Seth Stohs

The Twins got a great mound performance from Samuel Deduno who picked up his first MLB win, giving up just one run in 6.1 innings. He got plenty of run support on this day. Ryan Doumit was 3-4 hit two home runs, one from each side of the plate. He drove in four runs. Brian Dozier drove in two more runs with a double off the wall. The Twins bullpen struggled but hung on for a 7-5 win. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Sunday games in the minor leagues. Rochester finally has a ten-home run hitter. The Snappers had a newcomer arrive on Sunday and he helped the team put on quite a power display. But there was a lot of power shown throughout the system. GAME 1 – ROCHESTER 5, DURHAM 1 Jeff Manship improved to 6-1 with another strong performance. He gave up one run on three hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out four. Luis Perdomo pitched a scoreless seventh inning. He gave up one hit and a walk. Clete Thomas won the Rochester Race to Ten Home Runs! He went 1-2 with a walk and the home run. Sean Burroughs went 2-3. Pedro Florimon hit his 13th double. GAME 2 – ROCHESTER 3, DURHAM 4 Luke French started game two for the Red Wings. The lefty gave up three runs on six hits in 3.2 innings. He walked three and struck out four. Dan Sattler came in and got the next four batters out, two of them on strikeouts. Lester Oliveros came in and pitched a scoreless sixth innings, but he gave up the winning run in the seventh. Tsuyoshi Nishioka went 2-3 and drove in the team’s first run. Sean Burroughs was also 2-3. In the 5th inning, Clete Thomas and Danny Valencia had back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at three. NEW BRITAIN 8, HARRISBURG 4 The bats showed up for the Rock Cats in this game and Steve Hirschfeld pitched well yet again in this Rock Cats win. Nate Hanson led the offense by going 3-5 with his third home run and four RBI. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with a walk, his 14th home run and three RBI. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk and his 29th double. Aaron Hicks was 0-2, but he walked three times and stole his 22nd base. Hirschfeld won for the 7th time this season. He worked the first six innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out four. David Bromberg gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out three. Bruce Pugh got his fifth save by getting the final four outs. FT. MYERS 2, LAKELAND 4 Madison Boer falls to 4-9 after this game, but he pitched quite well. The Eden Prairie native gave up two runs (1 earned) on five hits in six innings. He walked one, hit one and struck out six. Cole Nelson came in and gave up two runs on three hits, a walk and a hit batter in one inning. Ricky Bowen then pitched a scoreless inning. Josmil Pinto had another very good game. He went 3-4. Jhon Goncalves went 2-3. Danny Santana hit a two-run homer in the 8th inning that cut the deficit in half. It was his fifth home run of the year. The Miracle had 11 hits in this game, but left too many on base. BELOIT 7, GREAT LAKES 10 It was a big day for the Snappers offense. There was a big return and a huge power display, but it wasn’t enough on this day. Kennys Vargas was having a very strong season last year at Elizabethton when it suddenly came to an end at the hands of a 50 Game Suspension for Performance Enhancing Drugs. He served about 18 games last year, so he had to serve another 32 games in 2012. Unfortunately, he needed to serve those games with the team he was with when he got the suspension. That means that his suspension couldn’t continue until the Elizabethton season started in late June. Instead of returning to the E-Twins at the end of the 50 games, the Twins had him go directly to Beloit. In his first game in almost a year, Vargas went 2-4 with a walk. In his first at bat, he hit a solo home run. In his second at bat, he hit a two-run home run. Not a bad return. Vargas wasn’t the only Snappers hitter who displayed power in this game. Steve Liddle hit his third home run. Wang-Wei Lin hit his second homer of the year. Nate Roberts was 4-4 with his eighth double and his fourth home run. He was also hit by a pitch. Tyler Jones started for the Snappers. The right-hander went just three innings and gave up seven runs on eight hits. He walked two and struck out three. Ryan O’Rourke replaced him in the fourth inning and after allowing the inherited runners to score, he threw three shutout frames and struck out three. Mason Melotakis gets the loss because he gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk in two innings. Corey Williams pitched the ninth inning and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. ELIZABETHTON 5, JOHNSON CITY 6 Max Kepler continues to rake. On this day, he was 2-4 with his fifth double and fourth home run (all in the last week). Bo Altobelli went 2-3 with a walk and his second double. Travis Harrison added his fifth double. Hein Robb started for the E-Twins. He gave up four runs (2 earned) on four hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out three. Brett Lee gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits over the next two innings. Luis Nunez walked one over the next two innings without giving up a run. GCL TWINS No game scheduled. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, July 22, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Jeff Manship [ATTACH=CONFIG]1633[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Nate Roberts [ATTACH=CONFIG]1632[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Monday, July 23, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Durham – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain vs Binghampton – TBD Ft. Myers vs Charlotte – LHP Pat Dean Beloit vs Great Lakes – TBD Elizabethton @ Kingsport – RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins vs GCL Orioles (DH) – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

