Seth Stohs

That my choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year, Andrew Albers, paid his own way to Ft. Myers for a tryout with the Twins. He was later reimbursed, but he went to Ft. Myers knowing that if the Twins didn't sign him, he was ready to drive back home to Canada and begin life after baseball. Instead, the Twins signed the 25 year old left-hander. After spending a couple of weeks at Extended Spring Training, he was promoted 'across the parking lot' to the Ft. Myers Miracle. He pitched great for the Miracle and was eventually promoted to AA New Britain where he continued to pitch well. Following the season, he was named to Team Canada for the World Cup tournament in Panama. Tom Stuifbergen (Netherlands) was the tournament's top pitcher, but with over 15 scoreless innings, Albers pitched great as well. He then pitched for Canada in the Pan Am games and was the winning pitcher in the championship game. Not a bad year for Albers. And I'm sure the Twins are happy to have reimbursed his trip to Ft. Myers.

That my choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year, Andrew Albers, paid his own way to Ft. Myers for a tryout with the Twins. He was later reimbursed, but he went to Ft. Myers knowing that if the Twins didn't sign him, he was ready to drive back home to Canada and begin life after baseball. Instead, the Twins signed the 25 year old left-hander. After spending a couple of weeks at Extended Spring Training, he was promoted 'across the parking lot' to the Ft. Myers Miracle. He pitched great for the Miracle and was eventually promoted to AA New Britain where he continued to pitch well. Following the season, he was named to Team Canada for the World Cup tournament in Panama. Tom Stuifbergen (Netherlands) was the tournament's top pitcher, but with over 15 scoreless innings, Albers pitched great as well. He then pitched for Canada in the Pan Am games and was the winning pitcher in the championship game. Not a bad year for Albers. And I'm sure the Twins are happy to have reimbursed his trip to Ft. Myers.

On Monday, the Minnesota Twins and the New York Mets played the series finale of a series that started in April. The teams played a makeup game for a game that was snowed out. The Twins lost 6-1 and will now head to Detroit where they'll play the Tigers for the next three days. Kyle Gibson made the start and went just 3.2 innings. He was charged with four runs on ten hits and two walks. Immediately following the game, he was demoted to Rochester. The question of "What's next for Kyle Gibson?" can take on any number of meanings for Twins fans. There are the short-term and long-term implications and possibilities to that question. [attachment=6446:3195.attach][CENTER][SIZE=2]Photo by Betsy Bissen[/SIZE][/CENTER] Let's start with the short-term. We know that Gibson's innings would be monitored throughout the season. In the offseason, we heard that Gibson could be limited to 130 to 140 innings. Once spring training came, the front office backed away from giving a hard number of innings, saying they would just monitor how he was pitching and how his arm responded. When I talked to Gibson after the Saturday night game against the White Sox at Target Field, he still maintained that they had not yet been given any timeline. He only said that Terry Ryan and others in the front office only insisted that Gibson be completely honest with them about how his arm, and specifically his elbow was feeling. He said that he continues to feel strong. So, what is next for Kyle Gibson? As it relates to 2013, there are several questions. How much more will he pitch, and in what role? Gibson is a starting pitcher. He is currently at 143.2 combined innings on the season between Rochester and Minnesota. He could make another start or two for the Red Wings. He could make those one or two starts and then be shut down for the season, likely around 155 innings. He could skip the next two starts, and then start for the Red Wings in the playoffs, if they make the playoffs. Gibson could also pitch out of the Red Wings bullpen for the rest of the season (about two weeks). His innings and pitching frequency can be monitored very strictly. Is it possible that we see him in a Twins uniform in September? It may be unlikely, but maybe Gibson is able to work out some things, get some time on the Disabled List to rest, and come back to work a hand full of innings for the Twins. I think the more important question is how you feel about the future of Kyle Gibson. What means more to you? How much do you choose to make of ten starts at the end of his rookie season in his first season back from Tommy John surgery? Do you choose to go back to his scouting reports before Tommy John surgery and how well he pitched during his strong run at Rochester in May and early June? There is a general belief that a pitcher should throw no more than 20% more innings than he did the previous season in an attempt to keep healthy. If Gibson ends the 2013 season with 150 innings pitched, a 20% increase in 2014 would put him at 180 innings. I think that's a pretty solid goal. The scouting reports are what they are. They're something that can help predict how well a pitcher could do. Not how well they will do, but what they possibly can become. In his short time with the Twins, we did see a fastball that sat in the low-90s and touched 94 as we had heard. When he was pitching well, we did see some very good sinking action. We saw that he does have three pitches. What we didn't see were a ton of ground balls. His ground out to fly ball ratio was essentially 1 to 1. His strikeout rate dropped, which is no surprise. We also saw his walk numbers increase. Some of it might just be the big league hitters have better eyes, and maybe those sharp, sinkers and sliders that several AAA hitters get taken by big league hitters when they dip below the zone. It's certainly an adjustment that Gibson will need to, and will, work on before 2014. Gibson will be 26 years old throughout the 2014 season. Certainly, that is not young for a player with just ten big league starts. However, when you consider that he lost half of 2011 and most of 2012, and then still was working back early in 2013 because of the surgery, he's where he should be. For those that think this is old, well, The Twins would get his ages 26-31 years under their control. It's probably fair to say that the big league debut season of Kyle Gibson has been disappointing, but hopefully people can see enough of the big picture not to give up on an arm as talented as Gibson's. That's as silly as giving up on Aaron Hicks because of his 2013 struggles. The truth is that most players come up from the minor leagues and experience some growing pains. The hope is that Gibson will return in 2014, fully healthy, and better off for his struggles. My Opinion It is my opinion that the Twins should give Gibson one more start in Rochester, and then shut him down. Let him enjoy the offseason and just have a regular workout routine without the rehab. I have no doubt in my mind that Gibson will be in the Twins Opening Day rotation, and in the rotation for years to come. What happened in his 51 innings with the Twins this season didn't affect my thoughts on this future. If he had been great, my opinion of his future likely would not have changed. So, what are your thoughts? This is a pretty broad topic, with several parts. It will be interesting to see what the Twins, along with Gibson, decide to do. View full article

Several minutes after the 3:00 central time trade deadline, reports trickled in that the Minnesota Twins had traded catcher Drew Butera to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The reports indicate that the Twins will receive the ever-popular Player to be Named Later. As of right now, that will mean that the Twins have opened up a spot on their 40 man roster. The Twins were unable to complete any other trades before the July 31 deadline passed. I have a feeling that the Twins will be more busy in August. [attachment=6363:3047.attach]Of course, that doesn't mean that the team won't make some deals. In the coming days, and throughout August, the Twins and other teams will place many (most?) of their players on waivers. Players who pass through waivers can still be traded. Back to Butera, although he proved he can't hit enough to be a starting catcher, his defense was terrific. He'll likely fill a similar role with the talented Dodgers team. View full article

It's been about six weeks since we last updated which people in the Minnesota Twins organization are on Twitter. Since that time, several players have started tweeting while other players are new to the organization. This list does include several of the Twins 2013 draft picks. If they choose not to sign, they will be removed from the list, of course. Twitter is a great way to interact with players and with your favorite Twins bloggers. Be sure to follow the following Twins Daily writers on Twitter: [URL="http://www.twitter.com/twinsdaily"]@TwinsDaily[/URL], John [URL="http://www.twitter.com/twinsgeek"]@TwinsGeek[/URL], Parker [URL="http://www.twitter.com/overthebaggy"]@OverTheBaggy[/URL], Nick [URL="http://www.twitter.com/nnelson9"]@nnelson9[/URL], Seth [URL="http://www.twitter.com/sethtweets"]@SethTweets[/URL], and Brock [URL="http://www.twitter.com/rocketpig76"]@rocketpig76[/URL]. If we're missing someone, please let us know. [attachment=6126:2012.attach] [TABLE="width: 577"] <colgroup><col><col><col><col><col span="2"></colgroup><tbody>[TR] [TD]First Name[/TD] [TD]Last Name[/TD] [TD]Twitter[/TD] [TD] 6/16 Update [/TD] [TD] 5/9 Update [/TD] [TD] 6 wk change [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]AJ[/TD] [TD]Achter[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/ajachter35"]@ajachter35[/URL][/TD] [TD] 528[/TD] [TD] 491[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Bo[/TD] [TD]Altobelli[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/BoAltobelli"]@BoAltobelli[/URL][/TD] [TD] 156[/TD] [TD] 148[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Oswaldo[/TD] [TD]Arcia[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/arciaoswaldo"]@arciaoswaldo[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,020[/TD] [TD] 718[/TD] [TD="align: right"]42.1%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ivan[/TD] [TD]Arteaga[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/IvanArteaga"]@IvanArteaga[/URL][/TD] [TD] 75,365[/TD] [TD] 70,737[/TD] [TD="align: right"]6.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tim[/TD] [TD]Atherton[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TimAtherton89"]@TimAtherton89[/URL][/TD] [TD] 235[/TD] [TD] 226[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Luke[/TD] [TD]Bard[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Luke_Bard"]@Luke_Bard[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,002[/TD] [TD] 1,007[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-0.