Seth Stohs

The purpose of this posting is to display in one place all of the Twins draft choices. #1 (2) - Byron Buxton - OF - HS - Georgia #1S (32) - Jose Orlando Berrios - RHP - HS - Puerto Rico #1S (42) - Luke Bard - RHP - COL - Georgia Tech #2 (63) - #2 (72) - #3 (97) - #4 (130) - (This page will continue to be updated throughout the draft with each Twins selection.) [ATTACH=CONFIG]1141[/ATTACH]

As important as Monday was to the Twins organization because of the draft, there was another reason it was important. Kyle Gibson threw off of a mound for the first time since having Tommy John surgery. In a text message, he said that it "went really good!" He added that his "arm felt great!" For Gibson, it was another milestone passed on the way to getting back into some games later this summer! Ben Revere and Jamey Carroll each had three hits. Josh Willingham hit his 11th homer. Justin Morneau hit his 10th homer, and Trevor Plouffe hit his seventh home run as the Twins topped the Royals 10-7. Congratulations to Cole De Vries on his first Major League win. He gave up five runs (4 earned) in five innings, but then Alex Burnett threw two scoreless innings. Jared Burton tossed a scoreless inning. Then after Jeff Gray made things interesting, Matt Capps came in for the final out for the save. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Monday: ROCHESTER 2, COLUMBUS 1 (Completion of suspended game) These teams tried to play on Sunday afternoon, but the game was delayed. They got it going but after two more rain delays, it was suspended. They played the game to completion. On Sunday, Nick Blackburn started and went 2.1 innings. Kyle Waldrop went the next 1.2 innings. Today, Deolis Guerra “started” the reactivity with three scoreless innings. Lester Oliveros gave up no runs on two hits in the final two innings for the win. Chris Parmelee was 2-4 with his fourth double. Sean Burroughs was 1-2 with two walks. ROCHESTER 4, COLUMBUS 0 (Regularly scheduled game) Liam Hendriks was the story in this game. After his tough start his previous time out, Hendriks threw a complete game, seven inning shutout. He gave up four hits, walked just one and struck out eight. Parmelee was 2-3 with his fourth home run. Wilkin Ramirez was 2-3 with his first homer. Danny Valencia hit his fifth double. NEW BRITAIN The Rock Cats did not have a game on the schedule on Monday. FT. MYERS 3, DAYTONA 8 Miguel Munoz got the start for the Miracle. In just four innings, he gave up five runs (3 earned) on ten hits and a walk. He struck out two. Edgar Ibarra came in and gave up two runs on three hits in three innings. He walked none and struck out two. Dan Sattler came in for his first appearance in the Twins organization. He gave up one run on two hits. In two innings, he walked none and struck out two. Danny Santana went 2-4 with his seventh double and fifth triple. Michael Gonzales was 2-3 with his sixth double. Josmil Pinto hit his 11th double. BELOIT 8, WISCONSIN 9 The Snappers offense was big again on Monday. Unfortunately, they fell behind too quickly. Tim Shibuya started and gave up seven runs on six hits and three walks in 3.2 innings. He struck out three. Ryan O’Rourke came in and gave up two runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. He walked none and struck out three. David Hurlbut threw two, one-hit innings, walking none and striking out four. Corey Williams pitched one scoreless inning. Miguel Sano gave the Snappers as 3-1 lead after the first inning thanks to his 14th homer of the year, a three-run blast. He also hit his 13th double. Eddie Rosario and Drew Leachman each had two hits. Tyler Grimes was 2-3 with his 11th double. --- Players of the Day for Monday, June 4, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks [ATTACH=CONFIG]1137[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano [ATTACH=CONFIG]1138[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, June 5, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Norfolk – LHP Matt Maloney New Britain @ Akron - TBD Ft. Myers @ Tampa – LHP Cole Nelson Beloit – No Game Scheduled --- 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!

