Seth Stohs

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:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] [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?

In the last twenty-four hours, catcher Dan Rohlfing was promoted from Ft. Myers to New Britain. Former Gopher catcher Kyle Knudson was promoted from Beloit to Ft. Myers. Bart Carter was taken off of the Snappers’ Disabled List. As we are approaching the mid-point of the minor league seasons, the Twins typically make several promotions at each level. Many times, the Twins let players who make their league’s all star teams play in those games. Often, players are promoted following the all star games. Today, I wanted to provide some thoughts on several players that I think are worthy of a mid-season promotion.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER to MINNESOTA? Liam Hendriks – There are the rumors that he will be starting for the Twins at Target Field against the Brewers. As of Monday, he had not heard anything official. But in seven starts since his demotion in late April, he is 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA. In 46.1 innings, he has given up 29 hits, walked 13 and struck out 42. And that includes on game in which he gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks in five innings. In other words, he has been tremendous and has made some adjustments. Lester Oliveros – Deolis Guerra has come back down to earth, and Anthony Slama is now on the Disabled List. Don’t worry about last night’s Oliveros outing, everyone has one of those. He is pitching very well, and if the Twins need a bullpen arm in the near future, he is currently the one to look to. NEW BRITAIN to ROCHESTER? Steve Hirschfeld – Last week, when the Red Wings needed a spot starter, Hirschfeld was the guy. He was sent back down the next day despite throwing 5 shutout innings. On the year, he is 4-4 with a 3.20 ERA. Hirschfeld has been in New Britain since 2010. He’s 26 years old. It’s just time for him to move up. (Then if they need a spot starter, BJ Hermsen who is pitching spectacularly.) FT. MYERS to NEW BRITAIN? Oswaldo Arcia – Finally, a hitter. Arcia has been as hot as any hitter in minor league baseball over the past five to six weeks. Overall, he’s hitting .318/.381/.530 with 15 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. His downfall is that he hasn’t been able to hit left-handed pitching (.591 OPS vs LHP - 1.054 OPS vs RHP). Hey, neither could Jason Kubel, who is a terrific comp for Arcia. Pat Dean – Dean has been the Miracle’s top starter all season. He is 4-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 13 games started. He strikes out (and walks) no one (33 K, 16 BB, in 73.1 IP). I expect him to struggle some in AA, as most college-drafted pitchers do because of it, but I do think he’s ready for that challenge. Ricky Bowen – Signed after the start of the 2011 season, the 24-year-old Bowen has been very good out of the Miracle bullpen. This year, he is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA and five saves. In 37.1 innings, he has walked 11 and struck out 38. He’s been good, and frankly, he needs to move up. Matt Hauser can be the second reliever to move up, if needed. BELOIT to FT. MYERS? Michael Tonkin – I’ve mentioned this several times of late, but I simply cannot come up with a single reason that Tonkin is no up in Ft. Myers. He’s in his third season in Beloit, and he’s 3-0 with four saves and a 1.50 ERA. In 36 innings, he’s given up 29 hits, walked nine and struck out 44 batters. Generally, I can come up with some reason for holding a guy back. I can’t come up with one for Tonkin, unless poor body language is a reason? Eddie Rosario – As much as I believe that Miguel Sano needs to stay in Beloit, and I think the best thing for Rosario would be to remain in Beloit, if there is a position player in Beloit that could move up if needed, it would be Eddie Rosario. He has areas in which he can continue to improve, but offensively, he is a pretty advanced hitter for a 20 year old. His defense remains a work-in-progress, but he has greatly improved and can continue to work. (I think he could handle it alright, but I think the best thing for him would be to stay in Beloit at least another month.) So there you have it. You’ll want to check back to Twins Daily where we will attempt to keep up with any and all transactions in the Twins system. For instance, from Extended Spring Training, the Twins have released infielder Julio Torres and pitcher Tobias Streich. What do you think? Who should be promoted?

Dave Boswell won 20 games for the Minnesota Twins in 1969, but he is likely remembered for something else that happened to him that year. Last night, Bert Blyleven tweeted, "Just heard the sad news about the passing of Twins great Dave Boswell. Everyone that knew him will remember his love for his wife Lou & life." Dave Boswell was born in Maryland in January of 1945. He passed away yesterday at the age of 67. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Boswell signed with the Twins as an 18 year old in 1963 for $15,000. In September of 1964, he made four starts for the Twins. In the Twins 1965 season, he pitched 106 innings for the Twins, making 12 starts and 15 appearances out of the bullpen. He worked 2.2 innings out of the bullpen for the Twins in the 1965 World Series. The next four seasons (1966-1969), Boswell was remarkably consistent. His ERAs were between 3.14 and 3.32. His WHIP was between 1.09 and 1.24. Combined those seasons, he went 56-42 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. It culminated with his 1969 season in which he went 20-12 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. As a 24 year old that season, he threw 256.1 innings. He took the loss in his one start in the 1969 ALCS. In that game, he gave up one run in 10.2 innings. However, he is best known for getting punched by his manager, Billy Martin, outside a bar in Detroit. Whether is was that event, or the 256.1 innings, Boswell never was the same afterwards. He threw just 68.2 innings in 1970 (and walked 44 and struck out 45) for the Twins and went 3-7. Following the season, the Twins released him. He signed with the Tigers in April of 1971 and pitched in just three games before being released. The Orioles signed him quickly, but he walked 15 and struck out 14 in 24.2 innings. Following the season, the O's released Boswell, and he didn't play in the big leagues again.

