Seth Stohs

One of the pitchers in the Minnesota Twins farm system who has begun to garner more attention is Logan Darnell. The 24-year-old left-hander was 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 15 starts at New Britain this year. Last Thursday, he threw a complete game, four-hit shutout against the Erie Sea Wolves. I had been occasionally getting questions about Darnell from readers, but following that start, there were a lot more inquiries. What does he throw? When will he get promoted? What is different from last year? [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Looking back, there probably should be more excitement about Darnell than there has been. He was the team’s 6th round pick in 2010 out of the University of Kentucky. In his first full season, 2011, he pitched in Beloit and Ft. Myers before ending the year with five starts in New Britain. Guys that have pitched at three levels in a season, and the Twins have had many, typically get an opportunity in the big leagues. Last year, he made 28 starts for the Rock Cats. He went just 11-12 with a 5.08 ERA, but as he was developing pitches, he also was able to throw 156 innings. He then went to the Arizona Fall League and did well. This year, he has been very good and was on a pace to throw nearly 180 innings. In nine of his last 11 starts with the Rock Cats, he threw at least six innings. The two times that he didn’t go six innings, he went 5.2 innings. While he has been more efficient with his pitches, his strikeout rate increased from 5.7 to 7.2 per nine innings. More people were beginning to take notice. So, I started asking some questions. For instance, late last week, I asked Twins minor league director Brad Steil when Darnell might be promoted to AAA. He responded by saying, “he just needs to continue to be consistent and be ready when there’s an opportunity.” On Sunday, a spot in the Rochester rotation opened. Kyle Gibson was promoted to the big leagues, and Darnell was given (and had earned) a spot and an opportunity in the Rochester rotation. Last night, he made his Rochester debut. Now, as you read in today’s minor league report, it didn’t go as planned. He gave up just one run, but he was only able to go 2.2 innings before leaving the game due to a blister. What has made him so successful this season? Steil has noticed a couple of things. “I think Logan is locating all of his pitches better and getting ahead. There’s also some confidence that comes with being in a league a second year. He uses all four of his pitches effectively, with the change probably being his best off-speed pitch.” Darnell agreed. The lefty said the biggest improvement he’s made since last year is “probably my changeup. I’ve had confidence to throw it in hitter’s counts, and it got better this year. I believe that consistency is a big thing. Always work on something to improve and not be satisfied because baseball can humble you fast.” He also spoke of his Arizona Fall League experience. “The Fall League was great. I made a lot of good friends that are having success. But if I learned anything from it, it was to make it more about me and what I throw, more than about who is hitting. I spent a lot of time there working on my curveball, trying to throw a good one early in counts.” Darnell throws a fastball that reaches into the low 90s. He has always had good breaking pitches, both a curveball and a slider. Darnell said when asked if he had an out pitch, “If I had to choose, it would be the slider. I definitely consider myself a groundball pitcher, but with my changeup this year, it’s helped me be more diverse in how I throw.” Hopefully Logan Darnell can quickly get back on the mound and continue to make strides in the right direction. He could be added to the 40 man roster at season’s end if he continues to pitch well. He is left-handed and projects as a back of the rotation type starter. There’s value in a guy like that, either as a starter or as a long reliever. View full article

If you had to quickly guess, just off the top of your head, which college has the most player in the Twins system, who would you pick? Most would say the University of Minnesota, and that wouldn’t be inaccurate, but it’s actually tied, at five, with the University of Kentucky. The Gophers are Glen Perkins, Nate Hanson, AJ Pettersen, Kyle Knudson, and Mike Kvasnicka. The players from Kentucky include Andrew Albers, Logan Darnell, Lance Ray, Alex Meyer and Taylor Rogers. Since each has a good basketball program, maybe we should set up a 5-on-5 hoops contest between these players for organization supremacy? Recently, I had the great opportunity to talk with the head coach of the Wildcats, Gary Henderson. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]He was instrumental in the development of each of the players that came through his program. He was kind enough to share his thoughts on the players he met as 16 or 17 year old recruits and the development he saw in these young men over their time in college. There certainly appears to be a trend or two that developed as he talked about these five players, these five people. Gary Henderson has had a tremendous college coaching career. He began as a JV coach at San Diego State in 1988. He was an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton, Riverside Community College, Chapman, Pepperdine, Florida and Oregon State from 1989 through the 2002 season. (While at Oregon State, Henderson recruited Jacoby Ellsbury who played three years for the Beavers.) In 2003, he took over as the pitching coach at Kentucky, a position he held until 2008. Since 2009, he has been the head coach of the Wildcats. In 2012, he was the SEC’s coach of the year when his team went 45-18 (including 18-12 in the conference). In the soon-to-be-released Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2014, I wrote a story on my choice for Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year, Taylor Rogers. In it, he talked a little about Coach Henderson. “From the first day I met Coach Henderson, I knew I wanted to go there (to Kentucky).” He continued, “He talked pitching in an accelerated fashion and yet it was easy to comprehend. There are not enough good words to describe the influence Coach Henderson had on me as a person and a baseball player.” Henderson told me a little about his philosophy. “The thing that we try to do is get them convinced that they’re going to get better, not just with hard work in the weight room, or on the field, or in the bullpen, or with long toss or running, but get them to commit themselves to the process of playing baseball. The very basic ‘One Pitch at a Time’ and what that really means. Not only just hearing the cliché, but really committing yourself to that process. Boy, is it easier said than done! You and I can sit and watch a Major League Baseball game, and it becomes obvious to see when some guy has gotten away from that process, either on the mound or in the batter’s box. We talk a lot about that. The ability to understand and the willingness to give yourself to the process of playing One Pitch at a Time. Not playing against the scoreboard. Not playing against the other dugout. It’s just making good pitches. It sounds so simple, but it’s a challenge. It’s what allowed David Eckstein to be in the big leagues. It’s what allowed Andrew Albers to have the summer he did. It’s just completely getting immersed into playing the game at a high level.” And, the four Twins minor league pitchers that threw for Coach Henderson at Kentucky each too strides in 2013. Taylor Rogers was my choice for Starting Pitcher of the Year. Andrew Albers was his runner-up in my opinion while the Twins chose him as their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Logan Darnell was recently added to the 40 man roster after a strong showing in AA and AAA this year. Despite missing two months with a shoulder issue, Alex Meyer solidified himself as the Twins top pitching prospect. He really took an impressive step in the Arizona Fall League. Outfielder Lance Ray was hobbled with injury most of the 2013 season, but he was the top home run hitter in Ft. Myers in 2012. Henderson was kind enough to tell us a little more about the players that he coached and influenced. TAYLOR ROGERS Download attachment: Taylor Rogers Kent.jpg Rogers was the Twins 11th round pick in 2012 from Kentucky. He split 2013 between Cedar Rapids (where he was the Opening Day starter) and the Ft. Myers Miracle. Rogers grew up in Colorado, but Henderson was able to get him to Kentucky. “He had really good arm action. He threw strikes. He looked like he would fill out and get better. He had a really good frame. Most impressive about him were his work ethic, drive and honesty. The character issues with him were outstanding.” His early collegiate numbers certainly don’t jump out on the screen, but it was clear that he was improving with each season. “He was a starting pitcher in our league as a freshman. He never shied away from that, never backed down. He was always interested in doing whatever it took to get better. His development was fairly standard. He worked very hard. As a freshman, he had a freshman curveball. By the time he was a junior, it was solid. It was good. The velocity got better each year. His ability to throw the changeup was better.” ANDREW ALBERS Download attachment: Andrew Albers Kent.jpeg Albers has been a great story since signing with the Twins before the 2011 season out of the independent Can-Am League. He is a Tommy John survivor (and now ‘Thriver!’) who was my choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year that first season. He spent more time starting in 2012, and was a full-time starter in 2013 with the Rochester Red Wings before finally getting the call in August to make his major league debut. He exceeded all expectations and show great grit and intensity despite not having overpowering stuff. “His story was a little different. He’s the same type of person (as Rogers). Work ethic is off the chart. Extremely good feel for pitching, which I thought was very unusual for a kid coming from a town of 5,000 people in Saskatchewan. Extremely good feel for the game, way above average. He was slender, obviously not as tall as Rogers, but he was 6-0, 165 pounds. I actually saw him when I was working at Oregon State. I saw him a year earlier, and I made up my mind that wherever I was coaching, he was going to school. At least, I was going to do everything I could to get him. He was a little advanced in terms of understanding and feel for competition. His stuff wasn’t. It was fine. In fact, it compared fairly well to Taylor, although he doesn’t have the velocity that Taylor has. His command was very good. His secondary stuff was below average as a freshman. Because of that feel for competition, and feel for the game, he understood really quickly that he was going to have to improve that secondary stuff. As he has in the minor leagues, Albers pitched in different roles at Kentucky too. “He started as a freshman and a junior. He relieved as a sophomore and a senior. We rotated him every year, not by design, but that’s just the way it happened.” Henderson continued, “(Albers is a) tremendous leader, not just of the pitching staff, but a leader on the club as well. Another kid whose makeup is A+, beyond A+, if there’s such a thing. Personal characteristics? Personal qualities? Outstanding. He was the type of guy that, when you’d introduce new contacts or new techniques, like Taylor, they embraced them fully. It was never about ‘It’s too hard’, or ‘Why are we doing this?’ They were in from the start, both those kids.” Albers also had great support from his family. “That’s what the kid was when he was 16. His parents, they’re just impressive people. He’s an impressive kid. As you watched all summer, his stuff is not dominant. He’s going to get by because he has a lot of poise and a lot of confidence, and he can really concentrate. His stuff is fine. And he’s the first guy to tell you that.” LOGAN DARNELL Darnell was the Twins 6th round pick in 2010. He quickly moved up the system in 2011, from Beloit to Ft. Myers and to New Britain. He pitched in New Britain throughout the 2012 season and began there again in 2013. Shortly after midseason, he was promoted to Rochester. Following the season, the southpaw was added to the 40 man roster. Download attachment: Logan Darnell Kent.jpeg Regarding Darnell, Henderson said, “He is (a character guy). He was real aggressive early on. His secondary stuff was short, early on. When you’re looking at these guys, there’s a part of you that says that’s why you got them. If you’re left-handed, and you show any arm strength, and you have above average secondary stuff, then professional baseball can happen early. Logan was a very hard worker, very aggressive on the mound, willing to make adjustments, willing to learn. Made huge strides. He got better each year. He comes from a top-notch family. Really good people. At this point, I began to notice a trend. Each has a very high character and a strong family foundation of support. It’s a theme that we hear often in the Minnesota Twins organization. I asked if character was something he focuses on with recruits. “I think a couple of things. I think that the ones that don’t have it, you and I don’t talk about for obvious reasons. I think there’s also that saying about who you attract in the recruiting process. You tend to attract similar types of people. It’s certainly not an absolute by any stretch and there’s a lot of stuff that goes into it. The fact that these guys are having success is not surprising. You’re happy for it. We all understand the odds of making it in the big leagues and doing well, and they’re (the odds) are never good no matter how talented you are. But the fact that these people are having success, I’m not surprised. They’re really good people and they really work hard. ALEX MEYER Download attachment: Alex Meyer Kent.jpg The character trend continues when talking about Alex Meyer. The former first round draft pick of the Washington Nationals came to the Twins organization one year ago in a trade that send centerfielder Denard Span to the National League. At 6-9 and 250 pounds, and blessed with an arm that has the ability to throw a baseball 100 mph while showing good command and control of four pitches, makes Meyer the top pitching prospect of the Twins, but also one of the top pitching prospects in baseball. Henderson recalls Meyer’s younger years. “He was a guy that made a lot of jumps in high school. He was a stereotypical guy who hadn’t yet grown into his body as a 16 or 17 year old. The older he got, he made really rapid jumps in terms of being able to control his body. That’s how it goes with those guys who are 6-6, 6-7, 6-8. They’re long and lean and haven’t yet developed the musculature to control their body on the mound and repeat their delivery. That’s kind of where Alex was.” He continues, “He is a really hard worker. His arm action was outstanding. The thing that was different about Alex, besides the arm strength, was that when he came in, he had a feel for a breaking ball. He did not have a changeup, but he had the feel for a breaking ball. That kind of put him into a different group. It was arm strength. It was feel. It wasn’t always a strike early on. He made the typical jumps. He wasn’t way ahead. He wasn’t way behind. His improvement was pretty standard in terms of being able to slow the game down which he did as a sophomore. He attacked the running game. That part of the game was much better as a sophomore. He’s a really hard worker. (He) comes from a top-notch family, very supportive people. I think the whole family understood and desired for him to have a college experience. I think they knew that was best for him and his development. I think that’s also what they wanted.” So, does Henderson think that Alex Meyer has the stuff to be top of the line starter? “Yep, and I think that’s going to happen. Nobody’s got a crystal ball, but I think that’s going to happen. I think he’s going to be a frontline guy. Just like everybody else, he will need to stay healthy, make normal progression, and I think he’s going to have a really nice career. No question.” He spoke more of what makes Meyer special. “(He) really accepts responsibility, accountable for everything, works really hard. There’s nothing there that’s going to get in the way. Obviously, the talent is pretty good.” LANCE RAY Download attachment: Lance Ray Kent.jpg The Twins used their ninth round pick in 2010 on the powerful left-handed outfielder/first baseman. Ray struggled in Beloit in 2011 to start the season, but was remarkable through the middle of the season. He was the Ft. Myers home run leader in 2012. Unfortunately, he was slowed by injuries throughout the 2013 season and hopes to get back to a healthy, productive 2014. Henderson said, “He is a good guy. He has kind of traditionally been a slow starter, every place he’s been. If you look back at high school, or junior college, or Us, or professional ball, he’s gotten off to a slow start. I don’t know why that is, or what that is. He started slow for us at the plate as a junior. He played for a guy that I played for and a guy that I coached, a father and son in Vegas. That’s how we got on Lance. He started at a junior college in western Nevada. Early in March, about four weeks into our season, he was hitting below .200. Then he got on fire, and he was as good of a college hitter as you’ll see for the last six or seven weeks.” So, what makes Ray a solid professional player? “(He has a) very good feel to hit, a good plan, good plate discipline. He was very good. Similar type kid. Good to have around, good teammate, very likable kid, a very good feel to hit. He just needs to get healthy.” ------ Download attachment: Gary Henderson.jpg I really appreciate Coach Gary Henderson and the media relations group at the University of Kentucky for helping set this up. Coach Henderson was very gracious with his time, but it was clear that he really cares about his players during their time at Kentucky and as they move forward in life and in professional baseball. He did tell me that he has a couple of players on his upcoming team who could be taken in the early rounds of the 2014 MLB Draft. And, one name to get to know in the Upper Midwest of that of Chippewa Falls (Wisconsin) native Kyle Cody. He was the 33rd round draft choice of the Phillies in 2012 but went to Kentucky. He’s a big, 6-7, 230 pound kid who can throw in the mid-90s. Might be worth watching again in the 2014 MLB draft. Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below. Click here to view the article

