Seth Stohs

The debut of Cole De Vries was a game with several ups and downs. De Vries struck out Alejandro de Aza, the first batter he faced. He threw a scoreless first inning. Then in the second frame, AJ Pierzynski got him. He was charged with three unearned runs in the third inning after an error, a pop up and a blooper. He then got seven batters out. Given a 5-4 lead, he went out for the 6th inning and served up back-to-back home runs to Paul Konerko and Alexi Rios and his debut was over. His line at the end of the day was six runs (3 earned) on six hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out four, but three solo home runs added up. Brian Duensing came in and gave up three hits and a walk. The biggest hit in his inning was a grand slam. Jeff Gray threw a scoreless inning. Jared Burton gave up a run in the eighth inning. The Twins fell 11-8 to the White Sox. The highlight for the Twins had to be Justin Morneau’s day at the plate. He was 3-5 with his seventh and eighth home runs, both long blasts. Joe Mauer was 2-4 with a walk and his second home run. Alexi Casilla was 2-4 with a double. Denard Span was 2-5 with his tenth double. If you missed it last night, be sure to listen to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly. Seth was joined by Kyle Gibson, David Bromberg and Drew Leachman. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Thursday: ROCHESTER 3, GWINNETT 1 After a day off, the Red Wings got a tidy win on the road in Gwinnett. Liam Hendriks started and gave up only an unearned run on five hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out nine and improved to 3-0. Anthony Slama came in to start the eighth inning. He struck out one batter but gave up two hits. Tyler Robertson came in and got the Red Wings out of the jam. Casey Fien came in and threw a scoreless ninth inning to record the save. JR Towles went 2-4. Sean Burroughs was 2-4 with an RBI. Matt Carson hit his 12th double. Clete Thomas and Danny Valencia each drove in a run. The Red Wings are now 20-26. NEW BRITAIN 6, BINGHAMPTON 4 BJ Hermsen was back on the mound for the Rock Cats. The righty went seven innings and gave up four runs (3 earned) on ten hits. He walked none and struck out three. Caleb Thielbar pitched the last two innings. He didn’t allow a run and struck out four and picked up his second win. Deibinson Romero went 2-3 with a walk, his fourth home run and two RBI. Matt Rizzotti hit his second homer and drove in two. They improved to 28-18, and they are 1.5 games ahead of Reading. FT. MYERS 1, CLEARWATER 2 Madison Boer threw his best game with the Miracle. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out three. Matt Hauser struck out three in two shutout innings. Bruce Pugh struck out two in two scoreless innings. Danny Ortiz went 3-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles. He went 0-12 in his first three games with the Miracle. Since then, he has gone 20-64 (.313) in 16 games. Josmil Pinto also hit his ninth double. Danny Rams was taken off of the Disabled List. The Miracle are now 18-29 and 18 games back in the division. BELOIT 9, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 The Snappers played on Thursday afternoon and came out with a big win. AJ Achter got a spot start. He gave up two unearned runs in five innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out five. Tyler Jones, a Milwaukee native, threw three scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five. David Hurlbut threw a scoreless innings. Adam Bryant went 3-5. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with his fourth homer run. Drew Leachman was 2-5 with his second double, third home run and three RBI. Kyle Knudson was 1-2 with three walks. Miguel Sano continues to struggle. He was 0-3 with two walks and two strikeouts. He is now 1-30 in his last seven games and 3-39 since turning 19. Nate Roberts as activated from the DL. Rory Rhodes went back Extended Spring Training. Jones was promoted with Bart Carter going on the D Disabled List. The Snappers are now 28-19, a game and a half back of Wisconsin. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, May 24, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks [ATTACH=CONFIG]1042[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Danny Ortiz [ATTACH=CONFIG]1043[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Friday, May 25, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Gwinnett – LHP Matt Maloney New Britain @ Portland – LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers vs Palm Beach – RHP Miguel Munoz Beloit vs Cedar Rapids – RHP Tim Shibuya --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

The debut of Cole De Vries was a game with several ups and downs. De Vries struck out Alejandro de Aza, the first batter he faced. He threw a scoreless first inning. Then in the second frame, AJ Pierzynski got him. He was charged with three unearned runs in the third inning after an error, a pop up and a blooper. He then got seven batters out. Given a 5-4 lead, he went out for the 6th inning and served up back-to-back home runs to Paul Konerko and Alexi Rios and his debut was over. His line at the end of the day was six runs (3 earned) on six hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out four, but three solo home runs added up. Brian Duensing came in and gave up three hits and a walk. The biggest hit in his inning was a grand slam. Jeff Gray threw a scoreless inning. Jared Burton gave up a run in the eighth inning. The Twins fell 11-8 to the White Sox. The highlight for the Twins had to be Justin Morneau’s day at the plate. He was 3-5 with his seventh and eighth home runs, both long blasts. Joe Mauer was 2-4 with a walk and his second home run. Alexi Casilla was 2-4 with a double. Denard Span was 2-5 with his tenth double. If you missed it last night, be sure to listen to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly. Seth was joined by Kyle Gibson, David Bromberg and Drew Leachman. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Thursday: ROCHESTER 3, GWINNETT 1 After a day off, the Red Wings got a tidy win on the road in Gwinnett. Liam Hendriks started and gave up only an unearned run on five hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out nine and improved to 3-0. Anthony Slama came in to start the eighth inning. He struck out one batter but gave up two hits. Tyler Robertson came in and got the Red Wings out of the jam. Casey Fien came in and threw a scoreless ninth inning to record the save. JR Towles went 2-4. Sean Burroughs was 2-4 with an RBI. Matt Carson hit his 12th double. Clete Thomas and Danny Valencia each drove in a run. The Red Wings are now 20-26. NEW BRITAIN 6, BINGHAMPTON 4 BJ Hermsen was back on the mound for the Rock Cats. The righty went seven innings and gave up four runs (3 earned) on ten hits. He walked none and struck out three. Caleb Thielbar pitched the last two innings. He didn’t allow a run and struck out four and picked up his second win. Deibinson Romero went 2-3 with a walk, his fourth home run and two RBI. Matt Rizzotti hit his second homer and drove in two. They improved to 28-18, and they are 1.5 games ahead of Reading. FT. MYERS 1, CLEARWATER 2 Madison Boer threw his best game with the Miracle. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out three. Matt Hauser struck out three in two shutout innings. Bruce Pugh struck out two in two scoreless innings. Danny Ortiz went 3-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles. He went 0-12 in his first three games with the Miracle. Since then, he has gone 20-64 (.313) in 16 games. Josmil Pinto also hit his ninth double. Danny Rams was taken off of the Disabled List. The Miracle are now 18-29 and 18 games back in the division. BELOIT 9, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 The Snappers played on Thursday afternoon and came out with a big win. AJ Achter got a spot start. He gave up two unearned runs in five innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out five. Tyler Jones, a Milwaukee native, threw three scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five. David Hurlbut threw a scoreless innings. Adam Bryant went 3-5. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with his fourth homer run. Drew Leachman was 2-5 with his second double, third home run and three RBI. Kyle Knudson was 1-2 with three walks. Miguel Sano continues to struggle. He was 0-3 with two walks and two strikeouts. He is now 1-30 in his last seven games and 3-39 since turning 19. Nate Roberts as activated from the DL. Rory Rhodes went back Extended Spring Training. Jones was promoted with Bart Carter going on the D Disabled List. The Snappers are now 28-19, a game and a half back of Wisconsin. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, May 24, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks [ATTACH=CONFIG]1042[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Danny Ortiz [ATTACH=CONFIG]1043[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Friday, May 25, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Gwinnett – LHP Matt Maloney New Britain @ Portland – LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers vs Palm Beach – RHP Miguel Munoz Beloit vs Cedar Rapids – RHP Tim Shibuya --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

The debut of Cole De Vries was a game with several ups and downs. De Vries struck out Alejandro de Aza, the first batter he faced. He threw a scoreless first inning. Then in the second frame, AJ Pierzynski got him. He was charged with three unearned runs in the third inning after an error, a pop up and a blooper. He then got seven batters out. Given a 5-4 lead, he went out for the 6th inning and served up back-to-back home runs to Paul Konerko and Alexi Rios and his debut was over. His line at the end of the day was six runs (3 earned) on six hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out four, but three solo home runs added up. Brian Duensing came in and gave up three hits and a walk. The biggest hit in his inning was a grand slam. Jeff Gray threw a scoreless inning. Jared Burton gave up a run in the eighth inning. The Twins fell 11-8 to the White Sox. The highlight for the Twins had to be Justin Morneau’s day at the plate. He was 3-5 with his seventh and eighth home runs, both long blasts. Joe Mauer was 2-4 with a walk and his second home run. Alexi Casilla was 2-4 with a double. Denard Span was 2-5 with his tenth double. If you missed it last night, be sure to listen to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly. Seth was joined by Kyle Gibson, David Bromberg and Drew Leachman. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Thursday: ROCHESTER 3, GWINNETT 1 After a day off, the Red Wings got a tidy win on the road in Gwinnett. Liam Hendriks started and gave up only an unearned run on five hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out nine and improved to 3-0. Anthony Slama came in to start the eighth inning. He struck out one batter but gave up two hits. Tyler Robertson came in and got the Red Wings out of the jam. Casey Fien came in and threw a scoreless ninth inning to record the save. JR Towles went 2-4. Sean Burroughs was 2-4 with an RBI. Matt Carson hit his 12th double. Clete Thomas and Danny Valencia each drove in a run. The Red Wings are now 20-26. NEW BRITAIN 6, BINGHAMPTON 4 BJ Hermsen was back on the mound for the Rock Cats. The righty went seven innings and gave up four runs (3 earned) on ten hits. He walked none and struck out three. Caleb Thielbar pitched the last two innings. He didn’t allow a run and struck out four and picked up his second win. Deibinson Romero went 2-3 with a walk, his fourth home run and two RBI. Matt Rizzotti hit his second homer and drove in two. They improved to 28-18, and they are 1.5 games ahead of Reading. FT. MYERS 1, CLEARWATER 2 Madison Boer threw his best game with the Miracle. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in five innings. He walked none and struck out three. Matt Hauser struck out three in two shutout innings. Bruce Pugh struck out two in two scoreless innings. Danny Ortiz went 3-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles. He went 0-12 in his first three games with the Miracle. Since then, he has gone 20-64 (.313) in 16 games. Josmil Pinto also hit his ninth double. Danny Rams was taken off of the Disabled List. The Miracle are now 18-29 and 18 games back in the division. BELOIT 9, CEDAR RAPIDS 2 The Snappers played on Thursday afternoon and came out with a big win. AJ Achter got a spot start. He gave up two unearned runs in five innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out five. Tyler Jones, a Milwaukee native, threw three scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five. David Hurlbut threw a scoreless innings. Adam Bryant went 3-5. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with his fourth homer run. Drew Leachman was 2-5 with his second double, third home run and three RBI. Kyle Knudson was 1-2 with three walks. Miguel Sano continues to struggle. He was 0-3 with two walks and two strikeouts. He is now 1-30 in his last seven games and 3-39 since turning 19. Nate Roberts as activated from the DL. Rory Rhodes went back Extended Spring Training. Jones was promoted with Bart Carter going on the D Disabled List. The Snappers are now 28-19, a game and a half back of Wisconsin. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, May 24, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks [ATTACH=CONFIG]1042[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Danny Ortiz [ATTACH=CONFIG]1043[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Friday, May 25, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Gwinnett – LHP Matt Maloney New Britain @ Portland – LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers vs Palm Beach – RHP Miguel Munoz Beloit vs Cedar Rapids – RHP Tim Shibuya --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

Today, we continue our trek through my Top 50 Twins Prospects list by looking at my choices for prospects 21 through 30. Yesterday we looked at prospects 31-40, and the day before I presented prospects 41 through 50. I think that this 21-30 group is interesting. You still have some young players who have great potential but haven’t quite reached it... yet. You have a couple of players who have been ranked quite a bit higher who, for whatever reason, have fallen and are looking to move back up. Without further ado, let’s get to the list. Here are my choices for Twins Prospects 21-30: #30 –Jason Wheeler, LHP Those that follow the Northwoods League may remember that Wheeler was the Pitcher of the Year in 2010 when he pitched for the St. Cloud River Bats. The Twins made the 21-year-old their 8th round pick last year out of Loyola Marymount. At 6-6 and 260 pounds, he has a strong build and a very good delivery. His fastball touched 93 and due to his height, he gets a good downward plane. He has an improving changeup in the low 80s and an above average slow curveball. He didn’t sign in time to pitch last year, but in his first nine starts for Beloit, he is 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA. #29 – Miguel Munoz, RHP The Twins signed the now-23-year-old Munoz as a 17 year old in 2005 from Caracas, Venezuela. His 2011 season was lost due to elbow problems. The Twins went the rest-rehab route with Munoz, and he has been able to avoid Tommy John surgery. He did have some surgery to remove bone chips. He has recently returned to the Ft. Myers Miracle and pitched in seven games, making two starts. He has a four-seam fastball that reaches into the mid-90s. His two-seam fastball sinks and generates lots of groundballs. He has a decent curveball, and continues to work on a slider/cutter as well. #28 – JD Williams, OF Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario got all of the attention in Elizabethton in 2011, but JD Williams quietly put together some impressive numbers. He hit .324/.406/.465 with 12 doubles, a triple and four home runs. He was drafted as a shortstop out of his Florida high school in 2010. He is all about speed, one of the fastest players in the Twins organization. He moved up to Beloit this year where he is currently hitting .227/.308/.311 after a very slow start. He has eight doubles and a triple. He has already stolen eight bases. #27 – Max Kepler, OF It appears that Kepler will be returning to the Appy League for the 2012 season. In 2011 at Elizabethton, he hit .262/.347/.366 with 11 doubles, three triples and a home run. Solid, but unspectacular numbers in the hitter-friendly atmosphere. He was signed by the Twins in July of 2009 out of Germany. At 6-4 and 200 pounds, the 19-year-old is very strong and very fast. He has one of those classic left-handed swings. He can play all three outfield positions. #26 – Logan Darnell, LHP Darnell was the Twins 6th round pick in 2010 out of Kentucky. In 2011, he pitched in Beloit, Ft. Myers and made five starts in New Britain. In total, he recorded 11 wins and threw an impressive 150.1 innings. The 23 year old has the ability to throw four pitches for strikes. The southpaw’s fastball sits between88-91, occasionally hitting 93. He has a good changeup, a slider (81-84) and a slow curveball (75-76). He is currently 5-2 with a 4.53 ERA in nine starts with the Rock