Seth Stohs

I would agree with that. I don't think anyone thinks he's ready right now. I don't expect him to play in AAA, though some of that depends on Hicks and most of it depends on him.

Yup, they'll certainly go Best Player Available. There just seems to be so little (ok No) consensus for who might be there at 6.

They are trying to preach a culture of winning through the entire organization. I never have a problem with a guy spending an extra 3-4 weeks at a level to help his team try to make the playoffs. This isn't new and the Twins certainly aren't the only team to do that. If they get to the playoffs, they get extra games. It's a good thing. There is no rush to get JO Berrios from AA to AAA. If he's in Rochester on May 25 or June 25, is there a big developmental difference? There should be no rush to get Chih-Wei Hu from Hi-A to AA. There should be no rush to get Stephen Gonsalves from Lo-A to Hi-A. It's not hurting their development to spend another 2-3 weeks at a level. For pitchers, that's like 3-4 more starts. Now, if a guy is ready for the big league promotion, I'm all in favor of getting them there as needed. But, there should be no rush to get a guy to Ft. Myers.

I'm sure many would love that. Let's hope Nolasco and Pelfrey continue to pitch well.

I assume he would still be eligible. Can't imagine why he wouldn't. The awards is announced on Sunday morning, so his most recent start wouldn't have been included, but his complete game shutout would. Kepler has been a beast.

Max Kepler was named the Southern League Hitter of the Week as well.

They must have decided to have him skip a start (not unusual in the lower levels due to innings limits)... He's scheduled to pitch again on Saturday.

Makes for a long evening, doesn't it?!

Interesting that you'd have Brady Aiken being taken by the Royals.Just last year, they took the guy who everyone thought should go higher, but for injury concerns/performance, fell. Last year is was Sean Manaea in the supplemental 1st round. Good pick for them at that point, if he's willing to sign. This is going to be an interesting draft. Compared to years past, pretty much anything can happen.

For the second straight week, Tommy Milone was named the International League Pitcher of the Week.

Minnesota Twins Minor League Player of the Week: Week 1: Tyler Duffey, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 2: Stephen Gonsalves, Cedar Rapids Kernels Week 3: Byron Buxton, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 4: Trey Vavra, Cedar Rapids Lookouts Week 5: Miguel Sano, Chattanooga Lookouts Week 6: Max Kepler, Chattanooga Lookouts Double-A Chattanooga infielder/outfielder Max Kepler is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week...Kepler played in seven games for the Lookouts, hitting .500 (12-for-24) with three doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, four walks and a .571 on-base percentage...

I'll play. That's fun. (obviously these are all just guesses off the top of my head) I'm assuming you mean 'ever' as opposed to '2015,' right? D.J. Baxendale - 20% Jose Berrios - 99% Madison Boer - 49% Nick Burdi - 99% Dallas Gallant - 29% David Hurlbut - 22% Cole Johnson - 27% D.J. Johnson - 17% Zack Jones - 95% Greg Peavey - 39% Jake Reed - 88% Adrian Salcedo (suspended) - 18% Tim Shibuya - 19% Alex Wimmers - 55% Carlos Paulino - 17% Jairo Rodriguez - 2% Stuart Turner - 96% Mike Gonzales - 28% Dalton Hicks - 36% Heiker Meneses - 33% Levi Michael - 53% Jorge Polanco - 100% Miguel Sano - 99.9% Stephen Wickens - 15% Byron Buxton - 99.99% Travis Harrison - 91% Max Kepler - 97% Adam Brett Walker II - 96%

