Seth Stohs

I think the September call up is a given. I think he sticks with Chattanooga through their playoff run unless something weird happens.

Milone is on the 15-day DL.. that's at least 2 and probably 3 starts.

I'm good with - an expect - that.

Great point in the 2nd sentence on the prospects. Let's just enjoy it. Need more than three starts to evaluated his potential as a SP for next season. I don't think the Twins are calling up Duffey because they have to prove something, or need a success story. They are calling him up because he is the most ready. Isn't that enough?

Fair enough. I think that May should not have been removed from the rotation a month ago too. But he was, so this is an easy choice. Just so people have it, in the Twins Prospect Handbook, Jeremy ranked Duffey 12th, I had him at 16th and Cody had him at about 18-19. And, with his performance this year, the increased Ks, the lack of HR allowed, he moves up that list a bit.

And May can dominate in the bullpen. Really, this was a pretty easy choice.

It was a busy Tuesday in the Minnesota Twins minor league system. All six full-season affiliates played, with the GCL Twins playing two games. Max Kepler got on base four times, and he wasn’t even the hitter of the day. Kennys Vargas did a couple of things that will probably surprise you. Zach Granite made a web gem for Ft. Myers. And you’ll be impressed by the top of the Cedar Rapids lineup. Image courtesy of Steve Buhr (photo of Tanner English) It was a busy Tuesday in the Minnesota Twins minor league system. All six full-season affiliates played, with the GCL Twins playing two games. Max Kepler got on base four times, and he wasn’t even the hitter of the day. Kennys Vargas did a couple of things that will probably surprise you. Zach Granite made a web gem for Ft. Myers. And you’ll be impressed by the top of the Cedar Rapids lineup. All that and more in the coming paragraphs of today’s Twins Minor League Report. TRANSACTIONS With Tyler Duffey promoted to the Twins, Jason Wheeler was promoted from the Lookouts to the Red Wings. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Gwinnett 5 Box Score Michael Bowden made his second Red Wings start. In this one, he gave up two runs on seven hits over 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out one. Aaron Thompson came on and got the final out of the sixth. He got one out in the seventh as well before leaving with two men on base. Michael Tonkin came on having not allowed a run in over 16 innings. However, he gave up a three run homer that provided the final 5-2 score. The Red Wings had eight hits. James Beresford and Jose Martinez each had two hits. Reynaldo Rodriguez and Danny Ortiz each hit their 28th doubles. Chris Herrmann went 1-2 with a walk and stole his third base. Danny Santana went 0-4 and is now 1-12 since his return from the Twins. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 10, Jackson 3 Box Score Down 3-2 going into the seventh inning, Chattanooga scored five times in the seventh and three times in the eighth to get a commanding win. Catcher Jairo Rodriguez was the only Lookouts hitter without a hit. Kennys Vargas was moved to the ninth spot in the lineup. He went 2-5 with a triple (yes, really) and his fifth home run. Max Kepler went 2-3 with two walks. He also stole his 14th and 15th bases. Stephen Wickens went 2-4 with a walk and his tenth double. Dalton Hicks and Heiker Meneses each went 2-5. Jorge Polanco hit a single and walked twice. Adam Brett Walker doubled for the 24th time this season and drove in his 85th and 86th runs of the season. With Jason Wheeler moving back up to AAA, the Lookouts needed to go with a bullpen game. Tim Shibuya started and gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits in three innings. Adrian Salcedo gave up one run on two hits and a walk in two innings. DJ Johnson gave up a hit and a walk, but no runs, in two innings. Alex Wimmers struck out three over two perfect innings. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, St. Lucie 7 Box Score Mat Batts had a great July, but this August started out poorly. He gave up three runs in the first inning and another in the fourth. In all, he went five innings and gave up four runs (3 earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out three. He falls to 5-3 with a 2.04 ERA. Brian Gilbert gave up three runs on five hits in his inning. Zack Jones came on and struck out four over two perfect innings. Corey Williams struck out one in his scoreless inning. Marcus Knecht went 2-4 with a walk and his 18th Miracle double. Engelb Vielma was 2-4 with a walk. He stole his 25th and 26th bases. Aderlin Mejia went 2-5 with his sixth double. Zach Granite hit his third triple. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Dayton 1 Box Score The Kernels got strong pitching in this one, but the story in this game was the offense. The Kernels knocked out 15 hits to go with five walks. The top of the lineup definitely set the table. Leadoff man Tanner English led the way. He went 5-5 with three doubles (19 for the season) and three RBIs. He also stole his organization-leading 34th base. Nick Gordon hit second and went 3-4 with a walk. Brian Navarreto went 2-3 with a walk. Tyler Kuresa went 1-3 with two walks. On the mound, Keaton Steele got the job done and evened his season record at 3-3. He gave up one run on five hits over seven innings. He struck out three without walking a batter. Luke Bard gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 2, Johnson City 5 Box Score One tough inning was the difference in this game. Jermaine Palacios has been great with the bat, but his fifth inning error led to four unearned runs. Andro Cutura was charged with five runs, though just one was earned, in five innings. He gave up seven hits, walked one and hit one while striking out four. Tyler Stirewalt gave up just one hit and hit a batter over three shutout innings. Manuel Guzman led the offense. He went 3-4 with his second double. Jermaine Palacios went 2-5 with his fourth double in four games with the E-Twins. Travis Blankenhorn went 2-4. GCL TWINS TAKES Game 1 – GCL Twins 7, GCL Orioles 0 Box Score The Twins had a tremendous effort with the bats and the arms in Game 1 on Tuesday. Lachlan Wells made the start. The Austalian righty gave his team five innings of shutout ball. He gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out two. He is now 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA on the season. Brandon Poulson came on and worked two perfect innings. He struck out two. When Jermaine Palacios was promoted to Elizabethton, Ariel Montesino was sent back to the GCL. In this game, he went 2-3 with a walk, a double and a home run. Luis Martinez went 2-3 with two RBI. Lewin Diaz went 1-2 with two walks. Christian Cavaness made his first start and went 1-2 with a walk. A rehabbing Blake Schmit went 1-3 with a walk. Game 2 – GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 5 (8 innings) Box Score The second game needed an extra inning. Eduardo del Rosario made the start and he continued to pitch very well. He gave up just one hit over five shutout innings. He walked two and struck out five. Then Max Cordy came on for the sixth inning. He gave up two runs on one hit and a walk in just 2/3 of an inning. Johan Quezada came on and got the final out of the sixth and then worked the seventh. He gave up an unearned run on two hits. He struck out two. Hector Lujan came on and got two outs in the eighth. However, he gave up two runs on three hits to take the loss. Lean Marrero, the Twins 16th-round pick in June out of Puerto Rico, went 2-4 in the game with his first professional home run. Lewin Diaz went 2-3 with a walk. Roberto Molina went 2-4 with two RBI. Luis Arraez went 1-3 with two walks. Blake Schmit went 1-4 and stole a base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Keaton Steele, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Tanner English, Cedar Rapids Kernels WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Gwinnett (6:35 CST) – LHP Taylor Rogers (8-8, 3.65 ERA) Chattanooga @ Jackson (7:05 CST) – RH Greg Peavey (6-3, 4.41 ERA) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves (5-1, 2.11 ERA) Dayton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge (5-4, 2.49 ERA) Elizabethton – No Game Scheduled GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00 CST) – TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below View full article

