Seth Stohs

After looking at the top starting pitchers in the Minnesota Twins system in July, today we turn our attention to the hitters (and tomorrow, we’ll discuss the top relievers for the month). Chris Colabello won this ‘award’ the last two months. He’s now with the Twins, so there is actually quite a bit of competition for this award for the first time in a couple of months. A couple of top prospects are near the top of the list. July is always an interesting month for these awards. Consider that the players at the upper levels participate in the All Star game (or get their All Star break). Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton both played in the Futures Game. The season is also now four months gone, and some players are really starting to feel the long season, particularly those who are on a full-season team for the first time. Here’s a look at the Top 5 Hitting performers from July. --- Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – OF Jonathan Murphy – (29-94) .309/.393/.383 (.776) with four doubles, one home run and nine RBI. Murphy was the Twins’ 19th round pick just last year out of Jacksonville University where he teamed with Adam Walker for three years and Miracle pitcher Matt Tomshaw. He began this season by staying at Extended Spring Training, but when the Miracle had a short-term need in the outfield, Murphy went across the parking lot. He played so well right away that he stayed with the Miracle for 37 games. When he began to struggle, he went to Cedar Rapids in late June. The 23-year-old has now played 25 games with the Kernels. He is hitting .293/.375/.364 (.739) with four doubles and a home run. Murphy is a speed guy and a good outfielder. He is also 4-5 in stolen base attempts. For much more from and about Murphy, check out SD Buhr’s article from earlier this week. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – OF Mike Kvasnicka – (30-100) .300/.366/.490 (.856) with eight doubles, one triple, three home runs and 15 RBI. The Twins drafted Kvasnicka in the 31st round of the 2007 draft out of Lakeville (MN) high school, but he went on to play for the Minnesota Gophers. The Astros took him with the first supplemental pick of the first round of the 2010 draft. They moved him from third base and catcher and he struggled with the bat in Low A ball. Last year, he got hurt. This spring, the Twins were able to acquire him for Gonzalo Sanudo, who pitched for the Twins GCL team last year. Unfortunately, he broke his hamate bone before the season started and didn’t play until mid-June. However, since that time, Kvasnicka has hit like crazy while playing solely in the outfield. His father, Jay, was the Twins 8th round draft pick in 1988. Mike has power and is certainly worth the risk to acquire. Number 3 – Rochester – 3B Deibinson Romero – (27-84) .321/.426/.548 (.973) with seven doubles, four home runs and 21 RBI. Romero has been with the Twins organization for a long time, since signing with the team in July of 2004 out of the Dominican Republic. He was added to the 40 man roster following an injury-plaqued season at Beloit. However, he really struggled with the Florida State League and came off of the roster. He has been with the organization since, and continued to struggle until the 2012 season when he performed well in his second season at New Britain. He could have become a free agent the last two offseasons, but he has elected to stay. He was invited to big league spring training again this spring, but visa issues meant he missed all of spring training and his season began late. After eight games in New Britain, he made his AAA debut, and he has been pretty good ever since. He was terrific in July, showing both power and patience (14 walks). Number 2 – New Britain – 2B Eddie Rosario – (36-102) .353/.394/.549 (.944) with nine doubles, one triple, three home runs and 17 RBI. When the Twins drafted Rosario with their 4th round pick in 2010, he was considered the best hitter out of Puerto Rico that year. He has kept hitting ever since. He has been the Appalachian League MVP and last winter, he played so well in the Puerto Rican Winter League that he was named to their World Baseball Classic team. He began this season in Ft. Myers, but once the Miracle clinched the first half title, he was promoted to New Britain where he has continued to hit. Rosario has incredibly quick hands which allows him to see the pitches a little longer. He has plenty of extra base power, though he doesn’t necessarily like to walk. The thing that will make him a possible 2014 call up is the fact that his defense has greatly improved at second base. He definitely is a top prospect. And the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is: [ATTACH=CONFIG]5070[/ATTACH] Cedar Rapids – OF Adam Walker – (35-115) .304/.325/.652 (.977) with eight doubles, one triple, ten home runs and 31 RBI. The question I have probably been asked the most in the last month is, “Why is Adam Walker still in Cedar Rapids?” My answer remains the same. I really have no idea. He hasn’t been all that consistent, but in the first 100 games of his season, he has hit .282/.323/.543 (.866) with 25 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs and 91 RBI. He is also 8-8 in stolen base attempts and plays a solid right field. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, Walker has as much power potential as any player in the Twins farm system, with the possible (though I’m not sure) exception of Miguel Sano. He has struck out 93 times in 427 plate appearances which isn’t bad for a power hitter, but he has walked just 23 times. Despite playing three seasons at Jacksonville U, he is still just 21 years old. His future is bright. What do you think? No Byron Buxton. No Miguel Sano. That said, both of them had very solid months as well. It’s always good to recognize different players in the Twins farm system. Please feel free to discuss and ask questions.

