Seth Stohs

The Twins got another strong start from Kevin Correia and got a nice, easy win in Colorado, 9-3. Correia has now given up just 11 earned runs over his last seven starts (43 innings). The Twins released Red Wings starter Scott Diamond to make room for the return of Trevor May, who will start on Sunday. Diamond was the Minnesota Twins rookie of the year and pitcher of the year in 2012. Today, three Twins prospects will be participating in MLB's Futures Game at Target Field at 4:00. Twins Hangouts co-hosts Jeremy Nygard and I will be in attendance. I was asked to write about the three players for the Pioneer Press, and here is that article. It includes comments from Twins Minor League Director Brad Steil as well as Miracle pitching coach Gary Lucas and Rock Cats hitting coach Chad Allen. The rest of the minor leaguers had games to play on Saturday, so let's take a look at how they did. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester5 , Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 2 Box score The Red Wings were down 2-1 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. Josmil Pinto led off with a walk. Pedro Florimon ran for him and stole second base. After being advanced to third on a ground out, Florimon scored on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Chris Rahl doubled home the go-ahead run. Then Dan Rohlfing hit his second home run of the season, a two-run shot, to give the Red Wings some cushion. Rahl, James Beresford and Deibinson Romero each had two hits in the game. Eric Farris had two singles and a walk. Sean Gilmartin started for the Red Wings. The lefty gave up two runs on six hits in 6.1 innings. He walked three and struck out three. Ryan Pressly made quick work of things, giving up just two hits over 2.2 scoreless innings. He struck out four. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 6, Reading 5 Box Score Aaron Hicks' hot streak continued on Saturday. He went 3-5 and now has 13 hits in his last 10 games. Mike Kvasnicka had just one hit in this game, but it was his eighth home run of the season. Kyle Knudson went 2-3 and drove in two runs. Eddie Rosario and Stephen Wickens both doubled. Lefty Taylor Rogers continued to rack up innings. He went seven innings again on Saturday. He gave up four runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out three. Cole Johnson came on and gave up a run in the eighth inning. He left the game with the lead and two outs in the ninth, but a Matt Tolbert single and a walk made things interesting. Ryan O'Rourke came on and struck out his one batter to end the game and preserve the win. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers, Dunedin This game was rained out. It will be made up as part of a double-header on Sunday. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 5, Clinton 1 (7 innings) Box score Aaron Slegers went the distance in this rain-shortened game for the Kernels. The lanky right-hander went all seven innings and gave up one run. He allowed just two hits, walked one and struck out seven to even his season record at 6-6. Down 1-0, the Kernels scored two in the third. Then in the fourth, Jason Kanzler launched his eighth homer of the year, a two-run blast, that opened the game up. Mitch Garver went 2-3 with a walk and his 19th double. Alex Swim was 2-4 with his third double and is now hitting .349. Ryan Walker and Michael Quesada each added two hits. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 7, Danville 1 Box Score It was a much-needed performance for lefty Derrick Penilla after his most recent start was disastrous (1 out recorded, 9 runs allowed). He gave up one run on three hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out one. Josue Montanez gave up a hit and a walk over two scoreless innings. Keaton Steele gave up two hits over two scoreless innings to close it out. All nine E-Twins starters had at least one hit. The first seven in the batting order each drove in a run. Max Murphy is back over .400 with a 2-4 day. Nick Gordon was 2-5 and ended the day hitting .333. Alex Real and Tyler Mautner each had a double. Trey Vavra hit his first professional home run. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 2, GCL Red Sox 9 Box Score It was another rough day for the GCL Twins. They managed just six hits in the game. Rafael Valera went 2-3 with a walk. Roberto Gonzalez had a single, a walk and two stolen bases. Though the score looks bad, starter Alexis Tapia had a good day. He gave up one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out six batters without issuing a walk. However, it was a rough day for Josh Guyer. He was charged with eight runs on eight hits over his two innings. He gave up a three-spot and then a five-spot. Zach Hayden came on and got two outs but issued two walks. Miles Nordgren gave up a hit but got the inning's final out. Also of note, Zach Larson went 0-2 in the game, his first rehab appearance since pulling his hamstring. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher – Aaron Slegers, Cedar Rapids Kernels Hitter – Aaron Hicks, New Britain Rock Cats SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Scranton/Wilkes-Barre @ Rochester – Trevor May, 12:05PM CST Reading @ New Britain – Jason Wheeler, 12:35 CST Dunedin @ Fort Myers – D.J. Baxendale, TBD, DH @ 12:05PM CST Cedar Rapids @ Clinton – Lewis Thorpe, 2:00PM CST Elizabethton @ Danville – Michael Cederoth, 3:00PM CST GCL Twins - No Game Scheduled

