Seth Stohs

Very nice first blog entry!! Welcome to the world of blogging!! HOpefully this site can remain a great source of Twins knowledge for you and others, a one-stop shop of sorts. Feel free to comment, ask questions, voice opinions. Hopefully it's fun!

A look at the Pirates stat page, and you can’t help but ask how they are doing it. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .325/.382/.541 (.923) with 11 doubles, three triple and 11 home runs. He also has 13 stolen bases, and is one of the best defensive centerfielders in baseball. No other Pirates hitter is batting over. 271. No other Pirates hitter has an OPS higher than .734. That hitter with a .734 OPS is a name that should be familiar to Twins fans. Garrett Jones is an everyday player and yet he hasn’t played the most innings for them at 1B or Right Field. In his four years with the Pirates, he has hit .256/.321/.457 (.769) with 94 doubles, four triples, 65 homers and 210 RBI. As a Super-2 arbitration-eligible player this offseason, he is playing for $2.25 million in 2012. It’s been a remarkable four-year run for Jones considering how his professional career began. The 6-4, 230 pound first baseman was drafted in the 14th round of the 1999 draft by the Atlanta Braves. He spent a year in the GCL. He then spent two seasons in the Appalachian League, playing in Danville. At the end of the 2001 season, the Braves released him. Someone in the Twins organization saw something in him (and I have a guess it would be his great size and power potential!) and the Twins signed him early in the 2002 season. Even then, it isn’t as though he had success. In 2002, he played for Quad Cities in the Midwest League. In 63 games, he hit just .202/.238/.372 (.610), but he did have eight doubles and ten home runs. He moved up to Ft. Myers in 2003, and although he hit just .220/.280/.408 (.688), he had 12 doubles, five triples and 18 home runs. He started the 2004 season in Ft. Myers again and despite unimpressive numbers in 19 games, he was promoted to AA New Britain. And that’s where his career took off. As a 23 year old, in 122 games, he hit .311/.356/.593 (.949) with 33 doubles, two triples and 30 home runs. He also stole ten bases. In reality, only a few Twins minor leaguers have come close to replicating those numbers in New Britain. Suddenly he was on people’s radars. He moved up to Rochester in 2005 and in 133 games, he hit .246/.299/.448 (.747) with 22 doubles, two triples and 24 home runs. He returned to the Red Wings in 2006 and hit .238/.302/.430 (.733) with 32 doubles, three triples and 21 home runs. In 2007, he hit .280/.334/.473 (.807) with 32 doubles, three triples and 13 home runs. He also made his major league debut in 2007 and in 31 games with the Twins, he hit .208/.262/.338 (.600) with two doubles, a triple and two home runs. He played some at first base, and some in the corner outfield spots. He did a good job of showing that his best position was clearly DH. He returned to the Red Wings in 2008 and hit .279/.337/.484 (.821) with 33 doubles, three triples and 23 homers. Following the season, the Twins allowed him to become a free agent. Why did he not really get an opportunity with the Twins? Think about he positions that he plays. First base was covered by an MVP caliber player in Justin Morneau. Jason Kubel was the Designated Hitter, and Joe Mauer got occasional at bats there too. Michael Cuddyer was in right field with Kubel getting time there. Delmon Young had just come to the Twins in a trade with the Rays. Although he disappointed, at the time, he was still considered a future right-handed power bat. Frankly, there wasn’t a spot for Garrett Jones. It is an actual case of someone just needing a change of scenery. The Twins gave Jones the opportunity to improve himself as player and prove his power, but in order to get a real shot at a big league gig, he needed to go elsewhere. I recall when I heard that he had signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. I thought it was a great opportunity for him. He could get some time at first base and in the outfield. With his doubles and home run history, playing in a small ballpark, he could put up some numbers too. Early in the 2009 season, he came up to the Pirates and played in 82 games. He played well enough that he received Rookie of the Year votes. He hit .293/.372/.567 (.938) with 21 doubles, a triple and 21 home runs. He had several two-homer games, and in general, surprised a lot of experts. He came into the 2010 season knowing he was a big league starter, and he played in 158 games. He hit .247/.306/.414 (.720) with 34 doubles, a triple and 21 homers. In 2011, he played 148 games and hit .243/.321/.433 (.753) with 30 doubles, a triple and 16 home runs. In 53 games this year, he is hitting .253/.273/.461 (.734) with nine doubles, a triple and seven home runs. Clearly he came to the NL and surprised a lot of people with a great performance. Clearly, there has been an adjustment made to him and he has proven to be a pretty average player overall. But for me, as a guy who has followed the Twins minor leagues since 2004, I can’t be more happy for a guy who put in a lot of work and a lot of time to try to reach a dream. He got a small chance with the Twins as a 26 year old, and then as a 28 year old, he got a better chance with the Pirates and took advantage of it. He took that strong 2009 season and has turned it into a pretty decent little career in Pittsburgh. Jones will turn 31 years old during this series. He has three years left of arbitration, although it’s hard to imagine that he would be tendered another contract by the Pirates if it means he’ll make $4 million or more. Jones is another reminder of how patient we need to be with minor leaguers, especially those drafted out of high school. It’s a great story of not giving up and continuing to work. I’ll continue to root for him to succeed. Just probably not so much over the next three days! [ATTACH=CONFIG]1290[/ATTACH]