Tonight at 6:00 central time, the MLB Draft will commence. We have heard now that the Astros will select Stanford right-hander and Houston native Mark Appel. That means that the Minnesota Twins will have their pick of every other eligible player. I have freely said that I will not be at all disappointed if the Twins take a college pitcher like Kyle Zimmer or Kevin Gausman, the college catcher Mike Zunino or high school bats like OF Byron Buxton or IF Carlos Correa. In fact, although there is a bunch of risk, I would be just fine with the Twins taking a shot on high school RHP Lucas Giolito. Many fans and media types really want the Twins to use the #2 pick on a college pitcher. This makes a lot of sense as the Twins need pitching at every level, and the four pitchers mentioned above all reach into the upper-90s with their fastballs. The general consensus appeared to be that the Twins will take Byron Buxton, the talented high school outfielder. Buxton is a very toolsie talent who is already considered strong defensively, with great speed and range and a strong arm. Scouts believe he will hit, but there are plenty of questions about what his upside is. Will he hit for power? We will find out in about four to six years. Reading through the comments here and other places, I frequently read about how the Twins don’t need another toolsie outfielder. That is generally followed by a comment speaking about how much outfield depth the Twins have in the minor league system. A year ago, I may have agreed with that, but now? Let’s consider: Denard Span and Josh Willingham have long-term contracts and are both under contract to fill two of the three outfield positions for the next three years. However, these two are the Twins most tradeable assets right now, so we don’t know if one or both of them will be around long-term. Ben Revere, while being very good defensively (range-wise), has struggled with the bat and with getting on base. Of course, he still has room to improve and hopefully he will. Rene Tosoni was the first outfielder to be called up to the Twins in 2011, and although he struggled until September, he did show some power. He went to AAA to start this season again, and was injured early. He returned in May and before the month was over, he was demoted to AA New Britain because he was hitting well under .200. Joe Benson has hit very well in AA the last two years ago, and last September, he was called up to the Twins. During that time, we saw the good and the bad of Benson, but his ceiling is so high. He began this season in AAA but he got off to a slow start. It really got to him and it was necessary to send him down to AA in mid-May. Unfortunately, he broke his hamate bone and had surgery and will miss six weeks. Aaron Hicks had a frustrating 2011 season in Ft. Myers. He had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League last year. This spring, he was pushed up to AA New Britain where it has been a mixed bag of success and failure. He still hasn’t put up numbers as a left-handed batter, but is very good right-handed. Defensively, he is big-league ready now. The 2008 top pick still has a long ways to go. Angel Morales put up huge numbers in the Appalachian League years ago, but his power has not shown much since then and he has really struggled this year since a great first week. He is still younger than Aaron Hicks, and he has the world of talent, but will it come together soon? Max Kepler is still just 19 years old and will spend his second season in Elizabethton. That is the right thing to do with him, but being so raw means that he could develop into a great player, or he could never develop at all. Obviously there are several more outfielders in the system, four to five per team, but for people to say that the Twins have huge outfield depth is, unfortunately, no longer the case. There are too many question marks right now. That isn’t to say that some of these very talented players mentioned above won’t turn it around and become very good regular in time. What it does speak to is that you just never know with the draft, at any position, including the outfield. That is why taking the Best Available Player is always the right strategy. Finding the player they believe has the most upside, regardless of age or position. I know that the term “Toolsie Outfielder” seems to mean something negative right now to a lot of Twins fans. However, Torii Hunter and Denard Span were toolsie outfielders. Each of them took six to seven years after being drafted to get a chance in the big leagues. Ken Griffey Jr, Matt Kemp, BJ Upton, Justin Upton, Andrew McCutheon and Jay Bruce were toolsie outfielders. In the same way, Marc Newfeld, Paul Coleman and to some degree, BJ Garbe, were also toolsie outfielders. From the list above, Aaron Hicks, Joe Benson and to some degree Ben Revere were all drafted as toolsie outfielders and the jury is still out on them. There are no ‘sure-things’ in the MLB Draft. However, there are several players that Twins fans should be excited about if they are taken with the #2 overall pick. As much as we like and want pitching, taking a toolsie outfielder like Byron Buxton would NOT be a bad pick at all… as long as they address the pitching with several of their remaining five Top 100 picks. It will not surprise me in the least if the Twins take Buxton, although I will also not be shocked or disappointed if they pick any of the seven names mentioned earlier. I will, however, be shocked if the Twins do not take Rochester Century’s RHP Mitch Brown with the #32 overall pick in the draft. Stay tuned to Twins Daily and the forums throughout the day for any Draft-related news. It is a big day for the Twins and their future.