Two weeks ago, Adam Walker was one of four Ft. Myers Miracle players named to the Florida State League All-Star team. It proved to be quite the weekend performance by the powerful prospect. First, Walker put on a tremendous show for the crowd with a incredible performance in the home run derby. He followed that up by going 3-4 with a double and a home run in the All-Star Game itself. He was named the MVP. While Walker may be an imperfect prospect, he has some traits that make him one of the most intriguing prospects in the Minnesota Twins minor league system. photo from news-press.com However, let's start with the All-Star performance. It meant a lot to Walker to be named an All-Star, and he enjoyed the weekend. "It was definitely an honor to be selected as an All-Star this year. I had a little bit of a rough start, so to be able to come back and still be selected was a great feeling me. Its nice to know others liked the way I played the game. Its definitely an awesome feeling." He continued, "It's a great experience to be able to play in the game. You are out there with the best players in the league. You get to know other players and make friends while you're there. After the game, being selected as the MVP is just another honor to me. I was able to get a couple hits and played right field. The whole weekend was a great time." As impressive as his performance was in the All-Star Game, he made a name for himself with his performance in the Home Run Derby. It was another experience he truly enjoyed. "For me being able to be in the home run derby was awesome. Its always fun when you get to step into the box and go hit some home runs. I love winning. So going into it, I wanted to win, of course, but I wanted to have some fun and enjoy the experience. When I was able to come out on top at the end, I was pretty pumped up. Having all my teammates and the fans cheering for me and supporting me was a great feeling." A couple of his Miracle teammates were on hand to watch Walker's power display. LHP David Hurlbut earned an All-Star Game berth. He was 3-3 with a 2.05 ERA in the season's first half. He said of the evening, "Adam's performance at the Home Run Derby was like a crescendo of power. He effortlessly hit home run after home run in the beginning, but as time ran down, he really started to show his power. The crowd reacted with gasps, increasing in volume with each swing. His last few home runs were the most impressive. One ball went over the net that stood 20 feet beyond the left field wall, another on top of the overhang for the stands in left, and finally on top of the batter's eye in center field. At the end, the entire team jokingly bowed and yelled 'We aren't worthy!' It was an impressive performance." Brett Lee, a left-handed starter with the Miracle, was also an All-Star. Before the All -Star game, he was 5-1 with a 2.36 ERA. He was also in awe of Walker's power. He said, "It was definitely something I've never seen before! Someone with that much power to hit the ball like that isn't human! I already knew what to expect playing on his team the past few years, and he started off hitting the ball hard! But when the guy said he had 15 seconds left, Walker unleashed everything! I've never seen someone swing that hard! The last five balls he hit were absolute blasts! The last ball he hit disappeared in the sky! What made it even better was that the people in the stadium were going crazy! He put on a light show for everyone!" Moving to the Florida State League has certainly been challenging for Adam Walker. On the season, he is hitting .241/.293/.434 (.727). However, his 18 homers are six more than anyone else in the league, and his 64 RBI are seven more than anyone in the league. Walker has noticed some of the differences in pitching between the Midwest League and the Florida State League. "I think the difference in the pitchers you see from the Midwest League to this league is not a huge. It's not like every pitcher is throwing a lot harder, but I think they are more consistent at throwing more pitches for strikes. I have noticed the pitchers are doing a better job of attacking the strike zone but can do it with their secondary pitches. There aren't many times when I get the generic game plan of: throw a first pitch fastball for a strike and go to your off- speed with two strikes. They have pitched backwards more and usually use the fastball as a show pitch to set up another pitch. I just need to make sure when I do get pitches to hit I don't miss them." Therein lies the area of Walker's game that needs improvement: contact. In 346 plate appearances, he has struck out 95 times (27%). His walk rate this year is right around 7% after finishing at 5.6% a year ago. Twins Director of Minor League Operations, Brad Steil, talked briefly about the contact concerns. "We understand there is a trade-off between power and strikeouts, so I’m not sure concern is the right terminology. While we’re looking for improvement in those