Seth Stohs

The Twins and the Red Sox had a nice three hour rain delay, and fans were treated to The Sandlot during the delay. There was plenty of excitement in the Twins minor league system as well. One of the Twins top prospects almost made a little bit of history. One of the Twins minor league affiliates won on a walk off. A couple of non-roster players continued to make their cases for a big league roster spot. With that, check out what happened with the Twins minor league teams on Sunday: Rochester Red Wings 11, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 0 Box Score In an attempt not to be obvious about what to write about as it relates to this game, I’m going to write it up a little differently. Let’s try writing this like a hockey post-game and name three stars: Third Star – CF Antoan Richardson – The diminutive leadoff hitter did about as well at his leadoff duties as anyone could hope. The job of a leadoff hitter is to get on base. Richardson was 2-3 with three walks, his third double and his first triple with the Red Wings. He also stole his second base. The former big leaguer should be considered a possible Aaron Hicks replacement when the Twins decide to send him down. Second Star – 1B Chris Colabello – Normally a day like Colabello had on Sunday would be an easy choice for top performance on his team. Colabello went 4-5 with his 16th and 17th doubles of the year. He was also hit by a pitch. The 29-year-old is now hitting .361/.419/.657 (1.076) through 44 games. He has 17 doubles and 11 home runs. He should be coming to the Twins soon. First Star – RHP – Kyle Gibson – Through 7 2/3 innings, the former first-round pick did not allow a hit. With two outs in the 8th inning, he gave up a slicing double down the left field line that landed inches inside the foul line. He gave up a bloop single and a seeing-eye roller through the right side of the infield to lead off the 9th inning. He proceeded to get a strikeout and a ground-ball double play to end the game. Gibson threw his second nine-inning shutout in his past three starts. He ended with the three hits allowed, he walked two and struck out eight to reduce his ERA to 3.25 on the year. Maybe the most impressive thing about his performance was that he needed just 93 pitches to do it! And, like the first two stars, Gibson should be pitching in a Twins uniform very soon. Ray Olmedo went 3-5. Jeff Clement was 2-6 with his fourth double. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4112[/ATTACH] New Britain Rock Cats 4, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 7 Box Score The return of BJ Hermsen from his intercostal injury has been slow. In this start, he gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings. Two of the hits were home runs. Bobby Lanigan came on and was charged with two unearned runs in his two innings. Jose Gonzalez pitched the final two innings. He struck out two, but he did allow one run. A year ago in New Britain, Deibinson Romero hit 23 doubles and 19 home runs. Because of some visa investigations in the Dominican Republic this spring, Romero was unable to get to the States. He had been invited to big league came for the second time (he was on the 40 man roster several years ago), but he could not make it. He was likely scheduled to spend the season in Rochester, but instead, he was returned to New Britain six weeks into the season. On Sunday, he played in his sixth game with the Rock Cats and went 3-4 with his first home run. It raises his average on the season to .304. Danny Ortiz was 2-4. Ft. Myers Miracle 0, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2 Box Score Matt Summers gave up a single run in the first inning and another in the sixth inning, and that was more than enough offense for the Stone Crabs on this day. Summers went 5.1 innings and gave up the two runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out two. Nelvin Fuentes came on and walked one and struck out one in 1.2 innings. Zack Jones struck out one in his perfect inning. Kyle Knudson led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk. Levi Michael went 2-5. Kennys Vargas, Andy Leer and Angel Morales each hit a double. Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, Kane County Cougars 7 Box Score On Sunday, the Kernels recorded their third walk-off win in their past four games. Kane County tied the game at 7 in the top of the ninth, but the Kernels didn’t take too long in winning this one. In the bottom of the inning, JD Williams led off with a double. After a pitching change, Byron Buxton bunted him to third base. Though it was a sacrifice bunt, those in attendance, including manager Jake Mauer who argued the call, believed that Buxton beat the throw to first base. With one out and a runner at third base, the Kane County manager did the obvious, he called for intentional walks to Niko Goodrum and Jorge Polanco to load the bases for Dalton Hicks. Hicks is now stranger to dramatic walk-offs. Recall last year, he came to the plate in the 12th inning of the Appalachian League championship game and promptly hit a championship-winning grand slam. He didn’t need to be as dramatic this time. He flied out to left field, but it was deep enough to allow the speedy Williams to score from third base. Jorge Polanco went 2-3 with two walks, his sixth triple and his first stolen base. Hicks went 2-4 with three RBI. Candido Pimentel was 2-4 with his second double and his fifth and sixth stolen bases. JD Williams was 2-4 with his eighth double and fourth home run. Travis Harrison hit his sixth home run. Byron Buxton stole his 18th base and scored two runs. Matt Tomshaw started and gave up five runs on six hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Alex Muren came on and threw two shutout innings. However, in the ninth inning, he gave up a two-run homer that tied the game. He walked none and struck out three. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

The Minnesota Twins may not have received a very good start from Scott Diamond, but all four Twins minor league started pitched very well on Saturday night. Each of them pitched into the 7th inning and gave up two or less runs. Unfortunately, the hitters from just three of the four affiliates scored enough runs to help their team win. By the time the Twins game got to the 6th inning, all four minor league games were done. See what else happened on Saturday in the Twins minor league parks: Rochester Red Wings 2, Lehigh Valley IronPigs 3 Box Score Caleb Thielbar came in for the 8th inning of a 2-2 game. He was charged with an unearned run in the inning and took the loss. The Red Wings had two errors in the game. PJ Walters was terrific yet again for the Red Wings. He gave up two runs on seven hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out seven. Like Andrew Albers, Walters’ name is not being mentioned as a potential Twins call up as much as it probably should be. In other news, Michael O’Connor was released. Aaron Thompson was promoted from New Britain. Cole De Vries was activated by the Twins from the Disabled List and optioned to Rochester. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4108[/ATTACH] New Britain Rock Cats 0, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 5 Box Score Logan Darnell was terrific on the mound again, but the Rock Cats were not able to do anything against the Fisher Cats pitching. Darnell gave up just one run on three hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out six. He exited the game, and Bruce Pugh came on for the eighth inning. Pugh gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in the inning, though he struck out two. Blake Martin gave up a run on three hits in the ninth frame. The Rock Cats managed just five hits, all singles. Danny Ortiz was 2-4. AJ Pettersen went 1-2 and was hit by a pitch for the fifth time in his stint with the Rock Cats. Pettersen can also now cross of centerfield on his list of positions played. He started in left field and then moved over to center for the final inning. Ft. Myers Miracle 9, Charlotte Stone Crabs 2 Box Score Jason Wheeler again gave his team a chance to win, and the Miracle bats provided plenty of offense. Wheeler worked the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out three. Wheeler is now 5-0 despite an ERA of 4.25. Adrian Salcedo pitched the final two innings without allowing a run. He gave up two hits, and struck out two. Angel Morales gave the Miracle an early lead with a two run double. Miguel Sano went 2-5 with his tenth double and his second triple. Kennys Vargas and Matt Koch were each 2-4. Cedar Rapids Kernels 0, Kane County Cougars 4 Box Score This game was a pitcher’s duel through the first six innings. JO Berrios and Cougars’ starter Pierce Johnson both threw six shutout innings. Berrios went out for the seventh and gave up two runs (1 earned) and got just two of the three outs. His final line was still solid. He went 6.2 innings and gave up just those two runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out five. Berrios was replaced by lefty Josue Montanez who got the next four outs. He gave up a solo home run. Josh Burris gave up a solo homer in the ninth inning to give the final 4-0 score. The Kernels had some base runners, but they were shutout for the first time all season. They were 1-13 with runners in scoring position. Travis Harrison went 2-4, the only player with more than one hit. Niko Goodrum and Jhonatan Arias each had a double. Byron Buxton is now hitting .257 in May after a 1-5 game on this night. He stole his 17th base. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