Tonight at 6:00 central time, the MLB Draft will commence. We have heard now that the Astros will select Stanford right-hander and Houston native Mark Appel. That means that the Minnesota Twins will have their pick of every other eligible player. I have freely said that I will not be at all disappointed if the Twins take a college pitcher like Kyle Zimmer or Kevin Gausman, the college catcher Mike Zunino or high school bats like OF Byron Buxton or IF Carlos Correa. In fact, although there is a bunch of risk, I would be just fine with the Twins taking a shot on high school RHP Lucas Giolito. Many fans and media types really want the Twins to use the #2 pick on a college pitcher. This makes a lot of sense as the Twins need pitching at every level, and the four pitchers mentioned above all reach into the upper-90s with their fastballs. The general consensus appeared to be that the Twins will take Byron Buxton, the talented high school outfielder. Buxton is a very toolsie talent who is already considered strong defensively, with great speed and range and a strong arm. Scouts believe he will hit, but there are plenty of questions about what his upside is. Will he hit for power? We will find out in about four to six years. Reading through the comments here and other places, I frequently read about how the Twins don’t need another toolsie outfielder. That is generally followed by a comment speaking about how much outfield depth the Twins have in the minor league system. A year ago, I may have agreed with that, but now? Let’s consider: Denard Span and Josh Willingham have long-term contracts and are both under contract to fill two of the three outfield positions for the next three years. However, these two are the Twins most tradeable assets right now, so we don’t know if one or both of them will be around long-term. Ben Revere, while being very good defensively (range-wise), has struggled with the bat and with getting on base. Of course, he still has room to improve and hopefully he will. Rene Tosoni was the first outfielder to be called up to the Twins in 2011, and although he struggled until September, he did show some power. He went to AAA to start this season again, and was injured early. He returned in May and before the month was over, he was demoted to AA New Britain because he was hitting well under .200. Joe Benson has hit very well in AA the last two years ago, and last September, he was called up to the Twins. During that time, we saw the good and the bad of Benson, but his ceiling is so high. He began this season in AAA but he got off to a slow start. It really got to him and it was necessary to send him down to AA in mid-May. Unfortunately, he broke his hamate bone and had surgery and will miss six weeks. Aaron Hicks had a frustrating 2011 season in Ft. Myers. He had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League last year. This spring, he was pushed up to AA New Britain where it has been a mixed bag of success and failure. He still hasn’t put up numbers as a left-handed batter, but is very good right-handed. Defensively, he is big-league ready now. The 2008 top pick still has a long ways to go. Angel Morales put up huge numbers in the Appalachian League years ago, but his power has not shown much since then and he has really struggled this year since a great first week. He is still younger than Aaron Hicks, and he has the world of talent, but will it come together soon? Max Kepler is still just 19 years old and will spend his second season in Elizabethton. That is the right thing to do with him, but being so raw means that he could develop into a great player, or he could never develop at all. Obviously there are several more outfielders in the system, four to five per team, but for people to say that the Twins have huge outfield depth is, unfortunately, no longer the case. There are too many question marks right now. That isn’t to say that some of these very talented players mentioned above won’t turn it around and become very good regular in time. What it does speak to is that you just never know with the draft, at any position, including the outfield. That is why taking the Best Available Player is always the right strategy. Finding the player they believe has the most upside, regardless of age or position. I know that the term “Toolsie Outfielder” seems to mean something negative right now to a lot of Twins fans. However, Torii Hunter and Denard Span were toolsie outfielders. Each of them took six to seven years after being drafted to get a chance in the big leagues. Ken Griffey Jr, Matt Kemp, BJ Upton, Justin Upton, Andrew McCutheon and Jay Bruce were toolsie outfielders. In the same way, Marc Newfeld, Paul Coleman and to some degree, BJ Garbe, were also toolsie outfielders. From the list above, Aaron Hicks, Joe Benson and to some degree Ben Revere were all drafted as toolsie outfielders and the jury is still out on them. There are no ‘sure-things’ in the MLB Draft. However, there are several players that Twins fans should be excited about if they are taken with the #2 overall pick. As much as we like and want pitching, taking a toolsie outfielder like Byron Buxton would NOT be a bad pick at all… as long as they address the pitching with several of their remaining five Top 100 picks. It will not surprise me in the least if the Twins take Buxton, although I will also not be shocked or disappointed if they pick any of the seven names mentioned earlier. I will, however, be shocked if the Twins do not take Rochester Century’s RHP Mitch Brown with the #32 overall pick in the draft. Stay tuned to Twins Daily and the forums throughout the day for any Draft-related news. It is a big day for the Twins and their future.

This is seriously terrific... I like the local look and also the look at guys from places the Twins have drafted before or with family or some previous relation to the Twins. Thank you for this!

