Seth Stohs

Through May of 2012, Trevor Plouffe was hitting just .163/.261/.347 (.608) with three doubles and five home runs. Then the calendar turned to June. Over his next 32 games played, Plouffe hit .317/.373/.634 (1.006) with nine doubles and 14 home runs. That's when he injured his thumb and did not play again until mid-August. Over his final 45 games of 2012, he hit .196/.254/.344 (.598) with seven doubles and five homers. 2013 was meant to be a big year for several Twins including Brian Dozier and Chris Parmelee. However, arguably, 2013 was most important for Trevor Plouffe. Was he the sub-.300 on-base percentage guy still looking for a defensive position? Or, could he put up numbers approaching what he did for a month last June? For the most part, 2013 has been a frustrating season for the Twins third baseman. On May 21, he was kneed in the head as a base runner at second base and ended up on the Disabled List with a concussion. Before he could get back in the lineup, recurring calf tightness put him on the 15 day disabled list. When he returned in mid-June, he had a single, double and home run in his first game and had hits in 13 of 14 games played in the month. Unfortunately, July was a tough month as well as he hit just .189/.223/.300 (.523). Since August 1st, he has hit .237/.298/.404 (.702), though that includes the first two games in Houston when he went 7-9 with two homers. There are 20 MLB third basemen who qualify for a batting title (3.1 plate appearances per game their team has played). Here are Plouffe's rankings in several categories: Batting Average - .243 (15/20) On Base Percentage - .301 (17/20) Slugging Percentage - .404 (15/20) OPS - .705 (18/20) WAR - 1.4 (17/20 - only Mike Moustakus, David Freese and Michael Young have lower WAR) So, now what? Trevor Plouffe will likely need to show in the final month of the season that he should be the team's Opening Day third baseman. To assume that is a given is not correct on a couple of fronts: First, there is the Miguel Sano factor. The Twins ultra-talented, immensely powerful prospect finished his 2013 campaign with 35 home runs and will likely be ranked in the top three baseball prospects when the lists come out next spring. He finished the season in AA after spending the first half in Ft. Myers. He will be invited to spring training, but will the Twins be willing to give him the opening day starting job after seeing the struggles of Aaron Hicks coming straight from AA? Sano will be just 21 years old when the 2014 season starts. My assumption is that Sano will start the season in Rochester, but he won't be there for long. No more than two months, most likely. Second, Trevor Plouffe came into the 2013 season with 1.162 years of service. As he spent the entire season with the Twins, that number will be 2.162 at season's end. He is shy of 3 years of service time, but it is almost guaranteed that Plouffe would be a Super-2 arbitration-eligible player. That means that he will likely go from making just over $500,000 this season to somewhere between $1.8 and $2.8 million in 2014. Could the Twins non-tender Plouffe? I don't think that they would. He is still just 28 and although his defense has, at times, been shaky all around the field, he can play multiple positions even if it is in a super-utility role. That kind of position flexibility, and the fact that he does have good power, makes the idea that he could be traded at least feasible. Plouffe has been with the Twins since they drafted him out of high school with the first of five first round picks in 2004. He worked up the system one step at a time, and then was up and down with the Twins for a couple of seasons. He has been on the Twins roster for the last two years. So, what does the future hold for Trevor Plouffe in a Twins uniform? In my opinion, he will likely begin the 2014 season as the Twins third baseman. I do expect that Miguel Sano will be up by mid-June, if not by the end of May, and when he does the third base job will be his. I think that Trevor Plouffe can easily shift over to first base where he can split time with Joe Mauer. I think Mauer will continue to do some catching in 2014, but will also play a lot of first base. Plouffe can be a right-handed bat off of the bench, but he can also be a backup in the corner outfield positions, and yes (gasp) in the middle infield as well. That's how I envision things shaking out in 2014 for Trevor Plouffe. What do you think?

Tuesday marked the beginning of playoff season in full-season minor league baseball. Game 1's were played in the Florida State League, including the Ft. Myers Miracle. On Wednesday, Rochester and Cedar Rapids will begin their second seasons. Ft. Myers Miracle 0, Charlotte Stone Crabs 1 The Miracle had the best overall record in the Florida State League in 2013, and yet, after game one in the playoffs, they are on the brink of elimination. Remember, this is a best of three series. It takes just two wins to win the series. Of course, the Miracle will need to hold court at home to advance to the next round. Game one was played in Charlotte. The series will shift to Ft. Myers for games two and three. For Matt Summers, he saw several nights like this in the regular season. Despite leading the Florida State League in ERA and WHIP, he had a record of just 6-5. He was quite good. The right-hander went six innings and gave up just one run. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out four. Tyler Duffey came on and threw the final two innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. Unfortunately, the Miracle managed just three hits in the game. The three batters at the top of the lineup (AJ Pettersen, Stephen Wickens and Byron Buxton) each had one single. What's Next? As previously stated, the Miracle series will now head to Ft. Myers for Game 2 on Wednesday night. Lefty Taylor Rogers will get the start for the Miracle in a must-win game. In Rochester, the Red Wings will open up game 1 of their best of five series against Pawtucket (the Red Sox AAA affiliate). The Twins will send Cole De Vries to the mound. In yesterday's playoff preview, I mentioned that Dakota Watts had been promoted to the Red Wings for the playoffs. It was learned on Tuesday morning that Trevor May will also join the Red Wings. Cedar Rapids will be playing in Davenport on Wednesday night against the Quad Cities River Bandits. Left Brett Lee will be the game 1 starter. Awards Eduardo Escobar was named the International League Batter of the Week. The Red Wings shortstop had a huge game on Monday for the, collecting three doubles, a homer and five RBI. He has also hit .307 in his 43 total games for the team. Tim Shibuya threw a complete game shutout for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. On Tuesday, he was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. He's been tremendous since coming back from his shoulder injury. With the Kernels, he is now 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA. He will get the nod in Game 2. Coming Soon... We will continue our playoff coverage as long as there is a Twins affiliate in the playoffs. There will also be a lot of minor league, season-ending coverage in the next week. As always, if you have questions, please feel free to let me know.

