Seth Stohs

One of the Twins minor league games was postponed due to rain on Friday, but there were still five games to follow. The Kernels got two terrific starting performances, and Trevor May was terrific (or, a-mays-ing?) in his start for the Rock Cats. Kennys Vargas had a couple of big hits for the Miracle, and Adam Walker remains red hot for Cedar Rapids. Carlos Correa played in Game 1 in the matchup of last year’s #1 overall pick against last year’s #2 overall pick (Buxton). Were the two able to impress? Well, you’ll just have to keep reading to find out! Rochester Red Wings, Columbus Clippers Rains in upper New York caused this game to be postponed. The teams will play a double header on Saturday. Game 1 - New Britain Rock Cats 4, Portland Sea Dogs 6 Box Score Cole De Vries made his second rehab start, his first with the Rock Cats. He gave up five runs (2 earned) on four hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out five. Blake Martin gave up one run on two hits and a walk in the 6th inning. AJ Achter worked a perfect seventh inning. Danny Santana went 2-3 with his fourth triple. (He also committed his 12th error of the season!) Danny Ortiz went 1-3 with a walk and his 11th double. The Rock Cats had five hits and six walks in the game. Game 2 - New Britain Rock Cats 6, Portland Sea Dogs 0 Box Score The story of Game 2 was the work of Trevor May. The hard-throwing right-hander went all seven innings. He gave up two hits and a walk and no runs. He struck out ten, the most by a Rock Cats pitcher in almost two years, since Kyle Gibson struck out ten on May 15, 2010. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4040[/ATTACH] Antoan Richardson went 3-4. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 with his second and third doubles. Jhon Goncalves went 1-1 and walked twice. Ft. Myers Miracle 5, Jupiter Hammerheads 2 (11 innings) Box Score Kennys Vargas played the role of hero in this game. In the second inning, he hit a solo homer, his sixth of the year. Then with the bases-loaded in the 11th inning, he drilled a line drive single to drive in two runs to give the Miracle the lead. In all, he was 2-4 with a walk and three RBI. Eddie Rosario was back in the lineup on Friday. He was 2-5 with his third stolen base. Stephen Wickens and Angel Morales each went 2-5. Taylor Rogers went five innings in the start. He gave up two runs on six hits and a walk. Chad Rodgers came on and struck out two in two scoreless, one-hit innings. Zack Jones struck out five, and walked one, in two hitless innings. Adrian Salcedo struck out three in two scoreless innings to improve to 3-0. The Win puts the Miracle at 27-7. Game 1 - Cedar Rapids Kernels 2, Quad Cities Bandits 0 (11 innings) Box Score Game 1 was certainly a pitcher’s duel. Hudson Boyd was at his best. He threw six shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out four. He didn’t allow a hit until there was one out in the fifth frame. Steven Gruver came on and threw 3.1 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out two. Tim Atherton got the final five outs, three of them came on strikeouts. In the 11th inning, Dalton Hicks drilled a double that scored Jorge Polanco with the game’s first run. Travis Harrison then drove in Hicks with an insurance run. Adam Walker went 3-5 with his eighth double. He also stole his third base. Hicks went 2-4 with his tenth double. Jorge Polanco went 2-4. It is also noteworthy that for the first time this season, Byron Buxton did not reach base in a game. Carlos Correa, the #1 overall pick in last year’s draft, returned from the DL to play in Game 1. He went 0-3 with a walk. Game 2 - Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Quad Cities Bandits 1 Box Score The Twins got another very good start in Game 2. Lefty Mason Melotakis threw 5.1 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out nine. Josh Burris went the final 1.2 innings. He gave up one run on one hit and two walks. He struck out one. After not scoring for ten innings in the first game, the Kernels tallied four runs in the first inning ofg the second game. Adam Walker went 2-3 with his third and fourth triples. Travis Harrison went 2-3 with his tenth double. Niko Goodrum was 2-4 with his first triple. Dalton Hicks hit his 11th double. It was a rough day for Byron Buxton as he also did not get on base in the second game. He is now 3-20 (.150) in his last five games, a streak that most hitters experience once or twice by this point in the season. The Kernels are now 23-9 with the double-header sweep. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

It's time for our monthly look into the Twins and members of the Twins organization that are are Twitter. Last month, I added some of the staff and media associated with the minor league affiliates. This month, there are several new players who have added a twitter account including Twins reliever Ryan Pressly and uber-prospect Miguel Sano. I've also now included what percent their Twitter following has increased since last month and also since February. It's an interesting look. As always, I encourage you to let me know if there are players or others who should be included. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4033[/ATTACH] [TABLE=width: 801] First Name Last Name Twitter 5/9 Update 4/15 Update 3/10 Update Feb Update %change past month %change since Feb AJ Achter @ajachter35 491[TD=align: right]468[/TD] [TD=align: right]435[/TD] [TD=align: right]416[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]18.0%[/TD] Bo Altobelli @BoAltobelli 148[TD=align: right]140[/TD] [TD=align: right]130[/TD] [TD=align: right]113[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]31.0%[/TD] Oswaldo Arcia @arciaoswaldo 718[TD=align: right]413[/TD] [TD=align: right]378[/TD] [TD=align: right]334[/TD] [TD=align: right]73.8%[/TD] [TD=align: right]115.0%[/TD] Ivan Arteaga @IvanArteaga 70,737[TD=align: right]66,717[/TD] [TD=align: right]61,761[/TD] [TD=align: right]59,958[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]18.0%[/TD] Tim Atherton @TimAtherton89 226[TD=align: right]223[/TD] [TD=align: right]213[/TD] [TD=align: right]206[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.7%[/TD] Luke Bard @Luke_Bard 1,007[TD=align: right]1,001[/TD] [TD=align: right]998[/TD] [TD=align: right]721[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.6%[/TD] [TD=align: right]39.7%[/TD] DJ Baxendale @DBax24 4,173[TD=align: right]4,003[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,930[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,906[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.2%[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.8%[/TD] James Beresford @JamesBeresford2 943[TD=align: right]909[/TD] [TD=align: right]841[/TD] [TD=align: right]784[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]20.3%[/TD] Doug Bernier @dougbernier 215[TD=align: right]204[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.4%[/TD] J.O. Berrios @JOlaMaquina 868[TD=align: right]757[/TD] [TD=align: right]355[/TD] [TD=align: right]263[/TD] [TD=align: right]14.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]230.0%[/TD] Evan Bigley @Bigley3 626[TD=align: right]606[/TD] [TD=align: right]571[/TD] [TD=align: right]542[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]15.5%[/TD] Hudson Boyd @boyd_hudson 355[TD=align: right]308[/TD] [TD=align: right]232[/TD] [TD=align: right]193[/TD] [TD=align: right]15.