Cats this year. #25 – Tom Stuifbergen, RHP If Stuifbergen can get back on the mound soon, he could be a top 15 prospect again by the end of the season. If there has been one thing that has slowed Stuifbergen in his career, it has been injuries, and he is fighting some shoulder issues now. However, the 23 year old from the Netherlands has been very successful when he has been healthy. At 6-3, he has great control of a 2-seam and 4-seam fastball (touches 94), a curveball and a changeup. He has had a lot of success in international competition since making his name in the last WBC in a game against the Dominican Republic. Last fall, he led The Netherlands to the World Cup championship in Panama when he threw 17 shutout innings. Later, he was knighted in his homeland, so you can call him Sir Tom Stuifbergen. #24 – Angel Morales, OF Things started out so well for Morales, the Twins 3rd round pick in 2007 out of Puerto Rico. In 2008 in Elizabethton, he posted a 1.036 OPS with 12 doubles and 15 home runs. Since then, he has had his moments of success and still has glimpses of 5-tool talent. He missed most of 2011 with an elbow injury that finally required arthroscopic surgery. In 2012, things started out so well for Morales. Through April 24, he was 23-67 (.343). Since that date, he is 10-83 (.120). His season average is down to .220 (through 150 at bats). He has just seven extra base hits and has struck out 50 times. However, I still believe in his talent and his tools. He won’t turn 23 until late November, so I’m far from giving up on him. #23 – Corey Williams, LHP The Twins used their 3rd round pick last June on Vanderbilt lefty-reliever Corey Williams. At the time, there was some concern about signability. However, the Twins went $250,000 over slot to sign him. He throws a fastball between 92 and 94 mph. He has a very good changeup. He is very smart, and has very good stuff. He is currently with the Beloit Snappers where he has six saves. In 18.2 innings, he has walked ten but also struck out 21. #22 – David Bromberg, RHP Bromberg ended the 2010 season by making nine starts in Rochester. He was an easy choice to add to the 40 man roster following the season. In 2011, he started back with the Rock Cats in New Britain, but in late April, he took a liner and broke his forearm (which he was using to protect his face). He had surgery and missed over three months, but when he came back, he was still affected by it. He was removed from the 40 man roster after the season, cleared waivers and remains with the Twins. The 24 year old started this season with New Britain, in the bullpen. In five games as a reliever, he posted a 20.25 ERA in 4 innings. In six starts for the Rock Cats, he is 1-1 with a 1.42 ERA. In 31.2 innings, he has given up 20 hits, 13 walks and struck out 33 batters. At one point, he threw 20 consecutive scoreless innings. I’d expect him to move up to Rochester soon, and he is definitely back in the Twins picture. #21 – Pat Dean, LHP Dean was the Twins 3rd round pick in 2010 out of Boston College. He was hurt at the start of the 2011 season and yet he still pitched at Beloit, Ft. Myers and New Britain, although not to his talent level. He began 2012 back with Ft. Myers. He has made 10 starts and is 3-2 with a 2.78 ERA. The lefty has a fastball between 90-92 mph. He has an above average curveball and a very good changeup. He is barely striking out a batter every other inning, which is concerning, but he does have three good pitches, so those numbers should improve. I think he profiles pretty similarly to Brian Duensing. So, there you have my choices for Twins prospects 21-30.Later this week, I’ll be back tomorrow with my next installment which will be prospects 11-20). If you have any questions or comments on any of these prospects, please feel free to ask. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1036[/ATTACH]

Yesterday, we looked at my choices for Twins prospects 41-50. Today, we continue to look at our series on the Twins Top 50 prospects by seeing who I’ve got listed in placed 31 through 40. Like yesterday, you will see a couple of relievers that have a chance to be back-of-the-bullpen types if things work out. There are a couple of college-drafted pitchers who are pitching quite well, and there are some pitchers who were signed young who have a lot of potential. There are just two hitters in this group, and one of them is currently on the Twins roster. Without further ado, let’s get to the list. Here are my choices for Twins Prospects 41-50: #40 – Steven Gruver, LHP The Twins drafted the left-handed Gruver in the 7th round of last year’s draft out of the University of Tennessee. He signed quickly and pitched 31.1 innings for Elizabethton out of the bullpen. He was 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA. With a full offseason under his belt, the 22-year-old is back to starting this season with the Beloit Snappers. He is currently 3-3 with a 3.67 ERA through his first nine starts. #39 – Tim Shibuya, RHP Shibuya was the Twins 23rd round pick last year out of UC-San Diego where he went 40-15 with a 2.19 ERA over his four seasons there. Upon signing, he went to Elizabethton where he went 8-2 with a 3.30 ERA. In 73.2 innings, he walked just 11 and struck out 70. He threw the first seven innings of a no-hitter in July. The 22-year-old was named the Appy League pitcher of the year. He throws a low-90s fastball with an average curveball, changeup and slider. Through nine starts with Beloit, he is 2-2 with a 3.35 ERA. In 48.1 innings, he has walked just eight and struck out 42. In his last start, he threw a complete game shutout. #38 – Kuo-Hua Lo, RHP Lo was signed by the Twins in June of 2011 out of Taiwan where he was widely believed to be the top high school pitcher. The 5-11, 19 year