The Twins had another off day on Monday. Justin Morneau’s Casino Night was on Sunday night. On Monday night, many players worked the bar at Toby Keith’s for Hang with the Majors. These events and some that are less publicized are all a part of Hope Week in which the Twins are quite visible around the community, raising funds for the Twins Community Fund. The Twins do a lot of great things in communities around the state thanks to these types of events. They return to the field on Tuesday when they will take on Jim Thome and the Philadelphia Phillies for three games before the next Border Battle against the Brewers. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Monday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 0, INDIANAPOLIS 16 I’m not sure how much you want to read about this game after just looking at the score in the heading. Matt Maloney started and went just two innings. He gave up six runs (4 earned) on five hits. He walked none and struck out none. Brendan Wise went the next three innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. Casey Fien gave up two runs on three hits and (an intentional) walk. Lester Oliveros gave up five runs on three hits and two walks and he recorded just two outs (both on strikeouts). Tyler Robertson got the final four outs. He gave up one run on two hits. The Red Wings managed just four hits. Pedro Florimon had two of them. Wilkin Ramirez hit his fifth double. NEW BRITAIN The Rock Cats had a day off on Monday before starting a series at home against Akron. FT. MYERS 8, PALM BEACH 4 Tied 4-4 going into the 9th, the Miracle got RBI singles from Levi Michael and Danny Santana followed by Sacrifice Flies by Jairo Perez and Oswaldo Arcia. Santana led the offense by going 3-5 with three RBI. He is hitting .310. Danny Rams was 2-3 with his first and second doubles of the season. Jairo Perez had three RBI in the game, but he was also 2-4. Marty Popham started and gave up one run on seven hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five. Edgar Ibarra came in and was charged with three unearned runs on one hit and one walk in two innings. He struck out three. Ricky Bowen walked three over the last two innings but did not allow a run, so he was credited with the win. BELOIT 7, WISCONSIN 8 For the second straight day, Timber Rattler shortstop Yadiel Rivera came to the plate with the score tied and the winning run on base. For the second straight day, Rivera came through for his team. In Monday afternoon’s series finale, the walk-off hit may not have been as dramatic as Sunday night’s three-run homer, but a walk-off single got the job done for Wisconsin. Jason Wheeler made the start for the Snappers. He gave up four runs on six hits in 5.2 innings. He walked none and struck out six. AJ Achter came in and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in one inning. He struck out three. Corey Williams came in and gave up the final run. In 1.2 innings, he gave up the run on three hits and a walk. He struck out two. The Snappers grabbed the lead thanks to a six-run fifth inning. The key blow in that game came off the bat of Miguel Sano who hit his 15th home run of the season, a grand slam. He was 2-5 in the game. Jairo Rodriguez was 3-4. Nate Roberts was 3-5. Jhonathan Goncalves went 1-3 with a walk and his second home run. Matt Koch went 2-4. --- Players of the Day for Monday, June 11, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano (photo courtesy of Rinaldi Photos) Pitcher of the Day – Marty Popham --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, June 12, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Sam Deduno New Britain vs Akron – TBD Ft. Myers vs Bradenton – LHP Cole Nelson Beloit vs Peoria – 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!

Be sure to read John's tremendous article on Jim Thome and his long-awaited arrival in Minnesota, in a Twins uniform. He spent just over a year and a half wearing the Twins pinstripes, and yet, he provided Twins fans with many memorable moments. Often, the question "What was your favorite Player X moment?" is asked when a player of little significance is demoted or released. However, I ask you today, What Was Your Favorite Jim Thome (in a Twins uniform) Moment? Be sure to vote in the attached poll, but there are just six things I came up with off the top of my head. I'm sure you can come up with more. And some of you may even have some personal stories of Thome. Please use this thread to discuss Jim Thome moments. Click here to VOTE for your favorite Thome Moment. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 7/3/2010 - Thome 574th Home Run Jim Thome homered for the 574th time in his big league career, passing Twins legend Harmon Killebrew on the all-time list. Killebrew congratulates him on the big screen at Target Field. 8/20/2010 - Thome Walks-Off versus White Sox Down by a run in the bottom of the 10th, Thome came to the plate against his former teammates. Facing lefty Matt Thornton with a runner on 1st base, Thome connected for the first walk-off home run in Target Field History. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7O-w1CAo8g 9/2010 - Thome hits one off the Flag pole! It was tremendous clout. Thome got all of it, and when it hit the top of the flag pole in right-center field, Orlando Hudson was shown mouthing words from the dugout showing how impressed he was!! April 2011 - Thome's Twins Commercial "Deep in Twins Territory, there's a legendary story, 'bout a man with an ox in the batter's box..." Classic commercial! 8/15/2011 - Thome Hits 600th Home Run He came into the game needing two home runs. He hit #599, and then in the 7th inning, his next at bat, he his #600 in Detroit off of lefty Daniel Schlereth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th1gqiDp6H8&feature=fvwrel Always - Thome's Class Like Killebrew before him, I can't help but wonder if people will forget how incredible of a baseball player Thome was because he is even a better man, always classy. What was your favorite Jim Thome with the Twins Moment? Vote Here.

On Sunday afternoon, the Twins last the series finale to the Cubs by a score of 8-2. However, the Twins won yet another series. They will have another day off on Monday before hosting the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers this coming week. Francisco Liriano started on Sunday for the Twins and gave up four runs on four hits in 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out six. Trevor Plouffe raised his average to .217 with a 2-4 day. Jamey Carroll was also 2-4. He hit a double and is now hitting .245 on the season. Ryan Dempster won for just the second time this season despite a 2.31 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Sunday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 1, INDIANAPOLIS 8 Cole De Vries returned to the Red Wings and it’s fair to say that his first start didn’t go so well. De Vries lasted just two innings and gave up six runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out two. Carlos Gutierrez came in and gave up no runs in 2.2 innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. Deolis Guerra came in and gave up two runs on two hits in two innings. He walked none and struck out … two. Tyler Robertson gave up one hit and walked none in 1.1 scoreless innings. Danny Valencia led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk, his sixth doubled and first triple. Michael Hollimon went 2-4. JR Towles hit his tenth double. NEW BRITAIN 6, ERIE 0 BJ Hermsen continued his mastery of the Eastern League with another strong start on Sunday against Erie. He threw seven shutout innings. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out five. He improved to 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA. Luis Perdomo picked up his second save with two scoreless innings. He walked one and struckout one. Evan Bigley led the offense. He went 3-5 with his 12th double and seventh home run. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with his 14th and 15th doubles. James Beresford was 2-5. Deibinson Romero hit his ninth home run, a three-run blast that gave the Rock Cats the final run differential. FT. MYERS 8, PALM BEACH 5 Jairo Perez celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday with a 2-5 game in which he hit his fourth home run. He drove in three runs on the game. Michael Gonzales went 2-4 with his fifth homer and two RBI. Danny Santana was 2-5. Lance Ray hit his seventh home run. Madison Boer took a step back on Sunday and yet, he won for the second straight game. In five innings, he gave up five runs (4 earned) on nine hits and three walks. He struck out two. Nelvin Fuentes threw a perfect sixth frame. Matt Hauser gave up a hit and two walks over two innings, but no runs. Dan Sattler recorded his first save in the organization. He gave up one hit and recorded one strikeout in the 9th inning. BELOIT 2, WISCONSIN 5 (10 Innings) It was another tough loss for the Snappers against the Timber Rattlers on Sunday. Wisconsin’s shortstop Yadiel Rivera hit a three-run walk-off homer in the 10th. David Hurlbut gave up two runs on nine hits and a walk in five innings during his first start of the season. He struck out two. Tim Atherton came in. He walked three but gave up no runs in 1.1 innings. Michael Tonkin came in and struck out three over 2.2 scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster came in and didn’t get an out in the 10th, allowing the three runs (2 of them earned). Jonathan Goncalves went 3-4. AJ Pettersen went 2-5. Drew Leachman hit his fourth double. Matt Koch drove in the two runs. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, June 10, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Evan Bigley Pitcher of the Day – BJ Hermsen --- A Look Ahead – Monday, June 11, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – LHP Matt Maloney New Britain – No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – RHP Marty Popham Beloit @ Wisconsin – LHP Jason Wheeler --- 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 Saturday afternoon, the Twins offense jumped all over Jeff Samardzija, scoring eight runs in the first four innings. Joe Mauer returned to the lineup after missing four games with a sprained thumb. He was 3-4 with his 13th double. Trevor Plouffe went 2-4 with his sixth double and ninth home run. He drove in four runs. Justin Morneau, Denard Span and Ben Revere each had two hits in the game, as the Twins beat the Cubs 11-3, and won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. Scott Diamond improved to 5-1 and reduced his ERA to 1.61 with six scoreless innings. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 2, INDIANAPOLIS 0 When Liam Hendriks was sent down to Rochester at the end of April, it was because he was showing a lack of confidence and getting hit pretty hard. Since his return to the minor leagues, Hendriks has regained that confidence, and continued to improve his stuff. The hard-worker has had one rough start, and on Saturday night, he was at his best. Facing Indianapolis, Hendriks improved to 5-0. He went 8.2 innings (on out shy of a complete game) and gave up no runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out ten. His ERA dropped to 1.94. Lester Oliveros, who would clearly be the next reliever in line to come up to the Twins when there is a need, recorded the final out for his fourth Rochester save. As you would expect by the score, the Red Wings bats were pretty quiet too. They scored their two runs in the top of the 7th inning. The inning began with walks to Danny Valencia and Wilkin Ramirez. Then Matt Carson was hit by a pitch. Valencia scored on a ground out t to first base by Clete Thomas. Next, Ramirez scored on a single by Rene Rivera. That was the offense. Thomas was 2-4 with atriple. Valencia was 1-3 with a walk. Ramirez was 1-2 with two walks. NEW BRITAIN 6, ERIE 0 The Rock Cats bats scored six runs on 16 hits, but when a team throws a shutout, we are going to start with the pitching. Andrew Albers improved to 3-1 with six shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out four. Bruce Pugh came in and walked two in a scoreless inning. Caleb Thielbar struck out three over the final two innings. Chris Herrmann led the offense by going 4-5 on the day with his 15th double. Evan Bigley was 3-5 with his 10th and 11th walks. Chris Colabello was 3-4 and provided the big blast, a three-run homer in the eighth inning that gave the bullpen some extra insurance. Nathan Hanson was 2-4 with his sixth double. James Beresford was 2-5. FT. MYERS 2, PALM BEACH 3 After being unable to play thanks to rain since Wednesday, the Miracle finally just moved on, to Palm Beach, and played a solid game. Pat Dean started for the Miracle and threw four innings of shutout baseball. He gave up two hits and walked and struck out none. Then Tom Stuifbergen came in for his first appearance due to shoulder issues. In the fifth inning, he got the first two batters out. However, four straight singles later, the game was tied at two. He recorded the first out of the sixth inning, but then next batter drilled a line drive off of his leg. He left the game at that point. He was charged with that run, which scored later. Jose Gonzalez recorded four outs. Then Dakota Watts got the final four outs. He struck out two. The Miracle managed just five hits. Oswaldo Arcia was 1-2 with a walk and his 15th double. Josmil Pinto hit his first triple. Angel Moracles was 1-3 with a walk and a stolen base. BELOIT 0, WISCONSIN 4 In games against these two teams, the top two teams in the Midwest League West division, the Timber Rattlers have now won three out of four to take the division lead. The Snappers had just five hits in the game. Nate Roberts and Drew Leachman were each 2-4. Leachman hit his third double. Milwaukee native Tyler Jones started for Beloit. He gave up three runs on four hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Ryan O’Rourke gave up only an unearned run in two innings. He gave up three hits and an intentional walk, and he struck out three. --- Players of the Day for Saturday, June 9, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks Hitter of the Day – Chris Herrmann --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, June 10, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Cole De Vries New Britain @ Erie – RHP BJ Hermsen Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – LHP David Hurlbut Beloit @ Wisconsin – 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!

