.6 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Matt Morris (29.5) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 13 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 6 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 5.6 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Mark Redman (17.3) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 14 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 7 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 4.3 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Jeff Weaver (23.2) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 15 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 6 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 0.3 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Sean Lowe (1.8) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 16 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 12 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 6 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Roberto Hernandez/Jason Jennings (15.2) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 17 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 8 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 9.3 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Charles Nagy (34.4) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 18 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 3 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 3 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Joe Magrane (15.0) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 19 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 14.8 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 1 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Roger Clemens (145.5) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 20 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 9 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 11.9 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 5 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Mike Mussina (85.6) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 21 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 12 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 2.6 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 3 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Ian Kennedy (7.9) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 22 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 3.4 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Rick Helling (15.1) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 23 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 6 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 5.9 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 3 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Aaron Sele (33.6) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 24 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 10 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 4.8 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 3 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Terry Mulholland (26.2) [/TD] [TD=width: 65, bgcolor: transparent] 25 [/TD][TD=width: 69, bgcolor: transparent] 8 [/TD][TD=width: 84, bgcolor: transparent] 2.6 [/TD][TD=width: 81, bgcolor: transparent] 2 [/TD][TD=width: 269, bgcolor: transparent]Matt Garza (14.6) [/TD] [/TABLE] SUMMARY In summary, we could look at this data many different ways to see what it would tell us. Based on this history, the odds of the Twins drafting a college pitcher with the #2 pick and him posting a career WAR of 20 or more are like 10% History tells us that although college pitchers certainly get to the big leagues much quicker, in general, Twins fans may want to temper their enthusiasm for whoever the team takes with the #2 pick. What does this mean to the Twins? Absolutely nothing. First, as Terry Ryan said on Sunday’s “Inside Pitch” radio show, the team will take the best available player on their draft board. If it is it a position player, like Byron Buxton, Mike Zunino, or Carlos Correa, they will take that player. That is completely the right strategy. However, if the Twins’ scouts put together their list of top draft-eligible players and a college pitcher (such as Mark Appel, Kevin Gausman or Kyle Zimmer), this data should not deter them from taking that pitcher. Having the #2 overall pick is a great opportunity for the Twins to acquire a top talent. This historical perspective should provide, just that, perspective on what our expectations should be for any 1st round draft pick. However, that #2 draft slot should also provide a lot of hope that maybe the Twins can get this turned around, and pitching is the team's number one need. Having five picks in the first 72 picks of the draft is an opportunity for the Twins to add some much needed talent and life to the Twins farm system. Download attachment: Kyle Zimmer.jpg Click here to view the article

