Seth Stohs

This morning, ESPN's Outside The Lines discovered that Pete Rose bet on baseball as a player. This definitely does (and should) close the door on any chance Rose had of getting into the Hall of Fame.

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 Double-A Chattanooga right-handed pitcher Alex Wimmers is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week...Wimmers made two starts for the Lookouts, going 2-0, 0.00 ERA (14.2 IP) with five hits allowed, four walks and 20 strikeouts...he struck out nine in 7.2 innings June 13 vs. Birmingham and 11 in 7.0 innings June 19 vs. Jacksonville...the Twins first round pick (21st overall) in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft has made 12 starts for the Lookouts, going 5-1, 4.31 ERA (64.2 IP, 31 ER), with 24 walks and 62 strikeouts...

They've talked about Niko potentially being an outfielder at some point due to his athleticism and speed. He's practiced out there. Also, very possible that Buxton will be back there shortly.

Rochester announced after last night's game that Greg Peavey had been promoted to Rochester with Jason Wheeler heading down to Chattanooga.

It was a busy Saturday night in the Minnesota Twins farm system. Four members of the Ft. Myers Miracle played in the Florida State League All-Star Game. Seven Rochester Red Wings posted multi-hit games in a big win. That game was started by Ervin Santana. Chattanooga got a huge hit in a come-from-behind win. Check out all of the details from the Twins minor leagues on Saturday night. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Travis Harrison) It was a busy Saturday night in the Minnesota Twins farm system. Four members of the Ft. Myers Miracle played in the Florida State League All-Star Game. Seven Rochester Red Wings posted multi-hit games in a big win. That game was started by Ervin Santana. Chattanooga got a huge hit in a come-from-behind win. Check out all of the details from the Twins minor leagues on Saturday night. TRANSACTIONS Following the Red Wings game on Saturday night, the team announced that they would be receiving RHP Greg Peavey from Chattanooga. Jason Wheeler has been sent down to Double-A. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 10, Louisville 1 Box Score Ervin Santana returned to the mound in a game for the first time since his final spring training tune-up. He is not eligible to return to the Twins for two weeks, but the rules allow for him to get a few tune-up, rehab outings in the minor leagues. On Saturday night, Santana threw 88 pitches for the Red Wings. He went 5.2 innings and gave up just one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out three. Lester Oliveros then walked one and struck out two over two innings in relief. It was his first appearance since his seven-day suspension for throwing at Austin Romine’s head. Cole Johnson got the final four outs without allowing a run. However, the Red Wings offense became the bigger story in this game. Doug Bernier was the only starter without a hit. He was 0-4. Actually, Danny Ortiz was the only player with just one hit. It was a two-run double. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 15th double and sixth home run. He drove in three runs. Argenis Diaz went 3-4. Danny Santana went 2-5 his second triple. James Beresford went 2-5 with his 12th double. Eric Fryer went 2-4 with a walk. Jose Martinez went 2-5 with his seventh double. Eric Farris went 2-4 with his fourth double. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 7, Jacksonville 4 Box Score Down 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Travis Harrison hit his second double of the night and it cleared the bases, giving the Lookouts a 5-3 lead. They added on and gained a 7-4 win. Harrison went 2-5 with his 17th and 18th doubles. Niko Goodrum went 3-5 with and his second double. Heiker Meneses went 2-4 with his sixth double. Max Kepler stayed hot. He went 2-3 with two walks. JO Berrios made the start. He went the first five innings and was charged with three runs. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out three. He left after just 76 pitches. Jake Reed came on and struck out three in two perfect innings. Nick Burdi gave up an unearned run and a walk in the eighth inning. Zack Jones pitched the ninth inning. He walked one and recorded his tenth save of the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Florida State League All Star Game Box Score Four Miracle players represented Ft. Myers and the Twins organization on Saturday night at the Florida State League All Star game. · Alex Swim batted second. He started at catcher and then moved out to right field for the rest of the game. He went 1-4. · Chih-Wei Hu pitched a scoreless second inning. He gave up one hit and struck out one. · Ryan Eades pitched a perfect fifth inning. · Todd Van Steensel gave up one hit, but he got the final out of the eighth inning and the first out of the ninth inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Clinton 7 Box Score Sam Gibbons had a rough start. He gave up four runs in the first inning, two more in the third and another one the fourth inning. In all, he was charged with seven runs (6 earned) on eight hits in four innings. He walked two, hit one and struck out three. Miles Nordgren came on and worked three scoreless innings despite allowing five hits. He walked none and struck out three. Mike Theofanopoulos gave up one hit but no runs in his inning. The Kernels responded with ten hits, but they were unable to work out of the early hole. Nick Gordon went 2-4 with a walk and his eighth double. Brian Navarreto went 3-4. Max Murphy added a late home run, his third of the season. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Jake Reed, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Travis Harrison, Chattanooga Lookouts SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (12:35 CST) – LHP Pat Dean Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (1:15 CST) – TBD Ft. Myers – All Star break Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (2:00 CST) – RHP Jared Wilson Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. View full article

