Seth Stohs

It was a busy, long weekend, but it was a tremendous opportunity. I traveled from the tip-top of Minnesota, down to the Twin Cities on Saturday. I then spent all day Monday driving back home. One has a lot of opportunity to think while driving more than seven hours each direction, so I thought I would put together a quick Stream of Consciousness blog for today. I encourage you to leave your thoughts on All-Star festivities below. So bear with me. I’ll cover a lot of topics, and hopefully you enjoy this potentially chaotic format. Download attachment: FanFest.jpg I’ll start with my thoughts on being down at the All-Star Sunday festivities and go from there. But to wake up on Sunday morning and see my name in a byline in the Pioneer Press was pretty cool! I was asked to write an article on the Three Twins Prospects in the Futures Game, so that was pretty neat! My daughter, along with my brother and sister, and I went to the Minneapolis Convention Center on Sunday morning for All-Star Fan Fest. As I mentioned on the podcast portion of the Gleeman and the Geek podcast, it reminded me a lot of going to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. There were about 400,000 square feet of baseball events and displays. It was as if you just needed to walk around and see everything, and then take a step back to think about what you wanted to do, what you wanted to look at. Sure, it would have been great to spend more time in several of the areas, but with an 8-year-old girl, being in one place for terribly long isn’t always possible. Download attachment: 963KTwin.jpg The highlight was certainly being included in the Baseball Round Table discussion with Jack Morris, Lindsay Guentzel and Rod Simon on their Sunday morning “This is Twins Territory” show. It was a bit surreal to be having a conversation with a guy with Jack Morris’ baseball history. (May be able to get audio for this up later. Will be posted here if we can.) A close second would be getting to watch Jennie Finch run a clinic on a small field at Fan Fest. That was good times! (She'll come up in this stream of consciousness a bit later as well.) Download attachment: JFinch.jpg I was then dropped off at Target Field around 12:30 and stood outside waiting for the gates to open at 2. Honestly, it was such a cool atmosphere outside the stadium that 90 minutes didn’t seem all that long. My Twins Hangouts co-host Jeremy Nygaard, who had run in the Color Run earlier that morning, got there with the tickets. The Futures Game itself was great. It was so much fun to watch players whose names we have heard, but it’s always a different experience to see them in person. That’s why I always talk about people trying to get down to Cedar Rapids to watch the Kernels play in person if you’re able. In my mind, it enhances your knowledge about players when you can say you’ve actually seen them play rather than just reading the box scores and stat lines. Jeremy spent more time talking about the three Twins players’ performances. For me, it was pretty encouraging to see. Consider that the Twins top two prospects, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, did not play because of injuries in the first half, and Trevor May was supposed to pitch but he was on the DL, the Twins were represented by three terrific prospects. Kennys Vargas made an impression in batting practice, but people also wrote about his personality. He is a jovial young man, and why not? I mean, he became a first-time father last week and got to play in a very prestigious prospect event. He struck out a couple of times, but he did short-hop the fence in right field for a double. JO Berrios got the starting nod for the World Team and was impressive in his one-inning stint. He showed a fastball that sat 94-95 with a slider at 85-86 and a changeup at 81-82. A three-pitch mix like that certainly bodes well. Add in that people rave about his maturity and make-up and we can understand why he is such a highly-touted prospect. Alex Meyer had a very short outing, but it was good. He hit 97, 98, 97, 97 and 97 with the five pitches that he threw. The first batter lined out to left. The second lined a single to left, and the third grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end his inning. You can say that he got hit hard if you want, but the fastball is legit. If you also remember that he’s got four good pitches and he didn’t even show the other three, you can be quite excited about his future. You can also understand after this why it is so important to have more than just a big fastball. Joey Gallo (3B, Rangers) put on an incredible display in batting practice, and he got hold of one in the game too that went a long way. He was impressive. Javier Baez (SS, Cubs) hit a bomb to right center field (he bats right handed) against Lucas Giolito (RHP, Nationals). Not many are able to do that! Download attachment: GATG.jpg Between games, John Bonnes found Jeremy and I, and we went high up in the top deck of Target Field and podcast the second half of the Gleeman and the Geek podcast. It was fun to talk about what happened in the first half of the minor league season. I almost lost my voice because it was rather difficult talking over cheers for the pyrotechnics of the Panic! At the Disco two-song performance and the huge cheers as Adrian Peterson, Zach Parise and Jim Thome were introduced for the Celebrity Softball game. We made an assumption that the Futures Game crowd would exit after that game and that there would be fewer people there for the Celebrity Softball game. Nope! Many people came in just for that game and it was even more packed. The highlight of that game was the fast pitches that Jennie Finch threw to Adrian Peterson. It was awesome! Parise looks like he could play still. And, I’ve always been a huge Nelly fan, and he hit two home runs. There were fireworks after the game, and that was it for a long, exhausting, wonderful day! I’m glad I had the opportunity to be there that day. I wish I could have been at the Twins Daily/Fangraphs get-together at Mason’s before the Home Run Derby. It sounds like it would have been a great time! Unfortunately, I had about 370 miles to drive home on Monday instead. I was lucky too because after about 9 hours in the car, I got home just in time for the start of the Home Run Derby. It was great to see Brian Dozier hit two home runs. The last thing anyone wants is to get shutout (like Yasiel Puig was). I’d say his brother Clay did a good job too. Before the game, Jeremy Nygaard tweeted the following, “They just asked Clay Dozier when he realized little brother, Brian, was better than he was. His response, ‘He is?!’” I’m not a big fan of the new format. I like the urgency of the 7 swings. There will obviously be fewer home runs with fewer outs, but it would make the event go more quickly. In theory, the concept of winning the first round and getting the bye to the second round should be a good thing. When you don’t hit for more than 90 minutes after the first round, it definitely appeared (from the results last night) that it wasn’t much of an advantage. Also, fans, if you’re in the first row of one of the upper deck sections, quit reaching so far over the fence to try to catch home runs or foul balls. Is it worth it? Man, I have to turn my head whenever I see guys hanging that far over walls. Tonight is the All-Star game. Let’s hope we get to see Jeremy and his dad’s mugs holding the huge flag for the National Anthem before the game. Let’s hope Kurt Suzuki gets a chance to play in his first All-Star game. And, it would be really neat if Glen Perkins could come jogging in with a two-run lead for the top of the 9th inning! I know a lot of Twins fans were able to get to parts (if not all) of the All-Star festivities. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the various events. What did you like? What didn’t you like? What would you do? Obviously if you get to the parade or the All-Star game tonight, feel free to add your thoughts on that as well. Click here to view the article

On Sunday, one of the directors of the documentary Ballplayer: Pelotero came to the Twins Daily forums and after letting us know where the movie could be viewed, answered several questions from readers. I’ve read so much about the film, watched trailers and eagerly anticipated being able to see it. I didn’t know how I would be able to view it since I don’t live in a metro area. Thankfully, it is available through several sources right now. Some cable providers have made it available as On Demand. It can currently be seen at St. Anthony Main Theatre in Minneapolis and other select theaters around the country. It is also available on iTunes, which is how I watched it. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Download attachment: Ballplayer Pelotero.jpg Obviously the key draw to this documentary for Twins fans is the fact that one of its main ‘characters’ is Twins top prospect Miguel Sano who is referred to as Miguel Angel (his middle name) throughout the movie. It’s an interesting look at his life and the pressure on him even as a 15 year old. But, it also is a nice glimpse into his personality. It is understandable why his nickname is “Bocaton” (translated to “Big Mouth”). He is a fun-loving kid with the world of talent. Fred Guerrero, the Twins scout in the Dominican, also has several quotes in the movie, early in the process and even after he signed. It was also an open look at how the recruitment process affected him and his entire family. He had to go through rigorous and very personal tests in an attempt to prove his age to MLB, teams and more. Download attachment: Miguel Sano 16.jpg The movie certainly points to the Pirates scout (Rene Gayo) who did whatever was necessary to get Sano to sign with him, including some very non-ethical maneuvers. As the director commented in our forum, “Rene Gayo and the Pittsburgh Pirates were able to scare off many other teams because of unfounded concerns about Miguel's age. The Twins did a very brave thing by stepping up and signing him. And hopefully they will be rewarded for it for years to come. Fred Guerrero the DR scouting director is a really great guy and knew from day one that this kid was special.” Did you know that 20% of all players in the big leagues and the minor leagues come from The Dominican Republic, a country with just 2% of the population of the United States? Most of those players sign for very small bonuses that are important for their families. Many are just represented by their mentor/ trainer/ coach at various academies. However, a player like Sano also had his own agent. Sano grew up very poor, in very humble surroundings. His agent moved him and his family and extended family into a nicer area of town. Jean Carlos Batista is the other 16 year old whose trek is documented in the film. The switch-hitting shortstop hoped to receive a signing bonus of $1.5 to $1.8 million. He was offered significantly less than that after going to several tryout camps. But later on, Batista’s mom admitted to his trainer and coach Astin Jacobo that he was actually a year older than he claimed. When Jean was ten, his parents found a way to “change” his age, and they ran with it. See how that admission affected his eventual signing bonus as well as his relationship with his trainer. One of the trainers made the comment that kids come to their academies when they are as young as 13 or 14. He compared it to a harvest in which they plant seeds, put in time and energy and at the end of the day (when a player signs), they sell it. Trainers generally get a percentage (As much as 35%) of signing bonuses. This is a documentary. It’s not Major League, so you won’t be laughing the whole time (although there are some funny moments). It’s not The Natural or Field of Dreams where everything is wonderful or even mystical at the end of the day. It is, in a way, baseball’s version of Hoop Dreams, the excellent documentary of two young basketball players as they worked from middle school to high school. In my mind, it’s a great movie for Twins fans as we get a glimpse of a young Miguel Sano and all he endured to get signed. It’s a great movie for all baseball fans as it captures what it is like to be a kid in the Dominican Republic and how much effort goes into getting signed, and how much it means for their families for the kids to be signed. I definitely recommend viewing Ballplayer: Pelotero if you have the chance! I'm not going to pretend to be a movie critic and know how to analyze greatness in a movie, particularly in a documentary. One way I determine whether or not I really liked a movie is how I feel when the movie comes to an end. At the end of this movie, I wanted it to keep going. I wanted to know what happened next. Obviously as Twins fans, we know how Miguel Sano is doing on the field, but what's going on off-the-field too and how has he adapted to playing and living in America? Well, you'll be happy to know that the same cast has occasionally been following Sano through his minor league time the last couple of years and do plan on another documentary following his career (hopefully) to the big leagues! Learn much more about the characters and the movie at the Official Ballplayer: Pelotero website. Click here to view the article

