Seth Stohs

It’s almost like they know. Coming into Friday, Miguel Sano had 20 home runs this season. Chris Colabello had 18. In his first two at-bats on Friday, Colabello homered, catching up to Sano. But it wasn’t long before Sano hit his 21st. Then, a little more than an hour later, Sano hit his 22nd homer of the year. (It’s almost like last year when Trevor Plouffe and Josh Willingham seemed to so frequently homer on the same day.) The two are easily the top home run hitters in the organization. The next highest home run hitters in the organization are Cedar Rapids third baseman Travis Harrison, who hit his thirteenth home run tonight, and Ft. Myers first baseman Kennys Vargas, also with thirteen. Check out what happened in the Twins farm system on Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 2, Indianapolis Indians 4 Box Score Andrew Albers was back on the mound for the Red Wings. The Canadian left-hander gave up four runs in six innings. He gave up eight hits, three of them home runs. He walked one and struck out four. Aaron Thompson came on and struck out one over two scoreless innings in relief. The offense managed just four hits in the game. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with his 19th and 20th home runs of the season. He is now hitting .367 with an OPS right around 1.100. The thing that impressed me most about Colabello is that he talks a lot about only being able to control what he can control. And he lives that thinking. That’s the thought-process he needed when he wasn’t given an opportunity in affiliated ball. It’s what he had to think in AA, and in his first big league spring training, and in the WBC, and when he was sent AAA. And, it is likely why he has maintained this performance throughout the season despite numbers that should have him in the big leagues now. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Reading Fightin Phils 6 Box Score So, it didn’t take Miguel Sano too long to figure out Eastern League pitching. Yes, he got off to a slow start, but his power numbers have been tremendous and, despite a loss in this game, he showed his power here. The Rock Cats had just five hits; three came off of the bat of Miguel Sano. In the bottom of the fourth, he hit a long, two-run home run. In the bottom of the ninth, he came to the plate with two runners on base and the Rock Cats down by four. His second homer of the day, sixth home run with the Rock Cats and 22nd home run of his season, cut the deficit to just one, but that was all the team could muster. Sano drove in all five runs. The one time he made out, the centerfielder made a catch at the wall. Of his 13 AA hits, Sano has six home runs, two triples, one double and four singles. Video of the second home run from Twins Fan from Afar (video of the 1st will be in the comments): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMmmGqKjrvE Trevor May made the start and gave up a home run on the first pitch. In all, he went five innings and gave up four runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out six. Dan Turpen came on and struck out three in two scoreless innings. Bruce Pugh came off of the disabled list. He gave up a solo home run, but that was the only blemish in the inning. AJ Achter pitched the ninth and gave up one run on three hits and a walk. Ft. Myers Miracle, Jupiter Hammerheads (Suspended in 3rd) This game was suspended due to rain with one out in the bottom of the third inning. It will be resumed when the Miracle next heads to Jupiter, which will be in mid-August. Manuel Soliman had given up three hits and two walks but no runs in 2.1 innings when the game was called. He had struck out four. Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Burlington Bees 1 Box Score The streak continues for the Cedar Rapids Kernels. They are now 8-0 since the All-Star break. They got off to a fast start and kept the lead. In the first inning, Travis Harrison hit a two-run double. Adam Walker soon followed with a two-run homer to make it 4-0. In the second innings, Harrison hit a two-run homer. Harrison was 2-4 with his 23rd double, his 13th homer and four RBI. Walker was 2-3 with a walk and the homer was his 12th of the season. JD Williams was 2-4 with his 14th stolen base. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3. Niko Goodrum (16th two bagger), Dalton Hicks (26th) and Jhonatan Arias (3rd) each doubled. It was not just about the hitting on this night. Josue Montanez was terrific in the start. The young left gave up two hits in five shutout innings. He walked none and struck out four. Hudson Boyd made his first appearance out of the bullpen. He gave up an unearned run on two hits and a walk in two innings, striking out three. Madison Boer was activated from the DL and sent to the Kernels. He had broken his hand (left-hand) and had made a couple appearances with the GCL Twins. He gave up two hits, but no runs, in his inning. Steven Gruver came on and struck out two in a perfect ninth. Mike Pelfrey will be making a rehab start for the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Monday. Elizabethton Twins 8, Princeton Rays 0 Box Score This was a pitcher’s duel until the E-Twins scored seven runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to finish an 8-0 win. The E-Twins got on the scoreboard just an inning earlier when shortstop Ryan Walker hit his first professional home run. The big hits in the eighth inning were two-run doubles off the bats of Rory Rhodes and Javier Pimentel. Walker, Pimentel and catcher Mitch Garver each went 2-4. Yorman Landa was again terrific in the start. The young right-hander threw five shutout innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out eight. So, in his first two starts, he has thrown ten innings, walked two and struck out 15! Brian Gilbert made his Twins debut with a scoreless sixth frame. He struck out one. Kuo Hua Lo gave up one hit and one walk, but no runs, in two innings. He struck out two. Brandon Peterson struck out two in a scoreless ninth frame. GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score Nick Blackburn returned to the mound in a game for the first time since 2012. The right-hander has been rehabbing all season. In October, he had bone chips removed from his elbow. Then in January, he had wrist surgery. On Friday afternoon, he made a start for the GCL Twins. He went four shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked none and struck out four. He was replaced by Damian Defrank who worked the next four innings, giving up two runs on four hits. He struck out one and walked none. Miguel Gonzalez came on for the ninth and recorded his second save. He gave up one hit and struck out one. Jorge Fernandez led the offense. He went 3-4 with his first double. Jason Kanzler went 2-4 and stole his second base. Lance Ray’s rehab continued and he had a two-run double. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

It was a big day for Minnesota Twins’ second-round draft pick Ryan Eades. He agreed to terms with the Twins and will report to Elizabethton. The E-Twins have played the past two days without two of their catchers. Third-round pick Stuart Turner and ninth-round pick Mitch Garver flew to Wichita because they were two of the three finalists for the Johnny Bench Award for the nation’s top collegiate catcher. In a ceremony on Thursday night, Turner was named the winner of the award. Check out what happened in the Twins farm system Thursday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 8, Indianapolis Indians 4 Box Score Vance Worley has appeared to be back on track. In his previous three starts, he had given up just one earned run in 23 innings. On this night, he improved to 4-3 but he gave up four runs on ten hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Luis Perdomo got a three-inning save. He gave up just one hit and walked one while striking out three. Jeff Clement went 2-4 with his eighth double and his 13th home run. Antoan Richardson went 2-5. Aaron Hicks played seven innings, going 0-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Reading Phillies 9 Box Score The Rock Cats fell behind early and were unable to catch up. Virgil Vasquez started and gave up seven runs (3 earned) on ten hits in six innings. He walked one and strck out five. Cole Johnson struck out two in one perfect inning. Matt Summers gave up two runs on three hits in an inning. BJ Hermsen worked a perfect ninth. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-4 with his 21st double. Jordan Parraz went 2-4 with his fifth double. Miguel Sano hit his fourth homer for the Rock Cats. It was his 20th overall of the season. Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Jupiter 11 Box Score Taylor Rogers has been one of the most consistent starters in the Twins organization this spring, but he was due for a clunker. The left-hander gave up seven runs (4 earned) on seven hits in just four innings. He walked two and struck out one. Chad Rodgers went the next 2.2 innings. He gave up three runs on two hits and a walk, striking out two. Adrian Salcedo got the final four outs; he gave up one run on two hits. Jhon Goncales hit his 10th and 11th doubles in his four at bats. Jonathan Murphy went 2-3 with a walk. Cedar Rapids Kernels 9, Burlington Bees 0 Box Score The Kernels have come out of the All-Star break on fire. With the 9-0 win, the Kernels are now 7-0 since returning to action. Christian Powell was very good. He threw six shutout innings and gave up just one hit. He walked too many (five) and struck out four. Tyler Jones came on and recorded his fifth save. He gave up no runs on no hits and no walks. Jorge Polanco went 3-4 with his third home run. JD Williams was 3-5 with his fourth and fifth triples. Dalton Hicks went 2-5 with his 25th double. Niko Goodrum was 1-1 with four walks, scoring three times. Elizabethton Twins 6, Princeton 3 Box Score The E-Twins were able to pick up a win tonight. Josh Burris made another start. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on two hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out four. Andrew Ferreira struck out four in two scoreless innings, while giving up two hits. Ethan Mildren gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. Luis Nunez picked up his third save. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out three in two shutout innings. Zach Granite led off and went 2-3. Javier Pimentel went 2-4 with his second double. Dereck Rodriguez went 2-4 and stole his third base. GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 7 Box Score Australian lefty Lewis Thorpe made his second start. In four innings, he gave up no runs on just one hit. He walked one and struck out eight. Sam Gibbons threw two shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. Josh Guyer had a really rough one: he recorded just one out, but was charged with seven runs (6 earned) on four hits and a walk. Jose Abreu went the final 2.2 innings. He gave up one hit, walked none and struck out three. Alex Swim went 2-4 with a double. Zach Larson was 2-4 with his second home run. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

Tonight in New York, the NBA will hold its annual player draft. In Minnesota, the talk is of Flip Saunders and which direction he will choose to lead the Wolves in his first draft. For St. Cloud native Nate Wolters, it will be one of the most important nights of his life. The 6-5 point guard, who played his prep hoops at St. Cloud Tech and college ball for the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State, is expected to be drafted sometime between the late first round and the middle of the second round. Nate Wolters is also a huge fan of the Minnesota Twins. Recently, I had the chance to chat with Wolters about the draft, his collegiate career, and his Twins fandom![PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Wolters said, “I went to a couple of Twins games every year growing up. Torii Hunter was my favorite player as a kid. I’ve always been a big Twins fan, but the last couple of years, I started watching just about every game even though it has been tough to watch at times!” So, what is it about baseball and the Twins that Wolters really enjoys? “I love following the Twins because they play every day. They lose one game and don’t have to wait long to see them play again! (It’s) not like the Vikings’ losses where you’ve got to think about it for the whole week!” He added, “The Twins just seem like a good group of guys and are easy to root for. Even though they were supposed to really struggle this year, they are only six or seven back and anything can happen in baseball.” We’ll put him on the spot with some more baseball questions later in this article, but Wolters is about to become a member of the National Basketball Association tonight, so let’s talk some hoops. He was an all-state basketball performer at St. Cloud Tech where he didn’t play baseball. “I actually played tennis as a spring sport. I played baseball until, like, 6th grade, but I was terrible at it so I thought I should stick to basketball.” I think it’s fair to say that he made the right choice for himself. “Basketball has always been my favorite sport and something I spent most of my time doing.” The always-humble Wolters continued, “I was always a good player for my grade. I knew I could possibly have a chance to play in college if I worked hard enough.” He got that opportunity and became a Jackrabbit. “I picked South Dakota State because I wanted to have the opportunity to play Division I basketball. I loved the coaching staff! Coach Nagy gave me a ton of freedom and had a lot of confidence in me, so I knew I would have the chance to play right away.” As a freshman, he averaged 24 minutes and scored 10.5 points. He scored 19.5 per game as a sophomore, 21.2 points per game as a junior, and as a senior, he averaged 22.3. In those three years, the point guard averaged 6.1, 5.8, and 5.7 assists per game (which led the Summit League each year). He shot 46% overall as a senior and 38% from