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]DJ[/TD] [TD]Baxendale[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/dbax24"]@DBax24[/URL][/TD] [TD] 4,441[/TD] [TD] 4,173[/TD] [TD="align: right"]6.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]James[/TD] [TD]Beresford[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/jamesberesford2"]@JamesBeresford2[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,055[/TD] [TD] 943[/TD] [TD="align: right"]11.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Doug[/TD] [TD]Bernier[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/dougbernier"]@dougbernier[/URL][/TD] [TD] 218[/TD] [TD] 215[/TD] [TD="align: right"]1.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]J.O.[/TD] [TD]Berrios[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/JOlaMaquina"]@JOlaMaquina[/URL][/TD] [TD] 977[/TD] [TD] 868[/TD] [TD="align: right"]12.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Evan[/TD] [TD]Bigley[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Bigley3"]@Bigley3[/URL][/TD] [TD] 641[/TD] [TD] 626[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brandon[/TD] [TD]Bixler[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/brandonbixler"]@BrandonBixler[/URL][/TD] [TD] 295[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]AJ[/TD] [TD]Bogucki[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/AJBogucki31"]@AJBogucki31[/URL][/TD] [TD] 449[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Hudson[/TD] [TD]Boyd[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/boyd_hudson"]@boyd_hudson[/URL][/TD] [TD] 435[/TD] [TD] 355[/TD] [TD="align: right"]22.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Joshua[/TD] [TD]Burris[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/josh_burris_"]@Josh_Burris_[/URL][/TD] [TD] 206[/TD] [TD] 197[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Drew[/TD] [TD]Butera[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/DrewButera"]@DrewButera[/URL][/TD] [TD] 16,501[/TD] [TD] 16,094[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Byron[/TD] [TD]Buxton[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/OfficialBuck103"]@OfficialBuck103[/URL][/TD] [TD] 4,057[/TD] [TD] 1,822[/TD] [TD="align: right"]122.7%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Chris[/TD] [TD]Colabello[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/cc20rake"]@CC20rake[/URL][/TD] [TD] 2,004[/TD] [TD] 1,268[/TD] [TD="align: right"]58.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Logan[/TD] [TD]Darnell[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/ldarnell15"]@ldarnell15[/URL][/TD] [TD] 221[/TD] [TD] 162[/TD] [TD="align: right"]36.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Pat[/TD] [TD]Dean[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/PDean15"]@PDean15[/URL][/TD] [TD] 370[/TD] [TD] 355[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Dustin[/TD] [TD]DeMuth[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/_doubled16"]@_doubled16[/URL][/TD] [TD] 298[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Scott[/TD] [TD]Diamond[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Scott_Diamond58"]@Scott_Diamond58[/URL][/TD] [TD] 15,157[/TD] [TD] 14,160[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brian[/TD] [TD]Dinkelman[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/BrDink"]@BrDink[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,719[/TD] [TD] 1,686[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brian[/TD] [TD]Dozier[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/BrianDozier"]@BrianDozier[/URL][/TD] [TD] 12,668[/TD] [TD] 11,453[/TD] [TD="align: right"]10.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brian[/TD] [TD]Duensing[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/BrianDuensing52"]@BrianDuensing52[/URL][/TD] [TD] 15,565[/TD] [TD] 14,780[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tyler[/TD] [TD]Duffey[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TheDoof13"]@TheDoof13[/URL][/TD] [TD] 229[/TD] [TD] 194[/TD] [TD="align: right"]18.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ryan[/TD] [TD]Eades[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/R_Eades37"]@R_Eades37[/URL][/TD] [TD] 4,348[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Eduardo[/TD] [TD]Escobar[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/escobarmaracay"]@escobarmaracay[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,004[/TD] [TD] 653[/TD] [TD="align: right"]53.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Eric[/TD] [TD]Farris[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/eRoc86"]@eRoc86[/URL][/TD] [TD] 3,037[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Andrew[/TD] [TD]Ferreira[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Get_Meaty"]@Get_Meaty[/URL][/TD] [TD] 4,612[/TD] [TD] 4,804[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-4.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Dallas[/TD] [TD]Gallant[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/DGallant18"]@DGallant18[/URL][/TD] [TD] 412[/TD] [TD] 385[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mitchell[/TD] [TD]Garver[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/mitchgarver"]@MitchGarver[/URL][/TD] [TD] 665[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Kyle[/TD] [TD]Gibson[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/KGib44"]@KGib44[/URL][/TD] [TD] 7,697[/TD] [TD] 7,181[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jhonathan[/TD] [TD]Goncalves[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/jhong1305"]@jhong1305[/URL][/TD] [TD] 112[/TD] [TD] 105[/TD] [TD="align: right"]6.7%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Niko[/TD] [TD]Goodrum[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/nikogoodrumTC"]@NikoGoodrumTC[/URL][/TD] [TD] 551[/TD] [TD] 415[/TD] [TD="align: right"]32.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Steven[/TD] [TD]Gruver[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/sgruv30"]@sgruv30[/URL][/TD] [TD] 95[/TD] [TD] 83[/TD] [TD="align: right"]14.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Deolis[/TD] [TD]Guerra[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/deolisguerra"]@deolisguerra[/URL][/TD] [TD] 2,080[/TD] [TD] 1,791[/TD] [TD="align: right"]16.1%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Bryan[/TD] [TD]Haar[/TD] [TD][URL="https://twitter.com/BryanHaar24"]@BryanHaar24[/URL][/TD] [TD] 154[/TD] [TD] 134[/TD] [TD="align: right"]14.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Nate[/TD] [TD]Hanson[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/NHans12"]@NHans12[/URL][/TD] [TD] 463[/TD] [TD] 440[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Matt[/TD] [TD]Hauser[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/mhauser_17"]@mhauser_17[/URL][/TD] [TD] 292[/TD] [TD] 268[/TD] [TD="align: right"]9.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ryan[/TD] [TD]Halstead[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/ryhalstead"]@ryhalstead[/URL][/TD] [TD] 332[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]BJ[/TD] [TD]Hermsen[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/bjhermsen12"]@BJHermsen12[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,482[/TD] [TD] 1,426[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]DJ[/TD] [TD]Hicks[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/DHicksMTB"]@DHicksMTB[/URL][/TD] [TD] 949[/TD] [TD] 845[/TD] [TD="align: right"]12.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Aaron[/TD] [TD]Hicks[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/AaronHicks31"]@AaronHicks31[/URL][/TD] [TD] 14,260[/TD] [TD] 11,307[/TD] [TD="align: right"]26.1%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Trent[/TD] [TD]Higginbotham[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/trenthigg"]@trenthigg[/URL][/TD] [TD] 180[/TD] [TD] 168[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.1%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]David[/TD] [TD]Hurlbut[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/leftydh1989"]@leftydh1989[/URL][/TD] [TD] 104[/TD] [TD] 88[/TD] [TD="align: right"]18.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Will[/TD] [TD]Hurt[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Will_Hurt"]@Will_Hurt[/URL][/TD] [TD] 646[/TD] [TD] 647[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-0.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]CK[/TD] [TD]Irby[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/ckirbythe3"]@ckirbythe3[/URL][/TD] [TD] 629[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tyler[/TD] [TD]Jones[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TmfJones"]@TmfJones[/URL][/TD] [TD] 36[/TD] [TD] 36[/TD] [TD="align: right"]0.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Zack[/TD] [TD]Jones[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Jack_Zones04"]@Jack_Zones04[/URL][/TD] [TD] 432[/TD] [TD] 409[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jason[/TD] [TD]Kanzler[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/JasonKanzler"]@JasonKanzler[/URL][/TD] [TD] 121[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Max[/TD] [TD]Kepler[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/kepleroni"]@kepleroni[/URL][/TD] [TD] 402[/TD] [TD] 330[/TD] [TD="align: right"]21.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Kyle[/TD] [TD]Knudson[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/kknudson6"]@KKnudson6[/URL][/TD] [TD] 462[/TD] [TD] 438[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Matt[/TD] [TD]Koch[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/M_Koch4"]@M_Koch4[/URL][/TD] [TD] 68[/TD] [TD] 60[/TD] [TD="align: right"]13.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Bobby[/TD] [TD]Lanigan[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/BobbyLanigan"]@BobbyLanigan[/URL][/TD] [TD] 504[/TD] [TD] 487[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Andy[/TD] [TD]Leer[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/andyleer12"]@andyleer12[/URL][/TD] [TD] 135[/TD] [TD] 123[/TD] [TD="align: right"]9.