Seth Stohs

Every year following the long minor league season, the Twins invite many prospects and recent draft picks back to Ft. Myers for the Florida Instructional League. For the most part, this time is pretty self-explanatory. It is a place for extra instruction for young players. For 2012 draft picks, it is likely a preview of what to expect from minor league spring training next March. Sometimes, players go to “Instructs” to learn a new position or a secondary position. You’ll notice at least one position player doing that this year. It's also a place for players who missed time for whatever reason to get extra time. Along with the instruction, teams do play games. It is very similar to Extended Spring Training. The Red Sox, Orioles and Rays have nearby facilities, so there are games. We won’t get any official statistics, but occasionally we get some reports on how players are doing. With that introduction, here is a look at the players who will be participating in Florida Instructional League starting next week. PITCHERS DJ Baxendale, Jose (JO) Berrios, Hudson Boyd, Josh Burris, JT (Jon) Chargois, Tyler Duffey, Andrew Ferreira, Dallas Gallant, Tyler Jones, Zach Jones, Yorman Landa, Brett Lee, Austin Malinowski, Andre Martinez, Chris Mazza, Mason Melotakis, Kaleb Merck, Josue Montanez, Luis Nunez, Hein Robb, Gonzalo Sanudo. (note – Luke Bard will be there rehabbing) CATCHERS Kelly Cross, Jorge Fernandez, Tyler Grimes, Matt Koch, Bryan Santy INFIELDERS Niko Goodrum, Travis Harrison, DJ Hicks, Aderling Mejia, Levi Michael, German Minier, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Daniel Santana, Kennys Vargas OUTFIELDERS Byron Buxton, Romy Jimenez, Max Kepler, Zach Larson, Jeremias Pineda, Jake Proctor, Dereck Rodriguez, Adam Walker When there are games, the team will be managed by Tommy Watkins with Henry Bonilla as his pitching coach. GCL manager Ramon Borrego , New Britain manager Jeff Smith and FT. Myers hitting coach Jim Dwyer will also be on the coaching staff. Pitching Coordinator Eric Rasmussen and Hitting Coordinator Bill Springman will work there. Paul Molitor will also be there as an instructor. This is a good opportunity for more instruction for young developing players. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2335[/ATTACH]

Just to compare/contrast: Seth Cody #1 Achter Tonkin #2 Tonkin Achter #3 Thielbar Pugh #4 Pugh Thielbar #5 Perdomo Slama #6 Slama

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2319[/ATTACH] Yesterday, we named AJ Achter the 2012 Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. He was the best among a very strong cast of Twins minor league relievers. Today, we will name the Twins Daily 2012 Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Starting Pitching was clearly a huge issue at the big league level for the Twins. The Rochester Red Wings had a .500 season despite losing starter after starter to the Twins. There were some very solid performances by Twins starters in 2012. However, there are very few starters who have the ability to strike out many batters. You will see that with the below list of starters, but it is true throughout the organization. 2012 saw the return of Kyle Gibson from Tommy John surgery, but it was also a tough year for several starters. Alex Wimmers made just one start, rehabbed and then had midseason Tommy John surgery. Adrian Salcedo uncharacteristically struggled, got hit in the nose with a one-hopper, had elbow problems, came back and his season ended with shoulder issues. Tom Stuifbergen missed the first couple of months. It was a tough season for Twins starting pitchers throughout the organization. But that should not take away from the success that several Twins minor league starters did have, and today, we recognize them. Feel free to debate them, or ask any questions: Starting Pitcher of the Year #6 – Matt Tomshaw – Beloit Snappers (4-6, 2.92 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 89.1 IP, 87 H, 17 BB, 67 K) Tomshaw was the Twins 42nd round pick in 2011 out of Jacksonville Universit. After making 11 appearances for the GCL Twins, he moved across the parking lot in Ft. Myers and pitched in seven games for the Miracle. In 25.1 innings, he posted a 2.13 ERA. For his first full season, the Twins sent Tomshaw to the Snappers where he started the season in the bullpen. It wasn’t long before he started working out of the rotation. Blessed with a six-pitch mix, he also does a great job of mixing speeds. He has terrific control. In only one month this season (July), did Tomshaw have an ERA over 3.26. #5 – David Hurlbut – Beloit Snappers (6-6, 2.76 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 111 IP, 105 H, 25 BB, 85 K) Hurlbut was drafted by the Twins in the 35th round in 2009, but instead he decided to go to Cal-State Fullerton. In 2011, the Twins selected him again, this time in the 28th round. He pitched out of the bullpen in college, but in his two minor league seasons, he has primarily started. He posted a 1.35 ERA in ten games (20 innings) out of the bullpen in 2012. He walked two and struckout 20. As a starter (15 starts), he posted a 3.07 ERA. In 91 innings, he walked 23 and struckout 65. His future may be in the bullpen, but he did a nice job for the Snappers rotation in 2012. #4 – Esmerling Vasquez – Rochester Red Wings (9-6, 2.78 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 100 IP, 74 H, 39 BB, 98 K) In his two big league starts, Vasquez has been plagued with the same issue he had during his three years with the Diamondbacks, control. Vasquez made just eight starts with the Red Wings, and his season long outing came in a game PJ Walters started on a rehab. Vasquez came in with two outs in the first and didn’t leave until the ninth inning. As a starter, he was 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA. In 43 innings, he struck out 48 and walked just 14. From the bullpen, he threw 57.1 innings and walked 25 batters while striking out 50. Overall, opponents hit just .210 off of him and he was the most consistent performer, regardless of role, for the Red Wings. I couldn’t really put him any higher on a list of starting pitchers, and he wasn’t listed among the top relievers. However, don’t be surprised if the Twins name him as their minor league pitcher of the year. #3 – Jason Wheeler – Beloit Snappers (14-6, 3.