No.

Fien's back in the set up role. I think it's ridiculous to say that Boyer isn't good enough. He's been good enough all year. Sure, today he gave up three runs, but the results don't match how he pitched. The first batter grounded to second and it's a play Dozier makes 9 out of 10 times. Called a hit. The Buxton errant throw allowed Rizzo to move up and then score on the next bloop single. Then another scored on another bloop single. I get it. We want strikeouts and that's why Fien is back in the 8th inning role, but Boyer's been way too good to disrespect and say he hasn't been. He's earned his role this year. Do I expect him to stay good? Probably not, but he's earned the opportunity.

Hurlbut's a good pitcher, touches 91, mixes really well, pretty good control. And as others have mentioned, left-handed. He missed almost exactly a year with the shoulder issue and didn't get much time in Ft. Myers. I was nervous for him following his first two AA starts, but he's been very good since.Certainly worth watching.

After his Cedar Rapids experience last year, Jorge has been very good all season. It's reminding people of why he was a top prospect before last year.

I think there's a decent chance that Wimmers will be called up in September. Depends on how he's doing but also how the Twins are doing. Kepler's been tremendous since the beginning of May. He plays good defense at all three outfield positions and at first base. Similar to Rosario, though Kepler will/should walk quite a bit more.Kepler has good speed, but he's also about 6-4, 240.

All I'm saying is that each player is case-by-case. I've been touting Hildenberger getting promoted to over a month. I don't know why he's not up. But I won't pretend I know why he hasn't been moved up. The Twins evaluators know more than I do. There obviously are Also, there is no automatic default, as you call it. There are a ton of examples where that isn't the case.

I agree that with Santana, a large part of it is confidence. That said, plate approach is also a huge part of it and that's probably the piece that will determine if/when/how he makes it back.

