Seth Stohs

JO Berrios and Max Kepler were named to Baseball America's 2015 Minor League All Stars team today. No surprise with either and both are very deserving.

Berrios is the better prospect, but Gonsalves had just as good of a 2015. Gonsalves took a big step forward. He's a legit prospect.

We always encourage links to other articles to encourage people to go to those places and read from the source. Then come back and discuss here. Credit needs to go where credit needs to go.

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The GM can, but doesn't and shouldn't. They can discuss draft strategy and the Scouting Director goes with it. Also, the Twins are really, really good at giving credit to their scouts. I've talked with Mike Radcliff and Terry Ryan and when it comes to the draft, international signings, etc., they give all the credit to the area scouts. Fred Guerrero deserves a large percentage of the credit for Sano, but I know that once Guerrero made his recommendation, Radcliff spent a lot of time down there too. Regarding Nishioka... I do tend to put that a little more on Smith. I've read the reports on Nishioka and they were definitely not all flattering. Obviously no one predicted his inability to handle the big leagues, and no one could have predicted the level of bad. I personally (And no one has, should, or will say it) believe it was as much a business decision as a baseball decision. Smith had good moves and bad moves. Terry Ryan has had good moves and bad moves. It's tough to compare the two though. Ryan was in the Metrodome. Smith knew they were moving into Target Field. International signing regulations have changed. The draft bonus situation has changed.

I't's been a long time, at least 9-10 years... but as you know better than anyone probably, I really enjoy it! Hope you're doing well!

Thanks for the kind comments everyone! Definitely appreciated. But if definitely isn't possible without Jeremy, Cody, Eric and Steve... It is a lot of work, but the feedback and response and comments are great. It's so much fun for me, to 1.) see how much things have changed in terms of people caring about the minor leagues since I started writing about them 8-10 years ago, and 2.) it's fun to see this current group come up and show what they can do. And, there's more talent to come!

Forgot Wheeler, and I think he would be a given for the playoff rotation as well.

It's because he isn't 6-4 and 220 pounds, and he doesn't throw 95. Seriously, most people think that if a guy doesn't throw 93+, he can't be successful. It makes the degree of difficulty that much higher, but there are some pretty good pitchers who throw (a few mph) slower than Milone and are pretty solid (Buehrle, Weaver, etc). He'll have his occasional clunker, but he deserves all the accolades this year. He handled being demoted perfectly and has come back even better.

Good catch. I'll update... but yeah, they will hopefully have meaningful games in October too!

These guys can all be free agents after the season.

Here's my attempt. Jeremy may need to update and verify: I am wondering which players will become eligible for the rule 5 draft this year. I have these possibilities. Bard, Luke - Yes Baxendale, D.J. - Yes Chargois, J.T. - Yes Dean, Pat- Yes Goodrum, Niko - Yes Haar, Bryan - Yes Harrison, Travis - Yes Hicks, Dalton - Yes Johnson, Cole - Yes Jones, Zack - Yes Jorge, Felix - Yes Lee, Brett - Yes Melotakis, Mason - yes Michael, Levi - Yes Muren, Alexander - Yes Polanco, Joel - Yes Rodriguez, Dereck - Yes Rogers, Taylor - Yes Rosario, Randy - Yes Shibuya, Tim - Yes Valera, Rafael - No Vielma, Engelb - No Wade, Logan - Yes Walker, Adam - Yes Williams, Corey - Yes Wimmers, Alex - Yes

Haven't heard yet. Brett Lee and David Hurlbut have been pitching well. Aaron Slegers has done alright since his promotion to AA. Baxendale has been solid most of the year. I assume the guy currently in the rotation that might be removed from the rotation might be Greg Peavey. What order... nothing official yet.

He's been with the organization since spring training. He re-signed with the organization last winter. He's been on the "DL" since the beginning of the season as depth.

Minnesota Twins Minor League Player of the Week: Week 1: Tyler Duffey, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 2: Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels Week 3: Byron Buxton, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 4: Trey Vavra, Cedar Rapids Lookouts Week 5: Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 6: Max Kepler, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 7: Aaron Slegers, Ft. Myers Miracle Week 8: Brandon Peterson, Ft. Myers Miracle Week 9: David Hurlbut, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 10: Alex Wimmers, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 11: Engelb Vielma, Ft. Myers Miracle Week 12: AJ Achter, Rochester Red Wings Week 13: Oswaldo Arcia, Rochester Red Wings Week 14: Mat Batts, Ft. Myers Miracle Week 15: Felix Jorge, Cedar Rapids Kernels Week 16: Chris Paul, Elizabethton Twins Week 17: Kennys Vargas, Rochester Red Wings Week 18: Pat Dean, Rochester Red Wings Week 19: JO Berrios, Rochester Red Wings Week 20: Brett Lee, Chattanooga Lookouts Double-A Chattanooga left-handed pitcher Brett Lee is the Twins minor league Player of the Week...Lee made one start for the week, that coming last Sunday at Birmingham, pitching a 7.0-inning complete game shutout with two hits allowed, two walks and eight strikeouts, earning the win...Lee has made 21 starts between Chattanooga and Single-A Ft. Myers this season, going 7-7, 3.64 ERA (128.2 IP, 43 ER) with 40 walks and 64 strikeouts...the Pensacola, Florida native was drafted by the Twins in the 10th round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of St. Petersburg College.

