Seth Stohs

You have now read about the June Starting Pitcher of the Month and the June Hitter of the Month. Today, I'll be posting the June Relief Pitcher of the Month. As has been the case with the previous "awards", there are a lot of good candidates this month. Relief pitchers often are taken for granted as they are not really noticed unless they have a bad game. So, it's only fair that we recognize them when they do pitch well. Let's start with the Honorable Mentions. HONORABLE MENTION Aaron Thompson - Rochester - 11 G, 10.0 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 11 K, 0-0, 0.90 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .171 OBA. Mason Melotakis - Ft. Myers - 8 G, 12.2 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 14 K, 1-0, 1.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, .200 OBA. Brandon Peterson - Ft. Myers- 9 G, 12.2 IP, 11 H, 2 BB, 20 K, 1-1, 2.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .234 OBA. Let's get to the Top 5: #5 - Todd Van Steensel - Cedar Rapids - 10 G, 11.2 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 15 K, 0-0, 4 Saves, 1.54 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, .175 OBA. In my mind, the return of Van Steensel is one of the better stories in the organization this year. He was a starter for Elizabethton just a few seasons ago, but he was let go. He's been playing in Australia and other places, but he re-signed with the Twins before spring training this year. He has been a different pitcher. He is now a reliever. He has the funky, high leg-kick, the goggles and he throws harder. He had a terrific month in Cedar Rapids and has now been promoted to Ft. Myers. #4 - Ryan O'Rourke - New Britain - 9 G, 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 12 K, 0-0, 3.38 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, .111 OBA. I remember seeing O'Rourke starting for Beloit back in 2011. He was animated and intense, but my overriding thought was "This guy could be a LOOGY (left-handed one-out guy) in the big leagues right now!" Well, it hasn't happened in the big leagues yet for him, but it is the role he has for New Britain. Consider this... from May 24 through June 27, he pitched six innings over 11 games. He faced 19 batters. He gave up one hit and struck out 15. His slider is legit and he throws hard enough that he can pitch to lefties in the big leagues now, I'm convinced. #3 - Lester Oliveros - New Britain/Rochester - 9 G, 10.1 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 13 K, 1-0, 5 Saves, 0.87 ERA, 0.58 WHIP, .135 OBA. Oliveros has been on this list in previous months and finally was promoted to Rochester. The hard-thrower came to the organization from Detroit in the Delmon Young trade. He missed most of 2013 with Tommy John surgery after debuting with the Twins in 2012. He's back, and he's throwing hard. He's missing bats and opponents are not hitting him hard. He's not on the 40 man roster, but if he succeeds in Rochester, he'll get another opportunity. #2 - Edgar Ibarra - Rochester - 8 G, 14.1 IP, 8 H, 4 BB, 10 K, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, .157 OBA. The left-hander was tremendous in 2013, splitting the season between New Britain and Rochester. It was an easy decision, I'd think, to add him to the Twins 40 man roster after the season. The left-hander throws hard (touching 95) with a nasty slider. He can fight control issues at times, but he has a chance to contribute to the Twins at some point yet this year. Some very good performances, but this month's Minnesota Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month, like this month's other winners, was a fairly easy choice and one you've read about before. #1 - AJ Achter - Rochester - 7 G, 14.0 IP, 4 H, 8 BB, 14 K, 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, .091 OBA. Seriously, I am thinking that this award should just be the AJ Achter award. He was my choice for Twins minor league reliever of the year in 2012. In 2013, he was terrific in New Britain and Rochester. This year, he has been tremendous. He was recognized last week as the Red Wings lone All Star this year. He actually had back-to-back games earlier in the month in which he walked most of his hitters. Generally, he has great control, works fast, has four pitches and yet isn't hit very hard. He doesn't sit at 95. He sits 90-92 and can touch 94, but he has other pitches that have worked. He is not on the 40 man roster, but like others above, he has earned an opportunity. Hard to believe that we are more than three months into the minor league season. There are two months to go. We will continue to dive into the minor leagues here at Twins Daily. Please feel free to share your thoughts on anything.