old already throws 90-91 with the fastball but has touched as high as 94 on a radar gun. He also throws a slider and a split-finger pitch and is working on his curveball. He did not play in the US last year and debuted during Florida Instructional League last fall. Because of his talent, and also a high make-up displayed in several international competitions, it would surprise few if he started the season at Elizabethton. #37 – Luis Nunez, LHP Nunez signed with the Twins in 2009 from the Dominican Republic. The now-20 year old lefty throws very hard despite a small frame. Listed at 5-11 and just 160 pounds, there is certainly room for growth. Last year, he repeated in the GCL and dominated. He pitched in 16 games and went 5-0 with 5 saves, a 1.67 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. In 32.1 innings, he gave up just 23 hits, walked six and struck out 37, serving as the team’s closer. He will likely pitch for Elizabethton this summer. #36 – Manuel Soliman, RHP As most probably know, the Twins signed Soliman in March of 2007 and he spent two years struggling mightily with the bat as a 3B. he was moved to the mound and has been very intriguing as a pitching prospect. He threw a no-hitter in Elizabethton in 2010. Last year, he was a work horse for Beloit. He went 7-11 with a 3.97 ERA. In 136 innings, he walked 50 and struck out 120. Soliman throws a low-90s fastball, a two-seamer, and a very hard slider. He is a ground ball guy. He struggled in two early-season starts with the Ft. Myers Miracle this spring before being shut down. Many believe, myself included, that he is best suited for the bullpen where he can add a few more mph to an already very good fastball. #35 – Matt Hauser, RHP The Twins selected Hauser with their 7th round pick in 2010 out of the University of San Diego. In 2011, he spent time with Beloit, Ft. Myers and even made an appearance with New Britain late in their season. In 63.2 innings combined, he walked too many (29) and struck out a lot (75). Hauser throws a four-seam fastball that is clocked between 93 and 97 mph. He also throws a 1-seam fastball that sinks a lot. His slider is a great pitch and touches 87 mph. He has improved his control in 2012 with just seven walks in his first 23.2 innings for the Miracle. #34 – Danny Ortiz, OF 22-year-old Ortiz was the Twins 4th round pick in 2008 out of Puerto Rico. Despite being just 5-11 and 170 pounds, he has tremendous power. He has good speed, and is able to play all threw outfield positions well. He returned to Beloit to start this season and hit .299. He was promoted quickly to Ft. Myers where he has hit .250. Last year in Beloit, he hit .239/.294/.391 with 33 doubles, four triples and ten home runs. Playing in the Florida State League, it is unlikely we will see those numbers again, but over time, his power will show. #33 – Josh Burris, RHP The Twins used their 17th round pick in 2011 on the immensely talented Burris. He played last year at LSU-Eunice. As a utility player (playing 2B and in the OF), the converted catcher hit .273/.432/.364 with 13 stolen bases. However, the Twins took him as a pitcher. Although he was 1-1 with a 4.64 ERA in the team’s bullpen, he has the type of stuff that scouts drool over. Despite a 5-10, 180 pound frame, Burris has a fastball that sits between 91 and 94 mph. It is his curveball, however, that grabs people’s attention. His 12-6 ‘Yacker’ has been described to me as “filthy,” and “nasty” by other pitchers. I can’t tell you what hitters have called it. Control was his issue last year in college. In 21.1 innings, he walked 20 batters, but he also struck out 32. If his stuff can be harnessed, Burris could be the next Tom Gordon (for those that are too young to remember the 90s, this is very much a compliment!). #32 – Deolis Guerra, RHP Guerra came to the Twins as a much-hyped 18-year-old from the Mets in the Johan Santana trade. He struggled mightily thanks to the Mets pushing him far too quickly. Finally, the Twins moved him to the bullpen in the second half of the 2011 season, and he has been incredible since. In his last 27 games of 2011, he threw 52 innings. He allowed 36 hits, walked 13 and struck out 65. After giving up one run in 12.2 innings for the Rock Cats this spring, he was promoted to AAA where he has given up two earned runs in 16.2 innings. In total, he is 3-1 with a 0.92 ERA in 2012. In 29.1 innings, he has given up just 15 hits, walked six and struck out 29. Opponents are hitting just .152 off of him (.175 in AAA). The still-just-23-year-old works with a fastball in the upper-80s that can touch 92 at times. He has a good curveball, but it is his changeup that gets him to the next level. Does he have enough fastball for the big leagues? Well, we will likely find out in the next couple of months. #31 – Lester Oliveros, RHP Oliveros came to the Twins last August with Cole Nelson in the Delmon Young trade. The Venezuelan right-hander will turn 24 years old later this week. Although he pitched minimally for the Twins and Tigers in 2011, he began this season in AA New Britain. He posted a 1.42 ERA in 19 innings before being promoted to Rochester recently. He has thrown 5.2 scoreless innings with just four hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. Combined, he has not allowed a run in his last 17.2 innings pitched. Oliveros throws hard, reaching into the mid-90s. He has a hard slider as well, but it will be his control that will determine how good he can be as a big league pitcher. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1027[/ATTACH] So, there you have my choices for Twins prospects 31-40.Later this week, I’ll be back with my next installment which will be prospects 21-30). If you have any questions or comments on any of these prospects, please feel free to ask.