The All-Star Game is behind us. The Minnesota Twins and Major League Baseball put together an extraordinary event. It may have jumped up on us, but we are just two weeks away from the July 31 trade deadline. There were a couple trades made before the All-Star break, and I think that teams could start making deals quickly. The Twins come out of the All-Star break on Friday with a series at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. That will be followed by three games against Cleveland and four games against the White Sox, all at home. If things don't go exceedingly well through that ten game stretch, the Twins could decide to be sellers. If that's the case, the Twins have several trade candidates and over the next couple of weeks we will take a look at them. That said, today we will begin our Trade Candidate Series by looking at arguably the Twins Most Valuable Player through the All-Star break, Kurt Suzuki. Download attachment: Kurt Suzuki.jpg Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn Suzuki was named to his first All-Star Game this season, his first with the Minnesota Twins after spending most of his career with the Oakland A's, as well as 122 games with the Nationals. After posting OPS over .700 his first three seasons (2007-09), he has really struggled the last couple of years. The Twins took a shot on him in the offseason at a reasonable $2.75 million. The assumption from many outside the organization was that he would be a part-time player, a mentor for Josmil Pinto. Instead, he earned the starting job and has held on to it. WHY TRADE HIM If you believe in the philosophy of Buy Low and Sell High, this could be the perfect baseball example. The Twins were able to get Suzuki for a fair rate because of his struggles the last few years. It only makes sense to sell high. His value will likely never be higher, and the Twins should capitalize on that. The Twins are still a team in transition, and as strong as the minor league system is, it never hurts to add more talent. The Twins, and Terry Ryan, did a great job of this in the late-90s. In 1996, the Twins signed Dave Hollins to play third base. In 121 games for the Twins, he hit .242/.364/.396 (.760) with 26 doubles and 13 home runs. They were able to trade him in late August for a young David Ortiz. Also, before the 1996 season, the Twins signed Roberto Kelly. He played as a part-timer in 1996 and hit .287/.336/.441 with 19 doubles and five home runs before being traded to the Mariners for Joe Mays. These players were not performing to the level that Suzuki has this year, while playing a premium position, so the Twins could get a nice package. WHY KEEP HIM I don't know that anyone has given up, per se, on the idea of Josmil Pinto being an adequate catcher at some point, but the reality is that he is enough of a liability behind the plate that it's hard to envision him being the top catcher. (But yes, he can hit.) The next catcher in the minor league ladder that is potentially a starting catcher is Stuart Turner, the team's 3rd round pick in 2013 out of Ole Miss who is spending this season with the Ft. Myers Miracle. He is at least two years away from being ready for that. Though the controversial pitch framing statistics do not shine a positive light on Suzuki, the Twins pitchers have generally been incredibly complimentary of him. He is well-respected around the game and considered a strong leader. The Twins can negotiate right now and through free agency with Suzuki in an attempt to shore up their starting catching position for the next two years. Would Suzuki consider re-upping for 2 years and $12 million? WHO NEEDS HIM There are a couple teams that are in need, at least to some degree, of a catcher. The St. Louis Cardinals lost their all-star catcher, Yadier Molina, to season-ending (most likely) injury. The Baltimore Orioles catcher, Matt Wieters, had Tommy John surgery recently and will miss the remainder of the season. Suzuki is not elite, but he is a respected (and now an All-Star) player/leader at a premium position. Twins fans should not expect a team to offer up one of their Top 5 prospects. However, I would think that the Twins could get one prospect around #10 from an organization, plus a prospect who ranks in the team's 20s. SUMMARY I'm an economics major, so you know I believe in the concept of Buy Low/Sell High. Suzuki's value will likely never be higher. He is putting up career-best numbers at age 30, so to expect him to maintain this value through the rest of the 2014 season (much less for 2-3 more years) is not realistic. That said, the Twins don't really have a quality catcher who will be ready to be the team's regular catcher for at least a couple of years. There is one best-of-both-worlds scenario that would keep a lot of people happy. They can trade him and sign him. How? Well, the Twins can add a couple of prospects in the next couple of weeks when they trade Suzuki. At the end of the year, he becomes a free agent and can sign with any team, including the Minnesota Twins. How do they do this? Terry Ryan and Rob Antony should sit down with Kurt Suzuki and make it very clear to him that they want to keep him around for a couple more years. However, they are not going to the playoffs this year and are still in a position to accumulate as much talent and depth as they can. Talk through trade scenarios with Suzuki and let him know they want to put him in a position to win in 2014. However, make it clear that the Twins plan to pursue him again in November and December when he hits the market again. Obviously no formal promises can be made or details worked out, but the conversation is good to have. PROBABILITY Honestly, I would put the odds of trading Suzuki at about 60/40 (60% likelihood that he is traded). I would say that there is about a 40% chance that Suzuki stays with the Twins through the remainder of 2014. If he does stay through the end of the season, I would predict that there is a 50/50 chance that the Twins and Suzuki will agree on a multi-year extension before season's end. YOUR TURN What should the Twins do with Kurt Suzuki? Sign him? Let him play out his contract and see what happens? Trade him? Or, trade him and bring him back? What do you think? Click here to view the article

If the draft occurred on January 5th, instead of June 5th, there is a good chance Trea Turner would have been selected before the Minnesota Twins made their first round selection, fifth overall. Now just two weeks from the draft’s first round, there is no doubt that Turner will be available to the Twins with their pick. Could the Twins use that pick to take the college shortstop? Who is This Guy? Trea Turner grew up in Florida and following his high school career, he was drafted in the 20th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Instead of signing an above-slot offer, Turner enrolled at North Carolina State. He arrived as a skinny, 6-1, 170 pounder, and as he (likely) leaves, he will have added about ten pounds to his lanky build. As a freshman, he hit .336/.432/.459 (.891) while playing third base. That season, he stole 57 bases in 61 attempts. As a sophomore, he made the move over to shortstop. He hit .368/.455/.553 (1.008). Despite an ankle injury, he still was successful in 30 of 36 steal attempts. He came into this season looking to build on those numbers. Going into tournament play, he was hitting .318/.414/.507 (921). These were steps back and yet still very good numbers. He also had stolen 24 of 27 bases. Why the Twins will pick him Download attachment: TreaTurner.jpg As you may assume from his stolen base totals (111-124), he has tremendous speed and is a very good, sound base runner. He has elite speed and was once clocked at 3.42 seconds from home to first base… from the right-handed batter’s box. Despite the lanky frame, Turner is not just a slap hitter. In fact, he generally takes a very healthy cut. Over his three years, his extra base hit total went from 18 to 24 to 22. That includes 20 home runs. Certainly his drafting team should not expect 20 homer seasons from Turner, but he will hit a few and drive the ball from gap to gap. Turner has also done a tremendous job at controlling the strike zone. In all three years, he has walked more than struck out. In the three years, he walked 115 times while striking out 94 times. This certainly is a strong indicator and could potentially allow him to move quickly. On defense, there are mixed opinions on whether he can stick at shortstop. That said, his fielding percentage has continued to improve each year. As a third baseman his freshman year, he posted a .921 fielding percentage. In his first year at shortstop, it improved to 940, and this year, it is .961. Though the Twins have some depth at shortstop in the system right now (Danny Santana, Jorge Polanco, Niko Goodrum), the Twins enjoy drafting athletes who can hopefully play in the middle of the field. Turner can. He also has played three seasons of high-caliber college competition as well as competed for Team USA in summers. He could certainly move up quickly. Why the Twins won’t pick him The Twins typically do not take college bats in the first round. They did take North Carolina infielder Levi Michael with the 30th overall pick in 2011. Before him, the last time the Twins used a first round pick on a college hitter was Travis Lee in 1996 (Matt LeCroy was a supplemental 1st round pick in 1997). Other college bats they have drafted in the first round included Todd Walker (1994), David McCarty and Scott Stahoviak (1991), Chuck Knoblauch (1989) The Twins have generally gone with athletic high school bats with big ceilings. There are a couple of them who may also be available to the Twins with the number five pick. There is some concern about his decline in performance in 2014, although the numbers are still very good. Stop back tomorrow when we will get to know another potential 2014 Twins draft pick. [/hr]The Twins beat the Padres last night so on Wednesday you can get a half price large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com with the promo code TWINSWIN. Click here to view the article

