Seth Stohs

It’s safe to say that 21-year-old right-hander, JO Berrios, is putting up numbers to be noticed. In his last five starts with the Red Wings, he is 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA. In 34 innings, he has given up 24 hits, walked eight and struck out 31. Opponents are hitting .200/.272/.333 (.604) off him. In 22 starts between Rochester and Chattanooga, he is 11-4 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in 135.1 innings. If it isn’t already, it is getting close to the time to bring him up. Image courtesy of David Kohl, USA Today It’s safe to say that 21-year-old right-hander, JO Berrios, is putting up numbers to be noticed. In his last five starts with the Red Wings, he is 3-1 with a 1.59 ERA. In 34 innings, he has given up 24 hits, walked eight and struck out 31. Opponents are hitting .200/.272/.333 (.604) off him. In 22 starts between Rochester and Chattanooga, he is 11-4 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP in 135.1 innings. If it isn’t already, it is getting close to the time to bring him up. After throwing 139.1 innings totally in 2014, it is likely that he has an innings limit of 160 to 170 innings this year. And, there were six other games in the Twins farm system, and plenty of highlights to report in today’s minor league report. TRANSACTIONS A few quick notes on the transactions of the day: Caleb Thielbar, DFAd last week, was claimed by the San Diego Padres. He’ll report to their AAA affiliate. Eric Fryer, DFAd on Thursday night, cleared waivers and accepted his outright to Rochester. As we mentioned here last night, Jake Reed was sent down to Ft. Myers. In Chattanooga, Brandon Peterson was activated from the disabled list. Chris Paul promoted to Cedar Rapids from E-Town. Lewin Diaz promoted to E-Town from the GCL Twins. Down in the GCL, Roberto Gonzalez was activated from the DL, while MiLB.com reports Aaron Whitehead was activated from the restricted list. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 3, Charlotte 0 Box Score The Red Wings scored two runs in the second inning on a long Oswaldo Arcia, two-run homer. That proved to be more than enough for JO Berrios in this game. The right-hander was again terrific, making it difficult for the Twins to not call him up. He threw seven shutout innings. He gave up just five hits, walked one and struck out nine batters. He improved to 3-1 with a 3.02 ERA in AAA; Mark Hamburger and Michael Tonkin each threw a scoreless relief inning. Hamburger struck out one. Tonkin struck out two to earn his 10th save. Arcia went 2-4 in the game, and the homer was his tenth with the Red Wings. Byron Buxton was back in the leadoff spot. In his second rehab start, he played center field. He went 1-3 with a walk and stole his first base. James Beresford was 2-4. The Red Wings improved to 58-56 on the season. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Mobile 9 Box Score Aaron Slegers made his AA debut on Saturday and performed adequately. He gave up two runs in the third inning and that was it until the seventh when he gave up two more. In total, he went seven innings and gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk. He struck out three. Adrian Salcedo pitched a quiet eighth inning. He came back out for the ninth and was charged with five runs. DJ Johnson allowed his inherited runners to score before getting the final two outs. Travis Harrison was the lone Lookout with more than one hit. Niko Goodrum hit his second triple and stole his 13th base. Max Kepler hit his 11th triple. The Lookouts are now 59-49 on the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Palm Beach 4 Box Score Newcomer Omar Bencomo made his Florida State League and Twins organization debut on Saturday night. He started with three scoreless innings. However, he and the Miracle were done in by a four-run fourth inning. Bencoo went five innings and gave up four runs (two earned) on four hits and two walks. Tyler Jay struck out three in his inning. He gave up a hit and a walk. Jake Reed made his Miracle debut, giving up one hit but tossing a scoreless inning. Nick Burdi struck out two in a perfect ninth. The Miracle managed just six hits. Logan Wade went 2-4 and drove in the team’s lone run. Mitch Garver went 1-3 with a triple. He scored the run. The Miracle are now 61-52. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Bowling Green 2 Box Score Sam Gibbons’ scoreless innings streak ended at 28.1 when he gave up two runs in the seventh inning on Saturday night in Cedar Rapids. He gave up two runs (just one earned) on six hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out four. Nick Anderson came on for his Twins organization and Kernels debut and worked a flawless inning. Luke Bard gave up three hits but no runs in a scoreless ninth. Tanner English went 2-4 with his 21st double and eighth triple in this game. TJ White went 2-3 with a walk and his 13th and 14th Kernels doubles. The score was cut to 3-2 in the top of the seventh, but Brian Navarreto’s three run home (his second homer of the year) gave the Kernels some cushion. The Kernels are 65-47 overall this season. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 10, Bluefield 4 Box Score It was a good night for the Twins offense. Jermaine Palacios had another three-hit night. He went 3-5 with his fifth double. He also stole his second base. All eight others in the lineup had one hit. LaMonte Wade walked and added his seventh home run, a three-run blast. Chris Paul added his third homer. Brad Hartong and Brian Olson each added a double. Onesimo Hernandez started and gave up two runs on five hits over 5.2 innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter. Josh Guyer gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Jose Abreu struck out three and walked one in 1.2 scoreless. The E-Twins evened their season record at 22-22. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 – GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The GCL Twins are playing a lot of doubleheaders lately after missing nearly a week with Southwest Florida rains. In game one, Lefty Lachlan Wells started. He gave up two runs on four hits over three innings. He walked three and struck out four. Moises Gomez came on and gave up a run on two hits and a walk in two innings. Brandon Poulson went two innings and gave up just one hit. He struck out three. Not a lot of offense for the Twins in this one. Lewin Diaz went 2-3. Kolton Kendrick was 1-2 with a walk. Game 2 – GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score Game 2 was started by Miguel Gonzalez. He went 4.2 innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out four. Johan Quezada went an inning and gave up one run on one hit and one walk. He struck out two. Callan Pearce got the final out. Christian Cavaness went 2-2 with a walk. He stole two bases. Luis Arraez went 2-3 with a walk and his 12th double. Ariel Montesino doubled for the second time. Bryant Hayman added a pinch-hit double, his fifth of the year. The GCL Twins are now 21-18 on their season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – JO Berrios, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jermaine Palacios, Elizabethton Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (4:05 CST) – RHP Michael Bowden Mobile @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – TBD Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (12:05 CST) – RHP Ryan Eades Bowling Green @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc Bluefield @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. View full article