I posted the June Starting Pitcher of the Month last week, and this week JO Berrios was promoted to the New Britain Rock Cats. Tonight, I'll be posting the June Hitter of the Month. There are a lot of very good candidates. It made for a very difficult decision. With All-Star games and some promotions, it can be a month with difficult decisions.. Some guys have fewer plate appearances, and that has to factor into the thinking as well. So, we'll start with the Honorable Mentions and then get to the Top 5. HONORABLE MENTION Chris Herrmann - Rochester - 14-50 (.280/.339/.460 (.799)) with 5-2B, 2-3B, 6 RBI. Deibinson Romero - Rochester - 29-98 (.296/.379/.490 (.869)) with 8-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 14 RBI. Kennys Vargas - New Britain - 27-99 (.273/.342/.475 (.817)) with 2-2B, 6-HR, 21 RBI. Jorge Polanco - Ft. Myers - 28-92 (.304/.381/.435 (.816)) with 4-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 10 RBI - and he made his major league debut. Stuart Turner - Ft. Myers- 17-58 (.293/.397/.534 (.932)) with 3-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 11 RBI. Nate Hanson - currently in Rochester- 25-79 (.316/.426/.405 (.831)) with 4-2B, 1-HR, 11-RBI Let's get to the Top 5: #5 - Mitch Garver - Cedar Rapids - 20-58 (.345/.479/.517 (.997)) with 4 doubles, two homers and 11 RBI. The Twins ninth round pick in 2013 out of the University of New Mexico has had a very solid season with the Kernels. He was the Hitter of the Month in April. He cooled off some in May, but he was very good in June. His month ended early when a foul tip gave him six stitches to the chin, and a concussion. Garver is solid behind the plate and provides good all-around offense at the plate. #4 - Chris Colabello - Rochester - 32-108 (.296/.377/.481 (.859)) with 8 doubles, 4 homers and 20 RBI. Colabello was one of the best stories in baseball in April when he set the Twins record for most RBI in April. However, he really struggled in May and was sent back to Rochester. It took him a couple of weeks to get back into the swing of things, but he eventually did, and when he did, he crushed the ball again. In doing so, he earned himself a return trip to the big leagues where he has hit well again. #3 - Mike Kvasnicka - New Britain - 29-79 (.367/.405/.519 (.924)) with 6 doubles, 2 homers and 17 RBI. The former Gopher was a former first-round pick of the Houston Astros. He came to the Twins during spring training a year ago and immediately broke his hamate bone and miss much of last season. When he returned, he showed good power for the Miracle. It took Kvasnicka a while to get going in his AA debut this year but in the last month he has really hit the ball well. #2 - Chad Christensen - Cedar Rapids - 27-89 (.303/.373/.528 (.901) with 4 doubles, 2 triples four homers and 22 RBI. The Cedar Rapids native was the Twins 25th round pick last year out of the University of Nebraska. With the Kernels this year, he has been a consistent performer through much of the season. It's more impressive when you realize that he has played almost everywhere on the diamond to this point. In June, he put together a strong month. He has a strong build, but he also leads the organization in stolen bases. Some pretty solid performances, but this month's Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month was a fairly easy choice. #1 - Reynaldo Rodriguez - New Britain - 32-103 (.311/.339/.583 (.922)) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 6 homers and 18 RBI. Back for his second season with the Twins, the minor league veteran returned to New Britain. After playing first base during the 2013 season, he was moved to the outfield in 2014. The shift has not altered his overall production as he has hit very well again. Teaming with Kennys Vargas, they have provided a strong, powerful punch in the middle of the Rock Cats lineup. JO Berrios was promoted after being named the June Starting Pitcher of the Month. Could Rodriguez finally get moved up to Rochester? Feel free to comment on Rodriguez and the other starting pitchers highlighted this month.