Baseball is a funny game, and at this point in the season, it doesn't matter who is hot and who is not. All that matters is the score at the end of the game. Sometimes it's the veterans who come through. Sometimes it's the young players that have their moment. Sometimes, it's the most unlikely of hero.

Tommy Milone was back on the mound for the Twins on Monday night in Kansas City and was again terrific. The southpaw gave up just two runs over seven innings for his eighth win of the year. The Twins got a lot of contributions through the game and won 6-2. In doing so, the Twins remain 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers for the second wild card position. As Labor Day has passed and those students and teachers who didn't start last week will begin their 2015-16 school years on Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins have a record of 71-66. Image courtesy of John Rieger, USA Today Tommy Milone was back on the mound for the Twins on Monday night in Kansas City and was again terrific. The southpaw gave up just two runs over seven innings for his eighth win of the year. The Twins got a lot of contributions through the game and won 6-2. In doing so, the Twins remain 1.5 games back of the Texas Rangers for the second wild card position. As Labor Day has passed and those students and teachers who didn't start last week will begin their 2015-16 school years on Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins have a record of 71-66. So, let's go back to early April. You pick the date. Do you prefer to go back to Opening Day, or a week later when the team was 1-6? Now ask yourself how you think the Twins outlook for the rest of the season would be if you knew that on Labor Day, Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco would both be on the Disabled List. Glen Perkins isn't even on the road trip because of a bad back after missing time with a pain in his neck. The bullpen was full of question marks. Joe Mauer was still hitting just .267. Kurt Suzuki was hitting like Kurt Suzuki of old. Torii Hunter's offense was showing his 40 years. The Twins just lost two out of three in Houston including a really tough, late loss on Sunday. Then remind yourself that this team is 1.5 games behind Texas in the race for the AL's second wild card berth. They are again five games over .500. As impressive, after that really difficult, late-innings loss on Sunday in Houston, the Twins found the resiliency they've shown on several occasions this year. Just when you think they're out, they lure us back with a winning streak or an improbable, resilient win. It may sound cliché by now, but this playoff race stuff is fun. Twins fans have waited four years for this. By Labor Day, many of us - even us diehards - would be channel surfing rather than watching each pitch and each inning. That means being on the edge of our eats as Kevin Jepsen sweated through his Saturday night save. It means lunging from your chair when Byron Buxton came up with the big catch to win that game and end Houston's threat. It means being disappointed when Tyler Duffey was removed from Sunday's game only to see Trevor May cough up the lead on Jed Lowrie's grand slam. It means understanding that those games happen through a baseball season, but moaning about its implications in the standings. The Twins have given us in 2015 what we've wanted for the last four years. Hopefully they can remain in this thing and continue to give us meaningful games to watch through September, and maybe even into October. They will need to continue getting strong performances from veteran and rookie alike. When Tommy Milone came back from AAA, he began with seven straight starts where he gave up two runs or less, something he has now done in 11 of 16 post-return starts. Torii Hunter has had five hits in his last two games. He had six hits in his previous 18 games. While Miguel Sano gets all the headlines, and deservingly so, Eddie Rosario continues to get some big hits - including that big, two-run triple over the weekend. He also continues to play great defense and last night got another outfield assist. It has been a difficult season for Kurt Suzuki, but in his past 20 games, he is hitting .298. Joe Mauer isn’t putting up Mauer-like numbers that fans got accustomed to in the first decade of his career, but his numbers remain tremendous in clutch situations. With Runners in Scoring Position, he is hitting. 352/.463/.448. With Runners on 2nd and 3rd or bases loaded this year, he is hitting .500/.571/.611. Since Danny Santana was sent down to Rochester (and Jorge Polanco to Chattanooga), Eduardo Escobar has hit .333/.368/.544 with 13 doubles and five home runs. Miguel Sano carried the team for about a month. He’s in a real slump right now. Byron Buxton has struggled offensively. Tyler Duffey has probably been the Twins second-best starting pitcher in the last month. But now the season is down to about three weeks, and the Twins are just 1.5 games back of Texas and 1.5 games ahead of the Angels. Here’s a quick glimpse at the remaining schedule: Two @ Kansas City Three @ Chicago (White Sox) Three vs Detroit Four vs LA Angels Three vs Cleveland Three @ Detroit Four @ Cleveland Three vs Kansas City 25 games remaining. 21 of them are within the division. Four games against an Angels team that is just 1.5 games behind them. Seven games against a surging Cleveland team that has a terrific rotation. How many will the Twins need to win in order to achieve that second wild card position? Would going 15-10 be enough? Would they need to go 19-6? Of course, there is no way to know. It’s not going to be easy down the stretch, but we are reminded that when a team is in contention and every game matters, nothing comes easy. But this is what we’ve wanted. Meaningful games in September. We’ve got that!! View full article