I'd be surprised, though not shocked, if Gordon went to the AFL. Vielma getting a "legit" shot at a shortstop job is hard to predict. If Polanco improves defensively over the next year, then Vielma likely doesn't get a shot. If Polanco doesn't improve and Santana isn't good, then they may have to grab someone in F/A, and it'll depend on how much they give that person in terms of years. I think they both stay where they are the rest of the season. Neither is putting up numbers that jump out as must-promote. I'd say they both move up one level next year with Polanco at Rochester (or the Twins).

Yeah, Vielma is definitely not anonymous. He's not in the prospect category as Gordon, Javier or Polanco at all. But everyone knows about his defense. He was named the top Twins minor league defensive infielder last year. I saw him in Cedar Rapids last year and was very impressed. Saw him this spring too. If he can added 25-30 pounds and develop any pop, he's got a shot. He is what James Beresford was for many years... unheralded by many, but a great glove who "just needed to add some weight." Gordon, however, is also an excellent defender. Having Vielma at 66 and Gordon at 60 works for me. Very good, both of them. Very smooth.

Earlier in the week, we announced Jermaine Palacios as our Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. Then we named Mat Batts the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. Today, we’ve got the top performances of relief pitchers in July. We’re posting this a little later than usual, but it’s important to recognize these guys who are often overlooked. Four relievers didn’t give up an earned run all month. A few others had ERAs below one and more than a strikeout per nine innings. This was a difficult decision, so be sure to make your picks in the comments. Image courtesy of Brad Rempel, USA Today Earlier in the week, we announced Jermaine Palacios as our Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. Then we named Mat Batts the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. Today, we’ve got the top performances of relief pitchers in July. We’re posting this a little later than usual, but it’s important to recognize these guys who are often overlooked. Four relievers didn’t give up an earned run all month. A few others had ERAs below one and more than a strikeout per nine innings. This was a difficult decision, so be sure to make your picks in the comments. There were many terrific bullpen performances in June. I’ve ranked the top five, but before getting to them, here are some pitchers who deserve honorable mention. RHP Mark Hamburger – Rochester Red Wings – 10 G, 12.1 IP, 1-0, 1.10 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 8 H, 1 BB, 10 K RHP Matt Summers – Ft. Myers/Chattanooga – 9 G, 16.0 IP, 1-0, 0.56 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 11 H, 4 BB, 9 K RHP Kuo Hua Lo – Elizabethton Twins – 8 G, 14.2 IP, 1-1, 3-Saves, 1.23 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 5 H, 2 BB, 15 K The Top 5 Twins Relievers for July 2015 Number 5 – GCL Twins – Johan Quezada – 8 G, 9.1 IP, 2-0, 3 saves, 0.00 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, 2 H, 3 BB, 8 K Quezada signed with the Twins late in 2012. He spent two seasons in the Dominican Summer League and in 43.1 innings, he walked 74 and struck out 50. The 6-6, 20 year old from the Dominican is certainly showing good control so far in 2015. He’s also showing a fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s. Overall, he is 2-0 with a 0.57 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. In 15.2 