Byron Buxton was promoted one week ago. He remains in the lists below and will for some time. There are some names who have started to really move up these lists of late. The biggest mover of the week is, without question, Max Kepler. As the league All-Star games take place, expect to see several promotions. Here is a look at the updated Twins minor league standings and statistical leaders through Friday, June 19. Feel free to discuss. Image courtesy of Craig Gordon (Adam Brett Walker, Max Kepler) Byron Buxton was promoted one week ago. He remains in the lists below and will for some time. There are some names who have started to really move up these lists of late. The biggest mover of the week is, without question, Max Kepler. As the league All-Star games take place, expect to see several promotions. Here is a look at the updated Twins minor league standings and statistical leaders through Friday, June 19. Feel free to discuss. STANDINGS Here is a quick look at where the teams rank in their divisions as the first half for three of the Twins affiliates seasons come to a close very soon. Rochester is 34-32, 3-3 since last week. They remain 3.5 games behind Scranton/Wilkes Barre in the International League North Division. They are two games ahead of Pawtucket for second place. Chattanooga is 41-25. They went 5-1 in the last week and on Thursday night they clinched a playoff berth with their win over Jacksonville. They currently have a 4.5 game lead over Tennessee. Their All-Star Game is on Tuesday, June 23. Ft. Myers has gone 4-2 since last week. They are 35-32 and still nine games back of Charlotte despite another good week. They were eliminated from playoff contention a week ago. The Florida State League All-Star Game is tonight. Cedar Rapids is 40-28, and they went 4-3 the last seven days. They are five games behind Quad Cities. Earlier this week, they were able to clinch a playoff berth as the runner up in the West Division of the Midwest League. Their All-Star Game is on Tuesday, June 23. HITTERS For batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, IsoD and IsoP, we used a minimum of 175 plate appearances. Plate Appearances: Zach Granite (282), Byron Buxton/Jorge Polanco (268), Nick Gordon (265), Travis Harrison/Adam Brett Walker (263) Batting Average: Trey Vavra (.346), James Beresford (.335), Max Kepler (.330), Alex Swim (.320), Jorge Polanco (.301) On-Base Percentage: Trey Vavra (.406), Max Kepler (.391), Travis Harrison (.376), James Beresford (.372), Zach Granite (.370) Isolated Discipline: Mitch Garver (.125), Niko Goodrum (.114), Travis Harrison (.110), Tanner English (.108), Miguel Sano (.100) Slugging Percentage: Adam Brett Walker (.581), Max Kepler/Trey Vavra (.538), Miguel Sano (.491), Byron Buxton (.469), Danny Ortiz (.465) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.311), Miguel Sano (.239), Max Kepler (.208), Byron Buxton (.206), Danny Ortiz (.197), Trey Vavra (.192) OPS: Trey Vavra (.944), Max Kepler (.929), Adam Brett Walker (.904), Miguel Sano (.842), Byron Buxton (.840) Hits: Alex Swim (77), Jorge Polanco (75), Max Kepler/James Beresford (70), Zach Granite (69), Byron Buxton (67) 2B: Max Kepler (19), Danny Ortiz (18), Adam Brett Walker (17), Travis Harrison (16), Reynaldo Rodriguez (14), Three with 13. 3B: Byron Buxton (12), Max Kepler (8), Max Murphy/Tanner English (6), Aaron Hicks/TJ White (4) HR: Adam Brett Walker (18), Miguel Sano (12), Danny Ortiz (7), Byron Buxton/Trey Vavra/Josmil Pinto (6) Runs: Adam Brett Walker/Miguel Sano (45), Byron Buxton (44), Zach Granite (43), Max Kepler (39), Travis Harrison/Nick Gordon (38) RBI: Adam Brett Walker (57), Danny Ortiz (39), Miguel Sano (38), Zach Larson (35), Mike Gonzales (31), Travis Harrison (29) SB: Byron Buxton (20), Tanner English (19), Engelb Vielma (16), Nick Gordon (15), Jorge Polanco/Zach Granite (14). STARTING PITCHERS (>50 IP) Innings: Taylor Rogers (90.0), Tyler Duffey (83.0), JO Berrios (78.2), Greg Peavey (73.1), Pat Dean (72.0) ERA: Stephen Gonsalves (1.83), Chih-Wei Hu/Mat Batts (2.10), Felix Jorge (2.44), Ryan Eades/JO Berrios (3.09) WHIP: Felix Jorge (0.90), Stephen Gonsalves (0.94), Mat Batts (1.04), Chih-Wei Hu (1.06), JO Berrios (1.16), Tyler Duffey (1.18) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (11.4), Alex Meyer (9.7), JO Berrios (9.5), Tyler Duffey (8.9), Alex Wimmers (8.6), Mat Batts (8.3) BB/9: Greg Peavey/Felix Jorge (1.7), Mat Batts/Tyler Duffey (1.8), Pat Dean (1.9), Aaron Slegers (2.2) Strikeouts: JO Berrios (83), Tyler Duffey (82), Stephen Gonsalves (81), Taylor Rogers (64), Alex Wimmers (62), Mat Batts (59) Wins: Stephen Gonsalves (7-1), JO Berrios (7-3), Greg Peavey/Jared Wilson (6-2), Taylor Rogers (6-4) RELIEF PITCHERS (>20 IP, Games: AJ Achter (27), Alex Muren/JT Chargois/Todd Van Steensel (23), Zack Jones/Brandon Peterson/Madison Boer (22). Innings: Todd Van Steensel (40.1), Alex Muren (39.0), Randy LeBlanc (38.1), Madison Boer (37.2), Mike Theofanopoulos (35.2) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.52), Brandon Peterson (0.83), Cameron Booser (1.30), Randy LeBlanc (1.64), Todd Van Steensel (1.79), Alex Muren (1.85) WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.58), AJ Achter (0.59), Brandon Peterson (0.92), Alex Muren (1.00), Tim Shibuya (1.01), Todd Van Steensel (1.09) K/9: Cameron Booser (13.7), Todd Van Steensel (12.7), Brandon Peterson (12.4), Jose Velez (12.2), Trevor Hildenberger/Lester Oliveros (11.7) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.3), AJ Achter (1.6), Tim Shibuya (1.7), Alex Muren (2.5), Lester Oliveros (2.7), Randy LeBlanc (2.8) Saves: AJ Achter (10), Zack Jones (9), JT Chargois/Todd Van Steensel (8), Trevor Hildenberger/Cameron Booser (7) There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, June 19. What are your thoughts? What surprised you? View full article