May was a great month for right-hander JO Berrios. Mid-month, he became a first-time father. Late last week, he lost his status as a teenager. However, keep reading to see how his June started! Kohl Stewart was also on the mound in Cedar Rapids and pitched well. Also, check out how a home town player played hero on Sunday afternoon. The Twins won their second straight series in New York against the Yankees with an improbable win in Yankees Stadium. Phil Hughes was tremendous again, working all eight innings against his former teammates. Josh Willingham provided the power, tying the game with a homer to lead off the ninth. Then the Twins added five more runs and won 7-2. Download attachment: JO Berrios 2edit.jpg TRANSACTIONS The Twins had several transactions on Sunday. Stephen Wickens came off the disabled list and will begin back with the Ft. Myers Miracle. DJ Baxendale has been sent back to Ft. Myers where he will look to return to the form he displayed a year ago for the Miracle. He has been working out of the Rock Cats bullpen the last week as he recovers from his DL stint. He will be starting with the Miracle. Brett Lee is going on the disabled list. Jonathan Murphy was sent back to Cedar Rapids from Ft. Myers. JD Williams was put on the Kernels’ 7-Day disabled list with right patellar tendinitis. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Gwinnett 1 Box Score While Trevor May and Kris Johnson pitched great in May, Yohan Pino just kept doing what he’s done all year: whatever is asked of him. On this day, Pinto went 7.1 innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked none and struck out four. 57 of his 87 pitches were strikes. He was replaced by lefty Aaron Thompson in the 8th and he got the next two batters out. Ryan Pressly came in for the ninth. He gave up two hits but no runs to close the door. The Red Wings offense did very little. They had just six hits in the game. The two fifth-inning runs were both scored on grounders. One went to third base where there was an error. The other was just a ground ball to shortstop. James Beresford went 2-3 with a walk and his eighth double. He also stole his fourth base. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Binghamton 1 Box Score The Rock Cats put up a five-spot in the fifth inning and held on the rest of the way for a win. The big hit again came off of the bat of Mike Kvasnicka who hit a bases-clearing double. The former Gopher was 2-4 with his eighth double. He also played centerfield and threw out a runner at home. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-4 with a triple. Tony Thomas was 2-5. He stole his seventh base. Danny Ortiz had two more hits. Pat Dean had a start that he really needed. The lefty gave up only an unearned run in 5.2 innings. He gave up seven hits, walked three and struck out four. Dan Turpen retired the next four batters. Jim Fuller struck out two in a perfect inning. Adrian Salcedo gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 – Ft. Myers 3, Clearwater 0 Box Score JO Berrios had a terrific May. He pitched well, had his first child and he left his teenage status behind. However, he started out June with one of the best starts you’ll see from a minor league pitcher anywhere. The hard-throwing right-hander was at his best. He went all seven innings of Game 1 and gave up no runs. He yielded just one hit. He walked none. And after striking out the side in the seventh inning he had 13 strikeouts in the game. He is now 5-2 with a 2.24 ERA. Travis Harrison led the offense. He went 2-3 with his 16th double. Michael Gonzales was also 2-3. Aderlin Mejia hit his sixth double. For the record, Eddie Rosario was 0-3 with two strikeouts. He has batted third and played centerfield in all three games that he has played for the Miracle. Game 2 – Ft. Myers 8, Tampa 4 Box Score Matt Tomshaw was making his first June start after an incredible May. He began this game with four scoreless innings while yielding one hit. In the fifth, two runs scored, but they were unearned due to a fielding error. He went out for the sixth inning and was charged with two earned run. In total, the left-hander went 5.1 innings and gave up four runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked none and struck out six. Tyler Jones came in and got the last two outs in the sixth (although he allowed both inherited runners to score). He worked a scoreless seventh inning to earn his fifth save of the year. The offense was led by the top four in the lineup. They combined to go 7-13 with a walk, six runs and four RBI. Aderlin Mejia went 2-3 with his seventh double. Stephen Wickens was 2-4. Eddie Rosario went 2-3 with a walk. (Yes, Eddie Rosario played in centerfield and batted third again) Those first three each scored two runs. Adam Walker drove in two runs and now has 41 RBI on the season. The big hit in the four-run second was a bases-clearing double from Dalton Hicks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Burlington 3 Box Score Chad Christensen was the Twins 25th round pick last year out of Nebraska. However, he was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, so he has been able to enjoy his first full season in professional baseball at home. On Sunday afternoon, he was able to play hero in front of the home crowd. With the game tied at three in the bottom of the eighth inning, Christensen hit a long home run, his fourth of the year, which gave the Kernels a lead they held on to. Mitch Garver’s seventh home run of the season tied the game at three in the fourth inning. He was 3-4. Bryan Haar went 2-3. Kohl Stewart made the start. He gave up three runs, but just one was earned. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out four. Jared Wilson came in and gave up only a walk over two hitless innings. He struck out two. With the lead, Todd Van Steensel worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his fourth save. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – JO Berrios, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mike Kvasnicka, New Britain Rock Cats MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Gwinnett @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen) New Britain – No Game Scheduled (Listen) Tampa @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – DJ Baxendale (Listen) Burlington @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 CST) – Derrick Penilla (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Sunday games. A quick reminder: Thanks to the Twins afternoon win over the Yankees in New York on Sunday afternoon, it means that on Monday 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

Winter just does not want to go away. Much of the state of Minnesota woke up to cold and even snow on Wednesday. The weather has been difficult around the country. New Britain was weathered out. The Minnesota Twins game on Wednesday night against the Blue Jays was postponed. They will play their regularly scheduled game at 12:10 on Thursday and then the makeup game at 6:10. When there is a doubleheader, teams are able to add a 26th player. The Twins will promote the recently acquired Eduardo Nunez. In his week with Rochester, he has played shortstop, third base, right field and DH. Here is a look at what happened in the Twins farm system on Wednesday: [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]Download attachment: Dan Rohlfing.jpg . RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 6, Pawtucket 7 Box Score I think it’s fair to say that things have not gone terribly well for Scott Diamond in 2014. He lost the fifth starter ‘battle’ to Kyle Gibson and was DFA'ed. He went unclaimed. He agreed to pitch for Rochester. And then the season started. His first two starts were bad. In his third start, he went four innings and was charged with seven earned runs on 11 hits. He walked two and struck out four. His ERA in three starts is now 15.00. Fortunately, the Red Wings got five shutout innings from their bullpen. Deolis Guerra gave up two hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. Matt Hoffman gave up three hits and got five outs. Ryan Pressly gave up one hit over the final 1.1 innings. The Red Wings hitters attempted to come back but ended up just short. Wilkin Ramiez went 3-4 with a walk and a double. Dan Rohlfing went 3-5 with a double and two RBI. Eduardo Nunez went 2-5 and stole a base. Eric Farris also had two hits. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain, New Hampshire This game was postponed due to poor weather conditions. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Charlotte 5 Box Score Down 4-2 after seven innings on Wednesday morning, the Miracle put up four runs in the top of the eighth frame and held on for a 6-5 win. Max Kepler led the way, going 2-4 with a triple. Adam Walker had a double and drove in two runs. Travis Harrison is now hitting .310 after going 2-4 and driving in the game-tying run in the 8th. Jonathan Murphy gave the Miracle a 6-4 lead with a two-run single. AJ Pettersen also went 2-4 in the game. Tyler Duffey was charged with four runs on nine hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. He struck out two. Steven Gruver settled things down. The lefty gave up two hits and a walk but no runs over 2.2 innings in relief. Brian Gilbert recorded his second save. He gave up a run in the eighth that cut the lead to one, but pitched a scoreless ninth inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, South Bend 4 Box Score Ethan Mildren made his first start for the Kernels. The 2013 draft pick gave up two runs on six hits. In five innings, he struck out five without walking a batter. Yorman Landa came on and was charged with two runs on five hits in two innings. He struck out two and also hit a batter. Alex Muren walked one over two scoreless innings. The Kernels had just seven hits in the game. Jason Kanzler had a triple. Engelb Vielma and Zack Larson each doubles. It was Larson’s seventh double already. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Steven Gruver, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dan Rohlfing, Rochester Red Wings THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (Doubleheader: 12:05 CST) – Logan Darnell, Yohan Pino (Listen) Portland @ New Britain (5:35 CST) – DJ Baxendale (Listen) St. Lucie @ Ft. Myers (6:05 CST) – Brett Lee (Listen) West Michigan @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – Randy Rosario (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: darin_mastoianni.jpg The Twins claimed speedy outfielder off of waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays (who made room on their 40 man roster for Francisco Cordero). The Twins previous were at 40 on their roster, so someone will need to be DFAd to make room for Mastroianni. There are certainly several options. The 26 year old went 0-2 with a sacrifice bunt in his one game with the Blue Jays in 2011. He was a 16th round pick of the Jays in 2007 out of the University of Southern Indiana, a Division II school. He had spent the 2005 season at Winthrop where he was a teammate of former Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey. Because he has options, Mastroianni likely will play in Rochester in 2012. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Click here to view the article