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Austin[/TD] [TD]Malinowski[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/AJMalinowski24"]@AJMalinowski24[/URL][/TD] [TD] 369[/TD] [TD] 353[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Trevor[/TD] [TD]May[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TrevMay54"]@TrevMay54[/URL][/TD] [TD] 5,944[/TD] [TD] 5,727[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Trevor[/TD] [TD]May (MAZR)[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/trevormazr"]@TrevorMAZR[/URL][/TD] [TD] 234[/TD] [TD] 238[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-1.7%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Chris[/TD] [TD]Mazza[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/ChrisMazza10"]@ChrisMazza10[/URL][/TD] [TD] 255[/TD] [TD] 241[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tanner[/TD] [TD]Mendonca[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TanTheMan13"]@TanTheMan13[/URL][/TD] [TD] 393[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Kaleb[/TD] [TD]Merck[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TwinsMerckin"]@TwinsMerckin[/URL][/TD] [TD] 323[/TD] [TD] 316[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Alex[/TD] [TD]Meyer[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Meyer17A"]@Meyer17A[/URL][/TD] [TD] 5,000[/TD] [TD] 4,731[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.7%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Levi[/TD] [TD]Michael[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/LeviMichael9"]@LeviMichael9[/URL][/TD] [TD] 319[/TD] [TD] 303[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ethan[/TD] [TD]Mildren[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/EMildren4040"]@EMildren4040[/URL][/TD] [TD] 398[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Angel[/TD] [TD]Morales[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/AngelMorales24"]@AngelMorales24[/URL][/TD] [TD] 338[/TD] [TD] 296[/TD] [TD="align: right"]14.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Miguel[/TD] [TD]Munoz[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/mikemunoz59"]@mikemunoz59[/URL][/TD] [TD] 139[/TD] [TD] 131[/TD] [TD="align: right"]6.1%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jonathan[/TD] [TD]Murphy[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/JMurph6"]@JMurph6[/URL][/TD] [TD] 269[/TD] [TD] 259[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brian[/TD] [TD]Navarretto[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Brian_Navarrero"]@Brian_Navarrero[/URL][/TD] [TD] 66[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Lester[/TD] [TD]Oliveros[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/lesteroliveros"]@lesteroliveros[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,984[/TD] [TD] 1,945[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ryan[/TD] [TD]O'Rourke[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/RyanO_Rourke"]@RyanO_Rourke[/URL][/TD] [TD] 594[/TD] [TD] 581[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Chris[/TD] [TD]Parmelee[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/CParms27"]@CParms27[/URL][/TD] [TD] 7,346[/TD] [TD] 5,933[/TD] [TD="align: right"]23.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Derrick[/TD] [TD]Penilla[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/leftywayz"]@leftywayz[/URL][/TD] [TD] 21[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Glen[/TD] [TD]Perkins[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/glen_perkins"]@glen_perkins[/URL][/TD] [TD] 19,646[/TD] [TD] 18,130[/TD] [TD="align: right"]8.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brandon[/TD] [TD]Peterson[/TD] [TD][URL="https://twitter.com/BPeterson_12"]@Bpeterson_12[/URL][/TD] [TD] 276[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]AJ[/TD] [TD]Pettersen[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/apettersen1"]@apettersen1[/URL][/TD] [TD] 791[/TD] [TD] 761[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Chris[/TD] [TD]Pettit[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/cpettit815"]@cpettit815[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,491[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Trevor[/TD] [TD]Plouffe[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/tplouffe24"]@TPlouffe24[/URL][/TD] [TD] 26,041[/TD] [TD] 24,333[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jorge[/TD] [TD]Polanco[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Jorge_Polanco1"]@Jorge_Polanco1[/URL][/TD] [TD] 116[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Christian[/TD] [TD]Powell[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/BooPowell20"]@BooPowell20[/URL][/TD] [TD] 429[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ryan[/TD] [TD]Pressly[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/pressly_ryan"]@pressly_ryan[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,097[/TD] [TD] 738[/TD] [TD="align: right"]48.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jake[/TD] [TD]Proctor[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/JProc23"]@JProc23[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,202[/TD] [TD] 1,192[/TD] [TD="align: right"]0.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Bruce[/TD] [TD]Pugh[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/brucepugh55"]@brucepugh55[/URL][/TD] [TD] 85[/TD] [TD] 79[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Michael[/TD] [TD]Quesada[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/ksada55"]@KSada55[/URL][/TD] [TD] 191[/TD] [TD] 154[/TD] [TD="align: right"]24.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Antoan[/TD] [TD]Richardson[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/ARichardson242"]@ARichardson242[/URL][/TD] [TD] 304[/TD] [TD] 260[/TD] [TD="align: right"]16.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Chad[/TD] [TD]Rodgers[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/CMRodg"]@CMRodg[/URL][/TD] [TD] 228[/TD] [TD] 215[/TD] [TD="align: right"]6.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Dereck[/TD] [TD]Rodriguez[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/dereckrodrf3"]@DereckRodRF3[/URL][/TD] [TD] 329[/TD] [TD] 331[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-0.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Josh[/TD] [TD]Roenicke[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/jroprimetime"]@JroPrimetime[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,651[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Taylor[/TD] [TD]Rogers[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/trogers34"]@trogers34[/URL][/TD] [TD] 313[/TD] [TD] 286[/TD] [TD="align: right"]9.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Dan[/TD] [TD]Rohlfing[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/DanRohlfing"]@DanRohlfing[/URL][/TD] [TD] 930[/TD] [TD] 810[/TD] [TD="align: right"]14.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Miguel[/TD] [TD]Sano[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/sanomiguel"]@SanoMiguel[/URL][/TD] [TD] 3,451[/TD] [TD] 2,001[/TD] [TD="align: right"]72.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Danny[/TD] [TD]Santana[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/bigmen07"]@bigmen07[/URL][/TD] [TD] 94[/TD] [TD] 73[/TD] [TD="align: right"]28.8%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Bryan[/TD] [TD]Santy[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/BKSanty41"]@BKSanty41[/URL][/TD] [TD] 179[/TD] [TD] 167[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Steven[/TD] [TD]Sensley[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/steven_sensley"]@steven_sensley[/URL][/TD] [TD] 182[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Logan[/TD] [TD]Shore[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/loganshore"]@LoganShore[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,014[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Aaron[/TD] [TD]Slegers[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/aslegers"]@Aslegers[/URL][/TD] [TD] 520[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Markus[/TD] [TD]Solbach[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/MSolbach23"]@MSolbach23[/URL][/TD] [TD] 57[/TD] [TD] 58[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-1.7%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Manuel[/TD] [TD]Soliman[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Soliman30"]@Soliman30[/URL][/TD] [TD] 594[/TD] [TD] 561[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Kohl[/TD] [TD]Stewart[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/KohlStewart1"]@KohlStewart1[/URL][/TD] [TD] 5,581[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tom[/TD] [TD]Stuifbergen[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TomStuifbergen"]@TomStuifbergen[/URL][/TD] [TD] 752[/TD] [TD] 727[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Anthony[/TD] [TD]Swarzak[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/ASwarzak51"]@ASwarzak51[/URL][/TD] [TD] 8,631[/TD] [TD] 8,038[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Lewis[/TD] [TD]Thorpe[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/LewisT18"]@LewisT18[/URL][/TD] [TD] 158[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Matt[/TD] [TD]Tomshaw[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/matthewjtomshaw"]@matthewJTomshaw[/URL][/TD] [TD] 237[/TD] [TD] 215[/TD] [TD="align: right"]10.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Michael[/TD] [TD]Tonkin[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/mtonkin37"]@mtonkin37[/URL][/TD] [TD] 270[/TD] [TD] 231[/TD] [TD="align: right"]16.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Stuart[/TD] [TD]Turner[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/sturn26"]@sturn26[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,219[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Daniel[/TD] [TD]Turpen[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/DdTuRpEn"]@DdTuRpEn[/URL][/TD] [TD] 147[/TD] [TD] 149[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-1.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Kennys[/TD] [TD]Vargas[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/kennysvargas"]@kennysvargas[/URL][/TD] [TD] 38[/TD] [TD] 33[/TD] [TD="align: right"]15.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tanner[/TD] [TD]Vavra[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/tvavs5"]@tvavs5[/URL][/TD] [TD] 401[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Adam[/TD] [TD]Walker[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/walkoff28"]@walkoff28[/URL][/TD] [TD] 743[/TD] [TD] 601[/TD] [TD="align: right"]23.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]PJ[/TD] [TD]Walters[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/pjwalters39"]@PJWalters39[/URL][/TD] [TD] 2,851[/TD] [TD] 2,514[/TD] [TD="align: right"]13.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tommy[/TD] [TD]Watkins[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TommyWatkins"]@TommyWatkins[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,559[/TD] [TD] 1,507[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Dakota[/TD] [TD]Watts[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/watts_22"]@watts_22[/URL][/TD] [TD] 893[/TD] [TD] 872[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jason[/TD] [TD]Wheeler[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/lil_wheels"]@Lil_Wheels[/URL][/TD] [TD] 189[/TD] [TD] 178[/TD] [TD="align: right"]6.