On Thursday, the Twins organization made the catcher shuffle. Josmil Pinto was promoted to Rochester with Kyle Knudson moving up to New Britain and Jairo Rodriguez moving back up to Ft. Myers. We also learned that Wilkin Ramirez will continue his rehab in New Britain while Darin Mastroianni will stay in Ft. Myers and play some games with the Miracle. Here more about that and other minor league topics on last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly. Travis was joined by Jim Crikket and they discussed in great detail many of the players who have spent time in Cedar Rapids this season. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Thursday: Rochester 2, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score Logan Darnell started for the Red Wings. The lefty went the first 5.2 innings and gave up three runs on 11 hits. He walked two and struck out three. Edgar Ibarra came on and went 1.2 scoreless innings. Cody Eppley gave up one hit but got two hits. The Red Wings managed just six hits. Jermaine Mitchell went 2-3 with a walk and his 15th double. Chris Parmelee went 1-2 with a walk. New Britain 9, Akron 5 Box Score The Rock Cats bats showed up, and DJ Baxendale was the beneficiary. The right hander gave up five runs on eight hits and a walk in 6.1 innings. He struck out three. Jose Gonzalez got the next five outs, two of them on strikeouts. Dakota Watts gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. Danny Ortiz remained hot. He went 3-4 with his 11th home run and drove in three runs. Evan Bigley went 2-3 with a walk, his fourth double and his first home run. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 13th and 14th home run and drove in five runs. [ATTACH=CONFIG]5062[/ATTACH] Ft. Myers, Daytona This game was cancelled due to inclement weather. Cedar Rapids 3, Burlington 2 Box Score David Hurlbut returned to the Kernels starting rotation. The left-hander went the first 3.2 innings and gave up one run on four hits. He walked none and struck out five. Brandon Bixler came on and gave up one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out one. Madison Boer then walked one and struck out four in 1.2 innings. Brian Gilbert finished the game with two strikeouts in two innings. The Kernels had just six hits. Travis Harrison went 2-3 with a walk and his 26th double. He also stole his first base of the season. Niko Goodrum hit his second home run, and inside-the-park variety. Elizabethton 2, Bluefield 4 Box Score The E-Twins fell back under .500 with this loss. It’s unusual to see the Twins struggling so much, especially with the bats. On this night, Zach Granite had a single and a walk. Ryan Walker walked twice. Hein Robb started and gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out five. He did hit one batter. Austin Malinowski came on and gave up one run on four hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out four. Andrew Ferreira walked two and struck out five in two shutout innings. GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 2 Box Score Jason Kanzler went 2-4 with his first double, and later, his first walk-off hit as the GCL Twins won a one-run game. Zach Larson went 2-4. Brian Navarreto hit his fifth double. Darin Mastroianni went 0-2 with a walk and stole a base. Jared Wilson started and gave up two runs (1 earned) on six hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out three. Chih-Wei Hu struck out five over five, one-hit, scoreless innings. Tyler Stirewalt gave up two hits over three scoreless innings. He struck out three. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions.

The Trade Deadline has come and passed which means just one thing, it’s time to start announcing our Minnesota Twins Minor League Awards. Today, we’ll start with the Starting Pitchers for the month of July. This month the numbers of the five players ranked are better than they were in June. Consider, Miracle righty Tyler Duffey went 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA and opponents batted just .202 off of him and he isn’t in the top 5. Matt Tomshaw made two starts and three long-relief appearances totaling 25 innings. He went 1-0 with a 2.88 ERA and 22 strikeouts. He’s also not quite on this list. Here’s a look at the Top 5 starting pitching performers from July. --- Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Mason Melotakis – 5 G, 4 GS, 3-1, 2.51 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 26 H, 3 BB, 17 K Melotakis was the Twins 2nd round draft pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State University in Louisiana where he was primarily a relief pitcher. He is one of the pitchers that has been given an opportunity to start this year. Overall, he has done well. He is 9-3 with a 3.38 ERA. As important, he has thrown just about 100 innings. After striking out nearly 13 per nine innings between Elizabethton and Beloit’s bullpens a year ago, he has struck out just 6.2 per nine this year as a starter. He throws a fastball between 89 and 91, although earlier in the year, he was frequently touching 94. He had a very good month in June. The one game that he came out of the bullpen was the start that was given to a rehabbing Mike Pelfrey. Melotakis went the final three innings and was credited with the save. He ended the month with a very good 8.1 inning performance. Where will he wind up at the end of the day? Hopefully in the big leagues, but will it be as a starter or as a reliever? Number 4 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Tim Atherton - 4 GS, 1-1, 1.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 18 H, 6 BB, 26 K Atherton was inserted into the Kernels starting rotation at the end of June. He made four starts in July and went at least five in all of them. Atherton has a busy delivery which can be deceptive for hitters. He also throws in the low 90s and gets good movement on his pitches. Overall with the Kernels this year, he is 5-3 with a 2.37 ERA in 25 games (20 out of the bullpen). He has 70 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. Long-term, he may be a bullpen guy, but the Australian has the arm strength to eat some innings. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Brett Lee - 4 GS, 2-0, 1.57 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 22 H, 4 BB, 22 K Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011, out of St. Petersburg College. He pitched for Elizabethton last year and has been with the Kernels all season. Overall, he is 7-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 18 games (16 starts). In 100.1 innings, he has walked just 23 and struck out 78. On July 12th and 19th, he threw back-to-back complete games, giving up one run in each start. Lee has a good three-pitch mix that could keep him as a starter as he moves up the system. He throws a fastball in the low-90s and has the changeup and slider/curveball to go with it. Number 2 – Rochester – LHP Andrew Albers - 6 GS, 4-2, 2.23 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 40.1 IP, 32 H, 8 BB, 36 K Albers was the June winner in this category and he was about as good in July. There is no question that the 27-year-old has been the most consistent starting pitcher in the upper levels of the Twins organization (including the big leagues). Like Lee, Albers has now finished July with back-to-back complete games. He also ends July as the International League leader in strikeouts. Overall, Albers is 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 22 starts. Although he doesn’t throw terribly hard and challenges the hitters, he has 116 strikeouts in 132 innings. One can hope that at some point Albers will get an opportunity to make his big league debut with the Twins this season. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers – RHP Matt Summers - 5 GS, 2-1, 0.25 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 35.2 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 26 K Summers was the Twins 4th round pick in 2011 out of UC-Irvine. In 2012, he started at Beloit but quickly moved up to Ft. Myers. This year, he began with the Miracle, but made three appearances with New Britain late in June before returning to the Miracle. Since that time, he has been amazing. Just to highlight, he gave up just ONE earned run in 35.2 innings this month. He gave up a total of three runs. He began the month with a complete game. His most recent start was four shutout innings, though he needed 97 pitches to go that far due to some walks. He is actually a very good control pitcher. Summers throws 92 and has good secondary pitches. Overall with the Miracle this season, he is 4-5 with a 2.49 ERA in 19 starts. In 108.1 innings, he has walked just 30 and struck out 78. He should (or could) move back up to New Britain when there is a need. What do you think? Please feel free to discuss and ask questions.

The Trade Deadline has come and passed which means just one thing, it’s time to start announcing our Minnesota Twins Minor League Awards. Today, we’ll start with the Starting Pitchers for the month of July. This month the numbers of the five players ranked are better than they were in June. Consider, Miracle righty Tyler Duffey went 3-0 with a 3.26 ERA and opponents batted just .202 off of him and he isn’t in the top 5. Matt Tomshaw made two starts and three long-relief appearances totaling 25 innings. He went 1-0 with a 2.88 ERA and 22 strikeouts. He’s also not quite on this list. Here’s a look at the Top 5 starting pitching performers from July. --- Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Mason Melotakis – 5 G, 4 GS, 3-1, 2.51 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 26 H, 3 BB, 17 K Melotakis was the Twins 2nd round draft pick in 2012 out of Northwestern State University in Louisiana where he was primarily a relief pitcher. He is one of the pitchers that has been given an opportunity to start this year. Overall, he has done well. He is 9-3 with a 3.38 ERA. As important, he has thrown just about 100 innings. After striking out nearly 13 per nine innings between Elizabethton and Beloit’s bullpens a year ago, he has struck out just 6.2 per nine this year as a starter. He throws a fastball between 89 and 91, although earlier in the year, he was frequently touching 94. He had a very good month in June. The one game that he came out of the bullpen was the start that was given to a rehabbing Mike Pelfrey. Melotakis went the final three innings and was credited with the save. He ended the month with a very good 8.1 inning performance. Where will he wind up at the end of the day? Hopefully in the big leagues, but will it be as a starter or as a reliever? Number 4 – Cedar Rapids – RHP Tim Atherton - 4 GS, 1-1, 1.88 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 24.0 IP, 18 H, 6 BB, 26 K Atherton was inserted into the Kernels starting rotation at the end of June. He made four starts in July and went at least five in all of them. Atherton has a busy delivery which can be deceptive for hitters. He also throws in the low 90s and gets good movement on his pitches. Overall with the Kernels this year, he is 5-3 with a 2.37 ERA in 25 games (20 out of the bullpen). He has 70 strikeouts in 60.2 innings. Long-term, he may be a bullpen guy, but the Australian has the arm strength to eat some innings. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – LHP Brett Lee - 4 GS, 2-0, 1.57 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 22 H, 4 BB, 22 K Lee was the Twins 10th round pick in 2011, out of St. Petersburg College. He pitched for Elizabethton last year and has been with the Kernels all season. Overall, he is 7-4 with a 3.23 ERA in 18 games (16 starts). In 100.1 innings, he has walked just 23 and struck out 78. On July 12th and 19th, he threw back-to-back complete games, giving up one run in each start. Lee has a good three-pitch mix that could keep him as a starter as he moves up the system. He throws a fastball in the low-90s and has the changeup and slider/curveball to go with it. Number 2 – Rochester – LHP Andrew Albers - 6 GS, 4-2, 2.23 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 40.1 IP, 32 H, 8 BB, 36 K Albers was the June winner in this category and he was about as good in July. There is no question that the 27-year-old has been the most consistent starting pitcher in the upper levels of the Twins organization (including the big leagues). Like Lee, Albers has now finished July with back-to-back complete games. He also ends July as the International League leader in strikeouts. Overall, Albers is 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA in 22 starts. Although he doesn’t throw terribly hard and challenges the hitters, he has 116 strikeouts in 132 innings. One can hope that at some point Albers will get an opportunity to make his big league debut with the Twins this season. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Ft. Myers – RHP Matt Summers - 5 GS, 2-1, 0.25 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 35.2 IP, 20 H, 8 BB, 26 K Summers was the Twins 4th round pick in 2011 out of UC-Irvine. In 2012, he started at Beloit but quickly moved up to Ft. Myers. This year, he began with the Miracle, but made three appearances with New Britain late in June before returning to the Miracle. Since that time, he has been amazing. Just to highlight, he gave up just ONE earned run in 35.2 innings this month. He gave up a total of three runs. He began the month with a complete game. His most recent start was four shutout innings, though he needed 97 pitches to go that far due to some walks. He is actually a very good control pitcher. Summers throws 92 and has good secondary pitches. Overall with the Miracle this season, he is 4-5 with a 2.49 ERA in 19 starts. In 108.1 innings, he has walked just 30 and struck out 78. He should (or could) move back up to New Britain when there is a need. What do you think? Please feel free to discuss and ask questions.