He's been through a lot, so he's a little order. Tommy John was a big thing. Having the control issues for half of a season was a big thing. He's overcome a lot, and I would be thrilled if he got a chance. I definitely believe he's got a realistic shot at a September call up, especially if he continues pitching well like this most times out.

He was 20-something round pick just one year ago. He went to college for 4-5 years. He's not Nick Burdi or Jake Reed. He'll move up, and he deserves to. But he's not someone we need to worry about age-to-level with. They have years before they need to make a decision on him. He's got a chance to be a 6th-7th inning guy. I don't care if he gets up at 25 or 28. Doesn't matter at all.

The Lookouts had a couple of great performances on Friday night. A night after clinching a playoff spot, they continued their winning ways thanks in large part to a couple of first-round draft picks. Check out everything that happened on Friday night in the Twins minor league system including a very special night in Rochester. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Alex Wimmers) The Lookouts had a couple of great performances on Friday night. A night after clinching a playoff spot, they continued their winning ways thanks in large part to a couple of first-round draft picks. Check out everything that happened on Friday night in the Twins minor league system including a very special night in Rochester. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Louisville 3 Box Score Rochester scored two runs in the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead in this game. Unfortunately, they gave up two runs in the top of the seventh frame. However, a five-run bottom of the seventh gave them a lead that they were able to hold on to. Taylor Rogers made the start. Through six innings, Rogers gave up one run. In the top of the seventh inning, he gave up two singles. After a sacrifice bunt advanced the runners, Rogers was replaced by lefty Logan Darnell. Darnell gave up two straight singles, allowing both runners to score before he was replaced by Mark Hamburger. The right-hander got the next two batters out to keep the deficit at 3-2. He worked another scoreless inning as well. After the Red Wings reclaimed the lead, AJ Achter pitched a scoreless ninth. The Red Wings got a lot of production from their top two hitters. Leadoff man Danny Santana went 3-4 with a walk and his fourth double. James Beresford was 3-5. He had the first three Red Wings RBIs. But the big hit in the team’s five-run seventh came off the bat of Danny Ortiz. He hit a bases-clearing triple (his third of the year) to give the Red Wings the lead and some insurance. Doug Bernier was 1-1 with three walks in the game. On the other side of things, Oswaldo Arcia went 0-4 with three strikeouts. It may have been a tough outing for Logan Darnell, but it was a good night for the left-hander. He was the Red Wings recipient of the Harmon Killebrew Award in 2014. He has continued to help in the community. On Friday night, he helped organize an Alzheimer's awareness night in Rochester. Darnell's mother was diagnosed with the disease a couple of years ago. Players wore special jerseys that were auctioned. Two season ticket holders bid $650 for Darnell's jersey. They then gave it to the Darnell family and made the $650 a donation. Alex Meyer's jersey went for $500. In all, they raised over $7,000 for Alzheimer's awareness in Rochester. If anyone is interested in donating, click here. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jacksonville 2 Box Score A night after clinching the first half North Division title in the Southern League on Thursday night, the Lookouts returned on Friday and continued their winning ways. There were two primary stories in this game, and both involved former Twins first-round draft picks. Let’s start on the mound. Alex Wimmers made the start and threw seven shutout innings. He gave up three hits and walked two, but he also struck out 11 batters. He needed just 96 pitches, and 67 of them were strikes. An observer at the game reported afterwards, “Did you see Wimmers tonight? He was outstanding! (The Jacksonville hitters) could not do much. If it wasn’t for having a big leaguer (Michael Morse had two hits) in the lineup, they would have only had maybe one hit through six innings.” In Wimmers’ past three starts, he has thrown 21.2 innings without allowing an earned run. He has given up just eight hits, walked seven and struck out 23. Overall, he is now 5-1 with a 4.31 ERA for the Lookouts this season. Minnesota native Madison Boer came on and finished the final two innings. He gave up two runs on three hits, but was able to record his first save with the Lookouts. 