On Friday night, the Twins needed an extra inning to top the Cubs 8-7. It may not have been pretty game, but a win is a win, and the Twins have been playing much better baseball the last month. Ryan Doumit had two hits, including his sixth home run. Trevor Plouffe was 2-3 with a walk, his fifth double and his eighth home run. Ben Revere had three hits, a walk and two stolen bases. Jamey Carroll and Darin Mastroianni each had two hits. Josh Willingham had two hits including a walk-off single that scored Mastroianni with the winning run in the 10th. On Saturday, Joe Mauer and Denard Span return to the Twins lineup, and Scott Diamond looks to continue his 2012 success. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 9, NORFOLK 6 Esmerling Vasquez became the 14th starting pitcher for the Red Wings in 2012. The hard-throwing right-hander gave up just one run on three hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out six. Brendan Wise came in and in 2.1 innings gave up one run on three hits and a walk. Carlos Gutierrez gave up three runs on three hits in one inning. Kyle Waldrop gave up a run on two hits in his inning. Sean Burroughs led the offensive attack by going 4-5 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Rene Rivera went 2-2 with two walks, his fourth double and three RBI. Matt Carson went 2-3 with a walk, his 16th double and his fifth stolen base. Brian Dinkelman returned to the lineup and went 2-4 with his first double. Clete Thomas hit his second home run. NEW BRITAIN 7, ERIE 9 James Beresford continues to play well. His batting average is now up to .289 with a three-hit game on Friday night. He had a single, his third double and his second triple in this game. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk and his 13th double. He drove in three runs. Deibinson Romero hit his eighth home run. Mark Dolenc hit his first of the season. Aaron Thompson was back on the mound for the Rock Cats. In 4.2 innings, he gave up seven runs (6 earned) on eight hits and three walks. He struck out just one. Bobby Lanigan gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings. Blake Martin got the final five outs. FT. MYERS, TAMPA There was more rain in southwest Florida, and no game played. These two teams are still trying to finish a game that was started on Wednesday night. The regularly scheduled game for Friday night has been cancelled. BELOIT 7, BURLINGTON 0 The Snappers offense showed up again in this game, but when a team gets a shutout, we have to start with the pitching. Left-hander Steven Gruver has been terrific of late and on Friday night, the story was the same. He gave up no runs on three hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out three. Corey Williams gets his seventh save by throwing three one-hit innings and striking out two. Tyler Grimes went 2-3 with a walk. Adam Bryant and Jairo Rodriguez were each 2-4. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-5. Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano each hit a double. It was Sano’s 14th and Rosario’s 20th. --- Players of the Day for Friday, June 8, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Steve Gruver Hitter of the Day – Sean Burroughs --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, June 9, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain @ Erie - TBD Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – RHP Marty Popham Beloit @ Wisconsin – RHP Tyler Jones

It’s been a busy week here at Twins Daily with a lot of draft coverage. Last Sunday, I posted my blog on Day 1 of my Territory Train trip. It included a bus ride through Iowa, and a ball game at the beautiful Modern Woodmen Park and a Snappers win. It’s a few days later, but here I will continue my log of events of the trip with the second day’s events. Day 2 began earlier than a typical Territory Train day does. We were on the bus outside our hotel in Moline, Illinois, and on the road by about 8:30 a.m. However, there were no complaints because the day was going to be full of some very fun events. We drove through northwest Illinois and found ourselves in Beloit, Wisconsin, which is just north of the Illinois/Wisconsin border, before 11:00 a.m. We were scheduled to eat lunch at a sports bar called Jerseys at 11:45 with several Snappers.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Scott Povolny (Territory Train owner) had worked with Snappers’ AJ Pettersen to set up the event, and it was very much successful. AJ and fellow former Gopher Kyle Knudson were there. Pitchers Tim Shibuya and Ryan O’Rourke showed up soon after. Outfielder Wang-Wei Lin arrived. Infielder/Outfielder Drew Leachman, who came to the Snappers in early May from Extended Spring Training, was there as well. Then hitting coach Tommy Watkins arrived. It was fun though because the players were all very nice and willing to answer questions, take pictures and sign autographs. The group filled up the outside patio at Jerseys, but it was such a nice day and such a nice, relaxed event. We were under the impression that the players may only have about 45 minutes to meet with us before they would need to leave to go to the ball park. Instead, the players and Watkins hung out with us for over two hours. What was really nice about that events was it made all of the players more real to the group. Obviously I have had several of them on my podcasts before, but to be in that interactive of an event allowed those on the trip to see the size, to ask questions, to see the people instead of just the players. Around 2:45, we left Jerseys and went to our hotel. Arrangements were made so that those who wanted to go to the ball park early for batting practice could. Normally, fans are not allowed into the stadium until one hour before game time. We were able to get in at about 4:15. I love watching batting practice and seeing infield/outfield work being done. Right when we got there, Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario were batting. Both hit a ton of line drives, and Sano blasted a couple that went over the scoreboard in left center field. Watkins was throwing BP and at the end of his last few rounds, he told Sano to bunt for a hit. Sano laid down two very good bunts and Watkins fielded them and tried to throw him out at first base. Clearly the group was having a lot of fun. Chrissy Scaffidi is the Snappers director of media and public relations. She let us in and then spent 15 minutes or so talking to us, and answering questions about the ballpark, about attendance and about the increased media requests that they are fielding due to Sano and Rosario. She even provided the group with a couple of media packets, information that media who covers the team gets to help with their stories. She was great and very much helpful to our group. On a personal level, she even helped me get a couple of copies of my Minnesota Twins prospect handbook signed by Sano and Rosario, who are both on the cover. Snappers manager Nelson Prada saw the book and asked for a copy and got one. Later, Chrissy introduced us to Matt Bosen. For several years, he had been part of the Snappers front office, most recently in charge of Merchandising. When long-time Snappers GM Jeff Vohs took another job in Beloit, Bosen took over as the team’s GM. He was kind enough to spend about 10-15 minutes talking to me and the group as well. It’s amazing how