From a source with direct knowledge, Twins Daily has learned that LHP Logan Darnell is on his way to the Twins Cities and will be with the Twins on Friday night. The other half of the transaction is not presently known. A player from the current 25-man roster will need to be optioned or placed on the disabled list to make room for Darnell. The Twins will re-evaluate Aaron Hicks on Friday morning, and he could be placed on the 7 day concussion list. They could also option a reliever to Rochester. After the second game on Thursday night, Game 2 starter and 26th man Kris Johnson was sent back to Rochester. Download attachment: Logan Darnell 3.jpg The Minnesota Twins are in need of an arm on Friday and throughout this weekend. With the rainouts and Thursday's doubleheader, there could have been issues. However, when neither of Thursday's starters went beyond five innings, the bullpen was all overused. Jared Burton pitched in both games. Sam Deduno and Anthony Swarzak, the long-relievers, both threw a lot of pitches. Brian Duensing threw on Wednesday and a lot of pitches again on Thursday. The Twins need an arm. Darnell was scheduled to start for Rochester on Saturday, so he would be capable of eating extended innings if needed. Of course, it would be ideal if Ricky Nolasco would throw seven, eight or even nine innings on Friday night against Baltimore, but the Twins have to be prepared for that not happening. Yesterday, I named Darnell the Minnesota Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of April. In four starts, he went 0-0 but posted an ERA of 1.69 and a WHIP of 1.03. He worked 21.1 innings and gave up 15 hits, walked seven and struck out 21. Darnell was drafted by the Twins in the 6th round of the 2009 draft. He played college ball at the University of Kentucky where he was a teammate of former Twins pitcher Andrew Albers as well as potential Twins pitchers Alex Meyer and Taylor Rogers. Injured Ft. Myers outfielder Lance Ray and former Twins farmhand Gunner Glad also played at Kentucky with Darnell. In December, I had the opportunity to talk to Kentucky head coach Gary Henderson about these players, and he had wonderful things to say about Logan Darnell. After signing, Darnell went to Elizabethton. In 2011, his first full season, he made six starts for Beloit, 15 starts in Ft. Myers and then five starts with New Britain. He spent the entire 2012 season with the Rock Cats and then went to the Arizona Fall League. He started 2013 in New Britain as well. When he was pitching very well in mid season, he earned the promotion to Rochester. Following the season, he was added to the 40 man roster. This spring he participated in his first big league spring training and was optioned in early March so he could be stretched out and prepared to start. Darnell most likely will only be with the Twins for the weekend. However, can you imagine getting that phone call, likely very late at night, that you were going to the big leagues? Learning that you are about to live your dream has to be a remarkable moment. Click here to view the article

On Tuesday, I began my look at the Twins organizational depth chart by looking at all of the outfielders in the system. Today, we jump back into the Twins system by looking at the infielders. Compared to the outfielders, I’d say it’s more than fair to say that the Twins have not had as much success grooming infielders. Could that trend be changing? Read below and decide for yourself. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] In the following, we will consider which players may fill the rosters of the Twins minor league affiliates. Of course, this is all just my educated guess. As I’ve said, any of this could be altered by an unexpected free agent signing or a trade. Sadly, not all of these players will remain in the organization beyond spring training. Some may wind up on the Disabled List. Hopefully this list will remind you of which players are in the organization. So let’s get to it. Here are the Infielders in the Minnesota Twins organization: Minnesota Twins Justin Morneau (1B), Brian Dozier (2B), Trevor Plouffe (3B), Pedro Florimon (SS), Jamey Carroll, Eduardo Escobar Morneau is the most healthy he’s been since spring of 2010 when he put up MVP caliber numbers until he suffered a concussion. The 2006 MVP is still just 31 years old and entering his contract year. As we know, Joe Mauer and Chris Parmelee will also likely see time at first base. It is also a big year for Trevor Plouffe in 2013. The Twins are banking on him hitting similarly to what he did for those six weeks that he crushed the ball, rather than the .150 hitter he was early in the season. He is healthy and will get every opportunity. Brian Dozier struggled immensely as a rookie in 2012, but the organization believes in him and he is being given every opportunity to be the team’s second baseman. He’ll team up the middle with Pedro Florimon, the great-glove, no-hit shortstop. Those guys will get the chance, but having the solid veteran Jamey Carroll around will certainly help provide some stability. Eduardo Escobar is a terrific glove who will do well in a utility role. In my opinion, Escobar will be starting at shortstop by mid-June. Rochester Red Wings Chris Colabello (1B), James Beresford (2B), Mark Sobolewski (3B), Ray Olmedo (SS), Jeff Clement, Nate Hanson, Reynaldo Rodriguez Chris Colabello was the story of the Twins minor league system in 2012 when, as a 28-year-old, he spent his first season in affiliated baseball and had a terrific season. It earned him an invitation to Twins big league spring training, and he also will be representing Italy in the WBC. Colabello lived in Italy for several years of his youth and played for Italy in several international competitions. He has an outside shot to be a bench bat with the Twins if they go that direction. Beresford's (pictured) 2013 WBC experience is already over. He was the leadoff hitter and shortstop for Australia, but he’ll likely be playing a lot at second base as well. Ray Olmedo spent time in the big leagues in the middle of last decade, but after a few years away, he returned to the big leagues with the White Sox in 2012 after they traded Eduardo Escobar to the Twins. Olmedo and Beresford won’t hit a lot, but they will play tremendous defense. Mark Sobolewski was a Twins minor league Rule 5 selection in December from the Blue Jays organization. The cancer-survivor hit 20 home runs last year between AA and AAA. The Twins seem to really like his defense. The Twins drafted Clement in 2002 out of his Iowa high school, but he decided to go to college. It was the right choice for him as three years later, he was the #3 overall pick in the draft by the Mariners. Things haven’t happened for him in the big leagues to this point, and he’s back with the Twins on a minor league deal, playing some 1B and wanting to show he can be an emergency catcher option. Nate Hanson really stepped up his game in 2012 when he was moved to second base after playing mostly first base the year before. He was drafted as a third baseman, where he will get some time again this spring, but the former Gopher’s path to the big leagues will involve using several different gloves.Rodriguez is another veteran first baseman for some depth. New Britain Rock Cats Steve Liddle (1B), Levi Michael (2B), Deibinson Romero (3B), Danny Santana (SS), Harold Garcia, Jason Christian, Doug Bernier, Michael Gonzales, 2012 was a frustrating year for Liddle, the nephew of the former Twins coach. He began the season hurt, and he ended up going back to Beloit for a month before settling in with the Miracle. The former Vanderbilt standout will primarily play first base, although he has played some in the outfield in his career. Deibinson Romero had a very good season in 2012 with the Rock Cats. He was invited to big league spring training (For the first time since he was on the 40 man roster in 2009), but visa issues mean he is still back home in the Dominican. That may also mean that he will have to head back to the Rock Cats and wait for an opening in Rochester. Danny Santana (pictured above) really stepped up his performance in 2012 with the Miracle. At the end of the year, he was placed on the Twins 40 man roster and has shown his talent along with his weaknesses so far in camp. Levi Michael’s professional debut last year in Ft. Myers certainly got off to a rough start. He was young for his draft class, but his struggled in the Florida State League were disappointing. He has been hurt since signing with the Twins but played all of the 2012 season. He could go back to Ft. Myers for a spell to start the season, but he should get to the Rock Cats quickly. Harold Garcia, Jason Christian and Doug Bernier are long-timer minor league veterans who at this points in their careers are just happy with an opportunity to continue their careers. Michael Gonzales was alright in 2012 in Ft. Myers. He just is not able to play very long or very often in the humidity of the Florida State League. He has a condition in which he really suffers from dehydration so he is often not able to play full games or many back-to-back. He could stay in Ft. Myers, but they may move him up for an opportunity to play more. Ft. Myers Miracle Kennys Vargas (1B), Eddie Rosario (2B), Miguel Sano (3B), AJ Pettersen (SS), Andy Leer, Adam Bryant, Steven Wickens This is a pretty impressive infield, at least when they have bats in their hands. Miguel Sano hit 30 home runs in the Midwest League in 2012 and is generally considered the team’s top prospect. Rosario (pictured) will play for Puerto Rico in the WBC, but he impressed during his stint with the Twins before reporting. He will begin his second season at second base, and his defensive improvements will likely dictate how quickly he moves up to New Britain. Likewise for Sano. Kenny Vargas returned to a game lineup later last summer after finishing out his 50-game suspension on the Elizabethon roster. He came back and immediately showed the power that he possesses. For him to move up, he will have to improve several parts of his game, but his power is pretty legit. AJ Pettersen, Adam Bryant, Stephen Wickens and Andy Leer will all play around the infield and give guys days off. Pettersen and Bryant each played several positions in 2012 in Beloit. Wickens came up later in the year and played up the middle defense and did a nice job with the bat. Leer played all over the field for the Miracle a year ago. Pettersen is a former Gopher who writes for Twins Daily and for Baseball America. Leer is from North Dakota. Cedar Rapids Kernels DJ Hicks (1B), Jorge Polanco (2B), Niko Goodrum (SS), Travis Harrison (3B), Candido Pimentel, Rory Rhodes Rhodes began the 2012 season in Beloit, but he really struggled before being sent back down to Elizabethton where he split time with DJ Hicks. Rhodes is Australian. Hicks was the Twins 17th round draft pick in 2012 from Central Florida. His walk-off grand slam gave the Elizabethton Twins the 2013 Appalachian League championship. Former 2nd round pick Niko Goodrum spent his second season in Elizabethton a year ago. He did improve his shortstop defense. His batting average went down but his walk numbers and his slugging increased. Jorge Polanco was part of the