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]83.9%[/TD] Joshua Burris @Josh_Burris_ 197[TD=align: right]185[/TD] [TD=align: right]171[/TD] [TD=align: right]164[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]20.1%[/TD] Drew Butera @DrewButera 16,094[TD=align: right]15,704[/TD] [TD=align: right]15,275[/TD] [TD=align: right]15,052[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.9%[/TD] Byron Buxton @OfficialBuck103 1,822[TD=align: right]1,272[/TD] [TD=align: right]448[/TD] [TD=align: right]299[/TD] [TD=align: right]43.2%[/TD] [TD=align: right]509.4%[/TD] Chris Colabello @CC20rake 1,268[TD=align: right]1,204[/TD] [TD=align: right]765[/TD] [TD=align: right]493[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]157.2%[/TD] Logan Darnell @ldarnell15 162 Pat Dean @PDean15 355[TD=align: right]337[/TD] [TD=align: right]335[/TD] [TD=align: right]328[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.2%[/TD] Scott Diamond @Scott_Diamond58 14,160[TD=align: right]13,280[/TD] [TD=align: right]12,651[/TD] [TD=align: right]12,446[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.6%[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.8%[/TD] Brian Dinkelman @BrDink 1,686[TD=align: right]1,663[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,626[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,589[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.1%[/TD] Brian Dozier @BrianDozier 11,453[TD=align: right]10,382[/TD] [TD=align: right]9,463[/TD] [TD=align: right]9,334[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]22.7%[/TD] Brian Duensing @BrianDuensing52 14,780[TD=align: right]14,261[/TD] [TD=align: right]13,794[/TD] [TD=align: right]13,707[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.6%[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.8%[/TD] Tyler Duffey @TheDoof13 194[TD=align: right]173[/TD] [TD=align: right]144[/TD] [TD=align: right]127[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]52.8%[/TD] Eduardo Escobar @escobarmaracay 653[TD=align: right]386[/TD] [TD=align: right]69.2%[/TD] Andrew Ferreira @Get_Meaty 4,804[TD=align: right]4,942[/TD] [TD=align: right]5,186[/TD] [TD=align: right]5,263[/TD] [TD=align: right]-2.8%[/TD] [TD=align: right]-8.7%[/TD] Dallas Gallant @DGallant18 385[TD=align: right]377[/TD] [TD=align: right]361[/TD] [TD=align: right]353[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.1%[/TD] Kyle Gibson @KGib44 7,181[TD=align: right]7,017[/TD] [TD=align: right]6,722[/TD] [TD=align: right]6,569[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.3%[/TD] Jhonathan Goncalves @jhong1305 105[TD=align: right]89[/TD] [TD=align: right]83[/TD] [TD=align: right]71[/TD] [TD=align: right]18.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]47.9%[/TD] Niko Goodrum @NikoGoodrumTC 415[TD=align: right]369[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.5%[/TD] Steven Gruver @sgruv30 83[TD=align: right]79[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.1%[/TD] Deolis Guerra @deolisguerra 1,791[TD=align: right]1,451[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,076[/TD] [TD=align: right]885[/TD] [TD=align: right]23.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]102.4%[/TD] Bryan Haar @BryanHaar24 134 [TD=align: right]133[/TD] [TD=align: right]120[/TD] [TD=align: right]11.7%[/TD] Nate Hanson @NHans12 440[TD=align: right]400[/TD] [TD=align: right]371[/TD] [TD=align: right]356[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]23.6%[/TD] Matt Hauser @mhauser_17 268[TD=align: right]247[/TD] [TD=align: right]224[/TD] [TD=align: right]211[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]27.0%[/TD] BJ Hermsen @BJHermsen12 1,426[TD=align: right]1,377[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,287[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,246[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.6%[/TD] [TD=align: right]14.4%[/TD] DJ Hicks @DHicksMTB 845[TD=align: right]773[/TD] [TD=align: right]710[/TD] [TD=align: right]699[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]20.9%[/TD] Aaron Hicks @AaronHicks31 11,307[TD=align: right]10,486[/TD] [TD=align: right]6,694[/TD] [TD=align: right]5,279[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.8%[/TD] [TD=align: right]114.2%[/TD] Trent Higginbotham @trenthigg 168[TD=align: right]156[/TD] [TD=align: right]145[/TD] [TD=align: right]136[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]23.5%[/TD] Travis Huber @TravisHuber55 425[TD=align: right]417[/TD] [TD=align: right]405[/TD] [TD=align: right]396[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.3%[/TD] David Hurlbut @leftydh1989 88[TD=align: right]77[/TD] [TD=align: right]68[/TD] [TD=align: right]61[/TD] [TD=align: right]14.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]44.3%[/TD] Will Hurt @Will_Hurt 647[TD=align: right]639[/TD] [TD=align: right]626[/TD] [TD=align: right]611[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.9%[/TD] Tyler Jones @TmfJones 36[TD=align: right]36[/TD] [TD=align: right]36[/TD] [TD=align: right]28[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]28.6%[/TD] Zack Jones @Jack_Zones04 409[TD=align: right]397[/TD] [TD=align: right]369[/TD] [TD=align: right]358[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]14.2%[/TD] Max Kepler @kepleroni 330[TD=align: right]284[/TD] [TD=align: right]138[/TD] [TD=align: right]123[/TD] [TD=align: right]16.2%[/TD] [TD=align: right]168.3%[/TD] Kyle Knudson @KKnudson6 438[TD=align: right]406[/TD] [TD=align: right]370[/TD] [TD=align: right]344[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]27.3%[/TD] Matt Koch @M_Koch4 60[TD=align: right]49[/TD] [TD=align: right]47[/TD] [TD=align: right]42[/TD] [TD=align: right]22.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]42.9%[/TD] Bobby Lanigan @BobbyLanigan 487[TD=align: right]472[/TD] [TD=align: right]430[/TD] [TD=align: right]420[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.2%[/TD] [TD=align: right]16.0%[/TD] Drew Leachman @d_leachman 198[TD=align: right]192[/TD] [TD=align: right]170[/TD] [TD=align: right]160[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]23.8%[/TD] Andy Leer @andyleer12 123[TD=align: right]113[/TD] [TD=align: right]102[/TD] [TD=align: right]95[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.8%[/TD] [TD=align: right]29.5%[/TD] Austin Malinowski @AJMalinowski24 353[TD=align: right]336[/TD] [TD=align: right]302[/TD] [TD=align: right]274[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]28.8%[/TD] Trevor May @TrevMay54 5,727[TD=align: right]5,556[/TD] [TD=align: right]5,272[/TD] [TD=align: right]5,153[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]11.1%[/TD] Trevor May (MAZR) @TrevorMAZR 238 Chris Mazza @ChrisMazza10 241[TD=align: right]234[/TD] [TD=align: right]203[/TD] [TD=align: right]193[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]24.9%[/TD] Kaleb Merck @TwinsMerckin 316[TD=align: right]313[/TD] [TD=align: right]304[/TD] [TD=align: right]297[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.4%[/TD] Alex Meyer @Meyer17A 4,731[TD=align: right]4,475[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,890[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,770[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]25.5%[/TD] Levi Michael @LeviMichael9 303[TD=align: right]287[/TD] [TD=align: right]267[/TD] [TD=align: right]256[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.6%[/TD] [TD=align: right]18.4%[/TD] Angel Morales @AngelMorales24 296[TD=align: right]285[/TD] [TD=align: right]275[/TD] [TD=align: right]264[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.1%[/TD] Miguel