The July trade deadline has passed and the only player transaction on the day was the Rochester’s Drew Butera was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, I think we can expect that there will be a trickle-down effect of that move as Rochester will need another catcher (Josmil Pinto maybe?), and then New Britain will need another catcher (Kyle Knudson’s return, or Matt Koch maybe?). Then Ft. Myers will need a new catcher, so could Jairo Rodriguez’s affiliate tour take him back to the Miracle? Meanwhile, the Andrew Albers Show continued with the Rochester Red Wings. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Wednesday: Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 2 Box Score His offense didn’t help him, but Andrew Albers continued to pitch very well for the Red Wings. Albers went all eight innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. He is now 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA on the season. There wasn’t much offense. Chris Parmelee went 3-4 with his second double. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with his 11th double. Eduardo Escobar hit his sixth double in his short time with the Red Wings. New Britain 5, Akron 2 Box Score Pat Dean had a very nice night on the mound and the offense came up with some big hits. The left-handed started went the first 7.2 innings and gave up just two runs. He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out two for his sixth win of the year. Cole Johnson came on and got the final four outs, two on strikeouts, for his third Rock Cats save. Danny Ortiz had just one hit, but he drove in four runs. Three of them came on his tenth home run of the season. Danny Santana went 2-3 with a walk, and Josmil Pinto went 2-4. Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 2 Box Score It was a well-pitched game, but the Miracle fell on an unearned run. Lefty Jason Wheeler started and gave up one run on seven hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out three. Steven Gruver came on and threw two scoreless innings despite allowing three hits and a walk. Zach Jones gave up an unearned run on two hits in the top of the ninth. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-4 with his 10th double. Jhon Goncalves was 2-3 with his 11th stolen base. Kennys Vargas hit his 30th double. Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 3 Box Score The Kernels got the pitching, unfortunately the offense and the defense didn’t pull their weight on this night. Cedar Rapids managed just four hits in the game while committing four errors. Josue Montanez went the first five innings and gave up three unearned runs. He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three. Tim Shibuya came on and threw three scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out two. Three of the four Kernels hits were doubles. Adam Walker hit his 25th. Niko Goodrum hit his 19th, and Joel Licon added his eighth double. Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 9 Box Score One (really) bad inning just before the rains came really hurt the E-Twins. Yorman Landa started and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out four. Andre Martinez came on to start the fifth inning and was unable to record an out. He gave up six runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks. Andrew Ferreira came on and struck out the next two batters before the rains came and caused a delay. When they returned to action, Aaron Slegers was on the mound. He went the next 3.1 innings without allowing a run. He gave up four hits and a walk and struck out three. Brandon Peterson struck out one in a scoreless inning. Bryan Haar was 3-5 with his eighth double and two RBI. Kelvin Ortiz was 2-3 with a walk and drove in two with his fourth double. He also stole his ninth base. Tanner Vavra went 2-4. Zach Granite had a single and a walk and scored two runs. GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 0 Box Score Last July 2nd, the Twins signed a left-handed pitcher from Australia named Lewis Thorpe. On this day, Thorpe made a start and went five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out four. Sam Gibbons came on and walked one in two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Miguel Gonzalez and Derrick Penilla each gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. [ATTACH=CONFIG]5052[/ATTACH] Jason Kanzler went 2-4 with a walk and his second triple. Wilkin Ramirez hit his first home run on this rehab stint. Will Hurt walked three times. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions.

