Seth Stohs

There has been plenty of speculation the last week or two about which Twins starter would be replaced in the rotation, and by whom. First, it was Kevin Correia, and now he has had two straight terrific starts including last night’s 1-0 loss to the Red Sox. Sam Deduno has had two very poor starts in a row, and now the discussion is about who will take his spot in the rotation starting on Thursday. The Rochester Red Wings starting rotation has been very impressive which means that speculation of who will make Deduno’s start on Thursday can lead in several directions. We’ll try to clarify that today, or at least arm you with what you need to know as it relates to the Twins decision. While we are at it, we’ll take a look at some of the other players (relievers and hitters) in Rochester who deserve at least consideration for a call up to the Minnesota Twins. RED WINGS STARTERS We’ve been informed via Chris Fee that Sean Gilmartin has been called up to the Red Wings and will start on Tuesday. Yohan Pino will now start on Wednesday. Alex Meyer has been pushed to Thursday. Logan Darnell follows Meyer in the Red Wings rotation. Trevor May pitched on Monday night, and Kris Johnson pitched on Sunday. So, here’s a look at the Red Wings starters and their promotion credentials. Alex Meyer – Meyer is the top prospect, the guy that we are all waiting for. He has been solid with the Red Wings this year. Meyer has a record of 4-3, with a 3.62 ERA. In 64.2 innings, he has given up 56 hits, walked 30 and struck out 76. We love the strikeout rate. We love the big fastball, and the fact that he has four pitches that most evaluators believe will make him a top of the rotation starter. That said, if you’re walking 4.2 per nine innings in AAA, that isn’t very good. It is his career high. He is coming off of his worst start of the year. He went just two innings on Friday and gave up three runs on five hits and two walks. He threw 55 pitches before being removed. The start before that he threw six shutout innings and gave up just four hits and a walk while striking out eight. The game before that, four runs in five innings. Consistency is a legit concern at this point for the 24-year-old, but there’s little question he can be a good big league starter. Yohan Pino – The Twins signed Pino in 2004. He was traded to Cleveland in the Carl Pavano trade in 2009. Since then, he’s been between AA and AAA but never made it to the big leagues. The 30-year-old right-hander is at least putting his name on the map as a possible call up. He is 9-1 with a 1.92 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Though he doesn’t throw very hard, he has been racking up strikeouts. In 61 innings, he has 61 strikeouts to go with just 16 walks. He has pitched out of the bullpen and as a starter and done well in either role. Download attachment: Yohan Pino.jpg Kris Johnson – Johnson came to the Twins this offseason in a trade for Duke Welker, who was the player to be named later in the Justin Morneau trade to Pittsburgh. Last year, he led the International League with a 2.39 ERA. He’s doing just as well this year. He is 6-3 with a 2.60 ERA. He has 62 strikeouts and 28 walks in 72.2 innings. He did make one start for the Twins earlier in the season and went five innings. Johnson has struggled in two of his last three starts. Most recently, he gave up three runs on five hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. The start before that, he gave up two runs in eight innings. Three starts ago, he gave up five runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. Logan Darnell – The 25-year-old had a nice ten-day stint with the Twins earlier this season when the Twins needed a bullpen guy who could eat multiple innings. In his one appearance, he was very impressive in three shutout innings. With the Red Wings, he is 2-4 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. In 55.2 innings, he has 53 strikeouts, but he also has walked 24 (3.9 BB/9 IP). On June 8, he gave up four runs on eight hits and three walks in 5.1 innings. In his most recent start, he threw five innings and gave up only an unearned run. He gave up just three hits, but he uncharacteristically walked five. His spot in the rotation comes up on Thursday, making him the starter who is in line to start in Deduno’s spot without altering his schedule. Trevor May – The speculation was that the 24-year-old might be the guy to come up to replace Deduno. Some of that may be because he was on the same schedule as Kevin Correia who two starts ago looked to be on his last leg. May made his scheduled start on Monday night. He wasn’t on a pitch count limit, to be sure. He threw 120 pitches and pitched in the ninth inning and gave up just one run. Control was his biggest issue earlier in his career, but his walk rate has drop from 4.7/9 innings in 2012 to 4.0/9 innings in 2013. After last night’s start, his walk rate is at 3.5 per nine. Like Meyer, May has the “stuff” and the prospect status that people believe will give him a shot to succeed in the big leagues. Let’s just compare the stats of these five starters. Try your best not to look at the name and especially their ages when evaluating who has been the best, or is the most deserving of the promotion. [TABLE] Pitcher W-L ERA WHIP H/9 BB/9 K/9 Alex Meyer 4-3 3.62 1.33 7.8 4.2 10.6 Logan Darnell 2-4 2.75 1.37 8.4 3.9 8.6 Kris Johnson 6-3 2.60 1.20 7.3 3.5 7.7 Yohan Pino 9-1 1.92 0.93 6.0 2.4 9.0 Trevor May 7-4 2.77 1.11 6.5 3.5 9.4 [/TABLE] There is no statistical analysis that can look at the above numbers and say that Yohan Pino is not deserving of an opportunity. However, that’s where the statistical world and the scouting world will butt heads. Many will say that Pino doesn’t have the stuff to get big league hitters out. That may very well be true. However, my opinion (and maybe mine alone) is that when you put up those kinds of numbers at the highest level below the big leagues, you deserve an opportunity just to see. That said, if any of these five guys got called up, or get called up later in the season, it will have been earned. If you believe Trevor May should be the one promoted, they can do so creatively. They could have Darnell start for the Twins on Thursday, in his normal spot, and then after the game send him down. At that point, there could be a shifting of the rotation such that May would start on Sunday or Monday for the Twins as well. It can happen if they choose to go in that direction. That said, if it is Logan Darnell, he’s earned the opportunity and it would be nice to see him get a handful of starts. THE BULLPEN OPTIONS Real quickly I wanted to point out that there are a couple of good options in Rochester if the Twins needed a bullpen arm (and didn’t just move a starter there). AJ Achter and Michael Tonkin both have pitched well for the Red Wings. Tonkin has the name, and he’s on the 40 man roster, and he throws pretty hard. Achter is not on the 40 man roster, doesn’t throw as hard, but has consistently put up remarkable numbers. If they were to want or need a left-hander, Aaron Thompson should be considered. [TABLE] Pitcher W-L ERA WHIP H/9 BB/9 K/9 AJ Achter 2-2 1.38 0.61 3.6 1.9 8.5 Michael Tonkin 1-0 1.93 1.00 7.1 1.9 9.0 Aaron Thompson 1-2 2.67 1.15 6.7 3.7 8.3 [/TABLE] HITTERS Chris Colabello and Josmil Pinto were a big part of the Twins offense early in the season. They are each working their way back in Rochester, but a few other names are worth getting to know. Deibinson Romero made a strong impression with his bat in spring training, and he has continued to rake in Rochester. He is now hitting .312/.407/.468 (.875) with 17 doubles and five home runs. He does already have 15 errors at third base, but his bat may be able to play in the big leagues. While Romero is the hitter, the Twins have a couple of glove-first guys in Rochester who would have to be considered if the Twins need another utility infielder (they have several already). We saw Doug Bernier last year. He has been playing all over the diamond this year, and he’s hitting .288/.369/.412 with 10 doubles and three home runs. James Beresford has been the Red Wings second baseman. He’s hitting .293/.343/.360 (.703) with 11 doubles, a triple and a homer. Eric Farris got one at-bat in 2011 with the Milwaukee Brewers. In 2012, he went 1-8 with the Brewers. He came to the Twins a year ago and split time between New Britain and Rochester. He’s been the primary centerfielder for the Red Wings this year. He has hit .289/.328/.362 (.690). So, there may not be as many hitters as pitchers putting up big numbers, but it’s always nice to know who could be next should a need arise. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Avisail Garcia600.jpg Although there have been many storylines throughout the playoffs, one that may not be getting enough play is that the Detroit Tigers have handed over playing time to 21-year-old Avisail Garcia. Consider: he began this season in the Florida State League and played just 55 games at Double-A Erie. The Tigers called him up to the big leagues on August 31, making him eligible to compete in the post season. Garcia has just three hits in 12 at bats this postseason, but he has driven in three pretty important runs. He has one RBI in each of the games against the Yankees. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] He is starting in right field against left-handed pitchers, like Andy Pettitte in Game 1 of the ALCS. With a righty on the mound for the Yankees in Game 2 (Hiroki Kuroda), Quinton Berry got the start, but when the Bombers went to lefty Boone Logan later in the game with the game at hand, Garcia came through with a pinch-hit RBI single. There are similarities between Garcia and the Tigers Triple Crown man, Miguel Cabrera. Garcia is listed at 6-4 and 240 pounds. Cabrera is listed at 6-4 and 240 pounds. Their batting stances are very similar as are their mannerisms in the batter’s box. Hey, if there is a hitter that a kid from a small town in Venezuela should emulate (on the field only!), it certainly would be Cabrera. As I see Garcia playing and contributing to this Tigers playoff run, I can’t help but also see similarities between Asivail Garcia and the Twins prospect Oswaldo Arcia. Like Garcia, the 21-year-old Arcia started the season in the Florida State League before moving up to the Eastern League for the season’s second half. I can’t help but wonder, if the Twins had made a playoff run in 2012, would the Twins have considered bringing up Oswaldo Arcia and playing him in October? Probably not. The Twins would not have put Arcia in that situation, for a couple of reasons. First, and foremost, the Twins had plenty of outfielders that were playing well. Josh Willingham was in left field. Denard Span in Centerfield. Ben Revere was in right field. Also, Chris Parmelee could have been put in right field as well after crushing AAA pitching all season. Frankly, there were enough other options for the Twins, even in a rotten 2012 season, that Arcia did not need to be rushed. It’s different with the Tigers. They have Austin Jackson in centerfield. Andy Dirks has earned every day playing time in the outfield. Quinton Berry had a nice rookie season, but he made a perfect platoon option. Brennan Boesch also hits left-handed, so he wasn’t a platoon option. The right-handed hitting Garcia was a good match with Berry. Also, I’m guessing it wasn’t a very difficult decision for Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland to keep the free-swinging Boesch off of the playoff roster. I also don’t think it would be fair to say that the Twins would never consider bringing up a young player from the minor leagues in September (or August 31) and playing him in the playoffs. In 2003, Michael Cuddyer got recalled to the Twins for September and was the starting right fielder in the ALDS. He started in place of “Dusty Kielmohr” (Bobby Kielty and Dustin Mohr) and went 5-13 (.385) with 3 walks in the series against the A’s. How does Oswaldo Arcia rank as a prospect compared to Avisail Garcia? When Baseball America came out with its lists of top prospects by league, both players made two lists. In the Florida State League (High-A), Arcia was listed as the #7 prospect while Garcia was #13. In the Eastern League (AA), Arcia ranked #6 while Garcia ranked at #11. Here are their 2012 numbers, for comparison’s sake: FLORIDA STATE LEAGUE [TABLE] Name Team Games BA/OBP/SLG OPS 2B 3B HR Oswaldo Arcia Ft. Myers 55 .309/.376/.517 .893 16 3 7 Avisail Garcia Lakeland 67 .289/.324/.447 .771 8 5 8 [/TABLE] EASTERN LEAGUE [TABLE] Name Team Games BA/OBP/SLG OPS 2B 3B HR Oswaldo Arcia New Britain 69 .328/.398/.557 .955 20 5 10 Avisail Garcia Erie 55 .312/.345/.465 .810 9 3 6 [/TABLE] Both players were quality Venezuelan prospects and signed just days apart from each other in July of 2007. 2008 – Arcia played in the Dominican Summer League. Garcia played in the Venezuelan Summer League. 2009 – While Arcia moved up one level at a time, starting in the GCL, the Tigers had Garcia start the 2009 season in the Midwest League, playing for West Michigan. Arcia put together a solid season in the GCL, posting a .792 OPS. Garcia struggled, as you would expect, with a .613 OPS. 2010 – Garcia returned to West Michigan in 2010 and improved slightly as a 19-year-old. He posted a .669 OPS. Meanwhile, Arcia put together his monster season for Elizabethton. It was the year that he hit .375/.424/.672 (1.096 OPS) with 21 doubles, seven triples and 14 home runs. 2011 – Last year, Arcia started the season in Beloit where he hit .352/.420/.704 with 14 extra base hits in April. He had elbow surgery, and when he came back in June, he went right to Ft. Myers where he posted a .763 OPS for the Miracle with 24 extra base hits. Garcia spent all of 2011 with Lakeland, also in the Florida State League, where he posted a .686 OPS with 33 extra base hits. 2012 – Both started the season back in the Florida State League. Arcia posted an .893 OPS in 55 games before moving up to AA New Britain where he was even better (.955 OPS). Garcia posted a .771 OPS with Lakeland in 67 games before moving up to AA Erie where he posted an .810 OPS. Garcia got the promotion to the Tigers still on August 31 and hit .319 for the Tigers in 23 games. He had 15 singles in 47 at bats. As Oswaldo Arcia is beginning his Venezuelan Winter League season in Aragua (the hometown of Garcia), Garcia is playing in the ALCS against the Yankees. As I watch Garcia contribute for the Tigers in the playoffs, I can’t help but get excited about the Twins future with Oswaldo Arcia (and Aaron Hicks, who ranked #8 in Baseball America’s Eastern League rankings and is also beginning his season in Venezuela with Margarita – where he is 5-14 (.357) to start the season) being a big part of it. Click here to view the article

