Seth Stohs

We don’t know a lot about what will happen at the end of the season, but we do know that the Ft. Myers Miracle will return to the Florida State League playoffs. It came down to the final game, but their win clinched the division and a playoff spot for Doug Mientkiewicz’s crew. Kyle Gibson has done a great job of late at proving those who believed in him right. On Wednesday afternoon in Fenway Park, Gibson threw seven more shutout innings, increasing his streak to 22 consecutive innings. However, it wasn’t enough as the Twins fell 2-1 in ten innings to the Red Sox. Let’s check out what happened in the Twins farm system on Wednesday: RED WINGS REPORT Game 1 - Rochester 4, Pawtucket 9 Box Score Sean Gilmartin made his Rochester debut on Tuesday night. He went 3.1 innings and gave up two unearned runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out two. That’s when the rains came and the game was suspended until Wednesday night. Scott Diamond took over on the mound. The lefty went the next 2.1 innings. He gave up one unearned run on three hits. Deolis Guerra came on and was charged with four runs (2 earned) on three hits and recorded just one out. AJ Achter came on and got the next three outs. However, he was uncharacteristically wild. He gave up two runs on four walks and struck out two. Edgar Ibarra threw the final two innings. He didn’t give up a run, though he allowed three hits and walked two. He struck out three. Dan Rohling led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his tenth double. Eric Farris was 2-5 with his 11th double and two RBI. Deibinson Romero doubled for the 18th time. Chris Herrmann hit his second triple. Game 2 - Rochester 1, Pawtucket 4 Box Score Another start for Alex Meyer, and again he was unable to eat many innings due to high pitch counts. He needed 78 pitches just to get through three innings. He gave up no runs on two hits. He walked two and struck out four. Ryan Pressly came in and threw three shutout innings. He gave up a hit, walked one and struck out two. Michael Tonkin came in for the seventh inning. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on three hits, a walk and a hit batter. Aaron Thompson came in and got the final two outs of the inning, but not before walking two batters. There wasn’t much offense for the Red Wings in this one. Wilkin Ramirez went 2-3 with his 16th double. Dan Rohlfing was 1-2 with a walk and his 11th double. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 5, Harrisburg 4 Box Score Down 4-3 after eight innings, the Rock Cats scored two to take the lead. The runs were driven in by Mike Kvasnicka with a bases loaded single. He was 2-3 with two walks. Kennys Vargas went 3-5 with his 13th double. Tony Thomas went 3-4 with a walk and his 13th double. Virgil Vasquez made the start for the Rock Cats. He went 6.2 innings and gave up four runs on eight hits (two home runs) and two walks. Matt Summers came on and got four outs, two on strikeouts. Lester Oliveros struck out two in the ninth for his tenth save of the season. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Bradenton 0 Box Score Doug Mientkiewicz is in his second season as the Miracle manager. For the second straight season, he has led his squad to a first-half title. It took until the final game of the first half, but the Miracle win on Wednesday night means they will be in the playoffs again. A year ago, they clinched with about eight games to go. This year it was a little more difficult. DJ Baxendale made the start for the Miracle. He went six shutout innings. He gave up just four hits, walked none and struck out five. Matt Tomshaw came on in relief and did what he’s done all season: throw up a few zeroes. He threw three scoreless innings for his second save of the year. The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when Stuart Turner stepped to the plate and hit his fourth home run of the season to give the Miracle a 1-0 lead. Turner went 2-3 in the game, adding his eighth double. Stephen Wickens and Lance Ray each went 2-4 with a double. Travis Harrison also had two hits. KERNELS NUGGETS All Star Break. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – DJ Baxendale, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Mike Kvasnicka, New Britain Rock Cats THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Pawtucket @ Rochester (12:05 CST) – Logan Darnell (Listen) New Britain @ Harrisburg (6:00 CST) – TBD (Listen) Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:30 CST) – TBD (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Kane County (6:30 CST) – Aaron Slegers (Listen) Elizabethton @ Greeneville (6:00 CST) - Stephen Gonsalves Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. CEDAR RAPIDS / TWINS WEEKEND Consider a trip to Cedar Rapids for the series against Clinton June 27-30. It is their Twins Weekend, and they have several fun events. Check out www.kernels.com for more information or to order tickets. Friday, June 27 Friday Mug Club Drink Special Autism Action Jersey Night - fans can bid on jerseys and take players' jerseys home that night. Halfway to Christmas - (Santa, Mrs. Claus and reindeer will be there) Post game fireworks Stadium Snow Globe giveaway Saturday, June 28 Twins Night - Rod Carew, Twins organist Sue Nelson and TC Bear will be there. Post game fireworks Sunday, June 29 Post game run the bases Autographs from Kernels on field after the game Play bingo for a chance to win Twins tickets