areas, a key for him is being aggressive to the fastball. As he gains more experience, we expect that the selectivity and discipline will improve." Walker is not a guy who looks at his stats much. Coming into the season, he didn't formalize any numerical goals for himself, but he did have several things he wanted to accomplish this season. He said, "I didn't make any goals about my stats being at a certain spot. I try not to worry about my stats, but I just wanted to make sure I was improving my game. I wanted to become a better outfielder and to become a better hitter. I know I have power but I wanted to work on becoming a better overall hitter. That is something I have been working on with the coaches. Making sure I am swinging at good pitches and having more consistent quality at-bats. If I start doing that more, the power numbers will be there." Regarding Walker's defense, Steil said that he's improving, but still has room to grow. "I think it’s still a work in progress. He’s definitely a good athlete for his size, and it’s something he works at, but it’s also not something that comes easy for him." One thing that Walker has been able to do is come up with huge, clutch hits. In Elizabethton, his three-run homer in the 9th inning of the Appy League Championship final game sent it to extra innings (where Dalton Hicks' grand slam won it). Last year, Hicks led minor league baseball with 110 RBI. Walker had 109. This year, he again has performed incredibly well in clutch situations. With runners in scoring position, he has hit .276/.336/.581 (.917) with ten home runs. He has added three grand slams already this year. According to Walker, he just really enjoys being the guy who comes to the plate in this types of situations. "I love hitting with runners in scoring position because I know if I can score them it's going to help the team win. I try to make sure when I have free RBIs with runners on third with less than two outs, I put the ball in play and score the run. That is the easiest way to help your RBI total. We have done a good job of scoring runs this year and that shows our offense is doing well. You can't get RBIs if your teammates aren't getting on base in front of you. I love winning so I really take pride when I have opportunities to change the game. I've always wanted to be the guy that is up with the game on the line. I don't see many kids grow up dreaming of getting a base hit when your team is down by ten. Usually you always picture bases loaded, two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and you want to be that kid that gets the big hit to win the game. I love to have that feeling because when you can get those hits to score runs you are helping the team win and winning as always fun." According to Steil, "Some hitters have the ability to stay with their approach in RBI situations, whereas other guys might get anxious or over-aggressive and chase more. So it’s probably a combination of his mentality and the reality that pitchers don’t have as much leeway to pitch around him in those situations." Walker went to Milwaukee Lutheran High School before heading to Jacksonville University for three yeas of college ball. The Twins used their third round pick in the 2012 draft on him. He has strong family support and a strong faith that has helped him get to this point in his career. "I've grown up with a Christian background and as I've grown up, having that faith in Jesus Christ has helped me handle certain situations I've been through. I try to live a certain way and be a good person to show I'm a Christian through my actions. I am definitely not perfect but that relationship with God is important to me. My family is also very important to me. They all have been there for my whole life and made many sacrifices for me to be where I am now, and I am very grateful and blessed to have such a great family. I've been very lucky to have a family that can come watch me play a few times a year. I know there are other players that may never have their family there to watch them play. So I do appreciate my family for being so supportive of me and always believing in me. I wouldn't be where I am now if it wasn't for them. I love my family." So, what are his goals for the rest of the season? Walker said, "I think my goals for the second half are the same as the first half. I think I did a good job and have seen improvement defensively and offensively. I know there is still room for improvement so I just need to keep working on those parts of my game, and I think things will work out for me." Walker will not turn 23 until October. As you would expect from any player in the Florida State League, there are certainly areas where he needs to improve. However, Walker has all the tools to be an impact player in the big leagues. At 6-4 and 225 pounds, he's got the size and strength to be a great power hitter. He has some sneaky speed. He has a great attitude and strong makeup. Fans will need to show some patience, but there are reasons to be very excited about the future of Adam Walker. Twins beat up Seattle last night, so on Thursday you can get a half price large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com by using the promo code 'TWINSWIN'.