Munoz @mikemunoz59 131[TD=align: right]123[/TD] [TD=align: right]108[/TD] [TD=align: right]98[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]33.7%[/TD] Jonathan Murphy @JMurph6 259[TD=align: right]251[/TD] [TD=align: right]251[/TD] [TD=align: right]246[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.2%[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.3%[/TD] Lester Oliveros @lesteroliveros 1,945[TD=align: right]1,870[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,779[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,755[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.8%[/TD] Ryan O'Rourke @RyanO_Rourke 581[TD=align: right]562[/TD] [TD=align: right]547[/TD] [TD=align: right]547[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.2%[/TD] Chris Parmelee @CParms27 5,933[TD=align: right]5,232[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,998[/TD] [TD=align: right]3,656[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]62.3%[/TD] Glen Perkins @glen_perkins 18,130[TD=align: right]16,322[/TD] [TD=align: right]14,874[/TD] [TD=align: right]14,509[/TD] [TD=align: right]11.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]25.0%[/TD] AJ Pettersen @apettersen1 761[TD=align: right]694[/TD] [TD=align: right]646[/TD] [TD=align: right]629[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]21.0%[/TD] Trevor Plouffe @TPlouffe24 24,333[TD=align: right]22,988[/TD] [TD=align: right]21,651[/TD] [TD=align: right]21,434[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.5%[/TD] Ryan Pressly @pressly_ryan 738 Jake Proctor @JProc23 1,192[TD=align: right]1,163[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,140[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,125[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.0%[/TD] Bruce Pugh @brucepugh55 79 Michael Quesada @KSada55 154[TD=align: right]146[/TD] [TD=align: right]137[/TD] [TD=align: right]125[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]23.2%[/TD] Danny Rams @DannyRams35 1,065[TD=align: right]1,061[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,055[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,057[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.8%[/TD] Antoan Richardson @ARichardson242 260 Chad Rodgers @CMRodg 215[TD=align: right]209[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.9%[/TD] Dereck Rodriguez @DereckRodRF3 331[TD=align: right]330[/TD] [TD=align: right]325[/TD] [TD=align: right]320[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.4%[/TD] Taylor Rogers @trogers34 286[TD=align: right]275[/TD] [TD=align: right]263[/TD] [TD=align: right]250[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]14.4%[/TD] Dan Rohlfing @DanRohlfing 810[TD=align: right]757[/TD] [TD=align: right]644[/TD] [TD=align: right]580[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]39.7%[/TD] Miguel Sano @SanoMiguel 2,001 Danny Santana @bigmen07 73[TD=align: right]47[/TD] [TD=align: right]55.3%[/TD] Bryan Santy @BKSanty41 167[TD=align: right]159[/TD] [TD=align: right]142[/TD] [TD=align: right]127[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]31.5%[/TD] Anthony Slama @Slama39 4,430[TD=align: right]4,389[/TD] [TD=align: right]4,308[/TD] [TD=align: right]4,293[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.2%[/TD] Markus Solbach @MSolbach23 58[TD=align: right]39[/TD] [TD=align: right]25[/TD] [TD=align: right]16[/TD] [TD=align: right]48.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]262.5%[/TD] Manuel Soliman @Soliman30 561[TD=align: right]535[/TD] [TD=align: right]496[/TD] [TD=align: right]488[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]15.0%[/TD] Tom Stuifbergen @TomStuifbergen 727[TD=align: right]706[/TD] [TD=align: right]664[/TD] [TD=align: right]615[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]18.2%[/TD] Anthony Swarzak @ASwarzak51 8,038[TD=align: right]7,661[/TD] [TD=align: right]7,301[/TD] [TD=align: right]7,258[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.7%[/TD] Matt Tomshaw @matthewJTomshaw 215[TD=align: right]209[/TD] [TD=align: right]208[/TD] [TD=align: right]203[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.9%[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.9%[/TD] Michael Tonkin @mtonkin37 231[TD=align: right]176[/TD] [TD=align: right]139[/TD] [TD=align: right]124[/TD] [TD=align: right]31.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]86.3%[/TD] Daniel Turpen @DdTuRpEn 149[TD=align: right]148[/TD] [TD=align: right]149[/TD] [TD=align: right]142[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.9%[/TD] Kennys Vargas @kennysvargas 33[TD=align: right]32[/TD] [TD=align: right]29[/TD] [TD=align: right]20[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]65.0%[/TD] Adam Walker @walkoff28 601[TD=align: right]543[/TD] [TD=align: right]494[/TD] [TD=align: right]482[/TD] [TD=align: right]10.7%[/TD] [TD=align: right]24.7%[/TD] PJ Walters @PJWalters39 2,514[TD=align: right]2,479[/TD] [TD=align: right]2,353[/TD] [TD=align: right]2,311[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]8.8%[/TD] Tommy Watkins @TommyWatkins 1,507[TD=align: right]1,447[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,358[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,336[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.8%[/TD] Dakota Watts @watts_22 872[TD=align: right]862[/TD] [TD=align: right]831[/TD] [TD=align: right]819[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.2%[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.5%[/TD] Jason Wheeler @Lil_Wheels 178[TD=align: right]172[/TD] [TD=align: right]168[/TD] [TD=align: right]163[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.2%[/TD] Stephen Wickens @wicks1221 126[TD=align: right]120[/TD] [TD=align: right]117[/TD] [TD=align: right]107[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.0%[/TD] [TD=align: right]17.8%[/TD] Corey Williams @coreyw24 336[TD=align: right]337[/TD] [TD=align: right]334[/TD] [TD=align: right]326[/TD] [TD=align: right]-0.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.1%[/TD] Alex Wimmers @AlexWimmers21 1,341[TD=align: right]1,322[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,267[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,244[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]7.8%[/TD] Tim Wood @The_Woodpile 850[TD=align: right]798[/TD] [TD=align: right]730[/TD] [TD=align: right]685[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]24.1%[/TD] Vance Worley @VANIMAL_49 54,382[TD=align: right]54,314[/TD] [TD=align: right]53,851[/TD] [TD=align: right]54,137[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.1%[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.5%[/TD] FRONT OFFICE First Name Last Name Twitter 5/9 Update 4/15 Update 3/10 Update Followers Dave St. Peter @TwinsPrez 15,990[TD=align: right]15,321[/TD] [TD=align: right]14,316[/TD] [TD=align: right]14,131[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.2%[/TD] Dustin Morse @Twins_morsecode 10,834[TD=align: right]10,674[/TD] [TD=align: right]9,484[/TD] [TD=align: right]9,299[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]16.5%[/TD] Mike Herman @HermTT 2,231[TD=align: right]2,201[/TD] [TD=align: right]2,129[/TD] [TD=align: right]2,108[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.4%[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.8%[/TD] Bryan Donaldson @MNCommunityGuy 1,529[TD=align: right]1,524[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,495[/TD] [TD=align: right]1,488[/TD] [TD=align: right]0.