Seth Stohs

If the Twins are competing in August, maybe he gets called up, but I doubt it. They have Jones, Burdi and Chargois in AA already and Tonkin, Achter and Oliveros at AAA. Jay hasn't done much starting. I think they'd start him out in E-Town for 3-4 short starts and and then get him to Cedar Rapids. The goal for this year won't be to push him too much, too fast. It'll be to keep him healthy so that he can start next season in Ft. Myers. (This is all my guess)

The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates will pass the 50-game plateau this week. Each week, we will be posting the Twins Minor League Leaderboard in the Saturday morning. From week to week, we can see several things change on these lists. A hot week. A cold week. An injury. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (Top Row: Stephen Gonsalves, Max Murphy, AJ Achter; Bottom Row: Zach Granite, Aaron Slegers, Trevor Hildenberger) The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates will pass the 50-game plateau this week. Each week, we will be posting the Twins Minor League Leaderboard in the Saturday morning. From week to week, we can see several things change on these lists. A hot week. A cold week. An injury. For most statistical categories, we’ll look at the Top 5 players, though some leeway is given in the event of ties (or just common sense). For hitters, I am using 140 plate appearances as the cutoff for BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, IsoD and IsoP. For pitchers, we’ll look at ERA, WHIP, K/9 and BB/9. I am using 32.0 innings as the cutoff for starters and 16.0 innings as the cutoff for relief pitchers. Here is the Minnesota Twins Minor League Leader Board through games played on Friday, May 29. HITTERS As you can see, some players have now passed 200 plate appearances for the season. The sample size is starting to get larger. Many of the same names are appearing on these lists. Feel free to comment below on what stands out to you. Plate Appearances: Niko Goodrum (213), Byron Buxton (209), Zach Granite (208), Max Murphy (201), Nick Gordon (194) Batting Average: Trey Vavra (.346), Alex Swim (.339), James Beresford (.324), Zach Granite (.320), Max Kepler/Jorge Polanco (.315), On-Base Percentage: Trey Vavra (.406), Zach Granite (.402), Travis Harrison (.377), Alex Swim (.368), James Beresford (.365), Isolated Discipline: Mitch Garver (.131), Tanner English (.125), Niko Goodrum (.106), Miguel Sano (.102), Michael Gonzales (.094), Travis Harrison (.092) (I like this statistic because it’s easy to calculate, but it also shows which hitters are not as reliant upon getting hits to get on base. It is simply (OBP-BA). A guy can have a low batting average, but he can still have value if he’s getting on base at a good percentage.) Slugging Percentage: Adam Brett Walker (.541), Trey Vavra (.538), Byron Buxton (.511), Danny Ortiz (.506), Max Kepler (.493), Miguel Sano (.490) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.288), Byron Buxton (.245), Miguel Sano (.248), Danny Ortiz (.226), Trey Vavra (.192) (Like Isolated Discipline, Isolated Power is easy to calculate. It is just (SLG-BA). In other words, how many extra base hits is the player getting? How much power is he showing? Again, it’s showing that a player can be valuable even if he doesn't hit for high average.) OPS: Trey Vavra (.944), Max Kepler (.852), Adam Brett Walker (.846), Danny Ortiz (.839), Byron Buxton (.836), Miguel Sano (.835), Hits: Alex Swim (59), Zach Granite/Jorge Polanco (57), Trey Vavra (54), Byron Buxton (50), James Beresford (48) 2B: Max Kepler (16), Travis Harrison (15), Danny Ortiz (12), Adam Brett Walker/Reynaldo Rodriguez (11), 5 Tied with 10. 3B: Byron Buxton (11), Max Murphy/Tanner English (5), Aaron Hicks (4), Levi Michael/TJ White/Pat Kelly (3) HR: Adam Brett Walker (12), Miguel Sano (9), Danny Ortiz (7), Trey Vavra/Byron Buxton (6), Josmil Pinto/Brock Peterson (5) Runs: Byron Buxton (37), Zach Granite (34), Max Murphy (32), Adam Brett Walker/Miguel Sano (31), Nick Gordon (30) RBI: Adam Brett Walker (39), Byron Buxton (34), Danny Ortiz (32), Miguel Sano/Zack Larson (30), Trey Vavra (28) SB: Tanner English (16), Byron Buxton (14), Zach Granite (13), Niko Goodrum/Nick Gordon/Engelb Vielma (11). STARTING PITCHERS (>36 IP) Innings: Tyler Duffey (64.1), Taylor Rogers (62.0), Pat Dean (54.2), JO Berrios (63.1), Pat Dean (61.0), Greg Peavey (53.0) ERA: Chih-Wei Hu (1.10), Stephen Gonsalves (1.31), Mat Batts (2.08), Pat Dean (2.36), Felix Jorge (2.42), WHIP: Stephen Gonsalves (0.79), Chih-Wei Hu (0.85), Felix Jorge (0.93), Aaron Slegers (0.97), Mat Batts (1.03) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (12.4), JO Berrios (9.9), Alex Meyer (9.7), Chih-Wei Hu (9.2), Mat Batts (8.9), Tyler Duffey/Alex Wimmers/John Curtiss (8.8) BB/9: Aaron Slegers (1.5), John Curtiss/Felix Jorge (1.7), Pat Dean (1.8), Tyler Duffey/Greg Peavey (2.0), Strikeouts: JO Berrios (70), Stephen Gonsalves (66), Tyler Duffey (63), Mat Batts/Taylor Rogers (47) Wins: JO Berrios (6-2), Chih-Wei Hu (5-0), Stephen Gonsalves (5-1), Pat Dean (5-3) RELIEF PITCHERS (>16 IP, Games: AJ Achter (21), Alex Muren/Brandon Peterson/JT Chargois (17), Madison Boer/Zack Jones/Todd Van Steensel (16). Innings: Alex Muren (28.1), Todd Van Steensel (27.1), Randy LeBlanc (27.0), Madison Boer/Trevor Hildenberger (26.2), Brandon Peterson (25.0) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.34), Cameron Booser (0.81), Brandon Peterson (1.08), Zack Jones (1.56), Mike Theofanopoulos (1.82), Lester Oliveros (1.99) WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.49), AJ Achter (0.60), Zack Jones (0.92), Tim Shibuya (0.97), Madison Boer (0.98), Cameron Booser (0.99) K/9: Cameron Booser (14.1), Lester Oliveros/Todd Van Steensel (13.5), Brandon Peterson (12.6), Cole Johnson (11.8), Zack Jones (11.4), JT Chargois (11.2), Trevor Hildenberger (11.1) BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.2), Zack Jones (1.3), Tim Shibuya (1.7), Jake Reed (2.1), Cole Johnson (2.2) Saves: Zack Jones/AJ Achter (7), Michael Tonkin/Cameron Booser/Trevor Hildenberger (5), JT Chargois/Todd Van Steensel (4). There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, May 29. What are your thoughts? What surprised you? View full article