The Minor League regular season is now just one more day from being complete. In fact, the Ft. Myers Miracle played their final game on Sunday morning. We’ve been producing daily minor league reports since the minor league seasons started in early April. It’s almost sad seeing that it is nearly complete. But worry not, two Twins affiliates will begin their playoff runs this week and we’ll cover those fully. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Nick Gordon) The Minor League regular season is now just one more day from being complete. In fact, the Ft. Myers Miracle played their final game on Sunday morning. We’ve been producing daily minor league reports since the minor league seasons started in early April. It’s almost sad seeing that it is nearly complete. But worry not, two Twins affiliates will begin their playoff runs this week and we’ll cover those fully. Check out everything that happened in the Twins farm system on Sunday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Lehigh Valley 1 Box Score Another day, another solid start for a Red Wings pitcher. On this day, Michael Bowden gave up just one run over 5.1 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out five. Loek van Mil came on and walked one over 1.1 scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson struck out one of the four batters he faced and got out. Mark Hamburger gave up two hits, but struck out two, in his scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with a walk. Doug Bernier went 2-4 with two RBI. Carlos Paulino went 0-1, but he walked three times. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 11, Jackson 10 (10 innings) Box Score The Lookouts entered the bottom of the sixth inning of Sunday night's game trailing 8-1. They chipped four runs off that lead. They spotted the Generals two more runs in the seventh, but knocked off in that inning and then put up another four-spot in the eighth to knot the game at 10 and send it to extras. An error allowed Stephen Wickens to score the walk-off run. Shannon Wilkerson led the late-inning offensive juggernaut, going 4-6 with his 11th stolen base. He came up a home-run short of the cycle. Jorge Polanco doubled among his two hits. With the exception of D.J. Hicks, all starters drove in a run; Jairo Rodriguez drove in two. Travis Harrison was 1-3, but drew three walks. Levi Michael doubled and also swiped his 18th bag of the year. Brett Lee gave up seven runs (four earned) over 5 1/3 innings. He walked and struck out one. He was relieved by Jake Red who gave up a home run among the three he allowed. He recorded four outs. D.J. Johnson pitched a scoreless inning and a third. Brandon Peterson collected the win. He pitched two scoreless frames and struck out four. The Lookouts conclude their regular season with a Monday matinee. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 5 Box Score The Miracle fell in their final game of the season. They end their season with a 76-63. That is the best overall record in the Florida State League South Division. However, because they did not win the division in either half, they will not make the playoffs. The Miracle also set an attendance record at Hammond Stadium this season. Luke Westphal started and gave up two runs (1 earned) on nine hits in 4.2 innings. He walked one and struck out five. Brian Gilbert went the next 1.1 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and a walk. Tyler Jay walked one and struck out one in his inning. Zack Jones gave up two unearned runs on three hits in his inning. He struck out one. Alex Muren finished it with a perfect inning. Ryan Walker went 2-2 with his seventh double. Zach Granite was 2-3 with his tenth double. Engelb Vielma went 1-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Clinton 1 Box Score The Kernels are prepping for their playoff run. We learned from Jeff Johnson (The Gazette, Cedar Rapids) that they will use Felix Jorge, Sam Gibbons and Keaton Steele in their upcoming series against Quad Cities. Randy LeBlanc ended his season with a quality start. He gave up one run on four hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three and improved to 9-5 with a 3.03 ERA. Luke Bard gave up a hit and walked two over two scoreless innings. He struck out three. Nick Anderson picked up his fourth save with a perfect ninth. Nick Gordon led the offense. He went 2-4 with his seventh triple and an RBI. TJ White was 1-3 and drove in a run. Austin Diemer went 2-3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nick Gordon, Cedar Rapids Kernels MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (12:35 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers Jackson @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – TBD Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. View full article

I still think decision-makers in the organization have mixed thoughts on his abilities.

I'd say Gonsalves is 190-200. He's got room to grow. He's immensely talented and very smart.

Twins Daily Monthly Awards: Hitter: April: Dalton Hicks, Chattanooga Lookouts May: Max Kepler, Chattanooga Lookouts June: Adam Brett Walker, Chattanooga Lookouts July: Jermaine Palacios, GCL/Elizabethton Twins August: Kennys Vargas, Rochester Red Wings Starting Pitcher: April: Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels May: Tommy Milone, Rochester Red Wings June: Taylor Rogers, Rochester Red Wings July: Mat Batts, Ft. Myers Miracle August: Brett Lee, Chattanooga Lookouts Relief Pitcher: April: Tim Shibuya, Ft. Myers Miracle May: Trevor Hildenberger, Cedar Rapids Kernels June: Brandon Peterson, Ft. Myers/Chattanooga July: Trevor Hildenberger, Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers August: Kuo Hua Lo, Elizabethton

Max Kepler and Adam Brett Walker named to the Southern League All Star team. Max Kepler named the Southern League's MVP.

Reed and Landa were certainly strongly considered.