One Minnesota Twins affiliate won 4-3, in 12 innings. Another affiliate lost 4-3 on an unearned run in the 9th inning. The Twins top minor league pitcher so far this season was back on the mound again tonight and didn’t disappoint. Chris Colabello and Andrew Albers are two players that came to the Twins organization via the Can-Am League. They both have a pretty impressive streak with the Red Wings right now. So much happened in the Twins farm system on Friday that I didn’t even mention Miguel Sano hitting another ball a long ways! See what else happened on Friday night in the Twins minor leagues: Rochester Red Wings 11, Durham Bulls 6 Box Score There is no question that the best pitcher this year for the Rochester Red Wings has been Canadian left-hander Andrew Albers. On Friday night, he threw 6.2 scoreless innings. He gave up five hits, walked three and struck out six. He extended his scoreless innings streak to 20.2 innings. He also recorded his first win of the year and reduced his season ERA to 2.34. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4104[/ATTACH] Luis Perdomo came on and gave up six runs (5 earned) on five hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Shairon Martis pitched the final 1.1 innings and gave up two hits, but no more runs. He struck out two. Catcher Eric Fryer had the big hit early in the game to give the Red Wings the big, early lead. Fryer was 1-2 with two walks, but that one hit was a grand slam in the second inning. Antoan Richardson went 3-5 with his first two AAA doubles of the season. Chris Colabello was 2-4 with a walk and his 14th and 15th doubles. Doug Bernier was also 2-5. Joe Benson walked three times and scored three runs. Colabello extended his hitting streak to nine games. In that time, he is hitting .485 with seven doubles and three home runs. In other news, Rafael Perez was released. New Britain Rock Cats 3, Bowie Baysox 4 Box Score This game went to the 9th inning tied at three. Michael Tonkin came on to the mound. He gave up an unearned run, on a Danny Santana error, on two hits. He struck out two, but unfortunately, the Rock Cats were not able to send the game to extra innings. Alex Meyer made the start. He gave up two runs on five hits in 5.1 innings. He walked none and struck out four. Edgar Ibarra came on and gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. AJ Achter walked and struck out one in a scoreless eighth frame before Tonkin came in for the ninth. Josmil Pinto went 3-4 with a walk and his ninth double. Danny Santana went 2-5 with his sixth double. James Beresford came off of the Disabled List and went 2-5. Ft. Myers Miracle 8, Charlotte Stone Crabs 0 Box Score DJ Baxendale was the minor league pitcher of the month for the Twins in April. He was the Florida State League Pitcher of the week in the first full week of May. On Saturday night, he improved to 6-0 while reducing his ERA to 1.07. The right-hander went seven innings of shutout ball. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out three. Matt Hauser came in for his first appearance of the 2013 season and worked two perfect, scoreless innings. Angel Morales drove in three runs, going 3-4 with his third and fourth triples. Kennys Vargas was 2-3 with his seventh homer of the year. Miguel Sano launched his 11th home run. Cedar Rapids Kernels 4, Kane County Cougars 3 (12 innings) Box Score It took 12 full innings to decide, but the Kernels got a walk-off win for the second straight night. This time, it was third baseman Travis Harrison who played hero. In the 12th, Jorge Polanco worked a leadoff walk. Clean-up hitter Dalton Hicks laid down a perfect bunt. Harrison came up and on a 0-1 pitch, he lined a single down the third base line to score Polanco for the win. Polanco and JD Williams accounted for six of the Kernels’ nine hits in the game. Polanco was 3-5 with a walk and his 11th and 12th doubles. Williams went 3-4 with his seventh double and his first two triples of the season. Along with his sacrifice bunt, Dalton Hicks also added his 13th double. Tyler Duffey made the start for Cedar Rapids. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits in 7.2 innings. He walked none and struck out five. David Hurlbut came on in the 8th and got the team through the 11th inning. He gave up three hits in his 3.1 scoreless frames. He walked none and struck out one. Manuel Soliman is credited with the Win as he pitched a scoreless top of the 12th. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