The Twins lost 7-3 to the Royals. Chris Parmelee was the only Twins hitter with two hits. Parmelee joined the Twins on Saturday because Justin Morneau went on paternity leave that morning and got back to Minnesota in time to see his wife Krista give birth to a son. Congratulations to them. Scott Diamond was not at his best, especially early. He gave up four runs on ten hits in six innings. Sam Deduno will take on Royals newly acquired starter Jeremy Guthrie on Sunday. The winner wins the three game series. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Saturday games in the minor leagues. ROCHESTER, DURHAM This game was delayed for over an hour before they finally postponed it. The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Sunday. NEW BRITAIN 0, HARRISBURG 5 After scoring 13 on Friday, the Rock Cats managed just four hits in this game. Deibinson Romero was 2-3 while Aaron Hicks and James Beresford each singled. Hicks threw out a runner at home. Joe Benson threw out a runner at second base. Logan Darnell started and gave up five runs on eight hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out eight. Daniel Turpen then struck out three in three scoreless innings. He walked to and allowed one hit. FT. MYERS 6, LAKELAND 5 Tom Stuifbergen started and gave four runs on ten hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three. Clinton Dempster came on and gave up a run on two hits in 1.2 innings. Miguel Munoz struck out two in his inning of work. Michael Tonkin got the final four outs, two of them on strikeouts, for the save. Danny Rams was 1-1 with a walk and a double before he left the game. Jhon Goncalves and Andy Leer each walked twice in the game. BELOIT 2, GREAT LAKES 7 Steven Gruver was moved back into the starting rotation for the Snappers. The lefty gave up three runs on six hits in four innings. He walked none, hit two and struck out three. Tim Atherton then gave up four runs (2 earned) on four hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. Steve Evans came in and struck out five in 2.2 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked two. The Snappers had just five hits. Wang-Wei Lin had two of them. JD Williams walked and hit his second triple. He drove in both runs. Williams, Stephen Wickens and Tyler Grimes each struck out three times. ELIZABETHTON 8, JOHNSON CITY 6 (completion of Thursday game) Romy Jimenez hit over .300 both years that he played in the Dominican Summer League. Last year, he hit over .320 in the GCL but played in just eight games due to injury. Following game one on Saturday, he was hitting .393. He went 2-4 with his 10th double and sixth home run. He also drove in six runs. Jhonthan Arias went 3-4 with his second double and first home run in the game. Candido Pimentel went 2-4 with a walk. Remember that his game started on Thursday and Taylor Rogers started. By waiting to complete the game until Saturday, Rogers was able to continue. In total, he went six innings and gave up one run on three hits. He walked just one and struck out ten. Tyler Herr threw two scoreless innings, and DJ Baxendale pitched a 1-2-3 ninth. ELIZABETHTON 4, JOHNSON CITY 1 Hudson Boyd started this game and gave up just one run on five hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out four. He may have stayed in longer, but there was a rain delay at that point. Corey Kimes came in and walked one in a scoreless inning. Kaleb Merck got the first two outs of the seventh, but he gave up a run and walked two. JT Chargois came in and got the save by getting the final out. Elizabethton had just six hits. No player had more than one. The team scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth. The game-winning RBI was off the bat of Romy Jimenez who singled in Niko Goodrum. Josh Hendricks hit his third double. GCL TWINS 1, GCL RED SOX 5 Kyle Gibson took another step with another inning pitched in this game. The rehabbing right-hander pitched a scoreless inning, giving up only one hit. Minnesotan Austin Malinowski pitched the next three innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out two. J.O. Berrios came in and struckout three in three perfect innings. Gerardo Ramirez gave up three runs on three hits in 1.1 innings. Gonzalo Sanudo got the final two outs. The Twins managed just six hits in this game. In his first plate appearance, Joel Licon was hit by a pitch and left the game. He was replaced by Kelvin Ortiz who proceeded to go 3-3 with his fifth double. Aussie infielder Logan Wade went 2-4 with his fourth double. Kelly Cross had the other Twins hit, his first home run. --- Players of the Day for Saturday, July 21, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Romy Jimenez [ATTACH=CONFIG]1621[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Taylor Rogers [ATTACH=CONFIG]1622[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, July 22, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Durham (DH) – LHP Luke French RHP Jeff Manship New Britain @ Harrisburg – TBD Ft. Myers @ Lakeland – RHP Madison Boer Beloit vs Great Lakes – RHP Tyler Jones Elizabethton @ Kingsport – TBD GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

Love this! Thank you so much for writing this. I enjoyed reading it and the pictures!!