The July trade deadline has passed and the only player transaction on the day was Rochester’s Drew Butera was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, I think we can expect there will be a trickle-down effect of that move as Rochester will need another catcher (Josmil Pinto maybe?), and then New Britain will need another catcher (Kyle Knudson’s return, or Matt Koch maybe?). Then Ft. Myers will need a new catcher, so could Jairo Rodriguez’s affiliate tour take him back to the Miracle? Meanwhile, the Andrew Albers Show continued with the Rochester Red Wings. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Wednesday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 1, Lehigh Valley 2 Box Score His offense didn’t help him much, but Andrew Albers continued to pitch very well for the Red Wings. Albers went all eight innings. He gave up two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out four. He is now 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA on the season. There wasn’t much offense. Chris Parmelee went 3-4 with his second double. Deibinson Romero was 2-4 with his 11th double. Eduardo Escobar hit his sixth double in his short time with the Red Wings. New Britain 5, Akron 2 Box Score Pat Dean had a very nice night on the mound and the offense came up with some big hits. The left-handed starter went the first 7.2 innings and gave up two runs. He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out two for his sixth win of the year. Cole Johnson came on and got the final four outs, two on strikeouts, for his third Rock Cats save. Danny Ortiz had just one hit, but he drove in four runs. Three of them came on his tenth home run of the season. Danny Santana went 2-3 with a walk, and Josmil Pinto went 2-4. Ft. Myers 1, Daytona 2 Box Score It was a well-pitched game, but the Miracle fell on an unearned run in the ninth inning-- a passed ball by catcher Kyle Knudsen. Lefty Jason Wheeler started and gave up one run on seven hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out three. Steven Gruver came on and threw two scoreless innings despite allowing three hits and a walk. Zach Jones gave up the unearned run on two hits and the error in the top of the ninth. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-4 with his 10th double. Jhon Goncalves was 2-3 with his 11th stolen base. Kennys Vargas hit his 30th double. Cedar Rapids 1, Burlington 3 Box Score The Kernels got the pitching; unfortunately the offense and the defense didn’t pull their weights on this night. Cedar Rapids managed just four hits in the game while committing four errors. Josue Montanez went the first five innings and gave up three unearned runs. He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out three. Tim Shibuya came on and threw three scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out two. Three of the four Kernels hits were doubles. Adam Walker hit his 25th. Niko Goodrum hit his 19th, and Joel Licon added his eighth double. Elizabethton 4, Kingsport 9 Box Score One (really) bad inning just before the rains came really hurt the E-Twins. Yorman Landa started and gave up three runs on four hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out four. Andre Martinez came on to start the fifth inning and was unable to record an out. He gave up six runs (2 earned) on three hits and two walks. Andrew Ferreira came on and struck out the next two batters before the rains came and caused a delay. When they returned to action, Aaron Slegers was on the mound. He went the next 3.1 innings without allowing a run. He gave up four hits and a walk and struck out three. Brandon Peterson struck out one in a scoreless inning. Bryan Haar was 3-5 with his eighth double and two RBI. Kelvin Ortiz was 2-3 with a walk and drove in two with his fourth double; he also stole his ninth base. Tanner Vavra went 2-4. Zach Granite had a single and a walk and scored two runs. GCL Twins 3, GCL Rays 0 Box Score Last July 2nd, the Twins signed a left-handed pitcher from Australia named Lewis Thorpe. On this day, Thorpe made the start and went five shutout innings. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out four. Sam Gibbons came on and walked one in two scoreless innings. He struck out two. Miguel Gonzalez and Derrick Penilla each gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Jason Kanzler went 2-4 with a walk and his second triple. Wilkin Ramirez hit the first home run on his rehab stint. Will Hurt walked three times. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article

The Twins got multi-hit games from seven hitters and seven shutout innings (nine strikeouts) from Phil Hughes on their way to a 7-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Joe Mauer and Kendrys Morales each had three hits, and Hughes improved to 7-2 on the season. Following the game, the Twins optioned Josmil Pinto to Rochester where he’ll join the Red Wings in Lehigh Valley on Thursday. The Twins will be adding a catcher to their roster on Thursday or before the game on Friday. Also, you can expect to hear about several Twins draft pick signings on Thursday. However, this is the Minnesota Twins Minor League Report, so let’s see what happened in the Twins farm system on Wednesday: RED WINGS REPORT No game scheduled. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 8, Reading 5 Box Score The Rock Cat bats powered their way to another win. Sam Fuld, in what likely was his final rehab game, went 3-5 with a walk and his second double. Brandon Waring hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the season. He also walked and was hit by a pitch. Matt Koch and Tony Thomas were both 2-4 with a walk. Kennys Vargas was 2-5 and drove in two runs. Sean Gilmartin gave up a lot of hits but was able to limit the damage. In five innings, he gave up 11 hits but just four runs. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out six. Mark Hamburger came on and gave up one run over his two innings. He gave up a solo homer. Jim Fuller gave up two hits but no runs over two innings. Cole Johnson recorded his fifth save when he struck out two in a perfect inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Charlotte 6 Box Score The Miracle got yet another terrific start from JO Berrios. The offense supported him, and the team was able to hang on at the end for the win. Berrios went six innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out seven. Steven Gruver struck out two over two perfect innings. With a five-run lead, Tyler Jones came on for the ninth inning. He was charged with four runs, all unearned, in the ninth, but was able to close the game for a one-run victory. Stuart Turner gave the Miracle an early lead with a two-run homer in the second inning. Michael Gonzales was also 1-3 with a walk and a home run. He drove in three runs. The Miracle had just six hits but they also walked six times. Travis Harrison doubled for the 18th time this season. In his last nine starts, Berrios has been incredible. He has gone 6-1 with a 1.75 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, 11.5 K/9 and a 2.6 BB/9. Download attachment: JO Berrios FM.jpg KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Quad Cities 4 Box Score This was a tight game throughout. The Kernels scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, then gave up three runs in the top of the ninth and barely hung on for the win. Phenom Fernando Romero made the start and went four innings. He gave up one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out one. 46 of his 76 pitches were strikes. SD Buhr pointed out that his fastball was sitting between 91 and 96 mph. He was replaced by Brandon Bixler who struck out two over three perfect innings. Hudson Boyd pitched a scoreless eighth inning. However, he gave up three runs in the ninth inning and got just the first two outs. Todd Van Steensel recorded his sixth save by getting a fly out to left. Mitch Garver went 3-4. Tanner Vavra and Bryan Haar each went 2-4. Jon Murphy was 2-3 with his second double. Jason Kanzler hit his sixth home run. Chad Christensen hit his third triple and drove in three runs. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – JO Berrios, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Brandon Waring, New Britain Rock Cats THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Lehigh Valley (6:05 CST) – Yohan Pino (Listen) New Britain @ Reading (6:05 CST) – Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Charlotte @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Matt Tomshaw (Listen) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Ryan Eades (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win over the Blue Jays Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: chris-colabello2.jpg The Twins organization is filled with players from all over the globe. They scout the entire country, Canada and Puerto Rico for the draft. They’ve done a nice job signing international players in recent years. The Twins do a great job in Australia. They have players from Europe and talent from Taiwan. They have players from Central and South America, but also from South Africa. The last couple of seasons, the Twins have gone in a direction that is likely most rare. In the last two seasons, the Twins have signed four players out of the independent leagues. To this point, none of them have made it to the big leagues, and often, these players are not signed to get to the big leagues. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]They are signed to fill a role with one of the team’s affiliates. When the Baltimore Orioles signed OF Lew Ford out of the independent ranks, they basically came out and said he would likely not play in the big leagues. But once in a while, there is a success story. Ford played so well in AAA that the O’s called him up which was a great story. Here is a little bit about each of the four players the Twins signed from the independent leagues: Andrew Albers – LHP – 26 Albers pitched for four years at the University of Kentucky before being drafted in the 10th round of the 2008 draft by the Padres. He pitched in the rookie leagues for them that summer, but injured his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. He missed the entire 2009 season, and when he went to spring training with the team in 2010, he was still not 100% He was released, and in 2010 he pitched for Quebec in the CanAm League. He went 3-0 with 17 saves and a 1.40 ERA. In 57.2 innings, he gave up 41 hits, walked 16 and struck out 59. The next spring, he was trying to work out tryouts with big league clubs, looking for an opportunity for another shot with an affiliation. A couple of those opportunities didn’t pan out. To make a short story long, he called the Twins and said that he would drive from Arizona to Ft. Myers for a tryout. IF they liked him, they could reimburse his travel. If not, he would drive back home, to Saskatchewan, and call it a career. The Twins liked what they saw and signed him. He was my choice for Twins minor league relief pitcher of the year in 2011 when he went 4-1 with a 1.55 ERA in Ft. Myers and then 4-1 with a 2.91 ERA in New Britain. He has been a starter this season for the New Britain Rock Cats. He is 4-3 with a 3.61 ERA in 17 games (15 starts). He is an aggressive, strike-thrower, walking just 11 in 87.1 innings. He has been on the disabled list twice. Download attachment: Andrew Albers.jpg Caleb Thielbar – LHP – 25 Thielbar is from the town of Randolph, Minnesota. He pitched at South Dakota State. In 2009, he went 5-8 with a 5.44 ERA for the Jackrabbits yet was drafted in the 18th round that year by the Milwaukee Brewers. He made it up to Low A Wisconsin of the Midwest League where he pitched in 30 games in 2010. In 2011, he pitched in 43 games for the St. Paul Saints and went 3-3 with a 2.54 ERA. In 49.2 innings, he gave up 41 hits, walked 15 and struckout 62. The Twins signed him in August, and he pitched in three games for the Ft. Myers Miracle. He did well, but the assumption by many was that he was just helping fill out the roster and may not make it to the 2012 season. Instead, he went to minor league spring training with the Twins and has been one of the fast-risers in the system. The left-hander started the season with the Miracle. He pitched in seven games and 12.1 innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struckout 16. He was quickly promoted to New Britain where he pitched in 16 games. In 25 innings, he gave up 18 hits, walked just three and struck out 26. He earned a mid-June promotion to AAA Rochester. He has leveled off some, but in 23 games and 34 innings, he has given up 37 hits, walked 13 and struck out 26. Overall, he is 6-2 with a 2.14 ERA. Download attachment: Caleb Thielbar.jpg Chris Colabello – 1B – 28 Colabello had a solid, four-year career at Assumption College, a small Division II school in Worcester, Massechusetts. However, he was not drafted. Since that time, 2005, he has played independent baseball, primarily for Worcester, which is also in the CanAm League. He has hit over .300 in six of those seven seasons. He was a league All-Star in 2008 and again in 2011 when he had a terrific season. The first baseman hit .348/.410/.600 (1.010) with 32 doubles, 20 homers and 79 RBI). He was named the CanAm League player of the year, and also Baseball America named him the Independent League player of the year. The Twins felt they had a need for a bat and a first baseman at AA New Britain, so they gave Colabello his first opportunity with an affiliated team at the age of 28. To say that he has proven he belongs would be an understatement. He has hit in the middle of the Rock Cats lineup and hit .285/.354/.488 (.842) with 35 doubles, 18 homers and 91 RBI. For a guy who came into the season likely wondering if he would fit in and how he would do. At this point, the assumption is that he should be back and playing in Rochester in 2013. Can he be a right-handed bench bat for the Twins? We will find out. Download attachment: Chris Colabello.jpg Dan Sattler – RHP – 28 Sattler pitched in the Big 10, for Purdue, from 2004 through 2007. In that time, he went 12-18 with a 4.39 ERA. He was drafted by the Rangers in the 33th round in 2006 but went back for his senior season. He went undrafted but signed with the Rangers. He pitched in the Texas organization in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, he pitched for independent league Kansas City, but late in the season, he signed with the A’s and pitched in their system through the 2010 season. In 2011, he was with the Angels organization. He signed with the St. Paul Saints early this year, but the Twins signed him after he pitched in just five games. He was 1-0 with three saves. Blessed with a fastball in the upper 90s, Sattler signed and reported to Ft. Myers. He pitched in three games for the Miracle. On June 19, he was promoted to New Britain where he pitched in five games. On July 6, he was promoted to Rochester where he pitched in seven games. All told, he was 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA. In 29.2 innings, he gave up 18 hits, walked ten and struck out 20. Opponents hit just .173 against him. Unfortunately, he went on the disabled list with elbow problems and needed Tommy John surgery. Download attachment: Dan Sattler.jpg Generally, when teams sign players from independent leagues, it is to fill a minor league roster. However, there are always exceptions. I was fortunate to play ball in college with Chris Coste who spent several years with the independent Fargo/Moorhead Redhawks before getting an opportunity in affiliated ball. It took a few years, but you may recall that he became The 33-Year-Old Rookie and won a World Series ring with the Philadelphia Phillies. The beauty is that you just never know. Of these four players, it is possible none of them will see time with the Twins. It’s also possible that any of them could fill a role of some sort with the big league club. We shall see. Click here to view the article