three point range. He shot over 81% from the free throw line. “I had a great experience there, and making the NCAA tourney the last two years was really special for the whole state of South Dakota and the program.” As well as he and his Jackrabbit teams played, there are always questions about the level of competition. “Coming from a mid-major like South Dakota State, I really never thought I would be in the position I am in today. Our team success has given me a lot of recognition that I otherwise would not get.” Since the end of the college season, he has been very busy. “I have had twelve team workouts with NBA teams. It’s been a ton of travel, but it has been an amazing experience. I’m hoping it will all payoff on Thursday.” I had put Wolters’ Twins knowledge to the test, and he passed! I asked him about the Twins farm system and future. He said, “I don’t know all the minor league guys like you, but heard great things about the farm system. I can’t wait for Buxton and Sano to come up. The future looks really bright with Arcia, Hicks, Buxton and Sano. It will be interesting to see how Gibson does the rest of the season and how Meyer, Berrios and May develop.” Wolters brought up another point that I really appreciate. “I definitely have a ton of respect for baseball players. They go through so many years in the minors to finally make it to the majors. It has to be very satisfying.” A friend of his understands well how long and full of ups and downs that process can be. “I’m so happy for Caleb Thielber, who is a friend of mine. (It took) Lots of hard work and dedication by him to get to where he is. He is making the most of it.” The hope from Wolters would be not to have to endure that! “My goal is to go in the first round. But, whatever happens, I just want to go to a team that is a good fit and somewhere that I can grow as a basketball player.” I am a guy who enjoys watching drafts. Obviously here at Twins Daily, we put a lot of time and effort into the MLB draft. Although basketball and football don’t pique my interest in the same way as baseball, I can still watch their drafts start to finish. Getting to know an NBA draft prospect from the area who happens to be a huge Twins fan gives us another reason to watch. When will Nate Wolters be drafted? In looking at several mock drafts and rankings, I have seen him taken anywhere from 21st overall to 46th. There seems to be little question that he will be drafted, and his goal of being a first rounder if certainly very possible. Regardless, it is great to see a guy get an opportunity to live out his dream. Hopefully he’ll be drafted in the first round and go to a place where he’ll get a great opportunity. Twins Daily would like to wish him the best on Thursday night. And who knows? Maybe we’ll be able to see him at some Twins games the rest of this summer!

This afternoon, MLB announced the rosters of the Futures Game, which will be played on July 14th, two days before the All-Star Game in New York. The Twins will have one player on the World team and one player on the USA team. It likely will come as no surprise that Miguel Sano (Dominican Republic) will be playing on the World team and Byron Buxton (Georgia, USA) will play for the US team. Last year, Oswaldo Arcia was the lone Twins representative. He hit a double in the game against Pirates pitching prospect Jameson Taillon. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Buxton, the Twins' first overall pick in 2012 out of high school, was promoted to Ft. Myers on Sunday after hitting .341/.431/.559 (.990) with 15 doubles, ten triples and eight homers in Cedar Rapids. He drove in 55 runs from the leadoff spot and scored 68 runs. He also stole 32 bases. photo by Jim Crikket Sano, the highly-touted Dominican third baseman, hit .330/.424/.655 (1.079) with 15 doubles, two triples, 16 home runs and 48 RBI with the Miracle before being promoted to New Britain two weeks ago. He has now hit three home runs (and has three triples) in seven games with the Rock Cats. Buxton and Sano are consensus number one prospects in all of baseball and good representatives of the organization. In other All Star news today, the Eastern League announced its all-stars that will play in New Britain in mid-July. Catcher Josmil Pinto, outfielder Danny Ortiz, shortstop Danny Santana, reliever AJ Achter and starting pitcher Trevor May were named to the roster. This comes after the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Ft. Myers Miracle each sent nearly double-figure players to the Midwest League and Florida State League All-Star games, respectively. The future sure looks bright!

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.

