Seth Stohs

Following the Minnesota Twins’ 4-3 loss in Cleveland on Wednesday night, the team announced that Logan Darnell was being optioned to Rochester and former Twins reliever Matt Guerrier was being added to the 25 man roster. At the same time, they acknowledged that on Thursday the team will make the corresponding 40 man roster move to make room for the 35-year-old right-hander. Logan Darnell certainly made a strong impression in his major league debut on Tuesday night in Cleveland when he came out of the bullpen and threw three perfect innings. He even hit 95 MPH on the radar gun once or twice. He will return to the starting rotation in Rochester where he was named the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of April just last week. Guerrier made his major league debut with the Twins in 2004. He made two starts and seven relief appearances that year. He was a very solid, consistent performer out of the Twins bullpen through the 2010 season. In that time, he went 19-25 with a 3.38 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He pitched in long relief for two years before being given more high-leverage situations. His final four seasons with the Twins (2007-2010), he pitched in no less than 73 games. He led the league in games pitched in 2008 (76) and 2009 (79). He has pitched in 393 games for the Twins, which ranks fifth on the Twins all-time list. Following that 2010 season, Guerrier became a free agent and signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. After throwing in 70 games in 2011, he pitched in just 16 games for the team in 2012. He pitched in 34 more games for the Dodgers in 2013 before being traded to the Cubs to end the season. Injuries caught up to him after all of those healthy years with the Twins. So, last offseason, the Twins signed Guerrier to a minor league contract. When he was not going to make the opening day roster, the team let him go. However, he agreed to re-sign with the Twins and go to the minor leagues. However, his opt-out date was May 8th, today. For those that haven't been following this, that is why this decision needed to be made. Let’s get back to the remaining question at hand. How will the Twins make room on the 40 man roster for Guerrier? In my mind, there a four to six players currently on the 40 man who could find their names on the transactions list on Thursday. Let’s take a look. Edgar Ibarra – The 25-year old lefty had a terrific 20013 season between the New Britain Rock Cats and the Rochester Red Wings. He is left-handed and he throws 93 to 95 mph. He also has a very good slider. That said, he missed most of spring training (which was his first with the big league club) because he had contracted hepatitis. He has pitched in just eight games for the Red Wings this season and has nine walks and eight strikeouts in 11 innings (to go with 15 hits allowed). If teams look at statistics, there is little chance that he would be claimed. If they look at scouting reports, it is possible he would be lost. Brooks Raley – The Twins claimed Brooks Raley as spring training was about to begin when the Cubs designated him for assignment. The left-hander, who spent limited time with the Cubs the last two seasons, was among the first round of cuts in spring training. He has pitched out of the Red Wings bullpen and just made his first start of the season. Again, he is left-handed and just 25. Eric Fryer – The catcher has split time this season with Dan Rohlfing in Rochester. He is best known as a defensive catcher. The man posted a 1.192 OPS with the Minnesota Twins in 2013… OK, I know it was in just six games and 16 plate appearances, but it was a nice showing. He has spent some time in the major leagues in 2011, 2012 and 2013, though I would be surprised if the 28 year old would be claimed if he were designated for assignment. Chris Herrmann – He is an athletic catcher, but his value to the Minnesota Twins this past month has been allowing Ron Gardenhire to play Josmil Pinto as the designated hitter most days. Herrmann can catch, but when he has played, it has been in the corner outfield spots. He could also play centerfield in a pinch. That said, he has not hit at all with the Twins this year. Though he has never been a big offensive threat, his defensive versatility does provide the team with options as the 25th man on the roster. Of course, he is currently on the Twins 25-man roster, so I think this is unlikely and it would necessitate another roster move. Kenny Wilson – The outfielder was recently claimed off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. Although he has not hit much at all since being drafted in the 2nd round out of high school, he does have a lot of tools. His best tool is his speed, but he is also quite strong and could still develop. He is currently the regular centerfielder for the New Britain Rock Cats. He is not about early-2014, and he has an option remaining, so he could be about late-2014 and beyond… although the Twins do have a pretty good centerfield prospect who could be ready by then as well. Josh Willingham – What? How does his name appear on this list, as he is a veteran at the end of a three-year, $18 million contract. Plus, he’s hurt, so they wouldn’t DFA him. No, they wouldn’t DFA him, however, he has not played since being hit by a pitch on April 6th and breaking a small bone in his wrist. Reports this past weekend indicated that he is progressing slowly in his rehab efforts. If the Twins put him on the 60 Day DL (retroactively), he would be eligible to return to the Twins on June 5. Could he be ready before then? If so, then maybe this doesn’t make sense. If he’s going to be anywhere near that June 5 deadline, then this is the move that makes the most sense. You don’t have to lose anybody at this time to add Guerrier and can move that decision back one month. To me, the choice it pretty simple. If Josh Willingham is still at least three weeks out, put him on the 60 Day DL. If they feel he will be back in the lineup within the next two weeks, then the decision becomes much more difficult. *Yes, it was intentional that I did not include Jared Burton or Pedro Florimon on this list of possibilities to be removed from the 40 man roster. Are other moves looming? How long will Danny Santana remain on the big league roster, sitting on the bench? How many consecutive days does Eduardo Nunez need to remain healthy before he is up? How about Oswaldo Arcia?