innings, he has walked five and struck out 16. He’s a project, but a project with a very strong arm. That explains why hitters hit just .065/.147/.065 (.212) against him. Number 4 – GCL Twins – Miguel Gonzalez – 6 G, 13.2 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 6 H, 3 BB, 14 K Gonzalez signed with the Twins in 2011 out of the Dominican. He spent a season in the DSL. He pitched in 20 games out of the bullpen in the GCL in 2013 and posted a 1.05 ERA in 25.2 innings (9 BB, 33 K). However, after moving into a starting role in 2014 (also in the GCL), he was injured after just 13.1 innings. He returned this year, back to the bullpen. Overall, in 21 innings, he is 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA. He has four walks and 23 strikeouts. In July, opponents hit just .128/.196/.255 (.451) off of him. Most important, the 20 year old is healthy. Number 3 – Ft. Myers Miracle – Nick Burdi – 10 G, 16.1 IP, 2-1, 2 Saves, 1.10 ERA, 0.61 WHIP, 10 H, 0 BB, 23 K The 22-year-old was the Twins 24th round pick in 2011, and after three years at Louisville, he was the Twins 2nd round pick a year ago. He struck out 38 batters in 20.1 innings in 2014 between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers. He began this season in Chattanooga where he went 3-4 with a 5.93 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP in 30.1 innings. He was demoted to the Miracle, and his first month there was terrific. He had a rough one this week, but he could be ready to move back up to the Lookouts soon. In July, opponents hit just .182/.175/.255 (.430) against him.Number 2 – Rochester Red Wings – Michael Tonkin – 8 G, 15.0 IP, 2-0, 1 save, 0.00 ERA, 0.53 WHIP, 6 H, 2 BB, 19 K Tonkin should get frequent flyer miles. He could probably travel for free all offseason just because he has gone back and forth from Rochester to the Twins literally a dozen times in the last three years. He will be out of options in 2016, so the Twins could have a difficult decision to make. He was demoted by the Twins late in June, and as you’d hope, he responded well with a great month in July. Overall with the Red Wings, he is 2-1 with nine saves. He has a 1.39 ERA, a WHIP of 0.77 and 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings. In the month, batters hit just .120/.154/.120 (.274) against him. It would be interesting to see what he could do in a full season (or even just a full half-season) with the Twins!And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – Trevor Hildenberger – 9 G, 11.0 IP, 0-0, 6 Saves, 0.00 ERA, 0.55 WHIP, 6 H, 0 BB, 16 K Hildenberger was our choice for Relief Pitcher of the Month in May, and he has earned it again in July. The 24 year old, drafted a year ago out of Cal-Berkeley, finally got the promotion he deserved. He made six appearances for the Kernels in July and earned a save in each of those games. He moved up to Ft. Myers and debuted with them on July 22nd. He began his tenure with the Miracle by giving up no runs on just four hits over 6.2 innings (four games). He struck out 11 and walked none. Last night, he gave up two runs on three hits in an inning. He has now pitched in 33 games this season. He has given up a run in just four of them. He has walked a batter in just five of those games. Hildenberger has a very interesting, deceptive delivery. In July, opponents hit just .182/.200/.250 (.450) against him.So what do you think? Honestly, let me know how you would rank them. I’ve ranked the top five bullpen arms in the Twins organization in July, in my opinion, but I welcome your comments as well. View full article