Several minutes after the 3:00 central time trade deadline, reports trickled in that the Minnesota Twins had traded catcher Drew Butera to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The reports indicate that the Twins will receive the ever-popular Player to be Named Later. As of right now, that will mean that the Twins have opened up a spot on their 40 man roster. The Twins were unable to complete any other trades before the July 31 deadline passed. I have a feeling that the Twins will be more busy in August. [ATTACH=CONFIG]5047[/ATTACH]Of course, that doesn't mean that the team won't make some deals. In the coming days, and throughout August, the Twins and other teams will place many (most?) of their players on waivers. Players who pass through waivers can still be traded. Back to Butera, although he proved he can't hit enough to be a starting catcher, his defense was terrific. He'll likely fill a similar role with the talented Dodgers team.

There are Top 10 lists for everything; prospect lists, all-time greatest Philly cheese steaks. Today, I thought I’d work on a similar theme, but instead, I’m going to make it a Top 11 list. Below, I will post, in order, the Top 11 Minnesota Twins players that could be traded in the next 23 hours. Number 11 is the one I would say is least likely (as of right now), and the Number 1 player is the one I would assume is most likely to be traded. Of course, guessing what will happen is a lot of fun. Twins GM Terry Ryan and his staff will actually have to make real-life decisions on these players, considering what the team can get in return from various teams. So, put yourself in the GM’s seat. Who would be your Top 11 (or 10, or 6, or whatever) players that you think the Twins will trade? If you want, who are the Top 10 or 11 that you think the Twins should trade? I have included a “Percent-Likelihood” for each player to be traded. Although I have 11 players listed, the odds of most of them being traded is pretty small. [ATTACH=CONFIG]5032[/ATTACH] Let’s start with a drum roll, please… (Disclaimer: These are the thoughts of Seth Stohs and not necessarily representative of the thoughts of other Twins Daily writers, the Twins themselves, or any other parties.) #11 – Kevin Correia – 1.9% – Yes, his April was terrific, as it has been in the past, but Correia has come back down to earth each month since then. When he signed with the Twins, I was comfortable with bringing him in, even though no one (myself included) understood the need for a second year. To Correia’s credit, he has been a work horse. Even with his short start last weekend, he is on pace for over 190 innings. Innings may be very important to the Twins the next two months. #10 – Trevor Plouffe – 2.4% – He had a tremendous 4-6 week stretch for the Twins last season. He’s been more consistent this year. There is a certain Dominican third base prospect chomping at the bit for big league playing time as early as next year (Miguel Sano, not Deibinson Romero). I’d be surprised if there was a lot of interest in Plouffe, and the Twins would be silly to trade him right now. Who knows? He could be the team’s first baseman from June of 2014 and forward. #9 – Casey Fien – 6.7% – The Twins signed Fien to a minor league deal before the 2012 season. Since he was promoted to the Twins halfway through last season, he has been one of baseball’s best relief pitchers. Should the Twins trade him while he’s pitching at his peak, or should they plan on him being an 8th (or 9th) inning guy for the next few years? #8 – Josh Roenicke – 8.4% – The Twins claimed Roenicke in the offseason when the Rockies did not tender him a contract. He has been solid, for the most part, with the Twins this year. Listen, he may not have a lot of value, but teams want reliever depth at this time of the year. The Twins have Michael Tonkin waiting in Rochester for an opportunity. #7 – Glen Perkins – 9.1% – Perkins is clearly the big fish. There are a lot of great reasons to trade him, the most important being that he is the one player they could command a premium for. However, he is also under contract for a few more years at a very reasonable dollar value. He is from Minnesota. He has been quite dominant since moving to the bullpen. How quickly can the Twins contend? That is the question. Will anyone be willing to overwhelm the Twins GM? #6 – Brian Duensing – 15.8% – When teams call and they can’t (or say they can’t) give up what the Twins want for Perkins, they may still be interested in the Twins veteran reliever. It’s been a frustrating season for Duensing, and for some reason his best trait, his ability to get left-handed hitters out, has disappeared. But, he’s got too much of a track record of success against lefties not to garner some interest. #5 – Drew Butera – 17.4% – This one may come as a surprise to many, but Drew Butera has value in the industry. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not going to fetch a top prospect. It likely would be a prospect that few of us have even heard of. However, teams love having great defensive catchers as their backup. Drew Butera is elite, and there may be a team out there willing to part with a little something to have him as their #2 or #3 catcher. #4 – Justin Morneau – 20.3% – Sentimentality may win with this one. Terry Ryan likely knows that he won’t get much for Morneau in the trade market. Morneau has had a terrific career with the Twins and has long been a fan favorite. So, the little bit that they may receive for two months of his service has to be weighed against what he can bring to the Twins for those two months. The casual fan will not be happy if the Twins trade Morneau for a couple of non-prospects, but it may be the right thing to do. #3 – Jared Burton – 22.9% – With a hat tip to 1500 ESPN’s Brandon Warne, it should be pointed out that after a bad stretch, Burton has again become very good. As Warne tweeted earlier, in his “last 11 outings (9.1 IP) - .393 OPS allowed, 0 ER). That is much more reminiscent of what he did in 2012, and what he has done throughout his career… when healthy. He’s signed for one more season at a reasonable rate, which could entice some. #2 – Mike Pelfrey – 24.8% - Pelfrey is set to pitch for the Twins tonight when they open a series with the Kansas City Royals. The right-hander really struggled the first two months, but as Nick Nelson showed us last Friday, he has been terrific since the beginning of June. In seven starts, he has posted a 