All four Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates played on Thursday night. Two of them won in dramatic, walk-off fashion. One was a two-run single, and one was a lot more dramatic than that. One of the other Twins affiliates won in shutout fashion, just the way you write it up. Starter goes seven, dominant reliever with a strong eighth and another dominant reliever with a scoreless ninth inning. Also, the Twins now have a new organizational home run leader as of today, so you’ll want to check that out. See, that’s the beauty of following an entire organization. The Twins had an off day, and yet we are able to follow four more games that matter to the organization and hopefully to most Twins fans. Rochester Red Wings 6, Durham Bulls 5 Box Score The Red Wings entered the bottom of 9th inning down a run. Eric Farris led off with a walk. Doug Bernier came on and was asked to bunt. He got the bunt down and beat the throw to first for a single. Antoan Richardson walked to load the bases. Ray Olmedo came up and knocked in two runs with a single to right to end the game. Olmedo was 2-5 in the game. Jeff Clement went 1-2 with two walks and his fourth homer. Chris Colabello went 2-3 with a walk and the organization-leading 11th home run of the year. Samuel Deduno was very good in his third Red Wings start. Through six innings, he gave up just two runs on four hits and a walk. He began the 7th inning with his eighth strikeout. However, he gave up an infield single and a walk after that. Both runners scored when Tyler Robertson came in and gave up three straight hits. He was replaced by Dan Turpen who got the final outs on a double play to end the seventh. He gave up an unearned run in the 8th. Rafael Perez came in and walked two and struck out one in the 9th inning, but he is credited with his first win of the season. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Bowie Baysox 8 Box Score Overall, it wasn’t a very good night for the Rock Cats. Trevor May started and never really found it in this one. He gave up five runs on nine hits in just four innings. He walked two and struck out three. He gave up runs in three of the four innings he pitched. Jose Gonzalez came on and gave up four runs on three hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. Bobby Lanigan gave up two hits over the next 1.2 scoreless innings. Michael Tonkin walked one and struck out one in his scoreless inning. Deibinson Romero went 2-4 with his first double of the year. He had two of the four hits for the Rock Cats in the game. Josmil Pinto walked twice. Danny Ortiz had two outfield assists, one at second base and one at third. Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Dunedin Blue Jays 0 Box Score Taylor Rogers was the story in this game. The left-hander worked the first seven innings. He gave up no runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out eight. Cole Johnson came in and struck out two in a scoreless eighth inning. Corey Williams struck out one in a perfect ninth to record the save. Miguel Sano had an interesting day. He was 1-1 with a walk and was also hit by two pitches. He stole his fifth base. He also committed his 10th error. Drew Leachman and Aderlin Mejia went 2-4. Angel Morales went 2-4 with his 11th double. Jonathan Murphy went 2-3 with his third double. The Miracle improved to 28-10. They are 4.5 games behind St. Lucie. Cedar Rapids Kernels 7, Burlington Bees 6 Box Score Down 6-3 heading into the bottom of the 9th, the Kernels had their 6, 7 and 8 hitters due up. Travis Harrison led off by being hit by a pitch. Michael Quesada flew out to the wall in left field. Candido Pimentel doubled Harrison to third base. Tyler Grimes came on to pinch hit, but he was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Byron Buxton came up and ended the game with a walk-off Grand Slam. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4097[/ATTACH] Buxton went 2-5 in the game, and besides the home run, he stole his 16th base. Michael Quesada went 2-4 with his first double and his first home run. Pimentel and Jeremias Pineda each hit a double. It was a rough game for the defense. The Kernels committed four errors. Three of them came in the span of two batters. Mason Melotakis started and worked the first six innings. He gave up four runs, but just one was earned, on three hits. He walked one and struck out three. Tim Atherton came on and gave up two unearned runs on one hit and one walk in two innings. He struck out four. Manuel Soliman gets the win. He walked one in a scoreless ninth frame. If you’re near the Twin Cities, you’re just about four hours from getting to see Byron Buxton, Adam Walker and the Kernels. On Friday night, Tyler Duffey will start for the team. These Kernels are 27-12, and four games ahead of Quad Cities in their division. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

The Twins took Smelter in the 11th round 3 years ago as a pitcher. They really liked him, offered him a lot of money. He went to Georgia Tech and has completely flopped. He was good as a reliever as a freshman. He also played in the OF and hit .222 with no power. He then got hurt his sophomore year and pitched very limited. This year, he's back in their bullpen with very pedestrian numbers. Can't help but think that he wishes he had signed, but wouldn't be surprised if the Twins still take a late-round flyer on him.