Worried about rush hour traffic, I left my sister’s place early, just to make sure I was in Woodbury by 8:45. Traffic wasn’t bad, so I was there before 8. By 8:15 or so, Scott (the man behind Territory Train) had arrived, and the bus was there by 8:30. I was thrilled that we were 1.) on a Lorenz Bus, and 2.) that our bus driver would again be Ed (the same driver from when I had gone on a Twins Train trip to Detroit two years earlier). There was even more good news, the bus had wireless internet and some electrical outlets. This trip was going to be great!! The bus was supposed to depart Woodbury at 9:00 on Friday morning, but everyone was there early and the bus left at 8:45. We made one stop, in Mason City, Iowa, for lunch. Yes, I went to Buffalo Wild Wings! Yum! We arrived at our hotel in Moline, Illinois, at about 3:45, which is nice because we were able to get settled in a little and rested up. We left for the Quad Cities ball park (which is in Davenport, Iowa) at about 5:00, knowing the gates opened at 5:30. I have to be honest. I was really, really excited about going to Modern Woodsmen Park. If you have seen the excellent baseball movie Sugar, a lot of it takes place at this field. Being there was even more incredible than seeing it on TV or in a movie. The biggest thing is the bridge that creates a picturesque view for the stadium. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1104[/ATTACH] We got the stadium, and got our tickets. We entered and got the free Quad Cities River Bandits door mat! Very nice! Once we entered the ball park area, the bridge certainly stands out. It’s presence down the right field line is incredible. But the stadium is nice all around. They have a great scoreboard that provides instant replay. They have another big scoreboard on the right field wall that gives the mug shots of the hitter and his stats. For the River Bandits, they had a quote from the player. For instance, OF Virgil Hill’s said that he is the son of two Olympians. One person on the Territory Train is Josh Pettersen. He is Snappers infielder AJ Pettersen’s brother. So when we got in, we were able to go down by the Twins bullpen and talk to him for a good ten to 15 minutes before he had to go stretch and throw with his teammates. He wasn’t in the lineup on Friday night. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1107[/ATTACH] Soon after, AJ brought over Snappers hitting coach Tommy Watkins who spent a few minutes chatting with the group. We talked about his time spent in Quad Cities in 2003. At that time, the Twins Low-A, Midwest League affiliate was in Quad Cities. However, they did not play a game in the ballpark because the river had flooded. I asked how far the water came up. “Over the field? I asked? Watkins chuckled, “Oh no! Up to that second level of seating and those suites.” Unbelievable! Snappers’ starting pitching Jason Wheeler walked by to start his pregame work. At 6-8, he certainly stands out in a crowd. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1108[/ATTACH] There were several fans from Beloit who had also made the trek, and most of the players were excited to see them. Some even went over and took pictures for them. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1106[/ATTACH] As you can see in the picture above, we had some very good seats. We were just behind the Quad Cities dugout, staring out at the field with the bridge over the top. Just remarkable view. And then the game started. JD Williams started the game by hitting a long fly ball to deep left that the left fielder completely lost in the sun and turned into a double. A sacrifice fly and a couple of walks later, Drew Leachman came to the plate and drove in two runs on a single to give the Snappers a 3-0 lead. Matt Koch singled to start the second, advanced on a passed ball, and then scored on a single by JD Williams to increase the lead to 4-0. In the top of the third, the first two batters got out. Leachman singled which as followed by a wild pitch. Koch walked. Then Jairo Rodriguez singled in Leachman. The next batter was JD Williams and he blasted a long home run well over the fence in left field. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1105[/ATTACH] Wheeler walked the first batter of the bottom of the third. Four of the next five batters singled. By the end of the third innings, the Snappers lead was 8-3. Let’s advance to the top of the 5th. Leachman led off the inning by getting on base on an error. Matt Koch hit another long home run to left. Wheeler gave up two more runs in the bottom of the 5th. He left the game having given up five runs in the five innings. (However, it was good enough to get credited with the win. He is now 7-1 with a 3.23 ERA.) The tall, left-hander didn’t throw hard, but he was very cool on the mound. His fastball touched 89-90 ph. He had a pretty OK changeup, and a good curveball in the upper 70s. David Hurlbut came in and went the final four innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out five. He looked pretty good. Like Wheeler, his fastball was in the upper-80s, and he appeared to have a pretty good change up as well. Last July when Travis Aune and I went out to Beloit for three Snappers games, I believe we saw them score 3-4 runs in those games combined. It was nice to see the Snappers with an 11 run, 12 hit, 7 walk performance, and it was good again to see on Saturday night too. Following the game, we were able to talk to AJ Pettersen for a little while longer as a very impressive fireworks display was taking place over the river in center field. The Snappers got on their bus and made the drive back to Beloit. Territory Train got back on its bus and we just went to our hotel. Because we had plans to meet with some of the players for lunch on Saturday, late-morning, we had to get up early in the morning. Day 1 was a long day, but it was a really fun day. The bus ride was great and didn’t seem all that long. Getting to see the ball park in Quad Cities was maybe even something I would put on a baseball fan’s bucket list. Talking to a couple of players and getting a few minutes to chat with Tommy Watkins was terrific. And topping that all off with a fun Snappers offensive performance. Day 1 was great. Check back later for my Day 2 notes. (I may include scouting reports on players in the Day 2 report, or I may make that a Part 3, dependent upon time and internet access on the bus today!)