Jason Wheeler has been a successful starting pitcher ever since he signed with the Twins. In two seasons – and a month – he has compiled a 25-12 record with an ERA of 3.49 over 335.2 innings. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to chat with the talented left-hander. Wheeler is a very bright young man with a great perspective on pitching and several other things. Wheeler is a Southern California kid. He lived in a suburb of Los Angeles and grew up as a fan of the Angels, probably both the Anaheim Angels and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. In his formative years, he was able to witness some really good baseball. The Angels went to the playoff six times in eight years and won the 2002 World Series. “I was a big Angels fan. Favorite player? It’s hard to pick one. I’m a big Tim Salmon, Garret Anderson, Darin Erstad fan. Vlad Guerrero was a little after them, toward the end of their run. Troy Percival, Scot Shields.” Those Angels teams were not just strong offensively, but always had solid starting pitching, and dominant back ends of the bullpen. However, there isn’t a player that he emulates, or models his game after. “I love watching big league pitchers, watching them pitch. There’s not one guy that sticks out that I want to be like him. Everyone likes to throw out CC Sabathia because I’m big and left-handed. CC Sabathia circa 2009, when he was throwing a complete game every other game. There’s not one person that I really want to be like.” Wheeler took his talents to Loyola Marymount where he pitched for three years before the Twins drafted him in the 8th round of the 2011 draft. Four rounds later, the Twins selected Wheeler’s teammate, Matt Koch. Regarding the catcher, who was invited to big league camp this year by the Twins, Wheeler said very good things. “I love working with Matt. The last five years, we have worked together. He’d been my catcher at school and in my first two years in pro ball. He obviously can hit. That’s what got him a scholarship at LMU. He’s gotten way better defensively. I remember in college, he struggled with glove-side fastballs. That was one thing that I know he worked on a ton. He’s gotten so much better at that. I love throwing to Matt in pro ball now. He’s got a great arm behind the plate, and he and I are pretty much on the same page when we’re together calling a game. So, it’s pretty good.” So what makes Wheeler successful? What does he throw? Last week, he threw a complete game shutout and talked about what worked and what he tries to do on the mound. “I threw a ton of fastballs that game, and I was able to get to both sides of the plate. I think that that’s what drives me. If I have a good start, it’s usually because of my fastball. I’m able to command it to both sides of the plate. Get in on guys. I love pitching in, lefties and righties. I think it shows. I got a lot of weak popups. That’s what I’m trying to get to, is that mentality of really attacking with the fastballs. I threw about 80% fastball.” The key to being able to throw that many fastballs is not always throwing the same fastball but also about location. “I throw a one-seam sinker when I’m throwing in to a lefty or away from a righty. And a four-seamer when I’m throwing in. I have a cut fastball that I’ll throw in on the hands too. If I want to run it up, I’ll go 4-seamer up on the hands and the chest.” He also throws a couple of secondary pitches as well to keep hitters off balance. “Just slider and changeup. My slider and my cutter have become one pitch that I’m able to do different things with. That’s what (Miracle Pitching Coach) Gary Lucas and I have been working on for the last couple of weeks, making that one pitch something I have some feel for. If I want to, I can make it a little bigger, have it more like a real slider, or if I want to I can tighten it up and throw it in on a right-handers hands and it’s only a couple of mph off of my fastball.” Wheeler has had a chance to work with a couple of very good, well-respected pitching coaches. In Beloit in 2012, he worked with Gary Lucas. Last year in Ft. Myers, he worked with Ivan Arteaga. This year, Arteaga and Lucas switched positions with Lucas moving to the Miracle and Arteaga going to Cedar Rapids. This means that Lucas and Wheeler are working together again. Both are very good, but they are very different. “I love working with Luke (Lucas). The big thing that I like, and very much so how I think, he’s never content. We’re not out here to be the best High-A pitcher. Something’s wrong if I’m the best High-A pitcher for multiple years. It’s about getting to the big leagues and being the best big league pitcher that I can be. And so, we’re always working on something whether it’s my breaking ball, my changeup, my arm slot. There’s always something that we can be better at. He fuels that fire of Don’t Be Content.” Gary Lucas pitched eight seasons in the Major Leagues. He played for the Padres, Expos and Angels. He was a left-handed reliever who posted a 3.01 ERA. However, if you ever get the chance to talk to Lucas, you would never know that he had a major league career. According to Wheeler, “You wouldn’t even know it. You would think that he was the 13th guy in the bullpen. He’s so humble. It’s awesome. Everyone knows his track record of eight years in the big leagues and a career three ERA. You wouldn’t even know it talking to him. He doesn’t brag or boast at all.” Ivan Arteaga has a different style than Lucas, but he is also a very good teacher. “Ivan has a little different approach than Luke. Ivan treats us more as a grown man, adult. It’s your career. I’m here to help if you want help. That (mechanics) was one thing we talked about. We looked at video and there were some hitches in my delivery. Ivan worked with me just about every day to clean it up for two months or so, and we were able to see the results at the end of the year. In my last five or six starts were pretty good, my velocity was up. That was really good to clean that up, and I kind of built on that and taken it here to this year.” As I mentioned, Wheeler is a bright guy and knows himself well as a pitcher. He has a very good perspective. “I’m just trying to be as aggressive as I can be and get to the big leagues, and I think my best shot at doing that is being a guy who can throw a fastball, almost being a power pitcher in the way I think. I know that I don’t run it up to 95 to 96 mph but you don’t necessarily have to do that as a starter. You look at the guys who do that, and they’re making $25 million a year, and obviously that’s awesome, but if you can be a big league starter and throwing 90-92 and get outs, you can have a pretty good career.” So, let’s project a couple of years out. If Jason Wheeler were to play for the Minnesota Twins, it would not be the first time he played in the state of Minnesota. Between his sophomore and junior years in college, he played for the St. Cloud River Bats. He was named the league’s pitcher of the year after going 8-1 with a 1.35 ERA in 15 games. He also struck out 74 in 66.2 innings. However, it wasn’t just the baseball game itself in the Northwoods League that he learned the most from. “It was the first time that I had any experience of really being away from home and basically just playing ball every day. My first college summer ball, I played in Palm Springs, just a couple of hours away from home. I would go home whenever I could. I think that it really prepares you for minor league baseball, get on a bus for a while, you’re going to Wisconsin and wherever else, to Canada, and there’s some good competition. The next year I played in the Cape Cod, and there is better competition in the Cape Cod League, but it doesn’t prepare you in terms of six-hour bus rides and other things like the Northwoods League. There are a ton of games in the Northwoods League. It’s different than any other summer league that I had experience in. I had a good time. I loved my host family while I was in St. Cloud, and it was a fun time. It was a good summer” Teammates and others have told me that Jason Wheeler is incredibly smart, on the field, and also off the field. He’s got a great perspective on baseball, but he’s also done the things he needs to do academically for life after baseball. “I got my degree in my first two off seasons. I was drafted in 2011, and I didn’t play that year, so I went and took the fall semester of 2011. And then I did the fall of 2012 after I played in Beloit, and I got my degree. I’m a Business Law major with a Math minor. I took the LSAT, the Law School Admissions Test, this past offseason, and I did very well on it. So that’s good. That’s good for five years, so if something happens with baseball, if it doesn’t work out, I can go to law school. I can apply whenever I want over the next five years.” Certainly not a bad fallback plan! Learning that Wheeler is a fellow math minor makes me a big supporter. However, it is clear that his biggest support comes from his family, and in particular, his brother. Ryan Wheeler was the Arizona Diamondbacks fifth round pick in 2009, also out of Loyola Marymount. Unlike Jason, he is a position player, and in July of 2012, he made his Major League debut with the Diamondbacks. He played in 50 games for the team. Following the season, he was traded to the Rockies for left-handed pitcher Matt Reynolds. In 2013, he played in 28 games for the Rockies. He began the 2014 season with the Rockies AAA affiliate in Colorado Springs. Jason Wheeler and I were originally scheduled to chat on Friday afternoon, but it was pushed back one day for very good reason. “I was just on the phone with him for an hour. He was just called up to the Rockies. He got a hit, a hard line drive for a pinch-hit single. Right now, he’s