Overall, it was not a good day for the Minnesota Twins’ minor league affiliates. However, you’ll want to see what the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ most productive and most exciting hitters did on Tuesday. Kyle Gibson was back on the mound for the first time since his complete game shutout. How did the Red Wings right-hander back up his strong performance? Antoan Richardson performed the duties of leadoff hitter very well. Cedar Rapids also made several transactions. Check out what happened in the Twins farm system on Tuesday: Rochester Red Wings 4, Durham Bulls 7 Box Score In his previous start, Kyle Gibson threw a complete game shutout against the offensively-challenged Toledo Mud Hens. He threw 114 pitches, so his next start was pushed back a day. On Tuesday night, he faced the good offense of the Durham Bulls. It didn’t go so well. He gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in just three innings. Tyler Robertson came on and worked two innings. He gave up a run on one hit and one walk. He struck out two. Dan Turpen came on and gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. He walked one and struck out one. Luis Perdomo came on and gave up just one hit over two innings. Antoan Richardson went 3-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Ray Olmedo went 2-4 with a walk. Chris Colabello was 2-5. On Wednesday, Cole De Vries will make his third rehab start, first with the Red Wings. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Bowie Baysox 8 Box Score BJ Hermsen made his longest start of the season. He worked six innings. He gave up four unearned runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out four. Edgar Ibarra pitched a scoreless seventh inning, walking one and striking one out. Bobby Lanigan pitched the eighth inning and gave up four runs on four hits. The Rock Cat bats managed just four hits. Danny Ortiz hit his 11th double. Jason Christian hit his second triple. Pat Dean will make the start on Wednesday for New Britain. Ft. Myers Miracle 3, Dunedin Blue Jays 9 Box Score It wasn’t a good night for the Miracle. Matt Summers started and gave up three runs on five hits. In 5.2 innings, he walked three and struck out five. Chad Rodgers came on and gave up four unearned runs on four hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. Dakota Watts pitched the final two innings and gave up two runs on four hits. Levi Michael went 2-4 with his fifth double. Aderlin Mejia was also 2-4. The two combined for four of the team’s six hits. On Wednesday, Tom Stuifbergen will make the start for the Miracle. Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Burlington Bees 4 Box Score The Kernels may have only had four hits in this game, but they got a pretty big hit from a pretty big guy who has been a pretty big, productive performer all year for the team. Adam Walker came to the plate in the 6th inning of a tie game. For the third time this season, he hit a grand slam. On the year, Walker is now hitting .309/.356/.655 with ten doubles, four triples, ten home runs and 44 RBI in 35 games. 24 of his 43 hits have gone for extra bases. This home run went over the batter’s eye in center field, a monstrous blast. As Jeff Johnson of The Gazette (Cedar Rapids) tweeted, “Cover Kernels since ’99, seen vast majority of games in new ballpark, see 2 balls hit over batter’s eye previously. 2 this year.” Dalton Hicks hit one over the eye earlier this season, and Kennys Vargas did it once last year in a Beloit uniform. Jim Crikket was at the game and tweeted, “Walker is now 5-for-6 with the bases loaded this season. 3 of those hits are grand slams.” [ATTACH=CONFIG]4078[/ATTACH] Photo by Rinaldi Photos The Kernels added an important insurance run an inning later. Byron Buxton hit a routine fly ball to centerfield. The centerfielder dropped the ball and kicked it around a little bit. In the meantime, Buxton raced all the way around the bases. I’m sure Mr. Crikket will read this (maybe?) and be able to tell us more, but I envision a guy running around the bases really, really quickly. Lefty Brett Lee was very impressive on the mound. He threw six shutout innings before his own throwing error led to two unearned runs in the seventh inning. He gave up eight hits, but walked just one and struck out ten batters for the Win. Coming into the game, he had just 13 strikeouts in 24.2 innings. He now has 23 strikeouts (and just seven walks) in 31.2 innings on the year. Manuel Soliman came on and threw a scoreless eighth before being charged with two in the ninth. David Hurlbut got the final two outs to record his third save. Hudson Boyd will make the start on Wednesday for the Kernels. On Tuesday, the Kernels made several transactions. Lefty Josue Montanez returns to the team. Michael Quesada was officially added to the roster after his 50 game suspension. Jeremias Pineda, who came to the Twins last August in the Danny Valencia trade, was promoted to Cedar Rapids as well. Romy Jimenez, on his birthday, was sent down to Extended Spring Training. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