The Twins had another off day on Monday, following the long Father’s Day afternoon at Target Field on Sunday. On Monday afternoon, the team flew to Pittsburgh where they will play three inter-league games against the Pirates before heading to Cincinnati for three games against the Reds. In the minor leagues, Monday was the first game for the GCL Twins and Tuesday will be the first game for Elizabethton. The Florida State League returned to action on Monday following its All Star break. Meanwhile the Midwest League started its All Star break. We saw a couple of player transactions on Monday, and will likely hear of more on Wednesday morning following the MWL All Star game. All season, you have been getting reports on up to four Twins minor league affiliates. Today, there are reports on five teams. Tomorrow, there will be notes on all six Twins domestic affiliates. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Monday: ROCHESTER 1, DURHAM 6 The highlight for the Red Wings in this game came in the first inning. Rays All-Star 3B Evan Longoria, who is with Durham on a rehab assignment, hit a line drive down the 3B line. Danny Valencia dove, made the play, got up quickly and threw out Longoria at 1B. Longoria removed himself from the lineup before his next at bat due to a setback. Steve Hirschfeld was brought back up from New Britain to take this spot in the rotation. He gave up six runs on 13 hits in just four innings. He didn’t walk any and struck out just one. Carlos Gutierrez struck out three in two perfect innings. Lester Oliveros gave up two hits and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Tyler Robertson and Brendan Wise each threw one scoreless frame. The Red Wings had five hits. Sean Burroughs was 2-4. Danny Valencia hit his ninth double. Rene Rivera hit his fourth home run. NEW BRITAIN – No Game Scheduled The Rock Cats had a day off. In some sad news, Mark Dolenc was released on Sunday. I’ve heard some reports that he is close to signing with another organization, but not yet. FT. MYERS 1, JUPITER 2 The second half started for the Miracle on Monday with the news that top hitter Oswaldo Arcia and recently-signed reliever Dan Sattler had been promoted to New Britain. Cole Nelson made the start for the Miracle. The lanky lefty gave up two runs on five hits in 6.2 innings. He walked four and struck out four. Miguel Munoz came in and got two outs, although he gave up a hit and walked two. Matt Hauser got the final two outs. The offense managed just two hits in the game, singles by Danny Santana and Andy Leer. Santana stole his seventh base of the year. Levi Michael walked two times. BELOIT – All Star Break Eight Snappers players were named to the Midwest League All Star team. However, Eddie Rosario will not play. The game is on Tuesday night. GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 5 The Gulf Coast League got started on Monday. Kuo Hua Lo got the start for the Twins. In four innings, he gave up one run on three hits. He walked none and struck out five. Gonzalo Sanudo came in and gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. Felix Jorge pitched the final two innings and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. The offense managed just four hits. The first two runs came in the fifth inning. Logan Wade tripled, and it was followed by an RBI double from Javier Pimentel. Two batters later, Aderling Mejia doubles in the second run. The Twins did have six stolen bases including two each for John Murphy and Kelvin Ortiz. It was a tough professional debut for Bryan Haar who struckout in all four of his at bats. Note – 1500 ESPN’s Patrick Reusse spoke with Jim Rantz who said that 1st round pick Byron Buxton would likely not play for four or five days. First, he just got to Ft. Myers a week earlier, and second they want him to get acclimated to the GCL and wood bats, etc. --- Players of the Day for Monday, June 18, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Carlos Gutierrez [ATTACH=CONFIG]1285[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Rene Rivera [ATTACH=CONFIG]1286[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, June 19, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Durham – LHP Luke French New Britain @ Altoona – TBD Ft. Myers @ Jupiter – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit – Midwest League All Star Game Elizabethton @ Danville – RHP Hudson Boyd GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles – LHP Austin Malinowski --- 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!

Today is the day, and a lot of Twins prospects are pretty excited about their first Opening Day today. The GCL Twins will begin play on Monday at noon (eastern time). Ramon Borrego will manage the team for the third straight year. Former Twins minor leaguer Henry Bonilla will take over pitching coach duties. Milt Cuyler is back for his tenth season with the GCL Twins as hitting (…and outfield, base running and more) coach. Here is a look at the 2012 GCL Twins roster as the season starts. Since most of these names are new to Twins fans, I thought a quick note on each player would be an appropriate preview. Of course, I do welcome any questions you may have. THE PITCHERS RHP J.O. Berrios (SP-18) is the name right now. The Twins first supplemental first round pick earlier this month signed for $1.55 million and begins in the GCL. RHP Hung Yi Chen (19) signed from Taiwan in June of 2010. He pitched in the GCL last year. He made ten starts (and two relief appearances). In 35.1 innings, he gave up 45 hits, walked just five and struck out 38. He was 0-4 with a 4.33 ERA. Melciades De La Cruz (19) signed with the Twins in September 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year, he pitched in the DSL and went 1-1 with a 2.29 ERA. In 39.1 innings, he gave up 30 hits, walked 13 and struck out 38. RHP Sam Gibbons (SP-18) signed with the Twins in July of 2011 from Australia. He is tall and lanky. RHP Trent Higginbotham (SP-20) was the Twins 26th round pick in the 2011 draft. He signed on the last day and did not pitch until Instructs. Felix Jorge (18) signed with the Twins in February 2011 from the Dominican Republic. He pitched 27 innings last year in the DSL and went 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA. He gave up 119 hits, walked nine and struck out 26. Yorman Landa (SP-18) signed in September 2010 from Venezuela. Last year, he was 2-2 with a 2.38 ERA in the DSL. In 32 innings, he gave up 19 hits, walked 26 and struck out 31. He also hit nine batters. RHP Kuo Hua Lo (SP-19) signed from Taiwan in April of 2011 and did not pitch last year. He is not a big man but he is said to throw quite hard, touching 94-95. LHP Austin Malinowski (SP-19) was Mr. Baseball in Minnesota in 2011 