3.35 ERA and a 29/9 K/BB rate. He isn’t striking many out, but he’s gaining velocity, movement and command. The Twins signed him just for this season. He has the makings of a great mentor, but if the Twins can get something for him now, they should shop the Boras client who could be in line for a decent pay raise next year. #1 – Jamey Carroll – 52.1% – There’s little question in my mind that Jamey Carroll will (or at least should) get traded. He is the consummate professional and is a leader on any team. He has played in less than half of the Twins games this year and because of that, his offensive numbers don’t look very good. But, he is what he is. He puts together solid plate appearances, works pitchers, and he plays terrific defense anywhere around the infield. There has to be a contender looking for some infield depth, and a guy who understands his role. His role on a contender will likely be similar to what it is with the Twins. It wouldn’t cost much for a team to acquire Carroll. In fact, maybe it would just be a Low A reliever, or cash, but it would be good to put Carroll on a team with a chance to win. I can see Cleveland being a realistic landing spot by the end of the day tomorrow. So, there you have it. My Top 11 most-likely-to-be-traded-in-the-next-23-hours Minnesota Twins ranking. It is, of course, subject to change throughout tonight and throughout the day on Wednesday as new rumors and opinions present themselves. I’d love to see your thoughts, and your rankings. As you can see, my percent-likelihood of most of these guys being traded is pretty small.

Buyer or Seller? A year ago, many fans believed that the Oakland A’s and the Baltimore Orioles snuck into the playoffs. Most thought that there would be a return to reality in 2013. Apparently the reality is that both teams are pretty good. The A’s are currently 62-43 and have a five game lead in the AL West. The A’s have been linked to the likes of Jake Peavy in recent days, although that seems unlikely at this point, but the A’s are certainly buyers, with several needs. What They Need Pitching Of all the things that the A’s need, it would not appear that pitching is one of them. As of today, the A’s lead the American League in ERA (3.60) and WHIP (1.19). They are second to the Detroit Tigers in Quality Starts with 64. They trail only the Tampa Bay Rays in Batting Average Against (.241). It’s interesting that Oakland is atop of the league in most pitching categories, yet them rank just 12th in the league with just 6.86 strikeouts per nine innings. Yet, the A’s were believed to be a leading candidate for Jake Peavy. Is it possible they are just planning for time without All Star Bartolo Colon? The A’s bullpen is led by former Twin Grant Balfour. Pat Neshek has been good for them as well. They may want some bullpen depth. Hitters As strong as the A’s pitching is, the hitters have been no better than league average. As a team, they are hitting .243 (11th)/.321 (6th)/.395 (10th), with a .694 OPS (11th). The outfield is strong with Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick and Chris Young. The left side of the infield is good, with Josh Donaldson and Jed Lowrie. However, the A’s could use and 2B (Eric Sogard) and catcher (Derek Norris, Stephen Vogt). What Might Work With Jared Burton, Casey Fien, Brian Duensing and other bullpen arms likely available, there could be a match with the A’s. There could be a match with a bullpen arm. It may make some sense for the A’s to consider a veteran influence such as Jamey Carroll in their infield. He could be an upgrade to current utility man Adam Rosales. Sleeper Targets The A’s system appearas to be pretty middle-of-the-pack. Young shortstop Addison Russell is at the top of the list, but he likely is not available, even in a Glen Perkins deal. So, here are some guys that the Twins could potentially realistically target. 2B Chris Bostick (Low-A) The A’s took infielder Chris Bostick with their 44th round pick in 2011 out of his high school in Rochester, New York. To say he has been a pleasant surprise is probably an understatement. This year at Beloit, the 20 year old is hitting .293/.368/.488 (.855) with 19 doubles, seven triples, 13 home runs and 76 RBI. He is also 21 of 28 in stolen base attempts. The Twins actually have a nice group of middle infield prospects at this time, but based on history, it never hurts to add more. SP Seth Streich (Low-A) Streich is a Twins-type of pitcher. He was drafted just last year out of Ohio University. This year, he is 10-5 with a 3.78 ERA for the Snappers. In 104.2 innings, he has given up 107 hits, but he’s walked just 39. He’s also only struck out 81. Not a real high ceiling here, but enough command of three pitches to have a chance to move up. He also is aware of the Twins farm system as his brother Tobias was in the minor leagues from 2009 through spring training of 2012. C Bruce Maxwell (High-A) At 6-2 and 235 pounds, Maxwell is a sturdy catcher. He was the A’s 2nd round pick in 2012 out of Birmingham-Southern where he was a teammate of former Twins minor leaguers Drew Leachman. He began this season with the Beloit Snappers where he hit .286/.360/.387 (.747) with 14 doubles, two homers and 28 RBI. He was promoted to High-A Stockton recently and he’s hit .236/.310/.348 (.658) with four doubles, two homers and six RBI. He is known to be a very good defensive catcher with a strong arm. SP Raul Alcantara (High-A) Alcantara came to the A’s from the Red Sox organization in the Andrew Bailey deal. He began this season with Beloit and went 7-1 with a 2.44 ERA. In 77.1 innings, he walked just seven and struck out 58. He moved up to Stockton where he has gone 3-2 with a 3.28 ERA. In 35.2 innings, he has walked eight and struck out 27. His fastball sits anywhere from 90-95 mph, so there is some upside. Dream Target SP Sonny Gray (Triple-A / Majors) Now, in a Glen Perkins deal, we know that Addison Russell is not likely available, and it may even be a bit optimistic to think that Sonny Gray would be either. He was the A’s first round pick in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. He raced through the A’s system. This year, in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, he is 9-7 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He has given up just five home runs in 112 innings (or one every 22 innings). He has made two appearances with the A’s, and has given up just two hits and a walk (while striking out six) in four innings.