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Stephen[/TD] [TD]Wickens[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/wicks1221"]@wicks1221[/URL][/TD] [TD] 131[/TD] [TD] 126[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Corey[/TD] [TD]Williams[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/coreyw24"]@coreyw24[/URL][/TD] [TD] 339[/TD] [TD] 336[/TD] [TD="align: right"]0.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jared[/TD] [TD]Wilson[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/dubsdeuces"]@DubsDeuces[/URL][/TD] [TD] 108[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Alex[/TD] [TD]Wimmers[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/AlexWimmers21"]@AlexWimmers21[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,385[/TD] [TD] 1,341[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Tim[/TD] [TD]Wood[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/The_Woodpile"]@The_Woodpile[/URL][/TD] [TD] 863[/TD] [TD] 850[/TD] [TD="align: right"]1.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Vance[/TD] [TD]Worley[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/VANIMAL_49"]@VANIMAL_49[/URL][/TD] [TD] 54,340[/TD] [TD] 54,382[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-0.1%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]FRONT OFFICE[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]First Name[/TD] [TD]Last Name[/TD] [TD]Twitter[/TD] [TD] 6/16 Update [/TD] [TD] 5/9 Update [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Minnesota[/TD] [TD]Twins[/TD] [TD][URL="https://twitter.com/twins"]@twins[/URL][/TD] [TD] 158,089[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Dave[/TD] [TD]St. Peter[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TwinsPrez"]@TwinsPrez[/URL][/TD] [TD] 16,606[/TD] [TD] 15,990[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Dustin[/TD] [TD]Morse[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/Twins_morsecode"]@Twins_morsecode[/URL][/TD] [TD] 11,077[/TD] [TD] 10,834[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mike[/TD] [TD]Herman[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/HermTT"]@HermTT[/URL][/TD] [TD] 2,266[/TD] [TD] 2,231[/TD] [TD="align: right"]1.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mitch [/TD] [TD]Hestad[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/mitchhestad"]@mitchhestad[/URL][/TD] [TD] 123[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jack[/TD] [TD]Goin[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/jdgoin"]@jdgoin[/URL][/TD] [TD] 364[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Bryan[/TD] [TD]Donaldson[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/MNCommunityGuy"]@MNCommunityGuy[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,559[/TD] [TD] 1,529[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Andrew[/TD] [TD]Heydt[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/AndrewHeydt"]@AndrewHeydt[/URL][/TD] [TD] 473[/TD] [TD] 461[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Mike[/TD] [TD]Kennedy[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TwinsPRMachine"]@TwinsPRMachine[/URL][/TD] [TD] 509[/TD] [TD] 457[/TD] [TD="align: right"]11.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brace[/TD] [TD]Hemmelgarn[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/bracehemmelgarn"]@bracehemmelgarn[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,279[/TD] [TD] 1,166[/TD] [TD="align: right"]9.7%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]TC[/TD] [TD]Bear[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/TC_00"]@TC_00[/URL][/TD] [TD] 10,851[/TD] [TD] 10,052[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Twins Daily[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] 6/16 Update [/TD] [TD] 5/9 Update [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Twins[/TD] [TD]Daily[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/twinsdaily"]@TwinsDaily[/URL][/TD] [TD] 2,651[/TD] [TD] 2,279[/TD] [TD="align: right"]16.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]John[/TD] [TD]Bonnes[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/twinsgeek"]@TwinsGeek[/URL][/TD] [TD] 5,598[/TD] [TD] 5,334[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Seth[/TD] [TD]Stohs[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/sethtweets"]@SethTweets[/URL][/TD] [TD] 5,246[/TD] [TD] 4,984[/TD] [TD="align: right"]5.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Nick[/TD] [TD]Nelson[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/nnelson9"]@Nnelson9[/URL][/TD] [TD] 2,809[/TD] [TD] 2,703[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Parker[/TD] [TD]Hageman[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/overthebaggy"]@OverTheBaggy[/URL][/TD] [TD] 3,463[/TD] [TD] 3,165[/TD] [TD="align: right"]9.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brock[/TD] [TD]Beauchamp[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/rocketpig76"]@rocketpig76[/URL][/TD] [TD] 77[/TD] [TD] 75[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.7%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jeremy[/TD] [TD]Nygaard[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/jeremynygaard"]@JeremyNygaard[/URL][/TD] [TD] 481[/TD] [TD] 316[/TD] [TD="align: right"]52.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Cody[/TD] [TD]Christie[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/nodaktwinsfan"]@NoDakTwinsFan[/URL][/TD] [TD] 883[/TD] [TD] 852[/TD] [TD="align: right"]3.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Minor Leagues[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] 6/16 Update [/TD] [TD] 5/9 Update [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Rochester[/TD] [TD]Red Wings[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/rocredwings"]@RocRedWings[/URL][/TD] [TD] 6,204[/TD] [TD] 5,717[/TD] [TD="align: right"]8.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Josh[/TD] [TD]Whetzel[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/joshwhetzel"]@JoshWhetzel[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,060[/TD] [TD] 1,013[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Morrie[/TD] [TD]Silver[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/morriesilver8"]@MorrieSilver8[/URL][/TD] [TD] 319[/TD] [TD] 298[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.0%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jim[/TD] [TD]Mandelaro[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/JMand1"]@JMand1[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,164[/TD] [TD] 1,116[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Christopher[/TD] [TD]Fee[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/CJFee"]@CJFee[/URL][/TD] [TD] 181[/TD] [TD] 148[/TD] [TD="align: right"]22.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]New Britain[/TD] [TD]Rock Cats[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/rockcats"]@RockCats[/URL][/TD] [TD] 5,705[/TD] [TD] 5,275[/TD] [TD="align: right"]8.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ken[/TD] [TD]Lipshez[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/kenlip1"]@KenLip1[/URL][/TD] [TD] 109[/TD] [TD] 110[/TD] [TD="align: right"]-0.9%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jeff[/TD] [TD]Dooley[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/jdooleysports"]@Jdooleysports[/URL][/TD] [TD] 349[/TD] [TD] 287[/TD] [TD="align: right"]21.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/MNFanFromAfar"]@Mnfanfromafar[/URL][/TD] [TD] 515[/TD] [TD] 319[/TD] [TD="align: right"]61.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Ft. Myers[/TD] [TD]Miracle[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/miraclebaseball"]@MiracleBaseball[/URL][/TD] [TD] 5,965[/TD] [TD] 5,606[/TD] [TD="align: right"]6.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Bryce[/TD] [TD]Zimmerman[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/zimmiracle"]@ZimMiracle[/URL][/TD] [TD] 462[/TD] [TD] 414[/TD] [TD="align: right"]11.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Steve[/TD] [TD]Gliner[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/steviegftm"]@stevieGFTM[/URL][/TD] [TD] 398[/TD] [TD] 389[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.3%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Adam[/TD] [TD]MacDonald[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/AdamMacMiracle"]@AdamMacMiracle[/URL][/TD] [TD] 83[/TD] [TD] 74[/TD] [TD="align: right"]12.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]David[/TD] [TD]Dorsey[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/DavidADorsey"]@DavidADorsey[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,137[/TD] [TD] 1,108[/TD] [TD="align: right"]2.6%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Cedar Rapids[/TD] [TD]Kernels[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/crkernels"]@CRKernels[/URL][/TD] [TD] 4,531[/TD] [TD] 3,816[/TD] [TD="align: right"]18.7%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Morgan[/TD] [TD]Hawk[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/morgan_hawk"]@Morgan_Hawk[/URL][/TD] [TD] 351[/TD] [TD] 337[/TD] [TD="align: right"]4.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Matt[/TD] [TD]Cozzi[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/matt_cozzi"]@matt_cozzi[/URL][/TD] [TD] 867[/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jim[/TD] [TD]Crikket[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/jimcrikket"]@JimCrikket[/URL][/TD] [TD] 476[/TD] [TD] 396[/TD] [TD="align: right"]20.2%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Jeff[/TD] [TD]Johnson[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/jeje66"]@jeje66[/URL][/TD] [TD] 1,112[/TD] [TD] 1,044[/TD] [TD="align: right"]6.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Metro[/TD] [TD]Sports Report[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/metrosportsrept"]@metrosportsrept[/URL][/TD] [TD] 814[/TD] [TD] 757[/TD] [TD="align: right"]7.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Andrew[/TD] [TD]Pantini[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/stadium65"]@stadium65[/URL][/TD] [TD] 99[/TD] [TD] 88[/TD] [TD="align: right"]12.5%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Brandon[/TD] [TD]Clemens[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/brandonclemens"]@brandonclemens[/URL][/TD] [TD] 284[/TD] [TD] 262[/TD] [TD="align: right"]8.4%[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [TD] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Elizabethton[/TD] [TD]Twins[/TD] [TD][URL="http://www.twitter.com/etowntwins"]@ETownTwins[/URL][/TD] [TD] 704[/TD] [TD] 647[/TD] [TD="align: right"]8.8%[/TD] [/TR] </tbody>[/TABLE] View full article