It was a night of debuts in the Twins system Tuesday. Aaron Hicks finally made his first ever appearance in a AAA game as he started rehab from his hamstring injury. Logan Darnell also made his AAA debut. Matt Summers replaced Darnell in the Rock Cats rotation and started Tuesday. And likely, the debut you were most looking forward to came in Palm Beach as Byron Buxton played his first game for the Miracle. How did their debuts go, and how was 2013 draft pick Tanner Mendonca in his professional debut? Check out what happened in the Twins farm system on Tuesday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester Red Wings 3, Indianapolis Indians 5 Box Score Aaron Hicks made his AAA debut on Tuesday night in Indianapolis. He made out in his first at-bat, but had a single, a double and an RBI single in his next three plate appearances. Following the double, he attempted to score from second base on a passed ball. He was out, but that indicated his hamstring was at 100%. It will be interesting to see how he is able to come back on Wednesday after running in this game. He was the team’s DH, so he will still need to get some time in the outfield before he is fully ready to come back. Hicks had three of the Red Wings five hits in this game. Jeff Clement hit his 12th home run of the season. Logan Darnell made his first AAA start. He gave up a solo home run in the first inning to Josh Harrison before posting a 1-2-3 second frame. He got the first two outs of the third inning, then he walked the next two batters. He was taken out with what play-by-play man Josh Whetzel guessed was a blister. In total, he gave up one run on two hits. He walked three and struck out two in just 2.2 innings. Luis Perdomo replaced him and went the next 2.1 innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two. Aaron Thompson gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out two. Cody Eppley pitched a scoreless inning. New Britain Rock Cats, Altoona Curve The game was suspended after two innings with the score of 3-0 Rock Cats. Matt Summer didn’t give up a run in his AA debut in those two frames. Curt Smith hit a three-run homer in the 2nd. The game will continue … Ft. Myers Miracle 4, Palm Beach 5 Box Score Byron Buxton was the big story of this game. Baseball’s best prospect made his much-anticipated Miracle debut. As he had with the Kernels, he hit leadoff and played center field. He singled in his second at-bat, but was subsequently thrown out attempting a steal. He was 1-5 in the game. Mike Kvasnicka continues to hit well; in this game, he was 2-3 with a walk and his third home run. Jhon Goncalves hit his ninth double. Jason Wheeler had a rough one. The lefty gave up five runs on seven hits and three walks in four innings. Ryan O’Rourke came on and went three scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out two. Jose Gonzalez worked a scoreless eighth inning. Cedar Rapids Kernels 6, Burlington Bees 4 Box Score With Buxton promoted, it was Max Kepler taking over in center field for the Kernels. He has taken up some of the offensive slack produced by Buxton's promotion. On this night, he got a chance to play hero. Having doubled earlier in the game, Kepler came up in a tied game in the 8th inning, and launched a two-run homer that proved to be the game winner. Through five games, he is now hitting .318 with a 1.011 OPS. He is 7-22 and has four doubles and home run. Nice to make a good first impression! Jorge Polanco added his ninth triple and drove in three runs. JD Williams was 1-2 with a walk. Dalton Hicks knocked his 23rd double. Mason Melotakis was on the mound for the Kernels. The lefty went the first six innings and was charged with four runs (3 earned). He gave up five hits, walked three and struck out five. Tim Atherton came on to start the seventh. He got two outs and walked two. Kaleb Merck went the final 2.1 innings and it was 7 up, 7 down with three strikeouts. Elizabethton Twins 8, Greeneville Astros 4 Box Score The offense showed up Monday, and the E-Twins improved to 5-1 on the season. Rory Rhodes went 3-5 with his third double. Mitch Garver was 2-5 with his second and third doubles. Zach Granite was 2-3 with a walk, a triple and his first pro stolen base. Romy Jimenez was 2-5 with a triple. Javier Pimentel went 2-5. Tanner Mendonca made his first pro start; he went the first three innings and did not allow a run. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out three. Tim Shibuya came on in relief and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in four innings. He improved to 2-0. Carson Goldsmith gave up two runs on three hits in the final two innings. GCL Twins 6, GCL Rays 5 Box Score You take the good, you take the bad. You take them both and there you have it, life in the minor leagues. In the GCL’s first two games, Amaurys Minier went 4-7 with a double, triple and home run. On Tuesday, he went 1-5 with four strikeouts. In his last two games, he has gone 1-9 with seven strikeouts. Even for the most talented players, it is a process and is about development. Joel Polanco went 2-4 with a triple and two RBI. Will Hurt went 2-2 with a walk. Chad Christensen was 2-5. Lance Ray went 0-4 with two strikeouts in his rehab game. Chih-Wei Hu started and gave up four runs on six hits in 4.1 innings. He walked none and struck out four. Jose Abreu came on and went the next 2.2 innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one. Josh Guyer picked up the save. He went the final two innings and gave up one run on two hits and a walk, striking out four. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

