Seth Stohs

They’re not top prospects. They weren’t drafted in the early rounds, and they didn’t get hefty bonuses. They have jobs in the offseason, and they still find time to continue to work on their baseball craft. David Hurlbut and Matt Tomshaw are two left-handed pitchers for the Ft. Myers Miracle. You likely haven’t read much about them unless, of course, you get a copy of the annual Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. Or, if you read the daily minor league reports religiously, you know their names because they continue to pitch really well. So, let’s take a day and give them their due. David Hurlbut was the Minnesota Twins 35th round pick in 2009 out of Diablo Valley College. He decided not to sign and instead chose to attend perennial powerhouse Cal State Fullerton. In 2011, the Twins selected him with their 28th round pick. Matt Tomshaw was drafted by the Twins in the 43rd round of the 2011 draft. He attended Jacksonville University where he was a teammate of Twins outfield prospects Adam Brett Walker and Jonathan Murphy. After being selected, he made three starts in the GCL before making a spot appearance with the Ft. Myers Miracle. He ended up posting a 2.13 ERA in 25.1 innings (7 games, 4 starts). In 2012, both of them started the season in the bullpen in Beloit. There were “prospects” that needed to start, so the tandem was sent to the bullpen. They were good in that role, and eventually each was given an opportunity to start. When I posted my 2012 Minnesota Twins Minor League Starting Pitchers of the Year, they both were in the Top 5 in the organization. In 111 innings (15 starts, 10 relief), Hurlbut posted a 2.76 ERA. Tomshaw missed about a month, but he pitched well in his time in Beloit as well. In 86.1 innings (6 relief, then 14 starts), he posted a 3.02 ERA. Despite the success in Beloit in 2012, they were both sent back to the Midwest League, this time to Cedar Rapids. Not only did they repeat at the level, but instead of starting (where they had very good success, they were in the bullpen). Tomshaw missed some time early in the season (you know, “DL” stuff) and made just nine appearances with the Kernels. His ERA was 5.10, but as a starter, he was better, and he moved to Ft. Myers in late May. There, he pitched in 17 games and made 14 starts. He posted an ERA of 3.94 in 96.1 innings. Hurlbut pitched in more roles. He began the season in long relief. At one point when Tyler Jones was hurt, he became the closer for a month, and then he made three starts for the Kernels. All told, he pitched in 25 games (and 50 innings) for the Kernels. He was 3-1 with a 2.52 ERA. He received his promotion to the Miracle in early August where he made four starts and had a 3.54 ERA in 20.1 innings. This year, they both returned to the Miracle, and they both returned to the bullpen. However, both made just three relief appearances before being put into the starting rotation. Tomshaw is 2-1 with a 2.31 ERA. After going four innings and giving up one run in his first start, he has gone six innings without allowing an earned run in each of his last two starts. Hurlbut is 3-1 with a 1.69 ERA in 39 innings. He gave up just one run in his eight innings out of the bullpen. In his five starts, he has given up just six earned runs in 32 innings. On May 8, he threw a complete game against Jupiter and gave up just two runs (1 earned). Last night, he gave up just two runs (1 earned) in seven innings. Neither has the “stuff” that fits the “top prospect” mold, but both have three good pitches, good control and a high baseball IQ. Hurlbut generally sits around 88 to 89 mph with his fastball, though he hits 91 at times, so he made it cut a bit, giving it more movement and helping him miss the sweet spot of bats. He has a very good curveball in the mid-70s, and his changeup continues to improve. Tomshaw generally sat 85 to 87 mph, though out of the bullpen last year, I saw him hit 91 a couple of times. This year, he has been consistently between 87 and 91. He has a very good changeup, and his work-in-progress pitch is the curveball. When it is on, it can be very tough on left-handers. And, he is again throwing The Thing, a pitch you'll need to ask him about!! Impeccable control is part of the success of both of them. In 286.1 professional innings, Hurlbut has walked 1.8 per nine innings and struck out 6.7 per nine innings. Tomshaw has thrown 280.2 innings as a pro and walked 1.8 