The Twins fell to the Blue Jays thanks to one of our favorite Old Friends. Chris Colabello’s two-run homer off Glen Perkins was the difference in the Jays 6-4 win. Colabello is a good reminder of why these minor league reports are so important. He was a minor league free agent signed after eight seasons in independent ball. He has made it to the big leagues and contributed. In these daily reports, we don’t solely focus on the prospects. We focus on all players who deserve to be recognized because you never know which ones will get to The Show. Colabello was mentioned frequently in these reports in his two-plus seasons in the organization. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photo of Pat Kelly) The Twins fell to the Blue Jays thanks to one of our favorite Old Friends. Chris Colabello’s two-run homer off Glen Perkins was the difference in the Jays 6-4 win. Colabello is a good reminder of why these minor league reports are so important. He was a minor league free agent signed after eight seasons in independent ball. He has made it to the big leagues and contributed. In these daily reports, we don’t solely focus on the prospects. We focus on all players who deserve to be recognized because you never know which ones will get to The Show. Colabello was mentioned frequently in these reports in his two-plus seasons in the organization. With that, here’s what happened on Friday in the Minnesota Twins minor league system: TRANSACTIONS Casey Fien’s rehab stint in Rochester ended as he was activated by the Twins. To make room for him, Michael Tonkin was optioned yet again to Rochester. Ethan Mildren was played on the disabled list by the Ft. Myers Miracle. Matt Summers was removed from the Chattanooga disabled list and sent to the Miracle. RED WINGS REPORT The Red Wings had a few games rained out in the season’s first week. Tonight, Rochester played a doubleheader in Buffalo because of a rain out in early April. Game 1 – Rochester 2, Buffalo 1 Box Score In the top of the second inning, Danny Ortiz walked. Two batters later, Ryan Wheeler hit his first Red Wings home run to give the team a 2-0 lead. That was all of the run scoring for the Red Wings. It was also one of just five hits for the team in Game 1. Doug Bernier’s fifth double was the lone extra base hit. Fortunately, lefty Pat Dean was up to the challenge. The left-hander gave up a run in the bottom of the second inning, and that was it. He got one out in the bottom of the seventh before AJ Achter came in to get the final two outs and record his seventh save. Dean went 6.1 innings and gave up just the one run on six hits. He walked two and struck out two. Game 2 – Rochester 2, Buffalo 4 Box Score The Red Wings jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game 2. Danny Ortiz doubled in two runs in the third inning. However, the Bisons followed that with a big four-run inning in the bottom half of the third frame. Tyler Duffey made his second AAA start of the season. In the first two innings, he gave up just one hit. He gave up the four runs in the third inning, but then got another five outs. Duffey was charged with four runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks in 4.2 innings. He struck out three. Logan Darnell came on and got the final out of the fifth inning as well as the first two outs in the sixth inning. He had one walk and one strikeout. Alex Meyer came on to get the final out of the inning. He got it, on a strikeout. Ortiz led the offense. He was 2-3 with his 12th double. Josmil Pinto entered the game as a pinch hitter in the seventh and doubled. Following the split, the Red Wings are now 27-22. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Biloxi 3 Box Score Greg Peavey has really turned around his season after a very slow start in April. He gave up two runs in the second inning, but then he settled in and went six innings. The Lookouts tied the game at two in the fifth. With Carlos Paulino on second base and Byron Buxton on first base, Jorge Polanco hit a long single. Paulino scored, but the throw from the outfield got away from the catcher and Buxton scored all the way from first base. That’s where the game remained until the top of the eighth. Tim Shibuya came out for his second inning after a scoreless seventh frame. He gave up a run on three hits. The Lookouts tried to come back in the bottom of the ninth. With two outs, Buxton walked and then stole second on the first pitch. However, Polanco grounded out to end the game. The Lookouts had just five hits in the game. Stephen Wickens went 2-4. Buxton had a walk and a single. The stolen base was his 14th of the year. He also was credited with two outfield assists. Peavey gave another quality start. He was charged with only those two runs. He gave up three hits, walked three and struck out two. Shibuya took the loss. He gave up the one run on three hits. He struck one out and didn’t walk anyone. D.J. Johnson pitched the ninth inning. He gave up one hit and struck out two. Miguel Sano was out of the lineup for the second straight games. Before the Twins game on Friday night, GM Terry Ryan told the writers that Sano had a jammed finger. Chattanooga, the top team in the Southern League’s North Division is now 29-18. Biloxi, the leader in the Southern League’s South Division, is 29-19. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Clearwater 7 Box Score Kohl Stewart was back on the mound following the best start of his season. On this night, he wasn’t his best. He gave up four runs in the first inning. Overall, he gave up six runs (five earned) on ten hits. He walked none and struck out one. Brian Gilbert came on and struck out one over two perfect innings. Matt Summers made his first appearance in a game this season. He struck out one in a perfect inning. Alex Muren pitched a scoreless eighth inning. However, he gave up the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to take the loss. The Miracle offense showed up. They had 15 hits in the game. Zach Granite went 3-5 with his fifth Miracle double. Alex Swim, Ryan Walker and Niko Goodrum were each 2-5 in the game. Bryan Haar went 2-4. Tanner Vavra came in later. He had a pinch-hit RBI single and added a second RBI single later in the game. With the loss, the Miracle are now 24-24. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 2 Box Score Keaton Steele made just his second start for the Kernels, and it was a good one. The right-hander went seven innings and gave up just one run on five hits. He walked three and struck out six. Randy LeBlanc recorded his first save of the year with two scoreless innings. Pat Kelly had a terrific game. He went 3-4 with his third triple of the year. Brett Doe was also 3-4 with his fifth double and two RBI. Zack Larson went 1-3 with a walk and his fifth double. The Kernels improved to 31-18. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Keaton Steele, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Pat Kelly, Cedar Rapids Kernels SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (4:05 CST) – LHP Tommy Milone Biloxi @ Chattanooga (6:15 CST) – RHP DJ Baxendale Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) – RHP Chih-Wei Hu Clinton @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Zach Tillery Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. View full article