He's very consistent in his answer, so I'm still not certain what will happen

I think that's the plan, at least from what I've heard. As soon as he's ready, they'll insert him into the rotation.

It’s that time of year. The Major League Baseball first-year players’ draft starting in two weeks. That means that we need to get our pre-draft Top 50 Twins Prospects list out. I’ve always done this before the draft to take a look at where the organization is. Over the next week, we’ll look at my choices for the Top 50 Twins Prospects. People talk a lot about the Twins farm system being weak. Well, I do need to acknowledge that in the past I generally had no idea coming up with the top 30. This time around, I was struggling after the top 8 or 9. Take that for what it’s worth, which may be nothing. Today, we’ll look at my choices for 41 through 50. There may be an assumption that these ten are not worth knowing or learning about, but I disagree. First, I always believe that minor leaguers deserve to be recognized. Second, as you look through these ten players, you will see a couple of types. There are a couple of potentially dominant bullpen arms working through injuries. There are also a lot of very young, new-to-the-organization types of players who will pay in the short seasons. Some have very good potential but there just isn’t enough data points yet to rank them any higher. By season’s end, they could move up twenty spots… or disappear from the list. It’s the beauty of following the minor leagues. Let’s get started. Here are my choices for Twins Prospects 41-50: #50 – Trent Higginbotham, RHP Higginbotham was the Twins 26th round draft pick in 2011 out of high school in Alabama. He signed on the last possible day for a well-above-slot $195,000. The right-hander is 6-2 and 195 and has a very projectable frame with room to grow. He turned 20 years old last week and already boasts a fastball that touches 94 mph. He also throws a curveball and a changeup. I would guess that he will pitch in Elizabethton starting in June, but it is possible that he will start in the GCL. #49 – Tyler Jones, RHP Jones is a Milwaukee native who was a top prep baseball player during his high school career during which he was a part of two state titles. He went to Madison Arch Tech Junior College where he helped them to the World Series in 2010. In 2011, he pitched for LSU before the Twins made him their 11th round pick. He signed later in the season and pitched seven innings for Elizabethton, which is where he’ll likely return in 2012. Jones is already 22 years old and will turn 23 in September. He is 6-4 and 205 pounds. He throws a 2-seam and a 4-seam fastball and sits 91-94. He has touched 96 mph. His slider is his out-pitch, and he is working on a changeup. #48 – Hung-yi Chen, RHP Chen was signed by the Twins in June of 2010 from Taiwan. The 20 year old has a 5-10 stocky frame. He throws 87-91 mph with a fastball. He also throws a sinker, a slider and a fork ball. Last year in the GCL, he was 0-4 with a 4.33 ERA. In 35.1 innings, he walked just five and struck out 38. He may head back to the GCL for 2012. Although he is able to get hitters out, he will need to add some velocity. #47 – Kenny Vargas, 1B 22 year old Vargas was signed as a free agent in 2009 from Puerto Rico. The powerful switch-hitter is listed at 6-5 and 215 pounds, however, he has fought his weight for years. Last year in Elizabethon, he was off to a great start. He hit .322/.377/.489 with 11 doubles, six home runs and 35 RBI. Unfortunately, that’s when his season ended. He was suspended fifty games for using a banned substance (ironically from a weight-loss supplement). He served 18 games of his suspension in 2011. Unfortunately, the rules of such suspensions say that they need to be served with the same team. That’s why the remaining 32 games of his suspension cannot start until the Elizabethton season starts. When his suspension ends, will he stay in Elizabethton or move