As has been the case throughout most of the first two months of the 2013 season, the excitement on this night in the Twins minor league system came from the bottom two levels. The Ft. Myers Miracle and Cedar Rapids Kernels combined to score 28 runs on the day. One prospect drilled two home runs in a game. Vance Worley made his second start with Rochester. Was he able to duplicate he results of his first game? And which Alex Meyer showed up on Saturday. The Twins minor leagues have had quite a few walk-off wins already this year. It was fun watching the big league club get a walk-off win on Saturday afternoon. With that, check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Saturday, including the Dominican Summer League opener: [B] Rochester Red Wings 3, Charlotte Knights 4[/B] [B][URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_06_01_rocaaa_chraaa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL][/B] Vance Worley took the mound for his second Red Wings start. His first was a complete game shutout. His second? Not so much. He gave up a first inning run. Then he gave up three runs in the second inning. Not good start, but he went on to throw five shutout innings. Overall, he gave up four runs on ten hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out seven. Luis Perdomo struckout one in a scoreless ninth inning. The Red Wings had plenty of scoring opportunities. They have eight hits, but they also walked 12 times. Somehow, they managed to score just three runs. Antoan Richardson led off and went 1-2 with three walks and his fifth stolen base. Oswaldo Arcia was 1-2 with three walks. His sixth Red Wings home run came in the ninth inning and cut the deficit to one. Jeff Clement was 2-4. [B] New Britain Rock Cats 4, Bowie Baysox 3[/B] [B][URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_06_01_bowaax_nbraax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL][/B] Alex Meyer has been solid but quite inconsistent for the Rock Cats this season. On this night, he was terrific. The lanky right-hander went the first 6.1 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and two walks. He struck out a season-high ten opponents. Blake Martin came on and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. AJ Achter came on and got the final five outs for his third save. He gave up two hits and a walk, but no runs. James Beresford led the way by going 3-4 with his fifth stolen base. He’s now hitting .338 and inexplicably remaining in AA. Danny Ortiz was 2-4. Danny Santana was very good in May and went 2-4 with his 10[SUP]th[/SUP] and 11[SUP]th[/SUP] stolen bases in this game. Nate Hanson and Curt Smith each doubled. [B] Ft. Myers Miracle 13, Palm Beach Cardinals 4[/B] [B][URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_06_01_ftmafa_pbcafa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL][/B] The Miracle offense exploded in this game. Angel Morales is inexplicably still in Ft. Myers. It’s his third season with the Miracle, and he had a terrific month of May. In this game, he was 3-4 with two doubles. Kennys Vargas was 3-6. Eddie Rosario went 3-5 with his fifth triple. Andy Leer went 2-4 with two walks and his fourth home run. Aderlin Mejia was 2-5 with a walk. Jhon Goncalves went 2-6. Tom Stuifbergen was the recipient of all the run support. The Dutch right-hander went six innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out three. Chad Rodgers threw two shutout innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out one. Nelvin Fuentes gave up a run on a hit in an inning. [B] Cedar Rapids Kernels 15, Kane County 2 [/B] [B][URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_06_01_cedafx_kccafx_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL][/B] Byron Buxton was given a very rare night off, and the Kernels’ bats took off. Fifteen runs on fifteen hits and nine walks makes for a pretty good day. Dalton Hicks led the way. The burly first baseman went 3-4 with a walk, his sixth and seventh homers and four RBI. Tyler Grimes went 3-3 with two walks and a triple. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3 with two walks and his first home run. JD Williams and Niko Goodrum were both 2-5 with a walk and a double. Jorge Polanco and Adam Walker each added a double. [attachment=6047:2559.attach][CENTER][SIZE=2]Photo by [URL="https://www.facebook.com/RinaldiPhotos?fref=ts"]Rinaldi Photos[/URL][/SIZE][/CENTER] Lefty Brett Lee was appreciative of the run support, though he did not need all of it. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out four. Manuel Soliman then struck out four in two perfect innings. [B] DSL Twins 5, DSL Orioles 6 [/B] [B][URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_06_01_dorrok_dtwrok_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL][/B] Opening Day in the Dominican Summer League. The Twins squad used seven pitchers to get through nine innings. Onesimo Hernandez gave up one run on four hits (and a hit batter) in three innings. He struck out thre. Carlos Aponte gave up two runs on two hits and a hit batter in one inning. Sebastian Perez gave up one run on two hits in two innings. Robener Cabrera gave up an unearned run on one hit and a walk in one innings. Johan Quezada walked two and struck out two in one scoreless inning. Rendis Reyes got two outs, though he gave up one run on two walks. Ezequiel Zarzuela got the final out. The offense was led by 17-year-old catcher Rainis Silva who went 2-4. Rafael Valera and Carlos Martinez each doubled. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

The Twins got a nice 2-1, 10-inning win in Chicago against the White Sox. Eduardo Escobar, who came to the Twins last July from the South Siders, beat out an infield single to shortstop. Ryan Doumit, who was on second after an inning -opening double, advanced to third base and then continued home when Jeff Keppinger was unable to cleanly catch the one-hop throw from Ramirez. Glen Perkins came on to record the save. There were a couple of one-run games in the Twins farm system. A big home run helped Rochester a win, their first back-to-back wins of the season. The Ft. Myers Miracle also played an entertaining one-run game, but you’ll have to keep reading to see whether they won...or not. Byron Buxton’s batting average dropped to .420, but how did the Kernels play? Were the Rock Cats able to bounce back from a big loss a night earlier? Check down below, and please feel free to discuss. [B] Rochester Red Wings 5, Pawtucket Red Sox 4[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_20_pawaaa_rocaaa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] It was a back-and-forth game on Saturday afternoon between these two teams. Fortunately, the Red Wings managed to score last on Chris Colabello’s sixth home run of the season. Colabello went 2-4 with that organizational-leading sixth home run. Clete Thomas went 2-3 with a walk. Joe Benson was 2-4. Andrew Albers started and really struggled. Typically an aggressive control pitcher, Albers walked three in just two innings. He gave up three runs on four hits and struck out just one. Caleb Thielbar came on and pitched well. The lefty gave up two hits and a walk in three scoreless frames. He struck out three. Shairon Martis gave up a solo home run. He gave up that one run and three hits and a walk in two innings. Tim Wood’s rehab stint continued with his first appearance in Rochester. He was the International League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and struck out two on this day. Anthony Slama came in for the ninth and set them down 1, 2, 3 for his second save of the year. [B] New Britain Rock Cats 1, Portland Sea Dogs 7[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_20_nbraax_prtaax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] After losing 12-1 on Friday night, it was important for the Rock Cats to get off to a fast start on Saturday afternoon. Danny Santana led off the game with his second triple. James Beresford drove him in with a sacrifice fly. That was about it for the Rock Cats offense. Santana was 2-4. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his sixth double. Danny Ortiz hit his seventh double. Logan Darnell stated for New Britain. The left-hander gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits and two walks. In five innings, he struck out six. AJ Achter gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in his 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Aaron Thompson came on and gave up two hits but no runs in 1.1 innings. [B] Ft. Myers Miracle 5, St. Lucie Mets 6 [/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_20_ftmafa_sluafa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] So close! On Saturday night, Ft. Myers was inches away from a Miracle win in Port St. Lucie. Down 6-2 going into the ninth frame, Eddie Rosario singled. Then three straight Miracle hitters drew walks, which cut the lead to 6-3. Another reliever came on and gave up a single to Kennys Vargas to cut the lead to 6-4. The eight and ninth hitters, Lance Ray and Andy Leer, struck out. That brought up AJ Pettersen. Pettersen hit a hard ground ball off of a diving first baseman. A single run scored. Pinch runner Stephen Wickens attempted to score from second on the play but was thrown out at the plate. The Miracle were that close to keeping the game going, but unfortunately, they fall to 14-2 with the 6-5 loss. Tom Stuifbergen started and gave up just one run through the first six innings. In the bottom of the 7[SUP]th[/SUP], a one-out single was followed by a controversial hit batter. The Miracle believed that the ball hit the batter’s bat. The umpire disagreed. Runners on first and second. With the lead runner attempting to steal third, the next batter grounded to third base, but Miguel Sano committed his fourth error of the year loading the bases. TJ Rivera then hit a bases-clearing double that broke open the game. That was the end of the line for Stuifbergen. He went 6.1 innings and gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits. He walked none and struck out five. Adrian Salcedo came in and gave up a run on three hits in 1.2 innings. Miguel Sano went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. [attachment=5841:2293.attach] [SIZE=2]photo courtesy of Cedar Rapids Kernels Facebook page. Be sure to "Like" it. [/SIZE] [B] Cedar Rapids Kernels 11, Peoria Chiefs 2[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_20_cedafx_peoafx_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] If you can put up crooked numbers on the scoreboard, it’s always a good thing. The Red Wings scored six runs in the first inning and another five runs in the fourth inning to jump out to a huge lead. They ended the game with two straight numbers. The Kernels collected 17 hits in the game. Drew Leachman led the offense with a 4-5 day. He was playing for just the fourth time on the season and came into the game hitting .142 (2-14). He now is hitting .316 after missing almost two weeks with a shoulder injury. Niko Goodrum went 2-4 with two walks and had two RBI. Romy Jimenez went 2-4 with his second double and four RBI. He had a bases-clearing double in the first inning. Jhonatan Arias went 2-5, his first two hits of the season. Travis Harrison was 2-4 with a walk. Adam Walker was 2-4. Jorge Polanco was 2-6. Byron Buxton’s batting average dropped to .420 with an 0-4 game. He did, however, walk twice in the long first inning. Lefty Mason Melotakis started, lasted only 3.1 innings, due in part to giving up four walks and four hits, and so did not qualify for the win, in spite of the run support. Steve Gruver came on for an “easy” “Win” and pitched well. The southpaw gave up one run on four hits in 4.2 innings. He walked none and struck out four. Tyler Jones pitched the ninth inning and gave up a hit, but no runs. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