The Twins have 41 games to go which seems like a lot. However, there are just ten days before we reach September when rosters can expand. With the Twins moves yesterday, outrighting Nick Blackburn and Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the Twins 40 man roster now sits at 38. This is great because that means that the Twins can add two players to the 40 man roster without dropping anyone else. Then again, there are a few players that could be removed without much heartache in Twins Nation. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Starting Pitching has been the Twins biggest concern all season. Really, it has been for several seasons, and it will be again throughout the offseason. That said, the Twins have to find out what they have on the 40 man roster for starters. As of right now, the Twins starting rotation is Scott Diamond, Sam Deduno, Brian Duensing and Cole De Vries. We might be able to assume that Liam Hendriks will take Blackburn’s rotation spot, but at this point, we don’t know that for certain. Below, I will outline what I would like to see the Twins do with their starting rotation in September, if not sooner: THE GOAL Again, I think it’s important to understand the logic in what is trying to be accomplished. In my opinion, the Twins front office has to make some tough decisions for next year. Can they count on Liam Hendriks? Which of the starters should stay on the 40 man roster, much less go to spring training attempting to win a 5th starter job or a long-relief job. THE PLAN To be able to see more pitchers, I would recommend a six-man starting rotation. I’d be against it under normal circumstances, but I think it’s important to see what several of these guys can do when asked to throw five to seven innings. WHO IS OUT (OF THE ROTATION)? Well, one of my recommendations was going to be to get Nick Blackburn out of the starting rotation. Whether it was to the bullpen of released, I think we have all seen enough of his starts. Cole De Vries has shown me enough to likely stay on the 40 man roster and be able to compete for a 5th starter/long reliever/#6-7 starter job. Brian Duensing should be in the bullpen, regardless of how well he pitched last night. He has shown that he can start when needed. His roster spot is very safe as he is a tremendous left-handed reliever. WHO STARTS? #1 – Scott Diamond – He has made himself into the one given for the Twins Opening Day starting rotation. He has thrown 162.2 innings so far in 2012 after pitching 162 innings last year. If you subscribe to the belief that a pitcher should pitch no more than 20% more innings than the previous season, that means Diamond should throw about 195 innings. Going to six starters will likely mean one less start and they can still monitor his innings because of extra relievers. #2 – Sam Deduno – Yes, I know he’s got 36 walks and 30 strikeouts in 46 innings. But he also has a 4-1 record and a 3.33 ERA. I know that there’s like a 99.8% likelihood that his success is not sustainable, but let me live in that other 0.2% for another month. What if he can find a way to relax a little bit and reduce is BB/9 from 7.0 to 4.2 or so? What if? I am so intrigued by how nasty his stuff is and how much movement his pitches get. The Twins have nothing to lose in September, so why not give his ‘stuff’ an opportunity?! #3 – Liam Hendriks – Yes, he has struggled with the Twins in a couple of stints this year. He was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year last year when he split time between AA and AAA and then was pushed too quickly to the big leagues in September. This year, he was with the Twins quickly and probably wasn’t quite ready. However, in 16 starts with AAA Rochester this season, he is now 9-3 with a 2.20 ERA. In 106.1 innings, he has given up 76 hits, walked 28 and struck out 82. He’s just 23 years old and has the background of success and the mix of pitches necessary to believe that he will figure it out at some point. #4 – Esmerling Vasquez – The Twins claimed Vasquez on the final weekend of the 2011 season. Just before spring training, he was DFAd to make room for Darin Mastroianni. He has been, arguably, the most consistent pitcher in Rochester this season. As a reliever, he is 5-4 with a 2.67 ERA. In 57.1 innings, he has given up 41 hits, walked 25 and struckout 50. However, he was recently moved to the starting staff, and in seven starts, he is 4-1 with a 3.16 ERA. In 37 innings, he has given up 27 hits, walked 11 and struck out 41. That doesn’t count a game that he came into with two outs in the 1st inning and pitched into the 9th inning. That K/rate of more than one per inning is certainly intriguing in an organization where that is a rarity. #5 – Jeff Manship – Next spring, Manship will be out of options. Since making five starts for the Twins in 2009 (including his first big league win in a must-win, last weekend start against the Royals), Manship has made just one start for the Twins, and that was in 2010. However, as a starter in Rochester this season, he has gone 4-2 with a 2.29 ERA in 10 starts. In 51 innings he’s given up 47 hits, walked 19 and struck out 32. I would give him a five to six start opportunity in September before making a decision, either way. #6 – PJ Walters – Although his overall numbers in seven starts for the Twins from mid-May through mid-June were not great, he certainly showed some glimpses. In his first four starts, he went at least six innings and pitched a complete game against the White Sox. But when the calendar turned to June, his struggles began. He didn’t go more than five in his first two starts, and then he didn’t get out of the first inning in a June 13 start against the Phillies. He hasn’t pitched in the big league since. He’s now working in his second rehab stint in Rochester, and went three innings and threw 59 pitches. Another start or two for the Red Wings and he should be able to make five more starts with the Twins. SUMMARY Terry Ryan and his front office staff have some difficult decisions to make on many players as they plan for 2012. I think a good way to get a look at a few of them would be to go to a six man starting rotation. Guys like Cole De Vries, Brian Duensing and Anthony Swarzak will become very important as well because there will be short starts and innings to eat, in all likelihood. Five or six extra starts is probably too small of a sample size to make final decisions, but coupled with AAA reports, it’s something more. What do you think of this plan? What do you think will or should happen, in your opinion? Download attachment: PJ Walters 3.jpg Photo by StarTribune.com Click here to view the article

Despite being the Twins 1st round pick in the 2006 draft out of his school, it took until September of 2011 for his to become a household name among many Twins fans. After five seasons in the minor leagues, Parmelee was promoted directly from Double-A New Britain when the Rock Cats season ended just short of a playoff berth. Parmelee had put together a very strong second half for the Rock Cats, but no one could have imagined how well he played in September. He played nearly every day, 21 games in all, and hit .355/.443/.592 with six doubles, four homers and 14 RBI. In 88 plate appearances, he walked twice and struckout 13 times. Download attachment: Parmelee.jpg Parmelee gives us a glimpse into why minor league numbers and statistics are secondary to player development. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] All players drafted high, especially in the first round, are there because they have immense tools. How quickly can they turn those tools into skills? There is not one ‘right’ answer to that questions. Some players are able to come up to the big leagues within the first couple of years. Most players take five or six years to get to the big leagues. STAGE 1 – The Adam Dunn Stage Like most high school players drafted, Parmelee went to the Gulf Coast League. He performed well, hitting .279/.369/.532 (.901) with seven doubles, four triples, eight homers and 32 RBI in 45 games. He was rewarded by spending 11 games in Beloit where he hit .227 but posted a .370 On Base Percentage. He spent the 2007 season in Beloit where he hit just .239/.313/.414 (.727) with 23 doubles, five triples and 14 home runs. He returned to the Snappers for the 2008 season. Unfortunately, he only played about half of the games as the previous year due to injury, but he was better. He hit .239/.385/.496 (.881) with 10 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs and 49 RBI. In those two seasons in Beloit, he walked 98 times and struckout 210 times in 790 plate appearances. In 2009, he went to Ft. Myers and hit .258/.359/.441 (.881) with 27 doubles, 16 homers and 73 RBI. In 501 plate appearances, he walked 65 times and struck out 109 times. In this stage, there was hope that the bulky Parmelee could turn into an Adam Dunn-type player. He did not hit for average, but he took a great number of walks and showed some good power for that early stage of his career. Of course, Adam Dunn would be a great thing. Most minor leaguers who strikeout that much in those lower levels don’t work their way up to the big leagues unless they’re able to cut those numbers. STAGE 2 – The Transition After playing in the Arizona Fall League after the season, Parmelee figured out that he would need to lose some weight, and by the time he came to Twins Fest, he looked like a different person. Chris Parmelee began the 2010 season with the New Britain Rock Cats, but he really struggled. Pitchers were taking advantage of him. He wasn’t walking and was striking out a lot. Because of that, the power wasn’t there either. Less than six weeks into the season, he was sent back to Ft. Myers, and that is where something clicked. In just 22 games, he hit .338/.430/.463 (.893) with five extra base hits. He also walked 13 times and struckout 11 times. He returned to New Britain as a different hitter. Overall, he hit .275/.341/.389 (.731) with 25 doubles, two triples and six home runs. In 463 plate appearances, he walked just 43 times and struck out just 70 times. In 2011, he hit .287/.366/.436 (.801) with 30 doubles, five triples, 13 home runs and 83 RBI for New Britain. He walked 68 times and struckout 94 times in 610 plate appearances. The strategy appears to be focusing on one thing and then hoping the other things come back. In other words, Parmelee had shown an ability to take walks and hit for some home run power. However, he also struck out a ton. To make him a better all-around hitter, they encouraged him to be a little more aggressive, use the whole field and make better contact. STAGE 3 – It All Comes Together The best case scenario is putting the stages back together. Now that he can hit for average and keep the strikeouts down, could he get back to getting on with a lot of walks and bring back the power? As we know, Parmelee put together a great showing in September. He was terrific in spring training and earned an Opening Day roster spot. Although he has struggled in limited playing time with the Twins over a couple of stints, he has continued to show power. In 49 games in Rochester, he has hit .354/.470/.691 (1.161) with 15 doubles and 15 home runs. As important, he has 38 walks to go with just 34 strikeouts in 217 plate appearances. Parmelee awaits another opportunity to play with the Twins. It will likely happen in the very near future. You can look through his minor league track record and make a lot about of those early years, but he is no longer that same player. Parmelee, in a way, took a step backwards to take eight steps forward. He may be one of those examples where he might outperform his minor league numbers. We don’t know, but we shall find out. Soon. Click here to view the article