Things were busy in the Twins farm system on Wednesday as all six affiliates played, and the Miracle played two games. Mike Kvasnicka has been on fire of late and continued that. But let's not kid ourselves, the story in the system on Wednesday was the AA Debut of JO Berrios. You'll have to keep reading to see how it went. For the second straight night, the Minnesota Twins got a terrific start and nice offensive output. Kyle Gibson threw six shutout innings to improve to 8-7. Brian Dozier hit two doubles and Kendrys Morales drove in three runs. On Thursday, Yohan Pino will take the mound for the Twins against a bullpen-by-committee start from the Mariners in a fourth straight late-night game in Seattle. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 2, Buffalo 6 Box Score Logan Darnell struggled early in this game, but he regained his form and was able to give his team innings. Darnell gave up five runs in the first two innings, but he recovered and went eight. He gave up six runs on 11 hits. He walked two and struck out five. Three of the hits were home runs. Aaron Thompson got three outs in the ninth. Deibinson Romero went 2-4 with his 25th double. Dan Rohlfing went 2-3 with his 15th double. Wilkin Ramirez tripled for the third time this season. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 1, New Hampshire 7 Box Score The story of this game was the Double-A debut of JO Berrios. The 20-year-old started out well. He got through the first two innings without a base runner. In the third inning, he walked the first two batters who both came in to score on a bloop single. In the fourth inning, he gave up a two-run home run, and in the fifth inning, he gave up a solo home run. So, in total, he gave up five runs on three hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out four. He was replaced by Mason Melotakis who was also making his first AA appearance. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in the sixth inning before throwing a scoreless seventh frame. Ryan O'Rourke struck out three in the eighth. Mike Kvasnicka has been tremendous for the last six weeks. He went 3-4 with his 15th double in this game. He has had eight hits in the Rock Cats last three games. Eddie Rosario added a triple. MIRACLE MATTERS Game 1 - Ft. Myers 2, Palm Beach3 Box Score Tim Shibuya threw a complete game for the Miracle, but unfortunately, the game ended with two outs in the seventh with a game-winning single. Shibuya gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk. He struck out two in the loss. Dalton Hicks went 2-3 with his fifth home run and two RBI. Nate Roberts added his seventh double. Byron Buxton played the whole first game. He went 0-2 and walked once. He also stole his first base. The Miracle had just four hits in this game. Game 2 - Ft. Myers 1, Palm Beach 4 Box Score The Miracle also had just four hits in the second game. Dalton Hicks had an RBI single that scored Niko Goodrum. Goodrum stole his 18th base of the season. Matt Tomshaw started. He gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in five innings. He struck out three. Todd Van Steensel came on to make his Florida State League debut. He walked one and struck out two in a scoreless inning. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Wisconsin 5 Box Score Ryan Eades walked one and struck out a season-high nine batters in five innings in this game. However, he also gave up five runs on six hits and hit two batters. Chris Mazza gave up two hits and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Jared Wilson struck out two over two scoreless innings. Chad Christensen led the offense. He went 3-5. Ryan Walker was 2-5 and Mitch Garver was 2-4. E-TWINS E-NOTES Elizabethton 5, Kingsport 2 Box Score Sam Gibbons put in another solid start. In five innings, he gave up two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out six. CK Irby struck out three in two scoreless innings. Cameron Booser gave up a hit and a walk and struck out two over two scoreless innings. Jonatan Hinojosa went 2-3 with a double and two RBI. Tyler Kuresa hit his first home run. Jeremias Pineda, Max Murphy and Dutch Deol each doubled. GCL TWINS TAKES GCL Twins 1, GCL Orioles 0 Box Score Lefty Brandon Easton had a no-hitter going through 4.2 innings. He went five innings and gave up just one hit. He walked two and struck out four. Reyson Zoquiel threw a perfect sixth inning. Miles Nordgren threw two perfect innings to record his second save. Frank Encarnacion hit his second double. He scored on a Rafael Valera single. Joel Polanco hit his third double. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brandon Easton, GCL Twins Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dalton Hicks, Ft. Myers Miracle THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Scranton/Wilkes Barre (DH @ 4:35 CST) – Scott Diamond, TBD New Britain @ New Hampshire (5:35 CST) – Virgil Vasquez Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:35 CST) – Ethan Mildren Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) - Chih-Wei Hu Kingsport @ Elizabethton (6:00 CST) – Mat Batts GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles (11:00am CST) – TBD Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. A quick reminder: Twins beat up Seattle last night, so on Thursday you can get a half price large or extra-large pizza from PapaJohns.com by using the promo code 'TWINSWIN'.