Coming into the game, centerfielder Aaron Hicks had a hitting line of .137/.239/.216 (.455). He had just five extra base hits in the first 30 games. He had struggled one defense as well as with the bat. And then came Monday night. After popping up in his first at bat, Hicks came up to the plate to lead off the 4th inning. He launched a long home run, 416 feet to straight-away centerfield. In the top of the 6th inning, the Twins lead had been cut to 5-3 with a runner still on base when Adam Dunn, who also came into the game with a .137 batting average, came to the plate. Dunn launched a ball to nearly the same spot as Hicks’s home run. Fortunately, Hicks raced back to the wall, leapt and then caught the ball well above the fence, robbing Dunn of a game-tying home run. The Target Field crowd erupted as Hicks showed the ball and smiled all the way back in to the dugout. He would bat second in the bottom half of the 6th inning. After Oswaldo Arcia struck out, Hicks stepped to the plate. On the first pitch he saw from lefty Hector Santiago, Hicks made solid contact and launched a ball, 412 feet, into the bullpen behind the left field fence. In doing so, he became the youngest Twins player to have a multi-home run game since Justin Morneau did it in 2004. Upon arriving in the dugout, the fans called for a curtain call, and Hicks obliged. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4065[/ATTACH] Following the game, Hicks stat line showed .152/.256/.286 (.542). It’s a good reminder of how much Hicks has struggled. It is going to take him a while to get those numbers up into the “respectable” category. However, his ability to take walks and show some power are encouraging for the long-term future. As disappointing as the first six weeks of the season has been for Hicks, it’s important to remember why fans were right to be excited about Hicks. No, it has nothing to do with the small-sample of Spring Training, though that was certainly encouraging. Let’s take a quick look at the Aaron Hicks stat line and recall why there is so much optimism for the future of Aaron Hicks. We won’t go all the way back to 2008 when the Twins took the California prep with the 14th overall pick. At the time, some teams ranked him higher than that, but as a pitcher. However, Hicks wanted to be a hitter, and the Twins were happy to take a guy that many believed had five-tool potential. It certainly has not been an easy ride up the Twins farm system. In 2009, he was scheduled to play in Elizabethton, but injuries pushed him up to Beloit where he struggled. He struggled enough that he repeated in Beloit in 2010 and showed much improvement. In 2011, he moved up to Ft. Myers where he again struggled early. He was a surprise invite to the Arizona Fall League where he had a nice breakout showing. In 2012, he moved up to AA and showed exactly what he can be as a player if he were to develop well. Hicks hit .286/.384/.460 (.844). Although I don’t believe that he will ever be a real high batting average guy, Hicks has always had a knack for getting on nearly 10% of the team via the walk. It is always great to see that trait remain as a player moves up levels. Hicks also had 21 doubles, 11 triples and 13 home runs in 2012. This shows that Hicks is not just a guy who stands at the plate and hopes to walk. He does have plenty of extra base power. He likely won’t be a 30 homer guy, but at his peak, Hicks could hit 15-20 home runs a year. The doubles and triples show that he has very good gap power, and the triples indicate the kind of speed that Hicks has. Add in 32 stolen bases, and you know that you’ve got a very fast player. Is he a five-tool player? Because he is one to strike out quite a bit, he may never have a great hit tool, but I think his ability to get on base makes up for that to some degree. He has good power for the position he plays. He certainly has very good speed. Although we have not seen it consistently, Aaron Hicks can be a very good outfielder with good range. And, his arm is very strong and generally quite accurate. Is it surprising that Aaron Hicks is struggling early in the season? Not at all. Hicks has struggled early in seasons before when going to a new level. Then consider that he is actually skipping a level to go along with being in the big leagues for the first time. His struggles have been monumental, but a game like Monday night should remind us of Hicks’ immense ability. Now, it’s just a matter of how can he put together consistently quality plate appearances from game to game, or even from at bat to at bat. Does one tremendous game mean that the tide has turned and all will be good for Hicks going forward? Of course not. What it does, for me, is remind me that the Twins need to do whatever it is that they feel is best for Hicks long-term to attempt to make him the best player he can be. Is that struggling in the big leagues, or is there a better situation for Hicks in Rochester? I can’t pretend to know the right answer to that question as it is something that would be different for every player. The variables to that question go beyond the physical and deep into the mental and psychological makeup of the player. The Smile doesn’t show up on the stat page, and often we tend to mock the intangibles, but it was continually brought up how much Hicks was smiling following the catch, then the second home run and through the curtain call. With the struggles, it is great to see Hicks actually having fun. It’s easy to say that one is having fun, but it was clear that Hicks was relaxed enough at that point to have a blast. If he can relax, it will only help his performance on the field. So, what do you think? 1.) Will Monday night’s 2 home run (plus robbing of Dunn’s home run) be the start of something big for Hicks, or was it just a good game? 2.) In your opinion, what is best for Hicks, to struggle in the big leagues, or to be able to work on things in Triple-A Rochester? 3.) How do you feel about the future of Aaron Hicks? How has that opinion changed since the offseason? Since spring training? Since… yesterday?