The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Ft. Myers Miracle booked their playoff seats more than two months ago by virtue of their first half success. The Kernels won a Midwest League playoff spot as a wild card from the first half. The Miracle team won their division in the first half. For the Rochester Red Wings, it came down to the last day. Because of a late-season plummet, the Wings did not control their own destiny. On Labor Day, the Red Wings had to win and hope that the Norfolk Tide would lose. The Tide lost 1-0 in 10 innings to Durham. The Red Wings' offense put together their best performance of the season, scoring 15 runs and following the game they were able to celebrate a playoff spot. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The minor league regular season is now over, and it's time for the playoffs. Here is a quick preview of the three playoff series involving Twins' affiliates: Rochester Red Wings vs Pawtucket Red Sox This is a best of five series. Game 1 will be played in Rochester on Wednesday night. Cole De Vries will get the start in the game. Game 2 will be played on Thursday night, also be in Rochester. From there, the series will shift over to Pawtucket. Game 3 will be on Friday. If needed, Games 4 and 5 will also be in Pawtucket. The Red Wings have not yet announced their starting pitchers after game 2. Candidates including left-handers Pat Dean, Logan Darnell and Monday's starter Scott Diamond. Right-hander Virgil Vasquez and one of the lefties would be available in long-relief. One name you will notice not included is Kyle Gibson. On Monday, it was announced that Gibson has been shut down for the season. Reliever Dakota Watts will take his spot on the Red Wings roster. He'll join a strong Red Wings bullpen that has really struggled over the last ten days. Michael Tonkin has given up eight runs in his last 4.1 innings (5 games), but he has been very good most of the year. So have lefties Edgar Ibarra and Aaron Thompson and right-handers AJ Achter and Shairon Martis. These two teams played each other 15 times in the regular season. Rochester won nine of those games. They played seven times in April, and Pawtucket won just two of those games. They met eight times in July, and Rochester won seven of those games. Chris Colabello was recently named the International League's MVP and Rookie of the Year. He hit .352 with an OPS of 1.066 and 49 extra base hits. He is now with the Twins. The Red Wings .258 team batting average is fourth in the league. Their .359 on-base percentage ranks second. A .392 slugging percentage ranks fifth, but their .732 OPS is third in the 14-team league. Andrew Albers is also with the Twins now. He was the Red Wings best pitcher all season, going 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA. However, when looking at where the Red Wings rank in pitching categories, it is alarming. They rank 14th (last) in ERA at 4.21. Their WHIP ranks tenth. I'm sure it would surprise no one that their pitching staff ranks dead last in strikeouts, though they have issued the third fewest walks. Projected Lineup: Catcher - Eric Fryer, 1B - Chris Parmelee, 2B - James Beresford, SS - Eduardo Escobar, 3B - Ray Olmedo/Deibinson Romero, LF - Antoan Richardson, CF - Aaron Hicks, RF - Eric Farris, DH - Jeff Clement. The Red Wings are in the playoffs for the first time since they were a wild card team in 2006. They ended the regular season with a 77-67 record. Gene Glynn is starting to be recognized, as he should be, because of leading this group of minor league veterans to a great second half. Ft. Myers Miracle vs Charlotte Stone Crabs The Miracle earned their playoff berth by being one of baseball's best minor league teams in the season's first half when they went 45-22. At that point, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, DJ Baxendale and others were promoted to New Britain. The Miracle added the likes of Byron Buxton, Dalton Hicks and JD Williams. In the second half, the Miracle went 34-34 and finished in fourth place in their division. Overall, their 79-56 record was tops in the Florida State League. This round is a best of three format and starts on Tuesday night. The Miracle will go with Matt Summers and Taylor Rogers in the first two games, and Jason Wheeler will most likely work game three. Starters Tyler Duffey, Matt Tomshaw and David Hurlbut will likely be available for long relief. The Miracle have a very strong bulllpen and people will try to keep up with the Joneses. Zach Jones and Tyler Jones are both hard-throwing right-handers capable of hitting 96 mph with their fastballs consistently. Luke Bard was added to the Miracle roster, as well, for a bullpen arm. The Miracle find themselves on top of most season-ending statistics in the Florida State League. They are first in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs and runs scored. But, they are not only a strong offensive team. They rank second in the league in ERA and third in WHIP. The Miracle and Stone Crabs have played each other 17 times, and the Miracle has won 11 of those matchups. However, the Miracle won 10 of the first 11 games. That means that Charlotte has won five of the last six, including a three-game sweep two weeks ago. Right-hander Matt Summers led the Florida State League with a 2.47 ERA. Lefty Taylor Rogers finished second in that category with a 2.55 ERA. He also won 11 games and led the league with three complete games and two shutouts. With Sano and Rosario out of the lineup, there are still plenty of weapons in the lineup. Kennys Vargas led the league in RBI with 93. He finished third in the league in slugging percentage. He was tied for second with 19 home runs, and third with 33 doubles. Byron Buxton is obviously the featured attraction with his all-around game. His power hasn't shown up yet in Ft. Myers, but his speed shows up in stolen bases, triples and great defense. Projected Lineup: C - Matt Koch, 1B - Dalton Hicks, 2B - Levi Michael, 3B - Stephen Wickens, SS - AJ Pettersen, LF - JD Williams, CF - Byron Buxton, RF - Mike Kvasnicka, DH - Kennys Vargas. This series pits the team with the league's top overall record (Miracle) against the team with the division's best record in the second half (Stone Crabs). Doug Mientkiewicz, Jim Dwyer and Ivan Arteaga have led this team to a great season. Cedar Rapids Kernels vs Quad Cities River Bandits Cedar Rapids got off to a fast start, but faltered late in the first half and ended up two games behind Beloit. However, their 40-28 record clinched the Kernels a playoff spot. In the second half, the team saw the promotions of Byron Buxton, Dalton Hicks, JD Williams and several more. Somehow, they were even better in the second half, boasting a 48-20 record and winning the second half division title by 4.5 games. Overall, their 88-50 record was six games better than anyone else in the Midwest League and six games better than Quad Cities. Brett Lee will get the Game 1 start on Wednesday night in this best of three series. Tim Shibuya will start Game 2, and if necessary, Tim Atherton will get the nod in Game 3. Byron Buxton was named the MVP of the Midwest League and its Top Prospect. Dalton Hicks led the entire organization with 110 RBI. However, the Kernels still have a lot of talent. They are led by powerful Adam Walker who led the Midwest League in Home Runs (27) and RBI (106). Jorge Polanco, Travis Harrison, Niko Goodrum and Tyler Grimes have been primary starters throughout the season as well. The Kernels led the Midwest League in on-base percentage (.346), slugging percentage (.413), OPS (.759), and runs scored (752, 86 more than the second place team). They were second in the league in batting average (.267) and home runs (108). Their 253 doubles ranked third. Their pitching was more middle of the road. They ranked fourth in WHIP (1.30) but eighth in ERA (3.69). Their 1,021 strikeouts rank seventh while they rank fourth with just 428 walks allowed. In the season's first half, the two teams split six games. In the second half, the River Bandits won five out of their seven matchups. Projected Lineup: C - Michael Quesada, 1B - Michael Gonzales, 2B - Jorge Polanco, 3B, Travis Harrison, SS - Niko Goodrum, LF - Max Kepler, CF - Jonathan Murphy, RF - Adam Walker, DH - Tyler Grimes. The Kernels have arguably been the best team in minor league baseball this season despite several key promotions. Jake Mauer, Tommy Watkins and Gary Lucas will shift credit to the players, but they deserve a ton of credit for the success. They will have their hands full with Carlos Correa and a very tough Quad Cities roster. Photo by Rochester Democrat & Chronicle Sure, it would be great if the Minnesota Twins were contending in 2013. They're not... even close. But, it is great to see that three of the Twins four full-season affiliates have played well enough this season to earn spots in the playoffs. Development is obviously the top priority for any minor league system. However, winning and learning how to win as a team can be a big part of that development. Also, the players on these rosters and the coaching staffs have put in the work since the beginning of April and they have earned the right to "go for it" here in September. Several members of the Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids teams were part of the 2012 Appalachian League championship for Elizabethton or the 2012 Beloit Snappers playoff roster. I'm sure they would love another title. We certainly wish them all the best of luck!

