Seth Stohs

Before tonight's All Star game, the results of the Franchise Four voting was announced for each team. It was based on voting by fans. Here are the Twins Franchise Four: Tony OlivaKirby PuckettHarmon KillebrewRod Carew

I was going to say... at some point, he'll slump in the big leagues and that will be what will show us the most about him. How he overcomes struggles.

I don't mind fluff at all if it's done well. I don't like seeing the kids out there. Freaks me out every time there's a pop up and more so every line drive. I didn't see the other players as much. Did they leave early? Definitely didn't show them as much. Then again, I missed the first round.

Gotchya... but i would say that Thompson's first 6 weeks earned him some leeway and opportunity. I think Duensing's earned some equity over a long time and has been good now for about a month. I think that O'Rourke getting an opportunity here is well deserved and earned. Thielbar was pretty good for a couple of years so he had an opportunity earlier in the year. My gut feeling (And I have a big gut, so maybe it means something, maybe it doesn't) is that O'Rourke's going to get a few weeks to see what he can do, and if that doesn't go well, Rogers would get a shot.

Because he's been good as a starter and they should want him to continue starting... He gets to strengthen his arm, work in all kinds of situations, use all his pitches and work on facing more lefties and righties.

As others have noted, I think that this is a pretty good comp. Gordon is quite skinny, though he has already added about 15 pounds of muscle before spring training started (not sure if he's been able to keep it on during the season). He'll grow and mature and he'll certainly work. I think that the Buxton situation may have set an unrealistic expectation for what first rounders out of high school do. Few get to that level. Speaking of Span, he signed late and spent his first pro season at E-Town. So Gordon is ahead of that by a year. I think his ability to come back after the slow middle has been impressive. His defense has been strong all along.

I have to admit. I wasn't planning on really watching the HR Derby last night. I figured I'd have it on as background noise. But, it captured my attention. The new format is awesome!! I'd be curious what others think, but I really enjoyed it. Seemingly each round, Todd Frazier hit a bunch late to win it. That was intense. It went quicker. I thought it was great!! What did you all think?