much responsibility he has making things run so smoothly for the Snappers and their games, but they also are in charge of running other events in the park (such as American Legion tournaments, high school games, etc.). They do an amazing job with a front office staff of six. About an hour before game time, I was walking around behind the stadium, jotting down the lineup. Watkins walked by and came over and asked if everything was going well, having a good time, talked about the lineup briefly. Minutes later, I heard a voice say my name from a bit away. I turned and saw a husband and wife that I had met a year ago there. They had spent time introducing themselves and their family to us last summer, and it was good to see them again. They are just a great family who this year decided that they would be a host family for a couple of players. We talked a little about how that was going and what went into their decision to offer their home like that. That night, we had Hog Heaven tickets. That is a great promotion by the Snappers in which fans can sit down the right-field line in a big picnic area. It is all-you-can eat and includes hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, chips, peanuts and more. It includes all-you-can drink pop or beer, and it goes all the way through the game. I believe the cost is just $25. I went out there and ate a bit before the game started, but we also were able to sit in the bleachers behind home plate, so I was there some. Early in the game, I stood behind the fence and took pictures and video of the players the first time through the lineup. (Rosario batting, Sano on deck) The game was another good one for the Snappers. The first three innings went quite quickly. Matt Summers was on the mound for the Snappers. AJ Pettersen informed us that Matt Miller would be on the mound for Wisconsin. Pettersen had faced the former Michigan Wolverine in Big 10 play during his career with the Gophers. (Knudson batting, Pettersen on deck) Wisconsin got a 2-0 lead in the top of the 4th, but the Snappers came back with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Wisconsin (the Timber Rattlers) came back with two unearned runs (thanks, in part, to a dropped pop up with two outs by Miguel Sano) in the top of the 5th. However, the Snappers came back with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Wisconsin added a run in the top of the 6th off of Tim Atherton, but that was it for the scoring and the Snappers came away with a 9-5 win that put them into a tie with the Timber Rattlers at the top of the Midwest League Western Division. (Wisconsin would win the final two games of the series to regain a two-game lead in the division, which is the separation in the teams today.) I even got to spend an inning with Chrissy in the press box overlooking the park. Along with all of her other duties, she also is the public address announcer for the Snappers home games. (photo courtesy George Damian) Also, besides the normal mid-inning fun activities that the Snappers (and most minor league teams) do, the Inflatamaniacs made an appearance at Pohlman Stadium that night. It’s impossible to explain what they are in words, so here are a couple of pictures. Following the game, I talked a bit with Ryan O’Rourke and Wang-Wei Lin. AJ Achter talked briefly as he walked by toward the clubhouse. Also spent a couple of minutes talking to Pettersen. I’m sure it won’t surprise you that I was the last one to the bus, but no one seemed too upset. Ha! On Sunday morning, things were much more casual. A little continental breakfast at the hotel. Listened to the Ron Gardenhire Show. The bus rolled out of our hotel in Jayneville, WI, which is about 15 miles north of Beloit, around 11 a.m. From there, it’s just a 5 hour drive on highway 94 back to the cities. We did stop in Thoma for some lunch. We got back to the Walmart in Woodbury at about 4:05 and said our good byes. The best part about the two Territory Train trips that I have been on is the relationships you develop. As I mentioned after the Detroit trip two years ago, people enter the bus on Friday in small groups, but when you leave the bus on Sunday afternoon, the group is really a group. So, I do want to take a moment to thank Scott Povolny for a great trip and for putting together a minor league trip this season. It was a great time. I want to remind those reading that he does have just a couple of openings remaining on his final trip of the year, to Kansas City in mid-July. If you’re interested, go to www.TerritoryTrain.com for more details. Finally, I do want people to consider a weekend trip to Beloit. I talked to two or three people at the game on Saturday night who had driven down to Beloit from the Twin Cities that morning and were planning to drive back after the game. It is about five hours each way, so I recommend looking at the Snappers schedule on their great website and find a weekend where they have a night game followed by a day game. Drive down early on the morning of the night game, check out that game, stay in a hotel in Beloit or Jaynesville, and then go to the afternoon game and drive back. For me, it gives an appreciation of how good many of these players are while at the same time seeing players in the very early stages of their development. I'm still planning another trip to Beloit at the end of June! I do plan to post one more short ‘report’ with some scouting reports on players I saw play for Beloit. Until then, let me know if you have any questions or comments.

The Twins and the rest of MLB just completed their 2012 draft. The Twins made 43 picks, six of them in the top 100. I know many expect a lot of first round picks, but also of Top 10 picks. It’s understandable, but I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the Twins 2002 draft. Obviously the Twins didn’t sign all 50 draft choices. Some went to college and were drafted later. I still think it’s good to look at those players because it is a direct reflection on the Twins scouting. I think it’s fun to look at all 50 picks. Please feel comment any of your thoughts on this. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] 1st – Denard Span - High School Hitter – Colorado was rumored to be interested in him with the 9th overall pick. However, they feared his price tag and his football scholarship so they took a left-handed pitcher from the University of British Columbia instead by the name of Jeff Francis. Span finally got a chance with the Twins early in the 2008 season and became a full-time starter later that season. In over 510 big league games (and over 2300 plate appearances), he has hit .285/.360/.386 (.746). The Twins signed him to a long-term deal and it is fair to say that the Twins did very well with this pick. 2nd – Jesse Crain - College Pitcher – Crain went to the University of Houston where he was a Conference USA All Star infielder, a first team All-American Utility player (because he was a starting SS and the team’s closer). In 2003, he moved from Ft. Myers to New Britain to Rochester. In 2004, he was called up at midseason and went 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA in 22 games. In 2005, he went 12-5 with a 2.71 ERA. In 2006, he was 3-4 with a 3.52 ERA. He was signed to a 3-year deal before the 2007 season and needed surgery late that year. He really struggled until mid-May of 2010, and then something clicked. He was one of baseball’s best relievers the second half of 2010. He signed a big contract with the White Sox where he has gone 9-3 with a 2.55 ERA the last two seasons. Yes, a great pick. 3rd – Mark Sauls - High School Pitcher – The Panama City, Florida, native did not sign. Instead, he went to Florida State where he joined his brother Matt. He played there for four years and was never drafted again. He went 5-0 with a 3.27 ERA as a freshman. In 91.1 innings, he gave up 110 hits, 40 walks and struck out just 52. He was 6-2 with a 4.18 ERA in his junior year. Following his senior season, he signed as a free agent with the Angels. He went 11 innings and gave up 12 hits and walked six. He made the FSU Dean’s List and majored in Social Sciences. 