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 156 IP, 170 H, 43 BB, 115 K) The former Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year was the Twins 8th round pick in 2011 out of Loyola Marymount. He didn’t sign until the deadline so his professional debut officially came in 2012 with the Beloit Snappers. He began by going 3-0 in April and followed it by going 3-1 in May. He did go through a rough patch in June, but he returned to form in July when he went 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA and was the pitcher of the month. At 6-8 and 250 pounds, Wheeler can throw the ball on a downward plane. At this point, he tops out at 90 mph, but he mixes his pitches very well. He’ll give up some hits, but he knows how to pitch. However, only one pitcher in the Twins farm system threw more innings than the lefty did in 2012. #2 – Liam Hendriks – Rochester Red Wings (9-3, 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 106 IP, 76 H, 28 BB, 82 K) Hendriks won this award each of the past two seasons and a strong case could be made for him against in 2012. However, because of his regular stints with the Twins throughout the season, Hendriks only made 16 starts. However, he has little to prove in AAA after dominating the level this year. Coming into the season, he had only a handful of AAA starts before being thrust into the big leagues last September. In Rochester, Hendriks gave up few hits, and only five of those hits were home runs. Hendriks has nothing more to prove in AAA, and soon will need to turn the corner with the Twins. He has the pitches and the control. He just needs to get win number one! Starting Pitcher of the Year – BJ Hermsen – Ft. Myers Miracle / New Britain Rock Cats (12-6, 2.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 162 IP, 161 H, 30 BB, 87 K) Liam Hendriks was my choice for Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2010 and 2011. BJ Hermsen finished in second in 2011. Hendriks was good again in the minors in 2012, but Hermsen was very good and threw 50 more innings. Hermsen was the pitcher of the month in April when he went 1-0 with a 0.78 ERA in four starts with Ft. Myers. He moved up to New Britain and was again the pitcher of the month in May pitching for the Rock Cats. He struggled in June, but he was 4-1 in July and 3-1 in August. He was remarkably consistent, posting a 3.27 in the first half and a 3.16 ERA in the second half. Although he struckout just 4.8 per nine innings, he struck out three for every batter he walked. The 6-6 right-hander will be an interesting case. Will the Twins add him to the 40 man roster or subject him to the Rule 5 draft? [ATTACH=CONFIG]2318[/ATTACH] --- Twins Daily had the chance to catch up with BJ Hermsen over the weekend and ask a couple of questions: What does being named the 2012 Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year mean to you? BJ Hermsen: “I would say this is more of a team award for me than it is an individual award. I’ve said many times before that I’m a guy that depends on my defense quite a bit and it makes it easier when you have lots of trust in your defense. That was obviously the case again this year. The rest of the guys that you had listed were very much worthy of winning this award as well. I appreciate it very much.” What did he work on or develop that helped him in 2012? BJ Hermsen: “I think adding the cutter last offseason helped quite a bit. It’s another pitch that hitters have to worry about. I'm always trying to learn more and more about the game and how to go about hitters.” Talk a little about the 2012 New Britain Rock Cats who still had a chance to make the playoffs on the season’s final day. BJ Hermsen: “I thought being around those guys was an absolute blast. We had a bit of a rough stretch there with about 3 weeks to go in the season, but the way we responded the last couple weeks was nice to see. We put ourselves in a position to force a playoff game that last day and did we had to do, but it just didn’t work out. The chemistry was great and being able to go to the park every day was always fun knowing these guys were there.” Feel free to discuss.