Seth Stohs

Steve, you know better than I do, but I think that with White and Gordon on the left side of the infield, that's pretty strong. Corcino is terrific defensively, though Tanner English was incredibly good and is missed. But very good defense. I've also heard great things about Brian Navarreto is tremendous, not only throwing out runners, but also calling a game, etc.

No way... Polanco wouldn't play. He'd be behind Escobar and Dozier, and probably Santana... And Kepler would be sitting the bench. I like the fact that they're getting into some big, pressure games and being key contributors, the #2 and #3 hitters, leaders. all that stuff. And both have come through with big hits. No organization would have them up right now.

Control has certainly been an issue for all three and it came to a head last night unfortunately.But I think all three will be solid big league relievers, maybe as early as 2016.

In Game 1, Max Kepler's two-strike, two-out, two-run single gave the Chattanooga Lookouts a 4-3 win in Game 1 of the Southern League playoffs. After being rained out on Friday, the Lookouts hosted Game 2 against the Montgomery Biscuits. There were opportunities for heroes, but in the end, they fell in extra frames. Image courtesy of Brad Rempel, USA Today In Game 1, Max Kepler's two-strike, two-out, two-run single gave the Chattanooga Lookouts a 4-3 win in Game 1 of the Southern League playoffs. After being rained out on Friday, the Lookouts hosted Game 2 against the Montgomery Biscuits. There were opportunities for heroes, but in the end, they fell in extra frames. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 5, Montgomery 6 (11 innings) Box Score The Lookouts got out to an early lead and got a strong start. The game was tied in the later innings and there was bonus baseball in Chattanooga on Saturday night. The team fell behind in the 10th but got a huge, clutch homer to send it to the 11th. Unfortunately, they did not have a second comeback and fell to the Biscuits. With one out in the bottom of the first inning, Jorge Polanco singled and Max Kepler walked. A Travis Harrison single drove in Polanco. Kepler advanced to third and Harrison took second base on the throw. Dalton Hicks came up next and drove in both runners with a single. The Lookouts had a 3-0 lead. That was it for the Lookout scoring, at least for a long while. Jason Wheeler started and threw well. The left-hander worked six innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out five. Nick Burdi came on and gave up two really quick runs to tie the game in the seventh. However, Burdi settled down and finished two innings, allowing just the two runs and striking out four. JT Chargois came in and threw a scoreless ninth inning. Bonus Baseball in Tennessee for the playoffs. Chargois came out again for the tenth frame. In it, he gave up two runs before getting the third out. Things looked bleak, but in the bottom half of the 10th inning, Shannon Wilkerson led off with a walk. He rounded the bases when Jorge Polanco blasted a long home run to tie the game at five. Brandon Peterson came on for the 11th inning. The Savage, Minnesota, native really struggled with his control. He walked the first two batters. After a sacrifice bunt, there was another walk to load the bases. Unfortunately, a blooper to center dropped out of Jorge Polanco’s glove and one run scored. Peterson then coaxed a double play, but the damage had been done. The Lookouts went 1, 2, 3 in the bottom of the 11th inning. Polanco went 2-5 with the home run. Adam Brett Walker doubled in his first at-bat before striking out in his final four at-bats. The Lookouts also had four errors in the game. The series is tied at one game apiece and now head back to Montgomery. That is where games three and four, and if necessary, game five, will be played. At 6:20 (central time) on Sunday, the teams will play Game 3. Right-hander Greg Peavey will take the ball for the Lookouts. View full article

The Cedar Rapids Kernels began their second round of the Midwest League playoffs with a game in Peoria. After sweeping Quad Cities, the Kernels sent RHP Keaton Steele to the mound on Saturday night. Safe to say, he came through in a big way for the Kernels. Image courtesy of Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels began their second round of the Midwest League playoffs with a game in Peoria. After sweeping Quad Cities, the Kernels sent RHP Keaton Steele to the mound on Saturday night. Safe to say, he came through in a big way for the Kernels. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 2 Box Score The Kernels got a perfect combination of very strong start coupled with a couple of big hits and held on to win Game 1 of the second round of the Midwest League playoffs. Cedar Rapids got on the board right away in the top of the first inning. Rafael Valera led off the game with a walk. Two outs later, TJ White walked as well. That brought LaMonte Wade to the plate and he drove a ball to deep right-center. It hit the warning track and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. Valera scored, but had the ball stayed in play the Kernels would likely have scored two. Wade went 2-4 on the night. Keaton Steele struggled at the start. He gave up a leadoff single and hit the second batter. After a fielder’s choice, the clean-up man, Harrison Bader, drove in Peoria’s Darren Seferina to tie the game at one. Steele and Peoria’s starter Matt Pearce exchanged zeroes through the sixth inning. However, the Kernels were able to get to Pearce in the seventh. The inning began with Chris Paul being hit by a pitch. After a wild pitch, Max Murphy hit a long home run to give the Kernels a 3-1 lead. Murphy, the Twins ninth-round pick in 2014 out of Bradley University was back in familiar territory. The Bradley baseball team plays at Dozer Park, the same field that the Peoria Chiefs call home. Steele completed eight innings and gave up just the one run. He gave up two hits, did not walk anyone and struck out a season-high nine batters. Nick Anderson came in for the ninth inning after recording saves in the Kernels two wins in the first round. It was a little nerve-wracking. The leadoff man tripled and scored on a single. However, Anderson struck out the next three batters to record his third save of the postseason. On Sunday afternoon at 4:05 in Cedar Rapids, left-hander Randy Rosario will take the mound for the Kernels in Game 2. Should a Game 3 be necessary, Randy LeBlanc is scheduled to start on Monday in Cedar Rapids. View full article