The Twins needed a couple of extra innings to earn a 2-1 win in Kansas City against the Royals. It was a terrific game for Darin Mastroianni who hit a solo homer and a triple. Josh Willingham drove in Joe Mauer in the 11th inning with what proved to be the winning run. The two teams will play at 6:00 central time on Saturday. It was a good day for the organization. The teams went 5-2 on the day. Oswaldo Arcia had a huge game, yet it was very difficult to decide who should be the hitter of the day because there were a lot of strong offensive performances. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Friday games in the minor leagues. ROCHESTER 4, DURHAM 7 The Red Wings had some players with some good games, but it wasn’t enough and the team lost the first game of a series in Durham. Danny Valencia went 3-5 with his 14th and 15th doubles. Rene Rivera was 3-5 with his eighth double. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was 3-3 with a walk and his 11th double. Clete Thomas went 2-5 with his ninth homer. Brian Dinkelman and Chris Parmelee each doubled. Esmerling Vasquez started and gave up four runs on five hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out seven. Caleb Thielbar came in and threw a scoreless sixth inning. He gave up hits to the first two batters of the seventh inning and was replaced by Kyle Waldrop who allowed both inherited runners to score but nothing more. Brendan Wise game up a run on three hits and a walk in the final inning. NEW BRITAIN 13, HARRISBURG 2 (completion of suspended game) On Thursday nights, but teams scored no runs in the first two innings. The Rock Cats scored four runs in the top of the third, but then the rains came and the game was suspended until Friday. The Rock Cats bats continued from that point on in the game and came away with a decisive victory. Oswaldo Arcia led the way. He was 3-5 with his sixth double, his fourth and fifth Rock Cat home runs and six RBI. Rene Tosoni was 2-5 with his second homer. Chris Herrmann went 1-2 with four walks and his 21st double. Aaron Hicks was 2-4 with two walks and his sixth triple. James Beresford went 2-5. Blake Martin started on Thursday and worked two scoreless frames. When play resumed on Friday, Marty Popham took the mound. The right-hander gave up one run on four hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out four times. Bruce Pugh then gave up one run on one hit over two innings in which he struck out two batters. Edgar Ibarra threw two scoreless innings to end the game. NEW BRITAIN 5, HARRISBURG 4 (regularly scheduled game) The regular game became a seven inning game. BJ Hermsen was on the bump to start. The right-hander gave up four runs (3 earned) on eight hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out three. Dakota Watts came in for the 7th inning and recorded his first save. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 and scored two runs, one of them in the top of the ninth that proved to be the winning run. Aaron Hicks was 1-4 but drove in three runs. He had a two-run single, and then he drove in Rohlfing with the game-winner. Shawn Roof was 2-3 with his fifth stolen base. Oswaldo Arcia and Joe Benson were each 1-3 with a walk. Benson drove in two runs. FT. MYERS 9, LAKELAND 7 The offense was certainly out in this game. Josmil Pinto led the way. He was 4-5 with his second third base. Lance Ray was 2-5 and hit his 10th homer. Danny Rams went 2-4 with a walk and his fifth double. Kyle Knudson was 2-5 with his seventh double. Angel Morales added a two-run triple, his third three-bagger. Matt Hauser started and gave up four runs on five hits in 5.1 innings. He walked two and struck out four. Nelvin Fuentes gave up a run on three hits in 1.2 innings. AJ Achter was charged with two unearned run on three hits in two innings, but he struck out two and delivered his fourth save. BELOIT 0, LANSING 2 The bats didn’t show up on this night, but David Hurlbut sure did. The left-hander gave up two runs (just one earned) on five hits in eight innings. He walked none and struck out seven. 2012 draftee Zach Jones made his Snappers debut and struck out the side. Drew Leachman had two hits again, the third straight game he has done that. But the Snappers had just five total hits. Nate Roberts walked twice. ELIZABETHTON 8, JOHNSON CITY 6 Down 5-1 going through five innings, the E-Twins bats fought back. They scored three in the six, tied the game at six with two in the seventh and took the lead with two more in the eighth. Adam Walker was 3-4 with his fourth homer and three RBI. DJ Hicks went 3-5. Travis Harrison and Candido Pimentel were each 2-5. Niko Goodrum was 2-5 with his sixth double. Ricardo Arevalo gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits in four innings. He walked none and struck out six. Josh Burris pitched the fifth inning and gave up two unearned runs. He didn’t give up a hit but walked three and struck out two. Travis Huber made his Twins debut in the sixth frame. The 2012 pick from Nebraska gave up a run on two hits. Andrew Ferreira then made his Twins debut in the seventh frame. He gave up just one hit. Tyler Duffey came in and got the save. He gave up no runs on one hit and one walk which striking out three in two innings. GCL TWINS 10, GCL RED SOX 4 The Twins bats broke out in a big way in this game. John Murphy led the way. The outfielder went 3-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles, three RBI and his 10th stolen base. Jorge Fernandez went 3-4. Logan Wade was 2-4 with his third double. Javier Pimentel was 2-5 with his sixth double. Aderlin Mejia was also 2-5. Bryan Santy was 1-3 with two walks and his first double. Randy Rosario started and gave up one run on two hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out four. Then the Twins second supplemental first round pick this year, Luke Bard, made his professional debut. He gave up two runs on one hit and three walks in one inning. He struck out one. (It will be interesting to see where he goes when he is deemed 100% The Twins could keep him in Ft. Myers, pitching for the Miracle, or he could help the Snappers in their playoff run.) Hung-Yi Chen struck out four over the next two innings. He gave up just one hit. Trent Higginbotham gave up a run on a hit and a walk in two innings. He struck out two. --- Players of the Day for Friday, July 20, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Oswaldo Arcia [ATTACH=CONFIG]1610[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – David Hurlbut [ATTACH=CONFIG]1611[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, July 21, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Durham – LHP Luke French New Britain @ Harrisburg – TBD Ft. Myers @ Lakeland – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit vs Great Lakes – LHP Steven Gruver Elizabethton @ Johnson City – TBD GCL Twins vs GCL Red Sox – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