The Twins got a nice 2-1, 10-inning win in Chicago against the White Sox. Eduardo Escobar, who came to the Twins last July from the South Siders, beat out an infield single to shortstop. Ryan Doumit, who was on second after an inning -opening double, advanced to third base and then continued home when Jeff Keppinger was unable to cleanly catch the one-hop throw from Ramirez. Glen Perkins came on to record the save. There were a couple of one-run games in the Twins farm system. A big home run helped Rochester a win, their first back-to-back wins of the season. The Ft. Myers Miracle also played an entertaining one-run game, but you’ll have to keep reading to see whether they won...or not. Byron Buxton’s batting average dropped to .420, but how did the Kernels play? Were the Rock Cats able to bounce back from a big loss a night earlier? Check down below, and please feel free to discuss. [B] Rochester Red Wings 5, Pawtucket Red Sox 4[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_20_pawaaa_rocaaa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] It was a back-and-forth game on Saturday afternoon between these two teams. Fortunately, the Red Wings managed to score last on Chris Colabello’s sixth home run of the season. Colabello went 2-4 with that organizational-leading sixth home run. Clete Thomas went 2-3 with a walk. Joe Benson was 2-4. Andrew Albers started and really struggled. Typically an aggressive control pitcher, Albers walked three in just two innings. He gave up three runs on four hits and struck out just one. Caleb Thielbar came on and pitched well. The lefty gave up two hits and a walk in three scoreless frames. He struck out three. Shairon Martis gave up a solo home run. He gave up that one run and three hits and a walk in two innings. Tim Wood’s rehab stint continued with his first appearance in Rochester. He was the International League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and struck out two on this day. Anthony Slama came in for the ninth and set them down 1, 2, 3 for his second save of the year. [B] New Britain Rock Cats 1, Portland Sea Dogs 7[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_20_nbraax_prtaax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] After losing 12-1 on Friday night, it was important for the Rock Cats to get off to a fast start on Saturday afternoon. Danny Santana led off the game with his second triple. James Beresford drove him in with a sacrifice fly. That was about it for the Rock Cats offense. Santana was 2-4. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his sixth double. Danny Ortiz hit his seventh double. Logan Darnell stated for New Britain. The left-hander gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits and two walks. In five innings, he struck out six. AJ Achter gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in his 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Aaron Thompson came on and gave up two hits but no runs in 1.1 innings. [B] Ft. Myers Miracle 5, St. Lucie Mets 6 [/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_20_ftmafa_sluafa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] So close! On Saturday night, Ft. Myers was inches away from a Miracle win in Port St. Lucie. Down 6-2 going into the ninth frame, Eddie Rosario singled. Then three straight Miracle hitters drew walks, which cut the lead to 6-3. Another reliever came on and gave up a single to Kennys Vargas to cut the lead to 6-4. The eight and ninth hitters, Lance Ray and Andy Leer, struck out. That brought up AJ Pettersen. Pettersen hit a hard ground ball off of a diving first baseman. A single run scored. Pinch runner Stephen Wickens attempted to score from second on the play but was thrown out at the plate. The Miracle were that close to keeping the game going, but unfortunately, they fall to 14-2 with the 6-5 loss. Tom Stuifbergen started and gave up just one run through the first six innings. In the bottom of the 7[SUP]th[/SUP], a one-out single was followed by a controversial hit batter. The Miracle believed that the ball hit the batter’s bat. The umpire disagreed. Runners on first and second. With the lead runner attempting to steal third, the next batter grounded to third base, but Miguel Sano committed his fourth error of the year loading the bases. TJ Rivera then hit a bases-clearing double that broke open the game. That was the end of the line for Stuifbergen. He went 6.1 innings and gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits. He walked none and struck out five. Adrian Salcedo came in and gave up a run on three hits in 1.2 innings. Miguel Sano went 2-3 with a walk and his fifth double. [attachment=5840:2293.attach] [SIZE=2]photo courtesy of Cedar Rapids Kernels Facebook page. Be sure to "Like" it. [/SIZE] [B] Cedar Rapids Kernels 11, Peoria Chiefs 2[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_20_cedafx_peoafx_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] If you can put up crooked numbers on the scoreboard, it’s always a good thing. The Red Wings scored six runs in the first inning and another five runs in the fourth inning to jump out to a huge lead. They ended the game with two straight numbers. The Kernels collected 17 hits in the game. Drew Leachman led the offense with a 4-5 day. He was playing for just the fourth time on the season and came into the game hitting .142 (2-14). He now is hitting .316 after missing almost two weeks with a shoulder injury. Niko Goodrum went 2-4 with two walks and had two RBI. Romy Jimenez went 2-4 with his second double and four RBI. He had a bases-clearing double in the first inning. Jhonatan Arias went 2-5, his first two hits of the season. Travis Harrison was 2-4 with a walk. Adam Walker was 2-4. Jorge Polanco was 2-6. Byron Buxton’s batting average dropped to .420 with an 0-4 game. He did, however, walk twice in the long first inning. Lefty Mason Melotakis started, lasted only 3.1 innings, due in part to giving up four walks and four hits, and so did not qualify for the win. in spite of the run support. Steve Gruver came on for an “easy” “Win” and pitched well. The southpaw gave up one run on four hits in 4.2 innings. He walked none and struck out four. Tyler Jones pitched the ninth inning and gave up a hit, but no runs. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below. View full article

The Twins had a rough going in the early innings on Tuesday night. In the minor leagues, the Red Wings got a big, late-inning home run that led to a win. The Rock Cats scored nine runs for the second straight game yet they played a game that was close until the ninth. The Miracle won a 1-0 game thanks to great pitching and a big home run from a big prospect. Cedar Rapids’ game was postponed due to rain, but be sure to check out the rest of the Organizational Report. The Twins fell 7-4 to the Royals on Tuesday night, their first two-game losing streak of the season. Mike Pelfrey could only get through two innings for the Twins, but Anthony Swarzak saved the bullpen with four solid innings in relief. Ryan Pressly then pitched two scoreless innings. Eduardo Escobar, batting ninth, led the offense by going 3-4 including his first Major League home run. Josh Willingham was 2-3 with his second homer. Joe Mauer hit his first homer of the season in the first inning. [B] Rochester Red Wings 2, Scranton/WB RailRiders 1[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_09_rocaaa_swbaaa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] A day after being named the first International League Player of the Week of 2013, Chris Colabello gave the Twins a 2-1 lead in the top of the ninth with a home run against Mark Montgomery. Anthony Slama came on and needed just nine pitches to close out his first save of the season, the 101[SUP]st[/SUP] of his minor league career. PJ Walters made his second start of the early season. In this game, he gave up just one run on three hits in 5.1 innings. He walked four and struckout seven. He left the game with a runner on second and one out. Caleb Thielbar came on and struckout the next two batters. In the 7[SUP]th[/SUP], Thielbar gave up a hit, but he faced just three batters. With the score still tied, Bruce Pugh got the first two outs of the eighth inning before giving up two singles. Tyler Robertson came on and struckout the batter he faced to end that threat. Slama struckout one in his perfect ninth frame. There was not much offense from either side, but the Red Wings managed just five hits. Brandon Boggs had two of them, including his first double and a sixth-inning home run that tied the game at the time. Kyle Gibson will take the mound for the Red Wings on Wednesday to face right-hander Dellin Betances in a 5:35 central time start. [B] New Britain Rock Cats 9, Harrisburg Senators 7 [/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_09_nbraax_haraax_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] The score was tied 5-5 heading into the ninth inning. With two outs and one runner on base, the Rock Cats got singles from Josmil Pinto and Danny Ortiz. They were followed by a two-run triple from Evan Bigley. Bigley then scored the fourth run of the inning on a bunt single by Harold Garcia. It’s fortunate the got some insurance that inning because Harrisburg scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but Michael Tonkin was able to end the game before the lead was lost. Logan Darnell started and the lefty gave up just one run in five innings. He gave up five hits and three walks, but he found a way to limit the runs despite zero strikeouts. AJ Achter came in and threw a scoreless innings. He got the first two batters of the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] inning out, but then a walk was followed by two singles. Jose Gonzalez came in and walked the bases loaded before giving up a bases-clearing triple to Destin Hood. He