Another big hit in Chattanooga... Down 5-3 in the bottom of the 10th, Jorge Polanco hit a 2-run homer to tie the game up again just now.

I remember Eric Milton once started a playoff game for Ft. Myers, probably 12 years ago or so. I believe he gave up one run in 4 innings and took a loss. I am not going to go back and look, but I think they lost 1-0.

I would be surprised if he isn't. I think he's the only one on the roster though.

I would say that #s were the huge factor in their voting, and then prospect status second or third. The numbers are what gets them on the list.

Also consider coming into the season, he was barely in Twins Top 10 rankings, much lower in others. He's taken those tools and turned them into skills.

It's hard to believe that with the Saints record Sioux City had an even better record. That's some great baseball. That attendance thing is amazing too. Affiliated ball doesn't come close to these types of numbers until AAA, AA in some places. It's remarkable. And, the stadium is tremendous!

He's eligible because he was in the Twins organization on Aug 31st, but if the Twins wouldn't put Berrios on the 40 man roster, they aren't going to put Turner on it.He doesn't have to be added to another year either.

The Twins had several players representing them on Baseball America's 2015 Minor League Classification All Star teams. The list combined players across the classifications. So, instead of an International League (AAA) All Star team and a Pacific Coast League (AAA) All Star team, there is one AAA All Star team. AAA: Jose Berrios was named the Pitcher of the Year. AA: Miguel Sano was the 3B. Max Kepler was an OF. Kepler was also named the AA Player of the Year. Low-A: Stephen Gonsalves and Trevor Hildenberger were both named. Rookie: Luis Arraez was named as the 2B.

Both performed well in the second half. The AFL will be more opportunity for them to show their skills (behind the plate and at the plate), but Ryan and company will not likely learn anything that they don't already know. I'd like to see both of them go to Chattanooga to start the season next year, playing every other day.

21 strikeouts in 13.1 innings, but also 10 walks. That won't play well in the big leagues. So, no, I don't think so. Even if he did get called up, he could still go to the AFL.