And, assuming that is the case - and it probably is - that is wonderful progress. If he can stick with that approach, his athleticism an talent will take over and that will be huge. Also, I would say that his RBI total would have been affected by those in front of him in the lineup.

The San Diego Padres claimed LHP Caleb Thielbar, who had been DFAd by the Twins a week ago. Thielbar was a great story for the Twins. The Minnesota kid who went to South Dakota State. He spent time in the Brewers system, but then he got released. He played for the St. Paul Saints and the Twins signed him. he flew threw the Twins system and was the Twins rookie of the year in 2013. He spent most of 2014 with the Twins. He spent just a handful of days with the Twins this year. Best wishes to Caleb Thielbar. Hopefully he gets a good opportunity there.

I look at it as progress... He's getting there. If he can have even a little bit of plate discipline, he could be a strong big league contributor. Let's also be fair and note that he probably isn't being pitched to as much. Sano, Buxton and others are gone from the lineup. And their whole team is struggling.

Oops!! I guess I forget to write a whole paragraph... my bad! Should be there now!

Heard a couple of hours ago that Jake Reed was being sent down to Ft. Myers.

It was a busy and full day for the Minnesota Twins minor league teams: transactions early and some impressive performances from some top prospects. Byron Buxton made his AAA debut and did well. Oswaldo Arcia’s slump continued. Max Kepler had another big day. Two hitters finished just a home run away from the cycle. Which top prospect hit his first home run of the year? I don’t want to spoil too much, so just keep on reading. Image courtesy of Jerome Miron, USA Today It was a busy and full day for the Minnesota Twins minor league teams: transactions early and some impressive performances from some top prospects. Byron Buxton made his AAA debut and did well. Oswaldo Arcia’s slump continued. Max Kepler had another big day. Two hitters finished just a home run away from the cycle. Which top prospect hit his first home run of the year? I don’t want to spoil too much, so just keep on reading. TRANSACTIONS Late on Friday night, Twins Daily learned that Jake Reed has been demoted to Ft. Myers. Ft. Myers officially announced the Aaron Sleger promotion. Alex Swim was again placed on the disabled list. They also announced that they had signed 26-year-old right-hander Omar Bencomo. The Venezuelan spent 2007 through 2011 in the Rays system, peaking in the Midwest League. He was 6-1 with a 3.19 ERA with Laredo and Wichita in the American Association. Cedar Rapids announced that they have signed right-handed pitcher Nick Anderson. He went to Mayville State (ND) University and was the Brewers 32nd round pick in 2012. He was pitching for the Frontier Greys of the Frontier League. He was 2-0 with a 0.65 ERA and 13 saves in 27.2 innings. He had walked six and struck out 35. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Charlotte 9 Box Score Byron Buxton was the star of this show, at least for a while. It’s fair to say that Matt Tuiasosopo was the star by game’s end, and as important, Charlotte topped the Red Wings. Pat Dean started for the Red Wings. The left-hander was charged with eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits. He walked one and struck out two. Cole Johnson gave up a run on one hit in his inning. Logan Darnell tossed a scoreless eighth. Tuiasosopo hit a three-run homer in the first inning, a solo homer in the second inning, and a three-run homer off of Johnson in the seventh inning. Buxton made his AAA debut on this night in North Carolina. He had singles in his first two at-bats and ended the game 3-5. He is a career .600 hitter in AAA. Danny Santana also went 3-5 in the game and stole his fifth base. He has been really struggling – just 2 for 20 – since his demotion a week ago. Carlos Paulino, the lone catcher on the Red Wings roster for the game, went 2-4. Oswaldo Arcia went 0-4 and is now two for his last 38 (.053). CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Mobile 6 Box Score The Lookouts tried to give this one away, but got the 27th out just in time. Brett Lee started for the Lookouts. He gave up three runs in the second inning. That was it. The left-hander went eight innings. He gave up those three runs on seven hits. He struck out five without issuing a walk. He improved to 3-4 with a 3.73 ERA with Chattanooga. The Lookouts were down 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth, but they put up three runs then, followed by two in the seventh to take a commanding 7-2 lead. Alex Muren came on to start the ninth. He gave up two hits and a walk before being replaced by closer JT Chargois. He got two outs, but then gave up a single and a double to cut the lead to 7-6. With runners on second and third, Chargois got a big strikeout to end the game. He gets credit for his ninth save of the season. Kennys Vargas went 3-3 with a single, double and