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.8%[/TD] Andrew Heydt @AndrewHeydt 461[TD=align: right]437[/TD] [TD=align: right]423[/TD] [TD=align: right]395[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.5%[/TD] [TD=align: right]16.7%[/TD] Mike Kennedy @TwinsPRMachine 457[TD=align: right]407[/TD] [TD=align: right]370[/TD] [TD=align: right]334[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.3%[/TD] [TD=align: right]36.8%[/TD] Brace Hemmelgarn @bracehemmelgarn 1,166[TD=align: right]1,115[/TD] [TD=align: right]972[/TD] [TD=align: right]913[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.6%[/TD] [TD=align: right]27.7%[/TD] TC Bear @TC_00 10,052[TD=align: right]9800[/TD] [TD=align: right]9217[/TD] [TD=align: right]9907[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.6%[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.5%[/TD] Twins Daily 5/9 Update 4/15 Update 3/10 Update Twins Daily @TwinsDaily 2,279[TD=align: right]2149[/TD] [TD=align: right]1557[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.0%[/TD] John Bonnes @TwinsGeek 5,334[TD=align: right]5127[/TD] [TD=align: right]4839[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.0%[/TD] Seth Stohs @SethTweets 4,984[TD=align: right]4891[/TD] [TD=align: right]4745[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.9%[/TD] Nick Nelson @Nnelson9 2,703[TD=align: right]2663[/TD] [TD=align: right]2554[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.5%[/TD] Parker Hageman @OverTheBaggy 3,165[TD=align: right]3082[/TD] [TD=align: right]2849[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.7%[/TD] Brock Beauchamp @rocketpig76 75[TD=align: right]72[/TD] [TD=align: right]4.2%[/TD] Jeremy Nygaard @JeremyNygaard 316[TD=align: right]274[/TD] [TD=align: right]15.3%[/TD] Cody Christie @NoDakTwinsFan 852[TD=align: right]839[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.5%[/TD] Minor Leagues 5/9 Update 4/15 Update 3/10 Update Rochester Red Wings @RocRedWings 5,717[TD=align: right]5376[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.3%[/TD] Josh Whetzel @JoshWhetzel 1,013[TD=align: right]988[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.5%[/TD] Morrie Silver @MorrieSilver8 298[TD=align: right]293[/TD] [TD=align: right]1.7%[/TD] Jim Mandelaro @JMand1 1,116[TD=align: right]1093[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.1%[/TD] Christopher Fee @CJFee 148[TD=align: right]119[/TD] [TD=align: right]24.4%[/TD] New Britain Rock Cats @RockCats 5,275[TD=align: right]5098[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.5%[/TD] Ken Lipshez @KenLip1 110[TD=align: right]107[/TD] [TD=align: right]2.8%[/TD] Jeff Dooley @Jdooleysports 287[TD=align: right]202[/TD] [TD=align: right]42.1%[/TD] @Mnfanfromafar 319[TD=align: right]284[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.3%[/TD] Ft. Myers Miracle @MiracleBaseball 5,606[TD=align: right]5052[/TD] [TD=align: right]11.0%[/TD] Bryce Zimmerman @ZimMiracle 414[TD=align: right]261[/TD] [TD=align: right]58.6%[/TD] Steve Gliner @stevieGFTM 389[TD=align: right]377[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.2%[/TD] Adam MacDonald @AdamMacMiracle 74[TD=align: right]60[/TD] [TD=align: right]23.3%[/TD] David Dorsey @DavidADorsey 1,108[TD=align: right]1071[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.5%[/TD] Cedar Rapids Kernels @CRKernels 3,816[TD=align: right]3406[/TD] [TD=align: right]12.0%[/TD] Morgan Hawk @Morgan_Hawk 337[TD=align: right]307[/TD] [TD=align: right]9.8%[/TD] Jim Crikket @JimCrikket 396[TD=align: right]348[/TD] [TD=align: right]13.8%[/TD] Jeff Johnson @jeje66 1,044[TD=align: right]977[/TD] [TD=align: right]6.9%[/TD] Metro Sports Report @metrosportsrept 757[TD=align: right]720[/TD] [TD=align: right]5.1%[/TD] Andrew Pantini @stadium65 88[TD=align: right]85[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.5%[/TD] Brandon Clemens @brandonclemens 262 Elizabethton Twins @ETownTwins 647[TD=align: right]623[/TD] [TD=align: right]3.9%[/TD] [/TABLE]

Rain wiped out two of the four Twins minor league affiliates. It rained much of the day in Boston, but the Twins and the Red Sox were able to get the rubber game of their series in. Rain also caused a delay in Jupiter, Florida, but the Hammerheads and the Miracle were able to finish their game. Miguel Sano returned to the Miracle lineup on Thursday night, but he was helped out by three players who were working in Extended Spring Training just a week ago. Somehow, the Miracle just keep winning! On Friday, The New Britain Rock Cats and the Cedar Rapids Kernels will each play a double header, so tomorrow night’s report will be a little longer. Rochester Red Wings 2, Toledo Mud Hens 12 Box Score It’s been a tough go for Liam Hendriks in his time with the Red Wings this year. On Thursday, he gave up six runs on 11 hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out three. He was replaced by Daniel Turpen who did not record an out. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits. He was replaced by Michael O’Connor who gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in… one inning. Virgil Vasquez came on and threw two perfect innings. Nate Hanson got the start in right field. He went 2-3 with a walk and his second double. Jeff Clement was 2-4. Chris Colabello hit his ninth double. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4028[/ATTACH] Hanson was in right field, with Joe Benson in center and Chris Herrmann in left. Clete Thomas may miss a couple of games with a groin injury. Evan Bigley was put on the Disabled List earlier in the day with a sprained wrist. Danny Lehmann was promoted to Rochester where he will serve as a backup catcher. This will allow Herrmann to play out in the outfield. New Britain Rock Cats, Portland Sea Dogs This game was postponed by rain. A makeup date has not yet been determined. These two teams are already playing a doubleheader on Friday from a previous weather postponement. Cole De Vries will be making his second rehab start, his first with the Rock Cats. Ft. Myers Miracle 8, Jupiter Hammerheads 0 Box Score The Miracle improved to 26-7 on this night, and how the team is doing it is beyond me. Miguel Sano returned to the lineup on Thursday night after missing. He had a good day at the plate, but he was helped by a group of players who have been added to the Miracle roster from across the parking lot, at Extended Spring Training. Sano was 2-4 with a walk in his return. However, Jonathan Murphy went 3-5 with his second double. Joel Licon, in his first game with the Miracle, also went 3-5 with a double. Aderlin Mejia was 2-3 with a walk, his third double and his second stolen base. A week ago, those three were toiling in anonymity on the back fields in Ft. Myers. This week, they’re helping one of the best minor league teams continue to win. Tom Stuifbergen started for the Miracle. He gave up two hits in two shutout innings. Then the rains came, and delayed the game long enough that Stuifbergen was replaced. Cole Johnson was brought into the game and he continued what he’s done all year. He threw three shutout innings and gave up just two hits. He struckout four (and walked none) to reduce his ERA to 1.06. Dakota Watts went two scoreless innings and gave up just one hit. Corey Williams gave up two hits and a walk, but he provided two scoreless innings as well. Cedar Rapids Kernels, Quad Cities Bandits The game was rained out. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader starting at 5:00 on Friday. Outfielder JD Williams has not played since Saturday. In a text message with Kernels manager Jake Mauer, he said, “JD tweaked his groin, should be good tomorrow.” Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