On Monday, the Minnesota Twins topped the Boston Red Sox by a score of 7-2. The win, coupled with the Tigers loss, puts the Twins in second place in the AL Central, just two games behind the Kansas City Royals. It’s still early, but we are 42 games in, over one-quarter of the season is complete. That means that three-quarters of the season remains. A lot can happen, good and bad. However, there are several reasons to believe that the team can continue to play well, and maybe even compete long into the season. Image courtesy of Marilyn Indahl, USA Today On Monday, the Minnesota Twins topped the Boston Red Sox by a score of 7-2. The win, coupled with the Tigers loss, puts the Twins in second place in the AL Central, just two games behind the Kansas City Royals. It’s still early, but we are 42 games in, over one-quarter of the season is complete. That means that three-quarters of the season remains. A lot can happen, good and bad. However, there are several reasons to believe that the team can continue to play well, and maybe even compete long into the season. NOT OVER THEIR HEADS The Twins are eight games over .500 and yet they aren’t being led by any players who are playing over their heads. Looking at the stat sheet, there are some players having solid 2015 seasons, but not to a point where it seems unsustainable. Only three players – Brian Dozier (.835), Trevor Plouffe (.826), and Torii Hunter (.796) – have an OPS over .720. Brian Dozier’s not going to hit 35 home runs (most likely) this season, but we know he can hit 20. Torii Hunter could hit 20, and so could Trevor Plouffe. Joe Mauer has been OK (.712 OPS) It is fair to say that the Twins can get more from Oswaldo Arcia. Kennys Vargas was already sent to AAA to become more productive, and Danny Santana certainly could return to Rochester at any point. It’s not surprising that those two sophomores are slumping, or regressing, if you prefer. Center field was always going to be a stopgap position with Jordan Schafer. He was putting in time until the team deemed Aaron Hicks ready to return. That happened recently and although he hasn’t hit yet, he has played some really strong defense. On the pitching side, Glen Perkins has shown he is healthy and he’s been one of baseball’s best closers all season. That isn’t something that I would consider over his head. His fastball/slider combo is devastating, and he is an All-Star. The bullpen has performed well. Aaron Thompson was very good in the first month, and Blaine Boyer has been far better than expected. However, the Twins have been successful in recent years with signing relievers to minor league contracts, giving them a chance and seeing success. That was the case with Jared Burton and Casey Fien. Speaking of Fien, he hasn’t been a part of the bullpen most of the season, and he’s been very good the last two years. The Twins starting rotation has been the big reason for the team’s success. They are giving up about a run less per nine innings and that difference has been huge to the Twins success. Ricky Nolasco has won five games in a row since a clunker in his first game and a DL stint, but he hasn’t pitched out of his head. He’s had good success in the past. Kyle Gibson may not post a sub-3.00 ERA all season, but there has always been at least some belief from many that he could be a successful ground ball pitcher. Mike Pelfrey hasn’t been good for several years, and he’s not going to post a 3.00 ERA, but he is finally healthy. Phil Hughes has a 4.50 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. He certainly can be better. And, Trevor May has been all right, and better of late. As important as anything, it's important to note that the manager, Paul Molitor, does not appear to be in over his head. I know some were concerned since he had no game-managing experience at any level. However, he's been involved in the game for nearly 40 years and knows it well. DEPTH For a team to win and win over the course of the season, it must have depth. We know that a team won’t go through a season with only five starting pitchers. The Twins have already used six. Odds are, they will need more. Injuries are part of the game. Demotions and promotions are part of the game. The Twins minor league system has been touted as one of the best in baseball the last couple of years. Some of those prospects are getting close to being ready to contribute. This time, let’s start with the starting rotation. The current starting five has been solid. There should be no question that Tommy Milone is a big leaguer. He is a solid back-half of the rotation starter. He’s toiling, and dominating, in Rochester right now. He should be up, but he’s going to have to bide his time until needed. I also believe that if it came down to it, the Twins could get competent starts from the likes of non-roster pitchers Tyler Duffey and Taylor Rogers. Who knows? By the end of the season, it’s possible that J.O. Berrios could debut in 2015. In the bullpen, AJ Achter and Lester Oliveros have been terrific in Rochester. Caleb Thielbar has been struggling with his control some in Rochester, but Logan Darnell and Ryan O’Rourke are also pitching well out of the Red Wings bullpen as well. Zack Jones has clearly been Chattanooga’s top reliever, though both Nick Burdi and Jake Reed have been significantly better since the calendar turned to May. Those last three guys can all hit 96+ mph consistently. And now, Alex Meyer is pitching out of the Red Wings bullpen. If he can go with his elite fastball and slider, dropping the other pitches and re-finding his control, he can be an upper-echelon reliever in time too. Look around the diamond too. If there were an injury at any position, there would be someone who could come in and not hurt the team. Prospects could also come up and gain experience. Eddie Rosario is a good example of this. He has shown some glimpses of what he can become, but he’s also had moments that show that he’s got more improvement to make before coming up full time. At catcher, Josmil Pinto and Eric Fryer are at AAA. Pinto is slumping, but the general belief is that he will hit. Stuart Turner is in AA. At first base, Kennys Vargas is now at AAA. The Twins signed Ryan Wheeler last week to a minor league deal. He’s still just 26 years old and has big league time in each of the last three seasons. At shortstop, Eduardo Escobar could take over should the Twins decide to send Danny Santana back to AAA. Jorge Polanco is producing well in that stacked Chattanooga lineup. He could play shortstop or second base if needed. Miguel Sano has been on fire since the beginning of May. His defense could aptly be called spotty, but he can make the plays and has the arm to play the position. He would likely strike out a ton if called up for a couple of weeks or a month, but he could also hit a few home runs. In the outfield, Rosario and Hicks are already there. Oswaldo Arcia is starting a rehab stint in Rochester now. Byron Buxton appears to have come out of his slump recently. He’s been really streaky this season, but his athleticism and talent have been on display. He could be an option at some point this season too. SUMMARY The Twins have been one of the bigger surprises so far during the 2015 season. There are still a lot of question marks with the roster, but it’s not hard to be more optimistic than we have been in recent years. Aside from some bullpen guys, where variability should be expected, there aren’t a lot of Twins performing way over their heads. And should some players struggle or get hurt the organization now has some depth that should help it overcome. And finally, some of that touted, elite prospect talent is starting to get close. If nothing else, isn’t it nice for Twins fans to have reason for optimism? View full article