triple (his second of the week!). He also walked twice. Max Kepler went 2-4 with a walk, his 26th double and his seventh home run. Dalton Hicks went 2-5. Jorge Polanco went 1-3 with two walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 13, Palm Beach 5 Box Score The Miracle offense was consistent, scoring in five separate innings in this game. Five runs in the ninth gave them some insurance. Eight of the nine starters had at least one hit. Aderlin Mejia went 4-6. Engelb Vielma went 3-5 with a walk. He also stole his 27th base of the year. Logan Wade went 3-5 with a single, double (14) and triple (2). Mitch Garver went 2-5 with a walk and his fourth home run. Jason Kanzler went 2-5 with his fifth triple. Ryan Walker had two hits, and Tanner Vavra was 1-3 with two walks. Lefty Luke Westphal started and gave up two runs on six hits over 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out five. Zack Jones came on and went 2.1 innings. He gave up just one hit and struck out four. Brian Gilbert gave up one run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Trevor Hildenberger gave up two runs on three hits in the ninth. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Bowling Green 7 Box Score The Kernels gave up a five-spot in the sixth inning. They tried to claw back, scoring two in the seventh and one in the eighth, but they came up short in their comeback attempt. Randy Rosario was on the mound at the start of the game. He gave up two runs in the first inning, but he settled in and threw four straight scoreless. However, in the sixth, he gave up four more. Overall, he was charged with six runs (four earned) on nine hits and a walk. Jared Wilson came on and gave up one run on two hits and a walk over the next 2.1 innings. He struck out three. John Curtiss made his return to the Kernels and struck out one in a scoreless inning. The TrackMan system that was in Cedar Rapids had him hitting 95 mph. Nick Gordon has been hitting well since late May. On this night, he went 3-5 with his first home run of the season. It was his second career homer as he had one in Elizabethton last year. Rafael Valera went 3-4. TJ White went 2-3 with a walk and was hit by a pitch. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Bluefield 0 Box Score Dereck Rodriguez was terrific again. The right-hander threw another five shutout innings in this game, dropping his season ERA to just 1.22. He gave up six hits, walked one and struck out five. Anthony Mciver relieved and got Rodriguez out of the sixth inning, getting three outs before the two inherited runners had a chance to score. Logan Lombana came on and recorded his first professional save. He gave up just one hit over three shutout innings. He struck out five. The Twins scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. One came on a wild pitch, another came on a Chris Paul double, and the third on a Travis Blankenhorn single. They added two more runs in the eighth inning, both on wild pitches. The E-Twins had seven hits and five walks in the game. Paul went 1-3 with a walk and his seventh double. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-3 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 – GCL Twins 5, GCL Red Sox 3 Box Score The Twins headed over to jetBlue Stadium in Ft. Myers to take on the GCL Red Sox in two games. Lewin Diaz led the offense. He went 2-4 with his first homer of the season and four RBI. Blake Schmit, still rehabbing, went 2-3 with a run batted in. Jose Martinez started for the Twins. He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk in four innings. He struck out five. Rich Condeelis went the next two innings. He didn’t give up a run or a hit. He walked one and struck out two. Hector Lujan picked up his first career save, striking out two in his one-hit inning. Game 2 – GCL Twins 0, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score In the second game, they got good pitching, but no runs. Max Cordy started and gave up one run on four hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out five. Matz Schutte came on and gave up a run on four hits in two innings. Brandon Poulson walked one batter in his scoreless inning. Trey Cabbage went 2-3 in the game. Luis Martinez walked twice and hit a double. Luis Arraez added a double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Logan Lombana, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, Chattanooga Lookouts SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Charlotte (6:05 CST) – RHP JO Berrios (2-1, 3.58 ERA) Mobile @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – RHP DJ Baxendale (4-3, 3.99 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (4:35 CST) – RHP Omar Bencomo Bowling Green @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Randy LeBlanc Bluefield @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – RHP Onesimo Hernandez (3-0, 4.50 ERA) GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (DH @ 9:00 CST) – TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below. View full article

Always fun to see video of these guys... Gordon hasn't done a lot of pinch hitting. Obviously normally he starts, and when he does get a day off, they like to let him just watch.

It's not about hitting them. I don't care if they hit the guy. I'd rather they not. However, they need to be able to gain control of the plate and to do that, the have to come inside. I would never advocate doing that anywhere near the head... but if you throw near a guy's thigh, it moves his feet and he can't dive out over the plate the way all of the Blue Jays pitchers were able to last night.

After being the #1 overall pick out of the best college baseball program of the era.

He was already called up over a year before he needed to be added to the 40 man roster and it was past the Super-2 date, so no, I think it would be because they believe he needs to work on something.

To be fair to him, it would be understandable. I'm sure he was seeing and reading all the rumors, and probably didn't know for sure if he would start that night until 4:00-4:30, two hours before game time.

Tweet from Brice Zimmerman: Omar Bencomo is a 26-year-old from Venezuela. He spent time in the Rays system from 2007-2011, peaking in the Midwest League. He has played in Venezuela in the winters. This spring, he has played in the independent American Association, splitting time between Laredo and Wichita. Overall, in 13 starts, he is 6-1 with a 3.19 ERA in 84.2 innings. He has 16 walks and 72 strikeouts. Also, Cedar Rapids signed RHP Nick Anderson. From the Kernels press release:

Not much bugs me more than that... I don't mind taking a second to watch it while jogging but just run the bases. The Encarnacion arm bar is just dumb. They're a fun team to watch because of their power, but man, I can't stand them!

Have to pitch inside... Don't need to headhunt, but hitting a guy in the back side, or in the thigh will keep them from diving out over the plate... It also makes that fastball and changeup on the outside corner and at the knees very effective.

Correct... I can't think of any/many top-level players who the Twins didn't extend beyond free agency in the last dozen years.T They locked up Radke, Santana, Hunter, Cuddyer, Morneau, Mauer, Span and more.

I could argue that there is a 'good' chance that they'll start him in AAA next year

Great article... and it is still very exciting to think about the role that Buxton can (And hopefully will) play in the future of this organization. Regarding the service time - He wasn't called up until after the Super-2 deadline (though that's a moving target, so hard to know), so the service time likely won't factor into him leaving any earlier. But it is still frustrating that all those days of him not playing count. I've tweeted this a few times and would love to get others' opinions on this... I think that the Twins use all 20 days that Buxton can rehab in Rochester, but I think they call him up right at that time. If it was me, unless Buxton is just completely struggling, I would really hate to use an option year on him. Of course, we hope that he doesn't need another 3 years of options, hoping that maybe some time next year will be necessary but then he'll take off, but you never know, so I woudln't want to waste the Option, knowing he'd be back up a week later with September call ups.

I think Navarreto can stay at catcher. He's Mauer's size (though not the athlete) and he caught for a decade in the big leagues.