The Twins lost 4-3 to Baltimore to split a series with the Orioles. Tonight, they start a weekend series in Kansas City against the Royals. The Territory Train is packed full and heading to KC. I’m certain many other Twins fans will be following the team, watching some baseball, visiting the Negro League Baseball Museum and likely eating some really good BBQ. Yes, I’m jealous and need to get down to KC some day! Anyway, it was an interesting night in the Twins farm system. Rochester remains absolutely on fire thanks to a big come-from-behind win. New Britain and E-Town weren’t able to finish what they started, so they’l do that today. The Miracle were one hit away from a nice win. And, it was a great day for Beloit where they doubled their pleasure and fans got to witness Miguel Sano. What did he do on this night? Well, you’ll just have to continue reading to find that out and take a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Thursday games in the minor leagues. ROCHESTER 14, NORFOLK 8 Shairon Martis was promoted to Rochester to make this start. He gave up seven runs on eight hits and four walks in 3.2 innings. When he left the game, the Red Wings were behind 7-2. Fair to say, it was all Rochester at that point. Bobby Lanigan relieved Martis and gave up just one run on two hits and a walk over the next 2.2 innings. Dan Sattler gave up just one hit in 1.2 scoreless frames. Brendan Wise then struck out two in a perfect ninth. Brian Dinkelman led the offense. He went 3-4 with his fifth double and third triple. Evan Bigley went 3-4 with his second double and three RBI. He also stole his first base. Pedro Florimon was 3-4 with a wakl and his 12th double. Ray Chang was 2-5. Danny Lehmann went 2-3 with two walks and his first two AAA doubles of the season. Martis and Lehmann are the 49th and 50th players to play for the Red Wings this season. Martis is the 15th pitcher to make a start. The Red Wings are now 50-49 and above .500 for the first time since they were 9-8 early this season. The team is now 13-4 in July. NEW BRITAIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE (suspended in Top 3) After two scoreless innings, the Rock Cats scored four runs in the top of the third inning. Oswaldo Arcia hit a double and Joe Benson hit a two-run triple. Blake Martin threw two scoreless innings and dropped his season ERA below 4 (3.98). However, the game was suspended by rain during the third inning. FT. MYERS 3, LAKELAND 4 Matt Summers made his first start for the Miracle. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on eight hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five. Jose Gonzalez struck out two in two scoreless innings. Michael Tonkin struck out two in his inning. Levi Michael went 1-2 with a walk and was also hit by pitch twice. He came to bat in the bottom of the 9th with Danny Santana in scoring position. However, he grounded out to first base to end the game. GAME 1 – BELOIT 2, LANSING 1 Jason Wheeler won for the 11th time this season. He gave up just one run on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six. Corey Williams recorded his 14th save of the year by striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning. Drew Leachman went 2-2 with a walk. Stephen Wickens went 2-3. He drove in both of the team’s runs with a two-run single in the 2nd inning. GAME 2 – BELOIT 7, LANSING 1 Miguel Sano led the offense in game two. He went 3-4 with his 20th home run of the season and drove in four runs. In his last eight games, he is 9-23 (.391) with a double, a triple, two home runs and eight RBI. He has also walked nine times and struck out just four times. Drew Leachman went 2-3 in game two. Steve Liddle went 2-3 with a walk and his 11th and 12th doubles. Cole Johnson made his first start for the Snappers. He struckout six (and walked one) in three no-hit innings. Mason Melotakis came in and threw two scoreless innings to record his first MWL win. Dallas Gallant gave up a run on no hits in his inning. He walked three and struck out two. Ryan O’Rourke struckout two in the final inning. ELIZABETHTON, JOHNSON CITY (suspended in 2nd innings) This game was suspended due to rain in the second inning. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 1 The Twins didn’t get much offense, but it was enough for the win. Joel Licon went 1-2 with two walks and his fourth stolen base. Sam Gibbons started. The Aussie went the first three innings and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Chris Mazza came in and struck out two over three one-hit innings. Melciades de la Cruz walked two and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Gonzalo Sanudo pitched the ninth and didn’t allow a run. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, July 19, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Brian Dinkelman [ATTACH=CONFIG]1602[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler [ATTACH=CONFIG]1603[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Durham – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain @ Harrisburg – Two Games Ft. Myers @ Lakeland – RHP Matt Hauser Beloit vs Lansing – LHP David Hurlbut Elizabethton @ Johnson City – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

This is certainly an interesting look at the 2012 draft picks. For future versions, maybe add their age and team they're playing for. I know that doesn't affect your rankings, but it would just be interesting added information. Also, Melotakis and Jones were already promoted to Beloit, so that would be fun to note.

