Seth Stohs

I don't think that's unusual. Aside from a handful of players, most players develop power as they get older, more mature (physical and emotional), learn how to get lift, all while moving up and facing better pitching. That said, I think Minier and Diaz and several others have the ability to hit for a lot of power.

Yup, and Buxton is just shy of the PA limits. He's there too.

The Twins signed RHP Michael Bowden this morning. He will be in the starting rotation of the Rochester Red Wings. Per Mike Berardino, Greg Peavey will return to Chattanooga. Bowden was a supplemental 1st round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2005. He pitched in 39 games for the Red Sox between 2008 and 2012 when they traded him to the Cubs. He pitched in 64 games for the Cubs in 2012 and 2013. He went 7-2 with a 1.91 ERA with Norfolk, AAA affiliate of the Orioles. Last week, he opted out of his contract and the Twins have signed. Though he's worked primarily out of the bullpen, he did make quite a few starts for the Tides this year and will start in the Rochester rotation.

My lasting memory of him from spring training was spring of 2014, in an intrasquad game, he hit a LONG home run off of JO Berrios. Earlier, he had hit a LONGER homer (though it was just foul).

Terrific... He's thrown out over 50% of base stealers the last two seasons. He's got some things to work on, calling games, continuing to block well, etc. But he's got a big arm and size and could be good.

Here is a look at the updated Twins minor league standings and statistical leaders through Friday, July 24. This is a good way to get to know which players are putting up the best numbers this year. It looks beyond the top prospects. Feel free to discuss. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs Here is a look at the updated Twins minor league standings and statistical leaders through Friday, July 24. This is a good way to get to know which players are putting up the best numbers this year. It looks beyond the top prospects. Feel free to discuss. STANDINGS Here is a quick look at where the teams rank in their divisions. For Cedar Rapids, Ft. Myers and Chattanooga, we’ll consider their 2nd half standings as well as their overall record for the full season. As you recall, Cedar Rapids and Chattanooga have already clinched playoff berths for their first half performances. Rochester is 53-47 overall. They fell 1/2 game behind Scranton/Wilkes Barre in the International League North Division. The two teams have been going back and forth atop the division. Chattanooga is also 52-42 overall this season. However, in the second half, they are in fourth place, just 9-17, and 9.5 games behind Birmingham. Ft. Myers is 16-12 in the 2nd half. They are in third place and four games behind Palm Beach in the division. Overall, they are 54-44 this year. Cedar Rapids is 57-42 overall on the season. Despite a 16-13 record in the 2nd half, they are in fourth place in the division, seven games behind Kane County. Elizabethton is 13-16 on the season. They are three games behind Greeneville and two games back of Kingsport. The GCL Twins are 14-12. They are four games behind the GCL Red Sox in the division. HITTERS For batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, IsoD and IsoP, we used a minimum of 270 plate appearances. Plate Appearances: Zach Granite (403), Reynaldo Rodriguez (388), Jorge Polanco (382), Adam Brett Walker (380), Nick Gordon (376) Batting Average: Max Kepler (.325), Alex Swim (.318), James Beresford (.302), Jorge Polanco (.297), Miguel Sano (.274) On-Base Percentage: Max Kepler (.404), Miguel Sano (.374), Mitch Garver (.359), Alex Swim (.357), Zach Granite (.356) Isolated Discipline: Mitch Garver (.125), Travis Harrison (.109), Miguel Sano (.100), Marcus Knecht/Niko Goodrum (.097), Tanner English (.094) Slugging Percentage: Adam Brett Walker (.563), Miguel Sano (.544), Max Kepler (.502), Danny Ortiz (.424), Reynaldo Rodriguez (.420) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.299), Miguel Sano (.270), Danny Ortiz (.181), Max Kepler (.177), Reynaldo Rodriguez (.164) OPS: Miguel Sano (.918), Max Kepler (.906), Adam Brett Walker (.882), Jorge Polanco (.730), Alex Swim (.726) Hits: Alex Swim/Jorge Polanco (106), James Beresford (100), Max Kepler/Zach Granite (94), Adam Brett Walker (92) 2B: Max Kepler (26), Reynaldo Rodriguez (23), Adam Brett Walker/Danny Ortiz (22), Travis Harrison (20), Jorge Polanco (19) 3B: Byron Buxton (12), Max Kepler (8), Tanner English/Max Murphy (7), TJ White (5) HR: Adam Brett Walker (26), Miguel Sano (15), Danny Ortiz (11), Reynaldo Rodriguez/Oswaldo Arcia (9) Runs: Zach Granite (61), Reynaldo Rodriguez (57), Miguel Sano (55), Adam Brett Walker/Tanner English (54), Nick Gordon (52) RBI: Adam Brett Walker (84), Reynaldo Rodriguez/Danny Ortiz (55), Miguel Sano (48), Zach Larson (43) SB: Tanner English (29), Engelb Vielma (23), Nick Gordon (22), Niko Goodrum (21), Byron Buxton (20) STARTING PITCHERS (>75 IP) Innings: Tyler Duffey (123.1), Taylor Rogers (122.1), Pat Dean (118.2), JO Berrios (115.1), Greg Peavey (109.2) ERA: Stephen Gonsalves (1.68), Chih-Wei Hu (1.99), Mat Batts (2.06), Felix Jorge (2.10), Tyler Duffey (2.41), Aaron Slegers (2.88) WHIP: Felix Jorge (0.91), Mat Batts (1.047), Aaron Slegers (1.053), Chih-Wei Hu (1.08), Stephen Gonsalves (1.09), Tyler Duffey (1.10), JO Berrios (1.12) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (9.8), JO Berrios/Mat Batts (8.9), DJ Baxendale (8.2), Tyler Duffey (8.0) BB/9: Aaron Slegers (1.5), Greg Peavey/Mat Batts (1.9), Pat Dean/Felix Jorge (2.0), Tyler Duffey (2.1) Strikeouts: JO Berrios (114), Tyler Duffey (109), Mat Batts/Stephen Gonsalves (99), Taylor Rogers (85) Wins: Stephen Gonsalves (9-2), JO Berrios (9-3), Five with 7 Wins RELIEF PITCHERS (>30 IP, Games: AJ Achter (38), Todd Van Steensel (35), Alex Muren/JT Chargois (33), DJ Johnson (32), Brandon Peterson (31) Innings: Randy LeBlanc (59.2), Alex Muren (57.1), Todd Van Steensel (53.2), Mike Theofanopoulos (49.2), Brandon Peterson (49.0) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.77), Luke Bard (1.35), Alex Muren (1.57), Brandon Peterson (1.65), Randy LeBlanc (1.96), Todd Van Steensel (2.18) WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.66), AJ Achter (0.87), Luke Bard (0.93), Brandon Peterson (1.00), Alex Muren (1.01), Randy LeBlanc (1.07) K/9: Cameron Booser (12.6), Trevor Hildenberger (11.7), Lester Oliveros (11.6), Brandon Peterson (11.4), Todd Van Steensel (10.9), Nick Burdi (10.5) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.0), Tim Shibuya (1.8), AJ Achter (2.5), Randy LeBlanc (2.7), Alex Muren (3.0) Saves: AJ Achter/Trevor Hildenberger (14), Todd Van Steensel (12), JT Chargois (11), Zack Jones (10) There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, July 24. What are your thoughts? What surprised you? View full article