University of Illinois pitcher Tyler Jay starts up a lot of conversations about how he has been utilized in college. His team boasts plenty of pitching talent, but Jay is likely the best of the bunch, is left-handed, and boasts a deep starter’s repertoire and secondary skills. But for whatever reason, he has only started one game in his three year collegiate career in the Big 10. This hasn’t stopped him from being projected high in the first round of this year’s draft however, as scouts hold little doubts about his ability to transition into a starter as a pro. University of Illinois pitcher Tyler Jay starts up a lot of conversations about how he has been utilized in college. His team boasts plenty of pitching talent, but Jay is likely the best of the bunch, is left-handed, and boasts a deep starter’s repertoire and secondary skills. But for whatever reason, he has only started one game in his three year collegiate career in the Big 10. This hasn’t stopped him from being projected high in the first round of this year’s draft however, as scouts hold little doubts about his ability to transition into a starter as a pro. Will the allure of a power left-handed arm be too much for the Twins to pass up? Who is this guy? At 6’1”, 175 lbs, Jay doesn’t have the prototypical front-line pitcher’s build, but we’re all familiar with how this can idea can be misrepresented (e.g.: Jose Berrios). This hasn’t prevented him from obliterating the Big 10 since he stepped on campus, and Jay has improved his numbers substantially in every season. As a freshman, he pitched in eighteen games and amassed 20.1 innings out of the pen with a 3.10 ERA. As a sophomore, Jay assumed the closer role and appeared in twenty-three games, totaling 41.2 innings. He racked up ten saves, and lowered his season ERA to 1.94. This season as a junior, he put a large stamp on his amateur career. He reduced his ERA even further to a ridiculous 0.64, and racked up thirteen saves in twenty-eight appearances over 56.1 innings. He allowed just twenty-nine hits (only four for extra bases, and zero home runs) and just six walks, while striking out sixty-five. He also pitched with Team USA last summer, and didn’t surrender a run in 16.2 innings while striking out twenty-one. For his collegiate career, he amassed a 10-5 record with twenty-three saves, 132 K’s over 118.1 innings, allowed just sixty-eight hits and twenty-nine walks, and held hitters to a .168 batting average. Touted as an excellent athlete with smooth mechanics, there is little question that whatever MLB team drafts him will push him into a starting role, and this is before even mentioning his pitching repertoire. He will hit mid-to-high 90s with his fastball, which has also has big arm-side run as a left-hander. This alone would get him noticed, but his changeup, slider, and curveball all rate as above-average and flash plus at times as well (here’s a Fangraph’s post showing a “plus”-flashing change). This potential four-pitch mix combined with advanced control makes it easy to see why he has been a riser on draft boards through the year. Why the Twins will pick him In the past two MLB drafts, the Twins front office has taken a bit of an unorthodox approach by targeting big time arms early in the draft, most of who pitched out of bullpens in college, with the intent to see if they could handle starting games instead of finishing them. I’ve already mentioned the parallels Jay holds with the Twins in that regard. Since Brad Radke fronted starting rotations for Twins, they've also fallen in love with pitchers with advanced command and control, allowing them to limit walks. Jay is considered to have some of the best control in this draft, if not the best, with Keith Law of ESPN rating it as “plus-plus.” (Insider required) Add the fact that he is left-handed, andarea where some might say the Twins are lacking high-upside pitching prospects, and Jay’s appeal to the Twins is even greater. Why the Twins will not pick him As mentioned, many evaluators believe Jay has been miscast in his role as a reliever with the Illini. In the same column above, Law goes so far as to opine “He would have been a top-five pick had he been used as a starter all year and he continued to show the kind of stuff he has in his longest relief outings this spring.” This usage as a reliever has made him hard to consistently scout, so a team like the Twins picking at number six, might not be confident enough in their evaluations to pull the trigger on him that high. He also gets nailed for being undersized, would likely lose a few ticks on his fastball as a starter, and there would be questions about his endurance to pitch more innings until he does so. Most problematic of all could be his recent movement into the top five on draft boards, with Kiley McDaniel of Fangraph's latest mock sending him to Colorado at number three. As amazing as it sounds compared to just a few weeks ago, he might not be available. Even if he were to falter as a starter, Jay’s current profile reads a lot like a certain All-Star lefty locking down the Twins major league bullpen right now. Whether a future looking something like Glen Perkins is enough for Minnesota to pick at number six may be the question when it comes to selecting, or not, Tyler Jay on June 8th. View full article