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2302[/ATTACH] The Beloit Snappers’ season is now complete, and that marks the end of the season for each of the Twins minor league affiliates. Several Twins minor leaguers are currently playing in the European Cup in The Netherlands. October marks the beginning of the Arizona Fall League and soon winter leagues in the Caribbean will start. Before thinking about that, it’s time for Twins Daily to hand out some minor league awards! In coming days, I’ll be presenting my choices for Twins minor league hitter of the month and starting pitcher of the month. Today, I’ll present for you my choices for the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. There were a lot of terrific seasons put in by relievers throughout the Twins minor leagues. For instance, Corey Williams, who led the organization with 17 saves, did not make the below list. Dakota Watts had a nice season, but he missed the first couple of months with injury. Matt Hauser was again very good out of the bullpen and also made a half-dozen starts. Some of the most exciting bullpen guys are the ones drafted by the Twins in the 2012 draft. The Twins have made an effort in recent drafts and with minor league free agents to add some power arms. The six players mentioned below are a good mix of arms. Feel free to debate them, or ask any questions you may have. Relief Pitcher of the Year #6 – Anthony Slama – Rochester Red Wings (1-0, 14 saves, 1.24 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 36.1 IP, 26 H, 18 BB, 56 K) That Slama is on this list is no surprise to anyone who has followed his entire career and particularly his AAA career. The only thing that kept him from likely being at the top of this list (and probably from the big leagues) is that he missed nearly two months with a broken leg, suffered when Norfolk’s Miguel Tejada hit a line drive back at him in a game. #5 – Luis Perdomo – New Britain Rock Cats / Rochester Red Wings (8-5, 9 saves, 2.60 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 72.2 IP, 54 H, 22 BB, 68 K) Perdomo was signed by the Twins this past offseason after spending the previous three seasons in the Padres organization. San Diego had drafted him in the Rule 5 draft in December 2008 and he pitched 35 games for them in 2009 (55 strikeouts in 60 innings). He pitched one game for the Padres in 2011, but the rest of the time he’s pitched in AAA. The Twins had him begin this season in AA New Britain. In 26 games, he went 4-4 with 2 saves and a 2.75 ERA. In 39.1 innings, he struckout 43 in 39.1 innings. He advanced to AAA Rochester where he was 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA and 7 saves. In 33.1 innings, he walked just six and struckout 25. He was promoted to the Twins in early August and was also a September call-up. #4 – Bruce Pugh – Ft. Myers Miracle / New Britain Rock Cats (5-5, 14 saves, 1.94 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 69.2 IP, 55 H, 31 BB, 72 K) Pugh was the Twins 19th round pick in 2008 out of community college. The 24-year-old, hard-throwing right-hander really struggled in 2011, including in the Arizona Fall League. However, he came back in 2012 to show that he has a chance to be a back-of-the-bullpen guy for the Twins in the near future. The Twins decided to have him starting in Ft. Myers where he went 1-3 with a 2.60 ERA and 5 saves. He moved up to New Britain and went 4-2 with a 1.50 ERA. In 42 innings, he struckout 48 batters. He still needs to walk less batters, but he could get a 40 man roster spot this offseason. #3 – Caleb Thielbar – Ft. Myers Miracle / New Britain Rock Cats / Rochester Red Wings (6-2, 6 saves, 2.43 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 77.2 IP, 64 H, 21 BB, 74 K) The 25-year-old lefty from Minnesota became the first player that the Twins signed from the St. Paul Saints when he signed in August of 2011. Thielbar started this season in Ft. Myers where he walked two and struckout 16 in 12.1 innings. He moved up to New Britain where he walked three and struckout 26 batters in 25 innings. By midseason, he was pitching in AAA where he did meet some struggles but still held his own, posting a 3.57 ERA in 40.1 innings. He will continue his 2012 in the Arizona Fall League. #2 – Michael Tonkin – Beloit Snappers / Ft. Myers Miracle (4-1, 12 saves, 2.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 69.1 IP, 53 H, 20 BB, 97 K) Eyes were raised by some when Michael Tonkin returned to the Beloit Snappers for the third straight year. The first year, he came up as a starter who touched the low-90s and had a decent curveball. When I saw Tonkin throw in early June for the Snappers, he was a hard-throwing right-hander who threw with sink and had a terrific slider. He looked so much better than he had a year earlier. At Beloit, he was 3-0 with six saves, a 1.38 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. In 39 innings, he walked nine and struckout 53. Following the Midwest League All Star game, he was promoted to Ft. Myers where he logged late-innings again. He went 1-1 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. In 30.1 innings, he walked 11 and struckout 44. Instead of throwing a low-90s fastball, Tonkin’s fastball now sits in the mid-90s and touches 96. Tonkin will also be playing in the Arizona Fall League this fall. Will he be added to the 40 man roster? [ATTACH=CONFIG]2303[/ATTACH]Relief Pitcher of the Year – AJ Achter – Beloit Snappers / Ft. Myers Miracle (5-2, 6 saves, 1.70 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 94.1 IP, 54 H, 15 BB, 86 K) In 2010, AJ Achter was the Twins 46th round draft pick out of Michigan State. He didn’t sign right away, choosing instead to play in the Cape Cod League. He was terrific and before the deadline, he agreed to terms with the Twins. He started 2011 in EST, but moved up to Beloit where he made 19 starts for the Snappers. He returned to Beloit in 2012 but in a new role, pitching out of the bullpen. In 40 innings, he posted a 2.48 ERA. He walked 12 and struckout 49 hitters. After 18 games with the Snappers, he