at Centennial High School. The lefty was committed to pitch at Arizona but on the final signing day, he signed with the Twins. He didn’t pitch until Instructs. RHP Chris Mazza (22) was the Twins 27th round pick in 2011 and did not sign until late so he didn’t pitch until Instructs. LHP Josue Montanez (20) was the Twins 15th round pick a year ago out of Puerto Rico. In the GCL last year, he pitched in 12 innings over eight games. He gave up 15 hits, walked four and struck out 14. Alex Muren (20) was the Twins 12th round pick in 2012 out of Cal State-Northridge. Gerardo Ramirez (18) signed in March of 2011 from Mexico. Last year in the GCL, he threw 17.1 innings in ten games. He gave up 15 hits, walked six and struck out 12. Randy Rosario (18) signed in August of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. He threw 35 innings in the DSL and gave up 28 hits, walked 19 and struck out 26. Gonzalo Sanudo (18) signed the same day as Ramirez in March 2011 from Mexico. Last year in the GCL, he threw 20.2 innings. He gave up 19 hits, walked seven and struck out 22. Markus Solbach (20) signed from Germany in February of 2011. He pitched in 15 games for the GCL Twins last year. In 28.1 innings, he gave up 26 hits, walked eight and struck out 17. CATCHERS Kelly Cross (20) was the Twins 26th round pick in 2010 and got a couple of at bats that season in the GCL. Last year, he hit .129/.250/.151 (12-93) with two doubles. Jorge Fernandez (18) was the Twins 7th round pick in 2012 out of Puerto Rico. Bryant Santy (22) was the Twins 30th round pick in 2012 out of the University of Washington. INFIELDERS Bryan Haar (22) was the Twins 34th round pick out of the University of San Diego. Will Hurt (18) was the Twins 16th round pick out of Lexington Catholic high school in Kentucky, the same high school that the Twins drafted Ben Revere from. It was thought that Hurt would be a tough sign, but he signed quickly and passed up a scholarship to Coastal Carolina. Joel Licon (21) was the Twins 25th round pick out of Orange Coast College. There was some belief that he would be a difficult sign. Aderling Mejia (20) signed in February 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year, he hit .210/.291/.218 (25-119) with a double in the GCL. Javier Pimentel (18) was a big signing for the Twins in November of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year, he split time between the DSL and the GCL. In the GCL, he hit .167/.227/.284 (17-102) with five doubles, two triples and a home run. Jose Ramirez (20) signed with the Twins in April of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year in the DSL, he hit .256/.410/.280 (42-164) with two doubles and a triple. Logan Wade (20) signed last September from Australia. He will be making his US debut. Jacob Younis (18) signed out of Australia in May of 2010. Last year in the GCL, he hit .219/.300/.238 (23-105) with two doubles. He has also spent a lot of time behind the plate and could see some time at catcher this year. OUTFIELDERS Byron Buxton (18) was the #2 overall pick earlier this month, and it’s great to see that he has signed already (for $6 million). We are all excited to see his development, but I would caution people from expecting too much in his first season. John Murphy (22) was the Twins 19th round pick this year out of Jacksonville U. His brother, David, plays for the Mets. Kelvin Ortiz (20) was signed by the Twins in September of 2008. Last year in the GCL, he hit .189/.286/.333 (21-111) with seven doubles and three home runs. Dereck Rodriguez (20) was the Twins 6th round pick in 2011. Last year in the GCL, he hit .156/.216/.200 (14-90) with four doubles. He is the son of Ivan Rodriguez. Although he is not huge, reports from Ft. Myers said he is showing great power to all fields. DL – Jonathan Proctor (21) was the Twins 14th round pick in 2012 out of the University of Cincinnati. SUMMARY It is impossible to know how this team will play in terms of wins and losses. There is certainly a strong group of terrific athletes such as Buxton, Rodriguez, and Hurt. There are also a few guys who have some experience in this league while now being a year older which should mean some improvements. There are also some big arms who throw hard. There is also a lot of youth. So, who knows how the team will play. It is also important not to look at the stats. The further away from the big leagues, the less important the stats tend to be. Remember how much Niko Goodrum struggled in the GCL in 2010? Then he played very well at Elizabethton last year. Game 1 starts this morning! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask. 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The Twins needed 15 innings and six relievers to work nine scoreless innings, but a Denard Span two-out single gave the Twins a 5-4 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. The hit was Denard Span’s fourth of the game. Jamey Carroll also had four hits to raise his batting average to .259. Joe Mauer was 3-4 but had to leave the game after an RBI single tied the game at four in the 7th inning. He cleared his hamstring able to play before the game, but after a collision with Rickie Weeks at home, he was clearly affected by a leg/quad contusion. He had two RBI hits after that, but could not run at all. Justin Morneau and Brian Dozier each had two hits in the game. Ben Revere had two hits and at least three terrific plays on defense. Trevor Plouffe was 2-5 and walked two more times. Nick Blackburn gave up four runs in six innings, the big blow was a three-run homer off the bat of Corey Hart. The big story in this game was the bullpen. Alex Burnett pitched the 7th. Jared Burton pitched the 8th. Glen Perkins pitched the ninth and tenth. He was playing the role of closer with Matt Capps unable to pitch. Brian Duensing pitched a scoreless inning, and he likely would have gone longer, but there was a 42 minute rain delay. Jeff Gray came in and provided three innings of scoreless baseball. Anthony Swarzak was not supposed to pitch, but he was given the 15th inning and did not allow a run and got the win. The Twins have Monday off before starting a stretch of six inter-league home games (in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati). Enough about the big league club. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Sunday: ROCHESTER 7, LOUISVILLE 4 The Red Wings got off to a great start in this game. In the first inning, with two runners on, Matt Carson hit a three-run homer. Clete Thomas came up next and hit his fourth homer of the year. Carson came up in the 6th inning and hit another homer, his fourth of the year. In all, Carson was 3-4 and drove in four runs. He also stole his sixth base of the season. Rene Rivera was 3-4 with his fifth double. Pedro Florimon went 2-4 with his fourth double. Sam Deduno made his second start since his return from injury. He went 3.2 innings and gave up one run on two hits. He walked four and struck out six. Casey Fien went 2.1 scoreless, hitless innings, striking out two. Deolis Guerra gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. He struck out two. (Guerra has given up two or more runs in five of his past seven experience.) Kyle Waldrop got the save by recording the final five outs. NEW BRITAIN 3, ERIE 4 The Rock Cats made a last-inning comeback, but it fell just short. Down 4-1 in the 9th with the bases loaded, Nate Hanson was hit by a pitch. The next batter was Chris Herrmann who hit a sacrifice fly to cut the Erie lead to one, but the next batter grounded out to end the game. Andrew Albers made the start and gave up four runs on nine hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out four. Bobby Lanigan struck out two in two perfect innings. Bruce Pugh struck out one in a perfect ninth. Nate Hanson went 2-4 with his first home run in addition to his RBI hit-by-pitch. James Beresford went 2-4. Estarlin de Los Santos went 1-3 with a walk. FT. MYERS – All Star Break The Miracle will return to game action on Monday in Jupiter. BELOIT 2, BURLINGTON 6 This game was tied at two going into the eighth inning. Unfortunately, Burlington scored four runs after that point. Matt Summers gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks in 7.1 innings. He struck out two. Ryan O’Rourke came in and gave up two runs on two hits in 1.2 innings. He walked none and struck out four. The Snappers offense managed just five hits in this game. Nate Roberts drove in both runs. The top six hitters in the lineup combined to go 1-22 while the bottom three hitters went 4-9. JD Williams went 2-3 with his 12th double. Steve Liddle hit his first double since returning to the lineup. On the other side, Miguel Sano went 0-4 with four more strikeouts. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, June 17, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Matt Carson [ATTACH=CONFIG]1257[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Casey Fien [ATTACH=CONFIG]1258[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Monday, June 18, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – TBD New Britain – No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Jupiter - TBD Beloit – All Star Break GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles – RHP Kuo Hua Lo --- 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!

Late Saturday night, players and coaches assigned to play for the Elizabethon Twins left Ft. Myers on a bus destined for Tennessee. It would mean a 13 hour drive, but for all of the players, they are more than happy to make the trip. Most of the players reported to Twins minor league spring training in early March and remained at Extended Spring Training. Hopping on that bus means they will be playing in the Appalachian League instead of staying in Ft. Myers and playing in the Gulf Coast League. They are excited to play in games that matter. Ray Smith is back for his 18th year as manager of the E-Twins and 26th year with the team in Elizabethton (not coaching his time there as a player. He has a record of 748-464 as manager. Jeff Reed is back for his 11th season as the E-Twins hitting coach. Ivan Arteaga takes over for long-time pitching coach Jim Shellenback. Arteaga has served in that role with the GCL Twins the past six seasons. The 2011 team boasted Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year Tim Shibuya and Hitter of the Year Eddie Rosario. Rosario’s 21 home runs was one more than teammate and Twins top prospect Miguel Sano. Those three, and most of the 2011 team, have moved their way up to the Beloit Snappers roster. However, there is some very good talent on the 2012 Elizabethton Twins roster and they will most likely again compete for an Appalachian League title. THE PITCHERS Ricardo Arevalo (SP-21), Hudson Boyd (SP-19), Josh Burris (20), Steve Evans (22), Dallas Gallant (23), Tyler Herr (21), Garrett Jewell (21), Zach Jones (21), Corey Kimes (SP-22), Brett Lee (SP-21), Angel Mata (SP-19), Mason Melotakis (21), Luis Nunez (20), Hein Robb (SP-20), Taylor Rogers (21). DL – Tyler Duffey (21) and JT Chargois (21). As you can see, this group is a combination of young guys who spent time in the GCL last year and college guys drafted earlier this month. There are a few college guys from last year’s draft as well. 2012 Draft – Mason Melotakis was the team’s first second round pick this year out of Northwestern State. Chargois was the team’s second second round pick this June from Rice. Duffey was the Twins second pick from Rice this year, and the team’s fifth round pick. Zach Jones was the fourth round pick out of San Jose State. Taylor Rogers is left-handed. He was the 11th round pick out of Kentucky. The Twins clearly made a concerted effort to add some power arms. They did that, particularly with Melotakis, Chargois and Duffey. It will be fun to see how that plays out. I also can’t help but wonder how quickly some of these college guys move up to Beloit. 