Jaynesville, WI - The Twins were in Cleveland on Saturday night and won 7-4. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one inning thanks to RBI singles by Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Trevor Plouffe. Cleveland clawed back with single runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth to tie the game. However, Plouffe’s sixth home run of the season made it 5-4 after six, and Mauer’s third home run, a two-run shot, gave the Twins their 7-4. PJ Walters started and his string of quality starts came to an end. He gave up four runs on eight hits and three walks in 4.1 innings. The bullpen did great again. Brian Duensing threw two perfect innings. Jared Burton came on and struck out the two batters he faced. Glen Perkins worked a perfect eighth inning, and Matt Capps struck out two in the 9th for his 11th save. It was a mixed bag of success in the Twins farm system on Saturday. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Saturday: GAME 1 - ROCHESTER 3, COLUMBUS 0 Luke French got the starting nod for the Red Wings. Despite five walks and three hits) in five innings, he did not allow a run. Lester Oliveros came in and recorded his second Red Wings save by striking out three in two perfect innings. There wasn’t a lot of offense, but just enough. Wilkin Ramirez was 2-3 with his fourth double and two RBI. Tsuyoshi Nishioka had the only other hit, his first double of the year. Chris Parmelee drove in the third run. GAME 2 - ROCHESTER 0, COLUMBUS 1 In the second game, it was David Bromberg making the start. The right-hander gave up one run on three hits. In three innings, he walked three and struck out five. Casey Fien then struck out three in two perfect innings. Although the Red Wings had eight hits in this game, they were unable to score a single run. Clete Thomas was 2-3 with his eighth double. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was also 2-3. NEW BRITAIN 3, HARRISBURG 4 The Rock Cats come back came up a run short on Saturday. Logan Darnell started and gave up four runs on ten hits in 6.2 innings. He struck out four and walked none. Brett Jacobson went 1.1 innings and gave up just one hit. Luis Perdomo pitched a scoreless ninth frame. The Rock Cats had eight hits. Deibinson Romero hit his sixth home run to cut the deficit in half. Aaron Hicks and Rene Tosoni were each 1-3 with a walk. FT. MYERS 5, DAYTONA 10 Pat Dean pitched so well for the Twins in May, but in his first June start, he gave up six runs on 13 hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out three. Ricky Bowen came in and gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits and a walk in two innings. Then infielder Andy Leer came in to pitch the ninth inning and went 1-2-3. Oswaldo Arcia continues to swing a hot bat. In this game, he was 4-5 with his 14th double, his sixth home run and three RBI. He’s now hitting .328. Danny Santana is back up to .316 with a 3-5 day. Levi Michael was 2-5. Jairo Perez had a nice day as well. He was 2-3 with two walks. BELOIT 9, WISCONSIN 5 This game was scoreless until the fourth inning, and then the offenses took over. The Timber Rattlers scored two in the top of the fourth, and the Snappers responded with five runs in the fourth inning. Miguel Sano led off with a double to the gap. Drew Leachman singled to right. Jonathan Goncalves was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then Matt Koch hit a two-run double which was followed by a two-run Kyle Knudson single. Later, Eddie Rosario singled in AJ Pettersen with the fifth run of the inning. Wisconsin came back with two runs in the top of the 5th inning off of starter Matt Summers. However, the Snappers responded with four more runs in the bottom of the 5th. Sano again led off the inning, this time in a line drive singled to left. Sano stole second, and Leachman singled to center. After a pitching change, Goncalves hit a smash down the 3B line that the third baseman dove and knocked down and got the force at second. Sano scored on the play. Goncalves stole second, his second steal of the game. Koch walked. After a balk put runners on second and third, Knudson was walked. AJ Pettersen came up and drilled a deep fly ball to left center to plate the next run. After Wang-Wei Line walked, Nate Roberts drilled a two-run single to center to give the Snappers a 9-4 lead. Tim Atherton came in for the sixth inning. He walked the first batter and gave up a bunt single to the next batter. It was the first hit he’s allowed (in 6 innings over 2 outings) since he was promoted to the Snappers a week earlier. He limited the damage to just one run in the inning, and that was it for the scoring. Summers started and got the win. He gave up four runs (2 earned, thanks to a dropped pop up by Sano) on five hits and three walks. He fanned four. Atherton gave up one run on three hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out five. Corey Williams pitched a scoreless eighth, and Michael Tonkin struck out two in a scoreless ninth. For much more on my trip to Beloit, check back to Twins Daily later. I’ll be posting a two-part log of the Territory Train trip to Quad Cities to see the Snappers play on Friday night, and then the trip to Beloit on Saturday which included lunch with several members of the Snappers team. Plus, I'm guessing you'll want to read my thoughts and scouting reports on various players on the roster, such as Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario, maybe? --- Players of the Day for Saturday, June 2, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Oswaldo Arcia [ATTACH=CONFIG]1100[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Lester Oliveros [ATTACH=CONFIG]1101[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, June 3, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Columbus – Nick Blackburn New Britain vs Harrisburg – TBD Ft. Myers vs Daytona – RHP Madison Boer Beloit vs Kane County – RHP Tyler Jones --- 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!