international signing year that saw the Twins ink deals with Miguel Sano and Max Kepler as well. Touted for his defense and his ability to play shortstop, he has primarily played second base in the minor leagues. In 2012, his bat even came to life as he hit over .300 with the E-Twins. Travis Harrison, a Twins supplemental 1st round pick in 2011, made his pro debut in 2012 with the E-Twins. He hit for average, but most believe that his power will also develop. His error total rivaled that of Miguel Sano and will have to improve a lot if he wants to stay at third base. Pimentel was the Appy League MVP in 2012 when he was the team’s leadoff hitter. He was an outfielder, but he was moved to second base and will get some time there as well in 2013. Extended Spring Training/Short-Season Aderlin Mejia, Bryan Haar, Joel Licon, Javier Pimentel, Logan Wade, Jose Ramirez, Will Hurt Aderlin Mejia was the one player on the GCL Twins team to be named all-league. For his efforts, he was asked to play a few games with the Ft. Myers Miracle at the end of their season. Haar was the team’s 34th round pick a year ago from San Diego. He played 45 games for the GCL Twins and hit .250/.319/.345. Javier Pimentel signed for about $700,000 in 2010 and has struggled offensively since signing. Will Hurt gave up a scholarship to Coastal Carolina to sign as the Twins 16th round pick last year. He really struggled with the bat, but he has premiere speed. Licon was the Twins 25th round pick, and like Hurt, most people thought he would be a tough sign, but he did come to terms with the team. Wade is a 21-year-old Australian who signed just a year ago. He spent the winter playing in the Australian Baseball League. After spending two years in the DSL, Jose Ramirez spent 2012 in the GCL where he hit .234. TOP PROSPECTS 1.) Miguel Sano, 2.) Eddie Rosario, 3.) Danny Santana, 4.) Jorge Polanco, 5.) Travis Harrison, 6.) Travis Harrison, 7.) Niko Goodrum, 8.) Levi Michael. This prospect list isn’t so bad. Sano and Rosario could be future stars. There are five middle infielders on this list that have the potential to be a big league middle infielder if things play out right. Now, most of this talent is in the lower levels of the minor leagues. That’s why it will be important for Brian Dozier, Pedro Florimon and Eduardo Escobar will have to be able to man the positions for a couple of years. SUMMARY There are questions, to be sure, in the Twins big league middle infield. Then again, it’s also a big year for Trevor Plouffe. It’s also a contract year for Justin Morneau so it will be curious to see if a big year means a contract extension or a July trade to a contender? The Twins do have several very good minor league infield prospects, so it will be fun to watch how they develop throughout the 2013 season. Offense is what we tend to notice. Managers, coaches, and especially pitchers will also notice the infielders’ defense. Which players will be receiving the most notice as the season progresses? If you have any further questions, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments Section! View full article

Here we are, less than a week into full Twins spring training workouts. Games don’t even start for a couple of days. It’s time to start talking position battles, right? It appears to me that there are actually very few positions that are up for grabs at this stage of camp. Of course, as injuries mount through spring training, more position battles can spring up, but for now, there are a lot of givens on the roster. Hitters: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, Justin Morneau, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, Jamey Carroll, Ben Revere, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe (10 out of 13 positions are accounted for). Pitchers: Scott Baker, Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Anthony Swarzak, Brian Duensing (9 out of 12 positions accounted for). The biggest debate the last couple of days has been about the bullpen where one more job opened up with the loss of Joel Zumaya for the season. Let’s discuss that tomorrow. Let’s start today with the offensive (as in hitting!) side of the ball. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 3rd Catcher The favorite at this point for the third catcher spot has to be Drew Butera. What does he have going for him? Two years of experience catching Twins pitchers in front of the Twins coaching staff, good catch and throw guy and he’s still a pre-arbitration eligible guy meaning he will basically make league minimum. The competition for the role comes from a couple of places, 28 year olds JR Towles and Rene Rivera. Towles was a big prospect in baseball and then hit .375 in 44 plate appearances in 2007. In 141 games spread over the past four years in Houston, he has hit .168/.251/.289. Of course, those numbers are better than Butera’s the last two years, but still not confidence-inducing. We got to see some of Rivera last year and realized that he is in the same category. No offense, solid defense guy. Prediction: I think that Butera ‘wins’ that third catcher job because, frankly, there isn’t an option that is much better, if at all better. Also, he’s on the 40 man roster and the other two are not. Frankly, Danny Lehmann’s name should be in this mix because he is just as good as any of these guys, knows the Twins pitchers, and has the respect of all pitchers in the organization. Chris Herrmann is certainly the top prospect in the group, and he should begin the year in AA New Britain. Download attachment: Butera.jpg The Final TWO bench spots The starting lineup for the Twins is pretty much set. There will be a third catcher, and Trevor Plouffe will be the fourth outfielder. That leaves two spots. The favorites at this point are guys we saw in 2011. Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s debut season in the big leagues was pretty much a complete disaster. However, looking at the options for who could fill a utility role, he is the one that can play shortstop. He will have to play it (and 2B) better and also learn some 3B. He’ll also have to show an ability to hit. Although he’s a favorite, I don’t get the sense that he’s guaranteed a roster spot. If not for his shoulder injury, suffered while playing in the Australia Winter League, Luke Hughes would likely fit into the ‘given’ category. If he is healthy, I think he is a given. If he is not healthy, I think he goes on the Disabled List. I don’t think that the Twins should try to get Hughes through waivers because I think that he would be claimed and lost. The Competition for those two roster spots come from a couple of different angles. Sean Burroughs is the guy most are talking about now. His story is quite well known. He spent most of the 2011 season pinch-hitting with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He can play the corner spots solidly but would likely not have the range to play up the middle. His left-handed bat also matters as other bench options in the infield bat right handed. Steve Pearce can also play both corner infield spots and maybe be serviceable in the corner outfield. With Trevor Plouffe being the fourth outfielder, it may not be a horrible idea for the Twins to have a more proven defensive outfielder as a late-inning option. The Twins would likely prefer to have Rene Tosoni get every day playing time in Rochester, but he is an option. Recently acquired Darin Mastroianni is also a possibility as a true backup outfielder. Prediction: I believe that the Twins are likely to go with Nishioka and Hughes as the backups. Brian Dozier is probably the best infielder vying for a spot, but he hasn’t played above a half-season in AA and he’s got too much potential to waste on the bench. (That said, if he wins a starting spot, Jamey Carroll or Alexi Casilla could certainly move to the bench.) The same is true with Joe Benson in the outfield. He needs every day at bats. Chris Parmelee certainly enters the equation for a roster spot if Justin Morneau suffers any setbacks. I also believe that we will see plenty of Sean Burroughs on the Twins roster throughout the 2012 season. We’ll be back tomorrow with much more on the bullpen options, of which there are plenty. Click here to view the article

On Friday night, the Twins needed an extra inning to top the Cubs 8-7. It may not have been pretty game, but a win is a win, and the Twins have been playing much better baseball the last month. Ryan Doumit had two hits, including his sixth home run. Trevor Plouffe was 2-3 with a walk, his fifth double and his eighth home run. Ben Revere had three hits, a walk and two stolen bases. Jamey Carroll and Darin Mastroianni each had two hits. Josh Willingham had two hits including a walk-off single that scored Mastroianni with the winning run in the 10th. On Saturday, Joe Mauer and Denard Span return to the Twins lineup, and Scott Diamond looks to continue his 2012 success. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 9, NORFOLK 6 Esmerling Vasquez became the 14th starting pitcher for the Red Wings in 2012. The hard-throwing right-hander gave up just one run on three hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out six. Brendan Wise came in and in 2.1 innings gave up one run on three hits and a walk. Carlos Gutierrez gave up three runs on three hits in one inning. Kyle Waldrop gave up a run on two hits in his inning. Sean Burroughs led the offensive attack by going 4-5 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Rene Rivera went 2-2 with two walks, his fourth double and three RBI. Matt Carson went 2-3 with a walk, his 16th double and his fifth stolen base. Brian Dinkelman returned to the lineup and went 2-4 with his first double. Clete Thomas hit his second home run. NEW BRITAIN 7, ERIE 9 James Beresford continues to play well. His batting average is now up to .289 with a three-hit game on Friday night. He had a single, his third double and his second triple in this game. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk and his 13th double. He drove in three runs. Deibinson Romero hit his eighth home run. Mark Dolenc hit his first of the season. Aaron Thompson was back on the mound for the Rock Cats. In 4.2 innings, he gave up seven runs (6 earned) on eight hits and three walks. He struck out just one. Bobby Lanigan gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings. Blake Martin got the final five outs. FT. MYERS, TAMPA There was more rain in southwest Florida, and no game played. These two teams are still trying to finish a game that was started on Wednesday night. The regularly scheduled game for Friday night has been cancelled. BELOIT 7, BURLINGTON 0 The Snappers offense showed up again in this game, but when a team gets a shutout, we have to start with the pitching. Left-hander Steven Gruver has been terrific of late and on Friday night, the story was the same. He gave up no runs on three hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out three. Corey Williams gets his seventh save by throwing three one-hit innings and striking out two. Tyler Grimes went 2-3 with a walk. Adam Bryant and Jairo Rodriguez were each 2-4. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-5. Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano each hit a double. It was Sano’s 14th and Rosario’s 20th. --- Players of the Day for Friday, June 8, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Steve Gruver Download attachment: StevenGruver.jpg Hitter of the Day – Sean Burroughs Download attachment: SeanBurroughs2.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, June 9, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain @ Erie - TBD Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – RHP Marty Popham Beloit @ Wisconsin – RHP Tyler Jones Click here to view the article

I am happy to announce that the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2014 is now available to be purchased. The self-published book was co-authored by Jeremy Nygaard, Cody Christie and myself. Several others contributed to the book, as shown below. Order Your Own Copy of the Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2014 Right Here for $14.95. NOW AVAILABLE AS AN E-BOOK! Click here to order with an immediate download. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] For much more on the book and what is included in the book, click down below. Also, Jeremy, Cody and I conducted a Google Hangout last night to introduce the book. That was a lot of fun to discuss the stories, the 150+ prospect profiles and much more. --- Though we tried to be more concise and efficient in our profiles, we ended up with about 188 pages of Twins minor league content. Included are: Stories on my minor league award winners: Miguel Sano (hitter), Taylor Rogers (starting pitcher), Tyler Jones (relief pitcher) and Jake Mauer (manager).A Foreword by Twins Daily's John Bonnes.Cody wrote an article on The Anatomy of a 5-Tool Player.Jeremy wrote articles reviewing the 2013 Twins draft, and another looking forward to the 2014 draft.Jeremy also conducted an interview with Twins scout Freddie Thon.Season Reviews from each of the four Twins minor league affiliates. Twins Daily contributors Chris Fee (Rochester), Andrew Walter (New Britain) and Steve Buhr (Cedar Rapids) along with Miracle play-by-play guy Adam MacDonald penned these articles.The Top prospect lists for myself, Cody and Jeremy.And most important, there are the prospect profiles. There will be about 150 profiles on Twins minor leaguers. Yes, there are profiles on Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano and Alex Meyer. There are also profiles on Adonis Pacheco and Leonel Zazueta, as well as Jim Fuller and Kevin Thomas, the Twins minor league Rule 5 picks from Thursday. If you're looking for Christmas gifts for yourself or your Twins fan friends or family, this just might be it. The plan is for it to be available as both an e-book and a paperback book. The e-book is for those who don't like hard copies of anything. The paperback book is great as a coffee table book. When Dick Bremer or Cory Provus talk about a Twins minor leaguer, or a player recently promoted, you can go through the pages and learn a little about the player. It's also great for autographs. The cover is something that will look great autographed and many get the players' profiles autographed. It's been a ton of work for myself, Jeremy and Cody, but it's exciting that it's close. Other versions, such as an e-book or versions for Readers will hopefully be available shortly. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks also to Josh Johnson for designing the cover for the third straight year!Special thanks also to Justin Rinaldi (of Rinaldi Photos) for many pictures used on players of the Kernels and Rock Cats. Also, Linwood Ferguson, a Miracle photographer, and Scott Blanchette, a photographer for the Rock Cats. Download attachment: mnphb2014.jpg Click here to view the article

Brett Andersen made his first start in just over a year since he had Tommy John surgery, and the lefty was back in fine form. He gave up just one run on four hits and no walks in seven innings. Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect eighth. Then former Twins reliever Grant Balfour recorded his 12th save with a perfect ninth. In other words, the Twins offense just did not show up. Trevor Plouffe was again 0-4 and is now 2-29 in eight games since his return from the DL. Jamey Carroll was 0-3, and he now has one hit in his last 22 at bats over six games. Ryan Doumit is 3-22 in his last six games (yet still is hitting .290). [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Cole De Vries struggled with his control early in the game, walking three in the first couple of innings. He gave up just two runs on six hits in 5.2 innings. Anthony Swarzak came on and got just two outs but not before giving up two runs on four hits and a walk. Jeff Gray got four outs, and Tyler Robertson got the final out. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Tuesday night: ROCHESTER 0, PAWTUCKET 3 Daisuke Matsuzaka was on the mound for Pawtucket. The right-hander from Japan went seven shutout innings and gave up just one hit, to Eduardo Escobar. He also walked four batters, including Wilkin Ramirez twice. That was about it for the Red Wings offense. Pedro Hernandez started and went just 2.1 innings. He gave up one run on two hits, walked none and struckout one. He left for unknown (at this time) reasons. He was replaced by Deolis Guerra who gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in 2.2 innings. He walked one and struck out two. Caleb Thielbar gave up one hit in two scoreless innings. Kyle Waldrop threw a scoreless innings. NEW BRITAIN 2, PORTLAND 4 (15 Innings) A night after playing ten innings, these two teams went even longer on Tuesday. Jose Gonzalez, in for his third innings, got the first out of the 15th before allowing a single. He was replaced by Matt Hauser who got one out, but then gave up a long, two-run home run, and that was the difference. The Rock Cats pitched well, but the offense did not hit much at all. Oswaldo Arcia was 2-6 with his 18th double. Aaron Hicks was 2-5. James Beresford was 2-5 with a walk. Chris Colabello had a single, walked twice and drove in his 91st run of the season. Andrew Albers started this game with five shutout innings. He gave up two runs in the 6th inning and only got the first two outs. David Bromberg got the next five outs, four of them on strikeouts. Edgar Ibarra got two outs, walked on and struckout one. Dakota Watts struckout four in two, one-hit innings. Bruce Pugh struckout two and walked one in two scoreless frames. Jose Gonzalez worked two scoreless innings and struck out three batters before the fifteenth inning. FT. MYERS 3, BRADENTON 2 Since the All Star break, Josmil Pinto has been tremendous. He has hit .329/.404/.524 since then. On this night, he had just one hit, but it was a line drive single to left that drove in what proved to be the game-winning run. Jhon Goncalves scored the run. The outfielder was 3-4. Danny Ortiz went 2-4 with his 18th double. Matt Summers made the start for the Miracle. The right-hander went 5.2 innings and gave up two runs. He gave up five hits, walked three, hit two batters and struck out six. Nelvin Fuentes struck out two in two scoreless innings. He gave up three hits. Michael Tonkin got the final four outs, two of them on strikeouts. BELOIT 11, QUAD CITIES 0 The Snappers scored 11 runs on 18 hits, but the lead story in this game is the left-handed arm of Jason Wheeler. Wheeler worked the first eight innings for the team. He gave up no runs. He allowed six hits, walked one and struck out three to improve to 14-6 on the season. DJ Baxendale struckout one in a scoreless ninth frame. Stephen Wickens went 4-4 with a walk and his ninth double. Nate Roberts went 3-6 with his 15th double and 24th stolen base. JD Williams was 3-6 with his 20th steal. Eddie Rosario was 3-6, as well. Kennys Vargas went 2-5 with a walk. AJ Pettersen was 2-5 and led the way with three strikeouts. ELIZABETHTON 7, GREENEVILLE 5 The E-Twins offense got contributions from many on Tuesday night. Travis Harrison went 2-3 with a walk and his 12th double. Rory Rhodes was 2-5 with his sixth home run. Byron Buxton was 2-5. Niko Goodrum hit his fourth home run. Candido Pimentel went 1-2 with two walks and his 15th stolen base. Romy Jimenez was 1-2 with two walks and his 11th double. Hudson Boyd made the start for the Twins. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits. In four innings, he walked four and struckout just one. Travis Huber came in and gave up one run on two hits in two innings. He walked none and struckout two. Andrew Ferriera got the next four outs. He allowed no hits, walked two and struck out one. JT Chargois came in and gave up a single, but he recorded the final five outs, all five of them by strikeouts. GCL TWINS 5, GCL RAYS 2 Yorman Landa picked up his first win of the season. He gave up two unearned runs on four hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out six. Josue Montanez dropped his ERA to 0.40 with three shutout innings. The lefty gave up two hits and a walk, but he struckout five. Gonzalo Sanudo recorded his fourth save with a scoreless ninth frame. Joel Licon led the offense. He went 2-4 with his eighth double, first home run and two RBI. Jeremias Pineda was 1-2 with a walk, was hit by a pitch, tripled for the fourth time and stole his 20th base. Dereck Rodriguez hit his third home run. --- Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 21, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler Download attachment: Jason Wheeler 4.jpg (Photo from Jim Crikket of Knuckleballs) Hitter of the Day – Stephen Wickens Download attachment: Stephen Wickens.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Wednesday, August 22, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Lehigh Valley – RHP Nick Blackburn New Britain vs Portland – LHP Luke French Ft. Myers vs Bradenton – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit vs Peoria – TBD Elizabethton vs Greeneville – RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins @ GCL Rays – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