4th – Alex Merricks - High School Pitcher – The Oxnard, California, native is a lefty that signed. He spent three years with the GCL Twins. In 2002, he went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in nine games, including two starts. However, in 15 innings, he walked 16 hitters. In 2003, he went 0-2 with a 10.80 ERA. In 15 innings, he had 37 walks and 14 wild pitches. In 2004, he walked 26 and threw 14 wild pitches in 14 innings. That was the end of his pitching career.” 5th – Michael Thomas - High School Hitter- Thomas was another selection from Panama City, Florida. He too did not sign. 6th – Pat Neshek - College Pitcher – As you all know, Neshek was drafted by the Twins in the 45th round of the 1999 draft. He went to Butler and improved his stock significantly. He signed with the Twins. In 2005, he went 6-4 with a 2.19 ERA and had 24 saves in New Britain. He was added to the 40 man roster. In 2006, he started in Rochester where he went 6-2 with a 1.95 ERA. In 60 innings, he had 14 walks and 87 strikeouts. That earned him a midseason promotion to the Twins. In 37 big leagues innings, he went 4-2 with a 2.19 ERA. He struck out 53 and walked just six. In 2007, he was so good in the first half of the season that he was on the ballot for the final AL All-Star spot (it went to Hideki Okajima). For the season, he went 7-2 with a 2.94 ERA. In 70.1 innings, he struck out 74 and walked 27. Early in the 2008 season, he hurt his arm and later needed Tommy John surgery which cost him his 2009 season. He worked really hard and came back and spent time with the Twins in 2010. He was claimed by the Padres in 2011, and he is currently with Norfolk, the AAA affiliate of the Orioles. 7th – Ricky Barrett - College Pitcher – Barrett is another pitcher on the current Twins 40 man roster. The Twins took him out of the University of San Diego where he was the 2002 West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year. He got to Rochester in 2005. He is a lefty who struck out more than a hitter an inning. He clearly has great stuff. His primary problem throughout his career has been trying to stay healthy. He spent some time in Japan in 2009 and has played in independent baseball two of the last three years. 8th – Adam Lind - High School Hitter – The Anderson, Indiana, native obviously chose not to sign with the Twins. Instead he went to the University of South Alabama. He then was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2004. Obviuosly he signed with them. He did nothing but hit in the minors. In 2005, he hit .392/.456/.659. In 2006, he hit .310/.357/.543 at AA, .394/.496/.596 at AAA and .367/.415/.600 in 18 games with the Blue Jays. In 2007, he had to spend another 46 games in AAA before hitting .238/.278/.400 in 89 games with the Jays. In 2009, he hit .305 with 46 doubles, 35 homers and 114 RBI. He turned that into a four year deal, and he has been pretty poor since. His OPS in 2010 was .712, and in 2011 it was .734. It was .586 in 34 games this year before he was demoted to AAA where he is now. 9th – Doug Deeds - College Hitter – An Outfield/1B from THE Ohio State, Deeds has progressed through the Twins system. His breakout year was 2005 in New Britain where he had 52 extra base hits. He had to repeat the level in 2006 and had 51 extra base hits. In 2007, he moved up to Rochester where he was a bench player for the first time. In 86 games, he hit .243/.306/.404. But he did have seven doubles and nine home runs. That was the end of his time with the Twins. He has spent AAA time with the Cubs, Diamondbacks, Rangers and now the Angels organizations. 10th – Kyle Phillips – HS Hitter – Phillips is the brother of former Mets, Dodgers and Blue Jays catcher/1B Jason Phillips. Kyle Phillips signed and hit .289 with Elizabethton in 2003. Never again hit over .230 in his time in the Twins system (Quad Cities, Ft. Myers and New Britain). Since 2006, he has played in the Brewers, Blue Jays and Padres organization (until this year, he appears to be out of baseball). He got some big league time with the Jays in 2009 and the Padres in 2011. 11th – Evan Meek – High School Pitcher – Meek didn’t sign right away. Instead he went to Bellevue Community College and signed with the Twins as a draft-and-follow. In 2003, he went 7-1 with a 2.47 ERA. In 51 innings, he walked 24 and struck out 47. I’m sure his scouting report read something like, “Tremendous fastball, great potential, but he needs to harness his control to continue to advance.” Well, in 2004, he went to Quad Cities where he walked 15 and gave up seven hits in 5.2 innings. He went back to Extended Spring Training and went back to Elizabethton. There, he worked 22.1 innings and gave up 18 hits and walked 25 (with 11 wild pitches). In 2005, he went back to the Midwest League, to Beloit, where he pitched in 13 games. In 18 innings, he gave up 15 hits and walked 36. The Twins let him go. In 2006, he pitched for Lake Elsinore, the A-League team of the San Diego Padres. He made 25 starts. In 119.1 innings, he gave up 136 hits and walked 62. He did strike out 113 hitters. In August, the Padres traded him to the Devil Rays. In 2007, he made 44 relief appearances for the Rays AA affiliate. He went 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA. In 67 innings, he gave up 74 hits, walked 34 and struck out 69. The Pirates took him in the Rule 5 draft after the 2007 season. They offered him back to the Rays but the Rays told them to keep him so he stayed with the Piraated. By 2009, he was an important cog in the bullpen. In 2010, he was a National League All-Star and posted a 2.14 ERA in 80 innings. He was again good in 2011. He has struggled in 2012 and was optioned to AAA recently. 12th – Jeff Clement – High School Hitter – The Twins drafted Clement, knowing that it was quite unlikely that the Marshalltown, Iowa, native would not sign. At the time, he was the career high school home run king. He chose to go to USC where he hit 46 homers in three years. In 2005, the Mariners took the catcher with the third overall pick. He was injured for a good chunk of the 2006 season, but Seattle continued to push him. In 2007, he hit .275/.370/.497 with 35 double and 20 homers. He got a September call up and went 6-16 with two home runs. Unfortunately, Clement has accumulated a ton more plate appearances in AAA and played rarely in the big leagues. He is hitting .316/.398/.557 (.955) with 23 extra base hits in AAA this year so he could move up to the Pirates again soon. 13th – William Pettit – College Pitcher – The Twins took him out of LSU, but for some reason he did not sign. 14th - Garrett Mock - JC Pitcher – The Twins took Mock out of Grayson Junior College in 2002. He had been drafted by Cleveland in 2001. He finally signed after the Diamondbacks took him with their 3rd round pick out of Houston in 2004. In August of 2006, Arizona traded Mock with Matt Chico to the Nationals for Livan Hernandez. He pitched in just 15 games this year, 11 of them were for AA Harrisburg. He spent time with the Nationals big league bullpen from 2008 through 2010. This season, he is pitching in the Red Sox AAA bullpen. 