In the past week, we have focused our Draft Preview attention to some of the top college players in next week’s MLB Draft. Starting today, we’re also going to look at a few high school players that could be selected by the Minnesota Twins with the fifth overall pick. We’ll start by learning a little about a left-handed pitcher who could be taken with the first overall pick in the draft, Brady Aiken. Of course, as we have seen in previous years, the top of the draft doesn’t always go as expected, so let’s get to know Aiken today. Download attachment: Aiken.jpg Brady Aiken Photo by Rinaldi Photos Who is this guy? Brady Aiken is a 6-4, 205 pound left-hander from San Diego, California. A year ago, he teamed with 2013 Minnesota Twins fourth-round pick Stephen Gonsalves atop a very formidable rotation at Cathedral Catholic High School. Gonsalves had a lot of great things to say about Aiken when he was a guest on the Twins Hangouts two weeks ago. “I knew the talent was there. I told him he was going to be a first-rounder. Definitely did not see him humping up five miles per hour over the winter since I’ve seen him. But that kid works hard. Hardest working kid I’ve ever seen. He’s only 17 years old, bigger than me. He’s been like a little brother to me. I hang out with him every day during the offseason.” Aiken has already committed to pitching for the Bruins of UCLA, but a multi-million dollar signing bonus would give him the incentive to sign. Gonsalves continued, “I tell him to get ready for the draft. He was always telling me, ‘Nah, I’m going to UCLA, man!’ (in a) totally joking manner. He’s going to be the top guy, top five definitely.” Why the Twins will pick him Most likely the Twins would love to be able to pick Aiken. First, he has put up some impressive numbers in his high school career. As a sophomore, he went 6-1 with a 1.32 ERA. He struck out 89 and walked just 18 in 47.2 innings. As a junior, he was 5-3 with a 0.92 ERA. He struck out 80 and walked 25 in 53.1 innings. This year, he was 6-0 with a 0.86 ERA in 48.2 innings. He walked just 11 and struck out 86. Aiken has very good control and command of three pitches that have the potential to be above average big league pitches. His fastball sits between 92 and 94 mph and occasionally has hit 97. He gets a lot of movement with the pitch. He also has a very good curveball and a very good changeup. Why the Twins will not pick him The only reason not to take Brady Aiken with the fifth overall pick is because he will likely have been taken with one of the top three picks, and maybe even the first overall pick. Simply, the Twins won’t be able to pick Aiken because he won’t be available by the time the fifth pick comes around. I wish I had another reason. I don’t, other than the inherent risk in projecting where every single player will be drafted. A quick reminder that tomorrow, Jeremy Nygaard will be posting his MLB Mock Draft First Round Version 2.0. You’ll definitely want to see how it has changed from last week. Click here to view the article

According to MLB Trade Rumors (via Mark Gonzales), the Minnesota Twins have claimed left-handed pitcher Brooks Raley from the Chicago Cubs. He takes the 40th roster spot vacated earlier this month by Andrew Albers. The lefty was the Cubs 6th round pick in 2009 out of Texas A&M University. He made five starts in 2012 for the Cubs, and made nine relief appearances in 2013. Combined, he has 38.1 MLB innings and sports a 7.04 ERA. Raley is 6-3 and 220 pounds. He is 25 years old.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Last year in AAA Iowa (of the PCL), he posted a 4.46 ERA over 141.1 innings. He had just 95 strikeouts to go with 45 walks. However, in 2012, he posted a 3.62 ERA in 14 starts in the Pacific Coast League. Download attachment: Brooks Raley.jpg Raley does have a four-pitch mix. He has a fastball that averaged 89 mph last year with the Cubs. He also throws a lot of sliders, usually in the low-80s. He also has a changeup and a curveball. Frankly, he sounds an awful lot like Scott Diamond. The 2012 Diamond would be terrific for a team. The 2013 version, maybe not. It's also entirely possible that the Twins will now attempt to pass him through waivers. Click here to view the article

As spring training games are set to begin for the Minnesota Twins, fans will finally be able to see how the players perform against other teams. As we’ve learned time after time, actual spring training statistics mean very little. Most positions are already accounted for. However, as we have documented the last two weeks at Twins Daily, there are still a few position battles we will be watching. Spring performance also is noteworthy for prospects and other players who just want to make an impression on the Twins coaching staff and brass. It may not mean making the Opening Day roster, but it might mean getting a look when a need arises through the season.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Today, I’m going to take a look at some of the prospects who are in Ft. Myers looking to make an impression. THE BIG THREE There’s no question the Twins have one of the most highly rated minor league systems in all baseball. This is largely due to the Twins' Big Three. Byron Buxton is rated baseball’s #1 prospect by every outlet. Miguel Sano is touted as the top third base prospect in large part because he is generally considered the minor leaguer with the most power potential in the game. For me, Alex Meyer fits into the elite prospect category as well. As great as the potential may be for Buxton and Sano, Meyer is arguably the most important prospect in the Twins' farm system. Meyer represents what Twins fans (and coaches and front office personnel) have been awaiting for years, an ace. Not just a #1 starter, but a true ace. Blessed with a fastball that can hit triple-digits, Meyer also has a devastating slider and two other major league pitches. All three of these prospects are in big league camp. It is the first go ‘round for Buxton and Sano while Meyer was invited last spring after coming to the organization from Washington. All three are non-roster invitees. (Sano and Meyer would need to be added to the 40 man roster following the 2014 season while Buxton would not need to be added until after the 2016 season.) Because they are not on the 40 man roster, it is more likely the Twins will take a long look at them. It is also possible all three will surface with the Twins sometime in 2014. QUICK GLANCE If a player on the 40 man roster happens to get hurt while in major league camp, he would go on the major league disabled list. Because of that, players on the 40 man roster with little (or no) chance of making the Opening Day roster are quickly sent to minor league camp. Minor leaguers report to Ft. Myers on March 4 and their first full workout is March 6. The Twins first round of cuts will likely be soon after that. There are several players that fit in this category: Max Kepler – The outfielder/first baseman is young (20) and very raw, but he has a world of talent. He will start the season in Ft. Myers after playing just a half-season at Cedar Rapids last year before his Arizona Fall League stint. Download attachment: Jorge Polanco 3.jpg Jorge Polanco – The infielder is just 20 years old and played all 2013 in Cedar Rapids. He’ll move up to Ft. Myers for 2014. His prospect status has risen quickly the past two years, so he was an easy choice to be added to the 40 man roster. He’ll also be an easy choice to send to minor league camp right away. Kennys Vargas – If you thought the 6-5, 250 pound Miguel Sano was a large man, wait until you see Vargas. He is 6-6 and about 275 pounds. He (specifically his batting practice prowess) has made quite an impression this spring. He had a solid season in 2013 in Ft. Myers and will begin the 2014 season in AA New Britain. Danny Santana – Even with Pedro Florimon’s appendectomy and missed time in spring training, Santana will not be an option for Opening Day. I think he’ll start the 2014 season back in New Britain, but we could see him by season’s end. However, with Eduardo Escobar, Jason Bartlett and James Beresford in camp, I think he’ll be sent down quickly. Logan Darnell – The left-hander pitched for New Britain and Rochester in 2013. He is likely to spend the season starting in Rochester in 2014. Due to the logjam for the 5th starter spot already, Darnell likely gets sent back to minor league spring training pretty quickly. LONG LOOKS If they are still qualified as “prospects”, there are a few prospects who are on the 40 man roster and will still get long looks this spring. Kyle Gibson, Oswaldo Arcia and Aaron Hicks fall into this category. Josmil Pinto has a chance to be the Twins starting catcher. That offensive talent made a strong impression last fall in his big league debut. However, he was shut down quickly from winter ball due to a sore shoulder. On arriving in Ft. Myers, he was delayed by a back problem too. He’ll get a chance to compete though. Trevor May, like Darnell, is not going to make the Opening Day roster due to the crunch at the back of the Twins rotation. Also, he has only pitched in one game at AAA. The Twins will want to take a long look at him to get a better feel for whether or not he will be able to start long term. Michael Tonkin could also be around big league camp for a little while. Though he struggled at AAA and in the big leagues, he still has a big arm and the potential to pitch at the back-end of the Twins bullpen for years. ORGANIZATION’S NEW ARMS In the offseason, the Twins added a few pitchers to the organization. They will likely want to see them for a little while in an attempt to see what they have. Sean Gilmartin is not on the 40 man roster. He came to the Twins from the Atlanta Braves in the Ryan Doumit trade. A first-round pick just three years ago, he was injured in 2013 and hopes to show what he can do again when healthy. Brooks Raley was claimed by the Twins just two weeks ago. He had appeared in games for the Chicago Cubs each of the last two seasons, but he was removed from their 40 man roster and claimed by the Twins. The left-hander has started, but he also has pitched out of the bullpen. He certainly does fit the mold of soft-tossing lefty. Kris Johnson came to the Twins in a trade from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Twins sent reliever Duke Welker back to the Pirates in exchange. Recall that the Twins sent Justin Morneau to the Pirates in late August for Alex Presley and a player to be named later. Shortly after the season, the teams announced that the PTBNL was reliever Welker. Then a month or so later, something happened and the Twins decided they would send Welker back to Pittsburgh for Johnson. Though already 29, Johnson made his big league debut in 2013. He showed that he isn’t just a soft-tosser. He capable of hitting 92 on the radar. ROAD TO RECOVERY There are two pitchers at Twins camp who came to the organization in controversial trades. They were both on the 40 man roster at one point, but injury cost each of them time and a spot on the 40 man roster. Last spring, Deolis Guerra was ready to pitch for Team Venezuela in the WBC. Unfortunately, a blood clot in his shoulder required surgery and he missed the entire season. He became a free agent following the 2013 season but chose to stay with the Twins. The same is true of Lester Oliveros. He could have gone elsewhere but stayed with the Twins. In September of 2012, he had Tommy John surgery and rehabbed throughout the 2013 season. Both pitchers are still 25 or younger. Guerra has a tremendous changeup while Oliveros was a hard-thrower. Both could fit into the Twins bullpen in 2014 if a need arrives. NON-ROSTER INVITES WHO CAN IMPRESS James Beresford put together his best offensive season in 2013, hitting over .300 while splitting time between New Britain and Rochester. The second baseman may compete (or should be allowed to compete) for a second utility infield position. Every spring training, teams need a lot of catchers at big league camp. The reason? There are a ton of pitchers at big league camp. There are four non-roster catchers in Twins camp. This is the fourth time Rohlfing has been a non-roster invite to big league camp. Last year, he split his time between New Britain and Rochester. He also is a terrific athlete who split his time between catcher and the outfield. Rohlfing became a free agent after last season but signed back with the Twins. Kyle Knudson was invited to spring training for the second time. The former Gophers star was healthy for the first time in his career last year and came through with a very solid season between Ft. Myers and New Britain. Matt Koch spent 2013 in Ft. Myers. He’s more of an offensive catcher, though, showing good power and an ability to hit for average. Stuart Turner was the Twins 3rd round pick just last year. He was the Johnny Bench Award winner as the nation’s top catcher. He is a guy who could move quickly. As we’ve learned, all the Twins home games this spring will be shown on FSN. Now when you see players wearing uniforms with numbers generally worn by offensive tackles and wide receivers, you’ll know a little bit about them. We are certain to learn even more about them throughout the 2014 season. Click here to view the article