The Twins enjoyed an off-day on Thursday after taking a three-game set from the division-leading Kansas City Royals. In the minor leagues, the postseason is now in full swing. Chattanooga and Cedar Rapids both had big games decided in the late innings. Image courtesy of Craig Gordon The Twins enjoyed an off-day on Thursday after taking a three-game set from the division-leading Kansas City Royals. In the minor leagues, the postseason is now in full swing. Chattanooga and Cedar Rapids both had big games decided in the late innings. Lookouts Look-In Game 1: Montgomery Biscuits @ Chattanooga Lookouts Jamie Schultz vs. D.J. Baxendale Final: Biscuits 3, Lookouts 4 Box Score In the first game of the best-of-five series the Lookouts secured the victory on a walk-off single from Southern League MVP, Max Kepler. With two on and two out, Kepler hit a line drive single to right scoring a pair of runs and earning the Lookouts the victory. In front of a home crowd of 1,279 at AT&T Field in Chattanooga, Tennessee, D.J. Baxendale gave the Lookout fans seven and two-thirds innings of hope. Baxendale gave up a pair of early runs in the second, and another in the sixth but pitched into the eighth inning before being lifted after 101 pitches. Baxendale gave up seven hits and three runs all earned. He walked none and struck out four. Baxendale was lifted for Nick Burdi, who struck out three in an inning and a third of work. He had to get four outs in the top of the ninth after a dropped strike three and an errant throw to first base from Stuart Turner. Leadoff man Shannon Wilkerson and cleanup hitter Travis Harrison were both held hitless, as were D.J. Hicks, Adam Brett Walker, Stephen Wickens and Stuart Turner. The Lookouts offense generated only five hits, but managed to earn NINE free passes from the Biscuits pitching staff, leaving the Lookouts with plenty of chances to score. Jorge Polanco was 2-4 plus a walk with a run scored. Max Kepler's ninth inning hit was his only one of the game, capping a 1-4 night that include a walk and a pair of strikeouts. The Lookouts are back on the diamond Friday night in Chattanooga for Game 2. The series then heads to Montgomery for the conclusion of the five-game series. Kernels Korner Game 2: Cedar Rapids Kernels @ Quad Cities River Bandits Sam Gibbons vs. Brock Dykxhoorn Final: Kernels 3, River Bandits 1 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels have advanced to the Midwest League semifinals with a 3 to 1 victory over the Quad Cities River Bandits on Thursday night in front of 1,555 fans at Modern Woodmen Park. The Quad Cities River Bandits had the best winning percentage of all full-season teams in minor league baseball prior to being swept out of the postseason by the Kernels. Sam Gibbons gave the Kernels everything he had on Thursday night, pitching eight innings of four-hit, one-run baseball. He struck out four and walked none. Yorman Landa pitched two scoreless innings, struck out three, walked none and gave up just a single. Nick Anderson came in to pitch the bottom of the eleventh and shut down the River Bandits to lock up the game and series victory for the Kernels. The Kernels went ahead 3-1 in the top of the eleventh inning on a bizarre series of plays, culminating with a Chris Paul single that plated T.J. White and LaMonte Wade. After a T.J. White walk to start the inning, LaMonte Wade dropped down a sac bunt right in front of home plate but the River Bandits' catcher Garrett Stubbs thought he had a chance to nab White at second. But his throw was late and low and bounced into center field. White advanced to third on the throwing error and then Wade advanced to second after the throw to third got by the Bandits, putting runners at second and third for Chris Paul. The game-winning hit capped a big night at the plate for Chris Paul. He was 3-4 with all three Kernels RBIs, plus a walk. No other Kernels hitter had multiple hits. Edgar Corcino, who had a chance to win the game for the Kernels in the tenth with two on and two out, struck out for the fourth time in five attempts on the evening, a frustrating 0-5 night for Corcino. The Kernels will travel to Peoria, Illinois to take on the Peoria Chiefs in the semi-finals. That series begins on Saturday night. TwinsDaily Minor League Hitter of the Day: Chris Paul - Cedar Rapids Kernels TwinsDaily Minor League Pitcher of the Day: Sam Gibbons Cedar Rapids Kernels Friday's Probables Montgomery Biscuits @ Chattanooga Lookouts - Jacob Faria vs. Jason Wheeler View full article

I think it's terrific...

Sano and Rosario seem to be the types to step up in big situations. They have in their minor league careers, and although this is the big leagues, I think that continues. The thing I found interesting was that Cuddyer (deservedly so) received a ton of the credit for the 17-4 run to end the season, but everyone stepped up. That is amazing!

Great foresight!! Ha! I think this is well done!

This is classic! Phil Mackey and Judd Zulgad put together a new song, Let is Sano... You really should listen. This is great!

I think they gave up quite a bit, but at a position with a lot of prospects. And, I didn't know enough about Jepsen at the time. I was wrong. It was a good trade, especially because it wasn't just a 2-month rental. I like Hu as a mid-rotation guy, and I really was impressed by Tapia this spring. But you have to give up some (possible) future to get something for the present.