Buyer or Seller? A year ago, many fans believed that the Oakland A’s and the Baltimore Orioles snuck into the playoffs. Most thought that there would be a return to reality in 2013. Apparently the reality is that both teams are pretty good. The A’s are currently 62-43 and have a five game lead in the AL West. The A’s have been linked to the likes of Jake Peavy in recent days, although that seems unlikely at this point, but the A’s are certainly buyers, with several needs. What They Need Pitching Of all the things that the A’s need, it would not appear that pitching is one of them. As of today, the A’s lead the American League in ERA (3.60) and WHIP (1.19). They are second to the Detroit Tigers in Quality Starts with 64. They trail only the Tampa Bay Rays in Batting Average Against (.241). It’s interesting that Oakland is atop of the league in most pitching categories, yet them rank just 12th in the league with just 6.86 strikeouts per nine innings. Yet, the A’s were believed to be a leading candidate for Jake Peavy. Is it possible they are just planning for time without All Star Bartolo Colon? The A’s bullpen is led by former Twin Grant Balfour. Pat Neshek has been good for them as well. They may want some bullpen depth. Hitters As strong as the A’s pitching is, the hitters have been no better than league average. As a team, they are hitting .243 (11th)/.321 (6th)/.395 (10th), with a .694 OPS (11th). The outfield is strong with Yoenis Cespedes, Coco Crisp, Josh Reddick and Chris Young. The left side of the infield is good, with Josh Donaldson and Jed Lowrie. However, the A’s could use and 2B (Eric Sogard) and catcher (Derek Norris, Stephen Vogt). What Might Work With Jared Burton, Casey Fien, Brian Duensing and other bullpen arms likely available, there could be a match with the A’s. There could be a match with a bullpen arm. It may make some sense for the A’s to consider a veteran influence such as Jamey Carroll in their infield. He could be an upgrade to current utility man Adam Rosales. Sleeper Targets The A’s system appearas to be pretty middle-of-the-pack. Young shortstop Addison Russell is at the top of the list, but he likely is not available, even in a Glen Perkins deal. So, here are some guys that the Twins could potentially realistically target. 2B Chris Bostick (Low-A) The A’s took infielder Chris Bostick with their 44th round pick in 2011 out of his high school in Rochester, New York. To say he has been a pleasant surprise is probably an understatement. This year at Beloit, the 20 year old is hitting .293/.368/.488 (.855) with 19 doubles, seven triples, 13 home runs and 76 RBI. He is also 21 of 28 in stolen base attempts. The Twins actually have a nice group of middle infield prospects at this time, but based on history, it never hurts to add more. SP Seth Streich (Low-A) Streich is a Twins-type of pitcher. He was drafted just last year out of Ohio University. This year, he is 10-5 with a 3.78 ERA for the Snappers. In 104.2 innings, he has given up 107 hits, but he’s walked just 39. He’s also only struck out 81. Not a real high ceiling here, but enough command of three pitches to have a chance to move up. He also is aware of the Twins farm system as his brother Tobias was in the minor leagues from 2009 through spring training of 2012. C Bruce Maxwell (High-A) At 6-2 and 235 pounds, Maxwell is a sturdy catcher. He was the A’s 2nd round pick in 2012 out of Birmingham-Southern where he was a teammate of former Twins minor leaguers Drew Leachman. He began this season with the Beloit Snappers where he hit .286/.360/.387 (.747) with 14 doubles, two homers and 28 RBI. He was promoted to High-A Stockton recently and he’s hit .236/.310/.348 (.658) with four doubles, two homers and six RBI. He is known to be a very good defensive catcher with a strong arm. SP Raul Alcantara (High-A) Alcantara came to the A’s from the Red Sox organization in the Andrew Bailey deal. He began this season with Beloit and went 7-1 with a 2.44 ERA. In 77.1 innings, he walked just seven and struck out 58. He moved up to Stockton where he has gone 3-2 with a 3.28 ERA. In 35.2 innings, he has walked eight and struck out 27. His fastball sits anywhere from 90-95 mph, so there is some upside. Dream Target SP Sonny Gray (Triple-A / Majors) Now, in a Glen Perkins deal, we know that Addison Russell is not likely available, and it may even be a bit optimistic to think that Sonny Gray would be either. He was the A’s first round pick in 2011 out of Vanderbilt. He raced through the A’s system. This year, in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, he is 9-7 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He has given up just five home runs in 112 innings (or one every 22 innings). He has made two appearances with the A’s, and has given up just two hits and a walk (while striking out six) in four innings.