The Big Picture The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are currently 47-45, 4.5 games behind both the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are also 4.5 games behind those two teams in the Wild Card race, but just three games back of the Atlanta Braves and 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for the second Wild Card. The team traditionally is not afraid to make a splash at the trade deadline. Last year, it was a deadline deal that is often credited for propelling the team to the playoffs late in the season. They won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on another deal this July. Carlos Beltran is playing like an MVP. Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman continue to rake. David Freese became a household name in the playoffs last year and has broken out for real this season. This is a good, deep team that frankly, should not be outside of the current playoff picture looking in. Why They Will Trade With the Twins The Cardinals are blessed with one of baseball’s best offenses. Their pitching is pretty middle-of-the-pack, and their bullpen could use some proven, quality arms. The Red Birds are 12th in baseball with a 3.89 ERA, 15th in WHIP at 1.31, and 22nd in opponent batting average, at .260. Their starters have generally been just find, providing the team with 55 Quality Starts, which ranks sixth in the game. Adam Wainright (7-10, 4.42, 1.29), Kyle Lohse (9-2, 2.80, 1.10), Lance Lynn (11-4, 3.27, 1.21), and Jake Westbrook (7-8, 3.82, 1.33) make up four-fifths of the starting rotation. Jaime Garcia is most likely out until at least mid-August. He had an elbow injury in May and is now out with a shoulder injury. Just last week, ace Chris Carpenter had shoulder surgery and is out for the year. Joe Kelly has stepped in and is 1-2 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP, but I am certain that the Cardinals would be on the lookout for an impact starter. In fact, they are rumored to be kicking the tires on Mariners LHP Jason Vargas. Considering that several of the other big name pitchers who are likely on the trade block are from the NL Central (Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza of the Cubs, and Zach Greinke and Shawn Marcum of the Brewers), it certainly helps make a case for the Cardinals and Twins having some in-depth conversations surrounding lefty Francisco Liriano. Liriano has been pitching as well as anyone in baseball of late. He could also balance out their rotation a little bit by giving them a left-handed starting pitcher. The Cardinals bullpen after Jason Motte and righty Mitchell Boggs is kind of a mess. If the Twins are willing to deal the likes of Glen Perkins or Jared Burton, they could get back quite a haul at this time. That said, someone like Casey Fien, who has come up recently as a minor league veteran and pitched very well and shown a lot of life on his pitches, might be someone of interest in a much more minor deal. Why They Won't Trade With the Twins Tom Brunansky for Tommy Herr. OK, that deal was horrible, but it was made 24 years ago, so I think we should be able to move past it by now. The Cardinals offense is very strong. They rank 2nd in MLB in batting average (.274), 2nd in on-base percentage (.340), 7th in slugging percentage (.478) and 5th in runs scored. With Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran playing the corner outfield spots, and John Joy posting an OBP around .360, they are one team that doesn’t need to go after an outfielder. The only players among their regulars that are currently posting sub-.700 OPS are 2B Daniel Descalso and All Star SS Rafael Furcal (.699). Frankly, the Twins don’t have a better option for them at that position. Conclusion The Cardinals are used to being in the playoffs and the teams they are chasing may not have better teams on paper. This team may just need to infuse one piece to go on a run. They may also see the Joey Votto injury and think that now is the time to go for it. They will never say it, but I’m sure that Mike Matheny and his ball players would love to get back to the playoffs and show that they can do it without manager Tony LaRussa or all-time great Albert Pujols. ~~~ Possible Trade Targets Shelby Miller - RHP The assumption would be (and probably still should be) that Miller is not available in pretty much any trade. The 21-year-old right-hander has a fastball that sits in the mid-to-high 90s with good movement. He also throws a curveball and a changeup. He entered the season as Baseball America’s #8 prospect in baseball. He is now pitching in AAA (in the Pacific Coast League). For the first time, he is struggling. He is 4-8 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He’s given up 91 hits and walked 46 in 82.1 innings. However, he has still struck out 94 batters. Carlos Martinez - RHP Martinez is on the upward moving track. He is a right-hander with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and frequently hits 100 on the gun. His curveball and his changeup are works-in-progress and their development will determine whether he is a high-end starter or a high-leverage late-inning reliever. He began the year at Hi-A where he made seven starts, and now he is at AA where he is 2-2 after six starts. Tyrell Jenkins - RHP Jenkins was the 50th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of high school. He throws in the low 90s and touches 95-96 mph despite being just 20 and very skinny. In other words, there is room for growth and velocity. He throws a breaking ball and he is working on a changeup. At Quad Cities this year, he is 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA in 13 starts. He has 54 strikeouts (and 28 walks) in 58 innings. (Note – These top three prospects would not have been in the discussion had Francisco Liriano not been so incredible over the past two-and-a-half months. Now, I think it’s fair to at least start negotiations with some of these names. Jenkins’ name has been rumored in the Jason Vargas talks, so excuse me for being hopeful! At least I didn’t bring up 20 year old OF Oscar Taveras who hit .386 in the MWL last year and jumped to AA this year where he’s posting a .971 OPS.) Trevor Rosenthal - RHP Rosenthal was a 21st round pick of the Cardinals in 2009 out of a small community college in Kansas. He throws 90-95 with a lot of sink and a strong slider. A changeup will be big for him as a change-of-pace pitch. At AA this year, he is 8-6 with a 2.78 ERA in 17 games. He is striking out 7.9 per nine innings. Last year in Low-A, he struck out 9.9 per nine. Kolten Wong – 2B The Twins drafted Wong in the mid-rounds out of high school, but he chose to go to the University of Hawaii. It panned out for him as, well, 1.) he got to hang out in Hawaii for 3 years playing baseball, and 2.) he played well enough that he jumped into the middle of the first round last year. The 21-year-old is currently hitting .298/.372/.419 (.791) in 84 games at AA. Please add your thoughts and trade ideas (and other names the Twins could pursue) in the comments below!