The Twins got a short start from Kyle Gibson (six runs in two innings) but came up just shy in their attempt to come back, losing 6-5 to the Yankees on the 4th of July. Sam Deduno was very good in long relief. Brian Dozier and Chris Colabello homered, but it wasn't enough. The Red Wings offensive machine continued to rack up runs. A couple Kernels continued hot streaks, and the E-Twins got another terrific start. There were some good games throughout the Twins minor leagues on Friday. Check out more below. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 12, Lehigh Valley 6 Box Score The Red Wings bats dominated in this one, their 50th win of the season. Chris Herrmann led the way. He reached base all five times with two singles and three walks. Eric Farris went 3-6 and stole his 14th base. Deibinson Romero went 2-6 with his 23rd double. Danny Ortiz went 2-5 with his second triple. Pedro Florimon was 2-5. Doug Bernier went 1-2, walked twice and was hit one other time. Logan Darnell wasn't terribly good, but he did get through five innings. He gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks. He struck out three. Deolis Guerra struck out four over the next two innings. Aaron Thompson gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Michael Tonkin also recorded a scoreless inning. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain, Portland Box Score This game was postponed due to rain. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Charlotte 1 Box Score A couple familiar faces made the biggest impacts in this game. Yesterday, JO Berrios was named the pitcher of the month for June, and the day before that he was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month. On Friday, he improved to 9-3 with six innings of one-run ball. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out four. Steven Gruver recorded the three-inning save, giving up just one hit and one walk. The Miracle had just three hits in the game. Dalton Hicks doubled for the 12th time. Jorge Polanco tripled for the fifth time. Adam Walker came to the plate with the bases loaded, and he hit his 18th home run of the season. It was his third straight game with a home run and it was his third grand slam of the year. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 0 Box Score Download attachment: ethan mildren.jpg He threw seven shutout innings in his previous start and on Friday Ethan Mildren did it again. In his seven shutout frames, he gave up just three hit and two walks. He struck out four. Dallas Gallant got a strikeout in his perfect inning. Todd Van Steensel came on for the ninth and recorded his eighth save. He walked one, gave up a hit, and struck out two. Bryan Haar continued to crush the ball. He went 2-3 with his 12th home run. He also stole his first base of the year. Zach Granite led off the game for the Kernels with a triple, his second. Chad Christensen hit his 13th double. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Bluefield 0 Box Score The string of quality pitching for Elizabethton continued on July 4th. Chih-Wei Hu started and gave up just two hits over six shutout innings. He walked none and struck out nine. Keaton Steale, Josue Montanez and Kuo Hua Lo all threw a scoreless inning to maintain the shutout. Montanez struck out two. Lo struck out the side. Tanner English went 3-4 with his first triple. Tyler Mautner (6), Tyler Kuresa (2) and Brian Navarreto (5) all doubled in the game. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 13 Box Score Young Australian Jack Barrie led the offense, going 4-4 on the day. Rainis Silva went 2-4. However, the bullpen really struggled in this one. Miguel Gonzalez started and gave up two runs on six hits in four innings. He struck out three. Onas Farfan came on and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in one inning. Reyson Zoquiel gave up four runs (2 earned) on a hit and four walks and recorded just two outs. Miles Nordgren gave up four runs (just 1 earned) on seven hits in 2.1 innings. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ethan Mildren, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chris Herrmann, Rochester Red Wings SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Lehigh Valley @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Scott Diamond New Britain @ Portland (DH @ 3:00 CST) – Virgil Vasquez, Pat Dean Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – Brett Lee Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) - Kohl Stewart Bluefield @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – Felix Jorge GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (9:00am CST) – Wilfredy Liranzo Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

I am all for getting the calls right if we have the technology, but I am not a fan of how the new replay rules are working. I think they need to be much more efficient (or quick!) to not annoy and potentially lose a small part of any team's fan base. With the new replay rules, something that has long been a part of baseball will be much more rare. There won't as many great manager/umpire arguments like there were in the past. We have all seen video of Earl Weaver and Billy Martin in the face of umpires. We have seen dirt kicked and caps thrown. Download attachment: Mike Cubbage Ejected.jpg I thought it would be fun to take a look back at Minnesota Twins history and go a little deeper. During the past offseason, video of a July 1978 Twins, Red Sox game appeared. It's actually fascinating to watch a Twins player react like Mike Cubbage did when he was called out. Manager Gene Mauch was also ejected for arguing and tossed bats all over the field before leaving the field. Here is the video, and following it, I'll mention so other interesting tidbits from the game. Mike Cubbage was the base runner and from watching the video, it appears he was safe. Cubbage had gotten on base with a single. He was 1-2 when he was ejected. He was also hitting .319, pretty impressive considering it was mid-July already. Download attachment: Mike Cubbage.jpg Though his career was not great, he was in the big leagues for parts of eight seasons. He came to the Twins from the Rangers in a July 1976 trade along with Roy Smalley and two other players in exchange for Bert Blyleven. Speaking of Smalley, he came to the team and was a very good shortstop for several years. Most know that he was the nephew of the manager who was ejected, Gene Mauch. Did you know that Smalley was the #1 overall pick in the 1974 draft after a College Baseball Hall of Fame career at USC. He was in the big leagues less than one year later, and traded to the Twins two years after being selected. This ejection came in Game 2 of a doubleheader with the Red Sox. Smalley went 0-4 in that game, but he was 3-5 with a double in the first game. Batting third for the Twins in that game was Rod Carew, playing 1B. He was 1-3 with a walk in the game. The Twins had a couple of hitting stars in the 3-2 loss in Game 2. Hosken Powell led off and went 3-5. "Disco" Dan Ford was batting cleanup and went 2-4. Rob Wilfong, who a couple of years later was sent to California in a deal that brought the Twins Tom Brunansky, had two hits. Willie Norwood went 2-4 with a double and a home run in the game. You may have notice a spry, young first base coach for the Twins, donning the powder blue, and looking to not keep his third baseman in the game. Tony Oliva was the first base coach that year. Roger Erickson pitched the complete game for the Twins. He went eight innings and gave up just three runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out three. It seems he would fit in well with the current Twins style of pitcher. When the Red Sox won that second game of a double header, they improved to 60-28 under the leadership of one Don Zimmer. The Red Sox put a pretty solid lineup out against the Twins. Hall of Famer Jim Rice hit third in the game. Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski batted fourth. The big hit of the game was a two-run homer from Fred Lynn, who batted fifth. Bob Stanley pitched the final two innings for the Red Sox to record the save. He was in just his second season with the Red Sox. He threw in 52 games for the Sox, but he made just three starts. He went 15-2 with 10 saves and a 2.60 ERA. Of course, many in Red Sox Nation remember him for a certain Wild Pitch he threw in the 1986 World Series, in Game 6. That day's first base umpire, Bill Kunkel, pitched in the big leagues from 1961 through 1963. In 1968, he became an American League umpire and was well-respected in that role until his death in 1985. He may be best known as being one of the final two umpires to weather the outer chest protector. His son, Jeff Kunkel, played infield in the big leagues for parts of nine seasons. Let's get back to Mike Cubbage before we conclude this glimpse back in time. Cubbage was a third base coach in the big leagues from 1990 to 2003 for the Mets, Astros and Red Sox. He was an interim manager of the Mets in 1991, and for the Red Sox early in 2002. Since 2006, he has been a scout in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. Once in a while it is fun to look back in history and look into a box score. Which teams had the better players, or even future Hall of Famers? Which relative unknown got to play hero in the big leagues? The Mike Cubbage, Gene Mauch ejection video takes us back in time to some names from over 25 years ago and some great powder blue uniforms. Does anyone remember this game? Who were your obscure favorite players, like Willie Norwood, or Dan Ford, or Roger Erickson or maybe even Bombo Rivera? Click here to view the article

The Twins beat the Yankees by a score of 2-1 in 11 innings. The winning run scored on a throwing error by the Yanks' catcher, Francisco Cervelli, trying to complete a 1-2-3 double play. Brian Duensing picked up the win. The Red Wings offensive machine continued to rack up runs. A couple of Kernels continued hot streaks, and the E-Twins got another terrific start. There were some good games throughout the Twins minor leagues on Friday. Check out more below. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Lehigh Valley 9 (16 innings) Box Score With a double-header on Sunday, the last thing the Red Wings needed was a 16-inning game on Saturday. However, that's just what they got. Six errors in the field by the Red Wings didn't help the matter. Scott Diamond started and gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk in 5.1 innings. Lester Oliveros gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. AJ Achter was charged with an unearned run on one hit in one inning. Edgar Ibarra went the next 2.2 innings. He gave up one hit and walked one, but he didn't allow a run. Michael Tonkin gave up only one hit over 2.1 scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson came in and gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits over 2.2 innings. He struck out four before being ejected, along with his manager Gene Glynn. Deolis Guerra came in and recorded the final out. All nine Red Wings had at least one hit. Seven of the nine had at least two hits. Nate Hanson led the way with three hits including his second double. Chris Herrmann had two doubles. Wilkin Ramirez hit his 16th double. Chris Rahl hit his sixth home run. ROCK CATS REVIEW Game 1 - New Britain 0, Portland 4 Box Score Virgil Vasquez started and gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five. The Rock Cats managed just five hits in the game. Reynaldo Rodriguez had two of them, including his 25th double. Michael Kvasnicka went 2-3. Game 2 - New Britain 2, Portland 4 Box Score Pat Dean started the second game and gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five (sound familiar?). The Rock Cats had just five hits in the second game as well. Eddie Rosario went 2-3 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Aaron Hicks went 2-2 with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Charlotte 3 Box Score The Miracle had plenty of base runners, but they were unable to put enough runs on the scoreboard. Niko Goodrum went 3-4. Dalton Hicks went 2-4 with his 13th double. Travis Harrison went 2-4. Nate Roberts and Mike Gonzales each hit a double. Brett Lee made his first start in months and gave up two unearned runs on two hits and four walks in three innings. Alex Wimmers gave up a hit and walked two in a scoreless inning. Brian Gilbert threw two scoreless. Madison Boer gave up a run on a hit in two innings. He struck out two. Brandon Peterson walked two and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Manager Doug Mientkiewicz was ejected in the 9th inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Beloit 6 Box Score Kohl Stewart gave up five runs (one earned) on four hits in 2.2 innings before being ejected by the home plate umpire. Jared Wilson gave up two hits and walked four in 2.1 innings but gave up just one run. Alex Muren, Chris Mazza and Hudson Boyd combined for four scoreless. The Kernels had just four hits. Jon Murphy walked three times. Engelb Vielma hit his third triple. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Bluefield 0 Box Score Felix Jorge threw five shutout innings and struck out five. CK Irby and Jake Reed each threw two scoreless innings. Nick Gordon went 3-4 and is now hitting .345. Tyler Kuresa went 2-3 with his third double. Tanner English hit his second home run for the lone run of the game. Download attachment: FelixJorge.jpg GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score Wilfredy Liranzo struck out four in two scoreless innings. Mike Theofanopoulus gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in 1.1 innings. He struck out two while taking the loss. Callan Pearce then gave up a run on two hits in 2.1 innings. Seth Wagner struck out four in 2.1 scoreless innings. He walked one. Trevor Hildenberger pitched a perfect inning. The GCL Twins had just three hits. Amaurys Minier had two of them. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Felix Jorge, E-Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Chris Herrmann, Rochester Red Wings Click here to view the article