Aside from talking to Mark Hamburger, Trevor May is very interesting to chat with. He is a deep, critical thinker. Ask him a quick question, you're probably not going to get a quick answer. He's very analytical and thoughtful.

And they're already at 13 pitchers, so DFAing Stauffer and promoting Milone would still leave them at 13 pitchers.

Also Danny Valencia is crushing the ball, playing in the outfield as part of a platoon. He just continues to hit left-handed pitching well. Also, Steven Tolleson is playing quite a bit for the Blue Jays. The former Twins farmhand was on the Twins 40-man roster until they signed Jim Thome at Twins Fest in 2010.

The Twins and the Royals both had the day off on Thursday which means the Twins remain in first place! In the minor leagues, Rochester had the day off, but the other three affiliates were in action. In Chattanooga, JO Berrios made another start. That alone should make you want to keep reading. Plenty of action on Thursday. Image courtesy of Kelly McGlohon (photo of JO Berrios) The Twins and the Royals both had the day off on Thursday which means the Twins remain in first place! In the minor leagues, Rochester had the day off, but the other three affiliates were in action. In Chattanooga, JO Berrios made another start. That alone should make you want to keep reading. Plenty of action on Thursday. TRANSACTIONS A couple of transactions from Thursday. Australian RHP Sam Gibbons was promoted to Cedar Rapids from Extended Spring Training. RHP John Curtiss was placed on the disabled list with a strained forearm. He had left his most recent start with elbow pain. He had Tommy John surgery in 2012. 1B/LF/DH Trey Vavra was also placed on the 7-Day disabled list with a sprained ankle. RED WINGS REPORT Scheduled off day. Back at it tomorrow against the Buffalo Bisons. LOOKOUTS LOOK-IN Biloxi Shuckers @ Chattanooga Box Score The Lookouts were out-hit 9-7 and were just 1-8 with runners in scoring position, but picked up another win to move to 29-17 on the year. Jose Berrios started for Chattanooga and did his regular Jose Berrios thing. 7.1 innings, two earned runs, no walks, and seven strike outs. He gave up all nine of the Biloxi hits, but held the Shuckers to 1-7 with runners in scoring position. Berrios was cruising into the eighth inning with a shutout, but after retiring Nick Shaw to begin the eighth, the next three batters went single, single, double, scoring a run and ending Berrios' evening. Lifted with that one out in the eighth, Berrios was replaced by Zack Jones who finished the game to pick up his seventh save of the season Jones promptly walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, gave up a sacrifice fly to the next batter, and then induced a ground ball to Max Kepler to escape the threat. Jones then sent the Shuckers down 1-2-3 in the ninth to preserve the Lookouts victory. Byron Buxton was 0-3 with a walk and two strike outs, the first time in more than a week Buxton failed to record a hit, ending a seven-game hitting streak. Jorge Polanco was 2-4 with an RBI and a stolen base (one of three stolen bases for the Lookouts on the evening), his tenth of the year. Adam Brett Walker was 1-4 with two strikeouts but made that hit count, a two-run home run, driving in what proved to be the game-winning run. It was his league-leading 12th home run of the season. Final Score: Biloxi 2, Chattanooga 3 MIRACLE MATTERS Fort Myers @ Clearwater Threshers - Game 1 Box Score Ryan Eades is looking a lot more like a first-round draft pick in 2015 than he did in either 2013 or 2014 and has rewarded the Twins for their patience with him. He pitched five innings of three-hit ball for the Miracle on Thursday night, walked two and struck out six. Eades has given up three runs or less in seven of his