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

It all started on April 4th, and as we roll into the final days of August, it’s coming to a close. The full-season teams typically play their final regular season game on Labor Day. On Thursday, the GCL Twins played their final game of the season, and on Friday night, Elizabethton will be playing its final game. Those two teams will not be in the playoffs. Neither will the New Britain Rock Cats. Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers both clinched playoff spots in the first half and are ramping up for their playoff runs. The Rochester Red Wings have been playing quite poorly, but are still contending for the final playoffs spot in the International League. It should be an exciting weekend, and thankfully, there will be at least two Twins minor league affiliates who will continue to play in the postseason.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Thursday. Rochester Red Wings 2, Buffalo Bisons 3 Box Score The Red Wings, somehow, are still in contention for a playoff spot despite playing its worst baseball of the season in the last week. Thankfully, Norfolk is playing an equally bad brand of baseball and hasn’t been able to take a clear lead for the International League Wild Card spot. After another tough loss for the Red Wings on Thursday night, they are still just one-half game behind the Tide for that final playoff spot. Cole De Vries started for Rochester and was terrific. He gave up just two hits and a walk in seven shutout innings. He struck out five. However, Michael Tonkin came in for the 8th inning and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk and only recorded two outs. The big blow came off of the bat of former New Britain Rock Cat Luis Jimenez who hit a two-run homer in the inning. Aaron Thompson came on and got the final out via strikeout. The Red Wings had just four hits. Eduardo Escobar hit his third home run, and Aaron Hicks doubled for the second time in his stint with the team. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Trenton Thunder 1 (13 innings) Box Score The night before, the Rock Cats played 12 innings. On Thursday night, these teams played 13 innings. What will happen on Friday night? There wasn’t much scoring in this game as it was just 1-1 until the top of the 13th inning. Angel Morales was hit by a pitch, and Danny Santana bunted him to second. After an intentional walk to Eddie Rosario and another walk to Nate Hanson, Danny Ortiz came through with a bases-clearing double to put the Rock Cats into the lead. Evan Bigley was the lone Rock Cat hitter with more than one hit. He went 2-5 with his eighth double. Photo by Rinaldi Photos Alex Meyer made his second Rock Cats start. He gave up six hits, but no walks, in four shutout innings. He struck out six. Dan Turpen came on and gave up one run on two hits and a walk over three innings. He struck out two. Cole Johnson went the next two innings and gave up one hit, one walk and struck out two. Jose Gonzalez gave up one hit and two walks over three scoreless innings to get credited with the Win. Ryan O’Rourke got his second save by throwing up a zero in the bottom of the 13th, despite giving up two hits and a walk. Game 1 - Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Bradenton Marauders 5 Box Score The Miracle sure have been playing a lot of double headers of late. They split on this night. In the first game, David Hurlbut gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out four. Steven Gruver came on for the next three innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out five. Nelvin Fuentes gave up one run on two hits in his inning of work. He struck out two batters. Mike Kvasnicka led the offense, going 2-3 with a walk and his ninth home run. JD Williams went 2-4. Byron Buxton was 2-4 and stole his 18th base. Game 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Bradenton Marauders 1 Box Score In the second game, the Miracle sent Jason Wheeler to the mound. The lefty gave up one run on five hits over the first six innings to improve to 9-4 on the season. He walked two and struck out five. Adrian Salcedo recorded his second save by pitching a scoreless inning. He gave up one hits, walked one and struck one out. Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Kane County Cougars 2 Box Score The Kernels just continue to win games. Brett Lee was starting again after a DL stint and some time in the bullpen. He threw six shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out five. Hudson Boyd came on for two relief innings and did not allow a run. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one. Madison Boer was charged with two runs in the 9th. He gave up four hits, but no walks and struck out two. Tyler Grimes has been getting some time at second base late in the season. With Niko Goodrum on the Disabled List, and Jorge Polanco just off the DL, Jake Mauer has wanted to make sure those two are ready for the playoffs. Grimes went 2-4 with his third stolen base. Bo Altobelli went 2-4. Michael Gonzales hit his fourth homer and drove in two runs. Elizabethton Twins 2, Pulaski Mariners 4 Box Score Felix Jorge was back on the mound and seemed to regain his early-season form. He gave up one run on seven hits in 6.2 innings. He walked one and struck out nine. Carson Goldsmith came in and got two outs, but not before giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. Brandon Peterson got the final four outs, though he also gave up one run on one hit and three walks. He struck out two. The E-Twins had just six hits. Zach Granite went 2-4. Bryan Haar homered for the sixth time. Rory Rhodes hit his fourth homer. The E-Twins will play their final game of the season on Friday night. They will not make the playoffs despite a 36-31 record this season. GCL Twins 5, GCL Orioles 2 Box Score The GCL Twins played their final game of the 2013 season. It was a bit of a bullpen game as five pitchers took the mound. Brandon Easton started and gave up one unearned run on four hits and a walk in two innings. Cameron Booser gave up just one hit over two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Damian Defrank was charged with one run on two hits in his inning. Miguel Gonzalez gave up one hit over two innings. He struck out two. Jose Abreu struck out two in two hitless, scoreless innings. Jason Kanzler went 2-5 with his sixth triple and stole his 13th base. Joel Polanco drove in two runs with his sixth double. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