After a week of Twins Fest activities and the playing catch up, today I will be continuing a series of Q&As with Twins minor leaguers. Today, we will get to know a little bit more about Chad Christensen. He was the Twins 25th round pick in 2013 out of the University of Nebraska where he spent four years. Upon signing, he spent the summer playing in the Gulf Coast League. The Cedar Rapids native will compete this spring with the hopes of spending the season with the Kernels. He can play both corner infield and corner outfield positions. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: ChadChristensen.JPG With that, here is the interview with Chad Christensen: ---------- Twins Daily (TD): Growing up in Iowa, who was your favorite team, and who were some of your favorite players to watch? Chad Christensen (CC): I grew up a big Yankees fan (sorry). My favorite player was Derek Jeter. I also was a big fan of Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams, and Mariano Rivera. TD: What are your best memories from your high school baseball days in Cedar Rapids? Did you play other sports? CC: I have a lot of great memories from high school baseball at Washington. Some of my best friends to date were teammates of mine from 2006-2009. The 2007 season was very memorable with myself and a friend as the young guys. The upper classmen were great teammates and players, and we had a great year. My senior year in 2009 was great beating Xavier to go to the state tournament for the first time since 2001, I believe. We had a dedicated group of guys and the season was one I will never forget. TD: Talk about your decision to go to Nebraska. Were you recruited elsewhere too? CC: I fell in love with Nebraska very early. On my visit, the stadium was packed with 7,000 fans for a Sunday game against Texas A&M. You don't get that at many places in the country. I was recruited elsewhere, but the decision was easy. I'm proud to be a part of Husker Nation and now an alumni. TD: What were your best memories/moments from your college playing days? CC: Beating Creighton in the first game at TD Ameritrade would be up there. I had some great teammates that will also be lifelong friends. Going through 4 seasons with some of those guys is something that can never be replaced. TD: When the Marlins drafted you in the 35th round in 2012, was it a difficult decision to return to college? CC: Being drafted by the Marlins was exciting. But I had to make a decision, and for me, the best decision was to return to Nebraska for my senior season and finish my degree. TD: As the draft approached, were you seeing or talking to more scouts? Did you have much conversation with any Twins scouts? CC: I talked to lots of scouts for a lot of teams as the draft was coming up. I had talked to Mark Wilson a lot with the Twins, so I was hopeful that the Twins might give me a shot. TD: What was it like to play for Darin Erstad? CC: Playing for Coach Erstad was awesome. I like when coaches are up front with you and make it clear what is expected of their players. Coach Erstad did that well. We had fun, but we had fun by respecting the game and playing the right way. If you respect the game and work hard, you'll love playing for that guy and you won't have any issues. TD: When the Twins took you in the 25th round, where were you and what was that experience like? (Was that about where you were expecting to be picked?) CC: When the Twins picked me in the 25th round, I was at a gas station buying a Red Bull. I was waiting at my house all day to be picked. I finally had to get going to get to my brother's baseball game. It was later than I anticipated, but once I got the call from Mark and saw I had been picked by the Twins, I was very amped up. I had always hoped the Twins would pick me being from the Midwest and with the Kernels in Cedar Rapids. It was a great day when I got drafted. TD: What was the adjustment to pro baseball like for you? CC: I enjoyed the transition to pro ball. I played in the GCL so playing all day games was different. It was a lot of baseball, but I like that. You really have to take care of your body to stay healthy and alert every day. I'm glad I got a short season in to learn some things before this season. TD: If you were to write up a scouting report on yourself, what would it be? What would you say are your strengths, and an area you want to work on to improve most? CC: I want to be looked at as a good athlete who plays the game the right way, who is a good teammate, brings energy, and does whatever it takes to win every game no matter what that is. TD: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? CC: There are so many people who deserve credit for me getting into professional baseball. My parents and brothers for pushing me and supporting me. My coaches from the time I was 10 for making the game enjoyable. My teammates at Washington and Nebraska. Coach Erstad for showing how the game should be played, and Coach Bolt for giving me a solid approach to hitting. And obviously Mark Wilson for drafting me. TD: Outside of baseball, what do you enjoy doing? Hobbies, etc? CC: I'm a big college football fan, and college basketball fan. I love Monday and Sunday night football. I'm also a personal trainer in the off season, so I am big into working out and teaching others how to work out and stay healthy. TD: As spring training is now just a couple of months away, what are you most anxious and excited about? CC: I am excited mostly just to get back on the field and start playing again. I'm in good shape and ready for the season. I am also excited for some Florida sunshine and to get out of the midwest winter. I'm ready to be back with all the boys again in Ft. Myers. TD: What will it be like for you if you played in your hometown, for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. CC: Playing for the Kernels will be exciting for me. I grew up going to those games and playing in that stadium. So to be a part of the Kernels and play for the city of Cedar Rapids would be very satisfying and special for me. TD: Have you set any goals for yourself for the 2014 season? Are there certain stats you think are important for you? CC: I try not to think about set numbers. For one, I don't want to underestimate myself. My goals are to always improve and bring focus and energy every day. To play the game to win wherever I am. Talking to guys who have done it and things that work for them. Taking care of my body, eating well, getting plenty of rest are all things that will help performance. If I do all those things the numbers will take care of themselves throughout the course of a long season. TD: Favorite baseball movie? CC: Sandlot, no doubt. TD: What is one thing about yourself that you would want Twins fans to know? CC: My brother Austin and I are tied for the Cedar Rapids metro all-time high school home run record. -------- Thank you very much to Chad Christensen for taking his time to answer these questions. Best of luck to him in the 2014 season. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: ace.jpg Throughout the past few offseasons, the comments I hear most regarding the Twins needs involve the need to acquire an Ace. In fact, I’ve said it a few times myself. Of course, that isn’t completely true and it is never the full story. You see, for the mid-90s, the Twins had not only an Ace, but the best pitcher in baseball, and that didn’t get them to the second round of the playoffs. The 2011 Phillies boasted a starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt and didn’t get to the World Series. That rotation has two definite Aces, a borderline ace and a former ace. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]I’d also caution that many people, one year ago, felt that Francisco Liriano fell into the borderline ace category. That is just one example of why I believe that to be a true ace, there has to be greatness over several seasons. Another example would be Ubaldo Jimenez who was dominant for half of the 2010 season but hasn’t been great since. Like Liriano, Jimenez has a chance to return to ace-like status, but we shall see. With that, I took to Twitter yesterday where I asked my ‘followers’ which current major league pitchers would or should be classified as True Aces. The response was great, and I will break this into the true aces (my opinion), and those on the borderline (my opinion). True Aces: Justin Verlander (Year 3 of five year, $80 million contract - $20M)Clayton Kershaw (Year 1 of two year, $19 million contract - $7.5M)Tim Lincecum (Year 1 of two year, $40.5 million contract - $18M)CC Sabathia (Year 1 of five year, $122 million contract - $23M)Felix Hernandez (Year 3 of five year, $78 million contract - $18.5M)Cliff Lee (Year 2 of five year, $120 million contract - $21.5M)Roy Halladay (Year 2 of three year, $60 million contract - $20M)Jared Weaver (Year 1 of five year, $85 million contract - $14M)Dan Haren (Year 4 of four year, $44.75 million contract - $12.75M - $15.5M club option for 2013)Yovani Gallardo (Year 3 of five year, $30.1 million contract, $5.5M)Matt Cain (Year 3 of three year, $27.25 million contract, $15M)Chris Carpenter (Year 1 of two year, $21 million contract - $10.5M)Borderline Aces: Josh Johnson (Year 3 of four year, $39 million contract - $13.75M)Cole Hamels (avoided arbitration, $15M)Adam Wainright (Year 5 of four year, $15 million contract – Cardinals picked up $9M option for 2012 despite Tommy John surgery)Zach Greinke (Year 4 of four year, $38 million contract - $13.5M)Matt Garza (avoided arbitration, $9.5 M)Jon Lester (Year 4 of five year, $30 million contract, $7.625M)Josh Beckett (Year 2 of four year, $68 million contract - $15.75M)David Price (avoided arbitration, $4.25M)Ricky Romero (Year 2 of five year, $30.1 million contract, $5M)Anibal Sanchez (won arbitration, 1 year, $8M)Could be an Ace quickly: Matt Moore, Stephen Strasburg, Mat Latos, Yu Darvish, Michael Pineda, Jeremy Hellickson, Tommy Hanson, Julio Teheran, Gerrit Cole, Dylan Bundy. So, when I hear Twins fans say, “We (meaning, the Twins) need an Ace,” I will frequently say, “I agree. How are the Twins going to get one?” Not one pitcher in that top list is available. Part of the reason they are in that top list is that, so far, they have been able to stay healthy. Johan Santana used to be in that category, but now that he hasn’t pitched for over 18 months, I’m not so sure he should be there any further. In the “Borderline” category, there are some guys who have been really good for a short period of time, or there is some injury concern or some inconsistency. We can argue what an Ace is, who is or who isn’t. That’s not really the point here. The point is that they are not easy to come by. These guys are not available, and after the Mat Latos trade earlier this offseason, it’s understandable to see why. Latos was traded to the Reds from the Padres in exchange for Edinson Volquez, Yonder Alonso, Yasmani Grandal and Brad Boxberger. Part of that is because Latos is not even arbitration-eligible for another year. However, the Cubs have been trying to trade Matt Garza much of the offseason and either are not getting any interest or the asking price is beyond what anyone is willing to pay. Santana is probably a big reason why. When the Twins traded the two-time Cy Young winner to the Mets, he was baseball’s best pitcher. He was good for another year and a half and then he did what most pitchers do, he got hurt. Of course, he could still come back. We shall see. But will he ever be what he was again? Probably not. More than half of the players listed above were drafted in the first half of the first round. The Twins have had one pick in the first half of the first round since 2002. The Twins have a big opportunity in the June draft when they have the 2nd overall pick. Mark Appel’s name is frequently mentioned as a possible choice. The Stanford right hander doesn’t really profile as an Ace, more like a 2 or 3 starter (like Kyle Gibson, Alex Wimmers or Liam Hendriks). Not that there is anything wrong with a 2 or 3 starter. Those are very good pitchers who will make a lot of money when they hit free agency. Lucas Giolito is another pitcher, a high school pitcher, who gets mentioned as a possible #2 pick. He profiles much more like a future Ace, but there is much more risk with a high school pitcher than with a college pitcher. Of course, by the time of the draft in June, there may be another name (pitcher or hitter) who is the best available player at that #2 spot and that’s who the Twins should take. The Twins have five picks in the top 100 picks this June. Along with signing Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Javier Pimentel and other talented Dominican hitters, the Twins have also done a good job signing several top Dominican pitchers in recent years. They have signed two top young pitchers from Taiwan. I completely agree with people who say that the Twins need an Ace. Frankly, the best way for that to happen is for Francisco Liriano to gain a little self-confidence, trust his stuff and become that pitcher again. He was there in 2010. It’s a contract-year for him, so it would be to his benefit if he did regain that form this year. Scott Baker was pitching as well as anyone last year before his elbow injuries. He really needs to step up too. And then they just have to find a way to sign the right draft picks and international players and develop them. Frankly, I’m not as worried about getting a True Ace. That doesn’t guarantee anything. But I do think that pitching does win, and if they had more #2s and #3s that were consistent, they would be just fine. Any thoughts? Please feel free to use the Comments Section! ----- Last night, Travis Aune and I co-hosted a new Twins Minor League Weekly episode and discussed our Top 50 Twins prospects as well as the Top 100 rankings of several national writers.If you enjoyed last week’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins podcast with several guests (Kyle Waldrop, Alex Margulies, Cory Provus, Jeff Manship, and Dan Rohlfing), you should tune in tonight at 9:00 for this week’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Twins podcast with several more Twins guests.Finally, be sure to check out this week’s episode of Gleeman and the Geek.Nick wrote a first in a series of Things to Watch in 2012. He started with Glen Perkins’ Slider. Click here to view the article