Stuart Turner (CHAT) - last 9 games - .344/.405/.406 (.812). Brian Navarreto (CR) - last 20 games - .329/.338/.411 (.749) Mitch Garver (FM) - last 46 games - .291/.395/.382 (.777)

If you’re looking solely at wins & losses, it was not a good night in the Twins farm system. The affiliates went 0-4 and two teams were rained out. That’ll make for a busy day on Saturday with eight games scheduled. Of course, development always trumps wins and losses in the minor leagues and there were still some quality performances on Friday. Continue on to read what happened on Friday in the Twins farm system. Image courtesy of Kim Klement, USA Today If you’re looking solely at wins & losses, it was not a good night in the Twins farm system. The affiliates went 0-4 and two teams were rained out. That’ll make for a busy day on Saturday with eight games scheduled. Of course, development always trumps wins and losses in the minor leagues and there were still some quality performances on Friday. Continue on to read what happened on Friday in the Twins farm system. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 4, Columbus 8 Box Score The Red Wings fell behind early and were unable to mount a comeback. Greg Peavey started. The right-hander gave up eight runs (five earned) on six hits in 3.2 innings. He walked two and struck out three. Logan Darnell came on and was terrific. The southpaw went 4.1 scoreless innings. He gave up just five hits, walked none and struck out three. James Beresford led the offense. The second baseman went 3-5 with his first home run of the season. Eric Farris went 3-4. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-4 with his 23rd double. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4. Jorge Polanco had a single. He also committed his eighth error with the Red Wings. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Tennessee 8 Box Score Jason Wheeler made the start for the Lookouts. The lefty went six innings. He was charged with six runs on ten hits. He walked three and struck out four. Brandon Peterson worked the final two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Adam Brett Walker went 2-5 with his 22nd double. He drove in his 83rd and 84th runs of the season. Heiker Meneses went 2-5. Stuart Turner was 1-2 with a walk. Levi Michael walked twice. MIRACLE MATTERS Tampa @ Ft. Myers Box Score The Miracle game was postponed by rain. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 13 Box Score It wasn’t exactly a pitcher’s duel in Cedar Rapids on Friday night. It’s hard to win when a team doesn’t get good pitching or defense. Randy Rosario made the start, but he was only able to get two outs before leaving. He was charged with five unearned runs thanks to two errors. He gave up four hits and walked two as well. Randy LeBlanc came on and threw 3.1 shutout innings. However, in one more inning, he did give up two runs. Cam Booser came in for the sixth inning. He was charged with six runs on five hits and three walks in the inning. Luke Bard then struck out three in two scoreless innings. And then in the ninth, infielder Rafael Valera pitched. He gave up one hit and walked one, but he didn’t allow a run. And he even got one strikeout. The offense was able to put up seven runs. Brian Navarreto led the way. He went 2-5 including his first home run of the season. Tyler Kuresa went 2-4 with a walk and his ninth double. Austin Diemer went 2-5 with his first Kernels double. Sean Miller is now hitting .342 since his promotion to the Kernels after a 2-4 game. Tanner English notched his seventh triple. E-TOWN E-NOTES Elizabethton 1, Kingsport 5 Box Score Sam Clay started this game. The southpaw gave up five runs (three earned) on five hits and two walks over just 3.1 innings. He struck out seven. Nate Gercken came on and struck out five over 3.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Tyler Stirewalt came on and pitched a scoreless inning. He gave up one hit and struck out one. The E-Twins mustered just three hits in this one. Rainis Silva walked twice. Travis Blankenhorn drove in the lone run with a single. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox Box Score Like the Miracle, the GCL Twins were postponed due to rain in Ft. Myers. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Nate Gercken, Elizabethton Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – James Beresford, Rochester Red Wings SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Columbus (6:15 CST) – TBD Chattanooga @ Tennessee (6:05 CST) – LHP David Hurlbut Tampa @ Ft. Myers (DH at 4:05 CST) – RHP Kohl Stewart, TBD Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Elizabethton @ Kingsport (6:00 CST) – RHP Cody Stashak GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox (9:00 CST) – TBD, TBD Feel free to leave any questions or comments below View full article

And since May 22 (47 games), he is hitting .301/.381/.382 (.763). He just had one bad month and has been pretty good since then. He's got a great swing and a good approach at the plate. I just think he needs to add his man muscles and he'll develop some good pop.

I think Mat Batts is right up there with Gonsalves, Hu and Duffey as the top starting pitchers this year, and of those names, his is probably the most surprising. But, maybe it shouldn't be. He was successful in D1. He's left-handed, and he's got a very deceptive delivery. It'll be interesting to see how he does in AA!