Twins prospect Miguel Sano has been shut down from winter ball, and Byron Buxton may be shut down from the Arizona Fall League. According to the Star Tribune's La Velle E. Neal, Miguel Sano has been shut down from the Dominican Winter League. He was in the Twin Cities this last week and diagnosed with a strained right Ulnar Collateral Ligament (yes, the Tommy John ligament). He visited the infamous Dr. James Andrews on Tuesday, and he agreed with the diagnosis. According to Baseball America's John Manuel, Byron Buxton may be shut down because he has reaggravated his shoulder injury from last month. It is not believed to be serious. In fact, the Arizona Fall League is complete next week. It was reported last month that Kohl Stewart did not pitch in the Instructional League due to his sore shoulder. Of course, Alex Meyer also missed over two months with his shoulder issue. Hopefully everything with these guys is OK by spring training!! Obviously with guys of this caliber, the Twins need to proceed with utmost caution. Download attachment: Miguel Sano NB.jpg Click here to view the article

Download attachment: waldrop%u0025252Ckyle.jpg Last night’s 90-minute SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast was a lot of fun! We talked to Kyle Waldrop about what it was like to finally getting his first big league opportunity after spending eight seasons in the Twins system. He discussed what he did in the offseason to improve and what he’s looking to show in spring training. Then Alex Margulies joined us to talk about how big league spring training affects the Ft. Myers Miracle front office. We also discussed how the Miracle has been ahead of the game in terms of technology. We also discussed Aaron Hicks, Alex Wimmers, Oswaldo Arcia and several other Twins prospects that spent time with the Miracle last year. It was treat to be joined by the new Voice of the Twins Cory Provus who has jumped headfirst into his new job. He’s spent time on the Twins Caravan, and he’s dug into the history of the Minnesota Twins. He’s learned a lot from Bob Uecker and Ron Santo, and although he’s just 31-32 years old, he’s worked in many jobs and many sports. You’ll enjoy this interview. Jeff Manship called in next to talk about his frustrating 2011 season and how he is working and preparing for the 2012 season. He’ll begin his trek to Ft. Myers today. It will be interesting to see how his spring training goes. Will he start or work out of the bullpen? Finally, Dan Rohlfing called into the podcast. He is a non-roster invite to big league camp as a catcher. For the first time in his career, he got a chance to play nearly every day. Like Chris Herrmann, Rohlfing is a great athlete and when he didn’t catch, he was playing in the outfield. He was entertaining as well. It was a fun show for me. I definitely enjoy chatting with players and other Twins personnel, especially as spring training is coming quickly. However, I do want your thoughts, your opinions or suggestions. Any feedback on the podcasts is very welcome, so please feel free to e-mail me at sethspeaksnet@hotmail.com or leave your questions, comments and ideas in the Comments Section! Click here to view the article

At 12:10 today, the Minnesota Twins and the Texas Rangers will play the fourth and final game of their series. Samuel Deduno will take the mound for the Twins which means that Josmil Pinto’s catching tutorial will continue. More important, Josmil Pinto’s bat will be in the Twins starting lineup. Inexplicably that has been the case only one time since May 17th. Pinto is easily one of the top hitters on a Twins roster that right now is finding it very difficult to score runs. It seems like it would be an easy decision to get him into the lineup most days of the week (certainly five out of seven games), but for some reason, Pinto has not been playing. Download attachment: Josmil Pinto hit2.jpg Photo by Betsy Bissen Here are the Twins OPS leaders through Tuesday’s game: Eduardo Escobar – .893Josmil Pinto – .806Brian Dozier – .802Kurt Suzuki - .769Trevor Plouffe - .740 There are several reasons why this bothers me that I will touch on, but I’ll also share a very easy way to remedy the situation. Twins Offensive Struggles The Twins bats have really been struggling the last week or so. In their last seven games, they have scored just 12 total runs. They have scored two runs or less in six of those seven games. The team needs as many good hitters in the lineup as they can find. Josmil Pinto is hitting .241/.351/.455 (.806) with seven home runs. He has shown an ability to take quality at bats while showing power, uses the whole field and drives in runs. Prospects Should Play It’s a commonly held belief. Prospects need to play. They need game situations to learn how to react and respond to various events throughout a game. Sitting on the bench for more than a game or two makes no sense to their development. Right now, the Twins have two players that were generally considered Top 10 or Top 15 prospects in the Twins organization coming into the season on their roster. They are currently spending a lot of time getting slivers while riding the pine on the big league bench. Danny Santana could be the shortstop of the future, yet he finds himself either sitting or playing centerfield. Pinto, as we already mentioned, has made one start in the last dozen days. How is this positive for the players, or for the team? No DH in the NL Last week, the Twins played five games in San Diego and San Francisco, and Pinto played in just one of those games. Personally, I think he should have played one game in each series, but this is at least understandable since there is no DH in the National League parks. Suzuki Factor When Kurt Suzuki signed with the Twins in the offseason, the assumption was that he would split time at catcher with Pinto, mentoring him along the way. However, Suzuki has been one of the better hitters in the Twins lineup all season. Though he has slumped of late, he is hitting nearly .300 and getting on base 36% of the time. Suzuki certainly deserves to play and should be in the lineup four or five days a week. That said, if they’re committed to Pinto at all as a catcher of the future, he needs to get more reps. He needs to catch twice a week. Two or Three Catchers Ron Gardenhire has said several times that he has no problem having both Suzuki and Pinto in the lineup. However, simply put, it has not been happening. That’s the reality. A Simple Answer #1 – Name Kurt Suzuki the starting catcher. This has already done and we have seen it in action. #2 – Name Josmil Pinto the primary designated hitter. This means he is no longer the backup catcher… in games that Suzuki starts at catcher. #3 – Call up Chris Herrmann to be the backup catcher. I know. He’s been up twice already this year, and he has completely struggled with the bat. However, he can play three outfield positions (and could play first base, too) and be the backup catcher. #4 – Pinto can still catch Samuel Deduno. On those days, Suzuki can be the backup catcher, and Herrmann can be the fifth outfielder. I know. We don’t want three catchers on the roster, but more important, I would like to see Josmil Pinto in the Twins starting lineup at least five times a week. When the offense is struggling, get as many quality bats in the lineup as possible. Click here to view the article