As I'm sitting here on an airplane, I thought it would be cool to write up a blog from like 34,000 feet. Yes, I paid for the wireless, but I don't care. After 90 minute delay in Hartford, we landed in Philadelphia about 15 minutes before the "On Time" flight was to take off for Minneapolis. We immediately boarded, but thanks to storms and delays, we were on the runway for two hours and 15 minutes, the time the flight is supposed to take. Oh well. Makes me realize that on-time departures are vastly under-rated. That got me to thinking that there are at least a handful of Minnesota Twins minor leaguers that we overlook and should recognize. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Most of these names won't be found on most prospect lists. Here are a few of them: JD Williams - A tenth round pick out of high school in 2010, he has slowly worked his way up to Ft. Myers. He began this season by repeating at Cedar Rapids, which proved to be beneficial for the toolsy outfielder. Coming in to play on Wednesday, Williams was hitting a combined .265/.375/.410 (.786) with 17 doubles six triples and nine home runs. He has stolen 26 bases and improved his defense. As you can see, he is an on-base machine, but the hit tool has made great strides this season as well. Photo by Rinaldi Photos James Beresford - He has been in the Twins farm system for a long time. In fact, he tested minor league free agency this past winter, but he chose to remain with the Twins. We know he won't hit for much power, but he has hit .306/.365/.339 (.704) this season between AA and AAA. All the while, he remains one of, if not the, best defensive shortstops in the organization. Although not likely, it'd be great to see the Australian get a cup of coffee with the Twins in September. Deibinson Romero - You can't help but wonder what would have happened if not for the visa issues that kept Romero in the Dominican Republic throughout spring training. He was coming off of a nice season at AA and had a major league invite. He has played well since going to Rochester about a month into the season. He has hit .278/.379/.456 (.836) with 16 doubles and 13 home runs. He's an adequate defender at third base who walks and shows some power in the upper levels. Zach Larson - The Twins 19th round pick a year ago, the Twins went well over slot to sign him. He began this season crushing GCL pitching and has recently been promoted to Elizabethton where he has hit well. He can hit. He may not run great and have a rocket for an arm, but his bat makes him one to consider and find out more about and then watch going forward. Tyler Grimes - The former 5th round pick struggled last year in the field and with the bat for Beloit. This year, he had to learn a new position (catcher) on the fly. He has one of the strongest arms you'll find behind the plate, and despite being new to it, he has thrown out a strong percentage of would-be base stealers. He's hitting just .245, but has a .370 on base percentage. He's not real big, but he can pack some punch into the ball at times. He's had a very solid year as he's made the transition and it will be interesting to see how he progresses. So, there you have it, five prospects that aren't going to rank real highly on any Top 10 or Top 20 list. In fact, I believe that none of them were even on my Top 50 list before the season. However, that does not mean that they can't surface in the big leagues in some role, even a utility capacity. If nothing else, they do deserve to be noticed.

On Sunday, all of the six Twins minor league went at least five innings and none gave up more than two runs. The Miracle have turned around their slide. They had won just four of their last 18 games, but now they have won four in a row. Another day, another Cedar Rapids win. They have won 82 games this year in their first year as a Twins affiliate. One more win, and this year’s team will have more wins than any of the Kernels 20 years with the Angels.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] If the season ended today, the Red Wings would still be in the playoffs, but they are trending in the wrong direction. Finally, Miguel Sano and some of the Twins top prospects had an impressive day too. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Sunday. Rochester Red Wings 8, Indianapolis Indians 5 (10 innings) Box Score The Red Wings were swept in a four game series against Indianapolis. It was their fifth straight loss yet, somehow, they still maintain a one-game lead over Norfolk for a playoff Wild Card spot. Kyle Gibson made his return start with the Red Wings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out four. Aaron Thompson pitched the sixth and gave up one run on two hits. Shairon Martis struck out two over two shutout innings. Michael Tonkin pitched a scoreless ninth in his first appearance since being sent back. After pitching a scoreless ninth inning, he was charged with four runs in the top of the 10th inning and recorded just one out. Edgar Ibarra got the final two outs. James Beresford was 2-3 and his two-run single in the bottom of the ninth tied the game at four. Darin Mastroianni went 1-3 with two walks. Jared Mitchell went 2-5. New Britain Rock Cats 7, Bowie Bay Sox 4 Box Score Pedro Hernandez was very good in this game, and Miguel Sano helped power the Rock Cats to a victory. Hernandez worked the first six innings. He gave up one run on five hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out two. Dan Sattler started the seventh and got just two outs. However, he gave up three runs on four hits and two walks. Matt Hauser came in and got the final out of the seventh before working perfect eighth and ninth innings too. He struck out two. Miguel Sano got a couple of pitches to his liking. He went 2-3 with a walk. He hit his 32nd and 33rd home runs and drove in four runs, giving him 99 RBI on the season. He was also hit by a pitch, but it was on a full count. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with his 18th double. Kyle Knudson went 2-4 with his fourth double. Danny Ortiz went 2-4. Danny Santana stole his 27th base. Photo by Fox Sports North Game 1 - Ft. Myers Miracle 5, St. Lucie Mets 1 Box Score JD Williams provided the offense, and Taylor Rogers won for the 11th time with the Miracle. Williams went 3-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles and his first home run. He drove in four runs. Levi Michael went 2-2 with a walk, his 14th double, and he also stole his 19th base. Byron Buxton went 2-2 with his eighth triple. Matt Koch went 2-3. Taylor Rogers was charged with only an unearned run in six innings. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out three. Tyler Jones came on and struck out one in a scoreless seventh. Game 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle 8, St. Lucie Mets 2 Box Score The second game was much like the first game. The Miracle got a very solid start, and this time, it was Stephen Wickens, and a bunch of walks, that provided the offense. Wickens went 3-4 with his 20th and 21st doubles. He also stole his 17th base. Dalton Hicks went 1-2 with two walks and drove in another run. JD Williams, Byron Buxton and Kennys Vargas each walked two times. Mike Kvasnicka doubled for the 13th time. Lefty David Hurlbut got the start and went the first six innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out four. Adrian Salcedo gave up one hit in a scoreless seventh inning. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Peoria Chiefs 1 Box Score Again, the equation looks pretty much the same; strong starting pitching and plenty of offense. Tim Shibuya gave up only an unearned run on three hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out two. Brett Lee came on and struck out one in a perfect inning. Alex Muren gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Ryan Walker led the way going 3-5 with his first double. Tyler Grimes was also 3-5. Travis Harrison was 2-4 with a walk. Michael Gonzales went 1-2 with a walk and his seventh double. Adam Walker was 1-3 with two walks. Bo Altobelli and Michael Quesada each added a double. In a scary situation, Max Kepler was a late scratch due to a freak accident near the indoor batting cage. Check out Jim Ecker’s story of what happened and how long Kepler could be out. Elizabethton Twins 0, Princeton 2 Box Score The E-Twins certainly got the good starting pitching part of the equation, but they got no offense. They managed just three hits in the game. They walked twice and struck out 14 times. Stephen Gonsalves started and gave up one run on three hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Carson Goldsmith came on and gave up one run on three hits in two innings. Luke Bard struck out one in a perfect inning. GCL Twins No Game Scheduled. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