There were four games in the Twins' farm system, and the Twins were able to play a split double header at Target Field in some record cold conditions. More impressive, they were able to win two games against the Blue Jays, a team they have been crushed by in recent years. Kyle Gibson threw eight shutout innings in the afternoon game. In the evening game, the Twins used eight eighth inning walks, and three wild pitches in that same inning, to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 9-5 win. It would be very cool if the story in the minor leagues on Thursday were to become a great story of the Twins 2014 season as well. Who was it? Well, keep reading to find out… Here is a look at what happened in the Twins' farm system on Thursday. And, by the way, it's another Top Pitching Prospect Day on Friday. RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 - Rochester 1, Pawtucket 2 (11 innings) Box Score With a doubleheader, the games are only supposed to be seven innings. With this game going 11 innings, the two teams ended up playing 18 innings anyway. Logan Darnell got the start in Game 1 and was impressive. The lefty from the University of Kentucky gave up one run on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out four. Ryan Pressly came on and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up a hit and a walk. AJ Achter gave up no runs and recorded four outs. Aaron Thompson got the final five outs, but he gave up one run to take the loss. Brad Nelson led the offense. The veteran went 2-2 with two walks and a double. Deibinson Romero went 2-4 with his second double of the year. Chris Rahl was 2-4 with his third double. Game 2 - Rochester 2, Pawtucket 0 Box Score Download attachment: Pino, Yohan (2).jpg This offseason, the Twins signed veteran free agent Yohan Pino. Ten years earlier, 2004, the Twins signed Pino out of Venezuela. That summer, he was the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Year. In 2005, he was in Elizabethton where he went 9-2 with 64 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. In 2006, he went 14-2 with a 1.91 ERA, primarily out of the Beloit bullpen, though he ended the season making seven starts. That’s the role he has had ever since, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. He got up to Rochester in 2009, but in late August, he was sent to Cleveland in exchange for Carl Pavano. In early 2011, he went to the Blue Jays organization. He was there until this spring when he was invited to Twins spring training. Already this year, he has made two starts and two relief appearances. Both starts came in Game 2’s of doubleheaders including the game 2 on Thursday night. The 30-year-old threw the complete game shutout. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out four. He improved to 2-0 and reduced his ERA to 0.59. Deibinson Romero went 2-3 with another double. Eric Farris went 2-3. Doug Bernier hit his second home run. Last year, the Twins had several players with great stories get call-ups. If there is one to root for in 2014, make it Yohan Pino. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain, Portland This game was postponed due to poor weather conditions. The teams will play a doubleheader in Maine on Friday. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, St. Lucie 6 Box Score Brett Lee took the loss, but he recorded his second straight quality start. The lefty went six innings and gave up two runs on three hits. He walked one and struck out one. Tim Shibuya came in for the seventh and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Madison Boer gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk in the final two innings. For the fifth time already this season, the Miracle didn’t have a hit through five innings. They ended with four hits in the game. Jason Bartlett was originally in the starting lineup, batting second and playing shortstop. Shortly before the game, there was a lineup change. Jorge Polanco played shortstop and batted second. No official word yet on why Bartlett was removed. Polanco had a hit and committed two more errors. Levi Michael also had two errors in the game. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, West Michigan 7 Box Score The Kernels fell behind early, and fought back. In the bottom of the 8th inning, Logan Wade tied the game with a two-run double. Unfortunately, it was all for naught as the team gave up four runs and fell to the Tigers’ affiliate. Randy Rosario got the start. He struggled early with his control. Because of it, the lefty lasted only three innings. He gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits and five walks while striking out two. Brandon Bixler came on and gave up two hits and a walk in 2.2 shutout innings. He struck out three. Brandon Petersen went the next 2.1 innings and didn’t allow a run. He struck out three. Hudson Boyd came into the tie game in the top of the ninth. He gave up four runs on four hits in the inning to take the loss. Logan Wade had the big hit in the 8th inning. He was 2-4. The double was his second. Jason Kanzler was 2-4 and stole a base. Bryan Haar and Bo Altobelli each had a double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Yohan Pino, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Deibinson Romero, Rochester Red Wings FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (5:00 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen) Portland @ New Britain (Doubleheader: 4:35 CST) – DJ Baxendale, Taylor Rogers (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:35 CST) – JO Berrios (Listen) West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (6:05 CST) – Kohl Stewart (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Thursday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins wins over the Blue Jays on Thursday, it means that on Friday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. 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The Twins (meaning, Ricky Nolasco) gave up nine early runs. However, they attempted the comeback and got the score to 9-7 before it ended. Chris Colabello and Trevor Plouffe homered for the Twins. Glen Perkins was named to his second All-Star game, and Kurt Suzuki will play in the mid-summer classic for the first time in his career. The biggest news in the Twins farm system is that Byron Buxton returned to game action for the Ft. Myers Miracle. He led off, played centerfield and got a couple of at-bats. We also learned the Twins will soon make a decision on whether Trevor May will pitch in the Futures Game. It's a busy minor league report today, so let's get started with some transactions. Download attachment: Buxtons Back.jpg TRANSACTIONS Mark Hamburger was promoted from New Britain to Rochester. JO Berrios and Lance Ray were promoted from Ft. Myers to New Britain. (per Bryce Zimmerman, Mason Melotakis was also promoted to AA.) Ethan Mildren and Todd Van Steensel were promoted from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers. Chih-Wei Hu and Jake Reed were promoted from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids. RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 - Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score After playing 16 innings on Saturday night, Kris Johnson gave the Red Wings just what they needed on Sunday afternoon in the first of two. The left-hander threw all seven innings to record his eighth win of the season. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out five. Brad Nelson hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the season to lead the offense. Wilkin Ramirez homered for the third time. Danny Ortiz went 2-3 with his fourth double. Game 2 - Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score The Red Wings put a six on the board in the bottom of the first inning and won by the same score as they did in the first game. The big hit in that first inning was a three-run home run from Nate Hanson. Deibinson Romero added his 24th double while Dan Rohlfing doubled for the 14th time. On the mound, the recently-added Mark Hamburger got the starting nod. He gave up one run on five hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out four. Ryan Pressly went the last two innings. He gave up three hits, but no runs, while striking out two. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 1, Portland 6 Box Score Taylor Rogers was strong again on Sunday, but the Rock Cats bats couldn't muster much offense off of Red Sox top pitching prospect Henry Owens. The Rock Cats managed just five hits. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-3 with a walk and his 26th double. Tony Thomas hit his fifth triple. Rogers gave up just two runs on eight hits over seven innings. He walked none and struck out four. Dan Turpen came on and gave up four runs on three hits and a walk in the 8th inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 10, Charlotte 5 Box Score Byron Buxton led off and played centerfield. He made a tremendous catch at the warning track in center early in the game. With the bat, he went 0-2, but most important, he stayed healthy. He was replaced in the lineup in the third inning by Max Kepler who went 1-1 with two walks and a three-run double. Jorge Polanco went 3-5 with his fourteenth and fifteenth doubles. Adam Walker went 3-4 with a walk. Dalton Hicks was 2-5 with his second triple. Niko Goodrum walked three times. DJ Baxendale started and gave up four runs on eight hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five. Steven Gruver came on and gave up a run on three hits in two innings. Tyler Jones recorded his 11th save by working two shutout innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 3 Box Score On this day, Aaron Slegers was much better than his line score would indicate. He went seven innings and gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked none and struck out two. However, he started the eighth inning and both hitters reached base. He was replaced, but the runners still came in to score. Todd Van Steensel gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. Bryan Haar led the offense. He went 3-4 with his 16th double and his fourth triple. Jason Kanzler went 2-4. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Bluefield 12 Box Score It was not a good start for the E-Twins. Literally. Derrick Penilla started and gave up nine runs (6 earned) on six hits and two walks. He recorded just one out before Sam Clay came into the game. He gave up three runs (two earned) on one hit and two walks, in 0.1 innings. Randy LeBlanc came on and gave up only an unearned run on two hits over 4.1 innings. Josue Montanez came on and gave up one run on three hits an a walk. Kuo Hua Lo gave up two runs on five hits in two innings. The E-Twins bats did show up. Tyler Kuresa went 3-4 with a walk and three doubles, to double his double total on the season. Jorge Fernandez went 3-5. Nick Gordon went 2-4 with a walk. Max Murphy went 2-5 with his fourth double and fourth home run. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins Box Score No Game Scheduled. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kris Johnson, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tyler Kuresa, Elizabethton Twins MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Buffalo @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Sean Gilmartin New Britain @ New Hampshire (DH @ 5:05 CST) – TBD Ft. Myers - No Game Scheduled Cedar Rapids - No Game Scheduled Bluefield @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Michael Cederoth GCL Orioles @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. Click here to view the article

With their 2nd round pick, 46th overall, the Twins selected someone they had drafted before. They drafted RHP Nick Burdi, a relief pitcher from Louisville that they selected in the 24th round in the 2011 draft out of high school. They couldn't convince him to sign then, but he should certainly sign this time around. Burdi throws serious heat, occasionally touching 100 mph on a radar gun. He immediately takes over the spot as the top-rated reliever in the Twins organization. Download attachment: Nick Burdi.jpg Prior to the 2011 draft, many projected Burdi to be a 2nd or 3rd round pick, though he had committed to Louisville. Because teams knew he was unlikely to sign, he fell. He was happy that the Twins drafted him, but he wanted to honor his commitment to the Cardinals. He has been one of the most dominant relievers in the college ranks since his freshman year. He is blessed with an arm that reaches 100 mph regularly, and even touched 103 at one point. There is a fair question of what is too early to select a relief pitcher, but Burdi may be an exception. He was projected to be a mid-to-late first round pick this year and fell to the Twins. He immediately becomes the #1 relief pitching prospect in the organization, far ahead of Zach Jones or Michael Tonkin. He is the type who could move very quickly. In fact, he could probably (in theory) pitch for the Twins right now. The Twins will likely, and wisely, be more patient, protecting such a valuable arm. At 6-4 and 215, pounds, he was ranked the #31 prospect by MLB.com and #36 by Baseball America, so getting him at #46 would appear to be a great deal. In 33.1 innings for Louisville (so far) this season, he had 58 strikeouts and just ten walks. Opponents hit just .125 against him. Click here to view the article

In January, we reviewed the catchers, the first basemen, third basemen, middle infielders and outfielders in the Minnesota Twins organization. Last week, we took a look at the starting pitchers. Today, we conclude the series by discussing the relief pitchers in the Twins system. Obviously the Twins find themselves in a situation where some starting pitchers could move into a bullpen role, but for this exercise, we’ll take a look at guys who have been relievers.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The Big Leaguers Download attachment: Glen Perkins.jpg The Twins bullpen was one of the few bright spots for the 2013 team. Yet, they were about league average, so there is room for improvement. Glen Perkins has proven himself one of the best relievers in baseball. Jared Burton and Casey Fien gave the Twins two right-handers late in games. Brian Duensing had a six-week rough patch, but he’s been a solid lefty in the bullpen for a few years now. Caleb Thielbar came up and was terrific. Anthony Swarzak pitched a ton of innings and was an unsung hero on last year’s team. Ryan Pressly was very good in his Rule 5 season, holding his own throughout the year. We did get our first glimpse of Michael Tonkin. He struggled in the big leagues, as well as at Rochester, so patience will be needed. However, the tall right-hander has a chance to be very good at the back-end of the bullpen. He will see more time in 2014. Late in the offseason, the Twins signed Matt Guerrier to a minor league contract. He spent six-plus years in the organization and was a very solid contributor for five of those years. He had forearm muscle surgery late last year, so it will be interesting to see when he will be ready. Prospect Rankings As those who have read me for years know, I tend to rank relief pitchers well lower than starting pitchers. That's not because I don’t think the role is important to a team. Think about it, nearly 1/3 of a major league roster is comprised of relief pitchers. For me, it only comes down to potential innings pitched in a season, starters vs. the bullpen. Here is a look at some of the top bullpen prospects in the Twins' farm system. Hard-throwing right-hander Zack Jones was my choice as the #22 Twins prospect and top reliever. In Ft. Meyers, he was consistently throwing fastballs above 95 mph and frequently hitting 99. He struggled in the Arizona Fall League and was shut down late due to cold fingers. On Monday, Feb. 24th, he will have surgery to repair an aneurysm that was found in his right shoulder which was cutting off circulation. He’ll miss the start of the season, but he should be able to return to form by midseason. Luke Bard came in at #23 in my rankings. If 100% healthy, Bard will likely get an opportunity to start, though he may be a reliever down the road. His stuff is described as “filthy” so he could be a fast mover. Michael Tonkin ranked #26 for me. He is 6'-7" and throws in the mid-to-upper 90s. After slow movement early in his career, he flew up the Twins ranks over the last two seasons. He began 2013 by dominating at AA. He moved up to AAA and eventually had a couple stints with the Twins. He really has had little success above AA so far, but he does have a big future. Tyler Jones was just outside my top 30. He was my choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year last year. He dominated between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. Formerly a starter, Jones made the transition to the bullpen smoothly. He has a fastball that touches 97 mph with an improving slider. Edgar Ibarra was added to the Twins 40 man roster this offseason after a strong year between AA and AAA. From June 4 through August 22, he gave up zero earned runs. In that time, he worked 31.1 innings over 26 games. He gave up just 13 hits, walked eight and struck out 27. The left-hander throws fastballs into the mid-90s with a very sharp slider. He should surface with the Twins at some time this season. Roster Projections In each of these installments, I have been making my roster projections. There could still be additional signings, and injuries will affect all of this. That’s why it is important to have more than just seven relievers at each level. In some cases, there will be even more. There are also always players put on the disabled lists. This just gives an idea of who could be at each affiliate at the start of the season. Minnesota: Glen Perkins, Jared Burton, Brian Duensing, Casey Fien, Caleb Thielbar, Anthony Swarzak, Ryan Pressly.Rochester: Michael Tonkin, AJ Achter, Aaron Thompson, Edgar Ibarra, Brooks Raley, Matt Hoffman, Yohan Pino, Virgil Vazquez, Lester Oliveros, Matt GuerrierNew Britain: Zack Jones (injured), Corey Williams, Adrian Salcedo, Deolis Guerra, Dakota Watts, Ryan O’Rourke, Matt Hauser, Cole Johnson, Kevin Thomas, Chad RodgersFort Myers: Tyler Jones, Luke Bard, Steven Gruver, Madison Boer, David Hurlbut, Matt Tomshaw, Alex Muren, Jim Fuller, Dallas Gallant (50 game suspension), JT Chargois (injured)Cedar Rapids: Josh Burris, Josue Montanez, Brandon Bixler, Chris Mazza, Hein Robb, Kuo-Hua Lo, Christian Powell, Austin Malinowski, Brandon Peterson, CK Irby, Carson Goldsmith, Tanner Mendonca, Andrew Ferreira, Brandon Easton, Jared Wilson, Todd Van SteenselExtended Spring Training: Josh Guyer, Sam Gibbons, Andre Martinez, Seth Wagner, Damion Defrank, Leonel Zazueta, Reyson Zoquiel, Jose Abreu, Derrick Penilla, Zach Hayden, Cameron Booser, Tyler Stirewalt, Chih-wei HuFeel free to discuss the players and the roster. 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One of the Twins minor league games was postponed due to rain on Friday, but there were still five games to follow. The Kernels got two terrific starting performances and Trevor May was better than that (or, a-mays-ing?) in his start for the Rock Cats. Kennys Vargas had a couple big hits for the Miracle and Adam Walker remains red hot for Cedar Rapids. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Carlos Correa played in Game 1 in the matchup of last year’s #1 overall pick against last year’s #2 overall pick (Buxton). Were the two able to impress? Well, you’ll just have to keep reading to find out! Rochester Red Wings, Columbus Clippers Rains in upper New York caused this game to be postponed. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday. Game 1 - New Britain Rock Cats 4, Portland Sea Dogs 6 Box Score Cole De Vries made his second rehab start, his first with the Rock Cats. He gave up five runs (2 earned) on four hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five. Blake Martin gave up one run on two hits and a walk in the 6th inning. AJ Achter worked a perfect seventh inning. Danny Santana went 2-3 with his fourth triple. (He also committed his 12th error of the season!) Danny Ortiz went 1-3 with a walk and his 11th double. The Rock Cats had five hits and six walks in the game. Game 2 - New Britain Rock Cats 6, Portland Sea Dogs 0 Box Score The story of Game 2 was the work of Trevor May. The hard-throwing right-hander went all seven innings. He gave up two hits and a walk and no runs. He struck out ten, the most by a Rock Cats pitcher in almost two years, when Kyle Gibson struck out ten on May 15, 2010. Antoan Richardson went 3-4. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 with his second and third doubles. Jhon Goncalves went 1-1 and walked twice. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Jupiter Hammerheads 2 (11 innings) Box Score Kennys Vargas played the role of hero in this game. In the second inning he hit a solo homer, his sixth of the year. Then with the bases-loaded in the 11th inning, he drilled a single to drive in two runs to give the Miracle the lead. In all, he was 2-4 with a walk and three RBI. Eddie Rosario was back in the lineup on Friday. He was 2-5 with his third stolen base. Stephen Wickens and Angel Morales each went 2-5. Taylor Rogers went five innings in the start. He gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. Chad Rodgers came on and struck out two in two scoreless, one-hit innings. Zack Jones struck out five and walked one in two hitless innings. Adrian Salcedo struck out three in two scoreless innings, improving to 3-0. The win puts the Miracle at 27-7. Game 1 - Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Quad Cities Bandits 0 (11 innings) Box Score Game 1 was certainly a pitchers duel. Hudson Boyd was at his best. He threw six shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out four. He didn’t allow a hit until one out in the fifth frame. Steven Gruver came on and threw 3.1 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out two. Tim Atherton got the final five outs, three of them on strikeouts. In the 11th inning, Dalton Hicks drilled a double that scored Jorge Polanco with the game’s first run. Travis Harrison then drove in Hicks with an insurance run. Adam Walker went 3-5 with his eighth double. He also stole his third base. Hicks went 2-4 with his tenth double. Jorge Polanco went 2-4. It is also noteworthy that for the first time this season Byron Buxton did not reach base in a game. Carlos Correa, the #1 overall pick in last year’s draft, returned from the DL to play in Game 1. He went 0-3 with a walk. Game 2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Quad Cities Bandits 1 Box Score The Twins got another very good start in Game 2. Lefty Mason Melotakis threw 5.1 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out nine. Josh Burris went the final 1.2 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and two walks. He struck out one. After not scoring for ten innings in the first game, the Kernels tallied four runs in the first inning of the second game. Adam Walker went 2-3 with his third and fourth triples. Travis Harrison went 2-3 with his tenth double. Niko Goodrum was 2-4 with his first triple. Dalton Hicks hit his 11th double. It was a rough day for Byron Buxton as he also did not get on base in the second game. He is now 3-20 (.150) in the last five games, a streak that most hitters experience once or twice by this point in the season. The Kernels are now 23-9 with the double-header sweep. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