eight starts so far this year. Eades was replaced by Luke Westphal who earned his first hold of the year with a perfect sixth inning and Brandon Peterson picked up his second save of the year with a scoreless ninth. Peterson put up great numbers in 2014 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels and earned an early promotion to Fort Myers where he pitched to a 1.80 ERA over 45 innings, racking up 65 strike outs while walking 17. This year, back at Fort Myers, Peterson continues to have a K/9 over 13 with 35 strikeouts in just 24 innings and he has already walked 14. Peterson may have made an adjustment in recent weeks as he has walked just two batters in his last nine innings of work while striking out 12. The Miracle managed just five hits in this low scoring affair, and leadoff man Zach Granite was the only player with two hits, going 2-3 with a double and a run scored (via wild pitch in the first inning). The Miracle added the winning run in the top of the fourth, set up by two more wild pitches from Threshers starter Mark Leiter Jr. Final Score: Fort Myers 2, Clearwater 1 (seven innings) Fort Myers @ Clearwater Threshers - Game 2 Box Score Miracle starter Brett Lee was tagged for six runs in 4.2 innings, giving up four of those runs in the fifth inning alone before being lifted for Dallas Gallant. Lee gave up six hits, six runs, walked four and struck out one. Dallas Gallant pitched a scoreless inning and a third and gave up two hits. The Miracle again managed just five hits in the second game of the double header, lead by Tanner Vavra, hitting ninth, who went 2-3 with a pair of RBIs. Zach Granite doubled and scored another run as part of a 1-4 performance in the nightcap. The Miracle had just five hits, but they also worked five walks and were 3-10 with runners in scoring position, but could not come up with a big hit to put up a crooked number. Final score: Fort Myers 3, Clearwater 6 (seven innings) KERNELS KORNER Wisconsin Timber Rattlers @ Cedar Rapids Box Score A tough game on both sides of the ball for the Kernels who picked up just four hits on the evening and gave up runs in five different innings, losing 6-0 to a pretty bad Timber Rattlers squad. Jared Wilson was charged with his first loss of the season, giving up eight hits, five runs (four earned) over five innings. He walked two, struck out two, and gave up two home runs. Michael Theofanopoulos came in for an extended relief outing, pitching three innings. He gave up two hits, an earned run, walked two and struck out two. Trevor Hildenberger finished the game and struck out a pair of Timber Rattlers in the ninth. Just those four hits I mentioned earlier for the Kernels on Thursday night, all singles, to go along with only one walk and nine strike outs. Not an exciting game for the 1,957 fans in attendance at Perfect Game Field as the Kernels only managed to push two runners into scoring position the entire evening. 2014 first-round draft pick Nick Gordon was 0-3 with three strike outs, but he did reach base on a HBP in the fourth. Zack Larson picked up a pair of hits, providing half of the Kernels hits, going 2-4 with a pair of singles. Final Score: Wisconsin 6, Cedar Rapids 0 TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day - Jorge Polanco, Chattanooga Lookouts Pitcher of the Day - Jose Berrios, Chattanooga Lookouts FRIDAY'S PROBABLES Rochester @ Buffalo Bisons - Game 1 - Pat Dean (4-3, 2.47) vs. Miguel Castro Rochester @ Buffalo Bisons - Game 2 (Make up of 4/10) - Tyler Duffey (0-1, 2.57) vs. Jeff Francis Biloxi Shuckers @ Chattanooga - Tyler Wager (5-1, 2.01) vs. Greg Peavey Fort Myers @ Clearwater Threshers - Kohl Stewart (1-3, 2.60) vs. Brandon Leibrandt Clinton LumberKings @ Cedar Rapids - TBD vs. Keaton Steele (1-0, 3.72) View full article