2011 Draft – Hudson Boyd was the Twins second supplemental first round pick a year ago out of high school. There was a lot of speculation about whether he was go to the GCL or E-Town. The hard thrower will make his debut in the Appy League. If you’re looking for a guy and wondering why he is still in Elizabethton, look to 2011 13th round pick Steve Evans. He pitched for Elizabethton last year, very well, and returns in 2012. How well? He was 2-1 with a 1.54 ERA in 21 games out of the bullpen. In 23.1 innings, he walked 11 and struck out 24. Garrett Jewell pitched just eight games last year for the E-Twins before coming down with mono. Corey Kimes got into a game or two before he fought injury the rest of the year. Brett Lee was a last day signing last year as well. The left-hander was the team’s 10th round pick a year ago. Josh Burris has a huge upside thanks to a big fastball and a devastating curveball. If he throws strikes, he will be very good. The GCL Guys – Ricardo Arevalo has made 25 appearances and 20 starts for the GCL Twins over the past two seasons. He is 0-11 with a 4.37 ERA. Tyler Herr was the Twins 44th round pick in 2009 out of high school. He didn’t pitch in the GCL until 2010. He stayed there in 2011 and was much improved out of the team’s bullpen. He looks to continue that trend with the E-Twins. Hein Robb has been a mainstay on the South African team in international competitions since he was 15 years old. The Twins signed him, and he came to the States as an 18 year old. He struggled in the GCL in 2010 and was much better in 2011, although inconsistent. In 2010 in the GCL, Luis Nunez struck out 30 batters in 29 innings, but he also walked 15. Last year, he returned and was incredible. He went 5-0 with 5 saves, and in 32.1 innings, he struck out 37 and walked just six. He’s skinny and throws really hard. Angel Mata is the youngest guy on the pitching staff. Last year in the GCL, he went 0-1 with a 1.46 ERA. In 37 innings, he walked 19 and struck out 30. Dallas Gallant has tremendous upside. He was drafted in 2010, but he missed all of 2011 with Tommy John surgery. He has a fastball that touches 95 and he could be one to watch late in games. CATCHERS Bo Altobelli (21), Jhonathan Arias (23), Michael Quesada (22) Arias returns to Elizabethton after spending most of 2011 in Beloit. Following the 2011 season, he went to Instructs and became a pitcher. However, he is back to catching. Quesada was the team’s 24th round pick in 2010 out of Sierra College. He signed late and played in just three games that year. Last year, he was a constant in the GCL lineup. He hit .211, but got on base 31% of the time. He also had seven doubles, two triples and three home runs. Bo Altobelli was drafted the team’s 21st round pick this month of Texas Tech. INFIELDERS Niko Goodrum (20), Travis Harrison (19), Josh Hendricks (20), DJ Hicks (22), Candido Pimentel (21), Jorge Polanco (18), Stephen Wickens (23) This is a group of immensely talented, young players. These guys have very high ceilings, but there are still many questions with each of them, as you would expect from guys this young. Goodrum was the Twins 2nd round pick in 2010 out of high school. A tremendous athlete, he hit just .161 in 128 Pas in 2010 in the GCL. However, last year in Elizabethton, he hit .275/.352/.382 with 10 doubles, three triples and two home runs. He was also 8 of 9 in stolen base attempts. More important, he got better every month, offensively and defensively at shortstop. Josh Hendricks is 20 years old and hit .275/.316/.350 in the GCL a year ago with eight doubles and two triples. The Australian first baseman is 6-3 and 220 pounds. He had great power potential. His problem in his first two seasons in the States has been consistency. He has had several very good and several very bad streaks. DJ Hicks was the Twins 17th round pick this year out of Central Florida. He has a lot of power potential as well, and should play a lot of 1B, although he also can play in the outfield. Jorge Polanco was a highly-ranked Dominican prospect. He was signed as a shortstop, for about $700,000. In his second turn in the GCL last year, Polanco hit .250/.319/.349 with eight doubles, three triples and a home run. Polanco played 19 games at shortstop, 14 games at third base and 10 games at second base. He also spent some time at all three outfield positions. Polanco will turn 19 in July. Candido Pimentel has been an outfielder through his minor league time, but this year, he is listed with the infielders. He is a lanky, speedy, Otis Nixon type bat, and maybe the better Nixon comparison would be his speed on the base paths. OUTFIELDERS Romy Jimenez (21), Max Kepler (19), Kelvin Mention (20), Rory Rhodes (20), Adam Walker (20). Jimenez (who you may remember as Romy Trinidad in the DSL) hit .321/.367/.429 with three doubles in 28 at bats before his season came to an end with injury. The 21-year-old has terrific speed. Kepler played in Elizabethton last year. He hit .262/.347/.366 with 11 doubles, three triples and a home run. Those are solid, but unspectacular numbers, so the 19 year old gets to go back. Hopefully, like Goodrum, he will dominate the league this year. Kelvin Mention went to high school with Beloit’s JD Williams. Unfortunately, he missed all of last season with injury. He is big and strong and if he can stay healthy, he could hit some home runs. Rory Rhodes started this season at Beloit but hit just .189/.262/.289 before moving back to Extended Spring Training. Instead of playing at first base, he is now listed with the outfielders. Finally, the Twins used their 3rd round pick (97th overall) on Adam Walker. Although he played 1B and Jacksonville U, the Twins wanted to list him as a right fielder. Although he’ll likely strike out a lot, there is a good chance that he will hit a lot of home runs. NEW RULE - Previously, a player could spend no more than three years combined between the GCL and Elizabethton. A new rule this year allows three players with more than three years of experience. This is important in the case of Rory Rhodes. The 6-7, 20 year old from Australia played in the GCL in 2009 and 2010. He played in Elizabethton last year. That's three years. However, he is allowed to play in Elizabethton again in 2012 because of this rule. It would appear that this is a rule designed for players signed as 16 or 17 year olds from other countries. The players from Central America can play in the Dominican Summer League before coming up to the short-season leagues. However, players from Australia (Rhodes, Hendricks), or South Africa (Robb) or Germany (Kepler) or other places that don't have a pre-short season place to play. I think this is a good rule. SUMMARY This roster for Elizabethton has another chance to compete for another Appalachian League title. There are some good veterans in the rotation and in the bullpen which always helps. However, there are also some high-end pitching prospects worth watching to see how they adjust to a little better competition. On the offensive side, it is also a good mix. It is a good mix of college guys and young players. There is a good combination of power guys (Walker, Kepler, Hendricks, Rhodes, Quesada, Harrison, Hicks) and speed (Goodrum, Polanco, Kepler and Jimenez). Tomorrow, we will take a look at the GCL roster. It includes several players drafted this year and last year out of high school as well as several players who have come up from the Twins Dominican Summer League team. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1254[/ATTACH]