In two weeks, the Minnesota Twins will start their trek north for the start of the regular season. In the last few days, the Twins have sent several players down to minor league camp. There are still 50 players in camp and half of them will not be on the active roster on Opening Day. Here is this week’s look at my Twins Roster Projection.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Let us know what you think. There are still a few roster spots up for grabs. Do you think any of the other players are givens? Which question marks do you think will make it? Go on record in the comments and see how your opinions change from week to week. The players in Red are players that I believe are givens to make the roster (obviously pending injury). Those in black are potentially up for grabs. Catchers: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, Drew Butera What we know: Of course Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit are givens. What we don't know: The big question at this point is whether or not the Twins will carry a third catcher, or if they’ll be able to trust Eduardo Escobar to be the emergency catcher. If they think Escobar can do the job if absolutely needed, Mauer and Doumit can still be in the lineup most every day and Ron Gardenhire can have an offensive (in the good sense of the word) 25th man on the roster. As of today, I still think that Butera is the favorite, but now he is not competing with just other catchers, but he’s also competing with all potential bench bats too. Infielders: Justin Morneau, Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, Pedro Florimon, Jamey Carroll, Eduardo Escobar What we know: We know that Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe and Jamey Carroll will be on the roster. Those are easy. This week, I did chance Dozier, Florimon and Escobar to givens. As was expected, Florimon is the shortstop and Dozier will be the second baseman. Escobar has also grabbed that second utility spot, and his willingness to be the emergency catcher (as he was with the White Sox a year ago), just solidifies that he’ll fill a role on this roster. What we don’t know: How long will Plouffe be hurt? Who plays at third base if Plouffe needs to go on the Disabled List? I assume it will be Jamey Carroll, although there is a chance that Eduardo Escobar could start there a bit as well. Is there any chance that the Twins could use Mark Sobolewski at the hot corner if Plouffe ends up being out for a while? I’d say doubtful, but it does have to be asked. Finally, I believe that Chris Colabello is in the race for that 25th spot on the roster, with Drew Butera and Joe Benson. Outfielders: Josh Willingham, Aaron Hicks, Chris Parmelee, Darin Mastroianni What we know: Josh Willingham will be the left fielder and hit. Chris Parmelee will be the starting right fielder as the season begins. We know that Darin Mastroianni will be on the roster. What we don’t know: Aaron Hicks was certainly the story of the first three weeks of minor league camp. He hasn’t had a hit in a couple of games, so he’ll need to show that he is able to handle some struggles in a positive way. Joe Benson really struggled the first three weeks of minor league games. However, he is hitting the ball hard and getting on base the last several games. If he has a strong next week to ten days and Hicks doesn’t rebound, this race is still up for grabs. Finally, Mastroianni is not going to sit back and let the other guys take the centerfield job. He missed about a week with his hamstring injury, but he came back and hit again. So, I still believe that Hicks is the current favorite for the starting job, but it is not completely settled yet. Benson could still be competing for the 25th spot on the roster, a bench bat with some pop. Starting Pitchers: Kevin Correia, Vance Worley, Scott Diamond, Mike Pelfrey, Liam Hendriks, Cole De Vries (Diamond likely to start season on DL) What we know: Kevin Correia, Vance Worley and Mike Pelfrey are all new to the organization, and they are all givens to make the rotation. Scott Diamond would be a starter, but he is yet pitch in a game and likely will begin the season on the disabled list. Kyle Gibson was competing for a job in the rotation, but his struggles got him sent back to Rochester to start the season. What we don’t know: Two spots in the rotation are open to start the season. Liam Hendriks and Cole de Vries are certainly the leading candidates, and those two haven’t changed on this list since last week. Hendriks gave up three homers in his start this week, but he was quite good in the first three. De Vries has been good throughout the spring. However, a couple of pitchers are getting noticed. PJ Walters has pitched very well in spring training, as he did last year until his injury. If he is an option for the rotation, he should get a start or at least get extended. Sam Deduno has pitched very well for the Dominican WBC team. He pitched well against Spain and Thursday night against the USA team. No question that Deduno has stuff, but can he throw enough strikes consistently? Can he get through five innings consistently? Deduno and Walters are not on the 40 man roster which reduces their chance of being on the Opening Day roster, but if they pitch well in Rochester, they will get another opportunity. Bullpen: Glen Perkins, Jared Burton, Brian Duensing, Casey Fien, Josh Roenicke, Ryan Pressly, Tim Wood, (Anthony Swarzak-DL) What we know: Perkins is going to be the closer. Burton and Duensing will be set up men. Swarzak becomes a given for the 25 man roster because he will be on the Disabled List. What we don’t know: Pretty much everything else. Alex Burnett has gone from being nearly a sure-thing to his odds being no better than 50% to make the Opening Day roster with a really rough spring training. He has an option remaining, as does Casey Fien. With Fien, the option might be the lone thing that keeps me from calling him a given. After that, the questions only get more difficult. Pressly has been really good all spring training and the odds of the Twins keeping him on the roster are quite high. Josh Roenicke and Tim Wood are both out of options. Roenicke threw a ton of innings last year as a long-man with the Rockies. Especially with Swarzak out to start the season, Roenicke provides value. Wood had one really rough outing, but he has been pretty solid. Walters and Deduno could still be candidates for a long term role if the Twins go in that direction. The other option is Tyler Robertson. He was roughed up in his first couple of spring outings, but he has been very good since. If the Twins decide that a third lefty is necessary, Robertson will be the choice. And, Pedro Hernandez has done a very nice job as a lefty out of the bullpen this spring as well. What are your thoughts? What does your roster look like two weeks before the season opener? View full article

Last weekend, Dalton Hicks drove in two runs for the Ft. Myers Miracle and became the second minor leaguer this season to drive in 100 runs. The other? His teammate for the first three months of the season, Kernels outfielder Adam Walker. As of today, Walker leads minor league baseball with 106 RBI while Hicks is second at 103. The only other minor leaguer with 100 RBI this year is Astros slugging prospect George Springer, at 102. While Walker has driven in each of his runs for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Hicks has spent a quarter of his season with the Ft. Myers Miracle. He has 21 RBI with the Miracle after knocking in 82 runs with the Kernels. Download attachment: Adam Walker RP.jpg During the first half of the season, the two sluggers benefited from hitting in the middle of a lineup that including Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco setting the table. Walker, the Twins 3rd round pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville Univeristy, has hit 29 doubles, seven triples and 26 home runs. Hicks, a lumbering first baseman drafted in the 17th round of the 2012 draft out of Central Florida, has hit a combined 37 doubles to go with 17 home runs. We frequently talk about how RBI are so much dependent upon those hitting in front of the batter. I do believe that RBI can be overrated, but as we watch a Twins team struggling to hit with runners in scoring position, I think it's important to remember that someone needs to drive run in! Download attachment: Dalton Hicks 2.jpg The two become the 33rd and 34th Twins minor leaguers since 1980 to have a 100 RBI season. The list of names below tell us that RBI is certainly not a indicator of future big league success. (However, it is fun at times to go into the Way Back Machine and read about names we may not have thought about in years.) [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500, align: center] 2013 Adam Walker 106+ Cedar Rapids 2013 Dalton Hicks 103+ Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers 2012 Miguel Sano 100 Beloit 2005 David Winfree 101 Beloit 2004 Kevin West 109 New Britain/Rochester 2004 Jason Kubel 100 New Britain/Rochester 2002 Michael Ryan 101 Edmonton 2002 Todd Sears 100 Edmonton 2000 Brian Buchanan 103 Salt Lake 1999 David Ortiz 110 Salt Lake 1999 Michael Restovich 107 Quad Cities 1999 Steve Hacker 100 New Britain, Salt Lake 1998 Tommy Peterman 110 Ft. Myers 1998 Corey Koskie 105 Salt Lake 1997 David Ortiz 124 FM/NB/SL 1996 Todd Walker 101 Salt Lake 1994 Bernardo Brito 122 Salt Lake 1992 Marty Cordova 131 Visalia 1992 Steve Dunn 113 Visalia 1991 Paul Russo 100 Kenosha 1990 Ray Ortiz 102 Visalia/Orlando 1989 Paul Sorrento 112 Orlando 1989 Terry Jorgenson 101 Orlando 1986 Gene Larkin 104 Orlando 1986 Tim Schwarz 101 Visalia 1985 Mark Funderburk 116 Orlando 1985 Mark Davidson 106 Orlando 1985 Gene Larkin 106 Visalia 1984 Stan Holmes 101 Orlando 1983 Stan Holmes 115 Visalia 1983 Tim Teufel 100 Toledo 1982 Greg Wells 107 Toledo 1981 Kent Hrbek 111 Visalia 1981 Tim Laudner 104 Orlando [/TABLE] There are a few guys on that list that have a couple of World Series rings and tremendous careers. There are several players who never got a taste of the big leagues. Miguel Sano is currently at 94 RBI, so there is a chance that he will hit the century mark for a second straight year. Kennys Vargas currently has 86 RBI and would need a torrid stretch to get there, but it's possible. I'm sure people reading this will also be excited to hear that Scott Ullger drove in 108 runs for Visalia. Next season, Walker should join Hicks in the Ft. Myers lineup to start the season. However, I would anticipate that both will be up in New Britain by season's end, maybe even by the All Star break. Click here to view the article

According to Hardball Talk, two Twins Minor Leaguers have been suspended 50 games for testing postive to a banned substance. Both players played in the Dominican Summer League in 2011. Yeison Florentino went 1-2 with 3 saves and a 3.16 ERA in 2011. In 25.2 innings, he gave up 22 hits, walked 15 and struck out 18. As an 18 year old in 2010, he was 1-2 with a 2.70 ERA. In 16.2 innings, he gave up nine hits, walked 22 and struck out 11. Ezequiel Zarzuela will be 21 years old throughout the 2012 season. In 2011, he went 3-2 with 3 saves and a 2.60 ERA. In 19 games and 34.2 innings, he gave up 30 hits, walked 19 and struck out 40. In 2010, he was 7-3 with a 2.68 ERA. In 53.2 innings, he gave up 50 hits, walked 20 and struck out 36. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Due to their advanced age in the DSL (yes, of 20 and 21), neither was considered a big prospect. Kennys Vargas was suspended 50 games last year while playing with Elizabethton. His suspension carries into the 2012 season. Click here to view the article

The Twins losing streak went to seven games with a tough loss in Atlanta. They’ll have to get over it quickly for a noon game (Eastern) on Wednesday. Twins Daily has learned that Chris Colabello will be attempting to join the Twins in time for the game. Virgil Vasquez made a spot start in place of the promoted Sam Deduno. Trevor May had one of the craziest line scores you’ll see. One Twins minor leaguer hit a homer for the third straight game on Tuesday, and it isn’t the same guy who homered twice on the day. Cedar Rapids had a well-deserved day off. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Here is what happened in the Twins minor league system on Tuesday: Rochester Red Wings 2, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 9 Box Score Virgil Vasquez had not pitched for about eight days. When Sam Deduno was summoned to pitch for the Twins, Vasquez made was called to make the start. He gave up five runs (all in the first inning) on seven hits in four innings. He walked three and struck out three. Dan Turpen came on and gave up four runs (1 earned) on five hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. Luis Perdomo got the next five batters out, three on strikeouts. Tyler Robertson gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. The Red Wings had just seven hits. The lone extra base hit was Joe Benson’s seventh double. He also drove in one of the two runs. Chris Colabello drove in the other. New Britain Rock Cats 9, Binghamton Mets 3 Box Score When you see Trevor May’s pitching line, you might presume that I have flip-flopped the score. May worked five innings and gave up eight hits and walked five. Yet somehow, he gave up just two runs. He struck out six. He was relieved by Blake Martin who gave up two hits and two walks in two scoreless innings. He struck out… two. Bruce Pugh followed and he gave up a run on three hits and a walk in two innings. Danny Santana led the offense, going 3-5 with his eighth stolen base. James Beresford and Josmil Pinto were each 2-5. Dan Rohlfing was 2-3 with a walk. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 1-2 with two walks and his tenth double. Deibinson Romero homered for the third straight game. Jordan Parraz made his Rock Cats (and Twins organization) debut. He doubled in his first at bat. Game 1 - Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Lakeland Tigers 3 Box Score In game one of this doubleheader, Miguel Sano had a(nother) big game. He went 2-3 with a walk, his 11th double and his 12th home run. He also stole his sixth base. Aderlin Mejia went 2-4 with his fourth steal. Jairo Rodriguez went 2-4. Kennys Vargas hit his eighth home run. Tom Stuifbergen started the first game. He went four innings and gave up three runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out two. Matt Hauser came on and gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one in two scoreless innings. Corey Williams recorded his eighth save with a one-hit scoreless inning. Game 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Lakeland Tigers 3 Box Score Miguel Sano was back at it in Game 2. He had one of the four hits for the Miracle; the hit was his 13th home run. Angel Morales added his third homer. Levi Michael notched his eighth double. Kyle Davies started for the Miracle. He gave up three runs on six hits in three innings. He walked two and struck out three. Cole Johnson came on and threw three scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out three. Cedar Rapids Kernels No Game Scheduled. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