walked another before getting the final out, but the game was now tied. Bobby Lanigan struckout two in a perfect eighth frame. Michael Tonkin gave up two runs on three hits and two walks in the ninth before getting the third out. There were many contributors on the offensive side of the game as the team scored nine runs for the second straight game. Josmil Pinto went 3-5 with his second double. Danny Santana was 3-5 with a triple. Dan Rohlfing was 2-4 with a double. Nate Hanson and Danny Ortiz each had two hits. Evan Bigley contributed with a big three-run triple. Trevor May will take the mound for the Rock Cats at Harrisburg on Wednesday. [B] Ft. Myers Miracle 1, Jupiter Hammerheads 0[/B] [URL="http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2013_04_09_jupafa_ftmafa_1&t=g_box&sid=milb"]Box Score[/URL] D.J. Baxendale made his first professional start on Tuesday night and pitched well. The 2012 tenth round pick who pitched in last year's College World Series threw 5.1 scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struckout eight. Cole Johnson came on and struckout two and walked one in 1.2 scoreless innings. Zack Jones came in and threw 99 for two scoreless innings for his second save. The Miracle improve to 5-0 on the season for manager Doug Mientkiewicz despite just four hits. Fortunately, one of those hits was a blast off the bat of Miguel Sano for his first home run of the year. [attachment=5785:2233.attach] Tom Stuifbergen will start for the Miracle on Wednesday, at home against Jupiter. The game will begin at 6:05 central time. [B] Cedar Rapids Kernels, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers[/B] Rained out on Tuesday night. Doubleheader on Wednesday, starting at 5:05. Brett Lee will start the first game before the six-man rotation rolls over and Taylor Rogers gets his second start. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. View full article

“It excites me a lot. Look at that line. Those guys have all been mentored by the guy in front of them. Me being mentored by Denard Span means I'm the next one in line. I've still got to get to the big leagues, still have to earn my place as a big league center fielder.” Those were the words of Aaron Hicks at Twins Fest when asked what it meant to follow in the Minnesota Twins centerfield lineage of Kirby Puckett to Torii Hunter to Denard Span. [attachment=5712:2125.attach] As Hicks looks to be the Twins next great, long-term centerfielder, I thought it would be fun to look back and the others, the other guys who got a chance to play some centerfield for the Twins and, for whatever reason, were not able to make their name for themselves. [attachment=5713:2126.attach]Assuming Aaron Hicks takes over the centerfield job, he will be the one to follow Denard Span. That said, it is important to note that Ben Revere, who was the Twins first-round draft choice in 2007, a year before Hicks was the Twins first round pick, did play a lot of centerfield the last two seasons as well. And also, don’t forget that the centerfielder who was the Opening Day centerfielder immediately following the departure of Torii Hunter was Carlos Gomez. So many think that Kirby Puckett passed the centerfield torch to Torii Hunter, but that is not technically the case. Hunter was the Twins first round pick in 1993. That was the last year in which Puckett was the Twins primary centerfielder. However, Puckett did still mentor the very young Hunter on and off the field. In 1994, Kirby Puckett moved to right field and the be-goggled Alex Cole was the primarily Twins centerfielder. Late in that 1994 season, Rich Becker took over as the team’s centerfielder, a position he would man through the end of the 1997 season. In 1998, the Twins brought in Otis Nixon and he played 108 games in center field. Torii Hunter took over the centerfield position in 1999, although he had his stint in Rochester in 2000. Matt Lawton and Jacque Jones each got some time at the position as well, but it was basically Hunter’s job until he left for the Angels following the 2007 season. Kirby Puckett debuted with the Twins on May 8, 1984, against the Angels. He was the Twins centerfielder for the better part of a decade. However, the position has been played by many over the previous decade, for various reasons. For some, it was poor play. For others, they left for greener pastures when the Calvin Griffith regime deemed them too expensive to keep. Let’s go back to 1961, when the Twins came to Minnesota. Their centerfielder was Lenny Green. He had come with the team from Washington where he had taken over the position in 1960. He was there into the 1964 season. [attachment=5714:2127.attach] However, in 1963, Jimmie Hall became the primary centerfielder. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in a year in which he hit 21 doubles and 33 home runs. He remained the starter through 1965. He lost playing time in the World Series because he hit left handed and the Dodgers had Sandy Koufax in their rotation. In 1966, Ted Uhlaender took over for Hall, who played other positions more often and then was traded to the Angels following the season. Uhlaender was the centerfielder through the 1969 season. Cesar Tovar played all over the diamond during his years with the Twins. In 1969 and 1970, he was the primary centerfielder. Jim Holt played a lot of centerfield in 1970 and 1971. [attachment=5715:2128.attach]In the 1970s, the Twins had some pretty good performers in centerfield, but they seemed to take turns a lot. Steve Brye played a lot of centerfield from 1972 through 1976. Larry Hisle played the position frequently from 1973 through 1977. Dan Ford was the team’s primary centerfielder in 1975 and again in 1978. He moved to the corner outfield in 1976 and 1977 because of the emergence of Lyman Bostock. For a couple of years in the ‘70s, the Twins would have had an outfield of Dan Ford, Lyman Bostock and Larry Hisle. That’s a pretty strong outfield. The Twins and the Angels certainly seemed to enjoy trading with each other. The Angels also signed many free agents from the Twins during these years. Following the 1978 season, the Twins traded Rod Carew to the Angels in exchange a package of players that included Ken Landreaux, who was the team’s centerfielder in 1979 and 1980. He hit .294 with 50 doubles, 16 triples and 22 home runs in those two season and was an All Star in 1980. Following 1980, he was traded to the other Los Angeles team, the Dodgers, for a package that included Mickey Hatcher. Hatcher was in the Twins outfield for several years, primarily in left field. However, in the 1981 season, he played primarily in centerfield. Before the 1982 season, the Twins made another trade with the Dodgers to acquire Bobby Mitchell. He had 13 plate appearances in 19 games for the Dodgers in the two previous seasons combined. HE came to the Twins and [attachment=5716:2129.attach]was the primary centerfielder in 1982 and played some there in 1983. In 1983, Darrell Brown took over in centerfield. The Twins had acquired him as a free agent in December of 1982. He hit .272/.297/.304 (.601) with six doubles and two triples. He got another month in 1984 before the team called up Kirby Puckett, a singles hitting, speedy outfielder who would go on to become one of the greatest players in team history and a first-ballot Hall of Famer. We read so much about the Twins line of centerfielders from Puckett to Hunter to Span. And now that will be handed over to Aaron Hicks and he is not taking that lightly. There is a good chance that, once he establishes himself, he will start mentoring Byron Buxton to take his position and run with it. Hopefully this review of the Twins centerfield position has been a fun look at the history of the Minnesota Twins. I always enjoy being reminded of names that I haven’t read or heard about in a long time. Those of you who have been fans of the Twins since the early years should really enjoy telling the rest of us stories you recall about some of these players. I hope you’ll use the comments to do just that. View full article

The Sunday [I]Tweet of the Day[/I] comes from yours truly [URL="http://www.twitter.com/sethtweets"](@SethTweets[/URL]). Before the game started, I tweeted, “After that pregame and national anthem rendition, is there any questions that [URL="https://twitter.com/#!/TPlouffe24"]@[B]TPlouffe24[/B][/URL] is planning to hit a home run or two for [URL="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23America"]#[B]America[/B][/URL]?” Josh Willingham hit a big three-run home run that tied the game at five. He also tied Trevor Plouffe with 17 home runs. Plouffe came up and knocked the first Bruce Chen pitch he saw in the at bat for his second home run of the day (18[SUP]th[/SUP] of the year) and more important, he gave the Twins a lead that they would hold for the win. The Twins now have a three-game winning streak as they head to Detroit to take on the Tigers. For all this and more, here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Sunday: [B]ROCHESTER 5, EMPIRE STATE 3[/B] PJ Walters made his first rehab start for the Red Wings and it didn’t start out well, but after struggling in the first inning, he did alright. In total, he went four innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out two. Caleb Thielbar came in and gave up only one walk over the course of two innings. He struck out two and was credited with first AAA win. Luis Perdomo came in and struck out five over three perfect innings to record his first save with the Red Wings. He became the seventh Red Wings pitcher to record a save. Pedro Florimon went 2-4 with his eighth double. Brian Dinkelman and JR Towles were each 2-4. Wilkin Ramirez hit his sixth home run. [B] NEW BRITAIN 6, BOWIE 2[/B] Aaron Hicks has been very good since returning to the field after his sprained ankle. In this game, he was 2-3 with a walk, his tenth double and his 17[SUP]th[/SUP] and 18[SUP]th[/SUP] stolen base. Dan Rohlfing went 2-4 with his fourth double. Oswaldo Arcia went 2-4 with two RBI. Chris Herrmann hit his 20[SUP]th[/SUP] double. He was also hit by a pitch and stole a base. Aaron Thompson started and gae up two runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three. Dakota Watts and then Bruce Pugh each pitched a scoreless inning in which they gave up a hit and a walk. [B] FT. MYERS 4, ST. LUCIE 2[/B] Madison Boer has started to pitch much better and on this day he helped the Miracle to their third straight win. The Eden Prairie right-hander gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits and two walks in six innings. Ricky Bowen came in and walked three in one scoreless inning. AJ Achter came in and gave the final six outs for his first save. He was not closing games in Beloit, so when asked about being in the closer role, the talented right-hander said, “I think that Jake (Mauer) and (Steve) Mintzy forgot