It was a very good night for the Twins on Wednesday. Expectations coming into the season were that the Twins offense could be very good. To this point in the season, the Twins offense has been pretty non-good. A 15-run game can really help get things going for individuals, but hopefully also for the offense and the team as a whole. There were a lot of highlights in the game, but amazingly, there were even a couple of important highlights for pitchers as well. The one negative from this game was the performance of lefty Pedro Hernandez. The soft-tosser certainly has had his moments this season, but he was only able to get through two innings and gave up six runs. It was especially disappointing, certainly, because the Twins offense gave him plenty of support. However, in a night fully of hitting, the player of the game, in my mind, was Ryan Pressly. However, just to be thorough, we have to explain the back story. As you know, the Twins made Pressly their Rule 5 selection, taking him from the Boston Red Sox organization. He likely came to spring training with an outside shot at making the Twins bullpen. As some injuries and poor performance crept in, Pressly continued to get outs. Thinking long-term, the Twins kept him on their Opening Day, and he has pitched pretty well in limited duty so far this season. So, for him to come into a crazy game in the third inning in Fenway Park, a place he likely wanted to call home for the past several years, you can only imagine the thoughts and nerves running through his mind and body. However, he showed up and he performed. He gave the Twins exactly what they needed. That is, he pitched effectively. Even the most optimistic of Twins fans could not have hoped for four shutout innings from the rookie. That’s exactly what he did. And, he gave up just two hits and two walks. In the end, Pressly was rewarded with the first win of his big league career. The other pitching performance of note on Wednesday for the Twins happened in Toledo, Ohio, where the Rochester Red Wings got a 3-0 win over the Toledo Mudhens. Why is this important? A night after these two teams went 16 innings and the Red Wings used nine pitchers, Kyle Gibson gave the team a complete game shutout. He gave up just four hits, walked two and struck out eight. He threw 114 pitches. Why is this this important? The fact that Gibson is pitching on the same day as Hernandez, who has struggled his last couple of outings, may not be completely coincidental. Could it be possible that Gibson’s next start will be on Monday, not in the International League, but at Target Field against the White Sox? It is certainly not a given, but it is possible. He has had two poor starts in Rochester this year. He has had one OK start. He has had three good starts, and Wednesday’s start would likely be classified as great. He will continue to need to gain consistency, but his pitch count and that he recorded a strikeout for the final out tells us that his arm is where it needs to be. Whether he debuts with the Twins next Monday or next month, it is very encouraging. Red Wings play-by-play man Josh Whetzel tweeted some interesting details about Gibson’s complete game shutout. “He induced 11 ground outs (2 for DPs), 2 infield pop ups, 1 infield line out, and 3 outfield fly ball outs.” It’s encouraging for Gibson for another reason. First, Sam Deduno has now made his first Red Wings start. Cole De Vries pitched on Sunday in a rehab start for Ft. Myers. He is scheduled to start for New Britain on Friday. Along with Liam Hendriks and PJ Walters, options are lining up to take a spot in the Twins rotation. (Do the Twins have too much pitching?) [ATTACH=CONFIG]4023[/ATTACH] Now to the hitting. Oswaldo Arcia enjoyed his final day as a 21-year-old by becoming the first Twins rookie to get four hits in a game since Joe Benson did in September of 2011 against Ubaldo Jimenez, Chris Perez and Cleveland. Arcia came into the game hitting .255 and ended the night at .300. The first hit came off of Red Sox starting Allan Webster. The next three hits came off of southpaw Felix Doubrant. He had two very solid singles to left field and a big double off the wall. The scouting reports on his offense have been accurate to this point in his career. He is quite aggressive, and he wants to go up to bat swinging. I love watching that. That said, he doesn’t go outside the strike zone a lot either. As we saw in his 2-0 green light swing, he is not afraid to take a mammoth cut. We have already seen him launch two homers. I had always heard about his power to all fields. I watched him take a couple of rounds of batting practice two years ago and watched him hit long balls to left, center and right. But to see him stay down on pitches and hit them hard the other way is very encouraging long term. To see Arcia hitting left-handed pitching is also important. Just a year ago at this time, he was playing in Ft. Myers and struggling against southpaws. He moved up to AA New Britain in mid-June, and at that point, he suddenly was able to hit lefties. Was that a short-term, small sample? Or, was it a sign of notable improvement? It’s something to watch, but thusfar, the results have been quite positive. Two days ago, Ryan Doumit was hitting .158. After five hits in the last two games, he is now hitting .239 and looking like the hitter he was in 2012. Trevor Plouffe had three hits on Wednesday and is now 8-21 (.381) over his last six games starting with a couple of home runs in Cleveland. One year ago today, Plouffe was hitting .103, the low point of his season. Maybe it should be encouraging that he’s hitting .244 so far this year. Getting Plouffe and Doumit going will be very important in helping the Twins extend their lineup. Likewise, it was good to see Justin Morneau take some quality at bats. He has kept his batting average in the .250 to .267, which is where it is after a 2-3 night. However, he has shown very little power in the middle of the lineup. I think the patience that we have seen in recent games bodes well looking forward. Pedro Florimon had a home run and a double in the second inning. His home run was a line shot to right field batting left handed. Later in the inning, he came up right-handed and hit a double off of The Monster. Any offense from Florimon is welcomed. I almost forgot… Joe Mauer had three hits in the game including two doubles. Sure, he had his little slump and saw his batting average drop to “just” .282. However, now over the past four games, he is 8-16 (.500) and has raised his average to .311 again. Of those eight hits, six of them were doubles. He has also walked five times in those four games. In other words, yes, he is pretty good. It was a big night for the Twins, their offense, their bullpen and for one of their future pitchers. It is important to remember that it is just one night. Consistency is often one of the most difficult things to find in baseball. However, there were some nice performances from hitters that will hopefully find a way to continue forward. There are also some nice trends to provide optimism. The veterans are known commodities. The second-tier veterans are hopefully starting to take a step toward being more productive. Hopefully the young players can continue to improve and contribute.