The Minnesota Twins bullpen has been a problem for the last couple of months. Finding a bridge from the Twins starters to All-Star closer Glen Perkins has been a challenge. As the July trade deadline is now one week away, we are likely to hear lots of rumors involving relievers, but there are a few guys in the minor leagues who warranty consideration for a big league bullpen gig, including right-handed starter Tyler Duffey. Image courtesy of Kelsie Redburn/Rochester Red Wings The Minnesota Twins bullpen has been a problem for the last couple of months. Finding a bridge from the Twins starters to All-Star closer Glen Perkins has been a challenge. As the July trade deadline is now one week away, we are likely to hear lots of rumors involving relievers, but there are a few guys in the minor leagues who warranty consideration for a big league bullpen gig, including right-handed starter Tyler Duffey. Duffey began the 2014 season with four starts in Ft. Myers. He moved up to Double-A and then ended his season with three starts in Triple-A Rochester. He earned an invitation to big league camp, but then he began this season back in Double-A, this time with Chattanooga. He had to be disappointed, but he handled it well. He made eight starts and went 2-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 52.2 innings. He earned a promotion back to Triple-A Rochester. In his first four starts for the Red Wings, he went 0-4 with a 5.64 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP in just 22.1 innings. Opponents hit .312/.340/.387 (.727) against him. However, he has made some adjustment and in his seven starts since then he is 4-1 with a 0.74 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP over 48.1 innings. Opponents have hit just .174/.230/.236 (.466). While with Chattanooga, he had a streak of 16.2 innings without allowing a run. With the Red Wings, he had a streak of 33.2 innings without allowing an earned run. In most recent Twins seasons, Duffey would likely already be making starts in Minnesota. However, the Twins starting rotation has been strong this season. Even if the Twins were to remove a starter from their current rotation, Trevor May would be the guy who would jump back into the starting rotation. No offense to Taylor Rogers or JO Berrios (who had another strong start on Thursday), but if the Twins needed a starter from Rochester, Duffey would have to be the choice. That brings us back to the Twins struggling bullpen. Is it time for the Twins to give Tyler Duffey an opportunity in their bullpen? Duffey has been primarily a starter in the Twins minor league system. You recall, however, that the Twins drafted Duffey in the fifth round of the 2012 draft. At Rice University, he was a reliever. He was a co-closer with JT Chargois (current closer in Chattanooga). In other words, the bullpen role would not be unfamiliar to him. If the Twins were to call up Duffey in the next couple of weeks to pitch out of their bullpen, it wouldn’t have to mean that he would need to remain a reliever. Depending on the Twins offseason, he could be moved back to the starting role in the 2016 season if that makes sense. It would be a move to help them in their hopes to make the playoffs in 2015. That isn’t to say that you call him up and immediately throw him into the eighth inning. The goal would simply be for him to help bridge the gap from starter to Perkins. There are games when they need a guy to finish the sixth or pitch a couple of innings. Duffey can do that. His transition to starter happened in the Twins minor leagues in 2013, his first full pro season. As he told Twins Daily in a spring training interview, “Except for a summer when I went to the Cape and somebody got sick and I made a couple of starts, but other than that, I was a closer/second-inning panic guy to come in and throw four innings.” His stuff is ready for the big leagues as a starter. As a starter, he works with a fastball in the low-90s. His best pitch is his 12-6 curveball. He also has a decent change-up. In his limited time in pro ball when he has worked out of the bullpen, his fastball has touched 97. He said that one of the keys to his success has been his sinker. He is a ground ball pitcher. Duffey is not currently on the Twins 40-man roster. He would need to be added, though I’m sure the Twins could find someone to remove from the roster if a move were needed. There are relievers in Rochester who have pitched well in AAA and deserve an opportunity as well. Michael Tonkin has been back and forth between the Red Wings and Twins for the last three years. At some point, they just have to give him an opportunity and stick with him for an extended period of time. He is out of options in 2016. If there is a most-deserving reliever in Rochester, it has to be AJ Achter. The former 46th round draft pick has been consistently terrific since being moved to the bullpen before the 2012 season. He debuted last September with the Twins. With the Red Wings this year, he is 4-2 with a Twins minor league-leading 14 saves. He has a 2.81 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP in 41.2 innings for the Red Wings. He’s walked just 2.6 per nine innings while striking out 9.3 per nine innings. Starter Taylor Rogers, a southpaw, has limited left-handed AAA hitters to just a .189/.206/.197 (.403) line this year. With Brian Duensing improved of late and Ryan O’Rourke doing very well in his two weeks with the Twins, particularly against lefties, Rogers should continue to start for Rochester. However, he should also be a strong consideration for September recall. JO Berrios is certainly the top prospect in Rochester. The 21-year-old dropped his AAA ERA from 5.60 to 4.01 with seven shutout innings on Thursday. He has very good stuff and will likely be considered for a promotion in August as well. He doesn’t need to be added to the Twins 40-man roster until after the 2016 season, but if the Twins believe he can help them win in 2015, they won’t hesitate to promote him. AJ Achter should already be in the Twins bullpen. Tyler Duffey should be strongly considered as a bullpen arm down the stretch for the Minnesota Twins. If you’ve endured the past four seasons as a Twins fan, this dilemma – plenty of deserving candidates for promotion to the Twins – is more than welcomed! View full article

Mainly I just wanted to know what the Twins record was over time. I mean, I knew in my mind that the Twins did traditionally poorly against west coast teams, but I wondered aloud if it was real or just perception. I think the data shows something. I threw out a few ideas, but I don't think there is one answer that's right or wrong. I suppose it would be good to know also how home teams fare in general.

Great to see Hildenberger finally get that promotion.