what inning it was.” Josmil Pinto led the offense. He went 3-3 with a walk and his 13[SUP]th[/SUP] double. Danny Santana went 2-4 with his sixth triple. Danny Ortiz went 2-4 with his 11[SUP]th[/SUP] double. [B] BELOIT 4, CEDAR RAPIDS 3[/B] Could it be that Miguel Sano is breaking out of his huge slump? On Sunday, Sano was 2-3 with a walk, his 18[SUP]th[/SUP] home run and his sixth stolen base. In ten games since the Midwest League All Star break, he is hitting .281/.425/.625 (1.050 OPS) with two doubles and three home runs. The three home runs and all come in the last four games. Steve Liddle went 1-3 with a walk, his sixth double and two RBI. Those were the Snappers only three hits in this game. Matt Summers started and gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out seven. Tyler Jones came out of the bullpen and recorded his first win thanks to 2.1 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. Corey Williams came in and got the final three outs for his 11[SUP]th[/SUP] save on the season. [B] ELIZABETHTON 4, PRINCETON 6[/B] Romy Jimenez continues to hit well. On this day, he was 3-4 with his second and third doubles. Jhonathan Arias was 3-4. Stephen Wickens went 2-4 with a walk and his second doubles. Candido Pimentel went 2-4. Corey Kimes got the nod for the E-Twins. The lefty went five innings and gave up four runs on six hits. He walked one and struck out one. Hein Robb gave up two runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. He struck out one. DJ Baxendale finished playing in the College World Series and must have been anxious to sign with the Twins. On Sunday, he made his professional debut for Elizabethton. He struck out four in 1.2 innings. [B] GCL TWINS [/B] There are no scheduled GCL games on Sundays. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, July 1, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Luis Perdomo [attachment=4825:876.attach] Hitter of the Day – Josmil Pinto [attachment=4826:877.attach] --- A Look Ahead – Monday, July 2, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Pawtucket – RHP Sam Deduno New Britain vs Bowie – RHP Shairon Martis Ft. Myers vs St. Lucie – LHP Pat Dean Beloit vs Cedar Rapids – LHP David Hurlbut Elizabethton @ Princeton – RHP Angel Mata GCL Twins @ GCL Rays – 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! View full article

The Twins had another off day on Monday. Justin Morneau’s Casino Night was on Sunday night. On Monday night, many players worked the bar at Toby Keith’s for Hang with the Majors. These events and some that are less publicized are all a part of Hope Week in which the Twins are quite visible around the community, raising funds for the Twins Community Fund. The Twins do a lot of great things in communities around the state thanks to these types of events. They return to the field on Tuesday when they will take on Jim Thome and the Philadelphia Phillies for three games before the next Border Battle against the Brewers. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Monday: [B]ROCHESTER 0, INDIANAPOLIS 16[/B] I’m not sure how much you want to read about this game after just looking at the score in the heading. Matt Maloney started and went just two innings. He gave up six runs (4 earned) on five hits. He walked none and struck out none. Brendan Wise went the next three innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. Casey Fien gave up two runs on three hits and (an intentional) walk. Lester Oliveros gave up five runs on three hits and two walks and he recorded just two outs (both on strikeouts). Tyler Robertson got the final four outs. He gave up one run on two hits. The Red Wings managed just four hits. Pedro Florimon had two of them. Wilkin Ramirez hit his fifth double. [B]NEW BRITAIN [/B] The Rock Cats had a day off on Monday before starting a series at home against Akron. [B]FT. MYERS 8, PALM BEACH 4[/B] Tied 4-4 going into the 9[SUP]th[/SUP], the Miracle got RBI singles from Levi Michael and Danny Santana followed by Sacrifice Flies by Jairo Perez and Oswaldo Arcia. Santana led the offense by going 3-5 with three RBI. He is hitting .310. Danny Rams was 2-3 with his first and second doubles of the season. Jairo Perez had three RBI in the game, but he was also 2-4. Marty Popham started and gave up one run on seven hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five. Edgar Ibarra came in and was charged with three unearned runs on one hit and one walk in two innings. He struck out three. Ricky Bowen walked three over the last two innings but did not allow a run, so he was credited with the win. [B]BELOIT 7, WISCONSIN 8[/B] For the second straight day, Timber Rattler shortstop Yadiel Rivera came to the plate with the score tied and the winning run on base. For the second straight day, Rivera came through for his team. In Monday afternoon’s series finale, the walk-off hit may not have been as dramatic as Sunday night’s three-run homer, but a walk-off single got the job done for Wisconsin. Jason Wheeler made the start for the Snappers. He gave up four runs on six hits in 5.2 innings. He walked none and struck out six. AJ Achter came in and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in one inning. He struck out three. Corey Williams came in and gave up the final run. In 1.2 innings, he gave up the run on three hits and a walk. He struck out two. The Snappers grabbed the lead thanks to a six-run fifth inning. The key blow in that game came off the bat of Miguel Sano who hit his 15[SUP]th[/SUP] home run of the season, a grand slam. He was 2-5 in the game. Jairo Rodriguez was 3-4. Nate Roberts was 3-5. Jhonathan Goncalves went 1-3 with a walk and his second home run. Matt Koch went 2-4. --- Players of the Day for Monday, June 11, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano [attachment=4740:750.attach] (photo courtesy of [URL="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Rinaldi-Photos/256164664420932"]Rinaldi Photos[/URL]) Pitcher of the Day – Marty Popham [attachment=4741:751.attach] --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, June 12, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Sam Deduno New Britain vs Akron – TBD Ft. Myers vs Bradenton – LHP Cole Nelson Beloit vs Peoria – RHP Matt Summers --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! View full article

The Twins lost another "offensive" game to Curtis Granderson and the Yankees on Thursday night by a score of 8-7. The close loss was something that all four of the Twins minor league affiliates suffered as well on Thursday as the organization went 0-5 on the day. But worry not, there were still plenty of positives to talk about. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Wednesday, and for much more on the players on each team, specifically who’s hot and who’s not for each team, be sure to listen to [URL="http://tobtr.com/s/3028119"]last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly podcast[/URL]. [B] ROCHESTER 3, EMPIRE STATE 5[/B] The Red Wings took a tough loss to split the series on the road (but at home) against the team formerly known as Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Sam Deduno was good early, but that is hidden in his pitching line. In five innings, he gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out six. Esmerling Vasquez gave up one run on two hits and three walks in three innings. Brian Dozier hit his sixth double. Darin Mastroianni went 2-4. Ben Revere was 2-5. Michael Hollimon was 2-4 with a triple and his second home run. The homer was the first by a Red Wings player since Friday, when Hollimon homered. It had been 58 innings in between. The Red Wings fall to 7-8. [B] NEW BRITAIN 5, NEW HAMPSHIRE 6 [/B] Logan Darnell came into the game 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA. The lefty gave up four runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out five. He didn’t help himself by committing two errors. Bret Jacobson gave up a run on two hits and walk in two innings. Lester Oliveros gave up a run in the ninth to take the loss. Aaron Hicks went 1-3 with two walks. Estarlin de Los Santos was 2-5. Evan Bigley went 2-4 with a walk and his second triple. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk. The Rock Cats fall to 10-5. [B] FT. MYERS MIRACLE 1, BRADENTON 2 (10 innings)[/B] It was the rematch of last week’s BJ Hermsen/Jameson Taillon matchup and both were on their games. Hermsen gave up one run on five hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out six. Edgar Ibarra dropped his ERA to 0.90 with two perfect innings. Bruce Pugh gave up a run on a hit and a walk in the tenth to take the loss. The Miracle have really been struggling with the bats of late. Dan Rohlfing, however, was 3-4 in this game and is 9 of his last 19. Jairo Perez, Lance Ray and Anderson Hidalgo each had a double in this game. The Miracle drop to 6-7. [B] BELOIT 10, SOUTH BEND 12[/B] This was a crazy game, but it got off to a fun start as Miguel Sano hit his sixth home run in the first frame. Tim Shibuya was terrific through three innings. However, his fourth inning began with an error on Miguel Sano. The next ball was a grounder to second base that Eddie Rosario fielded and threw to the base, but Tyler Grimes dropped the ball. Eight runs later, the inning finished. However, the Miracle came back with three in the 5[SUP]th[/SUP] inning and six runs in the 6[SUP]th[/SUP] inning to reclaim the lead. However, South Bend tied it up in the eighth and then grabbed two more runs in the ninth to take the 12-10 win. Shibuya gave up eight runs (2 earned) on seven hits in 3.1 innings. He walked none and struck out two. Michael Tonkin gave up one run on five hits in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Bart Carter gave up one run on two hits in two innings, while striking out two. Corey Williams gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. There was plenty of offense! Adam Bryant went 2-4 for the second straight day during which time he raised his batting average from .250 to .300. Eddie Rosario and Matthew Koch were each 2-5. AJ Pettersen went 2-3 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt. Miguel Sano was 2-4 with a walk and his sixth home run. It was his third home run in his last five games. Danny Ortiz went 3-5. The Snappers fall to 7-7. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, April 19, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Dan Rohlfing [attachment=4514:446.attach] Pitcher of the Day – B J Hermsen [attachment=4513:412.attach] --- A Look Ahead – Friday, April 20, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley – RHP PJ Walters New Britain vs New Hampshire – LHP Luke French Ft. Myers @ Bradenton – RHP Adrian Salcedo (rematch versus Gerrit Cole) Beloit @ South Bend – LHP Jason Wheeler --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them! View full article