We hear so much about tall pitchers and release points, but Aaron Slegers is 6-10 and was top 3 in the organization in BB/9 before this 0 walk outing.

The shortstops would be nice, but Tate kind of scares me as high as six.

I don't think anyone thinks Milone is suddenly going to be something different or significantly better than ever. However, he's not a AAA pitcher and he's not a AAAA pitcher. He's an MLB pitcher, a back of the rotation guy, probably a #4. Depth is good.

1.) yes, it has. Though when he's been healthy for a decent amount of time in the past, he has produced. He's been terrific. 2.) I don't know. He's certainly moved up, but I don't know that he'd be on any Top 30 lists. 3.) Yes. 4.) College reliever from UC-Berkeley. Throws low-to-mid 90s from a 3/4 arm angle. Gets good movement.

When HE chooses to. I always called him just Adam Walker, but tnhe I decided to ask him. He said he didn't really care too much but he definitely preferred Adam Brett Walker. So, until he tells me differently, I'll go with that.

Great insight. People definitely are aware of the big two, but we try to tout all of the minor leaguers. And I love that idea a midseason "All Twins Prospects game!"

Here is a link to Patrick Reusse's show page. Hour 2 on Friday, he chatted with Doug Mientkiewicz for 15 minutes. Quite a bit on Kepler, Buxton, Sano, Walker, Berrios and more. Great stuff. Gave Chad Allen a lot of credit.