The Big Picture The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are currently 47-45, 4.5 games behind both the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are also 4.5 games behind those two teams in the Wild Card race, but just three games back of the Atlanta Braves and 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for the second Wild Card. The team traditionally is not afraid to make a splash at the trade deadline. Last year, it was a deadline deal that is often credited for propelling the team to the playoffs late in the season. They won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on another deal this July. Carlos Beltran is playing like an MVP. Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman continue to rake. David Freese became a household name in the playoffs last year and has broken out for real this season. This is a good, deep team that frankly, should not be outside of the current playoff picture looking in. Why They Will Trade With the Twins The Cardinals are blessed with one of baseball’s best offenses. Their pitching is pretty middle-of-the-pack, and their bullpen could use some proven, quality arms. The Red Birds are 12th in baseball with a 3.89 ERA, 15th in WHIP at 1.31, and 22nd in opponent batting average, at .260. Their starters have generally been just find, providing the team with 55 Quality Starts, which ranks sixth in the game. Adam Wainright (7-10, 4.42, 1.29), Kyle Lohse (9-2, 2.80, 1.10), Lance Lynn (11-4, 3.27, 1.21), and Jake Westbrook (7-8, 3.82, 1.33) make up four-fifths of the starting rotation. Jaime Garcia is most likely out until at least mid-August. He had an elbow injury in May and is now out with a shoulder injury. Just last week, ace Chris Carpenter had shoulder surgery and is out for the year. Joe Kelly has stepped in and is 1-2 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP, but I am certain that the Cardinals would be on the lookout for an impact starter. In fact, they are rumored to be kicking the tires on Mariners LHP Jason Vargas. Considering that several of the other big name pitchers who are likely on the trade block are from the NL Central (Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza of the Cubs, and Zach Greinke and Shawn Marcum of the Brewers), it certainly helps make a case for the Cardinals and Twins having some in-depth conversations surrounding lefty Francisco Liriano. Liriano has been pitching as well as anyone in baseball of late. He could also balance out their rotation a little bit by giving them a left-handed starting pitcher. The Cardinals bullpen after Jason Motte and righty Mitchell Boggs is kind of a mess. If the Twins are willing to deal the likes of Glen Perkins or Jared Burton, they could get back quite a haul at this time. That said, someone like Casey Fien, who has come up recently as a minor league veteran and pitched very well and shown a lot of life on his pitches, might be someone of interest in a much more minor deal. Why They Won't Trade With the Twins Tom Brunansky for Tommy Herr. OK, that deal was horrible, but it was made 24 years ago, so I think we should be able to move past it by now. The Cardinals offense is very strong. They rank 2nd in MLB in batting average (.274), 2nd in on-base percentage (.340), 7th in slugging percentage (.478) and 5th in runs scored. With Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran playing the corner outfield spots, and John Joy posting an OBP around .360, they are one team that doesn’t need to go after an outfielder. The only players among their regulars that are currently posting sub-.700 OPS are 2B Daniel Descalso and All Star SS Rafael Furcal (.699). Frankly, the Twins don’t have a better option for them at that position. Conclusion The Cardinals are used to being in the playoffs and the teams they are chasing may not have better teams on paper. This team may just need to infuse one piece to go on a run. They may also see the Joey Votto injury and think that now is the time to go for it. They will never say it, but I’m sure that Mike Matheny and his ball players would love to get back to the playoffs and show that they can do it without manager Tony LaRussa or all-time great Albert Pujols. ~~~ Possible Trade Targets Shelby Miller - RHP The assumption would be (and probably still should be) that Miller is not available in pretty much any trade. The 21-year-old right-hander has a fastball that sits in the mid-to-high 90s with good movement. He also throws a curveball and a changeup. He entered the season as Baseball America’s #8 prospect in baseball. He is now pitching in AAA (in the Pacific Coast League). For the first time, he is struggling. He is 4-8 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He’s given up 91 hits and walked 46 in 82.1 innings. However, he has still struck out 94 batters. Carlos Martinez - RHP Martinez is on the upward moving track. He is a right-hander with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and frequently hits 100 on the gun. His curveball and his changeup are works-in-progress and their development will determine whether he is a high-end starter or a high-leverage late-inning reliever. He began the year at Hi-A where he made seven starts, and now he is at AA where he is 2-2 after six starts. Tyrell Jenkins - RHP Jenkins was the 50th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of high school. He throws in the low 90s and touches 95-96 mph despite being just 20 and very skinny. In other words, there is room for growth and velocity. He throws a breaking ball and he is working on a changeup. At Quad Cities this year, he is 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA in 13 starts. He has 54 strikeouts (and 28 walks) in 58 innings. (Note – These top three prospects would not have been in the discussion had Francisco Liriano not been so incredible over the past two-and-a-half months. Now, I think it’s fair to at least start negotiations with some of these names. Jenkins’ name has been rumored in the Jason Vargas talks, so excuse me for being hopeful! At least I didn’t bring up 20 year old OF Oscar Taveras who hit .386 in the MWL last year and jumped to AA this year where he’s posting a .971 OPS.) Trevor Rosenthal - RHP Rosenthal was a 21st round pick of the Cardinals in 2009 out of a small community college in Kansas. He throws 90-95 with a lot of sink and a strong slider. A changeup will be big for him as a change-of-pace pitch. At AA this year, he is 8-6 with a 2.78 ERA in 17 games. He is striking out 7.9 per nine innings. Last year in Low-A, he struck out 9.9 per nine. Kolten Wong – 2B The Twins drafted Wong in the mid-rounds out of high school, but he chose to go to the University of Hawaii. It panned out for him as, well, 1.) he got to hang out in Hawaii for 3 years playing baseball, and 2.) he played well enough that he jumped into the middle of the first round last year. The 21-year-old is currently hitting .298/.372/.419 (.791) in 84 games at AA. Please add your thoughts and trade ideas (and other names the Twins could pursue) in the comments below!