up to Beloit? #46 – Angel Mata, RHP Mata signed with the Twins in January 2010 out of Venezuela. In 2011, he went 0-1 with a 1.46 ERA in 12 games with the GCL Twins. In 37 innings, he gave up just 23 hits. He walked 19 and struck out 30 while opponents hit just .184 off of him. He is 6-2 and 190 pounds with room to grow. He will be 19 years old throughout the 2012 season. #45 – James Beresford, SS/2B Beresford signed with the Twins in August of 2005 out of Australia. He has consistently and gradually worked his way up the Twins farm system. He was the Beloit Snappers team MVP in 2009 and 2010. He was solid in Ft. Myers last year. He was pushed up to AA New Britain this season and he is holding his own. He is hitting .267/.350/.286 with two doubles. Beresford has been a mainstay for Australia’s international teams (playing in WBCs and World Cup events). As you have always heard, Beresford needs to add weight and be able to hit more extra base hits if he wants to be a big league regular. In my opinion, he could be a major league utility infielder today because of his terrific middle infield defense. #44 – Carlos Gutierrez, RHP The Twins second first-round draft pick in 2008 had a terrific spring training, but he has had shoulder issues since the season started. He missed significant time in 2011 with injury as well. In 62.1 innings in 2011, he struck out 57, but he walked 31. In spring, we saw that his 96 mph fastball is not easy to hit. However, I don’t believe that we saw him throw a secondary pitch for a strike. If he can figure out a second pitch, he could be a quality late-inning reliever. If not, he may be a back-of-the-bullpen option. The 25-year-old will need to get healthy for us to really find out. #43 – Austin Malinowski, LHP Malinowski was the Twins 16th round pick last year. He was Mr. Baseball last year in Minnesota while pitching for Centennial High School in Circle Pines. Days before the signing deadline, it appeared Malinowski was heading to the University of Arizona on a scholarship. Instead, he and the Twins agreed on a deal. The 6-4 left-hander is long and lanky. He has a very projectable frame and should add velocity. He already has good secondary pitches. He will not turn 20 years old until the end of November. He will likely pitch for the GCL Twins in 2012. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1010[/ATTACH] #42 – Dakota Watts, RHP Watts was the Twins 16th round pick in 2009 out of Cal State-Stanislaus. In 2011, he split the season between Ft. Myers and New Britain. He walked 33 in 65 innings. He went to the Arizona Fall League after the season and in 14 innings, he gave up 15 hits, walked ten and struck out nine. At 6-5, Watts throws hard. Unfortunately, he is yet to pitch in 2012 due to some shoulder tendonitis. It appears he is close to returning and his velocity is back up into the mid-90s. There are also reports that he has now added a split-finger pitch to his repertoire. It all comes down to strike-throwing with him. That will determine whether he’s a late-inning bullpen guy, or if he even gets beyond AA. #41 – Lance Ray, OF/1B Ray was the Twins 8th round pick in 2010 out of the University of Kentucky. Last year in Beloit, he hit .253/.335/.432 with 34 doubles, a triple, 16 home runs and 74 RBI. At just 6-1 and 195 pounds, he doesn’t profile as a power hitter. That said, he has a very nice swing and great power to all fields. Defensively, he is average. He has OK range and a decent, accurate arm. He is playing with the Ft. Myers Miracle. He has had a rough week since being the Florida State League’s hitter of the week two weeks ago. Although he is hitting just .213/.297/.404, he already has 11 doubles and five home runs on the season. So, there you have my choices for Twins prospects 41-50. In the next day or two, I’ll be back with my next installment which will be prospects 31-40). If you have any questions or comments on any of these prospects, please feel free to ask.