I think it's an interesting thing to consider... I've referenced the Evan Longoria and Matt Moore deals. This one is a little more risky, I think. The TWins have definitely shown a willingness to by who some arbitration and free agent years. They did that with Hunter, Santana, Mauer, Morneau, Span, Blackburn, etc. I've referenced it relative to Oswaldo Arcia. I just think it's important to get players through at 31, maybe 32. After that, it's probably even more risky to sign free agents than signing them early.

Three minor league affiliates played on Sunday. The two upper-level minor league affiliates played very good, close ball games. Ft. Myers had a day off. The game in Beloit on Sunday was just crazy. You’ll note the final score looks much more like a football score than a baseball score. That is all good news for the Kernels hitters. It certainly doesn’t speak well for the Kernels starters on this day. Consider this early preview… Kernels outfielders (JD Williams, Byron Buxton and Adam Walker combined to go 9-15 with four doubles, a triple, two home runs, 11 runs scored and 13 runs batted in. Soul Patrol: The Next Generation? Here's much more on the Twins minor league activity from Sunday: [ATTACH=CONFIG]4045[/ATTACH] Rochester Red Wings 5, Columbus Clippers 4 Box Score The Red Wings offense didn’t really do a lot in this game, with the exception of one inning. They scored five runs in the fifth inning and were able to hang on for the win. The big hits came off of the bats of Nate Hanson and Joe Benson. Hanson had a two-run single. Benson’s sixth double also resulted in two runs. Hanson was 2-4. Eric Farris was also 2-4. Chris Colabello went 2-3 with a walk and his 11th double. PJ Walters got the start on the mound. HE gave up one run on four hits. In six innings, he walked three, hit two and struck out three. Tyler Robertson pitched a scoreless seventh. He got just one out in the eighth frame. Overall, he gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in 1.1 innings. He struck out two. He left the game without having allowed a run, but Dan Turpen came in and got the final two outs but not before allowing both inherited runners to score. Luis Perdomo came in for the ninth and got the save. However, he gave up one run on one hit and three walks first. Virgil Vasquez will make a start for the Red Wings on Monday night. After Kyle Gibson’s, 114-pitch, complete game shutout last week, he will be pushed back one day and start on Tuesday. New Britain Rock Cats 2, Portland Sea Dogs 3 Box Score The Rock Cats had another close game against the Sea Dogs in this one. Logan Darnell pitched alright for eight innings. He gave up three runs on ten hits and a walk. He struck out five. Michael Tonkin came in and gave up a hit and struck one out in the ninth. The two New Britain runs came on Josmil Pinto’s eighth home run. Danny Santana went 3-4 with a walk and two stolen bases. New Britain will enjoy an off day on Monday. Ft. Myers Miracle No Game Scheduled on Sunday. Jason Wheeler will hope to improve to 4-0 against Dunedin. Cedar Rapids Kernels 23, Beloit Snappers 16 Box Score Maybe you thought this was an Arena League Football score or something, but no, 23-16 was the actual score of this minor league game at Pohlman Stadium. Let’s start with the good, before getting to the bad and ugly! All nine Kernels hitters had at least one hit, one run and one RBI in the game. The team had 19 hits and nine walks. Byron Buxton went 4-7 with his ninth double, his fourth triple and four RBI. Adam Walker was 4-6 with his ninth and tenth double, his eighth and ninth home runs and seven RBI (40 on the season). Niko Goodrum went 3-4 with a walk, his seventh double and three RBI. Tyler Grimes went 2-4 with two walks, his first home run and two RBI. Dalton Hicks was 2-4 with two walks. JD Williams went 1-2 with three walks and his fifth double. Jorge Polanco hit his fourth triple and two sacrifice flies. Travis Harrison hit his 13th double. Now for the bad and the ugly. With all of that run support, JO Berrios was unable to get through five innings to get the win. He went four innings and gave up three runs on six hits. He walked three and struck out six. David Hurlbut came on and gave up six runs on six hits and two walks in 1.2 innings. Alex Muren came on and did what he needed to do. He went 2.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits and a walk. He came on with two runners on base and neither scored. Josh Burris pitched the ninth. He gave up six runs on four hits and two walks. On Monday, the Kernels will play the final game of the series in Beloit. Matt Tomshaw, who pitched brilliantly for the Snappers in 2012, hopes to eat up some innings for the Kernels. Michael Quesada will be joining the Kernels back home on Tuesday. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

