Seth Stohs

On Thursday, we posted the choices for Twins Minor League Starting Pitchers of the Month for April. Now, we will jump into the top performing relievers in April. Check back later today when the Hitters of the month of April will be recognized. Relief pitchers often go unrecognized unless they don’t do their job. However, in April, when starters are on pitch counts and may not always go even to the fifth inning, they are very important. Today, we’ll look at the top relievers in the Twins farm system in April. Number 5 – New Britain – Cole Johnson- 1.74 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 7 H, 7 BB, 11 K Johnson is the first of two relievers in this top five list who was drafted in a round that no longer exists. He was the Twins 44th round pick in 2011 out of Notre Dame. He pitched a handful of innings as a starter in Beloit in 2012, but he has been very good in the bullpen ever since. He spent just 13 games with Ft. Myers last year before ending with 28 outings for the Rock Cats. That’s where he started this season, and he has been very good in the early going. A few fewer walks would be very good though. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – Brandon Peterson – 0.84 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 10.2 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 16 K Peterson is a Minnesota native, having played his high school ball at Burnsville. After spending some time at Des Moines CC, he transferred to Wichita State. Following the 2013 season, he was selected in the 13th round by the Twins. He struck out 40 batters in 27.1 innings last year in Elizabethton. He moved up to Cedar Rapids and had a strong first month posting sub-1.00 ERA and WHIP while not walking many and striking out more than 1.5 per inning. Pretty impressive! Number 3 – New Britain – Lester Oliveros – 0.00 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 9.1 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 10 K In 2013, Oliveros pitched just 6.1 innings of rehab in the GCL after having Tommy John surgery late in the 2012 season. The hard-thrower is in New Britain to get his work in and continue the process of his return. To say the least, so far so good. Though he’s really only pitched one inning at a time, he has been very impressive. He is yet to allow a run and is striking out over one batter per inning. As he continues to gain strength, it won’t (or at least shouldn’t) be too long before he gets back up to Rochester. Number 2 – New Britain/Rochester – AJ Achter – 1.10 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 20 K Like Johnson, Achter was drafted in a round that no longer takes place. He was the Twins 46th round pick in 2009 out of Michigan State. He was my choice for Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2012 when he split the season between Beloit and Ft. Myers. He was almost as good in 2013 when he split the season between New Britain and Rochester. He ended the season in the Arizona Fall League. Certainly it was just about roster spots that Achter returned to New Britain, but it was a given that as soon as a spot opened in Rochester, he would take it. That came after just three appearances with the Rock Cats. He didn’t mope, he went out and dominated. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester – Yohan Pino – 1.17 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, 23.0 IP, 12 H, 7 BB, 27 K Yohan Pino photo courtesy Rochester Red Wings There was no question that the overall pitcher of the month (and maybe the player of the month) in the Twins farm system in April was Yohan Pino. Should he be categorized with the starters (he does have more innings pitched than most starters in the organization) or the relievers (he’s made four bullpen appearances and two spot starts)? Of course, in one of those starts, he threw a seven-inning, complete game shutout. This offseason, the Twins brought him back, signing the veteran free agent to a minor league contract. Ten years earlier, 2004, the Twins had signed Pino out of Venezuela. That summer, he was the Dominican Summer League Pitcher of the Year. In 2005, he was in Elizabethton where he went 9-2 with 64 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. In 2006, he went 14-2 with a 1.91 ERA, primarily out of the Beloit bullpen, though he ended the season making seven starts. That’s the role he has had ever since, splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. He got up to Rochester in 2009, but in late August, he was sent to Cleveland in exchange for Carl Pavano. In early 2011, he went to the Blue Jays organization. He was there until this spring when he was invited to Twins spring training. Maybe Yohan Pino should be in his own category. Either way, he deserves to be recognized for a tremendous opening month. Quickly, here are some Honorable Mentions, a few guys worthy of recognition: [*=1]Matt Hoffman – Rochester – 0.96 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 9.1 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 8 K [*=1]Madison Boer – Ft. Myers – 1.00 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.0 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 1 K [*=1]David Hurlbut – Ft. Myers – 1.59 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 17.0 IP, 16 H, 7 BB, 6 K [*=1]Brandon Bixler – Cedar Rapids – 0.73 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 7 H, 9 BB, 14 K Relief pitchers often don’t get the recognition they deserve. They are generally unnoticed unless things go bad. That’s why we recognize the relief pitchers here. Each of these pitchers did his job, and they all did it well. Later today, check back for the April Hitters of the Month.