There have been a lot of great stories and performances in the Twins farm system in 2013. There are the independent league stories of Chris Colabello, Caleb Thielbar, and Andrew Albers. There is Doug Bernier, a 33-year-old shortstop who is back in the big leagues five years after two previous big league games. Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario have been hitting all year. Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson have now had a glimpse into big league life. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Ten days ago, JO Berrios went on the 7-Day Disabled List, and Alex Meyer went nearly three months without pitching. Berrios returned to action earlier in the week, and on Saturday, Alex Meyer made his return to the Rock Cats and was impressive. The most encouraging thing going into the offseason would be seeing Berrios and Meyer end the season healthy and successful. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Saturday. Rochester Red Wings 4, Indianapolis Indians 6 Box Score Logan Darnell started with two scoreless innings. However, he ended up giving up five runs on six hits and three walks in three innings. Virgil Vasquez was able to work the next five innings. He gave up just one run on four hits and a walk. He struck out six. AJ Achter walked three but did not allow a run in the 9th inning. The Red Wings managed just seven hits in the game. Jermaine Mitchell had four of them. He also stole his 20th base. Darin Mastroianni went 1-2 with a walk. He stole his third and fourth bases. Aaron Hicks returned to the lineup, batting fifth and serving as the DH. He went 0-2 but walked twice. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Bowie Bay Sox 0 Box Score The most encouraging thing that can happen in the final week of the minor league season is for Alex Meyer to show well and prove himself healthy. On Saturday, he returned to the mound for New Britain for the first time since early June. He was quite impressive. He went five innings of shutout baseball. He gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out five. Reports say that he touched 100 mph on a couple of pitches. He also got a couple of strikeouts on an 87-mph knuckle-curveball. Cole Johnson replaced him in the 6th inning. He gave up two hits and a walk, but no runs, in his two innings. He struck out two. Dakota Watts then recorded his eighth save with two scoreless innings. He walked two and struck out four. Miguel Sano went 2-4 with his 14th RBI, which drove in the team’s first run. Eddie Rosario went 2-4 and stole his sixth base. Jordan Parraz went 1-3 with a walk and his tenth double. Ft. Myers Miracle, St. Lucie Mets The game as postponed. The teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Peoria Chiefs 0 Box Score There wasn’t much offense on Saturday night in Cedar Rapids. Peoria had four hits. Cedar Rapids had just three hits. Fortunately, one of those hits was a home run off of the bat of Michael Quesada. It was his second homer of the season. Josue Montanez made the start for the Kernels and went the first 6.1 innings. He gave up thiree hits and a walk while striking out two to record his sixth win. Brandon Bixler came in and got a strikeout, but he also gave up one hit and walked one. Madison Boer came on and worked the final 2.1 innings to record his seventh save. He walked one and struck out two. Elizabethton Twins 6, Pulaski 7 Box Score The E-Twins jumped out to a 4 run lead after the top of the first. Rory Rhodes cleared the bases with a double. He then stole third base and scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Zach Larson went 2-4 with a walk, his second double and two RBI. Romy Jimenez hit his seventh double. Yorman Landa started. He gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out one. Andre Martinez worked two innings and gave up two unearned runs. He gave up just one hit and struck out four. Ryan Eades gave up two hits over two scoreless innings. CK Irby gave up two runs on an eighth inning home run. GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Lewis Thorpe was one of the Twins biggest international signings in 2012 out of Australia. The lefty started this game, and in four shutout innings, he gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out nine. On the season, he has pitched in 12 games. In 44 innings, he has given up 32 hits, walked just six and struck out 64 batters. Though he had a no decision in this game, he is now 4-1 with a 2.05 ERA. Lester Oliveros came in and walked two and struck out one in 0.1 innings. Leonel Zazueta then gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits. He hit a batter and struck out two. Miguel Gonzalez struck out five, and walked one, in 2.2 scoreless, hitless innings. Tyler Stirewalt struck out one in a perfect inning. The Twins had seven hits in the game. Jorge Fernandez went 1-2 with his seventh double and two RBI. Ryan Tufts was 1-3 with his third double. Brian Navarreto went 1-3 with a walk and his third stolen base. He scored two runs. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

There were a lot of standout performances on Friday night. Four starting pitchers provided Quality Starts for their teams. Strange for the Twins organization, one of them even had double-digit strikeouts, if you can believe that. Ten Twins minor leaguers had at least three hits on this day as well. Unfortunately, three of the Twins affiliates lost games in the last inning. But another team ended a poor steak in fine fashion. The highlight of the night was the performance of a possibly overlooked Twins prospect in New Britain. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]It isn’t every day when a player has five hits in a game. But, Rosario didn’t just slap his way to five hits. He went 5-5 with two doubles and a home run. With Buxton, Sano and Arcia around, Rosario is known to prospect followers, but he is often overlooked. He shouldn’t be. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Friday. Rochester Red Wings 6, Indianapolis Indians 7 Box Score The offense and Scott Diamond did their jobs on this night, but one bad inning cost the Red Wings an important game in the standings. Scott Diamond was impressive for the second straight outing. After throwing a complete game in his previous start, Diamond gave up only an unearned run over eight innings. He gave up nine hits, walked two and struck out three. The Red Wings got contributions from most in the lineup. Eric Farris went 3-4 with his 22nd stolen base. Chris Parmelee went 3-5 with his first stolen base. James Beresford went 3-5. Jeff Clement went 2-5 with his 24th double and his 16th home run. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with his fifth double. Antoan Richardson went 2-5. That brings us to the 9th inning. Edgar Ibarra came in to start the inning. He had gone 26 games and 31.1 innings without giving up a run. All good things much come to an end. He gave up a single to lead off the inning. Then, after a fly out, he gave up another single. He walked a batter to load the bases. At that point, he was replaced by Shairon Martis. Martis gave up a single that scored the first run off of Ibarra in 31.2 innings. The bases were still loaded, and Martis gave up a grand slam to #9 hitter Lucas May to tie the game. He gave up one more run to take the loss. So, Ibarra was charged with three runs in the inning, and Martis was charged with the other three. Amazingly, coming into the game, the Red Wings had been 58-0 on the season when leading after eight innings. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Bowie Bay Sox 8 Box Score The story of this game was the bat of Eddie Rosario. Unfortunately, the story of the end of the game was a lack of control, and it cost the Rock Cats on this night. The Rock Cats fell behind early, but a Rosario single tied the game in the 8th. However, the bottom of the 9th didn’t go so well for the Rock Cats bullpen. Matt Hauser pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but he walked the leadoff batter of the ninth. It was followed by a sacrifice bunt. Ryan O’Rourke came on and issued another walk. He threw a wild pitch, and Jeff Smith chose to intentionally walk the batter to load the bases. The infield came in and O’Rourke coaxed a grounder to first base. Reynaldo Rodriguez threw home for the force out. With two outs, Dakota Watts came in to the game. He walked the lone batter he faced, bringing in the winning run for Bowie. DJ Baxendale started and was charged with six runs (5 earned) on six hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out six. Daniel Turpen came on and was perfect for two innings before Hauser’s scoreless eighth frame. Eddie Rosario had one of those games that batters want to have. He went 5-5 and hit his 16th and 17th doubles, his fourth home run (12th overall) and drove in four runs, including the two runs he drove in in the 8th that tied the game at six each. Danny Ortiz went 2-5 with his 12th home run. Danny Santana also went 2-5 and stole his 26th base. Game 1 - Ft. Myers Miracle 9, St. Lucie Mets 8 (10 innings) Box Score I have to assume that ten innings and three hours and 41 minutes is not what the Miracle and Mets were hoping for in Game 1, but that’s exactly what happened. Jason Wheeler got the start. The left-hander from Loyola Marymount gave up four runs, just one earned, on seven hits. He walked two and struck out three. Nelvin Fuentes, another lefty, came on and gave up three runs on two hits and three walks in the sixth inning. Steve Gruver, the third left-hander of the game, gave up one run on two hits and a walk over two innings. He struck out two. Right-hander Tyler Jones came on and walked two in the ninth, but he struck one out, gave up no runs, and got the win. Mike Kvasnicka and Levi Michael led the way. Kvasnicka went 3-4 with a walk, his eighth homer and three RBI. Levi Michael went 3-4 with his fourth home run. Stephen Wickens went 2-4 with his 17th and 18th home runs. Byron Buxton went 2-3 with two walks and his seventh (16th overall) triple. (According to Miracle play-by-play man Brice Zimmerman, he was hitting .411 over his previous 24 games following this game.) Jairo Rodriguez added two hits. Game 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle, St. Lucie Mets Box Score The Miracle didn’t get a lot of offense, but they got enough to sweep this doubleheader. Coming into the day, the Miracle had gone 4-14 in their past 18 games. The Miracle had just three hits in the game. Byron Buxton was 1-1 with two walks. AJ Pettersen was hit twice, once in the shoulder and once on the helmet. Pettersen scored on a Stephen Wickens RBI double. After a Buxton walk, Wickens came around to score on a Dalton Hicks single. Buxton scored on a ground out by Kennys Vargas ground out. All three Miracle runs scored in the third inning. Matt Summers made the Miracle start. He gave up just two runs on two hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five batters. Zack Jones came in for the 7th inning. He had a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts for his 13th save. Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Quad Cities River Bandits 3 Box Score Hudson Boyd has had many more downs than ups in his first full season as a professional, but on Friday night, he had arguably his best start of the year, providing the Kernels with a Quality Start. In seven innings, he gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out four. Brian Gilbert gave up a hit in a scoreless eighth frame. The Kernels had nine hits, but only Adam Walker had a multi-hit game. The talented right fielder went 3-4 in the game. Shortstop Ryan Walker, the Twins 18th round pick this June, was called up to the Kernels on Friday and debuted by going 1-3 in the game. Elizabethton Twins 2, Pulaski 3 (11 innings) Box Score The E-Twins came into the day one game back of the wild card. However, the two teams ahead of them won, which means they end this day two games out of a playoff spot with just seven games to play. Felix Jorge made the start for the Twins. He gave up two earned runs on six hits over the first six innings of the game. He walked two and struck out 11. Ethan Mildren worked the next three innings and did not allow a run. He gave up just one hit, walked two and struck out three. Austin Malinowski came on and pitched a scoreless tenth inning. However, with one out in the 11th, he allowed the game-winning run for Pulaski. The E-Twins managed just six hits in the game. Stuart Turner had three of the hits, including his third home run of the season which drove in both of the team’s runs. Mitch Garver went 2-5. Tanner Vavra had the other hit, a single. GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score The GCL squad got some good pitching, but the bats did absolutely nothing. They managed just three hits in the game and only worked one walk. Jared Wilson started and gave up one run on four hits and a walk in four innings. He walked four. For the second time, Deolis Guerra pitched in a rehab game. He pitched a perfect inning, striking out one. Seth Wagner gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk in two innings. Jose Abreu struck out one in a scoreless inning. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

Because they clinched playoff berths in the first half, Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers are trying to finish strong and preparing for the playoffs. However, Rochester and Elizabethton are still fighting for a spot in the playoffs as well. After tonight’s game, the Red Wings are now a half-game behind Pawtucket. However, they are two games ahead of Norfolk for the Wild Card. On Thursday, the E-Twins won for the 12th time in 13 games (and 14th of their last 16). They are now just 1.5 games out of the lead in the division, and just one game behind the Wild Card team. Of course, New Britain and the GCL Twins are out of playoff contention. By the way, the Arizona Fall League rosters are expected to be announced next Tuesday. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Thursday.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 1, Indianapolis Indians 6 Box Score The Red Wings had the opportunity to hit against one of baseball’s biggest pitching prospects, Jameson Taillon. The right-hander went six innings and gave up just one run on four hits. He walked three and struck out three. Pat Dean got the start for the Red Wings. The lefty gave up three unearned runs on eight hits in 5.2 innings. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out four. AJ Achter came on and gave up an unearned run on two hits in 1.1 innings. Aaron Thompon gave up one run in the eighth inning. He allowed one hit and walked one. Shairon Martis pitched the ninth and gave up one run on two hits. He struck out two. Jeff Clement hit his 22nd and 23rd doubles in four at bats. Antoan Richarson walked twice and stole his 23rd base. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Bowie Bay Sox 8 Box Score BJ Hermsen fell to 1-10 on the season, but he put in his best performance of the year. He went six innings and gave up two runs (1 earned) on six hits. He didn’t walk any or record a strikeout. Blake Martin came in to start the 7th inning. He got the first two outs but was charged with two runs on a hit and three walks. Jose Gonzalez got the final four outs, two on strikeouts. However, he gave up four runs on three hits and a walk. The Rock Cats managed just six hits in the game. Danny Santana went 2-4 and hit his second home run. Danny Ortiz went 2-3. Miguel Sano’s time with the Rock Cats has certainly been streaky. After an 0-4 on Thursday night, he is now 4-34 over his past nine game. Of course, two of those four hits were doubles and another was a home run. Ft. Myers Miracle, Charlotte Stone Crabs Game canceled due to weather. It will not be made up. Cedar Rapids Kernels 1, Quad Cities River Bandits 7 Box Score JO Berrios spent a little over a week on the Disabled List, but he returned to action on Thursday night. He started out well, but overall, he went 4.2 innings and gave up five runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out four. Christian Powell was charged with two unearned runs in 2.1 innings. He gave up four hits and walked two. Dallas Gallant pitched a scoreless inning. Adam Walker went 2-4 with his 30th double of the season. Bo Altobelli and Tyler Grimes each went 2-4. Elizabethton Twins 6, Pulaski 3 Box Score On Thursday, the E-Twins won for the 12th time in 13 games (and 14th of their last 16). They are now just 1.5 games out of the lead in the division, and just one game behind the Wild Card team. Kuo Hua Lo went the first 4.1 innings. He was charged with two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three. Luke Bard picked up the win. He finished the fifth and pitched the sixth as well. He walked two and struck out win. Carson Goldsmith gave up one run on two hits in the seventh inning. He struck out three. Aaron Slegers got his second save. He gave up two hits, but struck out three. Ryan Walker went 2-5, the only Twins bat with more than one hit. Zach Larson hit his first Appy League home run. Logan Wade hit his first triple. GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score Sam Gibbons got the start for the Twins and threw five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, didn’t walk any, and struck out two. Brandon Easton came on and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out one. Josh Guyer struck out one in a perfect inning. Cameron Booser recently signed as a non-draft free agent and made his professional debut on Thursday. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits in one inning. He struck out one. Ryan Tufts led the offense by going 3-4 with a walk and his second double. Ivory Thomas was 2-3 with two walks. Alex Swim hit his sixth double. Jonatan Hinojosa hit his fifth triple. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

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. 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! 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.

On Monday night, Twins fans with Fox Sports North had the opportunity to watch the New Britain Rock Cats on television. In the game, fans were able to see good and bad, and most important, that even at the Double-A level, there is still a lot of development left, even for the best prospects. On Wednesday night, Twins fans saw a terrific pitcher’s duel in Detroit between Kevin Correia and Anibal Sanchez. However, in the 7th inning, we saw that even the big leaguers make the types of mistakes you expect to see in the minor leagues.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] That’s why I encourage Twins fans to go to minor league games if you have a chance. It’s enjoyable to see the play improve as players move up the system. Yes, there will be errors. Physical errors are a part of the game, and although players should be expected to improve and minimize the errors over time. What you hope to see improve as players move up through the farm system is a decrease in the number of mental errors. There should be less situations where a player throws to the wrong base or forgets the number of outs. The seasons are winding down. Labor Day is the final day of the minor league regular seasons. Cedar Rapids will be at home from August 24-30. They will then begin a Best of Three playoff series the following week. The Ft. Myers Miracle will be home from August 23 through September 1 with the exception of games in Bradenton on the 29th and 31st. They too will be in the playoffs that next week. New Britain has four more games at home, August 30 through September 2. Rochester will have some home cooking the rest of the season. Starting August 22, the Red Wings will play at home through their season finale on Labor Day with the exception of two games in Buffalo. Elizabethton goes on a six-game road trip before ending their season with three home games August 28-30. The GCL Twins are at home on the 22nd, 24th, 27th and 29th. Get out to a game if you have a chance. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Wednesday. Rochester Red Wings No Game Scheduled. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Trenton Thunder 3 Box Score Cole De Vries made another start for the Rock Cats and was very good. In six innings, he gave up only an unearned run. He allowed five hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out two. Ryan O’Rourke pitched a scoreless seventh inning, but he gave up a base runner to lead off the eighth. He was replaced by Dan Sattler who gave up the inherited run and one of his own. Matt Hauser pitched a scoreless ninth frame. Danny Santana led off the first inning with his 10th triple and was driven in by Brad Boyer (who was playing 3B and giving Miguel Sano a night off). Eddie Rosario and Dan Rohlfing were each 2-4. Game 1 - Ft. Myers Miracle 1, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2 Box Score It was a quiet day for the Miracle bats, and it started in game one when they managed just four hits. Byron Buxton went 2-3 with a walk. He also stole two bases. Matt Tomshaw was terrific on the mound. The lefty gave up one run on six hits in eight innings. He walked one and struck out five. Chad Rodgers came into a tie game in the 9th. He got two outs, but gave up two hits and an unearned run to end the game. Game 2 - Ft. Myers Miracle 0, Charlotte Stone Crabs 6 Box Score The bats did even less in game two. They managed just two hits off of Jared Mortenson. The two hits were doubles. Dalton Hicks hit his seventh Miracle double and Jairo Rodriguez hit his third. Manuel Soliman got another start. He was charged with four runs (3 earned) on seven this. He walked one and struck out two in five innings. Corey Williams pitched one inning and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out two. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Quad Cities River Bandits 1 Box Score Miguel Sulbaran made his second Kernels’ start, and it was a good one. He gave up only an unearned run (on a passed ball) in five innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out six. Alex Muren threw three shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out two. Mason Melotakis finished the game off with a scoreless ninth inning. The Kernels got plenty of offense to back Sulbaran. Bo Altobelli was 2-4 with his first double and two RBI. Michael Gonzales went 2-4 and added a two-run double. Joel Licon’s second homer of the season drove in two more. Adam Walker went 2-5. The win was the Kernels eighth in a row, and their 80th of the season. That is nine wins better than the Miracle. Elizabethton Twins No Game Scheduled. GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 0 Box Score It took five pitchers, but the GCL Twins threw a shutout against the O’s. Fernando Romero started and threw five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out five. Zach Hayden came on and gave up one hit and one walk and recorded two outs. Miguel Gonzalez came on and gave up one hit, but got four outs. Leonel Zazueta walked two in a scoreless eighth inning. Derrick Penilla recorded his third save. He struck out two in the ninth, though he also gave up one hit and one walk. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