On Saturday, there were five Twins minor league affiliates played a total of five games. Two of them involved walk-offs. Another was won on a big home run in the eighth inning. There were three very good starts. Sam Deduno made his second start of the year, and no less than four WBC competitors had very good games in the Twins minor leagues on Saturday. On Sunday, the Miracle will get a day off. Rochester will send PJ Walters to the mound. New Britain will have Logan Darnell start. JO Berrios will be starting for the Kernels in Beloit. Also, catcher Michael Quesada will be joining the Kernels very soon, returning from his 50-game suspension. Game 1 - Rochester Red Wings 1, Columbus Clippers 3 Box Score The Red Wings had to make up the game rained out on Friday night, and they did so on Saturday. Game 1 was started by Sam Deduno. The right-hander gave up one run on four hits. In 5.1 innings, he walked four and struck out five. Caleb Thielbar came on and struck out four in 2.2 perfect innings. Luis Perdomo takes the loss. He gave up two unearned runs in the ninth frame. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4042[/ATTACH] Brian Dinkelman provided the Red Wings offense in this game. He hit his second homer of the season, a solo shot. Jeff Clement was 2-5 with his second double. Eric Farris went 1-1 with two walks and his fifth stolen base. Game 2 - Rochester Red Wings 1, Columbus Clippers 3 Box Score The Twins lost the second game by the exact same score. Andrew Albers started and was again pretty good. The lefty Canadian gave up two unearned runs on five hits in six innings to drop his ERA to 2.75. He walked one and struck out seven. Rafael Perez pitched the seventh frame. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk. Chris Colabello went 2-3 with his tenth double. He drove in the lone Red Wings run in this game. Joe Benson and Brian Dinkelman each had two hits. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Portland Sea Dogs 4 Box Score Alex Meyer made the start for the Rock Cats. The right-hander gave up four runs (3 earned) on seven hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out seven. Jose Gonzalez struck out two in two perfect innings. Bruce Pugh walked one and struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning. Aaron Thompson gave up a hit, but nothing more, in a scoreless ninth. Curt Smith signed with the Twins after a strong showing in the WBC for Team Netherlands. His two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning gave the Rock Cats a lead that they were able to hold on to. It was Smith’s third homer of the year. Josmil Pinto hit his seventh homer of the year as well. Dan Rohlfing went 2-2 with two walks. Antoan Richardson walked three times. Ft. Myers Miracle 4, Jupiter Hammerheads 5 Box Score DJ Baxendale was terrific again on this day, but the bullpen coughed up the lead in the ninth. Baxendale went the first seven innings and gave up only an unearned run to reduce his ERA to 1.25. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out one. Dakota Watts pitched a scoreless eighth inning. However, in the ninth, he gave up four singles. He left with the bases loaded and a one run lead. Corey Williams came on and gave up a double that scored the two runs to give that Hammerheads the walk-off win. Jairo Rodriguez went 3-4 with two RBI. Eddie Rosario was 2-5 with his ninth double and third triple. Stephen Wickens was 2-5. Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Beloit Snappers 3 Box Score The Kernels have won several games this year in the late innings. On Saturday, they were the victims of a walk-off. Tyler Duffey was on the mound and again pitched quite well. The right-hander threw seven innings and gave up just one run. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out seven. Manuel Soliman came on and pitched a scoreless eighth inning. He got the first out in the ninth inning before issuing a walk. That was followed by back-to-back doubles to end the game. Travis Harrison went 2-4 with his 11th and 12th doubles. JD Williams went 2-3 and stole his seventh base. Byron Buxton added his eighth double. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.