On Sunday, one of the directors of the documentary Ballplayer: Pelotero came to the Twins Daily forums and after letting us know where the movie could be viewed, answered several questions from readers. I’ve read so much about the film, watched trailers and eagerly anticipated being able to see it. I didn’t know how I would be able to view it since I don’t live in a metro area. Thankfully, it is available through several sources right now. Some cable providers have made it available as On Demand. It can currently be seen at St. Anthony Main Theatre in Minneapolis and other select theaters around the country. It is also available on iTunes, which is how I watched it. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1578[/ATTACH] Obviously the key draw to this documentary for Twins fans is the fact that one of its main ‘characters’ is Twins top prospect Miguel Sano who is referred to as Miguel Angel (his middle name) throughout the movie. It’s an interesting look at his life and the pressure on him even as a 15 year old. But, it also is a nice glimpse into his personality. It is understandable why his nickname is “Bocaton” (translated to “Big Mouth”). He is a fun-loving kid with the world of talent. Fred Guerrero, the Twins scout in the Dominican, also has several quotes in the movie, early in the process and even after he signed. It was also an open look at how the recruitment process affected him and his entire family. He had to go through rigorous and very personal tests in an attempt to prove his age to MLB, teams and more. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1577[/ATTACH] The movie certainly points to the Pirates scout (Rene Gayo) who did whatever was necessary to get Sano to sign with him, including some very non-ethical maneuvers. As the director commented in our forum, “Rene Gayo and the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to scare off many other teams because of unfounded concerns about Miguel's age. The Twins did a very brave thing by stepping up and signing him. And hopefully they will be rewarded for it for years to come. Fred Guerrero the DR scouting director is a really great guy and knew from day one that this kid was special.” Did you know that 20% of all players in the big leagues and the minor leagues come from The Dominican Republic, a country with just 2% of the population of the United States? Most of those players sign for very small bonuses that are important for their families. Many are just represented by their mentor/ trainer/ coach at various academies. However, a player like Sano also had his own agent. Sano grew up very poor, in very humble surroundings. His agent moved him and his family and extended family into a nicer area of town. Jean Carlos Batista is the other 16 year old whose trek is documented in the film. The switch-hitting shortstop hoped to receive a signing bonus of $1.5 to $1.8 million. He was offered significantly less than that after going to several tryout camps. But later on, Batista’s mom admitted to his trainer and coach Astin Jacobo that he was actually a year older than he claimed. When Jean was ten, his parents found a way to “change” his age, and they ran with it. See how that admission affected his eventual signing bonus as well as his relationship with his trainer. One of the trainers made the comment that kids come to their academies when they are as young as 13 or 14. He compared it to a harvest in which they plant seeds, put in time and energy and at the end of the day (when a player signs), they sell it. Trainers generally get a percentage (As much as 35%) of signing bonuses. This is a documentary. It’s not Major League, so you won’t be laughing the whole time (although there are some funny moments). It’s not The Natural or Field of Dreams where everything is wonderful or even mystical at the end of the day. It is, in a way, baseball’s version of Hoop Dreams, the excellent documentary of two young basketball players as they worked from middle school to high school. In my mind, it’s a great movie for Twins fans as we get a glimpse of a young Miguel Sano and all he endured to get signed. It’s a great movie for all baseball fans as it captures what it is like to be a kid in the Dominican Republic and how much effort goes into getting signed, and how much it means for their families for the kids to be signed. I definitely recommend viewing Ballplayer: Pelotero if you have the chance! I'm not going to pretend to be a movie critic and know how to analyze greatness in a movie, particularly in a documentary. One way I determine whether or not I really liked a movie is how I feel when the movie comes to an end. At the end of this movie, I wanted it to keep going. I wanted to know what happened next. Obviously as Twins fans, we know how Miguel Sano is doing on the field, but what's going on off-the-field too and how has he adapted to playing and living in America? Well, you'll be happy to know that the same cast has occasionally been following Sano through his minor league time the last couple of years and do plan on another documentary following his career (hopefully) to the big leagues! Learn much more about the characters and the movie at the Official Ballplayer: Pelotero website.