Late on Wednesday night, the Minnesota Twins lost 5-2 in Anaheim. It was their fourth straight loss and they are now 50-44 on the season. It was their fifth straight loss in Anaheim over the last two seasons. In the last four years, they are just 2-9 against the Angels on the road. We often hear about how poorly the Twins have played on the West Coast in recent years, but is there anything to it? Let’s take a look at the results. Image courtesy of Kirby Lee, USA Today Late on Wednesday night, the Minnesota Twins lost 5-2 in Anaheim. It was their fourth straight loss and they are now 50-44 on the season. It was their fifth straight loss in Anaheim over the last two seasons. In the last four years, they are just 2-9 against the Angels on the road. We often hear about how poorly the Twins have played on the West Coast in recent years, but is there anything to it? Let’s take a look at the results. In the last five years, the Twins are 9-10 (.473) at Seattle, 6-13 (.316) in Oakland and 4-13 (.235) against the Angels. That means that they’ve won just 34.5% of their games on the West Coast. That’s certainly not good, but the Twins haven’t been good over the last four years. Were they worse on the West Coast? Since the beginning of the 2011 season, the Twins overall winning percentage has been .425. Looking back 20 years, the trend is still in place. Playing in Seattle, the Twins are 36-51 (.413). They are 38-46 (.452) in Oakland. Against the Angels in Anaheim, the Twins are 33-46 (.418). When looking at the Twins overall performance over that extended period, we see that they have won .489 of their games (1,551-1,620). So this poor West Coast performance is not just a recent trend. It’s something that the Twins have struggled with for two decades. So, what could the reason possibly be? Is it just bad luck? Is it something deeper? We hear and read all kinds of reasons. Let’s look into some of them. I’ve read some accuse the team of not being prepared, or the manager not having his team ready. We read those same comments almost any time the team loses though, don’t we? I don’t think that’s fair. However, the fact that the Twins (or other teams) travel at least two time zones could have some effect, whether consciously or not. The Twins have a lot of players from California on their rosters. Is it possible that they are pulled in multiple directions while on those trips? That’s certainly possible. They probably deal with getting tickets for family and friends. This doesn’t seem like much, but it is extra responsibility. It certainly seems like there is something to this. Maybe others have opinions on why. Is it possible that the Twins teams over the last couple of decades just haven’t been as good as some of the teams in California? The Angels and A’s have certainly been very good most seasons and good teams should win at home. That seems most likely to me. What do you think, Twins fans? Why can the Twins not win on the West Coast? What are your philosophies for this unfortunate record? View full article

I'd love for them to get Gausman! I wanted them to take him instead of Buxton in that 2012 draft. (they were right, I was wrong) But I do believe Gausman can be a 3 or even a 2 in a good rotation. He's got the stuff. That said, I can't imagine they have interest in Hunter or Pelfrey.

Yeah, that is an interesting scenario because Blankenhorn (3rd round) took well under slot and Cabbage (4th round) got over slot, and I think Cabbage got a bigger signing bonus than Blankenhorn. So I was somewhat surprised to see Blankenhorn move up, but he's done well. Great athlete, and he can hit. But the profile of Cabbage is pretty similar too.

Brock explained my point perfectly. I personally think it's a bit silly to call a team soft or to call for a manager's head after a 1-3 start to the second half when they've overcome some tough stretches in the 1st half too. As for Hunter and his leadership. No one knows. My assumption is that he did a pretty good job leading and should get some credit for the turnaround (along with a lot of other things like Dozier, Molitor, Neil Allen, and more)... and when they're losing, it doesn't mean he isn't leading in the same way.

The big play of the game, in my opinion, wasn't the Ianetta homer. It came before that. With Pujols on 1B and nobody out, Gibson got a nice easy comebacker. He turned and way-too-quickly threw toward second. He didn't allow the shortstop (Escobar) to get close to the bag. The throw was also to the 1B side, so Escobar caught it a few feet from the bag and threw to first, unable to get either out. Gibson was trying to be too quick, rather than taking his time and letting the play develop. If done properly, it's a double play and two outs with no one on. Things just got worse from there. Instead of 2-0, it was 7-0. That one play was the turning point. To be fair, that is unusual. Gibson is a terrific defensive pitcher, so it was surprising to see that.

Well put. I think he sticks with the Kernels. And I think a big part of the reason is so that Vielma and Gordon can continue to play every day. They're both really good shortstops defensively. Gordon certainly has more offensive potential, though Vielma has been a pleasant surprise with the bat of late.

We certainly hope that he's this good, and yes, it is a SSS... but he's very talented.

Come on, ya'll... it's a long season. They've had other stretches. So has every team. It's baseball. They've overcome a lot of tough losses already this year. They've shown a lot in coming back from deficits. No reason to overreact and call names.