15th – Adam Harben - CC Pitcher – Another draft-and-follow, Harben went to Westark CC. He had been drafted by the Tigers in the 38th round in 2001. In 2004, he went 9-7 with a 3.09 ERA at Quad Cities. In 2005, he went 10-5 with a 2.66 ERA in Ft. Myers and was added to the 40 man roster. In 2006, he got off to a quick start at New Britain, but went 4-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 122.2 innings. Then on September 5, 2006, he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Phil Nevin. After the 2006 season, he had Tommy John surgery and missed most of the 2007 season. He pitched in Hi-A in 2008. He went to the Mariners organization and pitched in A-ball in 2009. He hasn’t played since. 16th – K.C. Jones - High School Pitcher – The 6-6, 220 pounder from Eatonville, Washington signed with the Twins. In 2002 with the GCL Twins he went 0-1 with a 3.10 ERA. In 29 innings, he gave up 20 hits, walked 21 and struckout 21. In 2003 he was 0-3 with a 7.22 ERA. In 33.2 innings, he gave up 50 hits, walked 23 and struckout 15. He did pitch for Chillethe of the Frontier League in 2005 and went 0-1 with an 8.55 ERA. IN 20 innings, he gave up 30 hits, walked 11 and struck out 14. 17th – Adam Hawes – High School Pitcher – Hawed decided not to sign with the Twins out of high school. Instead, he went to community college and the Twins took him in the 40th round in 2003. He signed in May of 2004. Hawes split the 2007 season between Beloit and Ft. Myers. He played independent ball in his native Canada in 2008. 18th – Javier Lopez- CC Hitter – The catcher/1B signed and played for the GCL Twins in 2002 and 2003 where he hit .253 and .237, respectively. In 2004, he moved up to Elizabethton where he hit .244/.276/.394. He was let go and spent 2005 and 2006 with Yuma in the Golden League. 19th – Adam Daniels - CC Pitcher – Daniels did not sign, but he was drafted plenty. The Blue Jays took him in the 27th round in 2001. Colorado took him in the 22nd round in 2003, and the Cubs drafted him in the 43rd round in 2004. Oh, and then in 2005, the Cardinals drafted him in the 15th round. In 2006, he pitched for the Cardinals Midwest League team and went 7-11 with a 3.07 ERA. He struck out 128 in 137.2 innings. He split 2007 between Hi-A and AA. He was released during the 2008 season and spent time in Mexico and the Northern League, where he pitched in 2009 and 2010. 20th – Ryan Schreppel - High School Pitcher – The Stockton, California, native did not sign with the Twins instead opting to go to Cal-State Fullerton. The Diamondbacks took him in 2005 in the 8th round. He signed with them and went 6-1 with a 1.92 ERA in 12 games. In 2006, he went 6-13 with a 5.00 ERA in 26 games for South Bend. 21st – TJ Prunty - College Pitcher – Prunty did not sign with the Twins when they drafted the St. Paul Academy grad in the 20th round in 2000. Instead he went and played football at Miami. The Twins took him again, and this time he signed. In 2003, he pitched at Quad Cities. He went 4-10 with a 4.97 ERA in 30 games (19 starts). He went back to Quad Cities in 2004 where he went 0-0 with a 5.93 ERA in 10 games. He gave up 14 hits and seven walks in 13.2 innings before he was released. 22nd – Justin Sims – College Hitter – Determining what college stats mean for a pro career is so tough. Sims was drafted out of Middle Tennessee State. In 2001, he hit .377/.416/.636 with 10 homers. In 2002, he hit .387/.446/.618 with 11 homers. Then he signed and hit just .248/.354/.358 for Elizabethton. In 2003, he hit just .197/.241/.289 and was let go. 23rd – Danny Matienzo – College Hitter – Matienzo had been drafted by the Twins in the 24th round in 1999 out of high school. He went to The U (Miami) and the Twins took him again. His big year came in 2005 at New Britain when he hit .282/.338/.488 with 36 doubles and 23 homers. Inexplicably, he was sent back to New Britain in 2006 and really wasn’t the same. He hit just .254/.287/.419 with 25 doubles and 17 homers. He was released before the 2007 season. 24th – Josh Peterson - High School Hitter – He did not sign. He then signed with the Mets as a free agent in 2004. He spent 2006 and 2007 with St. Lucie of the Florida State League. He is a utility type player, able to play both corner infield positions and corner outfield positions. 25th – Justin Keeling - College Pitcher – Keeling signed out of California Lutheran. In 2002 in Elizabethton he went 3-1 with a 6.16 ERA in 22 relief appearances. In 30.2 innings, he struck out 34 and walked 16. He pitched in just four games for Quad Cities in 2004. Since then, he has played for several independent league teams. 26th – Jared Johnson – High School Pitcher- The Las Vegas native didn’t sign with the Twins. The Marlins then took him in the 43rd round in 2003 and the 46th round in 2004. In 2006, he played for two independent league teams… as a hitter. He didn’t hit over .226 though. 27th – Ron Perodin – College Hitter – He signed quickly out of El Camino College. Speaking of quick, Perodin was one of the quickest players in the organization. After signing, he went to the GCL Twins where he hit .325/.371/.390 with nine stolen bases. He started 2003 with Quad Cities where he really struggled. He went back to Elizabethton and hit .335/.405/.418 with 15 steals. In 2004, he stole 24 bases in Ft. Myers. He played independent ball from 2006 through 2011. 28th – Hasan Rasheed – High School Hitter – The outfielder from Nashville did not sign. He went to Lake City CC and the Brewers selected him in the 26th round in 2003. He signed as an undrafted free agent in 2004 with the Brewers. In 2004 and 2005, he hit .299 and .305. In 2006 he hit .241/.337/.259. 29th – James Avery – High School Pitcher – The pitcher from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, did not sign, opting to pitch at Niagara University. He became the Reds 5th round pick in 2005. He went 8-8 with a 4.43 ERA in 26 starts in the Florida State League in 2006. In 2007, he pitched for AA Chattanooga and went 11-10 with a 5.22 ERA in 27 starts. In 2008, he played for Team Canada in the Olympics. He pitched in one AAA game for the Reds in 2006 and one in 2010, but that is it. He’s been in AA since 2007. He shifted to the Tigers for 2012 where he is pitching in AA. 30th – Roberto Martinez - College Pitcher – Martinez is a native of the Dominican Republic who went to St. Petersburg College. He didn’t sign with the Twins. He had been selected by the Rockies in the 21st round in 2001. In 2004, he signed with the Giants as a free agent after spending 2003 with the Expos organization. 