The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates have all reached the 40-game plateau this week. Their seasons are nearly 30% complete. Each week, we have been posting the Twins Minor League Leader Board in the Saturday morning Minor League Report. This week, we’re going to post it on its own and see how it goes. Each week, we look at a variety of statistics to recognize the Twins minor leaguers who have performed well in 2015. We will start with the hitters and then look at both the starting pitchers and bullpen arms. These lists are fun because sometimes players emerge as guys that you will want to start paying attention to. In the below lists, we are starting to see more of the big-name prospects showing up, which is also a good thing. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (Left to Right: Top Row: Trey Vavra, Chih-Wei Hu, Byron Buxton; Bottom Row: Stephen Gonsalves, Adam Brett Walker, Trevor Hildenberger The Minnesota Twins minor league affiliates have all reached the 40-game plateau this week. Their seasons are nearly 30% complete. Each week, we have been posting the Twins Minor League Leader Board in the Saturday morning Minor League Report. This week, we’re going to post it on its own and see how it goes. Each week, we look at a variety of statistics to recognize the Twins minor leaguers who have performed well in 2015. We will start with the hitters and then look at both the starting pitchers and bullpen arms. These lists are fun because sometimes players emerge as guys that you will want to start paying attention to. In the below lists, we are starting to see more of the big-name prospects showing up, which is also a good thing. 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 130 plate appearances as the cut off for BA, OBP, SLG and OPS. 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 14.0 innings as the cutoff for relief pitchers. Here is the Minnesota Twins Minor League Leader Board through games played on Friday, May 22. HITTERS Let’s start with the hitters. When we ran these leader boards after two, three or four weeks, there were several surprising names on these lists. There is a lot of randomness to small sample size. However, now we are to the point where most regulars have between 150 and 170 plate appearances. Not a huge sample, but again, about 30% of their season. Some of those early-season names have remained. Plate Appearances: Niko Goodrum (190), Byron Buxton (184), Zach Granite (183), Miguel Sano/Max Murphy (170). Batting Average: Trey Vavra (.345), James Beresford (.344), Alex Swim (.338), Max Kepler (.336), Zach Granite (.320) On-Base Percentage: Zach Granite (.413), Trey Vavra (.401), Max Kepler (.381), James Beresford (.380), Travis Harrison (.373) Isolated Discipline: Tanner English (.130), Mitch Garver (.128), Miguel Sano (.108), Niko Goodrum (.103), Travis Harrison (.097) (I like this statistic because it’s easy to calculate, but it also shows which hitters are not as reliant on 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. Kernels center fielder Tanner English is hitting just .220, but he is on base 35% of the time thanks to a good eye at the plate. Miguel Sano gets on base because a lot of pitchers don’t want to throw him any more strikes than they have to.) Slugging Percentage: Trey Vavra (.545), Adam Brett Walker (.533), Max Kepler (.520), Byron Buxton (.497), Miguel Sano (.472) Isolated Power (IsoP): Adam Brett Walker (.286), Byron Buxton (.240), Miguel Sano (.233), Trey Vavra/Danny Ortiz (.200) (Like Isolated Discipline, Isolate 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. No surprise at all with who is on top of this list, is it? Lots of home runs, doubles and triples on that list.) OPS: Trey Vavra (.946), Max Kepler (.901), Adam Brett Walker (.830), Miguel Sano (.819), Byron Buxton (.807) Hits: Alex Swim (51), Trey Vavra (.50), Zach Granite (49), Jorge Polanco (47), James Beresford (44) 2B: Travis Harrison (15), Max Kepler (13), Aaron Hicks/Chad Christensen (10), 4 tied with 9. 3B: Byron Buxton (10), Aaron Hicks (4), Levi Michael/Max Murphy/Tanner English/TJ White (3) HR: Adam Brett Walker (11), Miguel Sano (8), Trey Vavra/Danny Ortiz (6), Byron Buxton/Brock Peterson (5) Runs: Byron Buxton (31), Miguel Sano/Zach Granite (29), Adam Brett Walker/Travis Harrison (27), Nick Gordon (26) RBI: Byron Buxton (33), Adam Brett Walker (32), Trey Vavra/Danny Ortiz (27), Miguel Sano/Zack Larson (24) SB: Tanner English/Zach Granite (13), Byron Buxton (12), Jason Kanzler/Engelb Vielma (10). STARTING PITCHERS (>32 IP) Innings: Taylor Rogers (55.0), Pat Dean (54.2), Tyler Duffey (52.2), JO Berrios (50.0), DJ Baxendale/Jason Wheeler (47.0) ERA: Chih-Wei Hu (1.10), Stephen Gonsalves (1.50), Felix Jorge (2.13), Brett Lee (2.14), Mat Batts (2.21) WHIP: Stephen Gonsalves (0.81), Chih-Wei Hu (0.85), Felix Jorge (0.95), Mat Batts (1.03), Tyler Duffey (1.10) K/9: Stephen Gonsalves (11.6), JO Berrios (10.4), Mat Batts (9.7), Alex Meyer (9.4), Chih-Wei Hu/Tyler Duffey (9.2) BB/9: Greg Peavey (1.5), Pat Dean (1.6), John Curtiss (1.7), Aaron Slegers (1.8), Felix Jorge (1.9) Strikeouts: JO Berrios (58), Tyler Duffey/Stephen Gonsalves (54), Mat Batts/Taylor Rogers (44), Chih-Wei Hu 42) RELIEF PITCHERS (>14 IP, Innings: Zach Tillery (27.1), Todd Van Steensel (26.0), Alex Muren (25.2), Brandon Peterson/Randy LeBlanc (23.0) ERA: Trevor Hildenberger (0.40), Cameron Booser (0.93), Brandon Peterson (1.17), Madison Boer (1.40), Lester Oliveros (1.86) WHIP: Trevor Hildenberger (0.49), AJ Achter (0.63), Zach Tillery (0.81), Madison Boer (0.90), Tim Shibuya (0.92), Zack Jones (0.93) K/9: Cameron Booser (15.4), Zack Jones (14.1), Lester Oliveros (14.0), Todd Van Steensel (13.8), Brandon Peterson (13.3) 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 (6), AJ Achter/Michael Tonkin (5), Cameron Booser/Trevor Hildenberger/Todd Van Steensel (4) There you have it. The Twins Minor League Leader Board through Friday, May 22. What do you think? What surprises you? View full article

Wheeler is just 26 years old and has parts of three years in the big leagues. Maybe not terrific numbers, but I like this kind of signing. There's no downside. He's still fairly young. He's had a lot of success. He's been where most of the guys want to get. And, maybe something clicks. It's a minor league signing. He's not on the 40 man, and right now, he's not blocking anyone. If he ends up being "done" (at 26) when Sano is ready, it's easy to release him (or one of the other corners that are older).

We're all guilty of it at the beginning of the season. We make a ton out of a guy hitting .150 on April 15th, not remembering that he's 3-20 and a 4-5 day has him hitting .350. Peavey was off to a very slow start. He was getting crushed. I probably would have removed him from the rotation or dropped him, and he'd been terrific the last 3-4 starts. They're all case-by-case. The big thing is that they just have to do what they think is best for each player and each situation.