It's pretty rare when you read me writing about any advanced statistics. I don't mind reading them and trying to understand what they mean and what they are telling me about a player. But I very rarely use more than a Triple Slash line (BA/OBP/SLG) with the OPS in parentheses. I like OPS, but like all stats, it needs to be used in context, and it's OK to ask questions about it. For instance, OPS is a combination of On-Base Percentage (OBP) and Slugging Percentage (SLG). On-Base Percentage looks at the number of times a player gets on base by hit, walk or hit by pitch. Slugging Percentage basically assigns a value to all hits. A single is one base. A double is two bases. A triple is three bases and a home run is four bases. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] It becomes apparent quickly that Hits are included in both of these numbers. I am certain that others have evaluated the following idea: since it is really included in both OBP and SLG, what if we subtracted Batting Average from the OPS to avoid duplication? How would an OPS ranking look differently than an (OPS-BA) ranking? I admit that I went into the analysis not knowing what it would show, but I thought I would share it with Twins Daily's readers just to get some thoughts and your analysis along with mine. How much will the ranking change, and what does it mean? To do so, I looked at two lists, and there was one common name. I looked at the numbers for a dozen Minnesota Twins hitters this season. I then took a look at the Top 20 MLB hitters in OPS. The common player, of course, is Joe Mauer who is currently 14th in the big leagues in OPS. Here are 12 Twins hitters, ranked by their OPS and also looking at their (OPS-BA) and how that ranking changes: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500, align: center] Name OPS BA OPS Rank OPS-BA Rank Joe Mauer .916 .330 1 .586 1 Oswaldo Arcia .823 .271 2 .552 2 Trevor Plouffe .778 .271 3 .507 4 Josh Willingham .751 .216 4 .535 3 Justin Morneau .725 .286 5 .439 8 Ryan Doumit .718 .238 6 .480 5 Clete Thomas .716 .278 7 .438 9 Chris Parmelee .703 .238 8 .465 6 Brian Dozier .678 .229 9 .449 7 Eduardo Escobar .664 .236 10 .428 10 Pedro Florimon .633 .230 11 .403 11 Aaron Hicks .575 .179 12 .396 12 [/TABLE] Analysis: Joe Mauer is good. No matter how you look at it. Oswaldo Arcia has hit well. Eduardo Escobar, Pedro Florimon and Aaron Hicks have been pretty poor offensively, again, no matter how you evaluate it. Where there is some difference in the rankings really come in the middle. Justin Morneau has the 5th highest OPS, but his OPS-BA drops him to 8th on the list. It appears to me that what this analysis does is makes the value of extra base hits stand out more. Morneau has a decent batting average, but doesn't have a lot of extra base hit power, so his numbers drop in this analysis. I think that is a fair statement. It also shows that although Chris Parmelee and Brian Dozier have not hit for average, they have hit for some power. So, what does it look like when we analyze the Top 20 hitters in baseball? Can we make similar statements? [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500, align: center] Name OPS BA OPS Rank OPS-BA Rank Chris Davis 1.116 .331 1 .785 1 Miguel Cabrera 1.106 .370 2 .736 2 Troy Tulowitski 1.048 .347 3 .701 3 David Ortiz 1.005 .316 4 .689 5 Carlos Gonzalez .992 .300 5 .692 4 Michael Cuddyer .968 .339 6 .629 8 Joey Votto .957 .326 7 .631 7 Paul Goldschmidt .956 .306 8 .650 6 Adam Lind .939 .330 9 .609 15 Carlos Gomz .925 .313 10 .612 13 David Wright .923 .309 11 .614 12 Evan Longoria .923 .301 11 .622 9 Mike Trout .918 .306 13 .612 13 Joe Mauer .916 .330 14 .586 16 Yadier Molina .899 .353 15 .546 20 Jean Segura .897 .336 16 .561 19 Edwin Encarnacion .893 .271 17 .622 9 Shin-Soo Choo .890 .274 18 .616 11 Ryan Braun .890 .304 18 .586 16 Carlos Beltran .879 .305 20 .575 18 [/TABLE] Analysis: These guys are all having very good years, so this is not meant in any way to degrade what they are accomplishing. But again, we see that this analysis does minimize the value of batting average. The higher the batting average, the lower the OPS-BA, which, just makes sense since that's what we are subtracting. But that's exactly what we are trying to do as it is duplicated in the OPS calculation. What it is saying is that the higher the OPS-BA, the more often that a player walks or gets a hit that is more than a single. So, what do you think? Is OPS overvaluing batting average? If you were a GM, would you use OPS or OPS-BA to evaluate a player's value to the organization or in trade discussions? Discuss.