2011 top pick Levi Michael returned to the field for the first time since injuring his ankle on May 4. He had singles in his first two at-bats, which were followed by a walk. He was 2-4 with that walk and he also stole two bases. Miguel Sano went 2-4 with his eighth double. Max Kepler had just one hit, but it was his eighth triple of the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers Box Score The Miracle and the rest of the Florida State League are on their All-Star break. The Miracle will be represented by Chih-Wei Hu, Alex Swim, Todd Van Steensel, and Ryan Eades. JT Chargois and Brandon Peterson had been named to the All-Star team, but were promoted to Chattanooga. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Clinton 4 Box Score According to Jeff Johnson of The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, manager Jake Mauer was pretty vocal about his team’s lack of offense following Thursday’s game. He said, “We’re going to have to get creative and figure out a way to reach them, or we’re going to have to get new guys. It’s one of the two. It sounds harsh, but that’s the nature of the beast." The Kernels had eight hits on Friday night, but they were only able to muster one run in the game. Brett Doe led the way. He went 2-3. Zack Larson drove in the lone Kernels run. This is the second time already this season that Mauer has gone public with his disappointment in some of the Kernels hitters. Zach Tillery made the start. He gave up two runs on three hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out five. Jose Velez gave up two runs on four hits in his two innings. He struck out two. Luke Bard walked one and struck out one in his scoreless inning. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Alex Wimmers, Chattanooga Lookouts Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Danny Santana, Rochester Red Wings SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – RHP Ervin Santana Jacksonville @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – RHP JO Berrios Ft. Myers – Florida State League All Star Game Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (6:30 CST) – RHP Sam Gibbons Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Remember to check back on Saturday morning for the updated minor league statistical leaderboard. View full article

I'm a huge fan of Joe Benson. Always enjoyed chatting with him. Love the tools... but even I would say no.

I believe that the Midwest League All Star game is on Monday (or something like that), and I would assume that we'll see a few promotions. Hildenberger needs to be one of them.

such a great movie... I may have to watch all three tonight... after the game, of course.

Kepler is really smooth in the outfield. Arm is average in RF, but good for the other two spots. He won't be an MLB CF, but he can play the position well. He runs really well. I mean, he's got 7 triples and several stolen bases, so he could play CF. I do think over time, and as he gains more strength (which he will), LF would probably be his best position, but he'd have no problem in RF or any of those spots. I would add that if you've got Rosario, Buxton, Hicks (maybe a Hicks/Arcia platoon at some point), then playing Kepler at 1B is just what's best for the team. That's where his versatility is nice. If they have a need at 4 (and obviously DH would be a 5th) positions, he could be an option.

I posted this on the Twins Daily twitter feed early this morning: June Stats Max Kepler: .356/.451/.593 (1.044) with 3-2B, 4-3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI AB Walker: .338/.380/.738 (1.119) with 6-2B, 1-3B, 6 HR, 18 RBI

These rankings were arrived at a week ago. Kepler jumped about 5-6 spots to get to 9, but I was just mentioning this morning that if we all voted today, he could be as high as 4-5. I also think that he's likely to go to AAA, but if there was a need, he now joins Sano and Polanco as guys who could get called up at any time.