moved up and pitched 18 more games with the Miracle. He was markedly better. In 34.1 innings, he gave up just 21 hits, walked three and struckout 37 batters. The 24-year-old righty has a very solid three-pitch mix. He has terrific control and struckout well more than a batter per inning. Although he didn’t get as many saves as others, it was an easy choice to make AJ Achter the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. ---- So, what was Achter’s response to hearing he had been named by Twins Daily as the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Years? AJ Achter: (I am) “very honored and privileged to be chosen for this award. There were some other guys who had fantastic seasons who very easily could've been chosen. I can attribute almost all of this past season’s success to hard work and my coaches. It was a thrill for me to get the ball late in games and have the success that I had. ” So what was the secret to his 2012 success? What was he able to work on and improve between 2011 and 2012? AJ Achter: “The thing that I improved on most was throwing more quality strikes and just attacking hitters. Coming out of the pen, I just tried to force the action with hitters early in the count and let the defense make plays behind me. The defense made some unbelievable plays behind me and I worked so well with our catchers on coming up with a pitch plan to get guys out. I was able to go out and execute that plan most nights.” What does Achter throw, and what is his thinking out on the mound? AJ Achter: “My repertoire is fastball, slider, changeup. One of the biggest things that helped me out of the pen was being able to throw all three pitches for strikes, especially the changeup behind in counts. I don't think much changed from last year as far as in if my stuff got better, but I executed my pitches very well this season. I used the slider as a strikeout pitch to righties a lot, but besides that I just tried not letting guys get free bases and making them put the ball in play.” Congratulations again to AJ Achter and all of these relief pitchers who had some terrific seasons of the bullpen in the Twins farm system. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2304[/ATTACH] We’ll be back tomorrow with the Twins Daily Minor League Start Pitcher of the Year.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2300[/ATTACH] This morning, Nationals manager Davey Johnson told hard-throwing All Star right-hander Stephen Strasburg that he is being shut down. He then blamed his struggles on the media attention that the team's decision has drawn. Strasburg had his Tommy John surgery almost exactly one year to the day before Twins prospect Kyle Gibson had his Tommy John surgery. There have been many similarities between their recoveries. So, how should the Twins handle Kyle Gibson and his workload in 2013? Strasburg had his surgery the first week of September 2010. Gibson had his surgery the first week of September 2011. Gibson threw his first bullpen off of a mound in early June 2012. He spent 30 days rehabbing with the GCL Twins before pitching briefly with the Ft Myers Miracle and the Rochester Red Wings. In total, he worked 28.1 minor league innings. In 2011, Strasburg made four minor league starts. He thew 20.1 innings four four different Nationals affiliates. He ended the season by making five starts for the Nationals. In total, he threw 44.1 innings. Gibson is going to represent the Twins in the Arizona Fall League in October and November where he could pitch as many as 25-30 more innings. Last year, Cole De Vries was second on the Mesa Solar Sox with 26.0 innings pitched. Terry Doyle led the team with 27.1 innings. Each of them made eight starts. In other words, Gibson could throw as many as 55 innings in 2012. The Nationals very publicly announced that they would be limiting Strasburg's innings in 2012 to 180 or less. That meant he would be shut down in September and he would miss the playoffs. The Nationals have a solid starting rotation including Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, Edwin Jackson and Ross Detwiler. They can place veteran John Lannan in his place. But to lose on of baseball's best pitchers for the playoffs, when he is still healthy, understandably has created a firestorm of controversy the last couple of months. Everyone has an opinion. So, what do you think? More importantly for Twins fans, what does it mean for Kyle Gibson and his 2013 season? Again, everyone has an opinion, but here are some of the options (in no particularly order): No Innings Limit - Gibson will go to spring training with the Twins, compete for a big league rotation spot, and regardless of where he goes, he will pitch with no discussion of innings. 160-180 Inning Limit - Same as the Nationals Same as Strasburg - Just work his innings until he hits the limit. Will the Twins be competing in September? If not, shut him down then. Miss Starts early - Gibson can go to spring training, but don't let him pitch in a game until May. In April, he could get 4-5 starts and pitch 20-28 innings. Put him on the DL or Skip Starts - once or twice a year he could be put on the 15 day DL to miss 4-6 starts through the year. Obviously, there are other options or less innings. What do you think? How should the Twins handle next season with Kyle Gibson? One thing that I hope does happen is that the Twins and Gibson and his agents (and, GULP, the Twins medical staff!) and all involved talk it through and everyone is on the same page. Feel free to discuss.