Raise your hand if you predicted the Twins would be nine games over .500 at the All- Star break and have the second best record in the American League. There have been many great stories in the first half. One of the more exciting stories is that the future is becoming the present with the Twins. Through the four 90-plus loss seasons, one thing that Twins fans could cling on to was their minor league system. The last couple of years, the Twins have a consensus Top 3 farm system. It was great to know that there were some high-level prospects, but they were in the lower levels of the minor leagues. Image courtesy of Brad Rempel, USA Today Raise your hand if you predicted the Twins would be nine games over .500 at the All- Star break and have the second best record in the American League. There have been many great stories in the first half. One of the more exciting stories is that the future is becoming the present with the Twins. Through the four 90-plus loss seasons, one thing that Twins fans could cling on to was their minor league system. The last couple of years, the Twins have a consensus Top 3 farm system. It was great to know that there were some high-level prospects, but they were in the lower levels of the minor leagues. However, despite some injuries and other unfortunate circumstances in 2014, timelines got delayed. Instead of some of these players making their debuts last year, Twins fans had to wait until this season to see these guys in big league uniforms. 12 players under the age of 26 have spent time with the Minnesota Twins in the first half. While the season started with a very veteran ball club, over the course of the season’s first three months, the average age has dropped. As you would expect with young players in their first couple of seasons in the big leagues, there have been ups and downs. 24-year-olds Kennys Vargas and Danny Santana began the season with the Twins and both struggled to the point where they were sent down. Santana is back, but Vargas was sent back to Rochester, and then to Chattanooga. Looking back at our preseason Top 10 Twins Prospects rankings, it’s clear that the future is here and that over the rest of this season and next, the future is going to get an opportunity to do some special things. Consensus top prospect Byron Buxton (21) missed a lot of time last year with a variety of injuries. He was streaky to start the 2015 season at Chattanooga, but in mid-June, it was time. He was called up to the Twins. He played terrific defense, and despite not hitting well, his terrific tools were on full display. His first major league hit was a stand-up triple. He showed great range and a strong arm in center field. His ‘hit’ tool is the one that’s going to require some patience. He sprained a thumb and is likely to miss several more weeks. Just two weeks ago, the Twins needed some offense. They summoned Miguel Sano (22) from AA Chattanooga and he immediately started to hit. Whereas Buxton provides speed and defense that Sano will not, Sano’s bat has never really been a question. His first big league hit was an infield single. In 11 games, he has hit .378/.489/.649 (1.138) with four doubles and two homers. As impressive as his hits have been, his plate approach and discipline have also been terrific. It’s been a very impressive debut for the Dominican slugger. Speaking of impressive debuts, the Twins surprised everybody in early May when they promoted #8 prospect Eddie Rosario (23) from Rochester even though he hadn’t put up very good numbers. On the very first pitch he saw in the big leagues, Rosario hit a long home run off of Scott Kazmir. He’s certainly had some ups and downs at the plate and though he hasn’t walked much, he does have a good idea at the plate. Defensively, he has been terrific in the corner outfield spots. Our #9 Twins prospect, you may recall, Trevor May (25) was not supposed to be on the Opening Day roster. Three days before the season started, Ervin Santana was suspended and May was added to the Twins roster. He has been much improved this year, reducing his walk total while still getting strikeouts. #7 prospect Jorge Polanco (22) came up for one day and made one start. He was recalled from AA Chattanooga. Shortly after returning to the Lookouts, he was promoted to AAA Rochester. Alex Meyer (25) had a terrible start to his 2015 season in Rochester. The Twins Daily preseason #5 prospect was moved to the bullpen where he was good through nine outings and then called up to the Twins. He made two appearances that didn’t go well and has been sent back to Rochester to continue to work on his control and pitches coming out of the bullpen. The Twins Rule 5 draft pick JR Graham has held his own throughout the first half. The 25-year-old has even thrived at times out of the Twins bullpen. Sometimes he’s worked mop-up duties. Other times, he’s worked three innings. He even made one spot start. He is blessed with a big fastball, so his future is encouraging. Michael Tonkin’s frequent-flyer miles between Rochester and Minneapolis continued accumulating in the first half. He’s been solid in AAA but struggled with consistency with his slider and fastball command in the big leagues. However, he still remains someone to be optimistic about being a late-inning relief option. Oswaldo Arcia seemingly has been around forever and yet he only turned 24 during the season. He fought injury with the Twins and after a DL stint was optioned to Rochester. Two weeks ago, he was hitting just .185 there but the last two weeks he has dominated the International League, showing the type of power that made him a high prospect all along. He will come back up at some point and hopefully can show a level of maturity and put up improved numbers. After starting as the Twins starting center fielder the previous two years, Aaron Hicks began 2015 in AAA Rochester. Instead of complaining, he went down and hit .330 and played great defense. By the end of May, he was back up with the Twins. After a short DL stint and a rehab assignment in Rochester, he came back up and has been a different ballplayer. Again, he’s been around a while, but he is still just 24-years-old. The type of improvement that Hicks has shown in recent weeks is what the Twins hope for from Arcia as well as eventually Kennys Vargas. Danny Santana finished the first half strong, but he’ll have to continue to show improvement with the bat. There are the 12 Twins players under the age of 26 who have spent time in the big leagues in 2015. They’re all going to take their lumps (probably even Sano!), but those are great learning opportunities as they go forward. As Ron Popeil would say, “Just wait, there’s more!” And the minor league cupboard is not bare after all of these promotions. There are more prospects that we could see in the second half of the 2015 season. Through eight starts in Chattanooga and nine starts in Rochester, Tyler Duffey (24) is 5-6 but has an ERA of just 2.51 in 111 innings. His AA ERA was 2.56 while his AAA ERA this year is just 2.47. He’s been solid and consistent. He is a guy that could help the Twins bullpen down the stretch. Lefty Taylor Rogers (24) has been steady throughout his minor league career. At AAA this year, he is 7-6 with a 3.19 ERA. A quick look at his splits shows that lefties are hitting .185/.203/.194 (.397) against him and he has a walk to strikeout ratio of two to 37 against same-sided hitters. Ryan O’Rourke (27) got his first big league promotion right before the All Star break, but if needed Rogers could fill a bullpen role down the stretch too. Right-hander JO Berrios turned 21 in May. On Sunday, he started his second straight Futures Game for the World Team. He went 8-3 with a 3.08 ERA in 15 starts at Double-A before being promoted to AAA Rochester recently. He’s struggled in his two starts there so far, but he remains one of the top pitching prospects in the game. Could we see him in September? Max Kepler (22) was supposed to play in the Futures Game as well, but he has a sore shoulder and is currently on the DL. Hopefully it won’t be a long stint as he has been one of the hottest hitters in minor league baseball for two months. He is hitting .335/.410/.534 (.944) in 65 games for the Lookouts. Signed in 2009 (same year as Polanco and Sano), Sano is just coming into his own in 2015 and if healthy should be up in September after a Lookouts playoff run. At Chattanooga, Adam Brett Walker (23) is hitting .266/.321/.578 and leads minor league baseball with 24 home runs and 74 RBI. He’s got the strikeouts, but his power is elite. He’s a possible September call up. One more name to watch in the second half is Minnesota-native Brandon Peterson. The 23-year-old began the season by dominating the Florida State League. He just ended a streak of 26 scoreless innings this weekend. Overall, he has a 1.05 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and 12.1 K/9 in 43 innings this season. Maybe a long shot to get to the Twins this year, but certainly a name to know. While Nick Burdi, Jake Reed and Zack Jones have struggled in AA, they remain top bullpen prospects and will pitch in Minnesota sometime. Meanwhile Peterson continues to pitch great. The future is now with the Twins. There are a lot of quality veterans on this 2015 Minnesota Twins team. Guys like Torii Hunter, Trevor Plouffe and all-stars Glen Perkins and Brian Dozier are all examples of players who struggled mightily in their adjustment to the big leagues and have thrived since. Not all prospects make that adjustment. They’re not all going to stick. But the Twins farm system is strong and deep. It is going to be an interesting second half of the Twins. And for the fans! View full article