Great article! Duffey is a strong kid, and he can eat some innings when he is on because he doesn't throw a lot of pitches. I don't think he'd be on any sort of innings limit, maybe 170-180. Also, we need to be excited about him debuting in the big leagues and his potential... however, we need to remember that he has to overcome nerves and excitement AND the Blue Jays offense. I talked to him in spring training. Check that story out here.

Right, just three games... Plus, another solid start from Berrios. A very nice start from Baxendale. And a homer from Polanco.

Saw him in spring. I don't think he's 145 anymore, maybe when he signed, but I don't think he's much more than 165 either.

It’s that time of the month again. Here we are in August. The trade deadline has passed, and there is just over a month left in the 2015 minor league seasons. Today, we take a look at the top hitting performances in the Twins farm system in July. Starting tomorrow, we’ll also post the top starters and relievers for the month. Image courtesy of USA Today Sports It’s that time of the month again. Here we are in August. The trade deadline has passed, and there is just over a month left in the 2015 minor league seasons. Today, we take a look at the top hitting performances in the Twins farm system in July. Starting tomorrow, we’ll also post the top starters and relievers for the month. Let’s start with a few Honorable Mentions: Danny Ortiz – Rochester Red Wings – (24-98), .245/.302/.469 (.771), seven doubles, five home runs and 18 RBI. Reynaldo Rodriguez – Rochester Red Wings – (31-110), .282/.319/.509 (.828), eight doubles, one triple, home runs and 23 RBI. Tanner English – Cedar Rapids Kernels – (28-102), .275/.362/.441 (.803), six doubles, one triple, three home runs and 14 RBI. Nick Gordon – Cedar Rapids Kernels – (30-97), .309/.349/.423 (.772), seven doubles, two triples, 13 RBI. Let’s get to the Top 6 Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitters for July: Number 6 – GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins – 3B Travis Blankenhorn - (26-95) .310/.383/.464 (.847) with five doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 RBI. Blankenhorn was the Minnesota Twins third-round draft pick in June, and he makes his debut on the Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the month in July. On Monday, he celebrated his 19th birthday. He signed quickly and began with the GCL Twins. He hit .245/.362/.408 (.770) with four doubles and two triples there. On July 11, he was promoted to Elizabethton where he is hitting .288/.347/.424 (.771) with three doubles and two homers in 18 games. Blankenhorn is a terrific athlete and has played four positions already in his young career. However, since moving up to E-Town, he has only played third base.Number 5 – Elizabethton Twins – OF LaMonte Wade - (30-102) .294/.381/.510 (.891) with five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 20 RBI. LaMonte Wade was another 2015 Twins draft pick. He was the ninth-round pick out of the University of Maryland. He played first base the first two years and was set to play center field this year, but he broke his hamate bone. Since signing, he has hit very well. Overall, the 21-year-old is hitting .308/.400/.511 (.911) with six doubles, three triples, five home runs and 27 RBI.Number 4 – Cedar Rapids Kernels – OF Edgar Corcino - (37-107) .346/.412/.449 (.860) with six doubles, a triple, a home run and 10 RBI. Corcino was the Tigers 26th round pick in 2009 out of high school in Puerto Rico. He stayed in that organization through the 2012 season (spending three games in AAA). He spent the 2013 and 2014 season in independent leagues. Corcino works out in the offseason with Twins prospect JO Berrios. The Twins signed him to a minor league contract. He began the season in extended spring training, but on May 30, he was promoted to the Kernels. Since then, he has been one of the team’s most consistent hitters. In 55 games overall, he has hit .294/.350/.416 (.766) with 11 doubles, three triples and three home runs. He is a tremendous athlete.Number 3 – Rochester Red Wings – OF Oswaldo Arcia - (24-92) .261/.352/.576 (.928) with five doubles, eight home runs and 20 RBI. Oswaldo Arcia is not supposed to be hitting mammoth home runs in AAA. He’s supposed to be hitting mammoth home runs in Target Field and all around the big leagues. There was hope that the 24-year-old would take the next step to super-stardom. After starting the season with the Twins, he was hurt and then optioned to Rochester. In 54 games with the Red Wings, he has hit just .240/.303/.439 (.742) with 12 doubles and nine home runs. From July 1 through July 16 (13 games), Arcia hit .367/.446/.918 (1.365) with three doubles, eight home runs and 19 RBI. He’s slowed down since, but that is the type of power that he is capable of.Number 2 – Chattanooga Lookouts – OF Max Kepler – (22-72) .306/.412/.556 (.967) with five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 15 RBI. Kepler was the choice for Twins Daily minor league hitter of the month in May and runner-up in June. The Twins named him hitter of the month in both May and June. Kepler continued to crush the ball in July despite missing a week with a slight shoulder injury. His name was reportedly requested of the Twins in many trade rumors last week. The Twins moved him to near-untouchable. Signed in July of 2009 from Germany, Kepler has slowly worked his way up the system. In 2015, his immense tools have started turning into skills. Expect to see him debut with the Twins in September, if not sooner.The July 2015 Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... GCL Twins/Elizabethton Twins IF Jermaine Palacios (39-78) .500/.541/.718 (1.259) with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and 14 RBI. The Twins signed infielder Jermaine Palacios out of Venezuela in September of 2013 for $70,000 (hat tip, Jeremy Nygaard). He is long and lanky and a good athlete. He spent 2014 in the Dominican Summer League where he hit .270/.404/.399 (.802) with 11 doubles and six triples. He also stole 14 bases in 17 attempts. He was invited to Twins minor league spring training and started the season with extended spring training. He began the short season in the GCL and hit .421/.472/.589 (1.061) with nine doubles, two triples and a home run. On the final day of July, he was promoted to Elizabethton where he went 3-5 in each of his first two games. He has homered in two of his three games there. One Twins-related person said of Palacios that he is a "hard-working kid. He has the ability to play shortstop and has good quickness." Palacios has really good bat speed and the ability to hit to all fields. As impressive, the just-turned-19-year-old has a very high baseball IQ. Palacios had a huge July and has made himself one to watch as the season continues to move forward and beyond.There were several strong performances in July. The short season teams played the whole month, so they had their first chance to make these lists. What do you think of the choice of Jermaine Palacios? Should Max Kepler have won it again? In coming days, we’ll be sharing our choices for Twins Daily Minor League Pitchers of the Month. View full article