One of the great things about Twins Daily is that everyone can start up their own Blog. As we have pointed out, the best of the best can be promoted to the front page. Also, we can promoted series as well. Over the last week to ten days, frequent Twins Daily contributor Thrylos has been working on a tremendous series called Profiles of the Top 22 Pitchers in the 2012 MLB Draft. It's a great series in which we can learn more about future, potential Minnesota Twins. A few of them will be considered for the #2 overall pick. But the Twins have six picks in the top 100, so it's possible that the Twins use some of their extra picks on these guys too. Here are the profiles so far: RJ Alvarez Mark Appel Jake Barrett Chris Beck Ryan Burr Zach Eflin Max Fried Kevin Gausman Lucas Giolito Andrew Heaney Brian Johnson Based on the series title, I would say that Thrylos of half-way through his series. Be sure to frequent the Twins Daily Blog page to see the rest of the profiles as they are posted. For those interested, bkucko, also has a near-daily blog entry that gives the player and pitcher of the day. Within it, he also shares a document that shows this information for the Twins and their affiliates for the full season. [ATTACH=CONFIG]997[/ATTACH]

Scott Diamond actually gave up a few runs on Friday night, but because the Twins hitters brought their big bats to Miller Park, Diamond becomes the Twins first three-game winner. Josh Willingham got the offense started in the first inning with a long two-run homer. The game was 2-2 going into the 5th inning, but Joe Mauer’s two-run double gave the Twins a 4-2 lead. They scored two the following inning on a two-run Denard Span single. They added four runs in the top of the eighth inning to put the game out of reach. Span led the offense. He went 4-5 with a double, three runs and three RBI. Joe Mauer went 3-5 with two doubles and three RBI. Justin Morneau went 2-4 with three RBI. Four Brewers errors certainly helped the Twins cause as well. Diamond gave up three runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings. Anthony Swarzak got five outs. Alex Burnett pitched a scoreless eighth innings. Francisco Liriano came in with an eight-run lead in the ninth inning. He loaded the bases but was able to hold on to the 11-3 lead. Three-game winning streak for the Twins! Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday: ROCHESTER 5, LOUISVILLE 3 The Red Wings got a four-run third inning to take the lead from the cellar-dwelling Reds affiliate. It proved to be enough. In that inning, the Red Wings got RBI singles from Pedro Florimon, Danny Valencia, Chris Parmelee and Matt Carson. Eight of nine Twins starters had one hit. The lone exception was Clete Thomas. The Red Wings also worked for six walks. Wilkin Ramirez and Rene Rivera each hit a double. Liam Hendriks made his third Red Wings start of the season and improved to 2-0. He gave up two runs on four hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out two and now has a 1.93 ERA. Fellow Australian right-handers Brendan Wise gave up one run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Tyler Robertson pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record his second save. The Red Wings are now 17-24 after winning this series three games out of four. NEW BRITAIN 5, READING 2 The Rock Cats got another tremendous start from BJ Hermsen, and the team brought out the power sticks in this game. However, it all starts with pitching, so let’s start there. Hermsen improved to 2-1 by allowing two runs on six hits in 7.2 innings. He walked none and struck out three. Caleb Thielbar came in and got two outs. Daniel Turpen got the final two outs, one via the strikeout. Matt Rizzotti had a terrific game against his former team. The former Phillies farmhand went 3-4 with his first home runs since his return to AA. Joe Benson did the same, connecting for his first AA home run of the year. Aaron Hicks hit his fifth home run, and Chris Colabello hit his sixth. The win puts the Rock Cats record at 24-16. They are now 0.5 games ahead of these Reading Phillies atop the Eastern League’s Eastern Division. These two teams split a four-game series earlier in the month. This is the first game of a three game series in Reading. FT. MYERS 2, BREVARD COUNTY 1 The strong starting pitching on Friday night continued as we look down to High-A Ft. Myers. Lefty Pat Dean went the first eight innings for the Miracle. He gave up just one run on seven hits and a walk. He also struck out a team, season-high eight batters. Ricky Bowen pitched a scoreless ninth frame to pick up his third save. Levi Michael went 3-4 with his second double. It was Oswaldo Arcia who provided the big hit of the game, however. The powerful Venezuelan launched a two-run homer, his third of the year to provide all of the offense needed to record this win. The Miracle improved to 16-25 on the season. BELOIT 6, QUAD CITIES 7 (11 Innings) The Snappers fell short in the final game of their home stand despite the efforts of Drew Leachman. The utility infielder/outfielder was batting third in the Snappers lineup, in place of Miguel Sano who was just getting a day off. Leachman went 4-5 in the game. His three-run homer in the fifth inning gave the Snappers a lead. Down by two runs in the bottom of the 11th, he added another RBI single, but it wasn’t enough for the Snappers. Adam Bryant was 3-5. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with a walk. Lefty Matthew Tomshaw started and gave up four runs (3 earned) on eight hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. He struck out two and rainsed his ERA to 2.91 on the season. Michael Tonkin came in and gave up a run on four hits and two walk. Unfortunately, the game-tying run scored on a wild pitch. Clinton Dempster threw three scoreless innings and struck out four. Bart Carter threw the 11th inning and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. The loss drops the Snappers to 26-16, yet they are still a game ahead of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers affiliate). --- Players of the Day for Friday, May 18, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Pat Dean [ATTACH=CONFIG]988[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Drew Leachman [ATTACH=CONFIG]989[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, May 19, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Gwinnett – RHP Cole DeVries New Britain @ Reading – LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers @ Brevard County – RHP Miguel Munoz Beloit @ Burlington – LHP Jason Wheeler --- Reminder: Listen to Thursday’s Twins Minor League Weekly. Tim Shibuya (RHP Beloit Snappers) was a guest of the show and that was followed by answering your Twitter questions. 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!

One thing to consider, Bark and others, is that we all have full-time jobs, families and other obligations beyond writing here. If people write a blog and feel it's really good and you want people to check it out, you should consider linking to it in the Forum as well. That will push people to the link, to the blog, and hopefully to more and more comments. To be honest, I see very little 'rosy' comments on the 2012 Twins roster here, or anywhere, and rightfully so. If I look at the front page, the forum and the blogs, it's hard to find much positive.