In my fourth annual Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook, which became available in January, I posted my Top 30 Twins Prospect list as well as my annual rankings back five or six years. I enjoy looking at those lists for a couple of reasons. First, it is humbling. No one will likely ever produce a top 10 list that is 100% accurate. Second, it’s a fun reminder of some of the names from the past that didn’t stick around or make it. Third, it’s just fun to review to see what I have learned since then. Today, I would like to take a look at my top 20 Twins prospects from before the season started and provide a quick update on how they’re doing. Some will move up, others will (or have) moved down. In parentheses, you will see where I ranked that player when I did an updated ranking before the June draft. In the comments, please feel free to discuss, but also feel free to post your updated Top 10 list as of now. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]--- #1 (1) – Miguel Sano – 19 years old – 3B In Beloit, he is hitting .259/.380/.521 (.902) with 24 doubles, 4 triples, 24 homers and 90 RBI. He has stolen seven bases. He has also committed 40 errors. #2 (2) – Eddie Rosario – 20 years old – 2B Also in Beloit, Rosario missed just over a month of games after being hit in the mouth by a line drive in batting practice, but he’s back and hitting again. He is hitting .301/.359/.480 (.839) with 24 doubles, three triples, eight homers and 54 RBI. He has committed just 12 errors at second base, and is also playing about a game a week in centerfield. #3 (5) – Oswaldo Arcia – 21 years old – RF It’s been a great year for the Venezuelan outfielder. After a slow start in Ft. Myers, he took off. He played in the FSL All Star game and then hit a double off of Jameson Taillon in the Futures Game. He was promoted to AA New Britain in mid-June and he has been even better. Overall, he’s hitting .319/.390/.534 (.924) with 31 doubles, five triples 14 home runs and 78 RBI. He has six errors defensively, but he also has 15 outfield assists. #4 (4) – Aaron Hicks – 22 years old – CF Hicks has seemingly turned a corner since his strong showing in the AFL last year. In AA this year, he has taken off. He is hitting .281/.381/.456 with 19 doubles, seven triples, 12 home runs and 55 RBI. He’s also stolen 27 bases and has ten outfield assists while showing great range and a very strong arm. #5 (7) – Joe Benson – 24 year old – OF It’s been a disappointing season for Benson since a nice showing in spring training. He began the season in Rochester where he really struggled before being sent back to New Britain. He then had to have surgery on his hamate bone and missed 5-6 weeks. He has returned and is back at New Britain, but the struggles continue. Overall this season, Benson is hitting .209/.294/.350 (.644) with 13 doubles, three triples and six home runs. He’s also 13/17 in steal attempts. He remains one of the best defensive outfielders in the organization. #6 (3) – Liam Hendriks – 23 years old – RHP Hendriks made the Opening Day roster but was sent down later in the first month. He got another opportunity in June that went miserably as well. However, in Rochester, he has been terrific. He is a 9-2 with a 1.99 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP. In 99.1 innings, he has given up just 69 hits, walked 25 and struckout 76. He will get another shot soon. #7 (6) – Kyle Gibson – 24 years old – RHP Hearing reports that Gibson is throwing just as hard, if not harder, than he did before his September Tommy John surgery is certainly encouraging. He has remained on schedule and tonight will make his first start of the year for the Ft. Myers Miracle. In a month’s worth of rehab games in the GCL, Gibson was 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. In 14.2 innings, he gave up nine hits, walked four and struck out 14. Of course, the numbers are far less important than the process. #8 (13) – Adrian Salcedo – 21 years old – RHP The lanky right-hander struggled in the early season. He was 0-2 with a 5.87 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. Unlike his previous seasons, he struggled with control, issuing more walks than ever. Something wasn’t right. He was put on the DL with elbow concerns early in the year. He came back and struggled more, and then he was put on the DL with shoulder issues. #9 (12) – Alex Wimmers – 23 years old – RHP After all of his control issues early last season, he ended the year with a no-hitter for the Miracle. He had a solid spring and was sent to New Britain to start the season. He made his first start and hasn’t pitched since. After a couple of months rehabbing, he had Tommy John surgery. #10 (N/A) – Chris Parmelee – 24 years old – 1B Like Hendriks, Parmelee made the Opening Day roster. He struggled some, but when Justin Morneau started playing more 1B, he also didn’t play. He has gone to Rochester and been back up one other time. In Rochester, he is currently hitting .354/.469/.691 (1.161) with 14 doubles, 15 homers and 41 RBI. He has 37 walks to go with 33 strikeouts. Like Hendriks, he should be up again very soon. #11 (8) – Brian Dozier – 25 years old – SS In 84 Games with Twins, he’s hitting .234/.271/.332 (.603) with 11 doubles, a triple, six homers, 32 RBI and nine stolen bases. #12 (9) – Travis Harrison – 19 years old – 3B He’s hitting .310/.394/.444 (.838) with ten doubles, two triples, three homers and 18 RBI. He has 20 errors in 45 games. #13 (25) – Tom Stuifbergen – 23 years old – RHP He’s 4-6 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. In 53.1 innings, he’s given up 78 hits, 10 walks and 30 strikeouts. #14 (24) – Angel Morales – 22 years old – OF He’s hitting .207/.288/.310 (.597) with seven doubles, four triples, six homers and 28 RBI. #15 (11) – Chris Herrmann – 24 years old – C/LF Hitting .270/.343/.391 with 22 doubles, a triple, 9 homers and 50 RBI. He’s caught in 70 games and played LF in 26 others. #16 (36) – Manuel Soliman – 23 years old – RHP He made two starts for Ft. Myers before his season came to an end due to surgery on his labrum. #17 (15) – Levi Michael – 21 years old – SS/2B Michael was horrible in the first half and has been at least solid in the second half. He’s hitting .238/.333/.303 (.636) with 10 doubles, four triples, two homers and 33 RBI. #18 (27) – Max Kepler – 19 years old – OF Fair to say he’ll move way up this list after this season. He’s hitting .298/.399/.536 (.935) with 11 doubles, four triples, eight homers and 40 RBI for Elizabethton. He played solely in CF until Byron Buxton got to E-Town. Now Kepler is playing in the corners. #19 (16) – Niko Goodrum – 20 years old – SS/3B Like Kepler, Niko returned to E-Town, but the success (in terms of batting average) has not been there. He’s hitting .247/.367/.425 (.792) with ten doubles, six triples, three homers and 34 RBI. He’s got 13 errors between the two positions. #20 (10) – Hudson Boyd – 19 years old – RHP Boyd jumped to E-Town for his pro debut this year. He’s just 2-5, but his ERA is just 2.40. Half of the 24 runs he’s allowed this year have been unearned. He is posting a 1.40 WHIP. In 45 innings, he given up 47 hits, walked 16 and struck out 29. #21 (14) – BJ Hermsen – 22 year old – RHP After four starts in Ft. Myers (1-0, 0.78 ERA, 0.91 WHIP), Hermsen moved up to AA New Britain where he was an All Star. With the Rock Cats, he’s 10-5 with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. #22 (18) – Danny Santana – 21 years old – SS With the Miracle, he’s hitting .283/.324/.397 (.721) with 18 doubles, eight triples, five homers and 47 RBI. He has 16 stolen bases. He has 16 errors in 67 games at SS, and another 8 errors in 32 games at 2B. --- There you have it. A look at my preseason Top 20, err… Top 22 Twins prospects. What do you think? What’s your updated Top Ten? Download attachment: MN Twins Prospect Handbook.jpg Click here to view the article

A ground ball to the shortstop for the first out.A walk.A ground ball to second base which was turned into an inning-ending double play. That may not seem like much to get overly excited about, but for Twins fans, it was a good day! For the first time since he was placed on the Disabled List on August 2, 2011, Kyle Gibson pitched off of a mound in a game on Tuesday morning. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]It may have been a 10:00 a.m. eastern time start time in the Gulf Coast League, but don’t let that minimize the huge milestone. The Twins used the 22nd overall pick in the 2009 draft to select Gibson, a right-handed pitcher from the University of Missouri. He climbed the ladder quickly, and in 2010 was named the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year when he began the year in Ft. Myers and ended it in Rochester. He began the 2011 season with the Red Wings and pitched well for two months, but then things started going south. Although he pitched in the Futures Game a year ago, something wasn’t right. His elbow was hurting and after a stretch of rough starts, he was put on the Disabled List. An MRI in early August showed a partial tear of his Ulnar Collateral Ligament, and after rehabbing for a month, he had Tommy John surgery on September 7, 2011. In early June, Gibson threw off of a mound for the first time and said it “went really good. Arm felt great!” He has gradually added more pitches to his mound sessions. Last Friday, he pitched some live batting practice. Following it, he tweeted that “it went about as well as I could hope for.” Which brings us to today. It was just one inning, but for Gibson, it was another key milestone passed with flying colors. In fact, according to the Pioneer Press’s John Shipley, assistant GM Rob Antony said that Gibson touched 94 mph during his one-inning stint. No one knows how players will return from Tommy John surgery. Pitchers like Tim Hudson and Billy Wagner came back in less than a year and were as good as ever. Others, such as Francisco Liriano, take longer to find their stuff again. Joe Mays was never able to regain his form. Knowing that, however, Kyle Gibson also knew and was aware of the path that Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg took after his surgery. Strasburg had his Tommy John surgery in September of 2010. Kyle Gibson had his Tommy John surgery in September of 2011. Strasburg made his first rehab appearance in early July, as has Gibson. Strasburg got back to the big leagues in September. If all goes well for Gibson in the next month, it is very possible that he will return to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings and be right where he was being his injury. Who knows? A September call-up also remains an outside possibility. --- GCL Twins 5, GCL RED SOX 11 The Gulf Coast Twins are the only Twins affiliate that played on All-Star game day. They had a 10:00 a.m. start time. Gibson started and worked the first inning. Yorman Landa gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits and four walks in two innings. Hung Yi Chen gave up one run on three hits and a walk in his two innings. Markus Solbach gave up two runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. He was relieved by Trent Higginbotham who gave up four runs on four hits and two walks in 2.1 innings. Chris Mazza got the final out. Gibson wasn’t the only player rehabbing in this game. Rene Tosoni led off and went 0-3 with a walk while playing in left field. Javier Pimentel was 2-4 with his fourth and fifth doubles. Jose Ramirez went 2-3. Kelvin Ortiz went 2-4. Kelly Cross was 2-5. --- Games Scheduled for Wednesday, July 11, 2011 Rochester Red Wings – All Star Game (Pedro Florimon) New Britain Rock Cats – All Star Game (BJ Hermsen, Chris Herrmann, Daniel Turpen) Ft. Myers @ Clearwater – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit @ Ft. Myers – TBD Elizabethton @ Greeneville – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles - TBD Download attachment: Kyle Gibson.jpg Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Josh Willingham.jpg The Twins Cities chapter of the Baseball Writers of America voted for the Twins 2012 Diamond Awards They will be presented at the Diamond Awards Ceremony on Thursday, January 24th at Target Field, kicking off Twins Fest weekend. Feel free to discuss: MVP - Josh Willingham Pitcher of Year - Scott Diamond Most Improved - Ben Revere Rookie of the Year - Scott Diamond Determination and Leadership - Justin Morneau Media Good Guy - Glen Perkins Defensive Player of the Year - Ben Revere Upper Midwest Player of the Year - Joe Mauer [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Honestly, I can't disagree with any of them. One could argue that Scott Diamond could have also won the Most Improved. Some will argue that Joe Mauer could have been MVP, but since he got the Upper Midwest Player of the Year award, it's great that Willingham (who also deserved it) gets the MVP. What are your thoughts? Click here to view the article

Good morning, Twins fans!! Today is the day we have been thinking about since the end of the 2013 season when the Minnesota Twins finished with the fifth-worst record in baseball. That means the Twins have the fifth pick in each round of the MLB Draft. On Thursday evening, we will know who the Twins selected with the #5 overall pick, but we'll also find out who they took with their second round pick (#46) later in the evening. One of the "positives" of playing so poorly is a high draft choice the next season. Twins fans, we're used to that as the Twins have had a high draft choice the past two years too. Of course, two years ago, it meant they were able to draft outfielder Byron Buxton from a rural Georgia high school with the second overall pick in 2012. Last year, the Twins went the prep route again and selected athletic, hard-throwing righty Kohl Stewart with the fourth overall pick. (SD Buhr talked to Stewart about his thoughts on his first full season in professional baseball last week) Download attachment: mlb-draft.jpg Who will the Twins select this evening with the fifth overall pick this year? Well, unfortunately, we are going to have to remain patient until early this evening. The Major League Draft starts at 6:00 central time with the first overall pick. The Houston Astros have earned that selection each of the last three seasons and they've taken shortstop Carlos Correa and "sure-thing" right-hander Mark Appel. After the Astros pick, the Miami Marlins well draft. After that, the Windy City will get some air time as the White Sox have the third pick and the Cubs have the fourth pick. There are a lot of scenarios that could play out with those top four picks. As much as we think that the Twins might go in one direction (most mock drafts have the Twins taking Florida high schooler Nick Gordon), we won't know until about 6:30 central time tonight. Over the last few weeks, at Twins Daily, we have done profiles of the several players that the Twins could take: Trea Turner - SS - North Carolina StateAaron Nola - RHP - Louisiana State U.Tyler Beede - RHP - VanderbiltKyle Freeland - LHP - Evansville UBrady Aiken - LHP - High School in CaliforniaTyler Kolek - RHP - High School in TexasNick Gordon - SS - High School in FloridaCarlos Rodon - LHP - North Carolina StateAlex Jackson - C/OF - High School in CaliforniaOf course, depending upon how things go, the Twins could surprise and go in a different direction. Hartford left-hander Sean Newcomb, a 6-5 230 pounder with a mid-90s fastball, a slider and changeup in the low-to-mid 80s and a curveball in the mid-to-high 70s, has certainly picked up some steam as the draft approaches. Twins Daily is fortunate to have Jeremy Nygaard as a key part of this community. His efforts with the Rosters & Payrolls page is remarkable. However, his knowledge and passion for the draft are unrivaled in this market. He has kept us updated for a couple of months on developments in the MLB Draft. In the last few weeks, he has provided us with mock drafts. Mock Draft 1.0 - 5/18/14Mock Draft 2.0 - 5/28/14Mock Draft 3.0 - 6/5/14He even posted his predictions (or at least some options) for what the Twins will do with their first ten picksover the next couple days. The MLB Draft is such an important time for MLB teams. They are able to make 40 (or more) picks to add talent to the organization. In any given year, if two or three of the picks become useful big leaguers, the draft was a huge success. When a team has such high picks, it is more important to be right. That's the position that the Twins find themselves in for the third straight season. We encourage you to keep close to Twins Daily for more updates. However, be sure to stop by at 6:00 when we will have a special MLB Draft Twins Hangouts show. Jeremy Nygaard and Seth Stohs will be joined by John Bonnes to talk about the draft and the picks leading up to the Twins pick (which should occur just after 6:30). We'll be on until around 7 with our reaction to whoever it is the Twins select. Then at 9:00, John, Jeremy and I will take their discussion to the air waves. Tune in to KFAN (fm 100.3 in the Twin Cities, or here online) for a Minnesota Twins draft show. We will discuss the Twins first round pick, but we'll also tell you more about the Twins 2nd round pick. That pick should be made around 9:35, so Jeremy can tell us more about that player as well. It's going to be a full, fun, busy day here at Twins Daily. Use this thread to discuss rumors throughout the day. Even more fun, post below your thoughts on who will be taken with each of the top 5 or 10 picks. And then on Friday, we will have a new article for the Twins Day 2 picks, which will cover rounds 3-10. On Saturday, we will post and discuss selections from rounds 11-40 in a Day 3 article. Jeremy Nygaard will provide some thoughts on each pick. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win over the Brewers Wednesday, it means that on Thursday you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code at PapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article

Buyers or Sellers They’re buyers. The Diamondbacks currently hold a 2.5 game lead in the National League Western Division over the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, their 47 victories is the lowest of any division leader. They’ll want to hold off the Dodgers, the Rockies are just 4.5 games back, and ignoring the Giants (who are 6.5 games back) would probably not be wise either. What They Need Heath Bell is their closer. The 35-year-old veteran has 15 saves this year, but he also has a 4.59 ERA and a WHIP of 1.50. David Hernandez was a terrific set up man last year for the D-Backs, but this year, he has a 4.58 ERA. Veteran lefty Tony Sipp has an ERA of 4.10 ERA and a WHIP of 1.44. It doesn’t look like the Diamondbacks will need to make a move for a starting bat, though they may be interested in more depth. The three starters with the lowest OPS are catcher Miguel Montero, 3B Martin Prado and outfielder Jason Kubel. I think each will continue to play as they are veterans who have performed well in the past. Download attachment: arizona-diamondbacks.jpg What Might Work The Diamondbacks biggest needs are in the bullpen. Could they be in the market for Glen Perkins? Most likely not as the Diamondbacks do not have many high-end prospects that they would be willing to deal. They aren’t likely to trade lefty Tyler Skaggs. Archie Bradley is certainly not available in any deal. Would the D-Backs see guys like Jared Burton or Brian Duensing as bullpen arms who could help them down the stretch? Also, both are under team control for at least one more year. Sleeper Targets Jake Barrett –RHP – AA – 21 years old Barrett will turn 22 years old this month. The relief pitcher was the team’s third round pick in 2012 out of Arizona State. He began the season in High-A and was moved up to AA at the end of June. Overall, he is 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 33 relief appearances. In 32.2 innings, he has given up 23 hits, walked ten and struck out 38. His fastball is clocked at 93-96 mph, but he has touched 98. Kevin Munson – RHP – AA – 24 years old Another reliever, Munson was promoted to AAA at the end of June. He was the AA closer and limited opponents to just a .157 batting average. Overall, he is 2-3 with a 3.35 ERA. In 37.2 innings, he has given up 22 hits, walked 17 and struck out 47. He does that with a fastball that runs at 91-95 mph. Chris Owings – SS – AAA – 22 years old This shortstop is almost allergic to walking, but he is young and putting up impressive numbers, albeit in the Pacific Coast League. The former (2009) supplemental 1st round pick is hitting .354/.375/.506 (.881) with 23 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs and 64 RBI. He also has 15 stolen bases. He has walked just 13 times all season, but he is at least intriguing. Dream Target Tyler Skaggs – LHP – MLB –22 years old Yes, this is absolutely a pipe dream. However, if the Twins are going to consider trading closer Glen Perkins (and his immensely team-friendly contract), and if the Diamondbacks really want improvement at the back of the bullpen, the Twins should be asking for Skaggs. At AAA Reno, he went 6-6 with a 4.26 ERA. However, in 76 innings, he gave up just 76 hits, walked 28 and struck out 87. He has made five starts for the Diamondbacks this season and is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA. He also has 25 strikeouts in 29 innings. Skaggs throws a fastball in the low-90's, but is able to touch 94. He also is said to have a terrific 12-6 curveball and a still-improving but potentially very good changeup. At 6-4 and just 195 pounds, he still can grow and gain velocity. Click here to view the article

The start of minor league camp is still about two weeks. Today, I’m happy to post the below Q&A with the Twins 2013 fourth-round draft pick, left-handed pitcher Stephen Gonsalves. On signing, the 6'-5" lefty was assigned to the Gulf Coast League. He impressed. He gave up just one run in 14.1 innings (0.63 ERA). He moved up to the Elizabethton Twins where he gave up just two runs in 14 innings. Combined, he struck out 39 batters in those 28.1 innings. Recently, the San Diego native took some time to answer several questions. So, let’s get started. Let’s learn a little bit about Stephen Gonsalves.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Stephen Gonsalves.jpg Twins Daily (TD): Growing up in southern California, who was your favorite team, and who were some of your favorite players to watch? Stephen Gonsalves (SG): The San Diego Padres have always been my favorite team and Trevor Hoffman has always been a great role model on and off the field. TD: What are your best memories from your high school baseball days? SG: My best memory from high school would have to be pitching my junior year City Championship Game at Tony Gwynn Stadium. I led off the game with a triple and then scored, and I pitched a three hitter. We had a huge crowd and a great group of guys that year. TD: As the draft approached, were you seeing or talking to more scouts? Did you have much conversation with any Twins scouts? SG: Yes I talked to numerous teams leading up to the draft. Many regularly attended games and made home visits. John Leavitt came to the house, but he was the only one I talked to until Draft Day. I couldn't be happier with the Twins organization. TD: When the Twins took you in the 4th round, where were you, with who, and what was that experience like? SG: By the time I was drafted, it was the morning after and we were all tired and nervous, but the calls started coming in early so I felt it was close to being real. I was home with my parents and my childhood coach Carlos Fletes. Carlos kept the mood light. It was stressful and then such a relief when it happened. TD: You've made it pretty clear at times on Twitter that you had hoped to be drafted higher. How disappointed were you with where you were drafted and some of the discussion that came up from that? (It seems you've used that disappointed as a motivator!) SG: I heard from many that I was likely to go higher. I tried to keep expectations low, but when the first round was through and guys I played with and competed very well against went before me, I was disappointed. My agent told me the draft was a beauty contest and just one day in my baseball career. I am very motivated to compete and advance to the next levels and have a long successful career in the major leagues. TD: How difficult was the decision to sign with the Twins as opposed to going to college? What were some of the factors that caused you do sign? SG: It was not difficult. I knew I really wanted to play and had determined a minimum slot and value that I would take. When that happened, I knew I was ready to go. TD: You and Kohl Stewart came to Target Field to sign your contracts. What was the experience like, being at the stadium and meeting some of the Twins front office, coaching staff and players? SG: That was one of the best days of my life. Being in the clubhouse and on the field for BP was amazing. I still dream about that day. TD: What was the adjustment to pro baseball like for you, on and off the field? (In the GCL and then at Elizabethton) SG: The adjustment has been smooth for me. The batters are bigger, I just picture myself in high school where I dominated and think of Crash Davis from Bull Durham. I tell the batter in my head that you can't touch this. TD: If you were to write up a scouting report on yourself, what would it be? What pitches do you throw? What would you say are your strengths, and an area you want to work on to improve most? SG: I pitch to contact. My fastball is my best pitch. My curve ball is developing. I pitch to win. I never want to come out of the game. TD: Who are some of the people who have helped you get to this point in your career? SG: I've had good coaching in travel ball including Carlos Fletes, my long time coach and friend, and Buc Taylor who coaches at the community college near my home. Both are great baseball minds and taught me more about the game and strategies for success on and off the field. My Dad played ball with me since I was a baby, and of course, my family has supported me and always been there cheering me on and getting me wherever I needed to be. TD: Outside of baseball, what do you enjoy doing? Hobbies? SG: I enjoy every type of fishing, spear fishing mostly, and golfing and surfing. TD: As spring training is now just a couple of months away, what are you most anxious and excited about? SG: I can't wait to get back on the field and compete with all the elite players. I'm excited for a full season since last year was just a taste of what's to come. I also look forward to exposure to the fans. I enjoyed going to spring training in Arizona when I was younger and look forward to the experience in Florida. TD: Have you set any goals for yourself for the 2014 season? Are there certain stats you will or have paid attention to? SG: I want to play a full 140 game season and will be very focused on my strike out to walk ratio. TD: Favorite Baseball movie? SG: Bull Durham TD: What is one thing about yourself that you would want Twins fans to know? SG: I want the Twins Fans to know that I will never let them down. I am here to play the game that I love and will always bring my best. I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have and believe I can compete at the next level and be a player that fans will love to follow. --------------- A big Thank You to Stephen Gonsalves for taking some time and doing a great job answering questions. He will soon report to Ft. Myers where he is likely competing for a job in the Cedar Rapids Kernels starting rotation. Click here to view the article

On Wednesday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins announced they have added four players to their 40 man roster. Jorge Polanco is probably the headliner, or certainly the most obvious choice, but they also added Max Kepler, LHP Logan Darnell, and DH Kennys Vargas. Also, RHP BJ Hermsen was outrighted off the 40 man roster. Download attachment: jorge-polanco.jpg This leaves the Twins 40 man roster at 39. Polanco, 20, struggled for two seasons in the Gulf Coast League, but in 2012 in Elizabethton, he came through with a .903 OPS. He hit .318/.388/.514 with 15 doubles, two triples and five home runs. He moved up to Cedar Rapids in 2013 and proved that his Appy League stats were not a fluke. In 115 games, he hit .308/.362/.452 (.813) with 32 doubles, ten triples and five home runs. He also drove in 78 runs hitting primarily out of the #3 spot in the lineup. Max Kepler, 20, was also signed in 2009, at the same time as Polanco. The German outfielder was moved slowly through the early levels because he was so raw, but at 6-4, 220 pounds he has very good power potential. In 61 games in the 2nd half in Cedar Rapids, the left-hander hit .237/.312/.424 (.736) with 11 doubles, three triples and nine home runs. He played a lot in left field, center field and first base. He missed the first half of the season with an elbow injury. Left-hander Logan Darnell quickly rose to New Britain a year after being drafted. He remained there until the second half of 2013. The left-hander has a mixed bag of pitches including a fastball that tops out around 90 and a very good slider. Kennys Vargas is a DH who can play some first base. He put up big numbers in Ft. Myers in 2013, hitting .267/.344/.468 (.813) with 33 doubles, 19 home runs and 93 RBI. He plays first base as well. He’s a large, physically imposing man who reminds many of David Ortiz. He is often referred to as “Little Papi” though he may be bigger than the Red Sox star. This leaves several Twins players at risk of being selected in MLB’s Rule 5 draft on Thursday, December 5, the final day of the Winter Meetings. 2010 top pick Alex Wimmers will be eligible to be taken in the Rule 5 draft. Relief pitchers such as AJ Achter, Adrian Salcedo, Lester Oliveros and Dakota Watts could be picked. Others, such as James Beresford and Pat Dean, could also be taken. Any thoughts? Click here to view the article

The Twins got a nice 4-3 win last night at Target Field in the first game of the final home stand of the season. Brian Dozier knocked his 18th home run of the season to send the game to extra innings. In the 11th inning, Josmil Pinto drove in the game-winning run for the Twins. As the season is winding down, it seems there are fewer people wanting to talk about the Twins, and understandably so. But here are several topics that are interesting, if nothing else: Last night's Twins win marked the 998th win in the Twins managerial career of Ron Gardenhire. Obviously a big talker over the next week will be whether or not the Twins will (or should) retain him as their manager for 2014 and beyond. No matter what you think of his style or his overall success, 998 wins is noteworthy. Consider, in the long history of Major League Baseball, only 59 managers have reached the 1,000 Win plateau. The most recent manager to attain the milestone was former Twins player Charlie Manuel who achieved it with the Phillies. Of course, once he reached 1,000 wins, the Phillies fired him and have now replaced him with Ryne Sandberg. Josmil Pinto had the big hit last night, and he has come up with many big hits over the course of his short time with the Twins. It caused me to got back a couple of seasons to look at another September call up who made a great first impression. In 2011, Chris Parmelee came up to the Twins following a solid second season in New Britain. He was 23 years old and played in 21 games. In 88 plate appearances, he hit .355/.443/.592 (1.035) with six doubles and four home runs. Josmil Pinto came up just a short stint in Rochester and debuted on September 1st. He was 24 years old and has played in 17 games so far. In 68 plate appearances, he is hitting .359/.397/.578 (.975) with five doubles and three home runs. That comparison is not meant as a knock to either player. Chris Parmelee will turn 26 next spring training, so there is no reason to give up on him as a big league hitter. And, this isn't to say that Pinto won't be a fixture on the Twins roster and in the lineup for years to come. Download attachment: PintoParmelee.jpg Brian Dozier's still hitting just .248 on the season, but his .739 OPS is finally giving him a 102 OPS+, which is to say that it is better than league average. Considering that after a May 27th game, he was hitting just .197, he's put together a very solid season. Since that game (now 104 games, so not completely in the realm of small sample any longer), he has hit .266/.339/.479 (.817) with 30 doubles, two triples and 17 (of his 18) home runs. We know about his defense at second base. His 1.5 DWAR trails only Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler among MLB second basemen. His 705 total chances is tops among all second basemen. His overall WAR (according to ESPN) of 3.8 ranks seventh among second basemen, trailing Robinson Cano (7.4), Matt Carpenter (6.6), Dustin Pedroia (6.3), Jason Kipnis (5.3), Ben Zobrist (4.7), and Ian Kinsler (4.6). His 18 home runs are behind only Cano (27), Dan Uggla (22), and Jedd Gyorko (20). Long-time Twins infielder/outfielder/pitcher(?) Michael Cuddyer is about to win the National League batting title. Entering play today, Cuddyer is batting a robust .334. He is currently leading the Braves' Chris Johnson (.327) and the Cardinals' Matt Carpenter (.324). Couldn't happen to a better, most standout guy. If not for the frustrations of the 2011 season, I believe he would have loved to have stayed in Minnesota for his whole career. He represents all that a Minnesota Twins player should be. He was a starter for the National League in the All-Star game this year (his second All- Star game), and put on an impressive display in the Home Run Derby. Since joining the Pirates, Justin Morneau is hitting .254/.354/.299 (.653) with three doubles. Jamey Carroll has had three hits in 39 at bats for the Royals since they acquired him at the end of July. He is sitting on 999 career hits. Six games to go... The Twins will play three more against Detroit followed by three games against Cleveland. And then we will go almost four and a half months before spring training! Click here to view the article

On Sunday, the Minnesota Twins announced their Florida Instructional League roster. The Florida Instructional League is designed for younger players in the organization to get some extra time and instruction in the Twins' system. There are several 2013 draft picks on this roster, but there are also a lot of players who will be there because they missed time during the season with injury. Some are just there to get some work in before heading to the Arizona Fall League. There are games, but it is really about getting into the finer points of the game, and for those 2013 draftees, a little preview of what will happen next spring when they report for spring training. Here is a look at the Twins roster in Florida: Download attachment: TwinsProspects.jpg The Pitchers: Jose (JO) Berrios, Brandon Bixler, Madison Boer, Hudson Boyd, Ryan Eades, Brian Gilbert, Stephen Gonsalves, Chih-Wei Hu, CK Irby, Felix Jorge, Yorman Landa, Austin Malinowski, Mason Melotakis, Alex Meyer, Ethan Mildren, Brandon Peterson, Fernando Romero, Randy Rosario, Aaron Slegers, Kohl Stewart, Tyler Stirewalt, Miguel Sulburan, Lewis Thorpe, Alex Wimmers Thoughts: There are some very exciting prospects on this list. The 2013 top pitching draft picks will be there. There is reason for optimism with Kohl Stewart, Stephen Gonsalves, and even Ryan Eades despite unimpressive numbers at Elizabethton. Miguel Sulburan may be invited, in part, to get to know more people in the organization. Randy Rosario ended the Elizabethton season in the DL with some shoulder discomfort, but he is fine and will join fellow E-Twins starters Yorman Landa and Felix Jorge. Alex Meyer will get more work in even before the AFL after missing so much time during the season. The Catchers: Jorge Fernandez, Mitch Garver, Brian Navarreto, Michael Quesada, Alex Swim, Stuart Turner. Thoughts: Jorge Fernandez and Brian Navarreto were both impressive in the GCL. Turner and Garver were top college catchers who got off to a good start in Elizabethton. Quesada completed his 50-game suspension before spending the final months with the Kernels. The Infielders: Niko Goodrum, Travis Harrison, Dalton Hicks, Aderlin Mejia, Levi Michael, Amaurys Minier, Javier Pimentel, Jorge Polanco, Kennys Vargas, Engelb Vielma, Ryan Walker. Thoughts: This is a little older group of prospects, but they are guys with something to work on. I would say that, particularly with infielders, any extra mechanical work will be beneficial. They will work on the hitting side of the game, but I would venture that defense will be a primary focus for this group. That said, there is some serious upside in this group. The Outfielders: Zach Granite, Zach Larson, Jeremias Pineda, Dereck Rodriguez, Adam Walker, JD Williams. Thoughts: Walker and Williams had very solid seasons, but both have some work to do defensively, and even offensively. Rodriguez has so much talent, but he keeps getting hurt, so this is an opportunity for him to get more work in. Larson was a late-round pick last year who put together a very nice 2013. There is the list of players. Although box scores and any information are difficult to get out of Ft. Myers during the instructional league, it is a good opportunity for these young players. Click here to view the article

Maybe it was because Hall of Famer Rod Carew threw him some batting practice before the game, but third baseman Bryan Haar had one of those special games that players dream about... by the end of the 2nd inning. He went 2-3 with two home runs and seven RBI. The Cedar Rapids Kernels won a 9-5, rain-shortened game at Perfect Game Field on Saturday night. The game had a 31-minute rain delay in the early innings, but after another 30-minute delay in the top of the 7th, the game was called. Three hours later, it’s still raining in Cedar Rapids. Download attachment: Haar1a.jpg Following the game, Haar said that he hadn’t had a game like this in a long time. “It’s been since high school that I hit two home runs in one game.” In the first inning, Zach Granite led off with a solid single up the middle. One pitch later, Engelb Vielma doubled down the right field line. One batter later, Haar came up and launched one. He said, “I got an offspeed pitch the first at-bat, so it went to left center.” In the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Kernels cleanup hitter did just that. With the bases loaded, he had a long at-bat that ended with a long home run to dead center field, just out of the reach of a leaping LumberKings’ center fielder Aaron Barbosa. Haar acknowledged he wasn’t sure if the ball was caught. He said, “I thought he caught it. Oh man, I got nervous for a second.” His approach at the plate with runners on base was certainly sound. He said, “(With) guys in scoring position, I tried to get a pitch up, especially with the wind blowing out tonight. I tried to drive it to the middle of the field.” I don’t know if Bryan Haar is a superstitious, but getting to replicate his pregame from Saturday each day would be great. He told the story: “I was hitting off the tee before the game, and (Rod Carew) had to get loose before the first pitch. He was like, ‘Alright, step in there.’ I took about ten swings off of him, and it was pretty cool. It was a great experience.” For the record, Rod Carew threw a strike to Kernels infielder Tanner Vavra for the game’s First Pitch. Haar was very much knowledgeable of who Rod Carew is and his place in Minnesota Twins history, and in Major League Baseball’s history. It was not the first time he had met the Hall of Famer. (Side Note – Twins Daily was able to interview Carew, and that will be posted here in coming days.) Catcher Bo Altobelli hit his first home run of the season, a solo home run to lead off the 2nd inning. Vielma went 1-2 with a walk and the double was his tenth. Ryan Eades got the start for the Kernels. He had a quick 1-2-3 inning in the first frame. He looked impressive. His fastball sat between 90 and 92 and touched 94 early in the game. He showed a slider at 83, and a changeup at about 82. His curveball was in the low-to-mid 70s. All four of those were quality pitches. He gave up one run in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings and then two runs in the fifth inning. He has the pitches, but he seemed to make a bad pitch or two each inning that came back to haunt him. But, he lasted through the first rain delay and then through five innings to record his fifth win. He gave up five runs (4 earned) on seven hits. He walked none, hit one and struck out five. Brandon Bixler worked 1.1 scoreless innings before the rains came. He struck out two. KERNELS NUGGETS I had the opportunity to chat with reliever Todd Van Steensel after the game. He absolutely loves being a closer. His high leg kick is a bit of a timing mechanism for him. However, he will be working on shortening up somewhat when there are runners on base to help against the running game. Click here to view the article

The Twins got a very nice 7-6 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday night. But the offense and defense of Denard Span and some great ninth inning work from the bottom of the order gave the Twins a walk-off win. Danny Valencia led off the ninth with a line drive single. Alexi Casilla pinch ran for him. Brian Dozier laid down a perfect bunt that AJ Pierzynski threw into right field, allowing both runners to advance. Jamey Carroll stepped up and flew out to right field, deep enough for Casilla to score the game-winning run. The next 24 hours will be interesting as the trade deadline will pass in the middle of the afternoon (3:00 central time) and then the Twins will take on Francisco Liriano in his first White Sox start. Should be an interesting day, to say the least. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Monday games in the minor leagues. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 7, COLUMBUS 2 Esmerling Vasquez made the start for the Red Wings and was very good. The right-hander threw six innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out six. Kyle Waldrop came in and recorded his third save with three perfect innings. The big hit for the Red Wings came off the bat of Rene Rivera whose eighth homer of the season was a grand slam. Chris Parmelee went 3-5 and drove in two runs. Pedro Florimon was 3-5. Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Matt Carson were each 2-5. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4. Eduardo Escobar made his Red Wings debut and was 1-4 with an RBI. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS No Game Scheduled FT. MYERS 4, DAYTONA 8 It was a rough start for Cole Nelson and the Miracle in this one. They came on late, but it wasn’t enough. Nelson gave up seven runs (5 earned) on ten hits and two walks in three innings. Miguel Munoz struckout four over three scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster gave up a run on two hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out three. The Miracle scored four runs in the 9th, but that only cut the lead in half. Levi Michael was 2-5. Anderson Hidalgo hit a three-run double in that ninth inning. BELOIT 5, PEORIA 3 Jason Wheeler started and gave up one run on six hits and two walks in five innings. He struckout four. Dallas Gallant gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in two innings. He struckout three. Corey Williams recorded his 15th save with two scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit and struckout two. Stephen Wickens hit his first Midwest League home run and walked. AJ Pettersen went 2-3 with his ninth double. Miguel Sano went 2-4. Kennys Vargas went 1-3 with a walk and his second double. ELIZABETHTON 5, BRISTOL 3 Corey Kimes made the start in this game. The lefty gave up three hits and a walk over five shutout innings. Brett Lee improved to 3-0 despite blowing a save. He gave up three runs on four hits in two innings. Luke Bard made his Elizabethton debut. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two in an inning. Travis Huber picked up his first save with a 1-2-3 inning. Jorge Polanco led the offense in this game. He went 3-4 with his first home run and fourth stolen base. Candido Pimentel went 2-5 with his fifth double. GCL TWINS 3, GCL RAYS 1 Yorman Landa pitched very well again. He threw four shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out three. Kuo Hua Lo gave up one run on five hits over the next 3.2 innings. Melciades de la Cruz struckout two in 1.1 innings. Zach Larson went 2-3 with his second stolen base. Byron Buxton was 1-3 with a walk and his fourth double. Joel Licon drove in two runs. Aderlin Mejia was 1-3 and stole three bases, including a steal of home. --- Players of the Day for Monday, July 30, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Jorge Polanco Download attachment: JorgePolanco.jpg Pitcher of the Day – Corey Kimes Download attachment: CoreyKimes.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, July 31, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Columbus – RHP Eric Hurley New Britain @ Bowie – LHP Blake Martin Ft. Myers @ Daytona – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit vs Kane County – David Hurlbut (vs Royals #1 pick, RHP Kyle Zimmer) Elizabethton @ Bristol – Ricardo Arevalo GCL Twins vs GCL Rays – TBD --- 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! Click here to view the article

A lot has been going on in the Twins farm system the last couple of days, and after missing a day for the first time this year, I'll be updating you on the last two days in game summaries and highlights. Not sure if people will believe this, but I went from 11:00 a.m. on Friday until 7:00 p.m. on Saturday without being on my computer. I believe that is my personal record. I watched a couple of games at the state baseball tournament (check out this Howard Sinker blog on it, please) and kept quite busy. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Friday - Rochester 12, Gwinnett 8 Saturday - Rochester 6, Gwinnett 5 The Red Wings bats came alive on Friday night. Dan Rohlfing led the way. He went 4-4 with his first AAA double and triple in the game. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk and his 13th home run. Antoan Richardson went 2-5 with his fourth triple. Eric Farris and Trevor Plouffe each went 2-5. Drew Butera drove his first home run of the season, a three-run blast. On Saturday, the Red Wings were down 5-1 going into the bottom of the 9th. Improbably, things happen from time to time. The Red Wings scored five runs in the half-inning and won on a two-run, walk-off single from Dan Rohlfing. Rohlfing was 2-4 with a walk and his second double. Antoan Richardson went 0-2 with three walks and his 11th stolen base. Kyle Gibson started and gave up four runs (3 earned) on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out four. Cody Eppley made his first appearance in the Twins organization and gave up a run on three hits and a walk in two innings. Luis Perdomo pitched a perfect inning. Friday - New Britain 1, Harrisburg 4 Saturday - New Britain 8, Harrisburg 1 On Friday night, lefty Logan Darnell provided the team with another quality start. He went seven innings and gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits and a walk. He struck out three. BJ Hermsen gave up two hits but no runs in his inning. Matt Hauser gave up a solo homer in the 9th. Nate Hanson went 2-4 with his seventh double. Angel Morales homered for the first time with the Rock Cats. On Saturday, Tom Stuifbergen was back on the mound after a rough first outing for Rochester. The Dutch right-hander rebounded to give up one run on four hits in six innings; he walked none and struck out seven. Edgar Ibarra worked two perfect innings. AJ Achter gave up a hit but no runs in his inning. Nat Hanson again led the offense. He went 2-3 with his eighth double and third AAA homer. He drove in five runs. Miguel Sano went 0-1 with three walks. Josmil Pinto went 1-1 with two walks and a double. Eddie Rosario hit his first AA double. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his seventh home run. Friday - Off Day in the Florida State League. Saturday - Florida State League All Star Game. Taylor Rogers started for the south squad and pitched a perfect 1st inning. Corey Williams and Zack Jones each pitched a perfect inning in relief. Kennys Vargas batted fourth and played first base. He went 1-3. Matt Koch started behind the plate and batted eighth. He went 0-1. The South All-Stars went on to win 8-1. Friday - Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 6 (10 innings) Saturday - Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 8 Cedar Rapids has had a stronghold on the western division of the Midwest League much of the first half of the season. After losses the past two nights and a Beloit win on Saturday, the Snappers now lead the division by one game with on game to play. So, here's how tomorrow (Sunday) lays out: if Beloit wins, they are the division champs for the first half. If Cedar Rapids loses, Beloit wins the title. However, if the Kernels win and the Snappers lose, Cedar Rapids will still claim the division title because the will have played two fewer games and would have a higher winning percentage. On Friday night, the Kernels got a terrific start from Brett Lee. The lefty went seven innings and gave up just one run. He gave up eight hits, walked two and struck out five. Kaleb Merck gave up one run on three hits in two innings. The game went to extra innings and Steven Gruver was charged with four unearned runs on two hits to take the loss. Dalton Hicks went 2-5 with his 10th home run. Byron Buxton went 2-5 with his 28th stolen base. JD Williams and Adam Walker each had two hits. Saturday, it was Hudson Boyd on the mound; it didn't go well. The right-hander gave up six runs on seven hits and a walk in 3.2 innings. Caleb Brewer came on and gave up one run on three hits and a walk over the next 2.1 innings. Tim Atherton went the final three innings and gave up one run on two hits. Hicks hit his 11th homer in this game. Travis Harrison went 2-4 with his 11th home run. Byron Buxton went 1-3 with a walk. Please feel free to comment or ask questions. View full article

The Twins played a late game out in Seattle and did not get a very good start. The Twins minor league affiliates all got pretty good starts. Five of the six starters began the game with four scoreless frames. The Twins starters at the top three affiliates each went at least six scoreless innings. Liam Hendriks had a perfect game going through six while Trevor May had given up just one hit through the Rock Cats first six innings. Each gave up runs in the third. Matt Summers has been incredible in July, and he was at his best on Thursday. Check out his July numbers below, and then see how the rest of the minor league affiliates did: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 6, Lehigh Valley 3 Box Score Liam Hendriks certainly had people talking for a while with his performance in this game. The Australian right-hander had a perfect game through six innings. However, in the 7th, he gave up three quick runs. In total, he went 7.2 innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out five. Aaron Thompson came in and got the final four outs to record his sixth Red Wings save. All four outs came on strikeouts. Deibinson Romero led the offense. He was 2-2 with two walks, his eighth double and his seventh home run. Brian Dinkelman went 2-4 with his tenth double. New Britain 1, Reading 3 Box Score Trevor May was terrific on this day. He gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out eight. However, through six innings, he had given up just one hit, one walk and no runs. Dan Turpen came in and worked a perfect inning. Danny Ortiz provided three of the team’s hits, including his 24th double. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 23rd double. Nate Hanson, taking over third base duties for the benched Miguel Sano, went 1-2 with two walks and his sixth home run. Ft. Myers 8, Clearwater 3 Box Score Matt Summers has been the story for the Miracle in the month of June. On this night, he was again terrific. He worked seven shutout inning and gave up just five hits and a walk. He struck out seven. After listening to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly and hearing his July numbers, I had to go look for myself. In four starts this month, he is 2-1 with a 0.28 ERA. In 31.2 innings, he has given up one earned run. He has allowed 17 hits, walked four and struck out 23. Summers was replaced by Manuel Soliman who gave up one hit in his innings. Corey Williams came on for a perfect ninth. Each had one strikeout. The offense was spread out among four players. Utilty man Andy Leer went 3-4 with his ninth double. Byron Buxton was 2-5 with his third home run with the Miracle. Mike Kvasnicka was 2-4 with his sixth double. And Aderlin Mejia’s improbable run at Ft. Myers continues. He went 2-4 with his tenth double and is now hitting .341! Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 8 Box Score Josue Montanez started and through four innings, he did not allow a run. However, he went seven innings and was charged with five runs on ten hits and a walk. Dallas Gallant came on and gave up two runs on two hits and three walks and recorded just two outs. Alex Muren came on and gave up an unearned run in 1.1 innings. Travis Harrison and Jorge Polanco each went 3-5 in the game. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3 and stole his 11th base. Joel Licon’s sixth double drove in two of the Kernels' runs. Elizabethton 1, Kingsport 3 Box Score Yorman Landa had another decent start, though his control eluded him at times, again. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits. He walked four and struck out five. Austin Malinowski came on and threw two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked a batter. Andrew Ferreira gave up one run on one hit and one walk in one inning. He struck out… one! Zach Granite went 2-4, and Dereck Rodriguez hit his third home run of the season. GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 1 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu started and threw four shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one and struck out six. Jared Wilson came on and threw two scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out one. Reyson Zoquiel gave up an unearned run on two hits in his inning. Josh Guyer struck out two in a scoreless inning. Derrick Penilla struck out two in his perfect inning to record the save. Alex Swim went 2-3 with a walk as the GCL Twins managed just six hits in the game. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. View full article

Brian Dozier headlines a list of several guests on tonight's SethSpeaks Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast. The show goes live at 9! You can listen live (or listen later), by clicking this link. I would encourage you to participate by signing in and joining the chat room. Dozier was the talk of spring training and has kept his name all over Twins Daily discussion boards thanks to a fast start in Rochester. You can ask Brian Dozier a question. I'll also be joined by Chrissy Scaffidi, the Director of Media and Community Relations for the Beloit Snappers. Later, I'll be joined by TwinsCentrician Parker Hageman to talk about Twins topics. Andy from Twins Fan from Afaralso called in to talk about the New Britain Rock Cats. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Again, your participation is welcomed and encouraged. If you can't listen live, but want to ask Brian Dozier or any of our guests a questions, leave them here. Leave Comments in the Forum. Download attachment: BrianDozier3.jpg Click here to view the article

It is hard to believe the baseball season is nearly two months old. I guess it is only June 1, but it’s time to look back at some of the best performers in the Minnesota Twins farm system. We will start today by looking at the top relief pitchers. There were a lot of terrific bullpen performances this month. Coming up with a top five was difficult. That is why there are several honorable mentions. However, it was pretty easy to pick this month’s Relief Pitcher of the Month. He’s a guy who has experienced a lot of success ever since he signed with the Twins organization. Number 5 – New Britain – Lester Oliveros - 1.32 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 13.2 IP, 8 H, 9 BB, 17 K Oliveros was on this list last month, and his elbow certainly appears to be back at 100%. According to a recent Baseball America story, part of the reason he was sent to AA was because he showed up to camp overweight. However, now the weight is off and he’s back to throwing mid-90s heat. Overall on the season, he has a 0.78 ERA and seven saves for the Rock Cats. As you recall, Oliveros came to the organization from the Tigers in the Delmon Young trade. He got to the Twins but he ended up having Tommy John surgery in September of 2012. He should be moving up to Rochester in the very near future. He will have to throw more strikes in order to get another opportunity with the Minnesota Twins. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids/Ft. Myers – Brandon Peterson – 0.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 12 K The Minnesota native was on this list last month when dominating in Cedar Rapids. He made two more May appearances with the Kernels before being promoted to the Miracle. He continued to dominate out of the bullpen. Petersen throws hard, vaulting fastballs into the mid-90s. He combines that pitch with a low-80s slider that makes him very difficult on right-handed hitters. He was the 13th round pick just last year out of Wichita State. He had pitched at Des Moines Area Community College before that. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – Todd Van Steensel – 1.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 13 H, 6 BB, 22 K Van Steensel was signed by the Twins early this year after a strong season in the Australian Baseball League. It will be his second stint with the Twins as he spent the 2011 season with Elizabethton where he went 5-2. In his time away, he has moved to the bullpen, he has altered his mechanics and has become a dominant reliever. He now employs a high leg kick in his delivery, and he airs it out. He still has a good three pitches. He began the season in Extended Spring Training, but he was called up to Cedar Rapids at the end of April. He now has some really good stuff and a chance to move up fairly quickly. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – Tim Shibuya – 1.10 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 12 H, 2 BB, 19 K Shibuya’s first month in the Florida State League didn’t go so well. He posted a 7.98 ERA. He gave up 22 hits in 14.1 innings. The turn of the calendar from April to May did wonders for Shibuya. He was the 23rd round pick in 2011 out of UC-San Diego. He was the Appy League Pitcher of the Year when he went 8-2 in Elizabethton. In the second half of 2012, he developed arm problems and had shoulder surgery in the offseason. It cost him much of the 2013 season as well, though he ended the season going 4-0 with a 0.96 ERA in 10 outings. Shibuya doesn’t throw real hard, topping out around 90. However, he has been working on a cutter. He’s got a curveball and a changeup as well. He has always had impeccable control. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester – AJ Achter – 1.72 ERA, 0.45 WHIP, 15.2 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 15 K Download attachment: AJ Achteredie.jpg He was my choice for minor league relief pitcher of the year in 2012, his first year as a reliever, and he was almost as good last year as he smoothly adjusted to the upper levels of the farm system. Yes, he began this season back in AA, but he quickly (3 games) moved up to Rochester when there was an opening. He has been tremendous with the Red Wings. Overall, he has a 1.41 ERA and a 0.63 ERA this year. Achter was the Twins 46th round draft pick in 2010 out of Michigan State. Achter generally sits in the low-90s but has the ability to hit 95 from time to time. He also has a good changeup along with a curveball and slider. While Michael Tonkin has the prospect status, it is Achter who continues to get the job done in whatever role he is put in. Most often, he is asked to go two or even three innings, but he also has four saves for the Red Wings. Following the 2013 season, Achter pitched in the Arizona Fall League. However, he was not added to the 40 man roster. The way he is pitching, he should be added to the 40 man roster during this season and get an opportunity with the big league club. Quickly, here are some Honorable Mentions, a few guys worthy of recognition: Yohan Pino – Rochester – 2.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 18.2 IP, 16 H, 4 BB, 16 KRyan Pressly – Rochester – 2.04 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 17 H, 1 BB, 16 KAaron Thompson – Rochester – 2.45 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 7 H, 3 BB, 11 KTyler Jones – Ft. Myers – 1.69 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 5 H, 7 BB, 10 KYorman Landa – Cedar Rapids – 1.80 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 15.0 IP, 8 H, 8 BB, 16 KRelief pitchers deserve to get more recognition. Seemingly only when things go poorly do fans notice them. That’s one of the reasons that we recognize the relief pitchers here. Each of these pitchers did their job, and they all did it well. In the next couple of days, we’ll also be recognizing the top starting pitchers and hitters for the month of May. Click here to view the article

If you follow the tremendous work of 1500 ESPN's Phil Mackey, you know that every Sunday, he posts an updated 25 man roster projection. Phil is in Ft. Myers and talking to players, coaches and front office personnel, so he may have some insider information. But, I think that we can all do our own roster projections because until we get to April and the team has to announce their 25 man roster, anything can happen. I hope to post my projection updates each Friday and hope that you will leave your projections in the comments and discuss. The players in Red are players that I believe are givens to make the roster (obviously pending injury). Those in black are potentially up for grabs. Catchers: Joe Mauer, Ryan Doumit, JR Towles Although Towles isn't exactly an exciting prospect like he was 5 years ago, he likely is an improvement over Drew Butera. If the team insists on three catchers, I now believe Towles tops Butera. Infielders: Justin Morneau, Alexi Casilla, Danny Valencia, Jamey Carroll, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Luke Hughes It certainly doesn't sound like the Twins really want to keep Nishioka around. I personally think that in terms of a pure utility infielder, Ray Chang would be the right choice. I think Luke Hughes is on the bench for power, if he is not placed on the disabled list. Outfielders: Ben Revere, Denard Span, Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe As much talk as there has been about Plouffe taking over in LF with Revere as the 4th outfielder, Plouffe will have to improve tremendously with the glove for that to happen consistently. Starting Pitchers: Carl Pavano, Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Jason Marquis No changes, no surprises here, although Terry Doyle and Liam Hendriks have looked good in their couple of outings early in spring. Bullpen: Matt Capps, Glen Perkins, Brian Duensing, Anthony Swarzak, Jared Burton, Jeff Manship, Terry Doyle The first four appear set. Burton was the non-roster invite who garnered the most attention coming in to camp, and he's been good so far. Too many people have forgotten about Jeff Manship as a bullpen option, and he's been good. If Terry Doyle continues to pitch well, the Twins will certainly want to keep their Rule 5 investment. It is early, and we know guys like Kyle Waldrop, Alex Burnett, Lester Oliveros, Jeff Gray, Esmerling Vasquez, Matt Maloney and others will try to make an impression. I admit as well that I am intrigued by Brendan Wise as well. Those last three names are certainly debatable and subject to change over the next three or four weeks. What are your thoughts? What does your roster look like? Download attachment: JaredBurton.jpg Click here to view the article

Twins Daily hopes that you and your families and friends had a fun and safe Fourth of July holiday. The Twins had the honor of facing reigning AL Cy Young Award and AL MVP Justin Verlander. The righty from Old Dominion dominated the Twins with the exception of a solo home run off the bat of Chris Parmelee. It was one of just four hits the Twins had in the game, and two of them were from Denard Span. Brian Duensing left the game after 4.1 innings. Then Kyle Waldrop and Cole De Vries each gave up homers to Miguel Cabrera, who is good at baseball, in case you were wondering. For all this and more, here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Wednesday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] ROCHESTER 4, PAWTUCKET 7 Matt Carson hit his seventh home run of the season for the Red Wings. Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Rene Rivera each hit their seventh doubles of the year. Unfortunately, the key #7 was the number of runs that Red Wings pitchers allowed in this loss. Luke French gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks in just 1.1 innings. He gave up two home runs, one of them to former Twins OF Jason Repko. Esmerling Vasquez then gave up just two hits over 3.2 scoreless innings. Caleb Thielbar gave up three hits and a walk, but no runs, in two scoreless innings. Bobby Lanigan gave up a run on two hits and a walk in two innings. NEW BRITAIN 3, TRENTON 2 Logan Darnell started and gave up two runs on seven hits. In 6.2 innings, he walked one and struck out two. Dakota Watts walked one and struck out one in 1.1 scoreless innings to record his first AA win this year. Bruce Pugh picked up his fourth save. He struck out two in one perfect inning. Deibinson Romero went 2-4 with his 11th home run. James Beresford was 2-3. FT. MYERS 7, CHARLOTTE 5 Matt Hauser is now in the Miracle starting rotation. He was good again on Wednesday. He gave up five hits in four scoreless innings. He walked none and struck out four. Jose Gonzalez then struck out five in three scoreless frames. He walked one. Ricky Bowen gave up five runs (4 earned) on five hits and two walks in 1.2 innings. AJ Achter came in and got the final out to hold the lead and to record his second Miracle save. It was a great day for the Miracle bats as several players had multi-hit games. Danny Santana again led the offense. He was 3-4 with his tenth doubles and seventh triple. Jairo Perez went 3-4 with a walk and his sixth home run. Danny Ortiz went 2-4 with his fifth triple. Josmil Pinto was 2-5 with his 14th double. Danny Rams went 2-5 with his second triple and third home run. BELOIT 6, CLINTON 8 Steven Gruver started for the Snappers. The left-hander gave up six runs on nine hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out three. Cole Johnson came in and gave up two runs on two hits in two innings. He walked one and struck out three. Inexplicably, the Snappers scored six runs despite just four hits and only two Matt Koch walks. ELIZABETHTON 8, KINGSPORT 1 Hudson Boyd recorded his first Win as a professional pitcher. The large right-hander gave up only an unearned run on five hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out five. Hein Robb came in and recorded one of those fun, statistical anomalies. The lefty from South Africa struck out four in one inning. DJ Baxendale struck out two in his inning. Dallas Gallant struck out one and gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. The E-Twins continued to hit well. Josh Hendricks was 2-5 with his first home run. Adam Walker went 2-5 with his third double. Romy Jimenez is now hitting .449 after another 2-4 game. Niko Goodrum was 1-3 with two walks and his fourth double. Travis Harrison was 1-3 with a walk and his fourth double. GCL TWINS 5, GCL ORIOLES 2 The GCL Twins got a nice win. Felix Jorge made his first start and threw three shutout innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and struck out three. Markus Solbach gave up two hits in his two scoreless innings. Gonzalo Sanudo threw two scoreless innings in which he gave up just one hit and struck one out. Bryan Haar went 2-3. Byron Buxton more than doubled his batting average with a 2-4 game. --- Players of the Day for Wednesday, July 4, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Hudson Boyd Download attachment: Hudson Boyd.jpg Hitter of the Day – Jairo Perez Download attachment: JairoPerez.jpg --- A Look Ahead – Thursday, July 5, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Pawtucket – RHP Jeff Manship New Britain @ Trenton – RHP BJ Hermsen Ft. Myers vs Charlotte – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit @ Clinton – LHP Jason Wheeler Elizabethton vs Kingsport – RHP Ricardo Arevalo GCL Twins vs GCL Rays – TBD --- 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! Click here to view the article

It was a busy day in the Twins organization, even with the Cedar Rapids Kernels game in Kane County being rained out. The Red Wings and Miracle both played doubleheaders. Both short-season teams played. The New Britain Rock Cats sent Jason Wheeler to the mound for his Eastern League debut in search for the team’s record tenth straight win. Could they get it? Also, Mark Hamburger was promoted from New Britain to Rochester. The Twins beat the White Sox for the third straight time on Saturday afternoon. Kevin Correia was solid again, and Glen Perkins was able to hold on for a save. Let’s check out what happened in the Twins farm system on Saturday: RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 – Rochester 6, Buffalo 3 Box Score Before the game, Mark Hamburger was promoted from New Britain to Rochester after just eight games with the Rock Cats since his return from his 50-game suspension. He was put in action right away and recorded a two-inning save in the first game. He gave up two hits but walked none and struck out two. Trevor May was the winner for the eighth time this year. The right-hander gave up a three-run homer in the first inning, then threw four scoreless innings. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out three. Chris Rahl went 2-3 with his eighth double and two RBI. James Beresford went 2-3. Dan Rohlfing drove in two with his 12th double. Deibinson Romero went 1-2 with a walk and his second triple. Game 2 – Rochester 3, Buffalo 7 Box Score With the doubleheader, Scott Diamond was given another chance to start. It went about as well as expected. In 3.1 innings, he gave up five runs on six hits and two walks (without a strikeout). Deolis Guerra came on and gave up two runs on one hit and two walks. He struck out one. Edgar Ibarra went the next 1.2 innings and gave up one hit. He walked none and struck out two. Doug Bernier was 2-3 with a walk. Chris Herrmann went 2-4. Eric Farris was 2-3 with his 12th double. Josmil Pinto hit his second home run with the Red Wings. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 5, Reading 2 Box Score The Rock Cats were looking to increase their winning streak to a club record ten games, and they sent Jason Wheeler to the mound to make his AA debut. The lefty was up to the challenge. He gave up just two runs over 6.1 innings. He allowed seven hits, walked one and struck out seven. Cole Johnson came on and struck out two over 1.2 scoreless. Lester Oliveros came in for the ninth inning and gave up a hit but no runs for his 11th save. The Rock Cats managed just five hits, but they added six walks and took advantage of a couple Fightin Phillies errors. Nate Hanson drove in two runs. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 20th double and stole his fourth base. Mike Kvasnicka walked twice and stole two bases. Aaron Hicks was 2-4, but as was noted, at least one of his hits was left-handed. With Hicks on the roster, Eddie Rosario played left field in this game. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 3, St. Lucie 0 Box Score Tim Shibuya had to wait a day after yesterday's rainout but it didn’t seem to affect him at all. The right-hander threw all seven innings and didn’t give up a run. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out one. He now has a 19.1 inning scoreless streak. Lance Ray had a double and drove in two runs. Max Kepler went 2-3 with his sixth double. He also stole his third base. Jorge Polanco went 2-4. Mike Gonzales and Travis Harrison each went 2-3. Harrison’s first hit of the day extended his hitting streak to 13 games. Download attachment: Tim Shibuya.jpg Tim Shibuya photo by Linwood Ferguson Game 2 - Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie Box Score In the second game, the script was switched. It was the Miracle bats that were silenced by Mets pitching prospect Matt Koch. The Miracle had just four hits. Jorge Polanco had two of them. Travis Harrison had a single to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. He had a 15 game hitting streak earlier in the season. It was a bullpen game for the Miracle. Steven Gruver, Brian Gilbert and Brandon Peterson each pitched two innings. Gruver gave up one run on one hit and two walks. Gilbert did not allow a run. Peterson gave up an unearned run on two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids @ Kane County Box Score The game was postponed by poor weather. They will play a doubleheader on Sunday. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Greeneville 6 Box Score It was a big day for a couple Minnesota kids. Eden Prairie’s (via U of Maryland) Blake Schmidt started at shortstop, and Red Wing's (via U of Nebraska) Pat Kelly played second base. Schmidt went 2-4. Kelly was 3-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Jonatan Hinojosa went 2-3 with a walk and a triple. Dutch Deol and Brian Navaretto each had a double. Nick Gordon was the DH. He went 1-4 in the game. Chih-Wei Hu went the first four innings. He gave up one run on two hits. He walked two and struck out four. Keaton Steele gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out one. Josue Montanez gave up two unearned runs on two hits and a walk. He struck out two. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 5 Box Score The GCL team had an early-morning game at home on Saturday. They fell by one run. Brandon Easton started and went the first three innings. He gave up three runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks while striking out two. Zach Tillery gave up an unearned run on one walk and no hits. Miles Nordgren gave up two hits and a walk over three scoreless innings. Trevor Hildenberger came on and gave up an unearned run on two hits. Amaurys Minier is back in the GCL for a couple reasons. He had offseason shoulder surgery and he is also shifting from third base to the outfield. One thing he does possess is some power. He went 3-4 with his first home run of the season. Rafael Valeda went 2-4. Jarrard Poteete hit a double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tim Shibuya, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Pat Kelly, Elizabethton Twins SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Buffalo (12:05 CST) – Sean Gilmartin (vs PJ Walters) (Listen) Reading @ New Britain (5:35 CST) – Tyler Duffey (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Charlotte (4:00 CST) – JO Berrios (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (1:00 CST) – Fernando Romero (Listen) Pulaski @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – TBD (Listen) GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. [/hr] A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins third straight win over the White Sox on Saturday, it means that on you can get 50% off a Large of Extra Large pizza for the third straight day (on Sunday) when you use the “TWINSWIN” promotion code atPapaJohns.com. Click here to view the article