Adopt-A-Prospect 2014 will start right here... at 9:00 a.m. CST. Again, to adopt a Twins prospect, just put their name in the forum. If no one has already adopted that player, he's yours. As a reminder, on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. CST, Twins Daily members can adopt a second player. A note will be made on this forum when that can happen. AT 9:00 a.m. CST this morning, I will post a message saying "Let the adoptions begin." Once that is there, you can start. I will try to post an update from time to time of who has been adopted by whom. Remember, any Twins minor leaguer can be drafted, players at Rochester, New Britain, Ft. Myers, Cedar Rapids, or at Extended Spring Training.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Here are the Rules of Twins Daily Adopt-a-Prospect, and a Note that you don't really get to Adopt them, just get to write about them on Twins Daily. Download attachment: Sam Perlozzo.jpg As we have done here at Twins Daily the last two years, we will be hosting a Twins minor league Adopt-A-Prospect. With a couple alterations, the rules should make for more information shared about more of the minor league teams throughout the farm system. Starting at 9:00 Central Time on Tuesday (April 1), you will be able to adopt any Twins minor leaguer (who hasn't already been adopted). Those players can come from either of the four Twins full-season affiliates (Rochester, New Britain, Ft. Myers, Cedar Rapids) or players who will begin the season at Extended Spring Training. At 9:00 Central Time on Wednesday, people can adopt a second Twins minor leaguer (Again, only those available). http://twinsdaily.co...46&d=1394372717 Here are the Rules of Adopt-A-Prospect 2014: (Note, the actual player adoption will be conducted in another thread "SIGN UP FOR ADOPT A PROSPECT 2014" which will be located in this "Adopt a Prospect 2014" Forum.) Rules of Adopt-A-Prospect 2014: 1) 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 Tuesday morning. On Wednesday morning at 9:00 a.m. CST, Twins Daily readers can adopt a second 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, hyphen - 2014 (example - Miguel Sano - 2014). The 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 and feel free to find video. (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 other 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/multi- hit or HRs in a 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) If a player is placed on the 25-man roster, this is wonderful news and you cancontinue that player’s thread. Reward for your player getting to the big leagues is that you can adopt another prospect at that point. Even if the first player is eventually sent back to the minor leagues, you can maintain both prospect threads. 6) All other rules which are enforced on the main board will be enforced here. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask here. Click here to view the article

Twins Fest is a great opportunity for Twins fans to start really getting excited about the upcoming season. In just over two weeks, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Ft. Myers for the start of spring training. For the first time, Twins Fest was in Target Field. I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of Twins players on Friday and Saturday and thought I would share one quote from each. Consider this a Best Of Twins Fest Quotes article. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be writing some more in-depth stories about some of these players.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Twins Media.jpg A portion of the Twins media (L to R): LaVelle E. Neal (Star Tribune), Mike Berardino (Pioneer Press), Rhett Bollinger (TwinsBaseball.com), Tyler Mason (FS North) ALEX MEYER on last season’s shoulder injury: “It wasn’t anything more than, I woke up one morning just sore. It wasn’t sore when I went to bed so I didn’t know what was going on. We went in and got checked out. It was funny, the MRI I got this time was more clean than the one when I got drafted. My shoulder looked better now than it did then. I knew nothing was wrong. I just didn’t know why I was hurting. I never had anything like that. Just a bump in the road now. It’s time to move past it and get back on the mound.” BYRON BUXTON on all the postseason accolades: “It’s really just an honor. God blessed me with a lot of talent and I just try to come out every day and use it and not let it go to waste.” ANDREW ALBERS when the first question he was asked in a small group was about the Korea situation: “Oh, here I thought we were going to do an interview about Saskatchewan.” ANDREW ALBERS on the Twins: “The Twins have been so great to me. They’ve given me so many opportunities. They took a chance on me when nobody else would. That makes it a really, really tough decision.” (By the way, the Albers situation should be resolved within the next couple days.) JASON KUBEL on Ron Gardenhire: “He’s great. I’ve only played for a few managers, but he’s the best. I wasn’t worried. He’s just too good for them to let him go.” TREVOR PLOUFFE on if he thinks 2014 is a big year for him personally with Miguel Sano being so close: “Not really. I mean, I’m not really concerned about that. I want to help the team win. That’s all I care about. Miguel is a great player, and if he comes up and helps our team, we want him. We want anyone that can help the team.” BRIAN DOZIER about his power in 2013: “Bruno (hitting coach Tom Brunansky) helped a lot, him being a power hitter. He kind of saw that I wasn’t actually getting everything out of my swing. We made a lot of adjustments to create more power. I think that you try to find the kind of hitter you are. I think I did that last year. Got comfortable. I like where I’m at.” SEAN GILMARTIN on which stat is most important to him: “For any pitcher, really, you look at the amount of innings pitched a starting pitcher throws. That’ll give you an indication of whether he’s doing his job or not.” JOE MAUER on changing diapers of his twin daughters: “I can, yeah. Well, they’re six months old, but I think I have 12 months of experience.” JOE MAUER on his brother Jake Mauer (manager of the Cedar Rapids Kernels): “Jake’s one of those guys. He’s got a high baseball IQ. I think when he played, you could kind of tell that whenever he decided to be done, he’d be a manager. He always thought two pitches ahead or a play before it even happened. It’s fun. We’re brothers. We talk about a lot of things. That’s one thing that we share, the love of the game. And trying to get better at it, and finding better way of doing things.” ERIC FRYER on his big league debut with the Pirates: “I got thrown at in my big league debut, and I had a collision at home plate with David Ortiz. So that was certainly memorable. He didn’t hit me super hard.” KURT SUZUKI on calling a game: “I love calling the game. I love preparing myself. I really take pride in messing with hitters and being able to get my pitching staffs through a game flawlessly. That’s my goal every game.” MIGUEL SANO on his home run goal for 2014: I asked Sano, “So, you hit 30 home runs in Beloit two seasons ago, and 35 last year. Do you have a goal to hit 40 this year?” You’ve already seen his response: “No… I hit 45 this year… more games… maybe 55, you never know. Working hard. Getting good pitch. That’s it.” ROB PLUMMER, Sano’s agent on what Sano wants to learn this spring training: “Joe (Mauer) says he’s going to try to see (Sano) in the cage and see how he is with his plate discipline and strike zone judgment. He’s going to try to give him hints about what pitchers are looking for in certain spots, and try to get him the plate discipline that Joe has. For me, I’ve been doing this 20 years, I think Miguel can walk 100 times a year. I think that he knows how important that is to add to his On Base-Slugging Percentage, to have an OPS over 1.000. We go over that stat a lot.” It was neat to hear what an agent views and finds important. Of course, ballplayers with OPS over 1.000 tend to make a lot of money! Asked if 100 walks is a goal, Sano said, “120… 150…” MIKE PELFREY on coming back last year from Tommy John: “There were a lot of times where I couldn’t get the necessary feel of the ball coming off my fingertips. That’s kind of important out there pitching. Obviously I think the results reflected that. I got a little better in the middle. Then I think I kind of wore down in September. In hindsight, I probably should have waited, maybe come back at 13 months which is June, when I started to get a little more of that feeling back. Obviously being a competitor, you want to be out there as soon as you can.” AARON HICKS on his decision not to play winter ball: “I thought a little about it, but I felt like it would be better for me to relax and think about stuff I need to do and get ready for another season rather than go right into another season. Just rest the body up. I’ve never had an actual offseason before. I’ve always played somewhere. It felt good to just relax.” KYLE GIBSON on his mental preparation: “I feel like this offseason, mentally, I’ve taken a lot of steps that I need to be prepared. I thought I was prepared last year when I got up there, and I think to a point, I was. But, as I started to struggle, I think I tried too hard to correct it. I was out there not allowing the adrenaline to help me, but rather making it force things and get in my own way mentally instead of doing what I’ve done my whole career, just getting out there, seeing the pitch I’m throwing. Picture it, and execute it and move on.” So there you have a taste of what was talked about at Twins Fest by some of the players. Certainly they are all looking forward to spring training and the start of another season. Dustin Morse and his PR staff deserve a ton of credit. Behind the scenes, they are the ones that get the players going to the right places and making Twins Fest go well. Dustin, along with Andrew Heydt, Mike Kennedy and Mitch Hestad aren’t the guys signing autographs, but they are the guys who make it all happen. Feel free to discuss the quotes above and ask questions that you may have. Click here to view the article

On Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins minor leaguers report to the Twins minor league complex in Ft. Myers. Soon after, the players will have their first full-squad workouts. In between, the players will have to run a mile, and the pitchers will also need to do a shuttle run. After a few days of workouts, the players will start playing some intra-squad games. Eventually they’ll start getting into some games against other teams, and then in early April, most of the players will be put on a roster and head to their Opening Day destinations. Starting today, I will start looking at the Twins organizational depth chart, starting with the outfielders. We will consider which players are in line for roster spots with the Twins and each of their minor league affiliates. I’ll try to project which players will start the season with the various teams.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Please note that this is my educated guess. This information could be altered by an unexpected free agent signing or a trade. This exercise is not so much an attempt to perfectly predict where each and every player will wind up. The reality is that some players will be placed at a lower level than I project just due to numbers. Some will go on the Disabled List. The unfortunate reality is that some of the players who report to spring training will be released. Hopefully readers will be reminded who is in the organization or see who the team has added since last season. Today, we will begin this series with a look at the Outfielders: Minnesota Twins Josh Willingham (LF), Aaron Hicks (CF), Chris Parmelee (RF), Darin Mastroianni Willingham sure made Target Field look like a regular-sized ballpark, with a career-high in home runs and RBI. We also know that Chris Parmelee will be the primary starter in right field. Centerfield remains the question mark. It’s clear that many with the Twins really want Aaron Hicks to win the job to start the season. Darin Mastroianni is certainly a given to be on the roster and could start, but most likely will be the team’s fourth outfielder. Rochester Red Wings Wilkin Ramirez (LF), Joe Benson (CF), Oswaldo Arcia (RF), Clete Thomas, Brian Dinkelman, Brandon Boggs, Evan Bigley At least a couple of these outfielders could still be with the Twins on Opening Day. Joe Benson is still in the running for the centerfield job, and if the Twins decide to carry a fifth outfielder, he could be that player. The Twins would likely prefer he play every day. That would open the door for the likes of Dinkelman, Ramirez, Thomas and Boggs, all of whom have big league service time under their belts. Dinkelman play for the Twins in 2011 when he hit .301 in two stints with the team. Boggs spent time with the Rangers from 2008 through 2010, and with the Brewers in 2011. Thomas played 142 games with the Tigers between 2008 and 2009. Then he played in three games for Detroit in 2012 before they cut ties with him and the Twins claimed him (and he struckout an impressive 16 times in 29 plate appearances). Ramirez was once a top prospect with the Tigers. He played 15 games for Detroit in 2009 and then 20 games with the Atlanta Braves in 2011. In 2012, after missing much of the first half of the season with injury, he hit 18 doubles and 15 home runs in just 98 games with the Red Wings. Although he will catch much of the time, expect to see Chris Herrmann playing a bit in left field as well. New Britain Rock Cats Angel Morales (LF), Antoan Richardson (CF), Oswaldo Arcia (RF), Lance Ray, Danny Rams There was likely a chance that Arcia would have started the 2013 with AAA Rochester, but having missed his time in big league camp with injury may affect where he begins the year. He crushed the ball in the Venezuelan Winter League and was poised to make a strong showing in camp. Unfortunately, he has been completely limited because of the intercostal injury. The key is for him to, first, get healthy, and then, play every day. None of the guys listed in Rochester will block the path of Arcia’s tremendous upside to the majors. 29-year-old Antoan Richardson is a Ben Revere clone. He is about 5-8 and very fast. He was drafted four times before signing with the Giants in 2005. He remained with the Giants organization and reached AA before signing with Schaumburg of the Independent Northern League. He began the 2010 season in Schaumburg before signing with the Braves. In September of 2011, he was promoted to the Braves where he hit .500 in 9 games (just 2-4). In 2012, he was with the Orioles organization. In 90 AA games, he hit .279 and got on base at an incredible .415 clip. It is a huge make or break season for Angel Morales. The one-time, top prospect has struggled mightily the last two years. He can become a minor league free agent following the season, so he will either want the Twins to put him on the 40 man roster, or play well enough for another organization to be interested in giving him an opportunity. Lance Ray (23) hit just .234 but hit 13 home runs in Ft. Myers . He will play a lot and likely hit quite a few home runs. He can also play some first base and DH. Danny Rams was a Twins 2nd round pick as a catcher. In 2012, he moved out to the outfield. After struggling immensely early in the season and went on the DL. When he returned, he was much better. Like Morales, he will need to have a solid year and make an impact as he can become a free agent following the season. Primarily a catcher, don't be surprised to see Dan Rohlfing get some time out in the outfield. Ft. Myers Miracle Drew Leachman (LF), Jhonatan Goncalves (CF), Danny Ortiz (RF), JD Williams, Nate Roberts Ortiz had a successful Puerto Rican season. On a team that included Kennys Vargas and Eddie Rosario, Ortiz was the team’s #3 hitter. He spent the first month of 2012 back in Beloit, but he played much better after his promotion to the Miracle. Goncalves could have become a free agent following the 2012 season, but he chose to return by signing with the Twins. Leachman was a late-round pick in 2011 from a Division III school. He began 2012 in Extended Spring Training but after his promotion to Beloit, he became a solid, fairly consistent, middle-of-the-lineup hitter. JD Williams could, and probably should, spend another half-season in the Midwest League before moving up to the Miracle, but as you will see shortly, there are very good outfielders who should head to Cedar Rapids. Here We Go Again - After leading the Arizona Fall League in 2012 in Batting Average, On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage, many hoped to see Nate Roberts skip Ft. Myers and jump straight to AA New Britain. That may still be possible, but unfortunately, it isn't likely to happen right at the beginning of the season. Twins Daily has learned that while working out this winter, Roberts tore his meniscus and needed surgery. He is rehabbing and may not miss a lot of the season, but it is certainly a set back and likely will keep him in Ft. Myers. Cedar Rapids Kernels Max Kepler (LF), Byron Buxton (CF), Adam Walker (RF), John Murphy, Romy Jimenez, Jeremias Pineda Buxton is the big name here. The 2nd overall pick just last season impressed in his professional debut in which he played in the Gulf Coast League and at Elizabethton. It certainly is not unusual for the Twins to send first round high school hitters to the Midwest League the year after their draft. That’s where players like Michael Cuddyer, Torii Hunter, Joe Mauer, Denard Span, Matt Moses, Chris Parmelee and Joe Benson went. It has occurred less in recent years, likely due to players signing so late and not debuting in the year that they were drafted. It will certainly be a challenge for the 19-year-old. Max Kepler spent the last two years at Elizabethton. In 2012, he was much improved. The young outfielder from Germany can certainly play centerfield. In fact, he played the position in Elizabethton right up until Buxton came to town. He remains a five-tool talent with a lot of power potential. Speaking of power potential, if 2012 3rd round pick Adam Walker can make contact, he has as much power as anyone in the Twins system. Romy (formerly Trinidad) Jimenez was very good in Elizabethton in 2012 until he tore his meniscus. Jeremias Pineda came to the Twins last August in the trade that sent Danny Valencia to the Red Sox. John Murphy is the brother of the Mets’ Daniel Murphy. He was a 2012 draft pick. Extended Spring Training/Short-Season Jake Proctor, Zach Larson, Kelvin Mention, Kelvin Ortiz, Dereck Rodriguez If not for a hamstring injury, Dereck Rodriguez may have moved up to Elizabethton during the 2012 season. He was hitting very well, showing power even, until the injury. As you recall, he is the son of former big league catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Jake Proctor is said to be a five-tool type of athlete. He was expected to be drafted last year earlier than when the Twins got him (14th round), but he had arthroscopic knee surgery was not cleared to play until after the season. 2013 will be his professional debut. He is listed at 6-2 and 221 pound, but his best tool is said to be tremendous speed. Zach Larson was taken last year in the 19th round out of high school and given $190,000 to sign (because the Twins had extra available to spend). He is a great athlete in high school, having accumulated three varsity letters in football despite not playing his senior season to focus on baseball. Kelvin Mention was JD Williams’ high school teammate in high school. Unfortunately, he has not played much since signing late in 2010. He was hurt for the 2011 season and didn’t play a lot at Elizabethton last year, which is probably where he will return in 2013. Ortiz was considered a bit of a prospect while playing in the Dominican Summer League for a couple of season. However, the transition to the States and the GCL have not been easy for Ortiz who will likely need to make the Elizabethon roster. TOP PROSPECTS 1.) Byron Buxton, 2.) Oswaldo Arcia, 3.) Aaron Hicks, 4.) Max Kepler, 5.) Joe Benson, 6.) Adam Walker, 7.) Danny Ortiz Buxton is in all of the Top 100 lists, generally in the Top 20. Baseball America his him at #10, one spot behind Miguel Sano. Arcia was the Twins minor league hitter of the year in 2012 and had a strong Venezuelan Winter League performance. Hicks is generally in the second half of Top 100 lists. Kepler and Benson are generally found in the 10-12 range of Twins top prospect lists but on opposite ends of the prospect range. Kepler is young and raw and still needs to play for a full season team. Benson is now 25, has seen big league team, went through a lost 2012 season due to injury and is now hoping to regain his status as a part of the Twins future. Walker has tremendous power potential, and Ortiz is just a solid all-around player that is often forgotten because of the high-upside guys. SUMMARY The Twins have long been strong on outfielders throughout the system. They have a knack for finding and developing at this position. They had enough depth throughout the organization that they were able to acquire two hard-throwing pitching prospects (Alex Meyer, Trevor May) and a solid pitcher with over 2 years of solid big league pitching (Vance Worley) for two talented starting big league outfielders (Denard Span and Ben Revere). Josh Willingham was tremendous with the bat in 2012, winning a Silver Slugger Award, but the deals have opened up opportunities for others to show what they can do. Chris Parmelee will get an everyday gig. And Mastroianni, Hicks and Benson will be one of the better storylines to follow throughout spring training. There is still talent down below, although the risk is now much higher for outfielders. We will likely see Oswaldo Arcia in 2013, but the rest of the prospects are now in the lower levels. This is not a bad thing, however, as the Twins outfield will be very young by the end of the 2013 season. If you have any further questions, please feel free to leave your thoughts in the Comments Section! View full article

Over the past three weeks, I have been posting my choices for the top 50 Minnesota Twins Prospects. As the lists have been posted, there has been some tremendous discussion in the Comments about the lists. So below, I will post my top 50 as presented. I encourage you to let me know who is too high, or to low? Then, I've been encouraging you to prepare your own person Top 10 or Top 20 or Top 50 Twins prospect list. It would be interesting to see who others rank where because we all have our own personal favorite prospects that we may rank a little higher than others. It's all part of the fun.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Here is a quick breakdown of my Top 50 Twins prospects by position: RH Starting Pitchers: 14 LH Starting Pitchers: 11 RH Relief Pitchers: 5 LH Relief Pitchers: 0 Catchers: 3 Corner Infielders: 6 Middle Infielders: 5 Oufielders: 6 Download attachment: Eddie Rosario NB.jpg With that, here are my choices for Top 50 Twins Prospects. Discuss. #50 – Adrian Salcedo – Ft. Myers – RH RP (22) #49 – Josue Montanez – Cedar Rapids – LH SP (21) #48 – Aaron Slegers – Indiana/Elizabethton – RH SP (21) #47 – Stuart Turner – Mississippi/Elizabethton/New Britain – C (21) #46 – AJ Achter – New Britain/Rochester – RH RP (25) #45 – Mike Kvasnicka – Ft. Myers – OF (24) #44 – Levi Michael – Ft. Myers – 2B (22) #43 – Pat Dean – LH SP (24) #42 – Zach Larson – OF (20) #41 – Danny Ortiz – OF (23) #40 – Alex Wimmers – RH SP (24) #39 - Tim Atherton – RH SP (23) #38 – Tyler Duffey – RH SP (22) #37 – Mason Melotakis – LH SP (22) #36 – Brian Navarreto – C (18) #35 – Matt Summers – RH SP (24) #34 – Tyler Jones – RH RP (24) #33 – JD Williams – OF (23) #32 – Luke Bard – RH SP (22) #31 – Logan Darnell – LH SP (24) #30 – Dalton Hicks – 1B (23) #29 – DJ Baxendale – RH SP (22) #28 – Randy Rosario – LH SP (19) #27 – Brett Lee – LH SP (23) #26 – Yorman Landa – RH SP (19) #25 – Michael Tonkin – RH RP (23) #24 – Miguel Sulburan – LH SP (19) #23 – Amaurys Minier – 3B (17) #22 – Zack Jones – RH RP (22) #21 – Felix Jorge – RH SP (19) #20 – Niko Goodrum – SS (21) #19 – Taylor Rogers – LH SP (22) #18 – Fernando Romero – RH SP (18) #17 – Ryan Eades – RH SP (21) #16 – Kennys Vargas – 1B (23) #15 – Danny Santana – SS (22) #14 – Stephen Gonsalves – LH SP (19) #13 – Trevor May – RH SP (24) #12 – Travis Harrison – 3B (21) #11 – Josmil Pinto – C (24) #10 – Adam Walker – OF (22) #9 – Lewis Thorpe – LH SP (17) #8 – Max Kepler – OF/1B (20) #7 – Jose (JO) Berrios – RH SP (19) #6 – Jorge Polanco – 2B (20) #5 – Eddie Rosario – 2B (22) #4 – Kohl Stewart – RH SP (19) #3 – Alex Meyer – RH SP (23) #2 – Miguel Sano – 3B (20) #1 – Byron Buxton – OF (19) There it is. Discuss. And if you missed any of the ten pieces, check them out here: Part 1: 46-50 Part 2: 41-45 Part 3: 36-40 Part 4: 31-35 Part 5: 26-30 Part 6: 21-25 Part 7: 16-20 Part 8: 11-15 Part 9: 6-10 Part 10: 1-5 Click here to view the article

It is now late May, and the Twins season is at a crossroads. The team has lost eight straight games as it embarks on a four-game series in Detroit against the Tigers. The season is in flux, and right now the roster, specifically the starting rotation, is in flux. Before tonight's game, the Twins will add Samuel Deduno to their 40 man roster and then their 25 man roster. Most likely, Tim Wood will be put on the 60 day disabled list. Following another poor performance on Thursday, the Twins optioned RHP Vance Worley to AAA Rochester. That leaves an open spot on the 25-man roster and the need for a 5th starter on Monday. So, who will it be?[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I present to you the three options with their numbers: RHP Kyle Gibson is 3-5 with a 3.25 ERA. In 52.2 innings, he has allowed 46 hits, walked 14 and struck out 46. Opponents are hitting .240 against him. RHP PJ Walters is 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA. In 54.1 innings, he has allowed 55 hits, walked 16 and struck out 46. Opponents are hitting .271 against him. LHP Andrew Albers is 1-2 with a 2.34 ERA. In 42.1 innings, he has allowed 41 hits, walked 12 and struck out 40. Opponents have hit .255 off of him. All three have pitched well and a case could be made for each. Quite possibly the biggest advantage for Gibson is his first-round pedigree. However, the bigger disadvantage to Walters and Albers is that they are not on the 40 man roster. The question often is asked: who could the Twins take off their 40 man roster to make room for either of them? Well, assuming Wood goes on the 60 Day DL, they do not have another player eligible to put there (the DL). So, the team would have to DFA (designate for assignment) someone to make room for Monday's starter. It's never fun to look at who could be made available for other teams to claim, but if you think Walters or Albers is the right guy, it's an exercise that needs to be done. Here are some candidates: Joe Benson - His name has been mentioned as a possible DFA candidate. After an injury-plagued 2012 season, Benson has struggled to keep his batting average above .200 this spring with Rochester. He will be out of options next season, but because of his immense athletic talents, I believe that he would be claimed and lost. Drew Butera - The much-maligned backup catcher who plays tremendous defense but can't hit his weight is another name that people mention. He broke his wrist and hasn't played, though he should be getting into games soon. If there is a time that he could go unclaimed, it might be now. Cole De Vries - The 28-year-old Minnesotan was on the Opening Day roster, but he went on the disabled list. In his three rehab starts and one Red Wings start, he has really struggled. I think he would clear waivers and could be kept in Rochester. Liam Hendriks - Though it appears that the Twins brass has soured on the Australian right-hander, he's just 24 years old and until this year has been terrific at each minor league level. He is now on the Rochester disabled list. There is no question that he would be claimed if made available. BJ Hermsen - Last year Hermsen was the Twins minor league starting pitcher of the year, and was very good in 2011 as well. Last year, he got outs and pitched very well in New Britain. This year, after going to big league camp, he was hurt. He has now made a handful of starts and struggled to regain his 2012 form. Although he doesn't have great velocity, he has two option years left, size and smarts. I think he would be claimed, but it might be more 50/50. Chris Herrmann - Another is Herrmann. A year ago, or even earlier this spring, I would have said that was crazy. Now I don't think it's quite as unlikely. The Twins have five catchers on the 40 man roster. Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit aren't going anywhere. Josmil Pinto has proven the team wise in keeping him. Herrmann is off to a slow start in his first AAA season. He can catch. He can play multiple positions and thus gives flexibility. He won't hit for average, but until his slow start, he has generally walked quite a bit and hit some doubles. I think he would be claimed. Wilkin Ramirez - With Chris Colabello on the roster, the Twins have a right-handed bat off the bench. However, as the roster is currently set up, Ramirez is the backup centerfielder making it unlikely he would be made available now. I think he would clear waivers if or when they make him available. So, there are some candidates for removal from the 40 man roster if the Twins believe that PJ Walters or Andrew Albers is the right man to bring up now. It's been a rough season so far. We are just starting to see some transactions, and I anticipate we will see several more. View full article