The Twins lost the second game of the Target Field series against the Brewers. Be sure to check out the article by Twins Daily’s Parker Hageman who was on the scene and filed a very nice story on the game. Starting on Tuesday, this Twins minor league report will be expanding. On Monday, the Twins Gulf Coast League team will be playing their first game. Will it be the professional debut of first round pick Byron Buxton? Late on Saturday night, the Elizabethton Twins players and coaches boarded a bus and started their trek to Tennessee. By the time you read this on Sunday morning, the bus may soon be arriving in Elizabethton after an estimated 13 hour drive. I believe I have the E-Twins roster and plan to write up a season preview for the team tomorrow. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Saturday day: ROCHESTER 5, LOUISVILLE 11 Unfortunately for the Red Wings, this game got out of control pretty quickly. Matt Maloney got the start. The lefty gave up nine runs (8 earned) on eight hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. Three of the hits went for home runs, including a homer by Corky Miller and a rehabbing Scott Rolen. Brendan Wise came in and gave up one run on four hits over the next 2.1 innings. Kyle Waldrop gave up one run on a hit and two walks in two innings. JR Towles led the offense by going 2-3 with a walk and his 12th double. Clete Thomas hit a two-run homer in the 9th, his fourth with the Red Wings. NEW BRITAIN 1, ERIE 4 BJ Hermsen was back on the mound for the Rock Cats on Saturday. The right-hander gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out just one. Daniel Turpen came in and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked two batters, but he also struck out two. Luis Perdomo struck out one in a perfect ninth frame. Nate Hanson had another strong game. He was 2-4 with his tenth double. Rene Tosoni also had two hits. Chris Herrmann went 1-3 with a walk. FT. MYERS – All Star Game The midseason All Star game for the Florida State League was played on Saturday night. Josmil Pinto started at catcher for the south squad and batted seventh. He was 0-1 in his one plate appearance. Oswaldo Arcia entered the game as a replacement and went 0-2. Danny Santana played shortstop the last half of the game. He was 0-1 but walked once, scored two runs and stole two bases. Ricky Bowen came in to pitch the eighth inning and went 1-2-3. He was the winning pitcher in the game. BELOIT 3, BURLINGTON 11 Things definitely got started poorly for the Snappers in this game. Jason Wheeler was on the mound, and he gave up seven runs (just four earned) on seven this in five innings. He walked two and struck out three. He was hurt by errors, to be sure. Tim Shibuya came in and gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in two innings. Bart Carter gave up two runs on four hits in his inning. He struck out two. Clinton Dempster then pitched a perfect ninth inning. Adam Bryant led the offense. In four at bats, he had a single, his tenth double and his second triple of the season. On Sunday, the first 500 fans in Beloit will get a Miguel Sano Wobblehead! --- Players of the Day for Saturday, June 16, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Adam Bryant [ATTACH=CONFIG]1249[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Ricky Bowen [ATTACH=CONFIG]1248[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, June 17, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Sam Deduno New Britain vs Erie – LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers – All Star Break Beloit vs Burlington – RHP Matt Summers --- 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!

On Thursday night, the Beloit Snappers beat Peoria 5-3. It wasn’t just another game and just another win for the team. With the win, the Snappers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2007. In the Midwest League (and the Florida State League), they play two halves of the season. The division winners from each half make the playoffs and the MWL has a wild card spot. Wisconsin won the MWL West division over the Snappers, but the Snappers get the wild card. I thought it would be fun to take a look back at that 2007 Beloit Snappers playoff team. I had been following the Twins minor league system for a couple of years, and I remember that team. Several members of that team took a few minutes to tell me what they remember of that team and that season. Matt Fox was a supplemental 1st round pick in 2004 out of Central Florida but had surgery in 2005. In 2006, he returned with Elizabethton, and in 2007, he spent the year in Beloit. He began the year in the bullpen before becoming a starter in the second half. As he remembers, “we had a big house on a river up there, lived six guys in one house, road to the field in back of someone pickup truck and just were having fun and playing hard.” According to Fox, Jeff Smith (currently the manager in New Britain), “just tried to hammer it in to us to play hard and good things will happen. That's about it, well that and the long bus rides.” Cole De Vries, who went 9-5 in 25 starts for the Snappers that season, marveled at the amount of talent that played in Beloit that season. “I think one of the things that is the most amazing about that team is how many guys that were on that team that have played in the big leagues. (Danny) Valencia and I were talking about it the other night and I think there are 10-12 guys from that team that are or have been in the big leagues. It’s amazing when you think that about half of a low level team have played in the big leagues. That's something you would expect from a AAA team not a low A team.” Brian Dinkelman added, “What is amazing to me is how many players from that team are still with the organization.” Members of the 2007 Beloit Snappers that played in the Major Leagues: Joe Benson, Alex Burnett, Cole De Vries, Rob Delaney, Brian Dinkelman, Matt Fox, Armando Gabino, Jeff Manship, Chris Parmelee, Wilson Ramos, Anthony Slama, Rene Tosoni, and