In the draft, the Minnesota Twins – and other teams – have a tendency to get into patterns. As we know, with their first-round picks the last couple of decades, the Twins have either gone high school hitter or college pitcher. In our draft previews this week, we have already looked at couple of college pitchers who could be there when the Twins select at #6. Image courtesy of Steven Branscombe, USA Today In the draft, the Minnesota Twins – and other teams – have a tendency to get into patterns. As we know, with their first-round picks the last couple of decades, the Twins have either gone high school hitter or college pitcher. In our draft previews this week, we have already looked at couple of college pitchers who could be there when the Twins select at #6. Today, we look that arguably the top college pitcher available in this year’s draft, Carson Fulmer. Who Is This Guy? Earlier in the week, Parker introduced us to Walker Buehler, a right-handed pitcher from Vanderbilt. Buehler is considered a top 10 to top 15 pick in the upcoming draft. He won’t be the first pick from that school. That will be infielder Dansby Swanson who could be taken first overall. In fact, Buehler likely won’t be the first member of the Vandy starting rotation to be drafted. That will most likely be right-hander Carson Fulmer. Fulmer went to high school at All Saints Academy in Lakeland, Florida. Following his high school career, the Boston Red Sox made him their 15th round pick in the 2012 draft. Instead of signing, he went to Vanderbilt, the college that has produced the likes of David Price, Sonny Gray and Mike Minor in recent years. Right away in 2013, he went 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 26 games coming out of the Commodores’ bullpen. In 52.2 innings, he gave up just 37 hits, but he walked 25 and struck out 51. As a sophomore in 2014, he made 16 relief appearances (and had 10 saves) before ending the season with ten starts. He went 7-1 with a 1.98 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. In 91 innings, he gave up just 61 hits. He still walked 41, and he struck out 95. Fulmer was the team’s starting pitcher in the College World Series championship game. He went 5.1 innings and got a no decision, but Vanderbilt won the title. This season, he is 11-2 with a 1.97 ERA in 15 starts. In 100.2 innings, he has given up 67 hits, walked 38 and struck out 136. He has twice been named the national pitcher of the week.He had a stretch in which he didn't give up a run for 24 innings. Fulmer could very well be the first college pitcher drafted this year – though most believe that will be UC-Santa Barbara RHP Dillon Tate. Most mock drafts have Fulmer not getting past the White Sox with the #8 pick. In Jeremy Nygaard’s mock first round draft, he had Fulmer going #7 to the Red Sox. Why the Twins Will Pick Him Though the Twins have done a nice job in recent years adding power arms, the old adage is wise, “You Never Have Enough Pitching.” Quality pitching is hard to come by, and as we’ve seen with the Twins in recent years, it costs a lot of money to get even mid-rotation starters via free agency. The draft provides a team with the opportunity to add a high-quality, young arm that they can have control of through the formative, and then the best, years rather than the expensive years. The Twins have a history in recent years of drafting mostly pitchers who stand at least 6-4. There are some obvious exceptions, such as JO Berrios and Mat Batts. But for the most part, the Twins draft tall pitchers. Carson Fulmer stands at 6-0 and weighs in at 190 pounds, but he packs some punch into his frame. Fulmer has a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90s, but he has hit 98 on several occasions. As you can see from his stat lines, he has not always had great command of his pitches, though he is usually right around the plate. He has a plus breaking ball that he can throw as a slider in the upper 80s or a slower curve ball in the lower 80s. His changeup is a work-in-progress as he often still throws it too hard, in the upper 80s. If he can develop that into a pitch in the low-80s, he could become the next Sonny Gray. Fulmer has been a big part of some very good teams and very good pitching staffs at Vanderbilt. He does not turn 22 until December, but he is a guy who could move relatively quickly up the organizational ladder. That will depend on two things, his control and his ability to improve his changeup. He could be a guy who arrives at Target Field and starts contributing within two years. He has the stats, and he has the accolades, but he also has a few of the intangibles. As you would expect from someone choosing to go to Vanderbilt, he is quite smart. He has been named to several Academic Honor Rolls. His coach, Tim Corbin, called him a “rare combination of power arm, skill, athleticism, mentality and competitiveness.” Ten years ago, the Twins drafted Ryan Mullins, a soft-tossing left-handed pitcher in the third round out of Vanderbilt. In the third round of the 2011 draft, the Twins selected hard-throwing lefty reliever Corey Williams from the school. Why the Twins Will Not Pick Him Some of it is height, but some of it is mechanical. There is some thought that Fulmer could wind up in the bullpen. Obviously there are the thoughts out there that because he’s just 6-0 tall, he may not be able to get the downward plane a taller pitcher would, leaving his pitches flat and able to be hit a long ways. Fulmer throws hard and he is a max-effort type of pitcher. In other words, he has a lot going on in his delivery and some think that may be best suited for the bullpen. As you saw in his stat pack above, he was a bullpen guy at Vanderbilt during his freshman year and the first half of his sophomore season. The Twins have certainly had no problem drafting power, college arms in recent years with the idea of making them starters. In Fulmer’s case, he has been starting (and successfully at a major college program) for the last season and a half. Most believe that he will be able to start, which is why he is considered a Top 8-10 pick. Some mock drafts have had Dillon Tate falling to the Twins, and if he does, I think they will have a hard time passing on him. The Twins also have a long track record of success developing athletic, toolsy, high school hitters, and there are several of them that will be available when the Twins draft at #6. So, at the end of the day, it appears that the Twins will likely pick between high school hitter and college pitcher. If it’s college pitcher, don’t be surprised if it’s Carson Fulmer. Previous Twins Daily Draft Profiles: Swanson/Rodgers/Tate Walker Buehler Andrew Benintendi Kyle Funkhouser View full article