Though the Minnesota Twins fell back to .500 with a 6-2 loss on Sunday to Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners, it wasn’t all bad news in the Twins organization. In fact, all four Twins full-season affiliates won their games. Three lefties led the highest level teams to victory while the Cedar Rapid Kernels had to come back to end their big losing streak. TRANSACTIONS Following the Twins game, OF/C Chris Herrmann was promoted back up to the Twins while reliever Michael Tonkin was sent back to Rochester. The move gives manager Ron Gardenhire an extra bat on the bench this coming week while playing in National League ballparks. In the ten days that Herrmann was in Rochester, he hit .400 (14-35) with three doubles, a triple and a home run. Tonkin, meanwhile, had a 5.84 ERA in 12.1 innings with the Twins. Download attachment: KrisJohnson2.JPG Let’s look at the goings on in the Twins system: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Toledo 1 Box Score Last week, when the Twins decided to option Oswaldo Arcia, it was likely because he had not yet been able to play more than two games in a row without a set back with his wrist injury. Since then, he has now played in seven straight games. In the last four, he has six hits. On Sunday, he went 2-4 with a double and his third home run. In other words, he finally appears to be healed and ready to return to the big league club. James Beresford went 2-4. Josh Willingham was in the lineup, batting fifth and serving as the Red Wings DH. He went 0-2 with two strikeouts. He was also hit by a pitch. Kris Johnson continues to pitch well in the International League. Last year’s IL ERA leader went six innings and gave up only an unearned run. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out seven. Ryan Pressly recorded his first professional save. He gave up three hits over three scoreless innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. It was the sixth straight win for the Red Wings. It was also their ninth straight win at home at Frontier Field. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 5, Harrisburg 3 Box Score Taylor Rogers has been pitching very well the last month. On Sunday, he posted his fifth straight quality start. For the first time, he completed seven innings. He gave up three runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out four. He recorded a win for the fourth straight start. You may recall, in April, he went 0-3 with a 9.33 ERA. In May, he is now 4-0 with a 2.49 ERA. Cole Johnson gave up one hit and two walks, but also struck out three in two scoreless innings. It was his third save and he reduced his ERA to 1.23. Kennys Vargas went 2-4 with his tenth double, eighth home run and three RBI. Tony Thomas was 2-4 with his second triple. Mike Kvasnicka was 2-4 with his fifth double. Reynaldo Rodriguez went hitless, snapping his 13 game hitting streak. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 10, Daytona 1 Box Score Brett Lee made his first start for the Miracle since April 30, and the Miracle got a big blast in a blowout win. Lee worked the first five innings and gave up only an unearned run. He allowed four hits, walked none and struck out six. Tyler Jones came on and threw 2.1 scoreless frames. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck out four. Steve Gruver recorded the final five outs, two on strikouts. Jorge Polanco had a first-inning error that allowed the unearned run to score. It was hit 14th error of the year. However, he also went 3-5 with his ninth double of the season to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. Travis Harrison went 1-3 with a walk. Niko Goodrum was 2-4 with a walk. Adam Walker was also 2-4 with five RBI. He came to the plate in the 7th inning with the bases loaded and uncoiled for a grand slam. It was his seventh homer of the season and his second grand slam in the past four games. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Burlington 6 Box Score The Kernels fell behind early. Down 4-0 after three innings, and 5-2 after five innings, the Kernels scored three in the top of the 6th inning to tie the score at five. In the 7th inning, Jake Mauer was ejected from the game, so he didn’t get to see the ninth inning when his team scored two runs and held on for the one-run win. The win snapped their eight game losing streak. Ethan Mildren started and gave up five runs in the first five innings. The Bees scored in four of the five innings. He gave up nine hits, walked one and struck out five. Derrick Penilla came on and gave up just one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out four. Todd Van Steensel came in for the ninth. He gave up a solo home run, but he struck out two to record the first save of his professional career. The Kernels got six hits from their top two hitters. JD Williams was 3-5 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Tanner Vavra was also 3-5 and doubled for the eighth time this season. Bo Altobelli went 2-5. All nine Kernels’ hitters had at least one hit. Bryan Haar (6), Mitch Garver (11), Michael Quesada (5) and Joel Licon (3) each added a double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kris Johnson, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ Rochester (6:05 CT) – Trevor May (Listen) Richmond @ New Britain (5:35 CT) – Tyler Duffey (Listen) Daytona @ Ft. Myers (9:35 am CT) – JO Berrios (Listen) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CT) – Josue Montanez (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. Click here to view the article

On Tuesday night, Seth was joined by Topper Anton (Curve for a Strike) on the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast. Topper spent time in Ft. Myers last week and reported on what he saw at minor league camp and at a couple of Twins games. The rest of the show, Seth answered questions from the chat room about the Twins 25 man roster, some tough decisions, the minor league rosters, Twins Daily and more. The one-hour show can be heard by clicking here. However, the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast needs your help really badly. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Since the SethSpeaks.net site has now merged into this Twins Daily site, the podcast needs a new name. What do you think? What are your suggestions? Any ideas? Leave your comments on the show or show names in the Comments! Download attachment: HelpWanted.jpg Click here to view the article

The Sunday Tweet of the Day comes from yours truly (@SethTweets). Before the game started, I tweeted, “After that pregame and national anthem rendition, is there any questions that @TPlouffe24 is planning to hit a home run or two for #America?” Josh Willingham hit a big three-run home run that tied the game at five. He also tied Trevor Plouffe with 17 home runs. Plouffe came up and knocked the first Bruce Chen pitch he saw in the at bat for his second home run of the day (18th of the year) and more important, he gave the Twins a lead that they would hold for the win. The Twins now have a three-game winning streak as they head to Detroit to take on the Tigers. For all this and more, here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Sunday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 5, EMPIRE STATE 3 PJ Walters made his first rehab start for the Red Wings and it didn’t start out well, but after struggling in the first inning, he did alright. In total, he went four innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out two. Caleb Thielbar came in and gave up only one walk over the course of two innings. He struck out two and was credited with first AAA win. Luis Perdomo came in and struck out five over three perfect innings to record his first save with the Red Wings. He became the seventh Red Wings pitcher to record a save. Pedro Florimon went 2-4 with his eighth double. Brian Dinkelman and JR Towles were each 2-4. Wilkin Ramirez hit his sixth home run. NEW BRITAIN 6, BOWIE 2 Aaron Hicks has been very good since returning to the field after his sprained ankle. In this game, he was 2-3 with a walk, his tenth double and his 17th and 18th stolen base. Dan Rohlfing went 2-4 with his fourth double. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4 with two RBI. Chris Herrmann hit his 20th double. He was also hit by a pitch and stole a base. Aaron Thompson started and gae up two runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three. Dakota Watts and then Bruce Pugh each pitched a scoreless inning in which they gave up a hit and a walk. FT. MYERS 4, ST. LUCIE 2 Madison Boer has started to pitch much better and on this day he helped the Miracle to their third straight win. The Eden Prairie right-hander gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits and two walks in six innings. Ricky Bowen came in and walked three in one scoreless inning. AJ Achter came in and gave the final six outs for his first save. He was not closing games in Beloit, so when asked about being in the closer role, the talented right-hander said, “I think that Jake (Mauer) and (Steve) Mintzy forgot what inning it was.” Josmil Pinto led the offense. He went 3-3 with a walk and his 13th double. Danny Santana went 2-4 with his sixth triple. Danny Ortiz went 2-4 with his 11th double. BELOIT 4, CEDAR RAPIDS 3 Could it be that Miguel Sano is breaking out of his huge slump? On Sunday, Sano was 2-3 with a walk, his 18th home run and his sixth stolen base. In ten games since the Midwest League All Star break, he is hitting .281/.425/.625 (1.050 OPS) with two doubles and three home runs. The three home runs and all come in the last four games. Steve Liddle went 1-3 with a walk, his sixth double and two RBI. Those were the Snappers only three hits in this game. Matt Summers started and gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out seven. Tyler Jones came out of the bullpen and recorded his first win thanks to 2.1 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. Corey Williams came in and got the final three outs for his 11th save on the season. ELIZABETHTON 4, PRINCETON 6 Romy Jimenez continues to hit well. On this day, he was 3-4 with his second and third doubles. Jhonathan Arias was 3-4. Stephen Wickens went 2-4 with a walk and his second doubles. Candido Pimentel went 2-4. Corey Kimes got the nod for the E-Twins. The lefty went five innings and gave up four runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out one. Hein Robb gave up two runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. He struck out one. DJ Baxendale finished playing in the College World Series and must have been anxious to sign with the Twins. On Sunday, he made his professional debut for Elizabethton. He struck out four in 1.2 innings. GCL TWINS There are no scheduled GCL games on Sundays. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, July 1, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Luis Perdomo Download attachment: LuisPerdomo.jpg Hitter of the Day – Josmil Pinto Download attachment: JosmilPinto3.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Monday, July 2, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Pawtucket – RHP Sam Deduno New Britain vs Bowie – RHP Shairon Martis Ft. Myers vs St. Lucie – LHP Pat Dean Beloit vs Cedar Rapids – LHP David Hurlbut Elizabethton @ Princeton – RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins @ GCL Rays – No Game Scheduled --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! Click here to view the article

On Monday night, the Minnesota Twins began a three game series in Detroit against the Tigers. It was Mike Pelfrey facing Max Scherzer. You likely watched the game or saw the box score already when you read this, so you know that the Twins fell by the final score of 4-3. It was interesting to watch the game while at the same time calculating the Twins Win Expectancy after each and every play throughout the game.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Win Expectancy is a number that changes with every game situation. Someone who had too much time on his hands looked at every play in MLB games from 1957 through 2005. It assigns a percent likelihood of a team winning based on what happened over nearly 100,000 games. Here is a look at the Top 5 Plays from tonight’s Twins-Tigers game in terms of effect on Win Expectancy. #5 – Florimon Turns Double Play from Back Side. It was the bottom of the 5th inning and the Twins led 3-1. Mike Pelfrey had allowed a lead-off single to Alex Avila. With Avila on 1st, the Twins’ Win Probability was at 66.1% Omar Infanta blasted a one-hopper right at the Twins shortstop. Florimon fielded the ball cleanly but as he was throwing to second base, he was falling backwards. Despite his imbalance, he made a perfect feed to Brian Dozier who quickly turned and fired to first base to complete the double play. Now with two outs and no one on, the Twins’ Win Expectancy increased to 76.2% Win Expectancy Change – 10.1% #4 – “Hammer” Homers to give Twins 1-0 Lead. A visiting team’s Win Expectancy when the game starts is just 46.1% Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer flied out. When Josh Willingham stepped to the plate, that Win Expectancy was down to 42.1%. Scherzer didn’t give up many hard hit baseballs through the game, but Willingham did get a hold of this one for a solo home run that gave the Twins the 1-0 lead. Following the homer, the Twins Win Expectancy was 53.0% Win Expectancy Change- 10.9% #3 – Dirks Homers to Cut Twins’ Lead in Half. In the 2nd inning, the Twins added a second run on an Aaron Hicks’ ground out to take a 2-0 lead (which increased the Twins Win Expectancy by 4.3% to 69.8% After the Tigers and the Twins each posted "three up-three down" innings, Andy Dirks came up with two outs and no one on base in the bottom of the third. The left-hander’s solo home run cut the Twins’ lead to 2-1. It also cut the Twins’ Win Expectancy from 71.0% to 58.9% Win Expectancy Change – 12.1% #2 – Arcia Double Gives Twins 3-1 Lead. The Tigers (Dirks) had cut the Twins lead to one run in the bottom of the third, but the Twins were able to get two doubles to get that run back and reclaim a two-run lead. With one out, Chris Parmelee doubled to very deep right center field. After Trevor Plouffe struck out for the second out, Oswaldo Arcia fell behind Scherzer 0-2. However, he was able to fight off a fastball and hit a soft liner just inside the left field line for an RBI double. After the Plouffe strikeout, the Twins Win Expectancy was 57.8% However, after the RBI double, the Twins Win Expectancy jumped to 71.6% Win Expectancy Change – 13.8% #1 – Fielder Blast Gives Tigers 4-3 Lead. If you watched the game, or saw highlights, it was pretty clear which play of the game had the biggest impact on Win Expectancy. When the bottom of the 6th inning began, the Twins’ Win Expectancy was at 73.3% After an Andy Dirks bunt single to lead off the inning, it fell to 67.5%. Following the Miguel Cabrera walk to put runners on 1st and 2nd the Win Expectancy fell to 59.5%. However, after Pelfrey’s first pitch to Prince Fielder landed behind the wall in centerfield, the Twins Win Expectancy was just 23.1% Win Expectancy Change – 36.4% (Please note that this chart shows the Win Probability for the HOME team, the Tigers, throughout the game.) Pelfrey was very good through the first five innings. Unfortunately, the struggles in the sixth inning happened, and happened quite quickly. Win Expectancy is a nice, fun tool that can be used to see the impact of individual plays on the game. Like all statistics, it isn’t a perfect tool. For instances, when Fielder came up, the Twins Win Expectancy was 73.3% whether it was Prince Fielder or Don Kelly or Tom Kelly stepping to the plate. If you take a look at the Win Expectancy change for each player in the Twins lineup, it can show who had the biggest impact, positive or negative, in the game. It is extremely important to point out that this is a one-game sample, so performance (or clutchness), good or bad, has to be taken for what it’s worth. For this one game, here are the Twins hitters impact on Win Expectancy. Brian Dozier -15.5% Joe Mauer -9.2% Josh Willingham +5.6% Justin Morneau -11.4% Chris Parmelee -4.4% Trevor Plouffe -4.9% Oswaldo Arcia +14.3% Aaron Hicks -2.1% Pedro Florimon -0.1% It is safe to say that Oswaldo Arcia was the Twins player who gave the team the best chance to win on Monday night. Win Expectancy is just one way to look at a game. It is kind of fun to see how much each play, from the first to the last, affects the game. On this night, one pitch completely altered the outlook of the game. Unfortunately, it was one pitch that meant a Twins loss instead of a Twins win. View full article