On July 2nd, the Rochester Red Wings were 11 games behind Pawtucket in the International League Northern Division. With a win tonight, and a Pawtucket loss, the Red Wings are now 60-51 and in sole possession of first place in the division. The Red Wings have now won 19 games in July, their most since 1999. Defense has been a big part of the Red Wings success. They have not committed an error in their last nine games, a span covering 82 innings. In fact, if you were to only look at errors, the Red Wings 66 errors on the season are the fewest in all of minor league baseball. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Monday: Rochester 5, Norfolk 3 Box Score It’s been a pretty busy week for PJ Walters. On Friday, he became a father again to a little girl. He had very little sleep and caught a 6 a.m. flight to Rochester to make the start on Monday night. They immediately put him to work, and Walters came through. He needed 116 pitches to complete seven innings, but he gave up just one run on seven hits. He walked three and struck out five. He got the win and is now 5-2 with a 3.57 ERA with the Red Wings. [ATTACH=CONFIG]5021[/ATTACH] Cody Eppley came on to start the eighth inning, but he got just one out and left with runners on first and third after giving up two hits and a walk. Aaron Thompson came in and kept a 5-3 lead for the Red Wings. Michael Tonkin came on for the ninth inning and gave up one hit, but no runs, to record his seventh Red Wings save. Antoan Richardson led the offense. He went 3-4 with his 13th double. Oswaldo Arcia gave the team a lead in the 3rd inning when he hit his 10th homer. He was 2-3 and was hit by a pitch. Eduardo Escobar went 2-4 with his fifth double. New Britain No Game Scheduled. Ft. Myers 5, Daytona 0 Box Score Lefty Matt Tomshaw began the 2013 season in the Cedar Rapids bullpen, but since he was promoted to the Miracle, he has primarily been a starter. The crafty southpaw had his best start of the year. He threw eight shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked three and hit one while striking out four. Nelvin Fuentes gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to maintain the shutout. Plenty of hitters helped the Miracle to this win. Byron Buxton went 2-5 with his sixth stolen base. Stephen Wickens was 2-4 with his seventh stolen base. Dalton Hicks was 2-4 with a walk. JD Williams went 1-2 with two walks and his sixth stolen base. Matt Koch went 1-2 with a walk, was hit by a pitch and hit his sixth home run of the season. Former Twins starter Scott Baker started the game for the Cubs. He went 3.1 innings and gave up two runs (1 earned) on three this. He walked two and struck out two. Cedar Rapids 4, Clinton 3 Box Score JO Berrios started his closely contested game. The young right-hander went the first six innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out two. Alex Muren came on and gave up one hit and two walks in two scoreless innings. He improved to 6-1 since his promotion to the Kernels. Brian Gilbert came on for the 9th inning and recorded the save. Max Kepler gave the Kernels an early lead with a two-run double, his eighth of the season. He later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Travis Harrison went 2-4 and scored the go-ahead run. Jeremias Pineda went 2-4 with his fifth double. Adam Walker hit his 24th double and stole his eighth base. The Kernels are now 65-39 on the season after their three-game sweep of the LumberKings. Elizabethton 0, Kingsport 4 Box Score Felix Jorge started and gave up one run in each of the first three innings. One of them was unearned. He went four innings and gave up six hits, walked two and struck out seven. Andrew Ferreira gave up one run on one hit and three walks in 1.2 innings. He struck out three. Austin Malinowski came on and struck out four in 3.1 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked one. There was not much offense for the E-Twins on this night. Carlos Avila went 1-1 with two walks. Mitch Garver hit his seventh double. GCL Twins 9, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score The Twins were down 3-2 going into the bottom of the 7th inning. Brian Navarreto stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and connected for his third home run. The team added three more runs in the 8th inning. Jorge Fernandez went 3-4 with his second stolen base. Will Hurt and Adonis Pacheco each tripled. Wilkin Ramirez returned to the field and went 1-2 with a double. Darin Mastroianni was in a game for the first time in a long time. He went 1-3 with two RBI. Alex Wimmers started and worked the first four innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out six. Dan Sattler gave up two runs (1 earned) on one hit and one walk in just 0.2 innings. Tyler Stirewalt gave up two hits in the next 1.1 innings. Zach Hayden gave up one hit, walked one and struck out one in his inning. Jose Abreu recorded his third save. He gave up one run on four hits in the final two innings. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions.