Seth Stohs

Earlier in the week, I posted the June Twins minor league starting pitcher and relief pitcher of the month of June. The starters were not too terribly impressive, but there were a lot of tremendous bullpen performances in June. So today, let’s take a look at which Twins minor league hitters had the best June performances. I’ll let you be the judge of how impressive the performances were. Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in June: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Number 5 – Ft. Myers/New Britain – Oswaldo Arcia - (21-77) .273/.371/.468 (.839) with six doubles, no triples, three home runs and 19 RBI. Arcia had a monster May and was selected the minor league hitter of the month for May. Arcia began June in Ft. Myers, played in the Florida State League All Star game and then was promoted to Double A. Although his Rock Cats numbers are much more pedestrian, he has held his own with the promotion. The 21-year-old from Venezuela was added to the 40 man roster and is clearly the Twins top hitting prospect in the upper levels of the minor leagues. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – Danny Ortiz - (24-77) .312/.384/.494 (.877) with five doubles, three triples, one home run and 9 RBI. Ortiz was the player of the month in April of 2011 when he posted an OPS over 1.000 in Beloit. The rest of the year was disappointing for the outfielder from Puerto Rico. He began the 2012 season back with the Snappers but was promoted to the Miracle in early May. After a short adjustment period, Ortiz was very good in June. Listed at 5-11 and 166 pounds, Ortiz has plenty of punch in his bat. The 22-year-old was the Twins 4th round pick in 2008. He missed the entire 2009 season due to knee surgery. Number 3 – Beloit/Ft. Myers – Kyle Knudson - (22-59) .373/.427/.474 (.901) with six doubles, no triples, no home runs and 10 RBI. The 24-year-old former Gopher catcher missed the early part of the 2012 season due to injury and rehab. He rejoined the Snappers in early May and hit just .250 in 18 games with the Snappers. In mid-June, he was promoted to the Miracle and many assumed he would fill a backup role. He went 0-3 in his first Miracle game. Then came the All Star break. Knudson then had three hits in three straight games. He hit .400 in 15 June games with the Miracle and found himself in the middle of the lineup. He was the Twins 9th round pick in 2010. Number 2 - Beloit – Nate Roberts - (24-65) .369/.481/.554 (1.035) with six doubles, no triples, two home run and 11 RBI. Roberts was the Twins 5th round pick in 2010 out of High Point University. In 2011, he hit .302/.443/.446 with the Beloit Snappers. Unfortunately, he only played 68 games due to injury. Same story this spring for Roberts. He missed the first six weeks of the season with a bad knee. He played in just six games in May. However, in June, he took off, showing off his all-around game. He has extra base pop and a great willingness to get on base. The 23-year-old should move up to Ft. Myers soon. The June Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... New Britain Rock Cats OF Evan Bigley (34-101) .337/.367/.624 (.986) with nine doubles, one triple, six home runs and 23 RBI. 25-year-old Bigley is in his third season with the Rock Cats. After hitting just .165 in May and the subsequent promotion of Arcia, the assumption was that Bigley would lose some playing time. Instead, he has gone on a prolonged hot stretch. At one point, he went 16-28 (from June 19-24). Bigley was the Twins 10th round pick in 2008 from Dallas Baptist. He hit .336 for the Rock Cats in the final 27 games of the 2010 season, then hit .253 in 2011. Bigley is a solid all-around player who has put up decent numbers throughout his career. There you have it. The top 5 hitters in the Twins system for the month of June. Now it’s time to debate. What do you think? Please feel free to discuss. Download attachment: Evan Bigley Mug.jpg Click here to view the article

Minnesota Twins Minor League Report for July 26, 2014. The Twins had yet another rough one with the White Sox. Three Twins pitching prospects had impressive, shutout performances. There was a walk-off win for one of the affiliates, and another needed 11 innings to win.Logan Darnell made his first Major League start on Saturday night at Target Field against Chris Sale and the White Sox. It was a David and Goliath matchup, and in this case, Goliath dominated. Darnell’s first inning was terrific. Three ground ball outs and eight pitches. Then things went downhill. In all, he gave up seven runs on 11 hits in five innings. That start may not have been great, but there were three very strong starts in the Twins minor leagues on Saturday night. It was a struggle to figure out who the pitcher of the day should be. Be sure to comment on which one you would pick. And, a Minnesota native provided a walk-off win for one of the Twins affiliates. Here is the Minor League Report for Saturday: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Indianapolis 0 Box Score It was quite a pitcher’s duel in Rochester on this night and it ended in a walk-off win. Lefty Sean Gilmartin was up for the challenge. He went 7.1 scoreless innings. He gave up just five hits, walked two and struck out four. He was helped by his defense as well. With a runner on third base and one out in the 3rd inning, Gilmartin got a fly ball to right field. Chris Rahl made the catch and threw home to get the runner for the third out. Righty Stephen Pryor came on for his first Red Wings appearance since coming to the organization earlier this week from the Mariners. He walked one but got the final two outs of the eighth inning. Michael Tonkin came on for the ninth. He made it interesting, giving up a hit and hitting a batter, but he completed the shutout. There wasn’t much offense, but just enough. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Eden Prairie’s Nate Hanson singled up the middle to drive in Eric Farris for the walk-off win. It was one of just four hits for the Red Wings. Deibinson Romero pinch hit in the ninth and walked. It was the 23rd straight game he’s played in and reached base. Hanson had a slow start in his first ten games after being promoted from New Britain to Rochester. He now has a seven-game hitting streak during which time he is 10-27 (.371). ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 7, Portland 0 Box Score Download attachment: Tyler Duffey 2.JPG Tyler Duffey seems to have found his way in the Eastern League of late. On this night, he went seven innings without allowing a run. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out seven. He improved to 7-2 with a 3.75 ERA. In his last three starts, he has thrown 21.1 innings and given up just three earned runs. He has given up 12 hits, walked just one and struck out 24 in that time. Jim Fuller gave up only a walk in the final two innings. Jorge Polanco made it to New Britain in time to play. He led off and went 1-4 with a double. The middle of the lineup hit well in this one. Cleanup man Kennys Vargas went 2-4 with his 16th double. Aaron Hicks, batting fifth, went 2-4 with his seventh and eighth doubles and three RBI. Brandon Waring hit his 19th and 20th doubles in four at bats. Mike Kvasnicka went 2-4 with his 20th double. Eddie Rosario added his 11th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Tampa 6 (11 innings) Box Score Aderlin Mejia had a big game that concluded with a game-winning RBI single in the 11th inning. He went 2-2 with three walks and his 13th and 14th stolen bases. Michael Gonzales went 2-3 with his 21st doubles and seventh home run. Byron Buxton doubled twice in six at bats. Travis Harrison went 2-6 with his 26th double. Niko Goodrum went 2-5. Matt Tomshaw made the start. The lefty gave up four runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings. Todd Van Steensel threw two shutout frames. Brandon Peterson struck out two in a perfect eighth inning. Tyler Jones gave up two unearned runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth. He did strike out two. Brian Gilbert struck out three over the last two innings. He didn’t allow a base runner. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Dayton 0 Box Score Chih-Wei Hu has been tremendous since his promotion to the Kernels. Saturday’s start was his best yet. The right-hander went six shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked one and struck out ten. He is now 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA with the Kernels. Jake Reed, the Twins 5th round pick this summer, struck out three in two perfect innings. Nick Burdi came on and struck out one in his perfect innings. These two have been strikeout guys. Burdi now has 16 strikeouts in eight innings for Cedar Rapids. Reed has 21 strikeouts in 15 innings between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids. The Kernels struck for three runs in the first inning, and that was enough. Engelb Vielma went 2-4. JD Williams hit his 12th double. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 2, Johnson City 5 Box Score Michael Cederoth was back on the mound for the E-Twins. He went five innings and gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits. He walked one, hit three and struck out two. Cameron Booser gave up two unearned runs on one hit and three walks in two innings. He struck out two. Dereck Rodriguez continued his impressive streak at the start of his pitching career. He has only given up an unearned run in his 16 innings over ten games this season. Pat Kelly went 3-3 in this game with his fourth and fifth doubles. Nick Gordon went 2-4 with his third double. Tyler Kuresa doubled for the ninth time. Max Murphy went 1-3 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 5 Box Score The GCL Twins won again. Amaurys Minier went 2-3 with his seventh double and two RBI. He was also hit by a pitch. Jarrard Poteete went 2-4 with two RBI. Brandon Easton worked the first four innings. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and three walks. Eduardo Del Rosario threw three innings and gave up just one hit. Trevor Hildenberger worked two perfect innings in relief. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Chih-Wei Hu, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Aderlin Mejia, Ft. Myers Miracle SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (12:05 CST) – Kris Johnson Portland @ New Britain (12:35 CST) – Virgil Vasquez Ft. Myers @ Tampa (12:00 CST) – Ethan Mildren Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (1:00 CST) – Stephen Gonsalves Elizabethton @ Johnson City (3:00 CST) – Sam Gibbons GCL Twins – No Game Scheduled. Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

On Monday, the Minnesota Twins had an actual off day. The players and the coaching staff were given a full day off. However, on the minor league side, things were really busy. They held a regular workout from about 9:30 until 11:30, but then after lunch, they played their first intra-squad game of the season after four full days of workouts. On Tuesday afternoon, there will be another set of intra-squad games.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] At 1:00, the Rochester Red Wings work group played against the New Britain Rock Cats work group. At the same time, on an adjacent field, the Ft. Myers Miracle work group went up against the Cedar Rapids Kernels. There was actually quite a crowd at the game. For a minor league guy like myself, this is an amazing atmosphere. I walked back and forth between the fields with a camera, trying to get pictures of everyone. However, with prospects playing on both fields, it can be a little overwhelming. It is also pretty incredible. As mentioned on Sunday, the Twins cut 16 players from Twins camp. Those players were encouraged to take Monday off as well and are expected to report to minor league camp on Tuesday. Notes from the day: Pitchers of the day: ROCHESTER: Virgil Vasquez, Taylor Rogers, Matt Summers, Matt Hauser, AJ Achter and Ryan O’Rourke.NEW BRITAIN: Jason Wheeler, Mason Melotakis, Tim Shibuya, Chad Rodgers, Matt Tomshaw, Tyler Jones.FT. MYERS: Aaron Slegers, Kuo Hua Lo, Christian Powell, Fernando Romero, Randy Rosario.CEDAR RAPIDS: Kohl Stewart, Lewis Thorpe, Ethan Mildren, Derrick Penilla, Tyler Stirewalt. Of course, the questions you will want to ask likely revolve around seeing Stewart, Thorpe and Romero. I can’t blame you. Those are three guys that I found myself gravitating toward when they were on the mound. Obviously what they did statistically doesn’t really matter at all, especially five days into camp. Where all of these pitchers were on Monday is not where they hopefully will be in April and throughout the season. Here are my thoughts on those three and some others. Kohl Stewart – He certainly is an athlete. He has a good delivery, and he does throw pretty hard (though I don’t think he was airing it out yet). He struggled some with his control and walked a couple. He’s not as tall as many of the Twins pitchers. He’s about 6-3 and has room to grow. Download attachment: Kohl Stewart 6.jpg Lewis Thorpe – The lefty was pretty impressive as well. He showed a good fastball and a good curveball, and many think his changeup may be his best pitch. There was contact on him, but for the most part, he also just threw strikes. He has a very smooth delivery. It is clear he’s got a high baseball IQ and knows how to pitch. Couple that with his stuff and he has a chance. Download attachment: Lewis Thorpe 3.jpg Fernando Romero – He threw the hardest of the group, and he does have that slider. He struggled with his control as well. He is not tall, and he is pretty stocky. Scouts likely notice that he has some pretty big, strong legs. Download attachment: Fernando Romero.jpg Randy Rosario – Jorge and Landa didn’t pitch, but Rosario was impressive. He’s a small, athletic guy with a lot of energy. He does throw pretty hard, and when he throws strikes, it’s hard to make great contact off him. Download attachment: Randy Rosario 3.jpg Jason Wheeler – The very tall (6-8) lefty looks pretty impressive. He’s lanky, and the mechanical adjustments he made while working with Ivan Arteaga last year have helped him increase his 87-89 mph fastball to 91-92 mph. He has very good mechanics and a nice delivery. He also has a brother that plays in the big leagues. Mason Melotakis – He definitely did not have his best control, but he does throw hard. He threw a lot of fastballs in the dirt. Matt Hauser* – He throws really hard. It might be a bit straight though as he was hit really hard. Again, nothing to worry about, but he is a reliever to watch this year. Tim Shibuya – He missed much of the early part of the 2013 season after shoulder surgery the previous offseason. He showed his old impeccable control and appeared to be throwing harder than I recall. Taylor Rogers – The lefty makes it look pretty easy out there. He has a great delivery and really good arm action. He also touches 93, so he’s worth watching. Kuo Hua Lo – He struggled with his control early, walking a few in a row. He has a delivery in which he brings that ball and his glove over his head and then pauses before throwing. Tyler Stirewalt – I know he’s a guy that Jeremy Nygaard and I talk a lot about due to his football background. He didn’t throw as hard on Monday as I thought he might, but you can see that it’s there. He works from about a ¾ release point and has a good slider. Definitely a project. The Hitters: Travis Harrison – Yes, they had him playing left field throughout the game. He will likely spend some time at third base again in 2014, but he will get a lot of time in the outfield. He’s one that goes without batting gloves to get that feel in his hands. He worked a count against Matt Summers and crushed a pitch well over the left centerfield fence for a home run. He put some really good swings on the ball. He also showed more speed than I recall from last year. Download attachment: Travis Harrison.jpg Brian Navarreto – The 6-4, 220 pound, 18-year-old catcher was pretty impressive. Behind the plate, he set up surprisingly low. He also displayed a very strong, accurate arm, throwing out a would-be base stealer at second base. He came to bat with the bases loaded one inning. He destroyed a pitch down the third base line that the ump called foul. Tom Kelly joked, "Hey, you hit it too far anyway.” A couple pitches later, he settled for an RBI single. Download attachment: Brian Navarreto.jpg Engelb Vielma – There has been a lot of talk about him. I will say this, he plays a pretty good shortstop. He made a play up the middle on a ground ball and flipped it perfectly to second base to start a double play. He’s thin and has a lot of room to grow. Offensively, he is a slap hitter, as you’d expect. He does have good speed. We’ll have to be patient, but you can see what the Twins see in him. Nelson Molina – Again, he is a guy whose tools are quite evident. The team’s 11th round pick a year ago has the tools. He has a good glove at shortstop with good range. At about 6-2 and really skinny, he has some growing to do. If he does, he could be one to watch. That would also help him at the plate, where he looks like he could struggle in the short term. Also, Will Hurt plays a tremendous shortstop. Tom Kelly – TK warrants his own section. We know he’s a roving instructor, but you can see, up close, the love and passion that he has for the game. He was frequently talking to Chad Christensen. In fact, he held up a full round of infield before the games to show Christensen a couple of tips. In the game, he’s walking around with his fungo in his hands. He’s shouting encouragement to players, and he’s observing. He’s seeing the minutiae that most of us miss. Players who didn’t pitch today were behind the home plates, watching their teammates. Many of the pitchers will throw on Tuesday. Download attachment: Engelb Vielma Kelly Christensen.jpg John Murphy made a remarkable diving catch down the left field line in the second game. He all-out dove after it and made the play. JD Williams was in centerfield for the New Britain team, at least for a few innings. He made a terrific diving catch in left center. He remained on the field for a little while before coming in. He told me later that he was feeling much better. He had landed on his hip and was moving slowly. Levi Michael – At one point, he found his way on base. He stole second and then grabbed a leg. It looked like it could have been a pulled muscle, or maybe even just a charley horse. A couple of new hitters hit back-to-back in the first game. Brad Nelson and CJ Ziegler both look to have a lot of power and not much speed. They are both big and strong and clearly around for power. Twins Daily contributor AJ Pettersen had a single, a walk and a couple of stolen bases. He didn’t play defense early in the game, but he did go play centerfield for a couple innings. The first two batters flew out to him when he got out there, and he made the plays. Before the game, I had the chance to talk to a couple pitchers. I talked to Tyler Jones who was my choice for minor league reliever of the year last year. He provided the “best shape of my life” line, but he certainly looks the part too. With that 97 mph fastball, he has a chance to move a couple of levels this year. I also talked to veteran Mark Hamburger. He is incredibly excited to be back with the Twins. He said this spring he feels so much better and he sounds like it too. He is in a much better place in his life. He looks truly happy. Asked whether he will get a chance to pitch as a starter or out of the bullpen, he said he wasn’t sure. He will be working late in the intra-squad game on Tuesday, but he was told that he would be given an opportunity to start. He talked about how he has his 50 games to get stretched out down in Ft. Myers. He enjoyed his time with the Saints, but this is where he wants to be. Don’t forget that he pitched in September for the Rangers briefly in their first World Series run. He has a chance to contribute this year. I plan to spend time at the major league camp some on Tuesday morning and again watch the minor league intrasquad game in the afternoon. Remember that Jeremy Nygaard and I will discuss all kinds of Twins and Twins minor league topics on Tuesday night's Twins Hangout at 8:30 (central time). One last thing... here is some video of Lewis Thorpe on the mound. Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins were back in action on Tuesday after an off day on Monday. The team traveled to Port Charlotte and lost to the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 7-1. Jason Kubel homering seems to have been the main story of the game. As Twins Daily fans would know and expect from me, I chose to stay in Ft. Myers because there were two more minor league intrasquad games. Four Twins pitchers threw in the game to mixed results, but there was plenty going on in the games. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Note - There are a LOT of pictures from yesterday's games in this article, but there will be a lot more on the Twins Daily Facebook page throughout the afternoon. Be sure to Like Twins Daily on Facebook to see more. The biggest news was that Matt Guerrier made his first appearance in a game on the mound. It wasn’t a big league game, but it was a milestone for the 35 year old veteran nonetheless. He looked good. The first batter he faced was Byron Buxton who hit a hard ground ball that third baseman Tony Thomas dove to his left for, got up and got him by a half step. The next batter was Jorge Polanco and he grounded out as well. John Murphy came up and hit a fly ball to left center that should have been an easy out, but it dropped for a double. Good thing Tom Kelly didn’t see that. Guerrier walked the next batter before getting the final out on a lazy fly ball. Download attachment: Matt Guerrier 3.jpg The secondary news was that Jared Burton came in and pitched the first inning for New Britain. To say it didn’t go well is an understatement. The first batter was Corey Wimberly, and he singled. With Burton not even paying attention, the diminutive veteran stole second and third base. Then Burton hit Chris Rahl who proceeded to steal second base on the first pitch. The next batter hit a hard one-hopped that Jorge Polanco, playing shortstop, dove and caught. He got up and threw a short-hopper to first base that got by the first baseman just enough for both runners to score. CJ Ziegler, the large man signed from independent ball this winter, hit a deep double to the right centerfield fence. On the next pitch, Danny Ortiz hit a ball about 420 feet to right field, and it was 5-0. Burton did get the next hitter, Reynaldo Rodriguez, out on a ball that was caught near the fence in centerfield, about 405 feet from home plate. Frankly, I went over to watch the other game at that point, but I understand he got the final two outs of the inning. It is important to note that he doesn't throw his slider this early in spring training, so let's not make too much out of this. In good news, Brian Duensing and Glen Perkins had relatively easy innings. Perkins made a couple of hitters look silly on his slider, caught by the catcher near the back foot of right-handed hitters. Mike Kvasnicka and AJ Pettersen, like Perkins, are former Gophers, put the ball in play against him. Kvasnicka flew out, and Pettersen lined out to third base. That’s the big league portion of the minor league report for today. Below, you will find several other observations from intra-squad game two. Pitchers of the day: ROCHESTER/NEW BRITAIN GAME: Matt Guerrier, Jared Burton, Brian Duensing, Glen Perkins, Pat Dean, AJ Achter, Dakota Watts, Mark Hamburger, DJ Baxendale, Madison Boer, BJ Hermsen, Cole Johnson, Tyler Duffey, Brett LeeFT. MYERS/CEDAR RAPIDS: JO Berrios, Felix Jorge, Yorman Landa, Stephen Gonsalves, Josh Burris, CK Irby, Chris Mazza, Carson Goldsmith, Sam Gibbons, Tanner Mendonca, Dereck Rodriguez, Todd Van SteenselTHE PITCHERS: DJ Baxendale looks tough. Like Scott Erickson, he looks in for the signal with his hand in his glove, peering over the top of his glove. He has a quick delivery, but he throws pretty hard and his breaking ball looks really tough. Download attachment: DJ Baxendale.jpg Todd Van Steensel went 5-2 in 2011 with the Elizabethton Twins, but after the season, he was released. The Australian went back home and he been pitching in the Australian Baseball League. This spring, he the Twins re-signed him. Watching him reminds me of former Twins reliever, turned dominant closer the last few years, Grant Balfour. He wears the goggles. He pitches solely from the stretch. He has a high leg-kick and he throws a lot harder. We’ll see where it goes, but still just 23, he is worth watching. Also, how can we not cheer for a guy who got to take a selfie with Taylor Swift. Download attachment: Todd Van Steensel.jpg Reports from last year were that lefty Pat Dean topped out around 88 mph, but he was throwing pretty well on Tuesday. He showed terrific control in the strike zone, or just off the corners throughout his two innings. The former third round pick gets forgotten, but he did make it to AAA last year. I had the chance to talk to AJ Achter a little bit yesterday. He pitched and said he felt really good. I asked him about his experience in the Arizona Fall League last year, and he said he enjoyed it immensely. He said he threw really well early, but by the end of the season, his arm was really tired and he had little left. He’s looking forward to a fresh start this year. Brett Lee has been my choice throughout the offseason as a sleeper candidate. The lefty looked really good pitching against the AAA hitters on Tuesday. I talked to him afterward for a little while. He said it felt good. They were encouraged to get a feel for all of their pitches. Going forward in spring, they’ll start focusing more on fastball command. He has a nasty slider that he said is going well so far in spring. Download attachment: Brett Lee 2.jpg BJ Hermsen had a rough year in 2013. He would be the first one to admit it. What he won’t admit is that the strained oblique injury that he suffered late in spring training last year affected him the entire year. Obviously Hermsen relies on his control and movement. But when your side hurts, imagine trying to find a consistent release point that doesn’t hurt. He looked good in his first outing of the spring on Tuesday. Tyler Duffey pitched, and got a bunch of ground balls. I was able to stand behind the plate a little more when he was pitching and saw the life on his pitches. He didn’t throw real hard, but he did got a lot of sink, and because of it, you can see why he has the potential to be an extreme ground ball pitcher. Mark Hamburger looked solid in his first inning as well. He throws pretty hard still, and that mustache has to be intimidating. JO Berrios may not be tall, but he does a very nice job on the mound. I watched his pregame bullpen. He throws hard and locates well down in the zone. His breaking pitch looked devastating in the bullpen. He did walk one batter in his first inning, but he got out of it. In the second inning, he got a weak ground ball to first base. Then a ground ball back to himself that he made an athletic, diving play on. He struck out the final batter he faced. He did miss on his location on one pitch that I’ll write more about later. Download attachment: JO Berrios 4.jpg Stephen Gonsalves is tall and long. He looks like a pitcher, especially standing on the mound. He has a very smooth delivery and great arm action. He didn’t throw blazing fast at this stage, but he’s got a good, consistent release even on his breaking pitches. He got hit a little bit, and he even walked one, but in all, it’s clear he has some potential. Download attachment: Stephen Gonsalves 3.jpg Felix Jorge came on and he definitely looks like he’s going to be good. He is tall and he is very lean. He throws hard, but has good control. The breaking pitch and the change looked pretty good. Download attachment: Jorge Felix 2.jpg Yorman Landa also threw. He’s a little bigger and stronger than Jorge at this point, but the scouting reports that I’ve seen and heard were on display in this game. He throws really hard and he doesn’t always know where it’s going to go. In fact, he hit Ivory Thomas, who isn’t a real big target, near the shoulder with a pitch. Download attachment: Yorman Landa 2.jpg Reports on Josh Burris were accurate too. Throws hard, struggles with control, hammer for a curveball! Brian Gilbert looks like a late-inning reliever. He’s got a certain mound presence that is clear watching him. He throws pretty hard, and does have good control too. Could move quickly. Dereck Rodriguez, I wish I would have seen more of him, but he is tall and thin. Kind of the opposite build of his father who is aptly nicknamed “Pudge.” He does throw hard. He’ll have to work on his other pitches. He’ll go back to EST and develop. Download attachment: Dereck Rodriguez.jpg THE HITTERS I have to lead the hitters with Brian Navaretto. I mentioned earlier the one bad pitch the JO Berrios threw? It was to Navaretto, and he deposited it well over the left field fence. Unlike a day earlier, this one stayed fair. He had at least one other hit in the game. Travis Harrison says that he is seeing the ball really well. He hit the long home run on Monday and hit some hard line drives. He said that he is disappointed somewhat in moving to the outfield because he felt he made some real positive strides throughout the 2013 season. He pointed at Jake Mauer and said, “a huge amount of credit goes to that guy right there.” But he also understands it and knows that his best attribute as a player is his offense, specifically his power. Byron Buxton grounded out in his first two minor league at-bats. He then hit a chopper down the third base line that he beat out. He played just five innings. Download attachment: Byron Buxton 6.jpg Same thing with Jorge Polanco. In one of his at-bats, he lined a ball to center in one at-bat and went all-out to second for a double. However, he played shortstop and it was a mess. He made no fewer than three errors that I saw. He was saved on another one when a ball went under his glove and the second baseman fielded it and stepped on the base for an out. Listen, he’ll be fine as a shortstop. It wasn’t a good day, but he can field. It is also clear that he is a second baseman. Max Kepler played for the Ft. Myers team and played the full game. He struck out against Gonsalves, but he hit the ball real hard a few times. He played right field throughout the game. Starting to feel better about my pick of Stuart Turner as my breakout hitter of 2014. He hit a long double to right field off of Duensing. He had another line drive hit. He also does a tremendous job behind the plate. You can see that clearly. Download attachment: Stuart Turner 3.jpg We also shouldn’t overlook 2013 ninth round pick Mitch Garver. He’s a terrific backstop as well, and he can hit too: a lot of line drives. Up the middle defense looks to have some potentially really good glove guys. Nelson Molina, Will Hurt, Carlos Avila, Jonatan Hinojosa, Ryan Walker, AJ Pettersen, Niko Goodrum, and Jorge Polanco are all really good glove guys. The guy people wanted to talk about was Engelb Vielma. He has made some tremendous plays with the glove. Levi Michael did not play on Tuesday after a leg injury on Monday. It didn’t appear serious. Nate Roberts is around and doing some running and such, but he has not played yet. DISCLAIMER: Yes, I am aware that seeing these guys for one or two games does not a sufficient scouting report make. However, it is great to be able to see these players who otherwise you only know through box scores. It is enlightening. Twins play the Pirates in a couple of hours. Kevin Correia and Gerrit Cole will be starting. Oswaldo Arcia is returning to the lineup and the outfield. Aaron Hicks is again not in the lineup. Robby Incmikoski is here in Ft. Myers with the Pirates broadcast team. Also, Jack Morris is making his radio debut today. The game will also air on FSN at 12:05 (central). Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins had a much-needed day off in Chicago as they prepare for a four-game series again the White Sox. Liam Hendriks has been recalled and will pitch the second of the day-night doubleheader. Josh Willingham returns from his rehab stint in Rochester and is expected to play for the Twins on Friday. It was a full night in the Twins farm system though. Cedar Rapids got their bats going again. Elizabethton’s hitters even had a big game. Of course, Elizabethton also got a tremendous start from a hard-throwing left-hander. Check out what else happened in the Twins Minor League system on Thursday:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Rochester 3, Durham 7 Box Score The Red Wings fell behind 4-0 after just one inning and were unable to catch up. Virgil Vasquez gave up just those four runs on seven hits in five innings total. He walked none and struck out five. Cody Eppley then gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. He struck out one. Aaron Thompson got the next two outs, but not before giving up one more run on two hits and a walk. Shairon Martis pitched a scoreless inning. He walked one and struck out one. Josmil Pinto went 3-4 and is now hitting .423 in his short time with the Red Wings. Eric Farris went 2-5, and Jermaine Mitchell was 2-4. Deibinson Romero hit his ninth home run for Rochester. New Britain 1, Akron 0 Box Score Veteran Kyle Davies was back on the mound for the Rock Cats and pitched well. He went the first six innings without allowing a run. He gave up four hits, walked none and struck out two. Cole Johnson came on and struck out three over the next two innings. He gave up just one hit. Dakota Watts finished with a scoreless ninth frame. He gave up just one hit. The Rock Cats got the win despite scoring just one run and getting just four hits. Evan Bigley had two of the hits and drove in the lone run. Ft. Myers 1, Charlotte 3 Box Score The pitching was adequate in this game, despite a rain delay of over an hour to start. However, the Miracle bats did not show up on this night. Manuel Soliman started and gave up one run on five hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out six. Tyler Duffey came out of the bullpen and worked three innings. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. He struck out three. Zack Jones worked the final two innings without giving up a run. He gave up one hit, one walk and struck out three. The Miracle had just five hits in the game in this one. Byron Buxton’s third double was the lone extra base hit for the Miracle. JD Williams and Levi Michael each had a single and a walk. A frustrated Doug Mientkiewicz was ejected in the seventh inning for arguing balls and strikes. Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 2 Box Score It was a terrific night for the Kernels in Beloit. Their bats have really cooled of late, but on this night, the bats showed up. The pitching was also terrific. Tim Atherton started and improved to 6-4 with five solid innings. He gave up two runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out four. Alex Muren was unhittable in his three innings. In fact, he faced nine batters and got all nine of them out, including two on strikeouts. Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close out the win. Jonathan Murphy led the offense. He went 2-4 with a walk, his fifth double, his second triple and four RBI. Adam Walker was 2-5 with his 27th double. Niko Goodrum was 1-2 and walked three times. Max Kepler and Joel Licon each had two doubles. Jorge Polanco hit his 28th double. Elizabethton 6, Johnson City 3 Box Score Download attachment: Randy Rosario 2.jpg Hard-throwing lefty Randy Rosario was on the mound for the E-Twins. He threw seven shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out four. Second-round pick Ryan Eades came on and struggled to find the strike zone. He recorded just two outs and was charged with three runs (2 earned). He gave up one hit, walked three and struck out one. CK Irby recorded his first save. He got the final four outs. He walked one and struck out two. Zach Granite continues to lead the E-Twins offense from the leadoff position. In this game, he was 2-3 with two walks and his 12th stolen base. Rory Rhodes was also 2-3, and he added a walk. Tanner Vavra hit his first triple. GCL Twins 2, GCL Orioles 4 Box Score For the second straight rehab game, Alex Wimmers got roughed up. In his previous start, he had given up eight runs (5 earned) on nine hits in three innings. On Thursday morning, he gave up four runs on five hits and a walk, and he recorded just two outs. He struck out one. Fernando Romero did a tremendous job in relief. He went the next 5.1 innings and gave up just one hit and walked one. He struck out five. Leonel Zazueta struck out four and walked one in two scoreless innings. Tyler Stirewalt then struck out the side in his inning. The Twins had seven hits on the game. Jonatan Hinojosa was the lone player with a multi-hit game. He was 2-3 with a walk. Jorge Fernandez had the lone extra base hit, his second triple of the season. Former Twins outfielder, Lew Ford, played in his first rehab game for the Orioles and went 1-1 with a walk. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions. Click here to view the article

This afternoon, the Twins made a trade with the Atlanta Braves. The Twins sent catcher/DH/outfielder Ryan Doumit to Atlanta in exchange for LHP Sean Gilmartin. Download attachment: Ryan Doumit 2.jpg The Braves will take on the entire $3.5 million of Doumit's 2014 contract which helps the Twins as they look to continue adding players. It also opens up a 40 man roster spot because Gilmartin is not yet on the that roster. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Doumit came to the Twins before the 2012 season. In his first season, he hit .275/.320/.461 with 34 doubles, 18 homers and 75 RBI. In 2013, he dropped to .247/.314/.396 with 28 doubles, 14 homers and 55 RBI. He spent time as the team's backup catcher, but also was a primary designated hitter and spent some time in the corner outfield positions. He did miss time with concussion symptoms in the 2013 season and has talked about wanted to not catch (or at least catch less often) which makes the move to the National League interesting. The Twins had great interest in Sean Gilmartin before the 2011 draft. He was taken with the 28th overall pick in the draft, two picks before the Twins selected Levi Michael. Download attachment: SeanGilmartin.jpg Gilmartin, a 23 year old who went to Florida State, moved up the Braves system quickly. Last year, he made 17 starts for AAA Gwinnett. He went 3-8 with a 5.75 ERA, though he missed time with injury. He will not need to be added to the 40 man roster until after the 2014 season. Here is a huge scouting report on Gilmartin. Gilmartin graduated from Crespi Carmelite HS in Encino, California. That is the same high school that Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe is from. When the Twins signed Jason Kubel last week to a minor league contract, the writing was on the wall that Doumit would likely be traded. The two are really DHs who can play in the corner outfield spots. With the $3.5 million saved, the Twins could continue their search for more starting pitching or they could turn their attention to the offense. The Twins busy, exciting offseason continues to be eventful! What's next? Click here to view the article

Below you will find the complete list of 2012 draft picks of the Minnesota Twins. Feel free to discuss. #40 (1210) - Brad Schreiber - RHP - COL - Purdue #39 (1180) - Steven Liquori - OF - HS - Georgia #38 (1150) - Austin Rei - C - HS - California (37/38, same HS) #37 (1120) - James Marvel - RHP - HS - California #36 (1090) - Brandon Bayardi - OF - COL - UNLV #35 (1060) - Jared Wilson - RHP - COL - UC-Santa Barbara #34 (1030) - Bryan Haar - OF - COL - U of San Diego #33 (1000) - Kaleb Merck - RHP - COL - Texas Christian U #32 (970) - Andrew Ferreira - LHP - COL - Harvard #31 (940) - Tim Robinson - LF - HS - California #30 (910) - Bryan Santy - C - COL - U of Washington #29 (880) - Sean Hagan - LHP - COL - St. John's U #28 (850) - Carson Goldsmith - RHP - COL - Northwestern State #27 (820) - Jared Grundy - LHP - COL - U of Kentucky #26 (790) - Justin Jones - LHP - COL - U of California #25 (760) - Joel Licon - SS - COL - Orange Coast College #24 (730) - Jose Favela - C - HS - Texas #23 (700) - Travis Huber - RHP - COL - Nebraska #22 (670) - Josh Graham - C - HS - Oregon #21 (640) - Bo Altobelli - C - COL - Texas Tech #20 (610) - Zach Larson - CF - HS - Florida #19 (580) - Jonathan Murphy - LF - COL - Jacksonville U. #18 (550) - William LaMarche - RHP - COL - Chabot College #17 (520) - Dalton Hicks - 1B - COL - Central Florida #16 (490) - Will Hurt - SS - HS - Kentucky (Ben Revere's HS)#15 (460) - Jarret Leverett - LHP - COL - Georgia Southern #14 (430) - Jake Proctor - CF - COL - Cincinnati #13 (400) - Erich Knab - RHP - HS - South Carolina #12 (370) - Alex Muren - RHP - COL - Cal St. Northridge #11 (340) - Taylor Rogers - LHP - COL - Kentucky #10 (310) - Doug (DJ) Baxendale - RHP - COL - Arkansas-Fayetteville #9 (280) - LJ Mazzilli - 2B - COL - U Connecticut (Lee Mazzilli's son) #8 (250) - Christian Powell - COL - RHP - College of Charleston #7 (220) - Jorge Fernandez - C - HS - Puerto Rico #6 (190) - Andre Martinez - LHP - HS - Florida #5 (160) - Tyler Duffey - RHP - COL - Rice U #4 (130) - Zach Jones - RHP - COL - San Jose State #3 (97) - Adam Walker - RF - COL - Jacksonville U #2 (72) - JT Chargois - RHP - COL - Rice U #2 (63) - Mason Melotakis - LHP - COL - Northwestern State (LA) #1S (42) - Luke Bard - RHP - COL - Georgia Tech #1S (32) - Jose Orlando Berrios - RHP - HS - Puerto Rico# #1 (2) - Byron Buxton - OF - HS - Georgia Download attachment: MLB-Draft.jpg Click here to view the article

I guess if there is one positive to having three straight 96+ loss seasons, it is the high draft picks that the Minnesota Twins have received. In 2011, the Twins had the second worst record in baseball, so they had the second overall pick in the 2012 draft. With it, they selected Byron Buxton. In 2012, the Twins had the fourth worst record, so in 2013 they had the fourth pick.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The selection was something that had Twins Daily buzzing for a month leading up to the draft. Would the Twins use the pick to take one of the three big college players? Would they work out a pre-draft deal with Reese McGuire and then use extra bonus money later in the draft? The Houston Astros took Mark Appel with the first overall pick. Third baseman Kris Bryant was selected by the Chicago Cubs with the second pick. Then the Colorado Rockies drafted Jonathan Gray with the third pick. The player the Twins were most rumored to want all along, right-handed pitcher Kohl Stewart, fell to them with the fourth pick and they were excited to draft him. (Jeremy, John and Seth talked about the pick at the end of the first day of the draft.) Stewart was the 6th-ranked quarterback in the nation and had signed to play at Texas A&M. However, when he was drafted he made it clear he had every intention of signing quickly with the Twins. In a conference call following his selection, Stewart said, “Football has always taken rank over baseball, especially in high school with it being so demanding and such a big deal here in Texas. I look forward to being able to just sit down and work on baseball for once. I’ve never been able to do that. I really didn’t start pitching at the level I have been pitching at until high school and then football came again and took away from that. So I’m really looking forward to being able to really focus on one thing and focus on that for a long period of time.” Stewart is blessed with some great gifts. He has a mid-90s fastball and has been clocked at up to 97 mph. He has a slider in the upper-80s. He has a curveball and a change up and he is also working on a sinker. Scouts said he had as much pure stuff as anyone in the draft, including Appel and Gray. Though some considered him fairly advanced for his age, he still has a lot of developing to do. In his 2013 high school season, he went 5-1 with a 0.18 ERA. He also struck out 59 batters in his 40 innings. Download attachment: Kohl Stewart Mug.jpg After signing, he went to the Gulf Coast League where he posted a 1.69 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. In 16 innings, generally two or three inning stints, he walked three and struck out 16. He was promoted to Elizabethton where he made just one start. He threw four shutout innings, giving up one hit, one walk and striking out eight. However, he experienced some soreness in his right shoulder and the Twins were wise to shut him down. In 2014, Stewart will certainly be one to watch. He will likely pitch for Cedar Rapids, in their six-man rotation. One thinks they will have him on some sort of innings limit or plan since he doesn't have a lot of innings on his arm. In 2014, the Twins will have the fifth overall pick in the draft which means that selection will be a top story in 2014. The Twins have added a couple elite prospects through their high first-round picks the last two years. As a pitcher with a big fastball and huge potential, Stewart will be a key to the Twins staying strong for years to come. A look at other Twins stories from 2013 includes: #13 – Twins in the WBC #12 – Drew Butera Traded to Dodgers #11 – Twins Sign Kubel, Trade Doumit #10 - Brian Dozier Breaks Through #9 - Kyle Gibson Promoted #8 - Aaron Hicks' Lost Year Click here to view the article

It is apparent that most nights we will be able to follow at least one very good pitching prospect. On this night, Trevor May looked to continue the good work he had done through his first three starts. JO Berrios and Kohl Stewart were looking for their first wins with their 2014 teams. Continue to read below to see how these three did in their efforts Friday night. Meanwhile, Jorge Polanco had another big night with the bat. And, of course, it wouldn’t be an April day without one of the Twins affiliates getting rained/snowed/weathered out. Download attachment: Kohl Stewart 6.jpg TRANSACTIONS Newly acquired Kenny Wilson made his way to Richmond, Virginia, on Friday to join his new team (and organization). AJ Pettersen was promoted to New Britain while Aderlin Mejia was sent back to the Miracle. The Cedar Rapids Kernels put Randy Rosario on the 7-day disabled list with a left flexor mass sprain. Australian reliever Todd Van Steensel and outfielder Ivory Thomas spent all night traveling and should join the Kernels on Saturday. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Pawtucket 6 Box Score Trevor May was very good in his first three starts for the Red Wings this season. In those, he worked 15.1 innings and had just three walks to go with 16 strikeouts. He also had a sub-3 ERA. Things didn’t go quite so well for May in his fourth start. May went just three innings and was charged with five runs, all earned and all in the 3rd inning. He gave up three hits, walked four and struck out four. Brooks Raley came on and gave up one run on three hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out three. Aaron Thompson walked two and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Eric Farris was the lone Red Wings batter with more than one hit. He went 2-4. Dan Rohlfing had the lone extra base hit, his third double of the year. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain, Richmond Kenny Wilson made it to Richmond. AJ Pettersen was supposed to make his 2014 Rock Cats debut in this game, batting ninth and playing shortstop but instead he’ll have to wait a day as the teams were rained out. They will play a doubleheader on Saturday. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Palm Beach 1 Box Score JO Berrios really had to work, but he did a great job and earned his first win in the Florida State League. Berrios went six innings and gave up eight hits and two walks, but he yielded only one run. He struck out seven. Mason Melotakis came on and struck out four in two perfect innings. Tyler Jones worked a scoreless ninth inning. Thursday, Jorge Polanco hit his first home run of the season. In his first at-bat Friday night, he hit his second. He went 3-4 in the game. Dalton Hicks went 2-4 with his fourth double. Max Kepler was 2-3 with his second double. He drove in two runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Clinton 1 Box Score Tonight, Kohl Stewart put together the best start of his season in Clinton. The right-hander gave up only an unearned run over six innings. He gave up one hit, walked one, hit one and struck out six. Like Berrios, he recorded his first win at his new level, evening his record at 1-1. Yorman Landa came on and struck out five in two hitless innings. He did walk one. Brandon Peterson struck out two in his one-hit, no-run inning. Mitch Garver went 3-5 and he drove in three runs, one in each of three separate at-bats. He hit his fifth double as well. Engelb Vielma was 3-4 and stole two bases. Jason Kanzler went 2-4 and tripled. He stole two bases including a steal of home on the back end of a double steal. Tanner Vavra was 2-4 with a walk and is now hitting .340. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kohl Stewart, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jorge Polanco, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Charlotte @ Rochester (3:05 CST) – Scott Diamond (Listen) New Britain @ Richmond (Doubleheader, 4:05 CST) – Sean Gilmartin, Pat Dean (Listen) Palm Beach @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – David Hurlbut (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Clinton (2:00 CST) – Felix Jorge (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

1.) Logan Darnell is a legit prospect. He's probably a Top 20 prospect for most. May end up being a Brian Duensing, Part 2, but that wouldn't be bad. 2.) May has pitched twice since coming off the DL. Reports I'm getting from Rochester are the he just needs to shake some rust off. Unfortunately, one start got rained out and one start was cut short (3 IP) by a rain suspension. 3.) Meyer didn't line up in this scenario when Gibson couldn't start again. Didn't line up. Let's not make so much of this.

In 2012 infielder Jamey Carroll played in 138 games (second-most of his career) and racked up a career-high 537 plate appearances. He was the Opening Day shortstop but that was the position that he played the third-most. He played 66 games at second base, 44 games at third base and 37 games at shortstop. Through 13 games in 2013, Jamey Carroll has made just two starts and has a total of nine plate appearances. Why has his role been so diminished to start this season? I think there are a few potentially good reasons. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Did Carroll’s skills diminish in 2012? At first glance, looking at just his .660 OPS in 2012, we see a drop from .718 and .706 in 2010 and 2011, respectively. However, his Isolated Discipline (OBP – BA) of .075 was better than 2012 (.069). For his career, his Isolated Discipline is .078. In other words, his approach at the plate was right on par with his career. His 2012 Isolated Power (SLG – BA) was .049. A year earlier, that number was .057 and for his career, it is .067. So, his “power” dropped slightly from not-very-much to even-less. The .022 drop in batting average accounted for .044 drop in OPS by itself. Considering that he got off to such a slow start (hitting .214 in April), he was himself the rest of the season. The summary of the previous paragraph is that it was clear that Carroll’s production drop in 2012 was more related to a couple of hits falling (or not falling) in over the course of the season rather than a fundamental flaw in his approach. The Twins have committed to giving every opportunity to 26-year-old Trevor Plouffe at third base, 26-year-old Pedro Florimon at shortstop and 25-year-old Brian Dozier at second base. The primary utility player at this stage of the season has been 24-year-old Eduardo Escobar. As much as the Twins say aloud that 2013 is about winning, it makes much sense for the rebuilding organization to play the younger guys as much as possible, ahead of the 39-year-old Jamey Carroll. One side aspect of this situation is that Carroll is a terrific person and happy to teach. He can be a strong influence on the younger players offensively and defensively. Carroll is as steady as it gets with the glove. His demeanor is exemplary on and off the field. He has kept himself in great playing shape throughout his career. And offensively, Carroll remains one of the more patient hitters on the roster. Is it possible that a large percentage of Carroll’s lack of playing time is money-related as well? He is making $3.75 million in 2013. It is the second year of his 2 year, $6.5 million contract. However, the contract comes with a $2 million club option for 2014 that the Twins could consider picking up. It becomes a player option if he reaches 401 plate appearances. That is a number he has reached in each of the past three seasons. However, in the previous seven full seasons before 2010, he reached that number just twice. Since he is a prototypical #2 hitter, if he were playing most days, he would average about 4.2 plate appearances per start. He would need about 96 starts to eclipse that mark. If he continues to get just nine plate appearances for every 13 games, he would end the season with fewer than 120 plate appearances. At some point during the season, an infielder may get hurt and need to miss 15 to 20 games. Would the Twins start Carroll or Escobar in that situation? My assumption today would be that most of those starts would go to Carroll. Escobar really profiles to be the next in a long line of solid, long-term utility infielders like Al Newman, Jeff Reboulet, Denny Hocking and Nick Punto. No one is feeling sorry for Jamey Carroll. The author of this article and most of those reading it would give just about anything to sit on the end of a Major League Baseball bench and still make $3.75 million for the year. Carroll has had about as good of a career as a guy can have who didn't debut in the big leagues until he was 28 years old. He has over 10 years of service time and has earned the respect of his peers around the game of baseball. I had the opportunity to briefly meet Carroll at Twins Fest and he is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He acknowledged that he has a goal to play in the big leagues as a 40 year old. He will turn 40 as spring training is starting next year. It may be as simple as the Twins are going to play those young guys and give them a lot of rope to start the season. That’s completely understandable on a rebuilding team with some terrific prospects on the way but which still has to determine which of these current young players warrant a spot on future Twins teams. It may be as simple as trying to get out from needing to pay Carroll $2 million in 2014, although that is a very fair rate for a quality utility infielder in baseball. It is also possible that, despite Carroll’s work ethic, his skills had diminished enough to notice in spring training and he simply is not considered the player that he was within the organization. Who knows? Maybe there is something else going on all together. View full article

The news came early on Saturday afternoon when USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweeted that Twins prospect Eddie Rosario would be suspended 100 games for testing positive for recreational drug usage. Twins media guru Dustin Morse quickly tweeted a response that the suspension was for 50 games. The penalty is 50 games because it was his second positive test. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] When the first reports of a possible suspension came out in November, it was believed that it was a performance-enhancing drug. At the time, Parker Hageman went to Google Translate to decipher an article from a Venezuelan newspaper: We don't know what the "recreational drug" was, though I can say that it likely comes as no surprise to many. Download attachment: Eddie Rosario NB.jpg That said, Twins fans need to take a step back and look at this from a larger perspective. 1.) A 50 game suspension really only affects Rosario's development and timeline. In reality, he was going to start 2014 in New Britain with a chance to be called up later in the year to Rochester. He could have been a September call-up, if not sooner. A 50 game suspension likely means he will spend a few games in Fort Myers with the Miracle getting back into the swing of things before going to New Britain. 2.) Rosario does need to be added to the Twins' 40 man roster next November (or be subject to the Rule 5 draft... where he would be taken). The 40 man roster is also something that is relevant to this story. You see, marijuana is not a drug that is tested for on players on the 40 man roster. Read into that as you may. 3.) It may take a while to regain his credibility in the minds of some, but this (on its own) does not take anything away from Rosario's status as a prospect. This is clearly a mistake, and hopefully it will be no more than a hiccup on the road to the big leagues. Consider, Twins reliever Anthony Swarzak once was suspended 50 games for a "drug of abuse" too. He was given a second chance and he has made the most of it. Rosario can do the same thing. 4.) Does it hurt his trade value? Perhaps, and maybe that's important if the Twins are trying to deal him (which we don't know). Again, those around the game know Rosario well. Remember, he is just 22 years old. He's got a long career in front of him. On a personal level, I know there are a lot of people who are and have been very concerned about him. As fans, let's see how he responds to this. He'll get another opportunity and hopefully he can make some changes. We hope this suspension is something that pushes that to happen. It is important to note that the next suspension, if there is one, would be 100 games. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Morales.jpg According to Jon Heyman, the Minnesota Twins have agreed to sign 1B/DH Kendrys Morales to a deal. Little is known at this point, and a deal likely will not be able to be completed until after the draft concludes later today. Minutes later, Ken Rosenthal was able to confirm the reports and indicated that the dollars will be a little less than Stephen Drew's, but in the "same ballpark." Entering 2010, Morales was a budding star, fresh off a 34 home run season with the Angels and just 26 years old. But following a walk-off grand slam in May, he broke his ankle during the celebration at home plate. The injury was particularly gruesome and took two years to recover. Since returning, he has hit 45 home runs combined with a .275/.329/.457 line over the last two years. Morales was one of the top free agent hitter available this offseason. He was still available because the Mariners gave him a “qualifying offer” this offseason which means they offered him a one-year, $14.1 million contract. When Morales turned that down, it meant the Mariners would receive a high draft pick in this year's draft from any team that signed Morales. Teams didn’t want to give up that draft pick, so Morales had to wait until after the draft was over to be free of that obligation that was attached to him. Multiple teams were reported to be interested in him. Morales will likely be the full-time designated hitter. He is 30 years old and a switch-hitter, but has had more success batting left-handed versus right-handed pitchers. He can also play first base, but has done so only 59 times in the last two years. Last year, he hit 3rd or 4th for the Mariners. Rhett Bollinger reported the agreement is a one-year deal for $12 million and is prorated, so the Twins have committed somewhere around $8M to boost their lineup. Entering today's game, the Twins were 2.5 games out of the Wild Card race, and five games behind Detroit in the AL Central. I think most Twins fans will find this surprising. The Twins have certainly shown they are not afraid to deal with Scott Boras. Maybe this is a "sorry for the Pelfrey thing" make up? This likely means that Jason Kubel and/or Chris Parmelee, both of whom have really struggled, will be designated for assignment soon. Stephen Drew played in the minor leagues for about a week before joining the Red Sox. I would guess that Morales would follow a similar timeline before joining the Twins. More information will be shared here as we learn more. Click here to view the article

The MLB Draft resumes today at 12:00 (central time) with each organization making their 3rd round through 10th round draft picks. The Minnesota Twins will have the fifth pick in each round. Download attachment: mlb-draft.jpg Throughout the day, Twins Daily's draft guru, Jeremy Nygaard, will be here posting the Minnesota Twins draft picks and providing some analysis on the player and the selection. He'll also be in the forums answering other questions you may have. These picks are all important and there is a strategy to them. The Twins have about $7.5 million to spend on their first 10 draft picks and about $3.85 million is allotted to their top pick, Nick Gordon. What will they do? See below. 3rd Round (79; $703,900) - RHP Michael Cederoth, San Diego State An interesting pick at #79, Cederoth started the season with mid-first round buzz. Hailing from the same school as Stephen Strasburg, there were some unfair comparisons, but the velocity is there (98-100 mph). The Twins seem poised to give Cederoth an opportunity to start. His slider is his strikeout pitch in the mid-80s. He also features an average changeup, which he didn't throw much this year, and a slower curveball. Cederoth is a big, lanky dude (6'6, 215) and has a violent delivery and a penchant for missing the strike zone - the difference between being a 3rd rounder and a 1st rounder. While the rumor had been that Cederoth was looking for a seven-figure deal, I've been assured that that is not accurate and my assumption is that he'll sign for slot. Pre-draft rankings: Baseball America, 45; MLB.com, 59; Perfect Game, 63; Scout, 75. 4th Round (110; $476,100) - LHP Sam Clay, Georgia Tech Clay is a draft-eligible sophomore who projects as a reliever. Clay isn't as hard of a thrower as the previous two players who were selected, reaching the low-90's. He also has a slider, who some believe can be a plus pitch. Clay has a lot of raw ability, but will need to harness it and cut down on walks. Pre-draft rankings: Baseball America, 144; Perfect Game, 226; MLB.com, unranked; Scout, unranked. 5th Round (140; $356,400) - RHP Jake Reed, Oregon Another reliever... well, Reed was a starter for two seasons, but was much better after being converted to a closing role. Reed features a three-pitch mix: low-90s fastball, a slurvy slider and a circle-change. Some consider him another guy that could move quick, though probably not as a closer. Pre-draft rankings: MLB.com, 123; Baseball America, 144; Perfect Game, 226; Scout, unranked. 6th Round (170; $266,900) - RHP John Curtiss, Texas Unlike any of the previous picks, Curtiss projects to be a starter - even though he closed for the Longhorns in 2014 - with an upside of a #2. Despite being a redshirt sophomore - he missed 2013 after undergoing Tommy John surgery - Curtiss is already graduated and appears to be signable. Curtiss has a mid-90s fastball and three ordinary secondary pitches. There's still some projection based on the missed time. If his slider and change-up can develop, there's hope that Curtiss can stick in the rotation. Pre-draft rankings: MLB.com, 88; Perfect Game, 158; Baseball America, 159; Scout, 246. 7th Round (200; $199,900) - RHP Andrew Cutura, SE Louisiana U Cutura is a junior. The short (6' 0) right-hander isn't on a lot of radars, but came as a recommendation of area scout Greg Runser, who has had his hand in drafting a lot of pitchers recently. Cutura was a three-year starter for SE Lousiana. Cutura is a bulldog. He has a 88-92 mph sinker, a hybrid breaking ball that sits in the mid-80s, and a changeup around 80 mph. He commands all three pitches well and knows how to put guys away. Pre-draft rankings: MLB.com, unranked; Perfect Game, unranked; Baseball America, unranked; Scout, unranked. 8th Round (230; $161,300) - RHP Keaton Steele, Missouri Steele missed the 2011 season due to shoulder injuries. He's been a two-way player, but will pitch as a professional. Steele has another year of eligibility due to the injury, but has graduated and is signable as a redshirt-junior. Steele closed for Missouri this year and features a low-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider. It remains to be seen if he's viewed as a starter or reliever. He was moved to Missouri's rotation late in the year and had a couple complete games. Pre-draft rankings: Scout, 146; MLB.com, 177; Baseball America, 275; Perfect Game, 428. 9th Round (260; $150,600) - OF Max Murphy, Bradley According to Chris Cotillo, Murphy and the Twins have agreed to a $130k deal. This is what I said about Murphy when I had him pegged for the 260th overall pick in my 10-round Twins mock: The organizational dearth of outfielders may have the Twins going to the college ranks to draft outfielders even earlier. Murphy is a guy who makes a ton of sense for the Twins, partially because he played his high school ball in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. Murphy's best tool is he power. He's compact (only 5' 11"), runs well and has a clue in the outfield. While his arm could play in right (his current position), some think he could move to center. The question about Murphy is his hit-tool. Pre-draft rankings: Baseball America, 275; Perfect Game, 327; Scout, unranked; MLB.com, unranked. 10th Round (290; $140,700) - RHP Randy LeBlanc, Tulane LeBlanc missed his freshman year with an elbow injury that resulted in Tommy John surgery. Highly touted out of high school, LeBlanc has spent four years at Tulane and still has one year of eligibility left. He's back healthy ago and hitting 95 with ease. His breaking ball and change-up are below-average pitches, but, even at 22, still has some projection left. His got a good pitcher's body too (6' 4, 200). The Twins hope that with advanced instruction, he can turn his curveball and change-up into above-average offerings. Pre-draft rankings: MLB.com, 188; Baseball America, 236; Perfect Game, 327; Scout, unranked. Click here to view the article

While a lot of people will be betting on the Super Bowl this weekend, Brian Dozier is looking to show the Minnesota Twins brass and the fans that he is worth betting on for the long haul. Following his 2011 season, during which he was named the Twins minor league player of the year, expectations were high, maybe too high, for the now-25-year-old shortstop from the University of Southern Mississippi at the start of the 2012 season. After starting the season with a month in Rochester, the Twins promoted Dozier to the big leagues. He made his debut on May 7 against the Angels. In the bottom of the 8th inning, he came up and singled to center for his first MLB hit. When he returned to first base, Albert Pujols patted him on the helmet and told him, “Congratulations! You look good up there. First of many![PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]” Dozier certainly experienced some great moments during his rookie season. On May 13, he hit his first big league home run off of Ricky Romero of the Blue Jays. Days later, he hit his second homer against Rick Porcello. Home Run Number 3 game against Chris Sale of the White Sox. He then hit homers against Tommy MIlone of the A’s and Alfredo Aceves before hitting his sixth and final homer of the season off of Cy Young winner David Price. However, overall, he hit just .234/.271/.332 (.603) and the day after his homer against Price, he was optioned to Rochester where he finished the season. At Twins Fest, Dozier said, “First time it ever happened to me where stuff carried out into my defense. Trying to change things on offense, I got too much zoned into working on my swing and I got away from my approach. I’ve always been a guy to walk a lot, but my approach was just all over the place, going up there, swinging at pitches I don’t ever swing at. You get away from that. You try to change. You think it’s your swing, but it’s really your approach before you even get up there. “ In addition, Dozier added, “Looking back, I only had two or three bunt base hits. I had about 25 the past two years. I only had eight walks (Seth Note – Actually 16), the year before, I had 60.” After walking in about 10% of his plate appearances in the minor leagues, he walked less than 5% of the time in his 340 plate appearances with the Twins in 2012. Beyond the approach, Dozier also fought his mechanics. “I started off and everything was going good. My hands were up here [Dozier illustrated to the group that his hands were up high, above his back shoulder], and then I started dropping my shoulder, and you can’t do that. You really can’t. You just get comfortable up there. I had a little skid, 0-15 or something, and you think it’s your swing. A lot of information, and I started changing way too many things that you shouldn’t change.” What was Dozier’s biggest take-away from his rookie season? “You’ve got to be consistent, and that’s the biggest thing I learned. You’ve always heard that preached to you. It comes into perspective in that aspect. You’ve got to be real consistent up here and that’s the big thing that I got away from. But, like I said, after I got sent down, I just had to get back to my roots, being a consistent, sound baseball player. So that’s what I’ve done and I’m good to go.” Dozier summarized his first big league experience by saying, “It’s a good rookie year for me,” which may seem a bit strange until hear the rest, “I learned a lot.” It was a full off-season for Dozier. “I went down to Venezuela to get some work in at second base. While I’ve been up here (in Minneapolis), I’ve been working with Molly (Paul Molitor) on turns at second, just to make sure I’m comfortable so when spring hits, whatever Gardy sees fit, and Terry (Ryan).” Dozier was only in Venezuela for a short time, but it served its purpose. “It was good. I got some work in, especially at second base. I got a few at bats too, but I was really down there just to get some work in at second base.” He continued, “Normally in the offseason, I work strictly at short, but this time, I spent a lot of time at second base. I didn’t take time off, to be honest with you. I was going to take a little time to re-charge, but you know what, you’ve got to stay sharp. “ He also had a pretty good role model and teammate to talk with. He spent a day this offseason hanging out with Josh Willingham and his family. “We always talk. We hit just two days ago at Target Field.” Dozier is excited for the opportunity to work with the Twins new hitting coach Tom Brunansky. Brunansky was Dozier’s hitting coach in 2011 at New Britain, and the two worked together again last season in Rochester. “Joe (Vavra) is awesome, and he’s helped me a lot. But me and Bruno have worked together the past two years. He’s a good one. He really is. (We) have developed a good relationship, not just with baseball, but with everything. He’s a good one, a guy that spent 13 or 14 years in the Bigs, he knows his stuff. He knows it, the grind and everything. I was hitting at the field the other day, and he sneaks in behind me, and right there, he says, ‘I like that. I like that.’ He’s ready to go. He’s fired up.” Manager Ron Gardenhire said that there will be competition in spring training for the middle infield positions. He also would like to see the situation resolved in camp. “Well, I hope it’s resolved. I mean, I hope we have a little better inkling of it. I think we have some talented people, and we’re going to throw them out there and let them go at it. Try to figure out the best combination, and if it turns out to be combinations, we’ll just go that way. Whatever’s going to help us win ball games, and catch the ball.” Speaking of the competition in the middle infield, Dozier says, “Competition is good. That excites us. Competing against a bunch of good players, but at the same time, I’m ready. I’ve got a lot to prove.” Is Dozier under the impression that he is going to be a second baseman? “Let’s not rule out shortstop, first of all, because I feel really comfortable at short.” As he acknowledged, 2013 will be a big year for Brian Dozier. He learned a lot from that rookie season and hopefully he will be able to take that information, learn from the struggles, and get back to the basics. “You’ve got to make adjustments along the way, but you also have to stay within yourself… I’ve got to get back to sound baseball, and I was getting away from that.” “We’re good. You guys put that (in your articles). We’re Good!” View full article

The Minnesota Twins made eight cuts on Sunday morning and their roster is now at forty players. Some of the moves certainly make some of the opening day roster choices more clear, but there are still several questions that need to be answered. Here is my third version of a Twins Opening Day roster projection. It is based on the players currently on the roster, though I do expect the Twins to make a trade before opening day gets here.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Download attachment: Sam Deduno.jpg As a reminder, the players in red are those that I believe are givens to make the roster (obviously, pending no injury). Those in black are those whose spots on the roster are uncertain. Catchers (2): Kurt Suzuki, Chris Herrmann With Eric Fryer sent to minor league camp on Sunday, it means that Chris Herrmann and Josmil Pinto will be competing to back up Kurt Suzuki. They have indicated they want Pinto to be able to play most every day which makes Herrmann a pretty likely opening day roster guy. Infielders (5): Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, Pedro Florimon, Eduardo Escobar, Chris Colabello The demotion of Danny Santana certainly indicates the club feels Pedro Florimon will be ready for opening day. The starters remain set, and Eduardo Escobar is a given (in my opinion). I have added Chris Colabello to the opening day roster because of his bat. If you believe the Twins need a big, powerful right-handed bat, then it has to be Chris Colabello. Outfielders (6): Josh Willingham, Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Alex Presley, Chris Parmelee, Jason Kubel I’ve changed things here too, but these are really a tough positions when it comes to predicting who will make it. Willingham is a given. I’ve actually altered my thinking and now think that Aaron Hicks will be the primary centerfielder which makes Alex Presley the backup. Oswaldo Arcia will likely be starting right fielder. I am less and less certain that Jason Kubel is a given at this point than I was a month ago and Parmelee/Colabello could take over DH duties. I still have Kubel on the roster though, for now. Starting Pitchers (5): Kevin Correia, Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey, Sam Deduno No change at the top of the starting pitching ranks. The top four will make it. It’s also becoming more and more clear that Sam Deduno is the favorite for the fifth starting job. Scott Diamond had a solid outing yesterday against the Mets B team, though he also walked three. The Twins were happy with the improvement Vance Worley made in his most recent outing. After a rough, long first inning on Friday, Kyle Gibson settled down. I do have Deduno as a given, though I’m not 100% certain he will be the fifth starter (only like 90%). Bullpen (7): Glen Perkins, Jared Burton, Brian Duensing, Casey Fien, Anthony Swarzak, Caleb Thielbar, Vance Worley Perkins signed his extension and he’s a given. Fien and Swarzak are givens. There are rumblings that the Twins could deal a reliever or two by opening day, though obviously that’s a matter of two teams coming together and finding something that makes sense. I still think Caleb Thielbar is the front runner for the second lefty reliever, but I think the Twins really like Matt Hoffman, and Aaron Thompson as well. I think Vance Worley and Scott Diamond will compete over these final two weeks for one spot. That said, Michael Tonkin has been impressive as well so far in camp. If the Twins could deal maybe Burton and/or Duensing, Tonkin and Hoffman would get a shot. What are your thoughts? What does your roster look like with two weeks to go? Click here to view the article

It started on Tuesday with the catchers, and over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking a look at the depth at each position throughout the Minnesota Twins organization. Today, I’ll look through the system’s first basemen. Joe Mauer and the Twins made the announcement in November, but starting in spring, he will officially be the first baseman of the Twins. He had been the primary catcher for a decade. Likewise, Justin Morneau had been the primary first [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]baseman (when healthy) for the team. Morneau was traded last August to the Pittsburgh Pirates and signed earlier this offseason with the Colorado Rockies. Download attachment: Joe Mauer 1B.jpg The Big Leaguers There is no question about it, Joe Mauer will be the opening day first baseman. He will, assuming good health, be near the top of the league in batting average and on-base percentage. The hope is that he will be able to play 155 or so games. That doesn’t provide a lot of opportunities at first base for Chris Parmelee or Chris Colabello. Parmelee, the Twins first-round pick in 2006, is out of options. He can play some first base and could play in the corner outfield positions, DH or pinch-hit. Parmelee has certainly shown glimpses of power, but consistency has been the issue. 30-year-old Colabello was signed from the independent leagues and in 2013 was the International League Rookie of the Year and MVP after putting up monster numbers in Rochester; he even showed power with the Twins. 40 Man Roster Besides the three players mentioned above, the Twins added two more potential first base options to their 40 man roster this offseason, Kennys Vargas and Max Kepler. The twenty year old Kepler has played a lot of outfield, including centerfield, in his young career. Obviously he will not be a centerfielder in the Twins system long-term (you know, because of Aaron Hicks and Byron Buxton). After spending the second half of the season in Cedar Rapids splitting time between the outfield and first base, he was invited to the Arizona Fall League where he played first base. At 6-4 and about 230 pounds, it may be his best position. Kepler is dwarfed by twenty three year old Vargas, who is about 6-5 and 260 (or so) pounds. He has immense power from both sides of the plate. Granted, he may never play first base in the big leagues as his best defensive position is likely designated hitter. However, he did work with Doug Mientkiewicz throughout the season in Fort Myers. The Century Club Dalton (DJ) Hicks, twenty three years old, was the Twins' 17th round pick out of the University of Central Florida in 2012. The 6-3, 230 pound Hicks was the cleanup batter for the Cedar Rapids Kernels for the first two-thirds of the season. He was promoted to Fort Myers where he continued to be a very productive hitter. His total of 110 RBI was the most in all minor league baseball. Prospect Rankings Kepler is certainly a Top 10-15 Twins' prospect. Vargas and Hicks are among the Top 30 Twins' prospects. Aside from these three, the top prospect is a guy who hasn’t yet made an official plate appearance in a game in professional baseball. In July, the Twins spent over $1 million on a big international free agent. Seventeen year old outfielder/first baseman/DH Lewin Diaz was given $1.4 million and the Twins hope he develops into a big-time slugger. The assumption is he will spend time with the Gulf Coast League Twins in 2014. Roster Projections In each installment, I’ll make my roster projections. Obviously additional signings or injuries will affect all of this, and that’s why it is important to have more than just two or even three at each level. There are also always players put on the disabled list. As a disclaimer, these are my projections and not meant to be used as anything official. This gives an idea of who could be at each affiliate at the start of the season. Minnesota: Joe Mauer, Chris ParmeleeRochester: Chris Colabello, Reynaldo RodriguezNew Britain: Kennys Vargas, CJ ZieglerFort Myers: Dalton Hicks, Adam BryantCedar Rapids: Max Kepler, Bryan HaarExtended Spring Training: Lewin Diaz, (last year in the GCL their catchers played a lot of 1B when they weren’t catching)Feel free to discuss the players and the roster. Click here to view the article

Ricky Nolasco was not at his best, but he still was able to limit the Yankees offense to just one run over six innings. The bullpen finished with three scoreless innings, and the Twins had a 6-1 win over their nemesis from the Bronx. Oswaldo Arcia showed off his power with another home run and he also showed off his very strong arm. He had two outfield assists in the game. Josh Willingham and Trevor Plouffe also homered. A couple of lefties in the upper levels were very impressive, tossing scoreless innings at will. And one of the top power prospects in the Twins organization displayed his home run prowess. Meanwhile, one of the fastest players had the best game of his career. The Red Wings had lots of multi-hit performers. Find out everything that happened in the Twins farm system as well as an update on some of the injured minor leaguers. Download attachment: Kris Johnson 2.jpg Kris Johnson photo by Betsy Bissen INJURY UPDATES On Thursday, Twins Daily reported that left-handed pitching prospect Randy Rosario had Tommy John surgery. Also, outfielder Jake Proctor had shoulder surgery. Here are some more injury-related notes from the Twins minor league affiliates. There are several players who have started playing games in Extended Spring Training. That includes outfielders Lance Ray and Nate Robert as well as infielder Stephen Wickens. Pitchers Hein Robb and Chad Rodgers are pitching in Extended Spring Training games. Zach Granite is down in Ft. Myers, and he is now able to do full workouts. Zach Larson had pulled him hamstring and has now started jogging. Logan Wade is rehabbing his shoulder. Jeremias Pineda is still experiencing some soreness in his hand. Yorman Landa has a shoulder impingement. It will be a while before we see Levi Michael as he has a broken bone in his foot. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Gwinnett 0 Box Score Kris Johnson was the International League ERA leader in 2013 when he helped lead Indianapolis to a championship. This year, he has probably been even better. On Friday night, he worked seven scoreless innings to drop his season ERA to 1.83. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out five. In his last seven starts, he has given up just four earned runs in 42.1 innings for a 0.85 ERA in this streak. Ryan Pressly came on and gave up nothing over two perfect innings. He struck out two. The Red Wings got their offensive support from multiple sources with multiple hits. Eric Farris went 3-4 with a walk and his sixth and seventh doubles. Wilkin Ramirez was 3-4 with his eighth and ninth doubles. Brad Nelson was 3-5 with his fifth double. Eric Fryer and Doug Bernier were both 2-4. Fryer hit his seventh double, and Bernier hit his ninth. Chris Colabello went 0-4 and is now 1-14 (.071) in the four games since his demotion. Chris Herrmann was out with a sore wrist. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 4, Binghamton 0 Box Score Sean Gilmartin is another left-hander who is pitching well of late. The lefty improved to 5-3 with six shutout innings on this night. He gave up five hits, walked two and struck out nine. DJ Baxendale, who is working back from his shoulder issues in the bullpen, got the next five outs, two on strikeouts. Lefty Ryan O’Rourke was brought in to face one batter and he got a strikeout. Matt Summers, who has been moved to the bullpen, finished the game with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth. The Rock Cats did not get a lot of offense. They managed just six hits in the game but one was huge. All four of their runs came in just one inning. With the bases loaded in the fourth, Nate Hanson drove in Danny Ortiz with a sacrifice fly. Three batters later, the bases were full again. Mike Kvasnicka came to bat and drilled his sixth double of the year. It drove in all three runners. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-3 with a walk and his 15th double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Clearwater 4 Box Score Down 4-1 through seven innings, the Miracle bats took over. Adam Walker led off the 8th frame with his 11th home run of the year. Two walks and an error on a sacrifice bunt and Michael Gonzales came through with a big bases-clearing double. Two batters later, Gonzales scored the fifth run of the inning on a Jorge Polanco sacrifice fly. In the 9th inning, Adam Walker led off again and this time crushed his 12th home run of the season. Walker led the way. He went 3-5 with the two home runs and his seventh double. Brett Lee made the start and gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits over just three innings. He walked none and struck out one. Alex Wimmers came out of the bullpen and gave up one run on three hits in three innings. He didn’t walk anyone and struck out four. Mason Melotakis walked one and struck out one in one scoreless inning. Tim Shibuya recorded his first save of the season (second of his career) with two perfect innings. He struck out three. In case you were wondering, Eddie Rosario went 1-5 in the game. For the second straight night, he batted third and played in center field. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Wisconsin 5 Box Score Ethan Mildren was the recipient of a lot of run support to help him to his first Midwest League win. He gave up four runs in the third inning, but then held the Timber Rattlers scoreless through the sixth inning. He was charged with another run in the 7th inning. So his line reads that he gave up five earned run on five hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out four. Brandon Bixler came on and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Hudson Boyd pitched a scoreless ninth. Engelb Vielma led the offense with his biggest day as a pro. The second baseman went 4-4 with his sixth double and four RBI. Ryan Walker went 2-5 with his first two doubles of the season. Joel Licon went 2-4 with his fourth double. Michael Quesada hit his second home run of the season, a three-run blast in the fourth. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Kris Johnson, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Walker, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Trevor May (Listen) Binghamton @ Virgil Vasquez (5:35 CST) – Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Tampa @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – JO Berrios (Listen) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) – Josue Montanez (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins win over the Yankees in New York on Friday, it means that on Saturday 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

Immediately following the Twins loss tonight against the Angels, the team announced that they had optioned 3B Danny Valencia and Designated LHP Matt Maloney for Assignment. The selected the contract of RHP PJ Walters and OF/2B Darin Mastroianni. Valencia has really struggled with the bat and glove throughout the season, and yet the timing here is a little surprising. The hope would be that he is able to figure things out down in Rochester and come back and resume his role as the team's starting 3B. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Maloney had a solid spring training, but really has struggled in the season's first five weeks. Mastroianni started the season by struggling for two weeks in New Britain (AA), but he has been hitting nearly .360 through three weeks with AAA Rochester, playing LF and some 2B. He has ten stolen bases with the Red Wings, including stealing home on Monday. He will likely be with the Twins in time to play his former organization, the Toronto Blue Jays. PJ Walters played for the Blue Jays and Cardinals last year and was part of the big July trade between the teams. He has posted a 3-1 record with a 2.70 ERA in AAA. He will start on Saturday against the Blue Jays. This also means that Francisco Liriano goes to the bullpen. So, the question I have is... who is the Twins starting 3B now? Carroll? Plouffe? What are your thoughts on the moves? Download attachment: danny valencia.jpg Click here to view the article

A week ago, we started to take a look at my Top 50 Twins Prospects. Within the last week, we looked at prospects 11-20, prospects 21-30, prospects 31-40, and prospects 41 through 50. The general belief is that the Twins farm system is pretty weak and sadly, from doing this exercise, I find it hard to disagree. However, to say that it is bad and completely void of talent is also not true at all. Within this top ten, there is a lot of talent. There are still plenty of question marks due to age and injuries, but there are some high ceilings. The hope would be that after the Twins make six selections in the top 100 picks in next week’s draft (And sign them), there will be a lot more talent in the system to believe in. Most likely, the player the Twins select with the #2 overall pick should slot right into the #2 spot on the list below. Without further ado, let’s get to the list. Here are my choices for Twins Top Prospects:[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] #10 –Hudson Boyd, RHP Boyd was the Twins second supplemental first round pick a year ago. He was drafted out of his high school in Ft. Myers. The Twins had him come to Hammond Stadium days before the draft and saw him throw 97 mph. Listed at 6-3 and 270 pounds, Boyd is a big man who the Twins will want to slim down. He didn’t play in 2011 until the Instructional League. Boyd throws hard, and he also throws strikes. He is just 19 years old so he will likely start his career in the GCL as a starter. Many believe that he may eventually need to move to the bullpen. It’s way too early to know that. Reports I’m hearing from Ft. Myers say that he is working really hard and more important, he is throwing really hard and has a very good curveball. #9 – Travis Harrison, 3B Harrison was selected five picks before the Twins took Boyd in the supplemental round of the 2011 draft. Like Boyd, he signed at the deadline for a little bit above slot. He debuted with the Twins in the Florida Instructional League. The 6-3, 215 pound right-handed hitter is one day younger than Boyd. Reports from Ft. Myers tell me that he is crushing the ball. Of course, like most young hitters, especially power hitters, Harrison still occasionally struggles with hitting a curveball. He can be a solid batting average hitter too if he can make contact, as he does a good job of using the whole field thanks to a very balanced swing. He is best known as a guy who hit a ball 504 feet, well out of Tropicana Field. And again, like Boyd, Harrison could start at Elizabethton but most likely with the GCL Twins. #8 – Brian Dozier, SS The Twins drafted Dozier with their 8th round pick in the 2009 draft out of the University of Southern Mississippi. The four-year senior advanced quickly through the Twins farm system. He split the 2011 season between Ft. Myers and New Britain. He was my choice for 2011 Minor League Hitter of the Year after hitting a combined .320/.399/.491 with 33 doubles, 12 triples, nine home runs and 24 stolen bases. Teammates talk about his poise and leadership. After hitting .276/.339/.371 with seven doubles and a homer in 28 AAA games this spring, he was promoted to the Twins. In 22 games, he has hit .227/.247/.341 with four doubles and two home runs. No one is expecting him to post an .800 OPS, but in time, I think he will be a .720-.750 OPS guy for a few years. He has shown good range and hands, and plenty of arm to play shortstop. #7 – Joe Benson, OF The Twins second round pick in 2006 out of his Illinois high school, Benson gave up a football scholarship to Purdue. Since signing, things have not always come easy for Benson. He was the Twins Minor League hitter of the year in 2010, and he was my runner up choice in 2011. He spent each of those seasons in New Britain. Last year, he spent September playing nearly every day with the Twins. In one game against Cleveland, he was 4-4 with a triple and two doubles. He began the 2012 season in Rochester, but through 28 games, he was hitting .179/.269/.316 with seven extra base hits. He was sent down to New Britain where he hit .156 in eight games before having surgery on a broken hamate bone last week. There is no questioning the physical tools that Benson possesses. His competitive and aggressive style can mean good things in many cases. The struggles this year were with the emotional side of the game and being able to handle the negative. If ever the 24-year-old can find a way to slow the game down, he can be a special player. #6 – Kyle Gibson, RHP The Twins top pick in the 2009 draft, Gibson came from the University of Missouri. Gibson was the Twins 2010 minor league pitcher of the year when he quickly moved from Ft. Myers to New Britain and up to Rochester. He began 2011 with the Red Wings and pitched well the first two months of the season. Unfortunately, he had elbow pain and had to have Tommy John surgery. He is expected to throw his first bullpen off of a mound next Monday and hopes to pitch in games in 2012. The idea would be that he be ready to pitch for the Twins sometime in 2013. The lanky right-hander throws a fastball between 89-91 but can touch 93. He has a great sinker and a slider. He also throws a change up. He gets a lot of ground balls. He will be added to the 40 man roster following the season. #5 – Oswaldo Arcia, OF The Twins had to add Arcia to the 40 man roster last November because the 21 year old signed in July of 2007 out of Venezuela. He came to the States and put up solid numbers in 2009, but in 2010, he was the Appalachian League Player of the Year. In 2011, he put up huge numbers in Beloit in April, but then had to miss six weeks after having elbow surgery. Instead of returning to Beloit, he was moved up to Ft. Myers. That is where he starts this spring. After a slow April (thanks, in part, to a leg injury), he had a big May. Right now, he is hitting .298/.351/.482 with 13 doubles, three triples and four home runs. The left-handed hitter has major power. He strikes out a lot, and will have to figure out how to hit left-handed pitching at a decent rate, but Arcia does have a high ceiling. #4 – Aaron Hicks, OF Hicks was the Twins first-round pick way back in June of 2008 out of high school in California. The 22 year old is getting his first taste of AA this year after posting some impressive numbers in the Arizona Fall League last year. Hicks is not over his head, but he is certainly working through some struggles. Overall this season, he is hitting .246/.335/.392 (.727) with eight doubles, a triple and five home runs. However, he posted an OPS of .824 in April and of just .624 thus far in May. The other question is whether or not Hicks should remain a switch-hitter. Well, this year against left-handers, he is hitting .347/.396/.510 (.906) against left-handers and .205/.313/.344 (.657) against right-handers. I’ve said all along that I would give him this year to work on the switch-hitting, but they do need to think about him just being a right-handed hitter following this season when they add him to the 40 man roster. Hicks is already big-league ready defensively. He has great range and a very strong, accurate arm. He has a lot of strength and is very athletic. If he goes by the same timeline as other athletic high school types like Torii Hunter, Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span, he should make his debut in 2014. It’s possible if he plays well in the second half that Hicks could debut in September. #3 – Liam Hendriks, RHP Consider that just about two years ago this month, Hendriks was promoted from Beloit to Ft. Myers, he has come a long ways very quickly. Signed by the Twins in 2007 from Australia, the 23-year-old has been on a fast-track, especially when considering that he missed all of the 2008 season with a neck surgery. He was my choice for Twins minor pitcher of the year in 2010 (Gibson was chosen by the Twins). He was my repeat choice in 2011 when he went 12-6 with a 3.36 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in 139.1 innings between New Britain and Rochester. He walked just 21 and struck out 111. He pitched in the Futures Game and the Eastern League All-Star game. He then was promoted to the Twins. He began the season in the Twins rotation but April was frustrating for him. He missed his first start due to food poisoning, and then struggled in four starts. He was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in 18 innings. The Twins sent him back to Rochester, and in four starts, he is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA. In 25.2 innings, he has given up 15 hits, walked eight and struck out 23. When on, the 6-0 right-hander has a two-seam fastball between 88-91 with a lot of movement. His four-seamer can hit 93. Although we didn’t see it in April, he has a good curveball at two speed, and a very good changeup. On other thing we didn’t see was his impeccable control of the strike zone. His ceiling is the good, healthy Scott Baker. #2 – Eddie Rosario, 2B When the Twins drafted Rosario in the 4th round of the 2009 draft, he was said to be the best hitter from Puerto Rico that year. To this point in his career, he has shown that he can flat-out hit. He posted a solid .781 OPS in the GCL in 2010 and showed a very good all-around game. It was 2011 in Elizabethton where he made his name. He hit .337/.397/.670 (1.068) with nine doubles, nine triples, 21 home runs and 60 RBI in 67 games. He was named the Appalachian League Player of the Year. At Instructs last fall, the decision was made to move Rosario from Centerfield (where he is really good) to second base. He advanced to Beloit and struggled in April with the glove, but he has improved greatly in the last month. He still plays centerfield once every eight to ten games as well. One the season, he is hitting a solid .284/.356/.458 (.814) with 16 doubles, a triple and five home runs. In the two short-season leagues, Rosario stole a lot of bases. In 2010 and 2011 combined, he had 39 steals in 50 chances. This season, he is struggling on the base paths, successful in just nine of 19 attempts. The 20-year-old has a very good swing, very quick and strong hands. He uses the whole field and is a terrific all-around hitter. #1 – Miguel Sano, 3B The Twins were the happy winners in the Miguel Sano sweepstakes when, in October of 2009, he signed with the Twins for a $3.15 million signing bonus. Known as the top Dominican talent that year, he was the subject of the movie Peletero (Ball player). After coming to the States for spring training in 2010, he split that season between the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League. In 2011, he played in Elizabehton and didn’t disappoint. He hit .292/.352/.637 (.988) with 18 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs and 59 RBI in 66 games. How would he adjust to the full-season Midwest League and life in Wisconsin? He adjusted well. In April, he hit .276/.422/.586 (1.008) with five doubles, two triples and six home runs. However, he has struggled in May. Following his 19th birthday, he went on a run in which he had just one hit in 39 at bats (including an 0-24 stretch). He has homered in his past two games again. Miguel Sano has unbelievable power, and power potential. On the year, he has ten doubles, two triples and 13 home run in 188 at bats. He has the ability to hit for average, but that will largely be dependent upon his ability to put the ball in play. In 216 plate appearances, he has 60 strikeouts. He also has already committed 17 errors at third base. Those that look at his stats want to see him pushed and promoted quickly to Ft Myers. Those (coaches, front office types, fans, bloggers) who have seen him play in person say that he is where he needs to be because there are a lot of things he needs to work on. Sano is a special talent, and the Twins need to be wise with how they handle him. He can be on the Joe Mauer path (which was very fast) and get to the big leagues by early 2014. It shouldn’t be about getting him there quickly. It should be about getting him there when he is ready. So, there you have my choices for Twins Top 10 Prospects. Later this week, I’ll be back with my choices for Twins Hitter, Starting Pitcher and Relief Pitcher of the Month for May. If you have any questions or comments on any of these prospects, please feel free to ask. Download attachment: Miguel Sano 3.jpg (Photo Beloit Daily News) --- Over at Twins Daily, you have a one-stop shop for all Minnesota Twins topics. Minnesotan, former Gopher and current Beloit Snappers infielder AJ Pettersen wrote about Traveling in the Midwest League, specifically the team’s road trip to Kane County.Remember Tommy Watkins, the long-time Twins minor leaguer who finally got an opportunity with the Twins in 2007. He’s now in his third season as the hitting coach of the Beloit Snappers. Last night, he was a guest on the SethSpeaks Weekly Twins Podcast and talked about his playing career, but also a lot about coaching the likes of Sano and Rosario in Beloit this year. It was a fun interview, one of guests on the show, so be sure to listen.Cody Christie updated the goings on in the Twins minor leagues on Tuesday.In the forum, there is a terrific look at how impressive the trio of Scott Diamond, PJ Walters and Cole De Vries have been for the Twins.Thrylos continued his look at the top 22 pitchers in the upcoming draft by writing about RHP Michael Wacha. He has just a couple more pitchers to profile before the draft. 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Last week, the Midwest League (MWL) and the Florida State League (FSL) hosted their league All Star games. The Cedar Rapids Kernels had three players on the MWL roster while the Ft. Myers Miracle had four on the FSL South roster. Those All-Star games approximate the halfway point of the minor league season. Two-and-a-half months of season have passed and there is just about two-and-a-half months remaining. I thought it would be a good time to look at some of the top performers in the Twins farm system so far this season by looking at the leader boards in the organization in several statistics. Today, I'll look at the hitters. Later in the week we’ll take a look at the pitchers. Download attachment: Mitch Garver.jpg Mitch Garver PLATE APPEARANCES 1.) Jorge Polanco – Ft. Myers - 313 2.) Nate Hanson - New Britain - 300 3.) Adam Walker - Ft. Myers - 299 4.) James Beresford - Rochester - 298 5.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - 291 This is a list that shows a lot of guys at the top of their team's order who have remained healthy and have performed well enough to remain there. BATTING AVERAGE (minimum 200 PA) 1.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - .322 2.) Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - .310 3.) Doug Bernier - Rochester - .307 4.) Chad Christensen - Cedar Rapids - .299 4.) Reynaldo Rodriguez - New Britain - .299 Yes, I agree. On-base percentage is more important, but batting average doesn't hurt anything. In fact, it represents the biggest part of the on-base percentage formula. ON-BASE PERCENTAGE (minimum 200 PA) 1.) Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - .411 2.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - .395 2.) Deibinson Romero - Rochester - .395 4.) Doug Bernier - Rochester - .386 5.) Jorge Polanco - Ft. Myers - .365 Outs are important. Not getting out should be the goal of every plate appearance. On-base percentage is important, especially for top of the order hitters, but also for middle of the order hitters that pitchers may try to pitch around. SLUGGING PERCENTAGE (minimum 200 PA) 1.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - .537 2.) Reynaldo Rodriguez - New Britain - .516 3.) Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - .488 4.) Danny Ortiz - New Britain/Rochester - .467 5.) Jason Kanzler - Cedar Rapids - .462 Power is pretty important for middle of the lineup guys. A lineup needs to have several guys that can hit for enough average, but also sprinkle in a bunch of extra base hits as well. Extra base hits certainly increase the probability of scoring runs, which is important in any game. OPS 1.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - .932 2.) Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - .898 3.) Reynaldo Rodriguez - New Britain - .855 4.) Deibinson Romero - Rochester - .849 5.) Doug Bernier - Rochester - .812 OPS is typically going to be led by middle of the order hitters, the guys who can get on base but also have good pop in their bats. HITS 1.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - 82 2.) Jorge Polanco - Ft. Myers - 80 3.) Reynaldo Rodriguez - New Britain - 76 4.) Chad Christensen/Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - 75 4.) Eric Farris - Rochester - 75 DOUBLES 1.) Reynaldo Rodriguez - New Britain - 20 2.) Travis Harrison - Ft. Myers - 19 3.) Deibinson Romero - Rochester - 18 4.) Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - 17 4.) Danny Ortiz - New Britain/Rochester - 17 When I look at minor league stats, doubles is one that I look at as important. In my mind, doubles are line drives to the gaps, a sign of developing power. As young players develop, maybe those line drives to the gaps can become home runs over the walls. And if not, doubles tend to drive in a lot of runs. HOME RUNS 1.) Adam Walker - Ft. Myers - 14 1.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - 14 3.) Reynaldo Rodriguez - New Britain - 11 4.) Bryan Haar - Cedar Rapids - 8 4.) Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - 8 OK, home runs are good too. It shows power, and hopefully that power will continue as they grow. Obviously you have to look at other numbers in conjunction with the homers, but it is a sign of power and the ability to occasionally square up a baseball. RUNS 1.) Jorge Polanco - Ft. Myers - 48 2.) Reynaldo Rodriguez - New Britain - 47 3.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - 43 4.) Chad Christensen - Cedar Rapids - 42 4.) Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - 42 Runs are scored either by the table-setters who get on base a lot, or by the power guys who, with one swing can put themselves in scoring position, and perhaps score themselves. RBI 1.) Kennys Vargas - New Britain - 57 2.) Adam Walker - Ft. Myers - 53 3.) Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - 47 4.) Danny Ortiz - New Britain/Rock Cats - 44 5.) Chad Christensen - Cedar Rapids - 41 For awhile, there was a belief that the RBI stat is completely overrated. While I agree that it can be, I also think it is a number that matters. When there is a runner on third base and less than two outs, the batter needs to get that runner in. It can mean the player is prone to coming through with a bases-clearing double or a two-run single when there are runners on second and third. In my mind, that is fundamental baseball. STOLEN BASES 1.) Chad Christensen - Cedar Rapids - 18 2.) Niko Goodrum - Ft. Myers - 12 2.) Eric Farris - Rochester - 12 2.) Corey Wimberly - New Britain - 12 5.) Jason Kanzler - 11 Speed. This is certainly an area that has become less important in baseball over the last couple decades, but it can be important. If a player can move up one base (at a high percentage), it can mean a lot. In the minor leagues, the Twins (and many teams) encourage speedy base runners to attempt to steal a lot of bases, even if they get caught, because that is the only way that they can learn that skill. SUMMARY Download attachment: Vargas2.JPG What you've read above is just a numerical look at some of the hitters who have performed well in the first half. What you may have noticed is that there are several guys who have really stood out in the first half. Kennys Vargas - He's #1 in batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, hits, home runs and RBI. He's #2 in on-base percentage and #3 in runs scored. Mitch Garver - He's been playing catcher which means he will get a few days off, so he doesn't appear quite as high on some of the counting stats. However, he is #1 in on-base percentage, #2 in batting average and OPS, and #3 in slugging percentage. Reynaldo Rodriguez - He's a veteran of AA, but he continues to put up solid numbers in 2013 despite switching from first base to the outfield. Jorge Polanco - He has slowed since his fast offensive start in Ft. Myers this year, but he has continued to rack up hits and get on base at a strong rate. Click here to view the article

Tonight, the Elizabethton Twins season gets underway. They will attempt to end this season the same way they ended the 2012 season. OK, maybe not in quite as dramatic fashion as requiring a walk-off, extra inning grand slam, but the goal will again be to win an Appalachian League title. Long-time manager Ray Smith, along with long-time hitting coach Jeff Reed and second-year pitching coach Henry Bonilla, have built a bit of a dynasty in Tennessee. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] The 2013 roster is quite interesting. It is full of 2013 draft picks from the college ranks along with some intriguing prospects that have been working in Extended Spring Training in Ft. Myers since March. I’m certain they are ready to get some ‘real’ games under their belt. Here is a look at the initial 2013 Elizabethton Twins roster (which is a bit bigger than the full-season rosters). Be sure to check out the Rosters & Payrolls page here at Twins Daily. THE PITCHERS (19) Brandon Bixler (21, 2013 16th round) – The lefty from Florida Gulf Coast was not listed yesterday among signings, but he is on the Elizabethton roster. He walks many and strikes out amny, but he has a very good fastball and solid curveball and changeup. He just needs to control them and he has a chance. Josh Burris (21, 2011 17th round) – Drafted out of LSU-Eunice in 2011, Burris has a tremendous curve ball. He signed late, so his pro debut came last year with the E-Twins where he went 7-0 with a 1.75 ERA in 36 innings. He walked 21 and struck out 40. He spent about a month of the 2013 season in Cedar Rapids where his ERA was just north of ten. In 10 innings, he struck out eight, but he walked nine and gave up 11 hits. Andrew Ferreira (22, 2012 ) – The lefty from Harvard pitched in 10 games last year after being drafted. In 10 innings, he walked seven and struck out 13. Dallas Gallant (24, 2010 23rd round) – Gallant pitched in Elizabethton in 2010 and was 2-0 with a 1.98 ERA. He missed all of 2011 due to Tommy John surgery. Last year, he rehabbed and then started the season with five scoreless innings in E-Town before pitching in nine games for Beloit. However, he had another injury and has been rehabbing in Ft. Myers since. He’s likely a guy that will move quickly once he gets a few innings under his belt. Brian Gilbert (20, 2013 7th round) – Signed out of Seton Hall, the right-hander has a very good fastball. He was a reliever in college and certainly will maintain that role at least this season. Carson Goldsmith (22, 2012 28th round) – Drafted last year out of Northwestern State in Louisiana (where he and Mason Melotakis were teammates), Goldsmith pitched in three games for the GCL Twins before injury. C. K. Irby (21, 2013 10th round) – Drafted out of Samford, Irby will start the season on the DL. He was a reliever in college until this year. He has a fastball that touches 95, but sits more in the low 90s. He also has a curveball and changeup. He will be given a chance to start at some point. Felix Jorge (19, signed in 2011 from Dominican Republic) – Jorge is 6-2 and a lanky 170. After signing, he went 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA in nine games in the DSL. Last year in the GCL, he went 0-3 but posted a 2.34 ERA in 12 games. In 34.2 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 37. Yorman Landa (19, signed in 2010 from Venezuela) – Landa and Jorge have followed about the same path. Landa pitched in 12 games for the DSL Twins in 2011. He was 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA. In 32 innings, he struck out 31 but walked 26. Last year in the GCL, he pitched in 10 games and went 1-3 with a 2.43 ERA. He struck out 27 in 33.1 innings, but he still walked 20. Kuo Hua Lo (20, signed in 2012 from Taiwan) – Just 5-10, Lo is a fairly advanced pitcher. Last year in the GCL, he went 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in 11 games. In 39.2 innings, he walked just seven and struck out 33. Austin Malinowski (20, 2011, 16th round) – Malinowski was Minnesota’s Mr. Baseball in 2011 for Centennial HS. He gave up a scholarship to Arizona to sign with the Twins. In the GCL last year, he went 3-2 with a 2.27 ERA in 11 games. In 31.2 innings, he walked 11 and struck out 32. Andre Martinez (20, 2012, 6th round) – Martinez was set to sign for over-slot last year ($260,000), but his physical showed something in his left shoulder, and they agreed on an $80,000 bonus. He pitched in six games for the GCL Twins. In 14 innings, he walked nine and struck out 11. Tanner Mendonca (21, 2013, 17th round) – The righty from Cal State – Sacramento is 6-4 and lanky. He has a fastball that has been clocked up to 94 mph and needs to work on his breaking pitches. Ethan Mildren (22, 2013 12th round) – Drafted out of the University of Pittsburgh, Mildren is a more typical Twins pitcher. He has a fastball in the low-90s and three other pitches. Generally is a ground ball pitcher. Luis Nunez (21, signed in 2008 from Dominican Republic) – It’s been a slow process for Nunez. In 2011, as a 19-year-old in his second run in the GCL, he went 5-0 with five saves and a 1.67 ERA in 32.1 innings. He walked just six and struck out 37. Last year in his first season in Elizabethton, he posted a 5.09 ERA and walked 17 in 23 innings. He struck out 21. The lefty throws hard. Brandon Peterson (21, 2013 13th round) – He was a very good closer for Wichita State this past year. He could become a starter in the Twins organization. He has a low-90s fastball and a slider. Hein Robb (21, signed in 2008 from South Africa) – The lefty has pitched in a couple of WBC’s already for his home country. He spent two seasons in the GCL. Last year, he pitched in 13 games for the E-Twins (8 starts) and was 2-4 with a 3.74 ERA. In 41 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 38. He made three starts for Cedar Rapids (0-0, 7.59 ERA, 9 BB, 10 K in 10.2 innings), but was sent back to Elizabethton earlier this week. Randy Rosario (19, signed in 2010 from Dominican Republic) – Rosario is a hard-throwing left-hander. He went 2-4 with a 3.86 ERA in the DSL in 2011. Last year in the GCL, he went 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA. In 38.1 innings, he walked 19 and struck out 42. Tim Shibuya (23, 2011 43rd round) – Shibuya was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year in 2011 when he went 8-2 with a 3.30 ERA. In 73.2 innings, he walked just 11 and struck out 70. He made 15 starts in Beloit a year ago before experiencing shoulder pain which required surgery last fall. He has been rehabbing in Ft. Myers since ,and like Gallant, he could move quickly once he proves his health. OUTFIELDERS (5) Zach Granite (20, 2013 14th round) – He was Seton Hall’s centerfielder and leadoff hitter this year. He’s not a big guy, but he has a knack for getting on base and has very good speed. Romy Jimenez (22, signed in 2009 from Dominican Republic) – Jimenez started the 2013 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, but he hit just .095 through 21 games so he was sent back to Elizabethton. Last year with the E-Twins, he hit .347 in 35 games, until a knee injury ended his season. Kelvin Ortiz (21, signed in 2008 from Dominican Republic) – Ortiz is talented but to this point, he hasn’t hit well at any level. In the DSL, he hit .181 and .264. He’s been with the GCL Twins the last two years and hit .189 and .221 (each year getting over 110 at bats). This is a big year for him, obviously. Jake Proctor (22, 2012 14th round) – Proctor is a very talented athlete that the Twins drafted a year ago from Cincinnati. He was considered a Top 200 type of talent in the draft, but he was hurt before the draft and slipped. He was recently cleared to play and hopefully it won’t take him too long to get back into the swing of things. Dereck Rodriguez (21, 2011 6th round) – The son of future Hall of Famer, Pudge, Dereck has a very strong arm and has all kinds of tools. He hit just .156 in 29 games in the GCL after he was drafted and hit .263 last. He started out on fire, but a hamstring injury derailed his season. He will likely get this year to see what his offensive potential could be, but no one should be surprised if he starts pitching if it doesn’t go well. INFIELDERS (7) Carlos Avila (23, 2013 34th round) – Cal State Dominguez Hills’ shortstop, Avila has good range. Bryan Haar (23, 2012 34th round ) – The San Diego native was drafted out of the University of San Diego a year ago. He hit .250 with 11 extra base hits in the GCL last year. He was 1-2 with a double in one game with the Miracle earlier this season. Javier Pimentel (19, signed in 2010 from Dominican Republic) – Pimentel got a nice upper-six figures signing bonus when he was signed as a 16-year-old. His bat has not yet caught up to his talent through. In 2011, he hit .220 in the DSL before hitting .167 in 28 games in the GCL. Last year, he returned to the GCL and hit just .198. Rory Rhodes (21, signed in 2007 from Australia) – I’ve got to be honest, I don’t get this one. Last year, the rule was changed so that each organization could have three players get a fourth year in the rookie leagues (for the Twins, this means GCL and Elizabethton). Rhodes played in the GCL in 2009 and 2010. He has spent time in Elizabethton in 2011 and 2012. Maybe there is another new rule? Anyway, the 6-9 first baseman does have some power potential. Last year at Elizabethton, he hit .262 with eight doubles and six home runs. Tanner Vavra (23, 2013 30th round) – The son of the Twins 3B coach, Vavra starred at Valparaiso and in the Northwoods League. Blind in one eye, he has hit and hit each year, overcoming a lot to prove people wrong. He hopes to do that again in pro ball. Logan Wade (21, signed in 2012 from Australia) – The Brisbane native is a switch-hitter who hit .234/.301/.371 with 11 extra base hits in 124 at bats. Ryan Walker (21, 2013 18th round) – The Twins drafted the Texas Arlington shortstop who hit over .300 this season. CATCHERS (4) Bo Altobelli (22, 2012 21st round) – Signed out of Texas Tech last summer, Altobelli hit .230/.277/.262 with two doubles for the E-Twins. He’ll return to work with some very talented young pitchers. Mitch Garver (22, 2013 9th round) – The Twins drafted Garver following his senior season at New Mexico this year. Bryan Santy (22, 2012 30th round) – Santy hit .296/418/.389 in 19 games with the GCL Twins a year ago after being drafted from the University of Washington. Stuart Turner (21, 2013 3rd round) – The 6-2, 220 back stop was drafted earlier this month from Ole Miss. Known more for his glove, he should be able to put up some solid power numbers in the Appy League. My observations - I see this roster and it's not terribly exciting. There are some really exciting pitchers that are young and came from the GCL last year... But overall, this roster looks a little older than normal to me. I get that Gallant and Shibuya are just there rehabbing and getting a few innings before moving, but I see a lot of 22 year olds and think it speaks to something more. I think the change in the draft rules mean fewer high school kids being drafted after the 5th or 6th rounds, and more college players drafted and signing. They're not really in a position to be in the Midwest League yet, and they have to fill the roster, so it's a great opportunity for them to learn the pro game and the program. Also, frankly, there are a LOT of 2013 draft picks on this roster and we don't know very much about them. We don't know if they got some steals or really much at all. So, I'm of the impression that this is a potentially down roster, but I guess we'll find out starting tonight. From now until late August, the Elizabethton Twins will be playing games with the goal of improving their skills while at the same time continuing the winning tradition that Ray Smith has established in the hills of Tennessee. View full article

The Twins lost their first game after the All-Star game to the Tampa Bay Rays. On Saturday, Phil Hughes will take on David Price in the second game of the series. There were some interesting games throughout the Twins farm system. Two games went into extra innings, and one of them involved the Ft. Myers Miracle who played almost two-full games worth of innings. However, two of the Twins top prospects each had big days at the plate for the Miracle, who had 23 hits. Alex Meyer was on the mound for the Red Wings on this night. Trevor May will finally make his return to the mound on Saturday. Friday was the deadline for signing 2014 draft picks. Reportedly, the Twins did not sign any more of their draft picks. They were able to sign their first 17 draft picks and 29 of their 40 selections. Without further ado, here is the Minor League Report for Friday night: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Norfolk 3 Box Score The Red Wings held a 2-1 lead going into the ninth, but they were unable to hold it and lost in the final inning. There was pretty solid pitching in the game though. Alex Meyer made his first start of the second half. He went six innings and gave up one run on three hits. He walked four and struck out four. Ryan Pressly came in and tossed scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth frames. However, he also came out for the ninth. He gave up two hits to start the inning and then issued an intentional walk to load the bases. Lefty Aaron Thompson came in and immediately gave up a two-run single that ended the game. James Beresford went 2-4. Deibinson Romero was 1-3 with a walk. Josmil Pinto was also 1-3 with a walk. His hit was his fourth double. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Reading 3 Box Score Pat Dean was on the mound for the Rock Cats in this game and earned his seventh win. In six innings, the lefty gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked none and struck out three. Adrian Salcedo gave up a hit and a walk and recorded four outs. Ryan O'Rourke came on to get the next two outs, one of them coming via a strikeout. Mason Melotakis came in for the ninth. He struck out two and was credited with his first save. Tony Thomas led the offense. The Eastern League all-star went 2-4 with his 20th double and his sixth home run. Aaron Hicks went 2-5 with his sixth double. Mike Kvasnicka remained warm, launching his ninth homer of the year. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 7, Daytona 11 (17 innings) Box Score This was a long game... a really long game! And both teams used a lot of pitchers. The Miracle used a lineup's worth of pitchers as nine guys took the mound in this one. Brett Lee started and went the first five innings. He was a little wild. He gave up just one run on four hits, but he walked six batters. BJ Hermsen came on and gave up one run on three hits in an inning. He struck out two. Todd Van Steensel started the seventh inning and got just two outs. He gave up three runs on two hits and two walks. Madison Boer got the final out of the seventh and also pitched the eighth. He gave up one run on two hits. Tyler Jones gave up one run in the ninth, though he struck out three. Alex Wimmers came on and struck out three in two perfect innings. Brandon Peterson then struck out six (and walked two) over three scoreless innings. Steven Gruver then worked out of a jam in the 15th with a double play ball. Brian Gilbert pitched a scoreless 16th inning despite giving up two hits. Gilbert came back for the bottom of the 17th inning. He gave up two hits and intentionally walked the next batter to set up a force at each position. However, Rock Shoulders (!) of the Cubs launched a long grand slam to end the game. Download attachment: Jorge Polanco 6.jpg The Miracle had 23 hits in the game, but there were several times where one more hit would have ended the game much earlier. Byron Buxton led off and went 4-6 with two walks and was hit by a pitch. He hit his third homer. Batting second was Jorge Polanco. He went 5-8 with a walk and his sixth homer. Nate Roberts played for the first time in over a week. He went 2-3, both doubles, before being taken out of the game. Aderlin Mejia was 3-7. Niko Goodrum, Max Kepler and Tyler Grimes each added two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Lake County 5 (11 innings) Box Score It took a couple of extra frames, but the Kernels came away with a victory in the bottom of the 11th. With one out, Logan Wade doubled. He moved to third on an infield single by Chad Christensen. The third baseman made a great play to keep it in the infield. Mitch Garver ended the game 0-6, but his ground ball was enough to score Wade from third on a close play at the plate. According to Steve Buhr, who was in attendance, a brief rhubarb broke out. Chad Christensen led the way with a 4-5 night. He hit his 16th double. Logan Wade went 3-5 with a walk and his 10th double. Jason Kanzler has now hit in seven straight games after this 2-5 night (with his 14th steal). Kanzler has had multiple hits in six of those seven games. Alex Swim extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single, an he also reached on a three base error. Aaron Slegers got the start on the mound. In 6.2 innings, he gave up four runs, but just one of them was earned. He gave up six hits, walked two and struck out five. Brandon Bixler gave up one run on one hit in 1.1 innings. He struck out two. Dallas Gallant threw two scoreless innings and he struck out five batters. Jake Reed came in for the 11th and didn't allow a run. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 4, Princeton 2 Box Score Felix Jorge made the start in this game. He gave up two runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out seven. CK Irby gave up just two hits over 2.1 scoreless innings. He struck out two. Dereck Rodriguez came on and earned the save with two scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, hit a batter and struck out two. Jeremias Pineda went 2-3 with his first home run. Max Murphy continued to rake. He went 2-3 with a walk and his seventh home run. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Red Sox 2 Box Score Wins have been infrequent for the Twins GCL squad this season, but they got some solid performances. Josh Guyer started. He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in three innings. He struck out four. Alexis Tapia went the next three innings. He didn't allow a run. He gave up one hit and walked a batter. He struck out five. Seth Wagner recorded the next five batters. Trevor Hildenberger got the final four outs, two of them on strikeouts. Manuel Guzman went 2-5 with his fourth stolen base. Dubal Baez went 2-5. Joel Ramirez went 1-2 with two walks and his fourth stolen base. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brandon Peterson, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Jorge Polanco, Ft. Myers Miracle SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Norfolk (6:05 CST) – Trevor May New Britain @ Reading (DH at 4:35 CST) – Taylor Rogers, JO Berrios Ft. Myers @ Daytona (6:05 CST) – DJ Baxendale Ft. Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (5:05 CST) - Lewis Thorpe Burlington @ Elizabethton (5:00 CST) – Derrick Penilla GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (10:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

When Alex Meyer was asked, at Twins Fest, when he would like to make his big league debut with the Twins, he was pretty honest yet realistic. “I hope the first day, the first game of the season. Realistically, it’s nothing I can control. I’m just trying to make it tough for them.” And yet, he does have some control over it. He can perform. On Monday night, in front of Twins assistant GM Rob Antony, Meyer did a great job of making the decision to keep Meyer at AAA much more difficult. Download attachment: Alex Meyer AFL Pitch.jpg Facing Charlotte, the AAA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, Meyer went six shutout innings and earned his first AAA win. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out 11. In his previous start, at Pawtucket, he gave up three hits and walked three batters in 6.2 scoreless innings. He struck out 11 batters in that game, too. Just so you don’t have to do the math yourself, that is 12.2 innings, five hits, six walks and 22 strikeouts over two starts. He is making it tough on the Twins front office. Fans see those back-to-back shutouts in the box score. They’ve heard his name. They’ve read about the fastball that touches 100 mph (and the slider, and this new changeup grip taught to him by Red Wings teammates Yohan Pino and Deolis Guerra). They know that the Twins gave up Denard Span for him. Oh, and Twins fans have watched the current starting staff of the Twins post an ERA of 6.04, second worst in baseball. There are legitimate reasons to keep Meyer down for a little longer: First, we have to remember that he was limited to just 70 regular season innings last season because of a shoulder injury that cost him two months of his season. He threw more, and very well, in the Arizona Fall League, but overall, he worked fewer than 100 innings in 2012 so they do need to be supremely cautious with him. Second, although he has generally had pretty good control through his minor league career, he does have 11 walks in 26.2 innings on the season. He had 10 walks over his last three starts (16.1 innings). That is concerning since big league hitters are more patient and will be able to better determine which pitch he is throwing. As Twins hitters have shown this year, the “Walks Will Haunt” cliché is true. He has been using his new changeup grip for two starts now and the results have been quite favorable. However, having that pitch be a consistent pitch is really important. A third dominant pitch could make him an All-Star. It would not hurt at all to let him work on that pitch for another two or three starts. Of course, there is the business side of the game of baseball as well. That said, if the Twins called up Alex Meyer to make his major league debut on Sunday against the Orioles, he would be a four-year arbitration guy, but the Twins would control him for an extra season. Of course, the Twins have proven over and over in the past that they don’t often make decisions based on service time. However, Alex Meyer’s agent is Scott Boras, who generally is against long term deals before free agency, so it has to come in to play. To keep him away from arbitration for an extra year, the Twins would have to wait until early-to-mid June. Meyer is not on the 40-man roster. The Twins are currently at 40 men on the roster, so someone would either need to be designated for assignment or traded (the market for the trade-worthy options is quite limited). There are plenty of options to be DFA'ed on the 40-man roster, so this is a pretty minor inconvenience. Lefties Kris Johnson and Logan Darnell are both pitching well in Rochester as well, and they are on the 40-man roster. Darnell's season ERA is just 1.69 and he has 21 strikeouts (and just seven walks) in 21.1 innings. Johnson has a 2.86 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 22 innings. More importantly, you want to make sure Meyer is ready and doesn’t need to be sent down. You would want him to stay with the big league club and not use up an option to send him down. Again, this is hopefully a minor concern as you hope he would not need options in 2015 or 2016 or beyond anyway. Now, for the reasons why Alex Meyer should be promoted to the Twins. These are much more fun. Download attachment: CIMG8965.jpg Reason Number One… have you seen the Minnesota Twins starting rotation so far this spring? Kyle Gibson has made three (of four) solid starts. Phil Hughes' last two starts have been good. Ricky Nolasco has had one good start. However, the Twins starting rotation has an ERA greater than six, which is just awful. Kevin Correia is reminding Twins fans that although he was quite solid in 2013, we never understood that second season on his contract. Mike Pelfrey has been awful, and Twins fans are wondering loudly why he was signed at all, much less to the two year contract he did receive. The strikeouts are something we have seen very little of from a starting pitcher since about 2006 when Johan Santana and a rookie Francisco Liriano were dominating the league. The rotation is averaging an MLB-worst 5.12 K/9. Alex Meyer may walk too many when called up initially, but he will also miss a lot of bats. He is a guy who, even right now, could likely strike out eight batters per nine innings. Alex Meyer is going to be 24 years old through this season. He’s not a 19 year old kid. Meyer is very mature and credits his time at the University of Kentucky for helping him with that. There is no question that Will Middlebrooks was right to question whether there were actually five starters in Minnesota better than Alex Meyer. As I’ve pointed out before, I honestly don’t think there is even one starting pitcher in the Twins rotation who is better than Meyer right now. His upside is Justin Verlander. He is a potential Cy Young-caliber talent. Those guys are good to have in a big league rotation. This should NOT be a reason to call him up, but when he makes his big league debut, Target Field will be electric. He’s one of those players who will bring people in and fans can really be excited about. As easy as we like to think the decision to call up Alex Meyer right now is, it’s not. A lot has to go into it. The most important things that have to be considered when talking about whether Meyer should be called up now or in a month is what is best for Alex Meyer and the Twins. What is going to make Alex Meyer the best he can be? Is he going to be hurt by making three to five more AAA starts? Of course not. There is no negative to it. Would it hurt his long-term development if he is called up too early? I don’t know. No one knows. That’s why there is no “right” answer to this situation. With top pitching prospects, teams have used different strategies for when to call them up. Both sides of the argument have had successes and failures. It has to be a decision dependent on the individual. One thing I do know is that I personally can’t wait until Alex Meyer is in the Twins starting rotation. I think most of us can agree on that. Also at Twins Fest, Meyer said, “I want to show that whenever they’re ready for somebody, I’m just hoping that I’m the guy that is ready to come up.” At the very least, he’s done that! Feel free to discuss, and make your projection for when Alex Meyer is promoted to the Minnesota Twins. I'll say... June 6. Click here to view the article