The Twins top pick in this year’s draft made his Elizabethton debut on Tuesday night and was very impressive. I mean, if you happen to like strikeouts. He likely would have made this debut a couple of weeks earlier if not for his foot injury. He probably would have been promoted along with fellow 2013 pick Stephen Gonsalves. The two young pitchers join Elizabethton’s Big Three of Felix Jorge, Randy Rosario and Yorman Landa. Hein Robb has been pitching very well of late. And, that’s not even counting college starters Ryan Eades and Aaron Slegers who are working out of the E-Twins bullpen. Elizabethton was well out of playoff contention 7-10 days ago, and now they find themselves nearing a wild card position. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Tuesday.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 1, Louisville Bats 5 Box Score Former #3 overall pick, Greg Reynolds, was terrific for Louisville, but the Red Wings didn’t get good pitching or defense. PJ Walters made the start. He wasn’t helped by his defense, which committed three errors, but his control was not good either. One of the errors was a poor throw by Walters, but he also walked four and hit another. He was charged with four runs (2 earned) on just two hits over five innings. He struck out five. Cody Eppley gave up one run on two hits in his inning. Edgar Ibarra worked two more scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked one. Ibarra has now gone 31.1 innings, over 26 games, since giving up a run. Virgil Vasquez gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning. The Red Wings bats didn’t do much against Reynolds. They managed just five hits. Jeff Clement hit his 21st double. Josmil Pinto drove in the lone run with a single. Aaron Hicks returned to the lineup and went 0-3. New Britain Rock Cats 6, Trenton Thunder 4 Box Score Trevor May was back on the mound for the Rock Cats on Tuesday night. He gave up two runs on two hits over six innings. He walked four and struck out four. Cole Johnson came on and gave up two runs on five hits in just 1.2 innings. He left with runners on, and lefty Ryan O’Rourke came on and struck out the one batter he faced to end the eighth inning. Closer Dakota Watts came on and recorded the save, giving up just one hit in a scoreless ninth inning. The Rock Cats got offense from several places. Newcomer Brad Boyer was slotted into the DH role and the #2 spot in the lineup for his first Rock Cats start. He had hits in his first two at bats and ended the game 2-4. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 21st home run. Miguel Sano’s 13th double drove in two runs. Nate Hanson doubled for the 21st time on the season. Evan Bigley and Angel Morales each hit their sixth Rock Cats double. Ft. Myers Miracle 0, Charlotte Stone Crabs 1 Box Score It was a tough loss for the Miracle, and particularly for lefty Taylor Rogers. He gave up just one run on three hits over eight innings. He walked three and struck out five. However, one of the three hits was the 11th home run of the season for Richie Shaffer that gave the Stone Crabs a 1-0 lead in the 7th, a lead they were able to hold. Zach Jones pitched a scoreless ninth frame. The Miracle had just four hits. Dalton Hicks had the only extra base hit, his sixth Miracle double. Byron Buxton went 1-3 with a walk. He also stole his 18th base with the Miracle. It was his 50th overall stolen base this season. Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, Peoria Chiefs 3 Box Score Tim Atherton gave up three runs early, but he was able to provide a Quality Start for the Kernels. He gave up three runs on five hits in six innings. He didn’t walk any and struck out four. Brett Lee pitched a perfect inning. Brandon Bixler struck out two in the eighth inning. Dallas Gallant struck out the side in the 9th inning to end the game. Max Kepler recorded his 10th and 11th doubles in five at bats. Niko Goodrum was also 2-5. Adam Walker drove in two more runs with a single. Michael Gonzales drove in two runs with his fifth double. Bo Altobelli went 2-4. Elizabethton Twins 10, Greeneville Astros 8 Box Score Twins top pick Kohl Stewart made his first Elizabethton start and impressed. The young right-hander gave up no runs on one hit in four innings. He walked one and struck out eight. Tanner Mendonca walked one in a scoreless fifth inning. He then walked the first three batters of the sixth inning. Andre Martinez came in and got a fielder’s choice and a strikeout before walking a batter. Josh Burris came on and got the final out but not before giving up a hit, throwing a wild pitch and walking two. In total, the Astros scored six runs in the sixth inning. Austin Malinowski came on in the 7th and threw two scoreless innings. Brandon Peterson got the ninth inning. He walked one and gave up two on a home run, but he struck out two and got the final out to preserve a 10-8 win. Malinowski was credited with the Win. Bryan Haar continues to lead the E-Twins offense. He went 3-5 with his 13th double, fifth home run and three RBI. Logan Wade went 3-4 with his third double. Stuart Turner hit his second homer. Mitch Garver went 2-4 with his 11th double. GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 4 Box Score There was the game, and then there are the rehab appearances that happen in the GCL. In the offseason, the Twins removed Deolis Guerra from their 40 man roster but were able to re-sign him to a minor league contract. After a tremendous showing in the Venezuelan Winter League, Guerra had the opportunity to pitch for his home country in the World Baseball Classic. Unfortunately, he was unable to participate because a blood clot was found in his right shoulder. On March 15, Guerra underwent rib resection surgery, which is essentially the removal of a rib. The rehab started pretty simply with some range-of-motion exercises. Gradually, more was added and in the last month or so, he has started his throwing program. In the 6th inning today, Guerra entered the GCL game and gave up just one hit in one scoreless inning. He struck out one. It was a pretty clean line, but considering where he was just five months ago, it’s a nice story. Chih-Wei Hu started for the Twins and gave up just three hits in five shutout innings. He didn’t issue a walk and struck out seven. Guerra pitched the sixth. Reyson Zoquiel came on for the eighth and got just two outs. He gave up just one hit and walked one batter, but he also hit two batters. All four runs ended up scoring. Tyler Stirewalt allowed the inherited runners to score before getting the final four outs of the game, two via the strikeout. Jason Kanzler led the offense. Leading off, he went 2-5 with his fifth double and his second home run. Brian Navarreto went 2-3 with a walk and his eighth double. Engelb Vielma went 1-2 with a walk and his third double. Ivory Thomas doubled for the third time. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.