Of course... But I'd also say that caught stealings haven't been the only base running issues this year (or in previous years).

Mat Batts was named the Pitcher of the Week in the Florida State League.

To no surprise, Oswaldo Arcia was named the International League Hitter of the Week.

Gordon is now hitting .340 over a 12 game hitting streak.

If you want to put together a list of players, I'll "quote" it and give some quick grades.

Molitor is also viewed as a hitting guru, but he was a bad hitting coach. He was a great base runner and hasn't been a good base running coach. Thankfully, to this point, he appears to be a better manager than coach! Dozier's on pace for some just silly numbers, and that is awesome!

I'd think that would be a fun thing to do... Of course, 30 players times 4 affiliates is 120 or so players to grade...

Tremendous point! It's just way too early to evaluate any of the drafts after about 2010. Gibson now is just getting it going - due to Tommy John surgery. If not for that surgery, he would already have 4 years under his belt. I'd say that was a terrific 21st or 22nd overall pick. Guys like Burdi, Melotakis, Eades, Stewart... it's way too early to say they're busts or successes.

Berrios walked the first batter he faced, but then he picked him off. He got the next two hitters out quickly. One walk in a scoreless inning.

Who? I mean, Berrios and Polanco have moved up to AAA. Not sure others from AA need to move up to AAA right now. This is a pretty normal AAA roster. A lot of veteran players.

Zack Jones sent down to Ft. Myers. Matt Summers promoted back to AA Chattanooga.

I'd prefer not to use the option if they don't have to. In my opinion, have him use the full 20 days of rehab in Rochester and then activate him to the big league roster. As for Robinson, I think he's here for awhile. Guys like Arcia, Rosario, Hicks, Buxton... they need to play every day. Robinson, as a 4th/5th outfielder can come off the bench for a start a week and to pinch run or play defense. That's his value, and he's pretty good at it. I don't want the other guys sitting on the bench. That makes no sense.

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 Triple-A Rochester outfielder Oswaldo Arcia is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week...Arcia appeared in eight games for the Red Wings, hitting .296 (8-for-27) with one double, five home runs, 11 RBI, seven runs scored and four walks...in 40 games for the Red Wings, Arcia has hit .274 (40-for-146) with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 29 RBI.

Blankenhorn to E-Town... Sean Miller up to Cedar Rapids.

Gordon's going to get the great majority of the playing time at shortstop. Miller will likely play all three middle infield spots, along with Valera as well.