commuting from Colorado Springs, which is about an hour and a half drive to Denver because that’s where their AAA team is, and so he’s called the last two days and we’ve talked for an hour, hour and a half.” On Saturday, he started and went 1-3 with his first home run of the season (and second of his career). So, what do the two brothers talk about during their conversations? “We don’t talk baseball too much, to tell you the truth. He’s a position player so we, we’ll talk about his at bats, or we’ll talk when I have a start. We don’t talk too much about the lifestyle and baseball itself because we live it every day. But it’s just good to talk to him,” Wheeler continued, “But it’s not really baseball. It’s just kind of talking, hanging out, he’s probably my best friend. We’ve got a small group of really good, close friends. It’s good that we are together in that circle.” So what are some of Wheeler’s goals for the 2014 season? “Obviously it would be nice to be recognized as an All-Star in the High-A League if I’m here long enough. That’s not everything. Those accolades, like I mentioned earlier, you’re not really here to be the best High-A pitcher. I want to get better. I want to move up. I want to keep going. I want to push myself through the organization and move some people out of the way that are above me and that’s only going to happen if I keep getting better.” Hopefully that will mean a promotion to AA New Britain. “That’s obviously a main goal (to get to New Britain). I just want to go out and get better. That’s kind of the big thing.” That promotion should be coming soon. One would think that Wheeler would be the next starting pitcher promoted from Ft. Myers to New Britain. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this opportunity to get to know a Twins prospect who has a chance to work his way up the system and could reach the big leagues. Feel free to comment.

If you take a look at the Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month for April 2013, you will see some absolutely remarkable statistics put up by the likes of Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Josmil Pinto, Eddie Rosario and Adam Walker. Buxton and Sano have not played due to injury. Rosario is serving a suspension. Pinto is up with the big league club, hitting pretty well. Adam Walker has struggled in April, but he does have five home runs. I don’t know if any of the top five on this list would have appeared in that report, but there were a few really strong offensive performances in the Twins system in this season’s first month. Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in April: Number 5 – Ft. Myers – Travis Harrison - (28-87) .322/.368/.471 (.840) with eight doubles, one triple, one home run and 15 RBI. Harrison got off to a slow start this year. Through the first ten days, he struggled to get on base. However, he has been on fire during the second half of the month. A move to left field (from third base) has likely created some challenges. Once he started hitting, he transitioned from the bottom of the order to batting second. He’s hit doubles, and I believe he has the potential to bust out soon with a lot of home runs. He’s also sneaky-quick on the base paths, a very smart ball player. Number 4 – Rochester – Doug Bernier – (20-56) .357/.431/.571 (1.002) with six doubles, two home runs and nine RBI. Bernier was one of the great, positive stories of the 2013 Minnesota Twins season. The 33-year-old had a two-game cup of coffee with the Rockies in 2008. He didn’t give up on his dream and got to spend the second half of the season with the Twins. He returns to Rochester where he has been playing all over the baseball field, including in the corner outfield spots. He is also off to a terrific start with the lumber, specifically showing a lot of extra base hits. Number 3 - Rochester – Chris Parmelee - (30-92) .326/.382/.511 (.893) with five doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI. Parmelee, the former first round pick, had to be frustrated this spring when the Twins designated him for assignment to remove him from the 40 man roster. No team claimed him and he reported to the Red Wings. He didn’t start out hitting much, but he came on really strong late in the month. He ended the month on a 13-game hitting streak (which he extended on Thursday) and showed more of his power. Last weekend, one of his home runs was a walk-off for the Red Wings. Number 2 – Jorge Polanco – Ft. Myers Miracle - (32-93) .344/.421/.495 (.915) with six doubles, one triple, two home runs and 15 RBI. Remember when the early reports on Jorge Polanco, when the team signed him as a 16-year-old, he was known for his glove. And, he does play good defense. However, this spring, they have decided to move him to shortstop at least for the time being and he has really struggled. He has not struggled at all with the bat. He is a