Download attachment: Burton_Jared_600_321.jpg The Minnesota Twins signed reliever Jared Burton to a contract extension. The new deal covers 2013 and 2014 with a team option for 2015. The signing was first reported by Darren "Doogie" Wolfson of ESPN 1500 (via Twitter) and has now been confirmed by the Twins. According to the Twins' press release, the deal is for two years, at $5.5 million. He will make $2.05 million in 2013 and $3.25 million in 2014. The option for 2015 is at $3.6 million with a $200,000 buyout. Last week, the Twins tendered Burton a contract. This is the final year of arbitration-eligibility so the new contract will buy out one year of his free agency and the option year could buy out another. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Burton came to the Twins last year in a minor league contract. He made the Opening Day roster and was a mainstay in the back-end of the Twins bullpen. The 31-year-old righty went 3-2 with the first five saves of his career. In 64 games and 62 innings, he posted a 2.18 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. He walked just 16 and struck out 55. He gave up five home runs, but two of them came in his first Twins outing. How do I remember that? Because when he came into the game, I told my whole family (with some extended family around) that Burton would be the Twins closer by the end of the season. They vehemently disagreed after the two gopher balls. Burton was available on a minor league contract because he missed time in 2010 and 2011 with arm injuries. The Twins used him wisely in 2012. What are your thoughts on the extension? Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins are currently two games above .500. I just felt like that would be a good, and fun, way to start today’s report. In his last five starts, Phil Hughes has worked a combined 33.1 innings. He has given up just four earned runs on 30 hits. He’s walked none and struck out 27 batters. I’d say he’s been everything Twins fans could have hoped for. His season ERA is now 3.15. Not bad considering he gave up four earned runs in each of his first three starts of the season. Can you imagine a Minnesota Twins starting pitcher winning the AL Pitcher of the Month award? It’s been a long time! With that, let’s get to the minor league discussion of the day. Download attachment: Derrick Penilla2.JPG TRANSACTIONS On Wednesday morning, Engelb Vielma and Jason Kanzler were activated from the disabled list. However, it came at the expense of Carlos Avila and BK Santy who were both given their unconditional releases. Let’s look at the goings on in the Twins system: RED WINGS REPORT No Game Scheduled. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 5, Richmond 7 Box Score Things started out badly for the Rock Cats in this game before it even started. Kennys Vargas was scratched from the lineup when he hurt his wrist during batting practice. No word on the severity of the injury. However, Twins fans have seen enough wrist issues already in 2014 (Buxton, Arcia, Willingham). Pat Dean made the start for the Rock Cats. The lefty went 4.1 innings. He was charged with five runs (4 earned) on nine hits and a walk. Jim Fuller came on and gave up two hits over 1.2 scoreless innings. DJ Baxendale returned after a month on the disabled list. He worked one scoreless inning despite giving up two hits and a walk. Matt Summers came on and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning. Ryan O’Rourke pitched a scoreless frame. Danny Ortiz led the offense. He went 3-4 with his first triple and his fourth home run. Corey Wimberly was 2-5 with his second triple. He also stole his eighth and ninth bases of the year. Nate Hanson was 2-5. Mike Kvasnicka hit his third homer. Matt Koch, Brandon Waring and AJ Pettersen each had a double. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Dunedin 4 Box Score David Hurlbut has arguably been the Miracle’s top starting pitcher this season, but he had a tough one. That said, through the game’s first five innings, he gave up just one run. Unfortunately, he was charged with three runs in the sixth. His total line? He gave up four runs on six hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out three. Tim Shibuya struck out two in a scoreless inning. Brandon Peterson worked a scoreless inning as well. There wasn’t much offense for the Miracle. Travis Harrison went 2-4 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Aderlin Mejia was 2-4 with his fifth double. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 9 Box Score Felix Jorge is a well-regarded pitching prospect, but he has really struggled to this point in the season. On this night, the righty gave up seven runs, all earned, on seven hits and five walks over just 2.2 innings. His ERA is now up to 9.99 on the season. Jake Mauer, Ivan Arteaga, Eric Rasmussen and Brad Steil all have to be scratching their heads trying to come up with a plan for what to do with the talented Dominican. Brandon Bixler came in and was charged with two runs on five hits and a walk over the next 1.1 innings. Derrick Penilla came on and struck out five in three scoreless innings. Hudson Boyd walked two, hit one and struck out one over two scoreless frames. The Kernels offense was scoreless and had just one hit going into the sixth inning, when they got a couple base runners on. Mitch Garver singled in a run, and then Jason Kanzler – in his first game back from concussion – hit a three-run homer. Kanzler was 2-4 and the homer was his third. Chad Christensen was also 2-4. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Derrick Penilla, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Danny Ortiz, New Britain Rock Cats THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (5:35 CT) – Alex Meyer (Listen) Richmond @ New Britain (5:35 CT) – Virgil Vasquez (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 CT) – Alex Wimmers (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:35 CT) – Aaron Slegers (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. With another Twins win over San Diego on Wednesday night, you can get half-price large or extra-large pizzas at PapaJohn’s.com with the promo code “TWINSWIN.” Click here to view the article

I'll have to spend some more time watching this. This is great!

We are now less than a week from the July 31 trade deadline, and more moves have been made in recent days. On Wednesday, the Tigers acquired reliever Joakim Soria for a couple minor leaguers. So far, we have looked at a couple of Twins Trade Candidates, Kurt Suzuki and Kevin Correia. Today, we continue this series by considering Twins outfielder Josh Willingham. When Terry Ryan reclaimed the GM duties in the fall of 2011, he acted quickly on the Twins roster by signing three hitters. Before signing Jamey Carroll and Ryan Doumit, Ryan inked Josh WIllingham to a three year, $21 million contract. At the time, it was the biggest free agent contract the Twins had signed with a player from outside the organization.In 2012, Willingham made Ryan look wise. "Hammer" put up career highs in most statistical categories. He hit .260/.366/.524 (.890) with 30 doubles, 35 home runs and 110 RBI. He won his first Silver Slugger Award. Unfortunately, his age started to show in 2013. He played in 111 games and hit just .208/.342/.368 (.709) with 20 doubles and 14 home runs. This year things have been even worse for the now 35 year old player. Just a handful of games into the season, he was hit on the wrist with a pitch and missed over six weeks. In his return, he has hit .212/.358/.412 (.780) in 53 games with five doubles and nine home runs. WHY TRADE HIM Willingham becomes a free agent five days after the completion of the World Series. There is no reason to sign him (or any player at his age) to an extension. If they can acquire even a Grade C type of prospect for him, they should do so as they continue to add potential pieces for the future. Something is better than nothing, which is what they would receive for him if he leaves via free agency at the end of the season. WHY KEEP HIM I've got nothing. Anyone? He can be a solid right-handed bat with power. He hit the game-winning home run last week. That's what he can do. That's also the selling point for why to trade him, hoping he can show that kind of power over the final two months. WHO NEEDS HIM Cleveland and Cincinnati were a couple teams reportedly interested in Willingham when he was a free agent. Seattle has been mentioned as a possible destination for some time as they are looking for offense. Again, those teams would be banking on the possibility of him having a strong final two months. I don't think teams would be willing to give up anything resembling a top prospect for two months of Hammer, but I think he could bring a C and a C- prospect. If so, jump on it! SUMMARY Josh Willingham came to the Twins in 2012 and put up remarkable, career-best numbers for the Twins. That offseason likely was the time to trade him, but it's understandable that they didn't as well. He's a good character guy who has helped out a couple of the Twins other right-handed, young players the last two years on and off the field. Unfortunately, he got hurt in 2013 and struggled, and was hurt again this year. At 35, and really limited defensively, the Twins won't be able to get much return for him. Hopefully they can put him into a good situation on a winning team and play a role in which he can succeed. I believe the odds of Willingham being traded in July are quite high, but certainly in August. I'd put the odds at about 70% by the end of July and maybe 85% by the end of August. YOUR TURN What should the Twins do with Josh Willingham? Sign him to a one-year extension? (Just kidding!) Let him play out his contract and see what happens? Trade him? What do you think? Click here to view the article