Kernels announce Gibbons added and John Curtiss and Trey Vavra put on the DL.

That's pretty standard philosophy around baseball, regardless of the organization. There are obvious exceptions to these rules, and they're elite types,

Yeah, he's "pretty good." The Lookouts announcers definitely brought his name up a bunch of times.

It's Mat Batts.

I didn't say he was ready to be a full-time big leaguer, just that I think he'll get a September call-up.

As a corner outfielder! He's the best hitter I've ever seen, and I have a hard time believing any hitter has ever been better.

We're looking into it. That was the 1st thing I posted on Twitter last night after the initial Byron Buxton just hit an inside-the-park home run tweet. I hoped there would be video. We've heard that at least one of the TV affiliates in Chattanooga did get it. I also know they were in a tornado warning last night, so I don't know if it's been posted anywhere yet. As soon as it is, I'll tweet it and try to get it here.

Good catch! 12:3 was actually the ground ball to fly ball rate for the night. I have corrected this in the article. Thank you!

Hearing this morning that Sam Gibbons (RH SP) has been promoted to Cedar Rapids. No word on any corresponding move.

He's not really raw any more. He was more raw than most, but he appears to have figured some things about and put his crazy tools into good practice. Obviously if he falls flat the rest of the season, they won't call him up, but I think if he performs well, he'll be a pretty easy choice.

I think that is a fair statement.

Usually on a rehab assignment, a player will get a certain number of plate appearances. Also, with the game out of reach, it made sense to make a move. I also think it's possible that he'll be there for a while beyond his rehab.