Miguel Sano came off the bench in the 12th inning on Wednesday night and delivered a clutch home run to give the Twins a 3-2 lead and win over the Kansas City Royals. The game was full of excitement, ebbs and flows, good at bad. As I was watching the Twins, I could help but thinking back to the 2009 Twins. With the Twins win coupled with a Rangers loss, Minnesota is 1.5 games behind Texas for that second Wild Card spot. Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson, USA Today Miguel Sano came off the bench in the 12th inning on Wednesday night and delivered a clutch home run to give the Twins a 3-2 lead and win over the Kansas City Royals. The game was full of excitement, ebbs and flows, good at bad. As I was watching the Twins, I could help but thinking back to the 2009 Twins. With the Twins win coupled with a Rangers loss, Minnesota is 1.5 games behind Texas for that second Wild Card spot. As Kurt Suzuki laid on the ground after a home plate collision with the Royals’ Jarrod Dyson. On Twitter, I was being asked what the Twins would do if Suzuki needed to miss significant time. In mid-September, the Twins would have to rely on the combination of Chris Herrmann and Eric Fryer down the stretch. On September 12, 2009, Justin Morneau dove head-first into first base in an attempt to avoid a tag. He jarred his back and ended up with a stress fracture in his lower back. It was all bad news. Morneau had just reached 30 home runs and 100 RBI. The team was also 5 ½ games back of the Detroit Tigers. At 70-72, the situation looked bleak. The good thing was that the Twins were scheduled to play the Tigers seven more times over the final 20 games. Little did we know at the time that they would play them an eighth time, in Game 163 at the Metrodome. Michael Cuddyer moved in to first base. Jason Kubel was primarily DHing, and he moved out to right field. The DH position was filled with the likes of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris. But if the Twins were going to get to the playoffs, they needed those two to step up, but others as well. And, that’s exactly what happened. The offense took off, and the Twins went 17-4 down the stretch, catching the Tigers and winning Game 163. Here is a look at how the hitters performed over that final stretch. MICHAEL CUDDYER The team-first Cuddyer stepped up. Over the final 21 games, he hit .325/.398/.675 (1.073) with three doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 24 RBI. He also played very well at first base in Morneau’s absence. Overall, Cuddyer hit 34 doubles, 32 homers and drove in 94 runs. This final stretch got him a lot of MVP votes. JOE MAUER Mauer’s MVP season was absolutely incredible. Though Cuddyer hit the home runs and drove in 24 runs, Mauer was on base most of the month. In 21 games starting September 13, he hit .378/.521/.527 (1.048) with five doubles, two homers and 14 RBI. Those numbers are amazing, but they were right in line with his full-season numbers in 2009. Overall, he hit .365/.444/.587 (1.034) with 30 doubles and 28 homers. ORLANDO CABRERA The Twins acquired the 34-year-old shortstop from Oakland in exchange for former 2nd-round pick Tyler Ladendorf (who made his MLB debut for the A’s in 2015). Cabrera was magnificent down the stretch. He played all 21 games and hit .355/.378/.538 (.915) with six doubles, a triple, three homers and 19 RBI while playing a strong shortstop. JASON KUBEL Kubel moved out to the outfield from DH and hit well down the stretch. He played in 20 of the final 21 games and hit .278/.333/.597 (.931) with five doubles, six home runs and 21 RBI. DENARD SPAN The 25-year-old Span was in his first full season with the Twins and did a great job leading off. He played in 19 of the final 21 games and hit .333/.398/.397 (.795) with three doubles and a triple. He drove in 11 runs and scored 16 times. DELMON YOUNG The 23-year-old was in left field. He played all 21 games and hit .353/.380/.576 (.957) with five doubles, a triple, four home runs and 17 RBI. NICK PUNTO Ron Gardenhire loved his defense and his approach at the plate. He was a polarizing figure with fans. However, he took over at second base late in this season. He played in all 21 of the final games and hit .250/.407/.297 (.704) with three doubles. In that stretch, he walked 17 times and obviously played great defense. MATT TOLBERT 2009 was the year they brought in Joe Crede. As he had in previous seasons, Crede ended up out for the season with recurring back issues. Tolbert wasn’t much of a hitter, but he started 18 of the final 21 games. After September 13th, he hit .313/.347/.448 (.795) with four doubles, a triple and a home run. GAME 163 HEROES Mauer and Tolbert each had two hits in Game 163. But that game was also a reminder that anyone can play hero in a big game or a pennant stretch. In the final inning, Carlos Gomez was on second and scored on a game-winning single off the bat of Alexi Casilla. Bobby Keppel was the winning pitcher, his first and only major league win. BRIAN DUENSING People may forget, but Duensing was alright as a starting pitcher for a while. In his final four starts of that 2009 season, he went 2-0 with a 2.92 ERA. On September 13th, with the Morneau news fresh, Duensing threw seven shutout innings. He backed that up with 6.1 scoreless innings in his next outing. OTHERS Francisco Liriano was pretty bad and had been moved to the bullpen later in the season. Scott Baker went 2-1 despite a 4.61 ERA. Jeff Manship wasn’t great, but he picked up his first career win in Game 160. Joe Nathan posted a 1.46 ERA and recorded nine saves. The Twins went 12-0 in games he pitched. SUMMARY 2010 was the last time the Twins were in the playoffs and Twins fans were involved in a pennant race. However, the second half of the final month of 2009 was as exciting as it gets in the baseball world. The former MVP gets hurt. Things don’t look good. Someone needs to step up. Everyone did step up. Mauer was amazing. Cuddyer had some huge home runs. And then there was Game 163, one of the most exciting games in Twins history. So, what will happen in the final three weeks of the 2015 season? There’s no way to know. The Twins are just 1.5 games back of a playoff spot. Who will step up? Will it be a big name? Will Miguel Sano hit a few more big home runs? How will the rookies respond? Will the veterans lead the way? Will a role player come up in a big situation and come through? In reality, they will need a combination of all of the above. No one knows the answers to those questions. All I know is that it’s going to be a lot of fun to find watch! View full article