Brian Dozier is an All-Star. The Twins topped the Tigers again. Kohl Stewart and Randy Rosario were very good. A 2015 draft pick continues to impress on the mound in E-Town, while a fellow 2015 pick was promoted to Cedar Rapids. The minor league leader in hits added three more on Saturday and a top prospect had his first two doubles. And, Rochester had a big, late inning rally. It was a full day in the Twins system on Saturday! Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photos of Amaurys Minier and Randy Rosario) Brian Dozier is an All-Star. The Twins topped the Tigers again. Kohl Stewart and Randy Rosario were very good. A 2015 draft pick continues to impress on the mound in E-Town, while a fellow 2015 pick was promoted to Cedar Rapids. The minor league leader in hits added three more on Saturday and a top prospect had his first two doubles. And, Rochester had a big, late inning rally. It was a full day in the Twins system on Saturday! Here's what happened in the Twins farm system on Saturday. TRANSACTIONS 2015 Twins draft pick Sean Miller was promoted from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids, taking T.J. White’s spot. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 8, Syracuse 4 Box Score Down 4-2 going into the eighth inning, the Red Wings put together a very quick rally. James Beresford singled to lead off the inning. Oswaldo Arcia doubled high off the right field wall to drive in one. Reynaldo Rodriguez scored Arcia with his 21st double of his own. Danny Ortiz then homered to break the tie and give the Red Wings a 6-4 lead. All runs were charged to #OldFriend PJ Walters. The Red Wings added two more runs in the top of the ninth. James Beresford went 3-5. Arcia went 2-4 with a walk and his tenth double. Ortiz drove in three runs. Chris Herrmann went 2-3 with a walk and a double.Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-5 with a double. Pat Dean started. He went the first four innings and was charged with three runs on six hits. He walked two and struck out five. Alex Meyer went the next 2.1 innings. He gave up one run on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. Michael Tonkin gave up just one hit and recorded the next five outs. AJ Achter came on to protect the four-run lead in the ninth. After giving up back-to-back singles to start the ninth, he got back-to-back strikeouts followed by a groundout to end the game. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 1, Mississippi 5 Box Score The Lookouts continue to struggle, falling to 3-12 in the second half. DJ Baxendale started and gave up five runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out two. Scott Atchison needed just 20 pitches to get through two perfect innings. Tim Shibuya walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth. The Lookouts managed just five hits. Adam Brett Walker went 2-4 (including a ninth inning single off of fellow Milwaukee native and former Twins prospect Tyler Jones – who struck out two in a scoreless ninth frame). Kennys Vargas went 1-3 with a walk and his second Lookout double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Clearwater 1 Box Score Kohl Stewart improved to 4-5 on the season and dropped his season ERA to 3.28 on Saturday night. The right-hander went seven innings and gave up one run on seven hits. He walked three and struck out two. Dallas Gallant struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning. Corey Williams gave up two hits but no runs in a scoreless inning. Alex Swim provided another big game. He went 3-4 with his ninth double and two RBIs and is now hitting .316. Michael Quesada went 2-2 with two walks. Ryan Walker went 2-4. Mitch Garver hit his 15th double. Tanner Vavra’s two-run single gave the Miracle the lead. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Kane County 0 Box Score Randy Rosario began the 2014 season in the Cedar Rapids rotation. After one start, he was done and had Tommy John surgery. On Saturday night, Rosario made his second start since his return. He went six shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked two and struck out four. Cameron Booser struck out three over two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit and walked a batter. Trevor Hildenberger worked the ninth inning. He gave up a hit but recorded his 12th save of the season, as his ERA dropped to 0.85. Brian Navarreto got the Kernels offense going. His two-run single in the second inning provided all the scoring. Newcomer Sean Miller played shortstop and went 2-4. Tanner English led off and went 2-4 with a walk. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Johnson City 1 Box Score Cody Stashak was the Twins 13th round pick in June out of St. Johns. In his first two starts, he gave up no runs in nine innings. This start began with three more scoreless innings before he gave up a single run in the fourth. In his six innings, he gave up just the one run on six hits. He struck out seven without issuing a walk. Onesimo Hernandez gave up two hits and a walk in two scoreless innings. Kuo Hua Lo pitched a perfect ninth. Amaurys Minier led the offense. He hit his first two E-Town doubles in his first two at-bats and ended the game 3-4. A.J. Murray went 2-4 and put the game out of reach with a two-run homer in the eighth inning. The homer was his second of the season. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 0 Box Score The Twins scored two in the bottom of the first. That was it for scoring. Fortunately, five pitchers were able to hold the Red Sox scoreless all nine innings. Luis Arraez led off the bottom of the first with a single. Three batters later, Lewin Diaz doubled him in. Later, Jermaine Palacios scored on a passed ball. The Twins had just seven hits in the game. No one had more than one. Jose Martinez started and threw four scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked one. Miguel Gonzalez came on and struck out four over two shutout innings. Chris Mazza struck out two in his rehab outing. Johan Quezada came on and hit 97 a few times. He worked a perfect eighth. Yorman Landa finished things out with a perfect ninth. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy Rosario, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Amaurys Minier, Elizabethton Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Syracuse (12:05 CST) – RHP Greg Peavey Mississippi @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – LHP Jason Wheeler Clearwater @ Ft. Myers (305 CST) – LHP Stephen Gonsalves Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (1:00 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Johnson City @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. View full article