I don't think it is fair to make personal judgments on any of the players, or their efforts. He's had to work to earn his playing time for the last 3 years. He is a smart guy. He works hard. He's just struggling.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2298[/ATTACH] Hopes were high late on Friday night when the Beloit Snappers beat the Clinton LumberKings in Game 1 of the Midwest League playoffs. They would be coming home with two chances to beat the top team in the league. The Snappers lost Game 2 on Thursday night in extra innings. On Friday night, in the decisive Game 3, the Snappers again lost in extra innings to end the series and their 2012 season. Would it also be the final time the Beloit Snappers would be affiliated with the Twins? In the top of the 1st inning, the LumberKings got on the board first thanks to an error by Tyler Grimes and later a wild pitch by starter David Hurlbut. In the bottom of the second, Eddie Rosario got on with a two-out single. Miguel Sano hit a double off the wall in right center to score Rosario and tie the game. After the two teams combined for 26 runs scored in the first two game, and each team scored in the first inning, a fair assumption would be that this would be another hitter's dual. Instead, it was quite the opposite. Snappers starter, lefty David Hurlbut, went the first six innings and gave up only that unearned first inning run. He gave up just two hits and walked just one while striking out five. LumberKings starter Mayckol Guaipe gave up the first inning run and that was it as well. He went seven innings and gave up just two hits (both in the 1st inning). He walked two and struck out five. Mason Melotakis came in to start the seventh inning. He gave up just two hits and no runs while striking out five in 2.1 innings. DJ Baxendale got the final two outs of the top of the 9th. Stephen Landazuri came in to the 8th inning. He pitched a scoreless inning. In the bottom of the 9th frame, he got Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano out and two batters later got out of that inning. That brings us to the top of the 10th. Baxendale remained on the mound for the Snappers. Guillermo Pimentel led off with a long home run over the fence in dead center field, just beyond the reach of a leaping Eddie Rosario. Later in the inning, Dan Paolini came through with a solid two-run single up the middle to stretch the score to 4-1. That's what the score was as the Snappers entered the bottom of the 10th. Three batters later, the game and the Snappers season was over. But what a season it was for the Snappers. Knowing they had top prospects Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, expectations were high. The Snappers played very consistent baseball all year long. They won 38 games in the first half and 39 games in the second half of the season. Sano was every bit as good as expected. So was Rosario even though he missed over a month with a broken, well, face. The starting pitchers were solid all year, especially the three left-handers, Jason Wheeler, David Hurlbut and Matt Tomshaw. The bullpen was strong in the first half because of the likes of AJ Achter and Michael Tonkin, but they were just as good after those guys were promoted because they were replaced by hard-throwers like Mason Melotakis, Zack Jones, DJ Baxendale, Taylor Rogers and Tyler Duffey for the playoffs. Of course, that open-ended question remains; will the Twins and the Snappers be able to agree to extend their player development agreement? We won't know for about 10 days. what will happen. But I, for one, think that the Beloit Snappers front office is terrific. Having been there four times in the past three seasons, I have seen first-hand how hard their front office of six works. They deserve a ton of credit. And, I know that the Snappers don't draw very many fans, but there are some very loyal fans who are at every game at home and even some on the road. Those people have loved the Snappers affiliation with the Twins, touting the good people that the Twins bring in. It will be an interesting next ten days to two weeks. For now, I think it important just to think about a very good 2012 Beloit Snappers season that ended with a very good three-game series against the Clinton LumberKings, a team that has now won 19 of their last 21 games.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2285[/ATTACH] There will be a decisive Game 3 played in Beloit on Friday night at 6:30. The Snappers took Game 1 in Clinton on Wednesday night. On Thursday night, the LumberKings returned the favor, topping the Snappers 7-5 in ten innings. Cole Johnson started for the Snappers and had a real up-and-down start. In the top of the first, his nerves seemed to show. He gave up back-to-back hits to lead off the game and a walk to load the bases. However, he got a strikeout and a double play to get out of the inning unscathed. The Snappers got on the board first in the bottom of the 2nd frame. Miguel Sano led off with a double and advanced to third base on a ground out by Kennys Vargas. Drew Leachman flew out to deep-enough right field to score Sano with the game’s first run. In the top of the 4th inning, the LumberKings got on the board. Ramon Morla doubled and scored on a Guillermo Pimentel home run that put them ahead 2-1. The Snappers answered in style in the bottom half of the inning. Wang-Wei Lin singled. Eddie Rosario hit a ground ball that could have been a double play. Instead, a throwing error meant that the Snappers had runners on second and third. Miguel Sano came to bat and hit a long blast for a three-run homer. The Snappers held a 4-2 lead. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2286[/ATTACH] Again, the lead was short-lived. In the top of the fifth, Clinton’s Ji-Man Choi hit a two-run homer to tie the game at four. The Snappers answered right away again in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Koch doubled and was advanced to third base by an AJ Pettersen sacrifice bunt. Nate Roberts grounded out to second base to score Koch with the Snappers fifth run and a one-run lead. Cole Johnson settled down at that point. He had 1-2-3 innings in the top of the 6th and the top of the 7th. He went back out for the top of the 8th frame, but he walked the first hitter and was replaced by Corey Williams. The left-hander led the Twins minor leagues this season with 17 saves, but he certainly wsa no dominant. On this night, he really struggled. After getting a fielder’s choice, he gave up a long double to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with just one out. An intentional walk loaded the bases to set up a potential inning-ending double play. Unfortunately, it also set up a potential RBI walk, which is exactly what happened when Williams could not throw strikes to Guillermo Pimentel. Hard-throwing Zack Jones was brought in to a 5-5 game, but the bases were still loaded and there was just one out. He struckout the next two batters to end the inning. The Snappers went scoreless in the bottom of the 8th. Jones came out for the top of the 9th and struck out the side. Yes, he faced five batters and struckout all five of them. The Snappers nearly won in the bottom of the 9th. With one out, Kennys Vargas walked. After a strkeout, Stephen Wickens blooped a single to right field and Vargas advanced to third base. Inexplicably, Nelson Prada then had JD Williams pinch-run for Vargas. Matt Koch struck out on three pitches to end the inning. In the end, the move didn’t hurt the Snappers on the surface, but once Vargas was at third base with two outs, it would have taken a hit to score anyone from third, and either would have scored. It would have made sense to have Williams pinch run for Vargas at 1st base. They could have tried to steal second and then a single would have scored him with the winning run. I guess the one reason to put Williams in at third base would have been if a ball got past the catcher. Like I said, in the end, the decision didn’t hurt. Taylor Rogers came in for the top of the 10th inning. The lefty 2012 draft pick has been very good since signing, but this was a rough night for him. Ji-Man Choi hit a leadoff single and advanced to second on a fly ball caught by Eddie Rosario at the wall in right centerfield. Jabari Flash singled to center. Rosario came up with a perfect throw, but it hit something in the infield and bounced over the catcher’s head. One pitch later, Guillermo Pimentel drove an RBI single to center, giving the LumberKings a 7-5 lead. After another single put runners on 1st and 3rd, Rogers was able to coax an inning-ending double play. Needing to score two runs to keep the game going, AJ Pettersen led off the bottom of the 10th inning by being hit by a pitch. Nate Roberts took his spot at first base with a fielder’s choice. Wang-Wei Lin walked to set up a scenario that Twins fans would hope for. #3 hitter Eddie Rosario batted with the game-tying run on base and representing the game-winning run himself. Hope was strong in the air until Rosario hit a hard ground ball to the shortstop who converted it into a game-ending double play. After ending Clinton’s 10-game winning streak on Wednesday night on the road, the LumberKings evened the series with a win at Pohlman Field. That is where Game 3 will take place tonight at 6:30. The winner will advance to the semi-finals of the Midwest League. The Snappers will start lefty David Hurlbut who went 6-6 with a 2.76 ERA in 111 innings during the regular season. He walked just 25 batters and struckout 85 (6.9 per nine).Fellow left-hander Matt Tomshaw will also be ready to go if necessary as will right-hander Tyler Jones. It is also likely that Game 1 bullpen arms, DJ Baxendale, Tyler Duffey and Mason Melotakis may be available. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2287[/ATTACH] --- Cole Johnson 7.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 6 K Corey Williams 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K Zack Jones 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K Taylor Rogers 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K Miguel Sano 2-4, 2B, HR, 3 RBI Matthew Koch 2-4, 2B Wang-Wei Lin 2-4, HBP

On Wednesday night, the Beloit Snappers traveled to Clinton to play Game 1 of their Best of Three Midwest League Quarterfinal. The LumberJacks are one of the hottest teams in all of baseball. They won the final ten games of the regular season and won 17 of their last 18 games. They won the division’s second half title by 10 games. However, on this night, the two teams went back and forth for nine innings, and in the end, the Snappers won Game 1 by a score of 8-6 in a game where literally every player contributed to the win. As hitting coach and former Twins infielder Tommy Watkins stated after the game, “It was exciting. It definitely had a playoff feel!” [ATTACH=CONFIG]2273[/ATTACH] Beloit started lefty Jason Wheeler. During the regular season, he was 14-6 with a 3.45 ERA. After the Snappers went scoreless in the top of the first, Clinton scored two runs in the bottom of the inning on a Ramon Morla two-run double. (Some Twins fans may remember that he and Oswaldo Arcia battled at the top of most offensive