per nine innings. He has struck out 6.1 per nine innings. Despite putting up good numbers and not allowing many runs and keeping their teams in games, neither David Hurlbut or Matt Tomshaw will appear on anyone’s Top 30 or even Top 50 prospect lists. Fair or not, that is the reality. True or not, Tomshaw and Hurlbut will continue to pitch in the Twins system as long as they continue to pitch as they have as they move up the ladder. Neither was a high draft pick with the security of a big bonus. However, the Twins have shown in the past that if you perform, no matter where you’re drafted or how you get signed, there will be opportunities. Tomshaw was drafted in the 43rd round, a round that no longer exists in the MLB draft. However, New Britain’s Cole Johnson and Rochester’s AJ Achter are pitching very well in the late innings for their teams, and they also were drafted after the 40th round. Anthony Slama was a 39th round pick. Michael Tonkin was a 30th round pick. Cole De Vries wasn’t drafted. If you perform, you’ll keep getting opportunities to move up. That will be the challenge for these two left-handers. They will need to continue to work and improve to meet the challenges of each new level. Tomshaw (25) and Hurlbut (24) have been teammates along most of their path since being drafted late in that 2011 draft, and I’m sure they’ll continue to push themselves to keep getting better. So while it’s great to talk about the Buxton’s, the Sano’s, the Meyer’s, the Stewart's and the like, remember there are some tremendous stories of some minor leaguers who don’t get the accolades, but continue to work hard every day. At Twins Daily, we want to make sure they are recognized. Matt Tomshaw and David Hurlbut deserve to be recognized. Photos in this story by Linwood Ferguson, Ft. Myers Miracle.

It was an interesting day in the Minnesota Twins system. At the top, the Twins got another horrific starting from Kevin Correia and Michael Tonkin struggled again. David Ortiz took it to his old team for the second straight night and the Red Sox topped the Twins 9-4. There were two walk-off wins in the Twins' minor leagues, so that’s always fun. Another team scored its winning run thanks to a big blast in the team’s first inning. Unfortunately, if you’re a Cedar Rapids fan, it was a tough night. For the second straight day, they were swept in a double header against Peoria. Let’s look at the goings on in the Twins system: TRANSACTIONS As mentioned yesterday, Ryan Walker and Carlos Avila were added to the Cedar Rapids Kernels roster on Wednesday morning. They take the roster spots of Engelb Vielma and Jason Kanzler. Dalton Hicks came off the Ft. Myers Miracle DL, and Alex Swim returned to Extended Spring Training. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 5, Columbus 4 Box Score Going into the 9th inning, Pedro Florimon had been 0-13 in his short time with the Red Wings. However, he picked a great time for his first hit, a leadoff double. Two batters later, James Beresford drove him in with a sacrifice fly to give the Red Wings a walk-off win. Chris Herrmann went 2-3 with a walk, his second double and his second stolen base. Wilkin Ramirez went 2-4. Scott Diamond made the start for the Red Wings. The lefty gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits. In 5.1 innings, he struck out two. Yohan Pino went the next two innings and didn’t allow a run despite giving up a hit and walking two. He struck out three. Matt Hoffman got two outs. He walked two and struck out one. AJ Achter pitched the final inning and was perfect. He struck out two. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain 4, Portland 3 Box Score Walk-off home runs are fun! Even walk-off singles are great! Winning walk-off walks? Well, hey, they're certainly better than walk-off (or any) losses!! Down 3-1 going into the bottom of the 9th, the Rock Cats got a single and a double from Corey Wimberly and Tony Thomas, respectively. That set up an RBI single for Nate Hanson, followed by the game-tying RBI single off the bat of Kennys Vargas. Still no one out, Reynaldo Rodriguez singled to load the bases. Danny Ortiz grounded into a force out. However, with one out, Brandon Waring worked the game-winning, walk-off walk. Waring walked three times in the game. Nate Hanson was the hitting hero, however. He went 3-3 with two walks. Along with his game-tying single, Vargas walked twice as well. Tyler Duffey started for New Britain. He went five innings. He gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out five. Jim Fuller gave up one run on two hits and two walks over his two innings. Ryan O’Rourke walked one and struck out one in his scoreless inning. Dan Turpen struck out two in a scoreless inning. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Brevard County 3 Box Score David Hurlbut has been terrific since moving into the Miracle rotation. On this night, he improved to 3-1 with a seven-inning effort. He gave up two runs (one earned) on eight hits and a walk. Tim Shibuya pitched a scoreless inning. Tyler Jones came in with a two-run lead and he recorded the save, though he made things interesting by giving up a run on one hit and two walks in the ninth. Adam Walker came up to bat in the top of the first inning and gave the Miracle all the runs they would need. His sixth homer run came with the bases loaded. He went 2-4 in the game. Dalton Hicks returned to the Miracle lineup from the DL and went 1-3 with a walk. KERNELS NUGGETS Game 1 – Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 4 Box Score For the second straight day, the Kernels played two games. Kohl Stewart was the starter in the first contest. He gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits in four innings. He walked two and struck out three. Brandon Bixler took the loss. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in his three innings. He struck three out without a walk. Mitch Garver went 2-2 with two walks. Chad Christensen, Bo Altobelli, Michael Quesada and Joel Licon each went 2-4 in the game. They had base runners. In fact, they were 5-13 with runners in scoring position. However, they still left 11 runners on base. Game 2 – Cedar Rapids 3, Peoria 5 Box Score The Kernels gave up five first inning runs and were unable to come back. Derrick Penilla made his first start since his recent call up. He gave up those five runs – though just three were earned – on five hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out five. Todd Van Steensel was again impressive. He gave up just one hit over four shutout innings. He walked none and struck out five. Chad Christensen went 2-4 in the second game as well. He hit his seventh double and drove in two runs. Joel Licon went 2-3. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Todd Van Steensel, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Nate Hanson, New Britain Rock Cats THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ Rochester (2:35 CST) – Alex Meyer (Listen) Portland @ New Britain (9:35 a.m.) – Sean Gilmartin (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Brevard Country (5:35 CST) – Alex Wimmers (Listen) Cedar Rapids @ Burlington (6:30 CST) – Felix Jorge (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games.

When we heard the sad and unfortunate news on Monday afternoon that Miami Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez has an elbow sprain, it made me feel awful. The assumption (true or not) is that sometime in the near future, he will have Tommy John surgery and miss the rest of this season and likely some of the 2015 season. If you’re a real, true baseball fan (and let’s face it, if you’re reading this web site, you are), you want to see the best performing. Jose Fernandez, despite being just 21 years old, is one of the best. Fernandez is just the most recent example of what has become an epidemic over the last couple of years. “Everyone” is having Tommy John surgery. No team, including the Twins, is immune to this surgical procedure. Fifteen Major League pitchers have already had Tommy John surgery in the last two months. Jose Fernandez photo by Steve Mitchell IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE The Atlanta Braves have long been touted as an organization that develops pitching talent, and they are. This year, they have had no fewer than four Tommy John surgeries including a couple of big leaguers and a top prospect. Brandon Beachy and Kyle Medlen both had their second Tommy John surgeries this spring. Many like to tout the Tampa Bay Rays organization as the one to emulate, and they certainly do a lot of things well. They are said to have some special things that they do medically to study how to keep players healthy. Jeremy Hellickson hasn’t had Tommy John surgery, but he has missed a lot of time the last couple of seasons. Matt Moore, another one of baseball’s best young