Last night, I posted my choice for the Twins minor league relief pitcher of the month, Deolis Guerra. I also mentioned five other bullpen guys that deserved recognition for their strong starts. This morning, I’ll post my choice for the Twins minor league start pitcher for April. There were some pretty good options, but in the end, the choice was pretty easy. As always, I welcome feedback in the Comments if you have any thoughts, questions, or want to ‘vote’ for your choice. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] From a starting pitcher, I will mention Win-Loss record although it doesn’t really factor into the rankings. I do look a little bit more at ERA with starters than relievers, and WHIP is always important. Limiting base runners is a good way to limit runs allowed. For prospect status, strikeouts are important, but for this, I think that it’s important to look at walks and strikeouts in combination, and do so relative to innings pitched. And please remember, we are talking about a very small sample size of four to five starts. One of these pitchers mentioned below was the obvious choice as top starting pitcher for April until he struggled in his fifth start of the month. (So, how would you weigh one bad start with four terrific ones?) It can be a little subjective, but let's take a look at the top starting pitchers for the season’s first month. Number 6 – Beloit – Tim Shibuya - 5 GS, 1-1, 3.00 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 30 H, 4 BB, 22 K Last year’s Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year had a solid first month in full-season ball. He started off a little slow, giving up some hits, but he stayed true to form and ended up with some solid numbers. He is the definition of a Twins pitcher, throwing strikes and yet, as you can see, he struck out nearly a batter per inning. He has a strong four-pitch mix that should succeed in the Midwest League. Number 5 - Rochester – Cole DeVries - 4 GS, 0-1, 2.91 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 21.2 IP, 16 H, 6 BB, 23 K Last April, DeVries was the easy selection as Twins minor league relief pitcher of April. After bouncing between the bullpen and rotation in 2011, he started in the AFL and enters 2012 as a starter as well. He had a terrific initial month to his season. He has terrific control and has found a way to get more and more strikeouts. He has good stuff, and he has been around for a while. He has also gained a little velocity on his fastball. Number 4 - Beloit – Jason Wheeler - 5 GS, 3-0, 2.33 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 26 H, 6 BB, 19 K Last August, Jason Wheeler waited until the last day to sign with the Twins after they made him their 8th round draft pick out of Loyola Marymount. His first pro experience came in the Florida Instructional League, and this spring he made his official professional debut with the Snappers. The tall, burly south paw made a good impression. Two years ago, he was the pitcher of the year in the Northwoods League. Number 3 – Rochester – Scott Diamond - 5 GS, 4-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 31.2 IP, 32 H, 5 BB, 24 K Before his most recent start of the month (in which he gave up seven earned runs in six innings, he was the easy choice for the top minor league pitcher of the month. However, we can’t completely ignore that last start. It happened and affected his month’s numbers, but nowhere near far enough to keep him out of the top three. The lefty clearly made some adjustments from last year when he really struggled at AAA and with the Twins. The biggest thing might be a better defense behind him because he will need to rely on defense. Number 2 – New Britain – Luke French - 5 GS, 2-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 30 IP, 17 H, 12 BB, 18 K The Twins signed the left-handed former big leaguer shortly before the start of spring training. He went to minor league camp and despite a big league past, he started his season at AA New Britain. As should be expected, he had little problem with the level. Six of his walks came in one of his outings and he was able to wiggle out of trouble a couple of times. He was promoted to AAA Rochester and is expected to start on Wednesday in place of Sam Deduno. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers – BJ Hermsen - 4 GS, 1-0, 0.78 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 23 IP, 16 H, 5 BB, 12 K Hermsen had a terrific 2011 season for the Twins organization. He spent most of the year in Beloit where he went 11-7 with a 3.10 ERA. He was promoted to Ft. Myers and made five starts. He made four starts in April for the Miracle before being promoted to AA New Britain where he is expected to make his first start for the Rock Cats tonight. Hermsen is not a pitcher who misses bats, so he relies on a strong mix of pitches. Despite a 6-6 frame, he doesn’t overpower hitters, and yet, when you look at the numbers, he gets results. Double-A may be a challenge for him, but he has earned this opportunity. A 6th round pick in the 2008 draft, the Twins will have to decide after the season whether to put him on the 40 man roster or not. We will see what happens going forward, but for April 2012, he was the Twins top minor league starting pitcher. Download attachment: BJHermsen2.jpg (photo courtesy Jim Crikket, Knuckleballs) What do you think? I listed six pitchers here that got off to a nice start this season. There were not a lot of other choices. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? Be sure to check back later in the day for the April Starting Pitcher and Hitter of April. Also, tonight at 9:00 central time, you can listen to the SethSpeaks Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast while watching the start of the Twins/Angels game. Click here to view the article