Earlier this week, I handed out the “awards” for Twins minor league relief pitcher and starting pitcher of the month for May. Today, it’s time to recognize the hitters. You’ll certainly notice that I ranked a top 6 for the two pitching categories and yet, today, I rank just five hitters. I wanted to give six, but there were a lot of guys that were in the same range, and none quite made me say that he had to be added. Miguel Sano, for instance, had an 0-24 stretch and a 1-39 stretch, and yet, he posted a .791 OPS for the month due to six doubles and seven home runs. He may have been #6 despite a .233 batting average. Tyler Grimes and Adam Bryant of the Snappers also had very solid months of day. Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in May: Number 5 – New Britain/Rochester – Wilkin Ramirez - (34-116) .293/.305/500 with six doubles, three triples, four home runs and 12 RBI. The Twins signed Wilkin Ramirez early in the offseason as a minor league free agent. He was once a top prospect in the Tigers organization and spent time in 2009 with the big league club. He also got time with the Atlanta Braves just last season. Ramirez began a rehab stint with Ft. Myers in late April and that continued in New Britain as the calendar changed to May. He hit .388 with three doubles, three triples and four home runs in just 11 games with the Rock Cats. He got off to a fast start with Rochester, but has really slumped of late. He has just three hits in his last 28 at bats. He is a rather free swinger which shows in his 3:34 walk to strikeout rate this season. Still just 26 years old, Ramirez does have some potential to help the Twins or other teams in the future. Number 4 – Beloit – Drew Leachman - (27-96) .281/.381/.396 with two doubles, 3 home runs and 12 RBI. Leachman started his June last night with a three-hit game at Quad Cities, a continuation of the solid hitting that he put forth throughout the month of May. Leachman was a late-round pick last year out of Division III Birmingham Southern. He began this season in the GCL, so he just made his Snappers debut in May. He quickly produced, showing power, and has been a regular in the lineup since, splitting time between the corner outfield positions and first base. Number 3 – Beloit – Jonathan Goncalves - (27-92) .293/.393/.402 with five doubles, one triple, one home run and 11 RBI. Goncalves has been in the organization for a long time. Two years ago, he was working in Extended Spring Training when there was an outfield shortage with the Ft. Myers Miracle. He has always been fast and had a very good glove, so he was promoted directly to the Miracle. It was supposed to be short-term, but he held his own and stayed the full season. He went back to the FSL last year and although the defense remained a constant, his bat really struggled. Late in the year, he was sent back to Beloit, where he should have been. He returns there this year and after a slow start, he has come on strong in May. He is not a small guy, built strong which explains the extra base hits. Number 2 - Rochester – Matt Carson - (27-92) .293/.393/.435 with eight doubles, one triple, one home run and nine RBI. Carson signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason. He has had a lot of AAA success, but has had just a few short cups of coffee in the big leagues. He has had several 25 homer seasons in recent years. At 30, people (myself included) wondered why the Twins signed Carson (and Ramirez) when the Rochester roster was to include Joe Benson and Rene Tosoni (and later included Ben Revere). But Carson has been the most consistent hitter in the Red Wings roster. In May, he produced ten extra base hits. If the Twins want someone to kind of take over in right field, or a right-handed pinch hitter, don’t be surprised if Carson gets an opportunity. The May Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Ft. Myers Miracle OF Oswaldo Arcia (29-109) .358/.388/.598 with ten doubles, one triple, four home runs and 18 RBI. In the offseason, the Twins added Arcia to the 40 man roster. He has made a name for himself with his bat. He was the Appy League Hitter of the year in 2010. He dominated for Beloit last April, and then after elbow surgery he was promoted to Ft. Myers. That’s where he returned in 2012. In April, he missed some time due to a leg injury, but in May, he has been tremendous. Sure, he is not a big fan of walking and probably strikes out too much. He also really struggles against left-handed pitching. However, against righties, he is incredible, and that really started to show again in May. He had many multi-hit games and the 15 extra base hits in the month. Oswaldo Arcia was the easy choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. Please feel free to discuss.

Earlier this week, I handed out the “awards” for Twins minor league relief pitcher and starting pitcher of the month for May. Today, it’s time to recognize the hitters. You’ll certainly notice that I ranked a top 6 for the two pitching categories and yet, today, I rank just five hitters. I wanted to give six, but there were a lot of guys that were in the same range, and none quite made me say that he had to be added. Miguel Sano, for instance, had an 0-24 stretch and a 1-39 stretch, and yet, he posted a .791 OPS for the month due to six doubles and seven home runs. He may have been #6 despite a .233 batting average. Tyler Grimes and Adam Bryant of the Snappers also had very solid months of day. Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in May: Number 5 – New Britain/Rochester – Wilkin Ramirez - (34-116) .293/.305/500 with six doubles, three triples, four home runs and 12 RBI. The Twins signed Wilkin Ramirez early in the offseason as a minor league free agent. He was once a top prospect in the Tigers organization and spent time in 2009 with the big league club. He also got time with the Atlanta Braves just last season. Ramirez began a rehab stint with Ft. Myers in late April and that continued in New Britain as the calendar changed to May. He hit .388 with three doubles, three triples and four home runs in just 11 games with the Rock Cats. He got off to a fast start with Rochester, but has really slumped of late. He has just three hits in his last 28 at bats. He is a rather free swinger which shows in his 3:34 walk to strikeout rate this season. Still just 26 years old, Ramirez does have some potential to help the Twins or other teams in the future. Number 4 – Beloit – Drew Leachman - (27-96) .281/.381/.396 with two doubles, 3 home runs and 12 RBI. Leachman