On Tuesday, the Cedar Rapids Kernels had a day off. So did Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, though for different reasons. Sano and Rosario got their first days off for minor injuries. The Red Wings played the longest game in the Twins organization so far this year, 16 innings. The Rock Cats bats definitely got going. And, the Miracle got a nice pitching performance to make up for the loss of their top two hitters. Jairo Rodriguez was promoted from Cedar Rapids to Fr. Myers. Bryan Santy was sent back to Extended Spring Training. Here is what happened on Tuesday. Rochester Red Wings 8, Toledo Mud Hens 7 (16 innings) Box Score Let’s jump right to the 16th inning. With the score knotted at five apiece and one out, Ray Olmedo doubled and scored the go-ahead run on a Doug Bernier single. Soon after, Chris Colabello, who was previously 0-7 with three strikeouts and two errors in the field, hit a two-run homer, his eighth of the year, to give the team an 8-5 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Virgil Vasquez made just his second career relief appearance. He got the first two outs quickly before issuing a walk to Quinton Berry. Following the ever-annoying “Defensive Indifference,” Nick Castellanos singled him in to cut the lead to two runs. The next batter, Jordan Lennerton, singled as well. Avisail Garcia singled in Castellanos to cut the lead to just one. With the tying run at third base, Vasquez got a strikeout to end the game. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4019[/ATTACH] Ray Olmedo led the offense. He had three doubles in seven at bats. Doug Bernier was 3-6 with three RBI. Joe Benson was 2-6 with a walk and two doubles. Evan Bigley and Eric Farris were each 2-7. The Red Wings used nine pitchers in the game. PJ Walters put together a quality start. He gave up two runs on six hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out eight. Rafael Perez threw another 1, 2, 3 inning. Luis Perdomo gave up a run in the eighth inning on two hits. He struck out two. Tyler Robertson got two outs, one via strikeout. Dan Turpen got three outs, one on a strikeout. Michael O’Connor got just one out and gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits. Shairon Martis came on and gave 3.2 innings of just one-hit ball. He struck out four. Caleb Thielbar got four outs, three on strikeouts (Though he walked two and gave up a hit). Virgil Vasquez came on and did record the save despite giving up two runs on three hits and a walk in the 16th. Kyle Gibson returns to the mound to face Toledo on Wednesday night. New Britain Rock Cats 6, Portland Sea Dogs 5 Box Score The Rock Cats bats definitely were working in this game. Danny Santana went 3-5 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Josmil Pinto was 3-5 with his seventh double. Antoan Richardson was 2-5 with his sixth double. Jhon Goncalves was 2-5 with his fifth double. Dan Rohlfing went 1-2 with two walks. Mark Sobolewski hit his first home run. AJ Pettersen was hit by a pitch and walked. In four games with the Rock Cats, he has been hit by a pitch four times. BJ Hermsen was the recipient of the great run support. He gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks in five innings. Edgar Ibarra gave up one run on one hit and one walk in one inning. He struck out two. Bruce Pugh gave up just one hit over two scoreless innings. Aaron Thompson recorded his second save with a 1, 2, 3 inning. New Britain plays a morning game on Wednesday (9:35 a.m. central time) and will send Pat Dean to the mound. Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Tampa Yankees 8 Box Score No Miguel Sano? No Eddie Rosario? No problem on this night as the Miracle topped the Yankees 4-2. Sano thinks that he will miss two games after being hit by a pitch a night earlier in the elbow. Rosario was also out with a minor injury and is expected to return to the lineup quickly. It was the first game the either of them had not played in this season. Jason Wheeler put together the best start of his season. The lefty worked seven strong innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He struck out five and walked none. Chad Rodgers came on for the eighth inning. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Zack Jones struck out the side in the ninth inning to record his sixth save. Aderlin Mejia had a nice game. He went 1-2 with two walks, his second double and his first stolen base. Kennys Vargas went 2-4. Also at 9:35 a.m., the Miracle will send Matt Summers to the mound to face Tampa again. Cedar Rapids Kernels No Game Scheduled. On Wednesday night, the Kernels will begin a series in Quad Cities. Brett Lee will take the mound. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

Last week, Twins Director of Minor League Operations Brad Steil was in Cedar Rapids watching the Kernels play six games. In an interview with MetroSportsReport.com’s Jim Ecker, Steil said, “I think off of this team, you could easily see six to eight of those guys eventually make it to the big leagues.” As I look at the Kernels’ current roster, I think that number could be as high as ten, with a few more high-ceiling players rehabbing in Extended Spring Training. Obviously there is a lot of attrition because Low Class A and the big leagues, so it’s unlikely that ten of these players will actually get to the big leagues. However, it feels I need to remind people that Cedar Rapids, and all of these future Twins, plays their home games just four hours from the Twins Cities. I made that trek for their Opening Weekend, so I was able to watch four practices and three ball games. It was cool (temperature-wise, and just to be there), but I came away from there with several take-aways. I know I’ll be going back in late June on the Territory Train, and I would love to get down there a third time sometime this summer to see what changes or improvements have been made since early April. Tickets are very reasonable and the Kernels’ staff does so much to make the experience a lot of fun for the fans. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4006[/ATTACH] Below are my thoughts on ten prospects currently on the Kernels roster: Byron Buxton (my #2 Twins preseason prospect) – As I’ve said often since seeing Buxton in person five weeks ago, if someone wants to say Buxton is the #1 Twins prospect (yes, ahead of Miguel Sano), I have no problem with that. His speed is absolutely game-changing. He has very good power. He has tremendous patience at the plate. He has walked 24 times in 126 plate appearances. He can steal bases. He plays great defense. He has an incredible arm. He’s just 19 years old. Jose (JO) Berrios (#8) – Berrios is still just 18 years old until the end of the month. He was not in Cedar Rapids when I was there at the start of the season because of his participation in the World Baseball Classic. The Twins wanted to stretch him out to start before sending him up. He’s now made three starts for the Kernels and is 3-0 with a 2.55 ERA. In 17.2 innings, he has two walks and 21 strikeouts. His fastball sits 92-94 and touches 96 already. He has a plus-breaking ball, and he is developing a potentially-plus change up. He will move up the rankings when they are done next. Travis Harrison (#14) – He was the Twins first supplemental first round pick in 2011 out of high school in California. Last year, he hit about .300 in Elizabethton, but didn’t show a lot of power. In watching him work, and specifically watching him take batting practice, you could just see the power potential that he has. It’s starting to show as he already has nine doubles and five home runs on the season. That doesn’t include his recent walk-off grand slam that was called a single because of the celebration. His defense at third base remains a work-in-progress, but he works very hard at it. This is another guy who will move up the rankings. Adam Walker (#16) – I wasn’t sure what to expect from Walker when I got to Cedar Rapids. I had always heard that he had as much power as anyone in the organization, including Miguel Sano. And then I saw him take batting practice, and I would absolutely agree with the assessment. Now, in the three games I saw, he played in two of them and did very little. But, watching him practice, it was clear that it was just a matter of time. Things have certainly clicked for Walker. He now is hitting .303 with seven doubles, two triples and seven home runs. He has driven in 32 runs. He is a big man and very strong. However, he is a very good athlete and has taken well to right field. He’s just 21 despite already having played three years of college ball. Yes, he will be moving up this list as well. Jorge Polanco (#19) – Polanco was signed as a very little, 16-year-old the same year that the Twins signed Sano. He was to be a great shortstop, and he struggled