Danny Valencia. Also on the Beloit roster in 2007 but no major league service time but still in the Twins organization: Tyler Robertson and Deibinson Romero. Like this 2012 team, the 2007 Snappers clinched a playoff spot by winning the first half. Of course, that meant that several of the players that helped clinch the playoff spot did not play in the playoffs because they were promoted to Ft. Myers. Dinkelman said, “Even though I was not there for the playoffs it was still exciting to help clinch a spot in the playoffs.” Gabino was promoted in May. Dinkelman, Manship and Valencia were promoted right after the Midwest League All-Star game. Allan de San Miguel and Rob Delaney moved up in July. The same will likely happen with the 2012 team. For instance, Michael Tonkin has been great all season for the Snappers but particularly dominant since the calendar changed to June. In five games, he has thrown eight innings and given up no runs on no hits and no walks while striking out 18 batters. Now that the Snappers have clinched, he should get the opportunity to pitch in the league all star game and then but pushed up to Ft. Myers. AJ Achter is another reliever that could move up. As those players move up, others will get an opportunity. In all likelihood, the Twins should be able to push 2012 draft picks like Mason Melotakis, Luke Bard, JT Chargois and Tyler Duffey to Beloit when needed. In 2007, it was Anthony Slama that came to the Snappers in mid-July and helped out of the bullpen down the stretch and in the playoffs. Slama was drafted in the 36th round of the 2006 draft, but he did not sign. Instead, he went back to San Diego for his senior season of college. However, before the 2007 draft, he signed (in the final year of ‘draft-and-follow) with the Twins. After a few games in Elizabethton, he came up to the Twins. In 2007, the Elizabethton Twins won the Appalachian League title. Rene Tosoni and Deibinson Romero were the top players on that team. Following the championship series, the two moved up to Beloit where they played in the final two games of the season with the Snappers. They were also able to play with the Snappers in their playoff run. Not only did they play, they often hit in the middle of the lineup. The 2007 playoffs began with a series against Clinton. In the first game, De Vries threw a shutout through 8.1 innings. He gave up a solo home run to Chad Tracy in the 9th inning but got the final two outs for the win. In game two, it was Matt Fox who threw five shutout innings. The game was still tied at zero in the 8th inning. Rene Tosoni came off the bench to pinch hit and drilled an RBI double. Chris Parmelee then singled in Tosoni to give the Snappers a 2-0 lead, a lead that Anthony Slama was able to hold for the save. The Snappers won the best-of-three series 2-0. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1240[/ATTACH] That set up a best-of-five championship series against West Michigan. West Michigan won the first two games of the series. Game 1 – Beloit 3, West Michigan 4 – Alex Burnett threw a complete game but took the loss. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits and two walks in eight innings. Matt Betsill was 2-2 with two walks. Greg Yersich was 2-4. Game 2 – Beloit 2, West Michigan 3 – The Snappers managed just two hits. Garrett Olson hit a two-run homer in the second inning to give the team a lead, but the White Caps scored the final three runs of the game. Tyler Robertson started and gave up three runs in six innings, but just one was earned thanks to three Snappers errors. Duane Below started or the Tigers’ affiliate. He struck out ten and gave up just one hit and two walks in seven innings. Current Red Wings reliever Casey Fien got the save by striking out three in the final two innings. Game 3 – Beloit 8, West Michigan 5 – Cole De Vries had a rough start, but the bullpen came through for the team. De Vries gave up five runs on seven hits and four walks in 4.1 innings. Then Danny Vais came in and threw 2.2 scoreless innings. Dan Leatherman pitched a scoreless eighth inning before Anthony Slama pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the playoffs. Steve Singleton went 2-4 with two RBI. Joe Benson was 2-4 with a double. Danny Santiesteban went 2-4. Garrett Olson hit another home run. Game 4 – Beloit 5, West Michigan 0 – Deibinson Romero hit a three-run homer in the first inning to get things off on the right foot. Joe Benson added a solo homer in the fifth frame. That was more than enough offense for Matt Fox. The right-hander threw six scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out ten. Matt Williams threw a scoreless inning. Allen Craig threw two scoreless innings. Game 5 – Beloit 5, West Michigan 11 – The Snappers scored five runs in the third to take a 5-3 lead. Unfortunately, West Michigan scored eight runs in the fifth inning and that was it for the offense. Catcher Greg Yersich hit a bases-clearing triple for the Snappers, and Santiesteban went 2-4 in the game. Joe Benson also hit a triple. Alex Burnett started and gave up three runs (2 earned) on five hits in three innings. Leatherman came in and pitched a scoreless fourth inning before he gave up three unearned runs in the fifth inning without getting an out. Jose Lugo got two outs in the fifth and gave up four runs (3 earned). Danny Vais got the final out of the fifth inning and then threw two more innings. Anthony Slama and Jesus Carnevales each threw a scoreless inning. Based on all the unearned runs, you know that the Snappers defense wasn’t great. They committed SIX errors. What a run it was for the 2007 Beloit Snappers. It was a fun time following the Midwest League playoffs in 2007, and thanks to a nice first half by the Snappers, there will be another playoff run for the 2012 team. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1241[/ATTACH]