As we continue to review information as the 2015 MLB Draft approaches, I thought it would be interesting to look back at players selected with the sixth overall pick. That is the pick that the Minnesota Twins will make on Monday, June 8. So often, we look at the draft and think that, especially with a high first-round pick, the team has to get it right. The team has to find a big league star. The reality is that the draft is a complete crap shoot and it is nearly impossible to predict which players will become big leaguers, much less perennial All Stars. Image courtesy of Greg M. Cooper, USA Today As we continue to review information as the 2015 MLB Draft approaches, I thought it would be interesting to look back at players selected with the sixth overall pick. That is the pick that the Minnesota Twins will make on Monday, June 8. So often, we look at the draft and think that, especially with a high first-round pick, the team has to get it right. The team has to find a big league star. The reality is that the draft is a complete crap shoot and it is nearly impossible to predict which players will become big leaguers, much less perennial All Stars. I looked at all of the first-round draft picks going all the way back to the beginning. 1965 was the first year of the amateur draft. I lumped all of the first-round picks together and ran some fun pivot tables. Some of the results are interesting, even surprising. First, let’s take a look the Average WAR (Wins Above Replacement) for the top 12 players selected each year. Admittedly, there is no perfect way of making the data mean a lot. The sample size is just too small. There have been 50 drafts, but the data is incomplete for anyone who continues to play. So, be sure to take this information with a grain of salt. Pick / Avg WAR 1 / 40.8 2 / 35.5 3 / 48.4 4 / 44.6 5 / 38.6 6 / 56.7 7 / 37.1 8 / 49.2 9 / 28.8 10 / 34.5 11 / 26.3 12 / 32.0 The data on this chart shows that the #6 pick has proven to be the best over the history of the MLB Draft. At 56.7 WAR, the #6 spot is 7.5 WAR ahead of the next highest position, the #8 spot. Now, the #6 spot has produced some of the best baseball players in history. The Pittsburgh Pirates took an outfielder from Arizona State with the sixth pick of the 1985 MLB Draft. Barry Bonds turned into one of the best hitters of all time. He posted 162.4 WAR. The Milwaukee Brewers drafted a shortstop out of a high school in Tampa Bay. Gary Sheffield was one of the most feared hitters in baseball during his playing days. He posted a career WAR of 60.2. In 1992, the New York Yankees took a tall, skinny shortstop out of a Michigan high school with the sixth pick. Derek Jeter became the face of Major League Baseball for almost two decades. He posted a career WAR of 71.8. Jeter will most likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Bonds is the all time home run leader and should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And for similar reasons, despite over 500 home runs and an OPS over .900, Sheffield was not, but should have been, a first-ballot Hall of Famer. There is a second tier of players that were also taken with the sixth overall pick in an MLB Draft. Zack Greinke was the sixth overall pick out of high school in 2002. He was at 42.0 WAR coming into this season. That is just ahead of Andy Van Slyke (41.2 WAR) who was the Cardinals’ first-round pick in 1979. Kevin McReynolds (29.9) was the top pick of the Padres in 1981. John Mayberry (24.7) was the Astros top pick in 1967. The Cardinals selected Terry Kennedy (21.5) with the sixth overall pick in 1977. Spike Owen (12.5) was the Mariners first round pick in 1982. Former Twins outfielder Ken Landreaux (10.4) was the Angels first round pick in 1976. Former Rays outfielder Rocco Baldelli (10.2) was the sixth pick in the 2000 draft. If not for his injuries, his numbers could have been greater. Of 50 sixth overall picks in the MLB draft, only those 11 players have posted a WAR of 10 for their career. To be fair, there are players selected with the sixth overall pick in recent years who are likely to surpass 10 WAR in the next few years. That includes Washington Nationals infielder Anthony Rendon and New York Mets pitcher Zack Wheeler. The last three #6 picks were Albert Almora (Cubs 2012), Colin Moran (Marlins 2013), and Alex Jackson (Mariners 2014). Obviously they have yet to play in the big leagues and could alter these numbers. Of the 50 players taken with the sixth overall pick, 13 players have a negative WAR or 0 WAR. Another 14 of them never (or have not yet) played in the big leagues. Twins fans will likely remember the 1998 draft. The Minnesota Twins took a left-handed starting pitcher. He was very successful in college baseball while playing at powerhouse Arizona State University. He was said to have great mechanics and had worked with his father all the way up. Ryan Mills never pitched in a big league game. The draft is one way for an organization to accumulate talent. Having a high draft pick certainly should increase the odds of getting a more talented, elite-level prospect. But it doesn’t guarantee anything. We would all love for whoever the Twins pick this year to become the next Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield or Derek Jeter. We should also be thrilled if that player becomes the next Zack Greinke or Andy Van Slyke. The important thing to remember is that it’s possible to get a Brian Dozier in the eighth round or a Kent Hrbek in the 17th round. View full article