pitchers, had Tommy John surgery last month. Baseball America’s JJ Cooper tweeted last night that from 2010 through 2012, 15 high school pitchers were drafted. If Fernandez has Tommy John Surgery, he will be the sixth in that group. Two others on currently on the DL with elbow or forearm issues, and one had hip surgery. Count Dylan Bundy and Jameson Taillon among those who have already had the surgery. The two that are on the DL right now with elbow issues are Top 50 prospects Archie Bradley and Max Fried. Max Fried’s high school teammate, Lucas Giolito, had Tommy John while still in high school and still was a first-round pick. Two possible Top 10 2014 draft picks, Jeff Hoffmann (East Carolina) and Erick Fedde (UNLV), have or soon will have Tommy John surgery. And both still could get drafted in the first round. TOMMY JOHN AND THE TWINS Tommy John was a Minnesota Twins TV broadcaster from 1994 through 1996. Unfortunately, that is not the only connection to the Twins. The Twins have been affected in one way or another by Tommy John surgery over the past decade. I went back ten years of Twins and Twins minor league rosters and here is a list of guys who have had Tommy John surgery before, during or after their Twins career (This is not necessarily complete): Brian Duensing – in College at Nebraska Mike Pelfrey – with Mets before coming to Twins as free agent. Kyle Gibson – in minor leagues, in September 2011 Lester Oliveros – in September 2012 Samuel Deduno – in 2008 with Rockies Corey Williams – on April 1, 2014 Alex Wimmers – in minor leagues, in August 2012 JT Chargois – in minor leagues, in August 2013 Dallas Gallant – in minor leagues, 2011 Andrew Ferreria – in college at Harvard Jeff Manship – in college at Notre Dame Francisco Liriano – with Twins in November 2006 Pat Neshek – with Twins in November 2008 Scott Baker – with Twins in April 2012 Carlos Silva – with Cubs in 2012 Andrew Albers – with Padres in 2009 Joe Mays – with Twins in 2003 Kyle Waldrop – with Pirates in 2013 Matt Maloney – with Twins in July 2012 Carl Pavano – with Yankees in 2007 Joe Nathan – with Twins in March 2010 Bobby Korecky – in minors with Twins in 2005 Matt Bashore – in minors in 2010 Tom Stuifbergen – in minors in July 2013 Carlos Gutierrez – in minors in college Jhon Garcia – in minors in April 2013 Dan Sattler – in minors in August 2012 Brian Kirwan – in minors in 2006 This list also does not include a couple of hitters. Remember Matt Macri? He made his Major League debut with the Twins in 2008 after coming to the team from the Rockies organization. They had drafted him in 2001 out of high school, but he went to Notre Dame. A shortstop, he had Tommy John surgery in 2004. And, of course, the big news this spring in Ft. Myers came when the Twins announced that Miguel Sano would have Tommy John surgery and miss most, if not all, of the 2014 season. WHY, OH WHY? So many fans seem to have a solution to this problem or what they would do to try to keep players from needing Tommy John surgery. That’s funny, of course, since the medical profession has not yet determined any preventative measures to avoid Tommy John surgery. Aside from not becoming a baseball pitcher, there are several theories out there right now about why there seems to be this influx of Tommy John surgeries. However, I’m not going to pretend to know with any certainty. I happen to agree with those who say that some pitchers do too much upper body weight lifting which creates less flexibility and more stress on the ligaments. I wouldn’t be surprised if specialization in high school (playing one sport year-round rather than playing two or three sports) has some correlation too. Of course, you will find examples on both sides of this as well. I don’t necessarily think pitch counts alone determines if a pitcher will eventually require Tommy John surgery. We have seen pitchers with “perfect” mechanics have Tommy John surgery, and we have seen pitchers with “poor” mechanics have long careers. TNSTAAPP – There’s No Such Thing As a Pitching Prospect. Eerily, that acronym is becoming more and more true. I do have one overriding belief in my head at this time on pitchers and Tommy John surgery. Here’s how you can determine whether or not a pitcher will have Tommy John surgery at some point in his career: Grab a coin and flip it. If it’s heads when it lands, he might have Tommy John surgery. If it’s tails, well, he might not have Tommy John surgery.