As PJ Walters walked slowly off the field with a trainer in the top of the first after failing to get an out through the game’s first four batters thoughts immediately jumped to the Twins’ starting rotation. Scott Diamond will be on the mound on Thursday in the series finale versus the Phillies. Francisco Liriano and Nick Blackburn are back in the rotation after missing starts. Carl Pavano is on the Disabled List. PJ Walters will have an MRI on his shoulder on Thursday. Who will make upcoming starts for the Twins and is there any help in the Rochester starting rotation? Here is a look at the Twins and Red Wings upcoming schedules: [TABLE] Day Twins Starter Red Wings starter Thursday, June 14 Scott Diamond Luke French Friday, June 15 Francisco Liriano Liam Hendriks? Saturday, June 16 Liam Hendriks? Cole De Vries Sunday, June 17 Nick Blackburn Matt Maloney Monday, June 18 No Game Scheduled Sam Deduno Tuesday, June 19 ? Luke French Wednesday, June 20 ? Liam Hendriks? Thursday, June 21 ? Cole De Vries Friday, June 22 ? Matt Maloney Saturday, June 23 ? Sam Deduno Sunday, June 24 ? Luke French [/TABLE] We have all heard that it appears that Liam Hendriks (turned 23 in February) will be called up to start for the Twins on Saturday. In fact, if you look at Yahoo! Sports schedule, it lists Hendriks as the Twins scheduled starter for Saturday. However, as of late Wednesday night, Hendriks had not yet been informed that he would be promoted. As he is also scheduled to start for Rochester on Friday, he will have to be told on Thursday. Hendriks is currently 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA with the Red Wings. In 46.1 innings, he has given up just 29 hits, walked 13 and struck out 42. Let’s make an assumption that Hendriks will start for the Twins on Saturday, the Red Wings will need a starter for Friday. The Red Wings have already had 14 pitchers start a game for the team this season. Bullpen guys like Brendan Wise and Esmerling Vasquez have made spot starts in Bullpen games. It is also possible that David Bromberg (25 until September) could come off of the 7-Day Disabled List to start. He last pitched for the Red Wings on June 2nd. After a rough start to his season in the New Britain bullpen, Bromberg earned his promotion to the Red Wings in late May. He made two starts before going on the DL with right shoulder tendonitis. If Bromberg is not able to go, righty Steve Hirschfeld could be brought up to start for the Red Wings. The 26-year-old threw five shutout innings for Rochester in a spot start last week. The other option would be 22-year-old BJ Hermsen who is 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA in eight starts for the Rock Cats. So, if PJ Walters can’t start for the Twins next Tuesday, who will? I think because of the off day on Monday, the Twins would go with just four starters this time through the rotation with Diamond starting again on Tuesday on regular rest. If that’s the case, the next time the Twins would need a starter would be Saturday, June 23, in Cincinnati. Could Walters be ready then? Is there any chance that Carl Pavano would be ready to come off the Disabled List by then? As of now, the answer to both questions would likely be no. I think we can also assume that the Twins would not consider going to 13 pitchers on the staff during their games in National League ball parks. So here is an update on the other Red Wings starters and others the Twins could use to start that game (again, making the assumption that Liam Hendriks will come up and start Saturday): Jeff Manship – He went three innings on Wednesday night. When he was starting in Rochester, he was the team’s top starter (of those not promoted), posting an ERA of 3.08. Anthony Swarzak – He has already made several spot starts for the Twins this year. The team clearly prefers him to be in the bullpen. Brian Duensing – for some reason his name keeps coming up as a starting option despite the fact that he’s done a terrific job out of the bullpen and wouldn’t be stretched out at this point. Cole De Vries (27 until February) – He was just optioned to Rochester on June 7, days after recording his first big league Win. He last started for the Red Wings on Sunday and gave up six runs on six hits in just two innings. His overall Rochester numbers this year are 1-5 with a 5.18 ERA. He’s given up 53 hits in 48 innings. He is on the 40 man roster. Matt Maloney (28 until January) – Maloney was removed from the Twins 25 and 40 man rosters in early May. He cleared waivers and was sent to Rochester. He pitched twice out of the bullpen before moving into the starting rotation. He is 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA. In 18.2 innings, he has given up 31 hits, walked two and struck out 13. His most recent start was on Monday, and he gave up six runs (3 earned) on five hits in just two innings. Luke French (26 until September) – French went a combined 9-12 in 31 games (25 starts) for the Tigers and the Mariners in 2009 and 2010. The Twins signed him right before spring training to a minor league contract. He made five starts in New Britain before moving up to Rochester. The lefty has made seven starts for the Red Wings and is 1-1 with a 4.03 ERA. In 38 innings, he has given up 32 hits, walked 17 and struck out 23. However, he has not given up more than two runs in his last four starts (1-1, 2.05 ERA). Sam Deduno (28 until July 2) – The Twins signed the minor league free agent and invited him to spring training. He left his April 27th start after walking the first two batters and was put on the disabled list with right shoulder tendonitis. On Tuesday, he made his return and threw four scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked three and struck out five. On the year, he is 0-1 with a 3.15 ERA. In 20 innings, he has given up 15 hits, walked 11 and struck out 18. He pitched in four games for the Rockies in 2010, and two games for the Padres in 2011. With all of the above, I believe this is what the upcoming schedule will look like: [TABLE] Day Twins Starter Red Wings starter Thursday, June 14 Scott Diamond Luke French Friday, June 15 Francisco Liriano Steve Hirschfeld Saturday, June 16 Liam Hendriks Cole De Vries Sunday, June 17 Nick Blackburn Matt Maloney Monday, June 18 No Game Scheduled Sam Deduno Tuesday, June 19 Scott Diamond Luke French Wednesday, June 20 Francisco Liriano Steve Hirschfeld Thursday, June 21 Liam Hendriks Cole De Vries Friday, June 22 Nick Blackburn Matt Maloney Saturday, June 23 Jeff Manship Sam Deduno Sunday, June 24 Scott Diamond Luke French [/TABLE] Of course, this is the great game of baseball which means anything can happen, and all of the above thought may be out the window! Any thoughts on the Twins upcoming rotation? Any thoughts on the Red Wings rotation? Any wonder why the Red Wings are struggling again in 2012? [ATTACH=CONFIG]1228[/ATTACH]