As Steve Buhr pointed out a couple months ago, there is Trackman at Cedar Rapids, and I assume there is in Ft. Myers too. Not sure if they use it in the GCL or E-Town.

Kernels announce... Luke Westphal to Ft. Myers. TJ White back to Cedar Rapids. Sean Miller to DL.

After his complete game shutout on Saturday night, Sam Gibbons was named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week.

Reynaldo Rodriguez was named the International League Hitter of the Week. Red Wings press release: Rodriguez hit in all six Red Wings games last week and batted .385 (10-for-26) with four doubles, a triple, two home runs, five RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base. His 22 total bases, .846 slugging and 1.231 OPS were tops in the league from July 27-August 2 while tying for the league lead in runs and extra-base hits. He hit two home runs during the period, tying him with Danny Ortiz for the team lead with 12. Reynaldo had four multi-hit efforts during the week and has three straight multi-hit games. He has also doubled in four straight. Rodriguez leads the IL with 44 extra-base hits, 64 runs scored and ranks third with 27 doubles and 176 total bases. He’s hit in 10 straight games since July 23.

When does Chapter 4 come out?

No way... I'll take Tommy Watkins... I mean, Oliva is almost 80 years old.

Minnesota Twins Minor League Player of the Week: Week 1: Tyler Duffey, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 2: Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels Week 3: Byron Buxton, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 4: Trey Vavra, Cedar Rapids Lookouts Week 5: Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 6: Max Kepler, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 7: Aaron Slegers, Ft. Myers Miracle Week 8: Brandon Peterson, Ft. Myers Miracle Week 9: David Hurlbut, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 10: Alex Wimmers, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 11: Engelb Vielma, Ft. Myers Miracle Week 12: AJ Achter, Rochester Red Wings Week 13: Oswaldo Arcia, Rochester Red Wings Week 14: Mat Batts, Ft. Myers Miracle Week 15: Felix Jorge, Cedar Rapids Kernels Double-A Chattanooga catcher Stuart Turner is the Twins minor league Player of the Week...Turner played in five games for the Lookouts, hitting .471 (8-for-17) with two doubles, one home run, four RBI, six runs scored and six walks with a .609 on-base percentage...in 73 games for the Lookouts this season, Turner has hit .220 (55-for-250) with 10 doubles, one triple, four home runs and 25 RBI...the Louisiana native was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft from the University of Mississippi.

No.

May is fine, and frankly, right now, he's the one guy in the bullpen that can be counted on.

Tough question... and obviously they're all good. I have known Tommy for 5 years now, and I really think he does a good job. He is very optimistic and encouraging, but he is also technical. I've heard some of Chad Allen's philosophies and talked to him once, and it's hard to argue with any of that. Dwyer has been around for a long time. Tim Doherty was an unknown when they hired him, but he seems to be doing a nice job as well. It's hard to know because a good hitting coach doesn't necessarily mean the players will perform. All I look for is that they have a sense of good technique, but realize that everyone is different. And, willingness to try creative things. Willingness to use video, etc. Can't really ask for much more.

I was told that he did NOT leave with an injury, so I'm encouraged.

English is really good defensively. He's not tall, but he can cover a lot of ground! Strong arm too.