with the bat in two seasons in the GCL. Last year, he hit for a good batting average in Elizabethton, but with little power. I’m always now a little leery of E-Town stats. Polanco is still just 19-years-old and now he’s hitting .345/.387/.504 (.892) with nine doubles, three triples and a home run. He was the team’s #2 hitting on Opening Night, and he’s hit #3 every game he has played since. He’s playing primarily second base, but he’ll continue to get time at shortstop. He is very smooth defensively, but his offensive, frankly, surprised me. Despite not walking a lot, he does seem to have a good grasp of the strike zone. As you would expect, Polanco will also be moving, quite a bit, up this list. Mason Melotakis (#22) – Melotakis was a Twins 2nd round pick last year out of college. The 21 year old left-hander throws pretty hard. When I saw him in Cedar Rapids, he was sitting 90-93 with the fastball and throwing three pitches. Pitching out of the bullpen in 2012, he was hitting as high as 97 on the radar gun. As he’s transitioning to the rotation from the bullpen, it’s necessary to last more than an inning or two, so it’s normal to see the velocity come down a little bit, at least temporarily. He’s pitched in just 23.2 innings over his first five starts. He’s walked 12 and struck out 21. I’m definitely supportive of keeping him in the starting rotation for awhile because I do think he has the three-pitch mix to be successful with it. Niko Goodrum (#27) – I moved Goodrum down the list a little too far last year. He repeated at Elizabethton and his batting average went down. However, and much more important, he improved his patience and walk total, and he increased his power numbers as well. Goodrum has a very nice swing from both sides of the plate. He has good speed. He is long and lanky, but he is proud that he’s up to 200 pounds and plans to stay there. He could add more power production. Defensively, he does a very solid job at shortstop. He’s not flashy, but he makes most of the plays. He recently turned 21. He’s still quite raw, but he has a chance to be a very solid ballplayer! Hudson Boyd (#29) – It isn’t as obvious, statistically, that Boyd is a potential big leaguer. To see it, you have to look at things beyond the stat line. Right now, in 23.2 innings, he has a 5.48 ERA, 24 hits allowed, 14 walks and just 17 strikeouts. The second Twins supplemental first-round pick in 2011, from high school in Florida, Boyd has some good stuff. He has a low-90s fastball that will hit 95 when things warm up. He shows a good curveball, and he occasionally has a very good changeup. The problem has been consistency with mechanics, release point, control and some confidence. Boyd lost 45 pounds in the offseason, showing that he is willing to work to improve. Tyler Duffey (NR) has been one of the better pitchers in the organization through the first five weeks. He threw seven perfect innings in his first start of the year and has been pretty good since. He was a reliever in college, at Rice, but he’s made the move to the rotation look simple. He’s got three good pitches which leads one to think that he could stick as a starter as he moves up. Dalton (DJ) Hicks – Hicks was the 17th round pick a year ago out of Central Florida. The first baseman became known last year when his walk-off grand slam gave the Elizabethton Twins the Appalachian League championship. He’s been the everyday first baseman and clean-up hitter and hit well. He has a lot of power. He’s got nine doubles and four home runs this season. An overly-positive comp for him as a hitter is someone like Adam Dunn. He’ll walk. He’ll strikeout. He’ll hit for a lot of power… if he develops. There are ten guys who may have a chance to get to the big leagues if they develop nicely. I didn’t include Tyler Jones, a hard-throwing reliever. He was just put on the Disabled List with an elbow injury. JD Williams is a tremendous athlete with great speed, a great eye at the plate and good defense. Middle infielder Candido Pimentel was the Appalachian League MVP in 2012. He’s got great speed. Josh Burris and his killer curveball just recently arrived in Cedar Rapids as well. Lefty Brett Lee has a very live arm. Right now he’s in the 6-man rotation, but he could be a devastating lefty-reliever. And, consider that Max Kepler (#10) will hopefully be arriving in Cedar Rapids soon after missing the early season with an elbow injury. Luke Bard (#20) is also rehabbing an injury in Florida, but he will likely get a chance to start with the Kernels at some point this summer. Hopefully JT Chargois will be able to pitch in 2013 for the Kernels. It’s also possible that the three members of the Kernels’ coaching staff will be Twins coaches at some point in their careers. Manager Jake Mauer does a terrific job of teaching and organizing these young men. He knows baseball, and knows the game well. Tommy Watkins is a great illustration for the players to show perseverance and not to give up on anything until your jersey is ripped from you. He also known hitting and defense. He relates so well to the player. Like Watkins, Gary Lucas is a former big leaguer. He’s been coaching in the Midwest League for about a decade. It’s clear how much he enjoys teaching young pitchers and pushing them to think through their pitches and the situations on the mound. Check out the Kernels schedule and see if it works to book a trip there for a weekend. Like I said, it’s just a four hour drive. I talked to several people the weekend I was there who drove down for the game and then drove back afterwards. Some spent a night and went to two games. It’s a great trip. Minor League ball is always entertaining. But for Twins fans, it’s an opportunity to see some future Twins two or three years early. It’ll be fun to be able to say you saw Byron Buxton or JO Berrios before they became big league stars. I remember my first trip to games in Beloit three years ago. Brian Dozier, Aaron Hicks and Mike Trout were all on the field. It’s fun to do your own scouting reports on the players. Please feel free to ask questions.

All of the Minnesota Twins’ affiliates played afternoon games on Sunday, as did the big league club. As we alluded to yesterday, the Twins had some interesting pitchers taking the mound, and they had mixed results. Sam Deduno and Cole De Vries both made their first rehab starts of the year. Top Twins Prospects JO Berrios and Alex Meyer also made starts. There were several very good offensive and pitching performances. There were also a few errors that proved costly. The Ft. Myers Miracle placed Minnesota native Kyle Knudson on the Disabled List. They promoted 2012 draft picks, catcher Bryan Santy and outfielder Jon Murphy, from Extended Spring Training. On Saturday night, righty Tyler Jones left the game after getting just one out. He left with an elbow injury. He was put on the Disabled List on Sunday morning. Another 2012 draft pick, 12th rounder Alex Muren, will be promoted to take his spot on the roster. The Twins got a terrific start from Mike Pelfrey on Sunday and great bullpen work by Josh Roenicke and Jared Burton to avoid a sweep in Cleveland this weekend. Rochester Red Wings 2, Columbus Clippers 3 Box Score Sam Deduno made his first start of the season for the Red Wings on Sunday. He was activated before the game and started well. However, as the game went along, he fought his control. However, in all, his line looked alright. In five innings, he gave up only an unearned run. He gave up five hits, walked four and struckout four. Virgil Vasquez came on and gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in 1.1 innings. Tyler Robertson came on and gave up a hit and a walk, but got the final two outs of the seventh. Daniel Turpen came on for the eighth frame and got two outs. However, he gave up two hits and walked one to load the bases. But Michael O’Connor came on and got the final out of the inning. Jeff Clement has finally started to hit. After two home runs on Saturday, he went 2-3 with a walk and two runs driven in on Sunday. Chris Colabello went 1-3 with a walk and his eighth double. To make room for Deduno, outfielder Brandon Boggs was released. New Britain Rock Cats 6, Portland Sea Dogs 5 Box Score The Rock Cats were able to avoid being swept in the series in Maine with a one-run win on Sunday afternoon. Alex Meyer started for the Rock Cats. Through four innings, he did not allow a run. However, he was unable to get through the fifth inning .He gave up the first run and had the bases loaded. He got an infield pop out and a strikeout to get to two outs. Unfortunately, the next batter lined a single to right and when it was bobbled, all three runners scored. The next batter doubled in the fifth run and ended Meyer’s day. In total, Meyer went 4.2 innings. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on five hits, three walks and six strikeouts. Bobby Lanigan was able to get out of the fifth inning and worked a scoreless sixth inning as well. Blake Martin went the next two innings. He did not allow a run on two hits. He struck out three. He got the win to improve to 2-1. Aaron Thompson came on and recorded the save with a perfect ninth. It was a big day for Antoan Richardson. He was 1-2, was hit by a pitch twice, and stole his 13th base. However, it was hit two-run double in the eighth inning that gave the Rock Cats a 6-5 lead. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-5 with his ninth double and third home run. Mark Sobolewski was 2-4 with his second double. Josmil Pinto went 2-4 with a walk. AJ Pettersen hit a double high off the left field wall in the 1st inning for his first Eastern League hit. Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Tampa Yankees 8 Box Score The Miracle were due for a game like this. They have played very well for nearly 30 games, so they were due a clunker. This one was actually a very good game through six innings, but at that point, the defense gave the Yankees too may outs. In all, the Miracle had five errors in the game. Miguel Sano had two. Levi Michael had one. Eddie Rosario committed the first two errors of the season. Cole De Vries made the start for the Miracle, his first rehab appearance. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on six hits in four innings. He struck out two and did not walk a batter. He was replaced by Taylor Rogers. The lefty was charged with three unearned runs. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out three. Dakota Watts came in to start the eighth inning and got just two outs. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on one hit and three walks. Cole Johnson came on and got the final four outs, two via the strikeout. Sano and Rosario had rough days in the field, but they still hit. Sano was 2-3 with a walk and his ninth double. Rosario went 2-4 with his third double. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3994[/ATTACH] Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, South Bend Silver Hawks 6 (11 innings) Box Score J.O. Berrios was back on the mound for the Kernels on Sunday, and he was terrific again. The young right-hander was tremendous, dominant through five innings. He gave up two runs in the sixth inning. Overall, he gave up two runs on six hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out eight. He now has two walks and 21 strikeouts in 17.2 innings on the year. Steve Gruver came on and worked the final three innings for his second save. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Travis Harrison was 2-5 with a big two-run homer, his fourth of the season, and an RBI single. Adam Walker was 2-5. Niko Goodrum went 1-3 with two walks and his sixth double. Byron Buxton had a hit and a sacrifice fly. A LOOK AHEAD to Monday April’s starting pitcher of the month and three left-handers will be starting for the Twins minor league affiliates on Monday. Andrew Albers will start for Rochester in Toledo. Logan Darnell will get the nod against New Hampshire. DJ Baxendale will face Tampa. Matt Tomshaw will be starting in South Bend. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

It was quite the power display for the Rochester Red Wings, something the Twins AAA-affiliate needed badly. Clete Thomas and Chris Colabello continue to make their case for a big league job. Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton continue to make their cases for being the #1 prospect in baseball going into the 2014 season. The Twins fell again in Cleveland, but there was plenty to watch in the Twins minor leagues. There was good pitching. The top prospects each had multi-hit games. And, the Red Wings got some big time power from the middle of their lineup. Check out what happened on Saturday in the Minor League Parks: Rochester Red Wings 8, Columbus Clippers 2 Box Score The middle of the Red Wings lineup came through in a big way on Saturday night in Ohio. Clete Thomas, Chris Colabello and Jeff Clement (the 3-4-5 hitters) combined to go 8-15 with a double, five home runs and seven RBI. Thomas is now hitting .386 after going 2-5 with his fifth and sixth home runs. Chris Colabello went 4-5 with his seventh double and seventh home run. Jeff Clement was 2-5 with the first two home runs of his season. Joe Benson had a single to extend his hitting streak to nine games. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3989[/ATTACH] (Photo - Naples News) Liam Hendriks made the start. He gave up two runs on seven hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out five. Caleb Thielbar came on and threw two scoreless innings, walking one and striking one out. Luis Perdomo gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth frame. He struck out two. New Britain Rock Cats 1, Portland Sea Dogs 2 Box Score The score was tied at one going into the bottom of the 9th inning. Lefty Edgar Ibarra, who threw a scoreless eighth inning, was back on the mound. He walked the leadoff batter and proceeded to throw two wild pitches to get the runner to third base. He then intentionally walked the next two batters in an attempt to set up a force at home plate. Jose Gonzalez was brought in, and he proceeded to walk in the winning run. Trevor May was very good, while Terry Ryan watched from the stands. The hard-throwing right-hander went seven strong innings. He gave up one run on three hits. He walked two and struck out three. The Rock Cats jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first. Veteran Charlie Haeger, the knuckleballer who spent parts of five season in the big leagues, was on the mound for Portland. He missed all of the 2012 season after having Tommy John surgery. He walked Antoan Richardson to lead off the game. Richardson stole his twelfth base of the year and then advance to third on a groundout by Danny Santana. With Mark Sobolewski batting, Haeger threw a pitch that knuckled past the catcher to score Richardson. That was the lone run of the game for New Britain. The Rock Cats had just four hits on the game. AJ Pettersen left Ft. Myers very early on Saturday morning and landed in Portland, Maine, two hours before the early-afternoon game. He arrived at the ballpark to find that he was in the lineup, batting ninth and playing second base. In his first plate appearance, Haeger walked him. In his next plate appearance, he was hit by a knuckleball. He then flew out to right field twice. Alex Meyer will face Brandon Workman when the two teams play on Sunday at noon (central time). Ft. Myers Miracle 5, St. Lucie Mets 10 Box Score The Miracle’s nine game winning streak came to an end on Saturday night. Tom Stuifbergen made the start and gave up six runs on seven hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out three. Nelvin Fuentes struck out five over the next two innings. He gave up one hit and an unearned run. Corey Williams pitched the eighth inning. He gave up a solo home run, and he struck out two. Chad Rodgers gave up two runs in the ninth. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two. Miguel Sano did his part. The slugger gave the Miracle a 3-0 lead after one inning with a three-run blast, his tenth home run of the season. He had three hits in the game and drove in four runs. Matt Koch went 3-4 as well. Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, South Bend Silver Hawks 6 (11 innings) Box Score Tyler Duffey continued to pitch well, but it wasn’t enough on this night. The right-hander went the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits. He walked one and struck out five. Tyler Jones came on and struck out the one batter he faced. Josh Burris came on and gave up three runs on one hit and three walks in one inning. Tim Atherton came on and got him out of the ninth inning. He got the game to the 11th frame, but a leadoff walk led to a game-losing run. He gave up the run on two hits and three walks (one intentional) in two innings. Byron Buxton continued his streak of getting on base in all 27 games so far this season. He was 2-5 with a walk and his sixth and seventh doubles. He also stole his 12th base. Jorge Polanco went 2-5 with a walk and his third triple. He is now hitting .352. Tyler Grimes was 2-4 and was hit by two pitches. Niko Goodrum had a single, two walks and his third stolen base. A LOOK AHEAD to Sunday Sam Deduno will be making his first start of the season for the Red Wings on Sunday at noon (central time) in Columbus. Alex Meyer will be starting for New Britain in Portland on Sunday at noon. Ft. Myers plays at 3:05 on Sunday afternoon and will have Cole De Vries making a rehab start. J.O. Berrios will start for the Kernels in South Bend when they start at 1:05. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.