categories in the Appalachian League two years ago.) The Snappers clawed back. In the top of the second, after singles by Kennys Vargas and Drew Leachman, Stephen Wickens bunted them to 2nd and 3rd. Matt Koch flew out but it was deep enough to score Vargas on a very close play at the plate to cut the deficit to 2-1. In the top of the third, Wang-Wei Lin doubled off the wall. He advanced to third on a ground out. With two outs, Miguel Sano grounded up the middle. The shortstop made the play, but Sano beat the throw to first and tied the game at 2-2. Unfortunately, the LumberJacks reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the 4th inning with two runs. The Snappers answered back quick with a run in the top of the 5th inning to cut the lead to 4-3, but it could have been more. Eddie Rosario doubled in Nate Roberts. Miguel Sano came up and hit a fly ball to deep centerfield. Rosario tagged up and slid safely into third base. However, Clinton appealed at second base, saying Rosario left too early. The umpire agreed and called Rosario out to end the inning. In the bottom of the 5th, Ramon Morla hit a long home run to again increase the lead to two at 5-3. Wheeler’s night ended. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on ten hits. He walked two and struck out four. DJ Baxendale came in and got the final out of the inning on a strikeouts. He would work two innings and gave up one hit and one walk but no runs. He struckout four. In the top of the 7th, the Snappers were still down 5-3. AJ Pettersen walked to lead off the inning, and Nate Roberts followed with another base on balls. Wang-Wei Lin bunted the runners to second and third with just one out. Eddie Rosario came up again, and he came through again! He hit a line drive to left field. Pettersen scored, and when the left fielder bobbled the ball, Roberts scored as well. Rosario was out trying to advance to second base, but he had tied the game 5-5. With two outs in the bottom of the 7th, Tyler Duffey replaced DJ Baxendale. Duffey was making his Snappers debut lets than 48 hours after he helped the Elizabethton Twins to an Appy League championship. Now he was pitching in a tied, Game 1 of the Midwest League playoffs. Since August 1st, Duffey had pitched 18 shutout innings in ten games. He had given up just seven hits, walked none and struckout 31. He got the final out of the 7th inning. The top of the 8th inning started with a double by Kennys Vargas. Speedy JD Williams replaced him at second base. Drew Leachman, who was already 3-3 in the game laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that sat right on the foul line to advance Williams to third. Although Leachman was already 3-3 in the game, he had no concerns about being asked to bunt. “(Throughout the season), I usually just do it on my own. I think I have five bunts on the year and four have been hits. It’s kind of my secret tool.” (So, Snappers fans, don’t tell anyone from the Midwest League.) Stephen WIckens came up and with the infield playing in he hit a single through the middle to give the Snappers their first lead of the game at 6-5. Duffey came out for the 8th inning. He struckout the first batter of the inning. However, Dillon Hazlett came up and hit his second home run of the game to tie the score again, this time at six. AJ Pettersen led off the top of the 9th inning with a single to left. Nate Roberts bunted him to second base. Wang-Wei Lin grounded to shortstop, but the ball was booted. With runners now on 2nd and 3rd, a wild pitch scored Pettersen to give the Snappers a 7-6 lead and move Wang-Wei Lin to second base. One pitch later, Lin advanced to third on another wild pitch. Eddie Rosario grounded to second, and even with the infield in, he had no play at the plate so he got the out at first. The Snappers now had an 8-6 lead. For the bottom of the 9th, the Snappers went with lefty Mason Melotakis. He gave up a run to lead off the inning, but it was followed by a ground ball to shortstop and a grounder back to the mound for two outs. The final batter gave a scare, hitting a fly ball that Nate Roberts caught on the warning track, but the Snappers held on to that 8-6 win. Drew Leachman, who was 3-3 with the sacrifice bunt in the game, said, “What a game!! Unbelievable! It just feels good to be able to put the team in a position to win!” [ATTACH=CONFIG]2276[/ATTACH] In his last two at bats, AJ Pettersen walked and singled. Each time he scored an important run. What were his thoughts going into those plate appearances? “I was trying to make their bullpen guys work for it. I always know that if I can get on, the guys behind me will move me around and it worked out late tonight!” [ATTACH=CONFIG]2275[/ATTACH] Pettersen continued, “That was quite the game! It was definitely intense!” Eddie Rosario led the offense. He went 3-5 with a double and three RBI. Kennys Vargas was 2-4 with a double. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2274[/ATTACH] Tyler Duffey gave up a run for the first time in six weeks, but he was credited with the Win in this game. What was it like pitching in Game 1 two days after helping Elizabethton to their championship? “(It was) a little nerve-wracking at first, but more exciting than anything, just to be out there. I’m excited to be here and to have the opportunity to play for another championship.” Game 1 was full of ups and downs, and it was very intense. Between the Elizabethton Twins’ run to an Appy League Championship (Which was won with three extra innings games) and now the Beloit Snappers playoff run, I may end up with an ulcer. The Snappers boarded their bus after Game 1 in Clinton and will make the 100 mile trip back to Beloit where Game 2 will be played at 6:30 tonight. Right-hander Cole Johnson will take the mound for the Snappers against right-hander Jordan Pries. Johnson was the Twins 44th round pick just a year ago out of Notre Dame. After starting this season at Extended Spring Training, he has gone 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA in 16 games. In 42 innings, he has walked just 11 and struck out 48. Pries was the Mariners’ 30th round pick in 2011 out of Stanford. In seven starts for the LumberJacks, he is 4-0 with a 3.49 ERA. In 38.2 innings, he has walked seven and struck out 33. Should there need to be a Game 3, it will be at 6:30 on Friday night in Beloit. The Snappers would send lefty David Hurlbut to the mound. If you’re in or near Beloit and have a chance, I definitely recommend trying to get to Game 2 and to follow the Snappers playoff run. Be sure to check out the Snappers website or call their box office at (608) 362-2272.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2250[/ATTACH] It was another very successful season for the Elizabethton Twins. In the regular season, they had a league-best 43-22 record. The second best record came from the East Division and was the 41-25 record of the Burlington Royals. The two teams rightfully met in the Appalachian League championship series. Burlington won a one-run, extra-inning Game 1. Elizabethton won Game 2 in one-run, extra inning style as well. So, it all came down to Game 3 in Elizabethton. To find out who won this a remarkable game, a thriller … you’ll have to keep reading… Seriously, you will want to. What a dramatic game!! These two teams were clearly the top two teams in the league all year. Elizabethton led the league with 6.17 runs per game. Third on that list was Burlington at 5.1 runs per game. The E-Twins gave up a league-fewest 3.75 runs per game. Burlington was second in that category at 4.14 runs allowed per game. The E-Twins made things interesting in the bottom of the 9th inning, but they could not come up with the big hit. Wait!! Yes, they did!! Down 6-1 heading into the bottom of the 9th, Royals close John Walter came in. He walked Jhonatan Arias and Romy Jimenez to start the inning, but he got the next two batters out. On a full count, he walked Max Kepler to load the bases. He hit DJ Hicks with the first pitch he threw to him to cut the lead to 6-2. Appy League Home Run Champ Adam Walker came to the plate as the potential tying run. A wild pitch cut the lead to 6-3 and moved the other runners to second and third. On the very next pitch, Walker connected on a long home run to tie the game at six. Walter’s night was over and Freddy Rodriguez came in to get the final out of the inning. The damage had been done. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2249[/ATTACH] However, the score was now tied at 6-6 and for the third time in this three game series, extra innings were necessary. Max Kepler started the scoring in the first inning. Following a Niko Goodrum double, Kepler singled him in to give the E-Twins a 1-0 lead. However, the Royals would score the next four runs. Jose (JO) Berrios started for the E-Twins. He started with three scoreless innings. Unfortunately in the fourth frame, he gave up four unearned runs on a hit and three walks. He also threw two wild pitches. Josh Burris came in and threw two scoreless innings. Chris Mazza pitched a quick 7th inning. However, he gave up two solo home runs in the 8th inning. Travis Huber pitched a scoreless ninth inning which set up the unlikely E-Twins comeback in the bottom of the 9th. That brings us to extra innings for the third straight game in this three-game series. Ricardo Arevalo came on for the top of the 10th inning. He gave up a single to lead off the inning. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runner to second. The next batter was intentionally walked for one purpose. And thankfully, the next batter obliged, grounding back to Arevalo who started a 1-6-3, inning-ending double play. In the bottom of the 11th, the E-Twins had a chance. With one out, catcher Jhonathan Arias, who had been 0-21 in the playoffs, singled. Romy Jimenez singled over the second baseman’s head to advance Arias to second base with one out. Jorge Polanco came in to pinch run for Arias, but Candido Pimentel struckout and Niko Goodrum flew out to deep center field to end the threat. Arevalo started the 12th, but he got just one out and had runners on 1st and 2nd. Lefty Brett Lee came on and got a ground out and a strikeout to end the inning. In the bottom of the 12th, Bo Altobelli grounded out. Romy Jimenez walked. Candido Pimentel struckout for the fourth time in the game. Niko Goodrum worked a walk. Then after a wild pitch, Max Kepler was walked to load the bases. That brought up DJ Hicks. With two outs and a full count, Hicks drilled an opposite field home run, a walk-off grand slam to win the game, to win the Appalachian League Championship. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2248[/ATTACH] It was the E-Twins 10th title since the Twins moved to Elizabethton in 1974. It is their fifth title in the last ten years, but it is their first since 2009. Congratulations to long-time E-Town manager and former Twins catcher Ray Smith and his coaching staff on the title and another tremendous season. Congratulations to the whole roster for the E-Twins. What a game!! E-Twins 7, Burlington 6. (Note - since Hicks never got to round the bases, the final score is officially 7-6, not 10-6, not sure anyone really cares.)