The Twins had a rough weekend series with the A’s, so on Monday night they picked on another vowel, the O’s. The Twins scored seven runs in the first inning and kept on adding on their way to a 19-7 win over Baltimore. Scott Diamond wasn’t in finest form after a ten day break since his last start, but he did go six innings for the Win. Justin Morneau had four hits, extending his hit streak to 14 games. That is the same hit streak that Trevor Plouffe has as well after he had two hits. Ben Revere had four hits and another highlight reel catch in right field. Denard Span had three hits and after a misplay, he made two terrific catches in center field. Joe Mauer had two hits including his sixth home run. Jamey Carroll added two hits. Ryan Doumit was the only starter without a hit, yet he had two RBI. Josh Willingham, the team’s RBI leader, was the only Twins player without an RBI. 19 runs on 20 hits and five walks. They added a homer and six doubles. It was a long game, but those are just fine when the right team is winning! Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Monday games in the minor leagues. ROCHESTER 4, NORFOLK 11 The Red Wings have Liam Hendriks and Nick Blackburn, but someone has to pitch after they do. That pitcher is Luke French who has really struggled since his promotion from New Britain. On this night, he went four innings and gave up seven runs on nine hits and a walk without a strikeout. Caleb Thielbar came in and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in his inning. Kyle Waldrop gave up two runs on four hits in his innings. Bobby Lanigan came in and threw two scoreless frames. Tsuyoshi Nishioka led the offense again. He went 3-4 with his 10th double. Chris Parmelee was 2-4 with a walk. Wilkin Ramirez went 2-5 with his eighth home run for the Red Wings. Evan Bigley played in his first AAA game and went 0-3 but drove in two runs. GAME 1 – NEW BRITAIN 8, NEW HAMPSHIRE 5 (9 innings) It took Oswaldo Arcia a couple of games to figure out AA pitching, but he’s been hitting very well for a month now. On Monday night, he went 2-4 with a walk and a walk-off. He came to the plate in the bottom of the 9th inning with two runners on and a tie game. He proceeded to end it. He was part of a top of the order that provided most of the offense. Aaron Hicks led off and went 2-5 with his 11th double and his 20th stolen base. Chris Herrmann batted second and was 2-4 with a walk. Those top three hitters were 6-13 with 7 runs scored. Joe Benson made his return to New Britain, batting fifth, and he was 2-3 with a walk. By the way, Hicks and Arcia each threw a base runner out at third base in this game as well. Logan Darnell started. The lefty gave up four runs (2 earned) on ten hits. He walked none and struck out two. Daniel Turpen went the next two innings and gave up one run on three hits and an intentional walk. He struck out three. Dakota Watts recorded his second win. He struck out two in two scoreless innings. GAME 2 – NEW BRITAIN 4, NEW HAMPSHIRE 0 The Rock Cats completed a very nice doubleheader sweep against the other “New” team in the Eastern League. This game was about the pitching of Steve Hirschfeld, just returned from Rochester. The righty improved to 6-4 with seven shutout innings. He gave up six hits, walked none and struck out six. The offense remained at the top of the order. Aaron Hicks knocked his 12th double. Chris Herrmann went 2-3 and scored two runs. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-3 with his fifth double and drove in two runs. Deibinson Romero hit his 13th home run. FT. MYERS, DUNEDIN The Miracle game against the Blue Jays affiliate was postponed by rain. The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Tuesday. BELOIT 9, LAKE COUNTY 8 Miguel Sano gave the Snappers a 1-0 lead with his 19th home run in the top of the 1st inning. However, Lake County scored three runs in the first inning and two runs in the third inning. The Snappers tied the game at five in the top of the fifth, but they then gave up three runs in the bottom of the fifth. In the top of the sixth inning, Drew Leachman cleared the bases with a double to tie the game at eight. That was all the scoring until there were two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Eight Snappers hitters tallied one hit each. Sano was 1-3 with two walks and the home run. Steve Liddle hit his second home run. Wang Wei-Lin hit his fourth triple. Tyler Jones started for the Snappers. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on four hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out four. Steve Evans then gave up three runs on three hits and three walks in 1.1 innings. Tim Atherton walked three and struck out one in 1.2 scoreless innings. Corey Williams pitched a scoreless eighth inning. However, the ninth inning began with an error on the left-hander. He walked a batter. Then with two outs, he issued another walk and on it threw a wild pitch that allowed the game-winning run to score. GAME 2 - ELIZABETHTON 8, BLUEFIELD 0 In the first of two on Tuesday, the E-Twins played a very well-rounded game. Max Kepler provided the big blow with a second innings grand slam. Niko Goodrum added his third home run of the season in the 5th inning. This was a team offensive win because no player had more than one hit. Hudson Boyd was back on the mound, but he was only able to complete four innings before reaching his pitch count. He gave up just two hits, walked three and struck out two. Lefty Brett Lee came in and gave up just one hit and one walk in two innings. Tyler Duffey struck out three in the final inning. Boyd’s season ERA is now 1.24. Lee’s is 1.06. GAME 2 - ELIZABETHTON 7, BLUEFIELD 13 After beating Bluefield bad the first two games of this series, the E-Twins were beaten badly in this one. Ricardo Arevalo started and gave up seven runs on two hits and six walks in just 1.2 innings. He struck out three. Luis Nunez got two outs, but he gave up four runs on one hit, two walks and a hit batter. Tyler Herr went the next 2.2 innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out five. Josh Burris raised his season ERA to 0.95 as he gave up one run on three hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out three. Josh Hendricks went 3-4 with his second double. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 with his eighth double. DJ Hicks walked twice. GCL TWINS, GCL ORIOLES Game postponed by rain. --- Players of the Day for Monday, July 16, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Oswaldo Arcia [ATTACH=CONFIG]1572[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Steve Hirschfeld [ATTACH=CONFIG]1573[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Norfolk – RHP Jeff Manship New Britain vs New Hampshire – LHP Aaron Thompson Ft. Myers vs Dunedin (2) – LHP Cole Nelson Beloit – No Game Scheduled Elizabethton vs Johnson City – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (2) – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

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