started his June last night with a three-hit game at Quad Cities, a continuation of the solid hitting that he put forth throughout the month of May. Leachman was a late-round pick last year out of Division III Birmingham Southern. He began this season in the GCL, so he just made his Snappers debut in May. He quickly produced, showing power, and has been a regular in the lineup since, splitting time between the corner outfield positions and first base. Number 3 – Beloit – Jonathan Goncalves - (27-92) .293/.393/.402 with five doubles, one triple, one home run and 11 RBI. Goncalves has been in the organization for a long time. Two years ago, he was working in Extended Spring Training when there was an outfield shortage with the Ft. Myers Miracle. He has always been fast and had a very good glove, so he was promoted directly to the Miracle. It was supposed to be short-term, but he held his own and stayed the full season. He went back to the FSL last year and although the defense remained a constant, his bat really struggled. Late in the year, he was sent back to Beloit, where he should have been. He returns there this year and after a slow start, he has come on strong in May. He is not a small guy, built strong which explains the extra base hits. Number 2 - Rochester – Matt Carson - (27-92) .293/.393/.435 with eight doubles, one triple, one home run and nine RBI. Carson signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason. He has had a lot of AAA success, but has had just a few short cups of coffee in the big leagues. He has had several 25 homer seasons in recent years. At 30, people (myself included) wondered why the Twins signed Carson (and Ramirez) when the Rochester roster was to include Joe Benson and Rene Tosoni (and later included Ben Revere). But Carson has been the most consistent hitter in the Red Wings roster. In May, he produced ten extra base hits. If the Twins want someone to kind of take over in right field, or a right-handed pinch hitter, don’t be surprised if Carson gets an opportunity. The May Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Ft. Myers Miracle OF Oswaldo Arcia (29-109) .358/.388/.598 with ten doubles, one triple, four home runs and 18 RBI. In the offseason, the Twins added Arcia to the 40 man roster. He has made a name for himself with his bat. He was the Appy League Hitter of the year in 2010. He dominated for Beloit last April, and then after elbow surgery he was promoted to Ft. Myers. That’s where he returned in 2012. In April, he missed some time due to a leg injury, but in May, he has been tremendous. Sure, he is not a big fan of walking and probably strikes out too much. He also really struggles against left-handed pitching. However, against righties, he is incredible, and that really started to show again in May. He had many multi-hit games and the 15 extra base hits in the month. Oswaldo Arcia was the easy choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. Please feel free to discuss.

I posted the Twins Minor League Starting Pitchers of the month a day early, but nothing would have changed with it had I waited a day. This morning, I am happy to present to you the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month, and tomorrow, I’ll follow-up with the Twins minor league Hitter of the Month for May. Happy June!! I’m about to embark on the Territory Train, bound for Davenport, Iowa, tonight to watch the Swing of Quad Cities take on Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario, Twins Daily contributor AJ Pettersen and the rest of the Beloit Snappers. On Saturday morning, we will drive to Beloit to watch a Snappers game at Pohlmann Stadium. It should be a fun trip and expect a blog or two on the events. For now, enjoy the fact that there were a lot of very good relief pitching performances in the Twins organization in May. It was tough to limit the list to six. However, here are my choices for the Top 6 Twins Minor League Relief Pitchers in May: Number 6 – New Britain – LHP Blake Martin - 9 G, 0.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 11 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 10 K, I have to be honest, I am surprised that Blake Martin is still in the Twins organization. The last two seasons, he has actually walked more than he struck out and put up really poor numbers. However, the left-hander remains with the organization and had himself a terrific month of May. He likely won’t be a control pitcher, but he can get left-handers out. Hopefully he can continue this success moving forward and get a shot in Rochester later in the season. Number 5 - Beloit – RHP Clinton Dempster - 9 G, 1.84 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 9 H, 7 BB, 12 K, Dempster was drafted by the Twins in 2010, and in the first half of 2011, he dominated out of the Beloit bullpen. He earned a midseason promotion to the Miracle, but things really didn’t go well for him there. He started this season back with the Miracle, and after a bit of a slow start, he has returned to his more dominant form. Dempster could be in line for another midseason promotion to the Miracle, one he is likely more ready for this go around. Number 4 – New Britain – LHP Caleb Thielbar - 10 G, 2.65 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 17 IP, 16 H, 2 BB, 14 K, Thielbar was a nice story last year. The Minnesota native signs with the St. Paul Saints and late in the season, he became the first player that the Twins signed from the Saints. He pitched well in a couple of outings for the Miracle, but many assumed the story ended there. Thielbar started this season with the Miracle and had a tremendous April, earning a spot on this list a month ago, and earning his late-April promotion to AA. It would have been a nice story had it ended there. However, the left-hander keeps the great story going by pitching remarkably well in New Britain. He has good stuff, and terrific control, and apparently that is a good combination. Number 3 – New Britain/Rochester – RHP Lester Oliveros - 8 G, 1.88 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 14.1 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 19 K Oliveros came to the Twins last August in the Delmon Young trade. The hard thrower split 2011 between the Tigers, their AAA and AA affiliates, the Twins and their AAA affiliate. With many bullpen arms coming out of spring training, the Twins wisely sent this hard thrower back to AA, where he most recently had some dominating success. Oliveros handled it well, dominating the Eastern League the way you would hope and earning this month’s promotion to Rochester. During one stretch between AA and AAA, he accumulated consecutive scoreless innings. Oliveros is still just 24 years old and could be a very good big league reliever. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – Bruce Pugh - 9 G, 0.56 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 16 IP, 13 H, 3 BB, 13 K, 2011 was a frustrating season for the hard-throwing Pugh. He fought injury, but he also fought control issues throughout the season that continued into the Arizona Fall League. Pugh returned to Ft. Myers this spring and has shown better control. The results have been there, especially in May. He has the kind of stuff that make him a strong candidate for a future big league bullpen spot. It’s just a matter of control. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester – Anthony Slama - 11 G, 0.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 11 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 18 K Was there even any question about this one this month? Anthony Slama hasn’t given up a run in a long time, extending well back into April. He continues to strike out more and a batter and a half per inning. This month, his control was actually in check. The “Why hasn’t Slama been given a chance?” plot line continues to thicken because he has dominated AAA hitters for three seasons now. Maybe he will get another shot and prove us all wrong, or maybe he’ll find a way to continue to miss bats consistently. That debate will continue until he has a lot more than seven big league innings under his belt. But for now, we are left with giving him ‘awards’ like the Twins Minor League Reliever of the Month for May. So what do you think? I’ve listed six players here and there are a few bullpen guys in the Twins farm system that could (should?) be recognized for their terrific performances this past month. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? Be sure to check back later for the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month of May. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1096[/ATTACH]

was there a different cedar avenue bridge at that time? when I lived in the cities and worked in eagan, I went over that ridge nearly every day. it's hard for me to imagine how high that water must have been or how much rain must have caused it to be out. this was a fun read. Like john said, I have never heard this story before. thank you so much for sharing it with us!

It’s hard to believe that the month of May is already complete, and with it, it is time to announce the choices for Twins minor league hitter, starting pitcher and relief pitcher of the month. This month, we are going to start with the starting pitching. There were some very solid starting pitchers during the month of May. Instead of making four starts, as they did in April, they had to be good for five or six starts in May. Below, you will find my rankings of the Top 6 starting pitchers in the Twins farm system in the month of May. Be sure to vote for your choice in the comments. --- Number 6 - Beloit – Jason Wheeler - 5 GS, 3-1, 3.09 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 32.0 IP, 34 H, 5 BB, 22 K Wheeler, the Twins 8th round pick in 2011 out of Loyola Marymount, was on this list in April. Overall, the lefty is now 6-1 with a 2.75 ERA. In ten starts, he has given up more than three earned runs just once. In fact, he has given up three runs just once. Number 5 – Beloit – RHP Matt Summers - 6 GS, 3-1, 2.50 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 36.0 IP, 35 H, 10 BB, 24 K Summers was the Twins 4th round pick in 2011 out of UC-Irvine. The big right-hander had a rough April with the Snappers. He went 1-2 with a 6.64 ERA. However, in May, he warmed up with the weather. He walked the same number of batters in over 15 more innings while striking out 11 more. Number 4 – New Britain/Rochester – RHP David Bromberg - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.48 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 29.0 IP, 23 H, 12 BB, 28 K It’s been well documented. Bromberg’s 2011 was a lost season after having a line drive back at him break his forearm. He began this season in the Rock Cats bullpen and gave up nine runs in his first two innings. However, since May, Bromberg was spectacular. At one point, he threw 20 consecutive scoreless innings. The month ended with a start for the Rochester Red Wings. Number 3 – Rochester – RHP Liam Hendriks - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.93 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 30.2 IP, 22 H, 10 BB, 24 K Hendriks was sent back to Rochester after struggling with the Twins in April. He pitched great, and if not for a bad starting on Wednesday night (6 ER in 5 IP), he probably would be #1 on this list. Coming into the game on Wednesday, he was 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. The right-hander should get another month with the Red Wings and then potentially come back to the Twins in July. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – LHP Pat Dean - 6 GS, 4-0, 1.34 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 33.2 IP, 34 H, 6 BB, 16 K Dean got an extra start in May because he pitched just three innings before there was a rain delay one game, so he was able to come back on short rest. Although he strikes out very few, Dean doesn’t hurt himself with walks. The 2010 third round pick just turned 23. On the season, he’s 4-2 with a 2.70 ERA. He has just 30 strikeouts in 63.1 innings. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: New Britain – BJ Hermsen - 6 GS, 3-1, 2.68 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 43.2 IP, 39 H, 2 BB, 23 K For the second straight month, BJ Hermsen is my choice for Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Month. Last month, he pitched for Ft. Myers. At the end of the month of April, he was promoted to AA New Britain, and he hasn’t missed a beat. What is remarkable is that he averaged almost 7.5 innings per start. He definitely is a pitch to contact pitcher, reliant upon a lot of movement and pinpoint control (note, two walks in 43.2 innings). Overall this year between the two stops, he is 4-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 66.2 innings. What do you think? I listed six pitchers here that pitched quite well in the month of May. There were actually a few other choices. Who would your choice be? How would you rank these guys (and feel free to include others)? [ATTACH=CONFIG]1090[/ATTACH]