Sponsored by Ticket King [/hr]It hasn't been that long since Twins fans touted the Twins/White Sox rivalry as one of baseball’s best. No, it was never in the same category as Yankees/Red Sox, but there was a most definitely a rivalry. In fact, it got ugly at times. Consider from 2001 through 2010, the White Sox or Twins won the AL Central title nine times. They finished first and second in the division five of those ten seasons. The pinnacle of that stretch came in Game 163 of the 2008 season when Jim Thome’s blast off of Nick Blackburn gave the White Sox a 1-0 win and the division crown. Of course, one of my favorite moments in White Sox/Twins history came on August 18, 2010, when Jim Thome launched a mammoth blast for the Twins off Matt Thornton in the bottom of the 10th to give the Twins a huge late-season win. Despite the fact that the two teams have come on hard times in recent years, the White Sox/Twins games are always played with a little extra intensity. Right now, the Twins are in fifth place in the AL Central, just behind the White Sox. In 2013, the Twins finished in fourth place, just ahead of the White Sox. Both teams would appear to fit under the label of "sellers" over the next week (and of course into August as well). But despite the win-loss records, the four-game series promised to provide a lot of fun at the ballpark. The Cuban Connection In the Twins' inaugural season in Minnesota in 1961, six players on their roster were born in Cuba. You have certainly heard of Zoilo Versalles and Camilo Pascual. Pedro Ramos threw a three-hit, complete game shutout against the Yankees in the Minnesota Twins' first game. Julio Becquer, Jose Valdivielso and Bert Cueto all spent time with the Twins that season. Minnesota’s most famous Cuban, Tony Oliva, debuted in September of 1962. In early June, the Twins signed their first Cuban-born player in many years when they signed 1B/DH Kendrys Morales. When the White Sox come to Target Field tonight, they will have four players from Cuba on their roster. Jose Abreu has had an impressive rookie season. The 27-year-old signed a massive six year, $68 million contract last offseason, and he looks like he will earn it after a powerful, all-star performance in the first half. In his seventh season as the White Sox shortstop, Alexei Ramirez came to Target Field to participate in his first All-Star game. Dayan Viciedo is a powerful outfielder, and Adrien Nieto is the team’s backup catcher. Did you know that there are two locations within Target Field where you can get a Tony O’s Cuban Sandwich? The kiosks can be found near Section 111 and Section 309. There are good Target Field tickets available near those sections for a very reasonable price. http://twinsdaily.co...8305&stc=1photo by Rick Osentoski Let’s get to the pitching matchups so you can pick out when and where you might want to sit. Thursday, 7:10 PM: Phil Hughes vs. Hector Noesi Phil Hughes was very good through May, but it’s been a struggle for him in the past six weeks. In 10 starts since June 1, he has a 4.81 ERA and opponents are hitting .301 off of him. He has given up five earned runs or more in half those starts. Hector Noesi was once a highly touted New York Yankees prospect. He was traded to the Mariners before the 2012 season, but Seattle designated him for assignment in early April and he was claimed by the Rangers. Two weeks later, he was claimed by the White Sox. He is 4-6 with a 4.55 ERA in 87 innings. Friday, 7:10 PM: Kevin Correia vs. John Danks We will assume that this will be the pitching matchup in this Friday night game. With the trade deadline looming, both these veterans have had their names mentioned in trade rumors. Whereas Hughes pitched well early, Correia has been a solid starter in his last ten games: he has posted a solid 3.26 ERA. Scouts from teams looking for a veteran, back-of-the-rotation starter will likely use this start as a final evaluation to decide how much they want to acquire him. Danks was once a stalwart in the White Sox rotation, but since shoulder issues began late in the 2010 season, he’s been a shell of his former self. He is 8-6 with a 4.35 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP in 20 starts this season. The Yankees are said to be interested in acquiring him. Saturday, 6:10 PM: Kyle Gibson vs. Chris Sale Sale missed time early in the season, but he has come back and been better than ever. That’s more impressive when you consider he’s been one of baseball’s best pitchers the last two years. He currently boasts a 9-1 record with a 2.03 ERA. He has reduced his walks and increased his strikeouts. Even though he pitches for the Bad Guys, he can be a joy to watch. The Twins are hoping Kyle Gibson will be able to make the start on Saturday after missing his scheduled Wednesday start due to back stiffness. He is currently 8-8 with a 4.19 ERA. Things will get interesting if he can’t make the start that night. In all likelihood, lefty Logan Darnell would make his first major league start. At Rochester, he has gone 5-5 with a 3.43 ERA this season. Sunday, 1:10 PM: Yohan Pino vs. Scott Carroll Pino’s story has been a very good one. The 30-year-old debuted with a strong, 7-inning, two-run win on June 19 against the White Sox. His next two starts weren’t great. However, in three July starts, Pino has a 3.12 ERA. With the likes of Trevor May and Alex Meyer looming in Rochester, he will need to continue pitching well to keep getting opportunities. Like Pino, Carroll is an older (29-year-old) pitcher who was just looking for an opportunity. He debuted with a win over Tampa in late April when he gave up two runs (1 earned) in 7.1 innings and left to a standing ovation. Since then, he has experienced the ups and downs that any rookie would. Overall, he has made ten starts and six relief appearances. He is 4-6 with a 4.52 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP overall. In other words, this could be a high-scoring affair! [/hr] Head out to cheer on the Twins this weekend at Target Field against the White Sox. At Ticket King, you'll be able to do so at a very reasonable price. Thursday's game has plenty of tickets available for as low as $12. On Friday I see some of these premium tickets for $15. There are several seats in the left field bleachers. With Chris Sale on the mound on Saturday, you may even want to get some lower level seats near the infield. The series will conclude with a Sunday afternoon matinee, hopefully in some beautiful weather, and hopefully after a few Twins wins. All are an even better deal if you use the promo code DAILYDOUBLE, which will get you 10% off and supports Twins Daily. Whatever your needs, your local ticket broker, Ticket King, can help. Click here to view the article

It sure was an action-packed day in the Twins organization, on and off the field. The Twins Puerto Rican Futures contingent had another big day. Trevor May got back on the mound for the Red Wings, and let's just say he didn't give up a hit. A couple of the affiliates didn't hit much, but a couple top prospects returned to the field. There was even a walk-off win in the system. The Twins made what could be the first of several trades over the next five days. The Twins and White Sox started a four game series. A Danny Santana two-run ninth inning home run kept the team from being shut out. They lost 5-2. Phil Hughes left the game early after being hit on the shin with a line drive. The team's play again tonight at 7:10 at Target Field with a John Danks/Kevin Correia matchup!TRANSACTIONS It was a busy day for transactions in the system. Of course, the big news was that the Twins traded Kendrys Morales to the Seattle Mariners in exchance for right-handed reliever Stephen Pryor. Pryor will report to AAA Rochester. The Twins also DFA'd Matt Guerrier and called up Ryan Pressley. Outfielder Reynaldo Rodriguez was promoted to AAA. Levi Michael was removed from his rehab stint in the GCL and returned to the Ft. Myers Miracle roster. Jorge Polanco was promoted to AA New Britain. However, when Morales was traded, Polanco was promoted to the Minnesota Twins again. Then following games last night, Stephen Gonsalves and Josue Montanez were promoted from Elizabethton to Cedar Rapids. One could speculate that Kohl Stewart will be going on the 7-Day Disabled List after he was scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday. There are likely more moves in the wings, so be sure to keep track on Jeremy's Rosters & Payrollspages as well as on the minor league reports. Without further ado, here is the Minor League Report for Thursday night: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 1, Durham 0 (Suspended in the middle of the third inning) Box Score Trevor May returned to the mound, and was able to go just three innings for the second straight start. Of course, that is because of rain. The game was suspended before the bottom of the 4th inning. May didn't allow a run or a hit. He walked two and struck out three. James Beresford went 2-2 with a stolen base in these early innings. Doug Bernier doubled for the 19th time. http://twinsdaily.co...8322&stc=1Photo by Jerry Lai ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 7, Portland 1 Box Score What JO Berrios is doing this year is remarkable. In this start, the young righty went seven innings. He gave up just one run on three hits. He walked one and struck out four to record his first AA win. Cole Johnson struck out two in two perfect innings. Kennys Vargas has been hitting a little better lately. In this game, he was a perfect 3-3 with two walks. He hit his 15th double, his 17th home run and drove in four runs. Aaron Hicks went 2-3 with a walk. Brad Boyer was 2-3 with his 13th stolen base. The offense did well against Red Sox top pitching prospect, lefty Henry Owens. He lasted just four innings and gave up five earned runs on five hits and four walks. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 1, Tampa 6 Box Score DJ Baxendale has struggled this year with injury and with consistency. In his previous start, he was terrific. On this night, he gave up six runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out five. Alex Muren struck out two and yielded one hit over two innings in his Florida State League debut. Brian Gilbert gave up two hits but no runs in a scoreless eighth. The Miracle were limited to just three hits in this game. Levi Michael returned to the FSL for the first time since fouling a ball off his foot on May 8. Byron Buxton went 0-4, but more important, he was back in the lineup after missing five games after being hit by a pitch on the right wrist. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Bowling Green 2 Box Score The Kernels managed just six hits in this game. Alex Swim went 2-4 with his fifth double. Chad Christensen hit his 18th double. Lewis Thorpe was back on the mound. He gave up two unearned runs over just three innings. He gave up four hits, walked four and struck out three. Chris Mazza struck out four over three, one-hit innings. Hudson Boyd gave up one hit and walked three, but he did not allow a run in his two innings of work. He struck out three. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 3, Bluefield 2 Box Score Felix Jorge was solid again on this night. The right-hander gave up two runs on five hits. In six innings, he walked one and struck out eight. Josue Montanez struck out two in his perfect inning. Randy LeBlanc gave up one hit over two scoreless innings to record his second save. He struck out three. Jorge Fernandez led the offense. He went 3-4 and drove in all three runs. Tyler Kuresa was 2-3 with a walk. Trey Vavra doubled for the sixth time. Blake Schmidt went 1-2 with a walk. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 4, GCL Orioles 3 Box Score It's been a tough season for the GCL Twins, so a win like this one had to feel good. With the game tied going into the bottom of the ninth, leadoff man Manuel Guzman walked. He went to second on a Dubal Baez single. Following an error, Amaurys Minier was intentionally walked. Then, Joel Polanco walked to end the game. Maybe not the most dramatic walk-off win, but this team will take it. Alexis Tapia started. He threw five shutout innings on three hits. He walked two and struck out one. Seth Wagner came on and gave up three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk in 3.1 innings. He walked one and struck out four. Eduardo del Rosario struck out three over the final 1.2 innings for the win. He gave up only one hit. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – JO Berrios, New Britain Rock Cats Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kennys Vargas, New Britain Rock Cats FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (6:15 CST) – TBD (was scheduled to be Logan Darnell) Portland @ New Britain (6:05 CST) – TBD Ft. Myers @ Tampa (6:00 CST) – Tim Shibuya Cedar Rapids @ Bowling Green (7:05 CST) - Ryan Eades Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) – TBD GCL Red Sox @ GCL Twins (11:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