31st – Terry Killion – High School Pitcher – From Austin, TX, he signed and spent 2003 with the GCL Twins. In 16 relief appearances, he went 0-1 with a 9.60 ERA. In 15 innings, he walked 22 and gave up 18 hits. 32nd – Jon Koch - CC Pitcher – Koch had been drafted in the 22nd round in 2001 by the Pirates, but instead went to Lake City Community College. He signed as a draft and follow with the Twins in May of 2003. He went 2-3 with three saves an a 2.73 ERA for the GCL Twins. He was released by the Twins in June of 2004. He spent the 2004 through 2006 season with the Brockton Rox. 33rd – Tom Ferrara - CC Pitcher – He did not sign. 34th – Christian Castorri- High School Pitcher – The Thomasville, Georgia, native did not sign. Instead her went to Georgia College and State University. He pitched or Gateway of the Frontier League in 2006. In 2007, he played with State College in the New York-Penn League for three games before moving up to Hickory (HI-A) where he went 5-2 with eight saves and a 1.93 ERA. He pitched in the Pirates system through the 2009 season. 35th – Tarrence Patterson - High School Hitter – From Bartow, Florida, Patterson signed and reported to Ft. Myers. He spent the 2002 and 2003 seasons hitting over .300 with the GCL Twins. In 2004, he hit just .224/.250/.406 for Elizabethton. In 2005 at Beloit, he hit .254/.331/.345 and stole 18 bases. He returned to Beloit in 2006 where he hit .257/.317/.306 with 35 stolen bases. He was released before the 2007 season. 36th – John Cahill - High School Pitcher – From Lakewood, California, Cahill signed with the Twins in June of 2002 and was released in April of 2003. For the GCL team, he went 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA in 14 relief appearances. In 17 innings, he walked 17 and struck out nine. He pitched for Yakima in 2005. In 12 innings over 8 games, he gave up 11 runs on 20 hits and seven walks. 37th – Mike Costantino – High School Hitter – The Somerset, Massechusetts, grab, did not sign with the Twins. Instead, he attended Maryland in 2003 and 2004. He hit .309/.385/.457 as a freshman and then in his sophomore year he hit just .246/.319/.308. He transferred to New Orleans where he hit over .300 both years. One positive is that he consistent walked more than he struck out. 38th – Toby Gardenhire - CC Hitter – Gardy’s son was taken by the Twins out of Westark Community College. He didn’t sign and went to Illinois. The Twins took him in the 41st round in 2005. He was a utility infielder for the Twins, up to AAA Rochester, through the 2011 season. In early 2012, he became the head coach at UW-Stout. 39th - Brandon Doddo – High School Hitter – From Cooper City, Florida, Doddo did not sign and went to Broward Community College. In 2003 he was drafted by the Angels in the 36th round. In 2004, he got 76 at bats with the Angels Arizona Rookie League team and hit .250/.278/.303. 40th – Rodney Story - CC Pitcher – Story was drafted out of Gulf Coast Community College. He didn’t sign and went to Southeast Louisiana. He pitched in 17 games (15 starts) and went 3-6 with a 4.14 ERA. In 78.1 innings, he gave up 83 hits, 31 walks and struck out just 50. In 2005, he made 15 starts again and was 5-5 with a 5.42 ERA. In 96.1 innings, he gave up 122 hits, 29 walks and struck out 53. 41st – Chris Brown – High School Hitter – The Cooper City, Florida, second baseman did not sign. 42nd – Kyle Geiger - CC Hitter – Geiger went to Rend Lake CC and signed as a draft and follow. He split 2003 between Quad Cities and Elizabethton. In 2004, he split time between Quad Cities and Ft. Myers. In 2005, he hit .257 at Ft. Myers .In 2006, he split time between Ft. Myers and New Britain. In 2007, he hit .250/.301/.362 for the New Britain Rockcats. In 2008, he played in Ottawa. 43rd – Jacob Jean – CC Pitcher – The Twins took him out of Consumnes Community College. He didn’t sign and went to the University of Kansas. In 2004, he gave up 30 hits and 15 walks in 19 innings. In 2005, he gave up seven hits and six walks in seven innings. He pitched in 16 games for the White Sox Bristol affiliate in the Appalachian League. He gave up 63 hits and 20 walks in 48 innings. In 2006, also at Bristol, he was 0-1 with a 20.06 ERA in 12 games. In 11.2 innings, he gave up 17 hits and 18 walks. 44th – Chris Beatty - High School Pitcher – The Kokomo, Indiana, grad went to Arizona State instead of signing with the Twins. In 2003, he pitched in eight games and in 6.1 innings, he gave up seven hits and five walks. 45th – John Stocco – High School Pitcher – Stocco, a graduate of Holy Angels Academy in Richfield, MN, did not sign. Instead he went to the University of Wisconsin where he was a starting quarterback for three seasons. He had been throwing to Larry Fitzgerald in high school. Wisconsin was 29-7 when Stocco was their starter. 46th – Wayne Renfrow- High School Pitcher – Another high schooler from Virginia Beach drafted, Renfrow decided not to sign. He went to Old Dominion where in 2003 he went 0-5 with an 8.57 ERA. In 34.2 innings, he gave up 46 hits and 33 walks. In 2005, he went to Virginia Commonwealth where he was 2-4 with a 7.36 ERA. In 47.2 innings he gave up 53 hits and 39 walks. In 2006, he pitched for Division III Virginia Wesleyan where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in criminal justice. He signed with the Dodgers and in 2006 he went 1-1 with a 0.60 ERA in three games. In 15 innings, he gave up nine hits, walked five and struck out 16. He then pitched one game with Ogden and gave up two hits and a walk (And threw two wild pitches) in just 1/3 of an inning. 47th – Brandon Carlton – High School Pitcher – Another Panama City draftee, Carlton also did not sign. He went to Gulf Coast Community College. In 2005, he went to Southeast Louisiana where he went 0-1 with a 5.13 ERA in 23 games. In 33.1 innings, he gave up 33 hits and walked 18. 48th – Brandon Cohen - High School Hitter – From Rivers Edge, NJ, Cohen did not sign. He went to Seton Hall for four years and graduated with a criminal justice major. His sophomore season, he hit .325/.472/.397. Then he hit .263 as a junior and .293 as a senior. 49th – Brock Peterson – High School Hitter – As we all know, Peterson signed out of his Chehalis, Washington, high school. He has simply worked his way up the Twins system, an incredible feat for a 49th round pick. He repeated Ft. Myers in 2006 and it was a great thing for him. In 2007, he moved up to New Britain and in 112 games, he hit .385/.382/.476 with 21 doubles, four triples and 15 homers. He began 2008 in New Britain but ended it with Rochester where he played in 2009 and 2010 as well. He spent 2011 with Bridgeport (independent) where he is playing again this year. 50th – Mike Ballard - High School Pitcher – Another Virginia Beach guy, Ballard did not sign and instead he went to the University of Virginia. The Twins drafted him again in 2005, in the 47th round. In 2006, the Texas Rangers took him in the 14th round. In 2007, he split the season between Low A Clinton and High A Bakersfield. He split 2008 and 2009 between AA and AAA with the Rangers. He spent all of 2010 in AAA. In 2011, he moved to the Orioles organization and pitched in AA and AAA. This year, he is 1-4 with a 3.12 ERA in ten starts for Harrisburg (Nationals AA). SUMMARY – So, what do you think? It took Span seven years to become a big league regular, but he has proven to be a great pick. Jesse Crain was a terrific pick. In all, eight of these players played some time in the big leagues, and many of them got up to AAA. In a vacuum, that seems like a very good number. In ten years, how many of the 43 Twins selections from the 2012 draft will call themselves big leaguers?