top of the order bat. He takes quality at-bats and has good extra base power. In my opinion, the purpose of moving Polanco to shortstop is to give him a more clear path to the big leagues now that Brian Dozier has taken over at second base. That alone tells us how much the organization believes in him. The April Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Ft. Myers Miracle C/1B Mitch Garver (25-78) .321/.413/.628 (1.041) with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and 15 RBI. Garver was a fourth-year senior selected in the 9th round last year out of New Mexico. He was runner-up for the 2013 Johnny Bench Award. Fellow Twins 2013 draft pick Stuart Turner won the award. Often a four-year senior taken in the top ten rounds is strategic. They don’t have much leverage, so they can be signed for less than slot value which allows the team to go above in other places. That said, Garver had a strong career in college and he has a strong bat. He showed that offensive potential in the month of April. Though he went hitless in his first game, he went on a strong run for the next two weeks. He hit for a lot of power and showed a willingness to take walks. He leads the Midwest League in several power categories including extra base hits, total bases and home runs. Drafted as a catcher, Garver spent a lot of time in spring training working with Tom Kelly at first base. He’s been a mainstay in the middle of the Kernels lineup. There were several solid performances in April that weren’t included in the Top Five. Here are some Honorable Mentions who just missed out on the Top Five. Kennys Vargas (22-79) .278/.363/.443 (.806) with four doubles, three homers and 12 RBI. Tanner Vavra (22-64) .344/.391/.438 (.829) with six doubles and eight RBI. Zack Larson (27-88) .307/.351/.455 (.806) with 10 doubles, one home run and 13 RBI. Feel free to comment and discuss.

From a source with direct knowledge, Twins Daily has learned that LHP Logan Darnell is on his way to the Twins Cities and will be with the Twins on Friday night. The other half of the transaction is not presently known. A player from the current 25-man roster will need to be optioned or placed on the disabled list to make room for Darnell. The Twins will re-evaluate Aaron Hicks on Friday morning, and he could be placed on the 7 day concussion list. They could also option a reliever to Rochester. After the second game on Thursday night, Game 2 starter and 26th man Kris Johnson was sent back to Rochester. The Minnesota Twins are in need of an arm on Friday and throughout this weekend. With the rainouts and Thursday's doubleheader, there could have been issues. However, when neither of Thursday's starters went beyond five innings, the bullpen was all overused. Jared Burton pitched in both games. Sam Deduno and Anthony Swarzak, the long-relievers, both threw a lot of pitches. Brian Duensing threw on Wednesday and a lot of pitches again on Thursday. The Twins need an arm. Darnell was scheduled to start for Rochester on Saturday, so he would be capable of eating extended innings if needed. Of course, it would be ideal if Ricky Nolasco would throw seven, eight or even nine innings on Friday night against Baltimore, but the Twins have to be prepared for that not happening. Yesterday, I named Darnell the Minnesota Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month of April. In four starts, he went 0-0 but posted an ERA of 1.69 and a WHIP of 1.03. He worked 21.1 innings and gave up 15 hits, walked seven and struck out 21. Darnell was drafted by the Twins in the 6th round of the 2009 draft. He played college ball at the University of Kentucky where he was a teammate of former Twins pitcher Andrew Albers as well as potential Twins pitchers Alex Meyer and Taylor Rogers. Injured Ft. Myers outfielder Lance Ray and former Twins farmhand Gunner Glad also played at Kentucky with Darnell. In December, I had the opportunity to talk to Kentucky head coach Gary Henderson about these players, and he had wonderful things to say about Logan Darnell. After signing, Darnell went to Elizabethton. In 2011, his first full season, he made six starts for Beloit, 15 starts in Ft. Myers and then five starts with New Britain. He spent the entire 2012 season with the Rock Cats and then went to the Arizona Fall League. He started 2013 in New Britain as well. When he was pitching very well in mid season, he earned the promotion to Rochester. Following the season, he was added to the 40 man roster. This spring he participated in his first big league spring training and was optioned in early March so he could be stretched out and prepared to start. Darnell most likely will only be with the Twins for the weekend. However, can you imagine getting that phone call, likely very late at night, that you were going to the big leagues? Learning that you are about to live your dream has to be a remarkable moment.