Another game, another frustrating loss for the Twins. Kevin Correia's trade value dropped in half, though the number wasn't all that high to begin with. Jose Abreu, Alexei Ramirez and Tyler Flowers all homered for the White Sox. Oswaldo Arcia and Josh Willingham homered for the Twins. The Twins have lost the first two games of the series and get to face Chris Sale on Saturday. There were plenty of story lines throughout the Twins minor league affiliates on Friday night including a AAA debut, another strong starting performance in Ft. Myers and another Max Murphy home run. The Kernels showed off some power in a one-run game in Kentucky, and the Miracle also played a one-run game. Of course, there were again several more transactions including the addition of another player from the independent leagues.TRANSACTIONS Things continued to be busy throughout the Twins farm system on Friday. As was first reported here at Twins Daily yesterday, Stephen Gonsalves and Josue Montanez were promoted to Cedar Rapids. On Friday afternoon, what we suggested was likely was announced; Kohl Stewart was placed on the 7-day disabled list At Ft. Myers, DJ Baxendale was placed on the disabled list as well. To replace him, the Twins went outside the organization. The Twins signed righty DJ Johnson from Traverse City (the Beach Bums) of the independent Frontier League. The 24 year old has spent time in the Rays and Diamondbacks organizations. With the Beach Bums, he recorded 14 saves. In 24 innings, he struck out 28 and posted a 1.30 ERA. More important than the numbers, Johnson boasts a mid-90s fastball and his slider has become a very good pitch. He is likely to join the Miracle. Logan Darnell is scheduled to start on Saturday for the Twins. To replace him in Rochester, lefty Jason Wheeler was promoted and started for the Red Wings. To make room on the big league roster for Darnell, the Twins sent Jorge Polanco "back" to New Britain where he was scheduled to go on Thursday when he learned that the Twins wanted him in the big leagues briefly. Here is the Minor League Report for Friday night: RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Indianapolis 3 Box Score With Logan Darnell scheduled to start for the Twins on Saturday, the Red Wings needed a starter. Lefty Jason Wheeler received the call to join the team and make the start. He responded well. He started with three scoreless innings before giving up two in the fourth. He got out of a jam in the fifth. His line in his AAA debut was solid. He gave up two runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out three in five innings. AJ Achter struck out three over the next two innings without allowing a run. Lester Oliveros gave up one run on one hit and one walk in 1.2 innings. Of the five outs he got, four came on strikeouts. Michael Tonkin came in and got a strikeout for the final out to record his sixth save. With the score tied at two in the sixth, Josmil Pinto launched his third Red Wings home run, a three run shot that gave the team a 5-2 lead. The homer was Pinto's first since June 21. Eric Farris went 2-4. Nate Hanson hit his sixth double, and James Beresford hit his 19th double. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 0, Portland 1 Box Score With Jason Wheeler being promoted to the Red Wings, the Rock Cats went with a bullpen game on the mound. Adrian Salcedo started and gave up one run on three hits, a walk and a hit batter in three innings. He struck out one. Dan Turpen struck out three in two scoreless innings (two hits, one walk). Ryan O'Rourke gave up one hit in a scoreless inning. Alex Wimmers truck out two in his scoreless inning. Mason Melotakis finished with two scoreless innings. The Rock Cats managed just two hits in this game. They walked four times. Kyle Knudson had one of each. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Tampa 4 Box Score The Miracle scored one in the eighth inning to tie the game. In the ninth, they added two more to take a 3-1 lead. However, the bullpen faltered in the ninth and gave up three runs to take the loss. Tim Shibuya started and was very good through seven innings. He gave up one run on six hits and two walks while striking out six. Steven Gruver walkd one in a scoreless eighth inning. Madison Boer came in to start the ninth and got one out. He then gave up two hits and a walk. Tyler Jones recorded one out, but he gave up another single before he could get the third out, and the game was over. Mike Gonzales went 2-3 with his 20th double. Levi Michael went 1-3 with two walks. Aderlin Mejia was 1-2 with two walks. Byron Buxton had a double to drive in a ninth inning run. He went 1-5. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Bowling Green 4 Box Score Ryan Eades improved to 6-11 with five innings. He gave up three runs on three hits. He walked three and struck out two. Jared Wilson came on and gave up one run on one hit and two walks over two innings. He gave way to Brandon Bixler who pitched a perfect eighth frame. Then Dallas Gallant recorded his second save with a scoreless ninth. The Kernels' offense was powered by the long ball in this game. Bryan Haar hit a big three-run homer. It was his 13th home run of the season, tying Mitch Garver for the team lead. Michael Quesada went 2-4 with his eighth double and his fourth home run. Chad Christensen was 2-4. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 8, Johnson City 1 Box Score With the promotion of Stephen Gonsalves, the E-Twins had John Curtiss make a start. He gave up one run on four hits in three innings. He walked one and struck out four. Derrick Penilla threw five shutout innings to record the win. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out six. Keaton Steele threw a shutout inning. He gave up one hit, walked on and struck out one. Jorge Fernandez went 2-4 with his third and fourth doubles and drove in three runs. Tyler Mautner went 3-4 with his ninth double. Max Murphy went 1-3 with two walks and his league-leading ninth home run. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 3, GCL Red Sox 5 Box Score Onesimo Hernandez started this game. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits in five innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Miles Nordgren came on and gave up three runs on six hits over three innings. Zach Hayden faced two batters. He walked one and hit one. Callan Pearce came on and got the final three outs, walking just one. Manuel Guzman went 2-3 with a walk and his sixth double. Roberto Gonzalez was 0-1, but he walked three times and stole a base. The Twins had just six hits. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Tim Shibuya, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Michael Quesada, Cedar Rapids Kernels SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ Rochester (5:05 CST) – TBD Portland @ New Britain (6:05 CST) – Tyler Duffey Ft. Myers @ Tampa (5:00 CST) – Matt Tomshaw Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:00 CST) - Chih-Wei Hu Elizabethton @ Johnson City (6:00 CST) – Michael Cederoth GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox (9:00am CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

Well, yes... but he wasn't going to be there at 5, and the Twins got a really good one. No one should be disappointed in Gordon at this point.

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But, what percentage of minor league pitchers have the potential to be a #1 or a #2 in the MLB? Maybe 1-2 per organization, so let's say 50. And, each organization is going to have 6 affiliates, likely with a total of 70 pitchers... So, 2 out of 70 equals a really small percentage. So, when people talk about guys having potential to be a solid #3 or #4 starter in the big leagues, I say, That is Awesome!! There just aren't many that fit into the Meyer, Berrios, Stewart category of pitching prospect.