Since Opening Day of the minor league season, we have been doing daily Twins Minor League Reports here at Twins Daily. Each day, we were following the Rochester Red Wings, the New Britain Rock Cats, the Ft. Myers Miracle and the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Meanwhile, many Twins minor leaguers have been in Ft. Myers, working out and playing in extended spring training. Later this week, those players – along with signed 2014 draft picks – will begin their official seasons. The Elizabethton Twins (Advanced Rookie) open on Thursday while the Gulf Coast League Twins (Rookie) start on Friday afternoon. Today, we’ll take a look at the Elizabethton Twins roster as their season begins. Tomorrow, we’ll look at the Gulf Coast League roster. Note that these are very brief bios, so feel free to ask any questions you would like. The Starting Pitchers Stephen Gonsalves – The Twins 4th round pick in 2013 pitched really well last year for the GCL Twins and the E-Twins in his professional debut. He combined to post a 0.95 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in 28.1 innings. He walked 11 and struck out 39. If I’m being honest, I’m shocked that he isn’t in Cedar Rapids, and I expect he’ll perform well again. Sam Gibbons – The 20-year-old Australian has pitched in the GCL each of the last two seasons. Chih-Wei Hu – The stocky, 20-year-old from Taiwan went 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA last year with the GCL Twins. He walked eight and struck out 39 in 36.2 innings. Felix Jorge – A year ago, Jorge went 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA in 12 starts for the E-Twins. In 61 innings, he walked 18 and struck out 72. He began this season in Cedar Rapids, but went 2-5 with a 9.00 ERA in 12 games for the Kernels. In 39 innings, he walked 20 and struck out 23 before being sent back to EST. Derrick Penilla – The 22-year-old lefty was the Twins 15th round pick a year ago. He pitched for the GCL Twins a year ago. He began this season at EST but was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he pitched in just seven games before heading back down. Mike Cederoth – Cederoth is the hard-throwing third round pick from San Diego State. He signed just last week. He pitched primarily out of the bullpen where his 98 mph fastball plays well. He has had opportunities to start in college, but his downfall has been his control. The Twins are going to give him a chance to start. The Relief Pitchers Cameron Booser – He signed after the 2013 draft after not being drafted. He pitched in just three games at the end of the GCL season. Reports from spring training indicate that the 6-3, 225 pound lefty throws really hard. Sam Clay – The Twins 4th round pick this year out of Georgia Tech. Some think he may be able to start at some point, but he’ll likely continue to work out of the bullpen for the E-Twins this summer. Andro Cutura – He was the Twins 7th round pick this season out of Southeastern Louisiana University. CK Irby – Irby was the Twins 10th round pick just last year out of Samford University. He pitched in ten games last year for the E-Twins. Randy LeBlanc – LeBlanc was the Twins 10th round pick this year from Tulane University. He was a fourth-year, redshirt junior. Kuo Hua Lo – Lo pitched for the E-Twins a year ago. In 38 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 34 in 38 innings. He was 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA. The right-hander from Taiwan is 21 years old. Dereck Rodriguez – The Twins selected Ivan Rodriguez’s son with their 6th pick in the 2011 draft out of high school. After hitting .216/.279/.336 (.615) over three years in the rookie leagues, he has been moved to pitcher where the hope is his strong right-arm will be able to get hitters out. Keaton Steele – He was the Twins 8th round pick this year out of the University of Missouri, which has been a hot bed for big league pitchers in the last half-dozen years. Catchers Brett Doe – Doe was the Twins 38th round pick this year out of Baylor University. Brian Navaretto – Navaretto was the Twins 6th round pick last year out of high school in Jacksonville, Florida. The 6-4, 220 pound (at least), 19-year-old hit .226/.318/.365 (.683) with ten doubles and three homers with the GCL Twins last year. He is quite impressive in spring training and has a ceiling of Salvador Perez. Alex Real – He was the Braves 48th round pick out of high school. He went to the University of New Mexico where he was a teammate of Kernels' catcher Mitch Garver. Real played first base and DH his first two years as Garver caught. He caught this year. The Twins selected him with their 24th round pick this year. INFIELDERS Nick Gordon – The Twins top pick will begin his professional career with Elizabethton. This is not a typical Twins move as even Kohl Stewart and Byron Buxton began their careers with the GCL. It will be interesting how Gordon adapts to professional ball, wood bats and life away from his family. Don’t worry at all about the stats, but it is very exciting to see him get started. Jonatan Hinojosa – He is a 21 year old who spent three seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He spent last season in the GCL where he hit .236/.310/.336. He began this season at EST but was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he played one game before being suspended for 50 games. His suspension continues. Will Hurt – Hurt was drafted in the 16th round in 2012 out of Lexington High School, the same school Ben Revere went to. He has spent the last two seasons in the GCL. Last year, he hit .342 but had a .387 OBP as he walked 16 times and struck out 17 times. He’s a speed guy who can play both middle infield positions. Pat Kelly – Kelly was the Twins 12th round pick out of the University of Nebraska. The Red Wings, MN, native had a solid three-year career with the Cornhuskers. He should play a lot of second base. Tyler Mautner – Mautner was the Twins 14th round pick this year out of the University of Buffalo, the same school as Kernels outfielder Jason Kanzler. The third baseman is believed to have good power. Blake Schmidt – Another Eden Prairie native, Schmidt was the Twins 26th round pick after three years at the University of Maryland. Trev Vavra – He was the Twins 33rd round pick this year out of Florida Southern University. As you know, he is the son of Twins third base coach, Joe, and the brother of Kernels second baseman, Tanner. OUTFIELDERS Dutch Deol – Deol was the Cardinals 17th round pick out of high school in 2011. He has spent the last three years in the rookie leagues and was hurt most of last year. He hit .152/.245/.230 over those three years and the Cardinals let him go. He’s a good athlete so the Twins took a shot, signing him to a free agent contract. Austin Diemer – He was the Twins 28th round pick after his career as a centerfielder at Cal State-Fullerton. He is a good athlete. Max Murphy – Another Minnesota native, Murphy was the Twins 9th round pick this year out of Bradley University. Another guy drafted as a centerfielder, he will get a chance to play around the outfield. He is from Robbinsdale, MN. DISABLED LIST Josh Burris – RHP JT Chargois – RHP Jorge Fernandez – C Carson Goldsmith – RHP Jake Proctor – OF Tyler Stirewalt – RHP Ryan Tufts – OF

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