Maybe it’s the weather, but it’s hard to believe we are now in May. One month of the season is already complete. That means it is time to determine our Hitter and Pitcher of the Month. If you’ve been following the Twins Minor League Reports each day of the season, you’ve noticed that there are seemingly great starts each night, often two or three. And hey, pitching is what wins games, right? So let’s start with the starting pitchers. As we have done in past years, aside from just picking the top pitcher, we’ll count down the top five performers for the month. It’s always nice when we have a few extra strong performers. This month, ranking the pitchers was difficult. There were a lot of strong, solid performers, so feel free to discuss the rankings and even comment with your own rankings or thoughts. With that, let's jump to the starting pitchers. Here are the Top 5 starting pitchers for April: Number 5 – Rochester – Kris Johnson - 4 GS, 2-2, 2.86 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 22.0 IP, 18 H, 18 BB, 20 K On Thursday night, Kris Johnson will make his Minnesota Twins debut. In 2013, he made his big league debut and pitched in four games for the Pittsburgh Pirates including one start. He came to the Twins this offseason in a trade with the Pirates in exchange for reliever Duke Welker (remember the Duke Welker-Twins Era?). His 2.39 ERA for Louisville last year led the International League, and he is off to a strong start in 2014. In his first start, he threw five shutout innings, allowing just two hits. In his most recent start (last Thursday), he gave up only an unearned run in six innings. The left-hander sits 91-92 with his fastball and has a good three-pitch mix. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – Brett Lee - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.93 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 30.2 IP, 31 H, 7 BB, 15 K Following last season, Lee was my pick for the pitcher to take a big step forward as a prospect in 2014. The 23-year-old put together a solid first month of the season. If nothing else, he was very consistent. He gave up two earned runs in all five of his starts. In these games, he went 5.2 innings, then six, six, six and seven innings. The lefty was the Twins 10th round pick in 2010 out of junior college. In 2012 at Elizabethton, he posted a 2.68 ERA. In 2013 in Cedar Rapids, he posted a 2.95 ERA. So, Mr. Consistent’s 2.93 ERA in April shouldn’t be too surprising. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – Aaron Slegers - 5 GS, 2-0, 3.14 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 28.2 IP, 24 H, 4 BB, 27 K The 6-10 Slegers was the Twins 5th round pick just last year out of the University of Indiana where he was the 2013 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. After a very solid performance in Elizabethton last summer, Slegers was the Kernels’ Opening Day starter. Since signing, Slegers has been able to add a little bit of velocity. He’s got pitches, and he’s got really good control. He doesn’t walk batters, and he was able to get strikeouts as well. If he can continue this for another month, he will likely move up to the Miracle. Number 2 – Rochester – Alex Meyer - 5 GS, 1-0, 2.70 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 11 H, 11 BB, 35 K Maybe you’ve heard or read a lot about Alex Meyer in the last couple weeks. The 24-year-old Meyer came to the Twins for Denard Span. He’s tall. He sits 95-96 and hits 99 and even 100. He has a devastating slider. And now he's learned a new changeup grip from Yohan Pino and Deolis Guerra. He’s got Ace upside. He has been really good in four of his five starts. He had a clunker in his third, but in his last two starts, he has been absolutely dominant. He’s got things to work on, but he can be very special. I asked Dan Rohlfing, the talented catcher who caught those last two starts about Meyer, and here’s what he had to say: “Alex is electric! There’s definitely not many guys who can do what he does with a baseball. It’s awesome to watch him go from a thrower to a pitcher. He is really starting to figure a lot of things out. By him learning (and trusting) to pitch inside and developing a quality change-up makes him that much more dangerous. We all know his curveball is filthy, and it’s becoming much more consistent as well. By him being a three-pitch pitcher now, who knows how to mix it up, makes it extremely unfair for hitters. His last two outings were dominant, to say the least.” And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: Rochester – Logan Darnell - 4 GS, 0-0, 1.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 21.1 IP, 15 H, 7 BB, 21 K Logan Darnell was the team’s 6th round pick in the 2010 draft out of the University of Kentucky where he was a teammate of Alex Meyer. He pitched at three levels in 2011 (Beloit, Ft. Myers and New Britain). He spent all of 2012, and the first two-thirds of the 2013 with the Rock Cats. He ended last season with 12 starts in Rochester. Following the season, he was added to the 40-man roster and this spring he reported for his first major league camp. He was one of the first cuts, but he was able to stretch out and be ready for the start of the season. In his first start, he worked four innings and gave up only an unearned run. He’s given up just four earned runs over 17.1 innings in his other three starts. He has been consistent, and he’s started getting strikeouts for the first time in his career. Last June, following his promotion to AAA, he talked to Twins Daily about what he throws, what he’s learned, pitching in the Arizona Fall League and much more. There were a lot of very good starting pitching performances in April. It was difficult to rank the five above, and here are a few more starters who were strongly considered: [*=1]Pat Dean – New Britain – 5 GS, 25.2 IP, 2-1, 3.51 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 27 H, 7 BB, 20 K [*=1]Jason Wheeler – Ft. Myers – 5 GS, 30.0 IP, 2-1, 2.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 32 H, 7 BB, 14 K [*=1]Tyler Duffey – Ft. Myers – 4 GS, 22.1 IP, 3-0, 2.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 22 H, 5 BB, 13 K [*=1]Ethan Mildren – Cedar Rapids – 4 G, 3 GS, 18.0 IP, 0-1, 2.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 17 H, 2 BB, 18 K We’ll be back tomorrow to discuss the Relief Pitcher and Hitter of the Month. Please feel free to comment and ask questions.

It was a very quiet night in the Twins organization on Wednesday. The Twins and Dodgers were able to get their game in. It was the first time the Twins had played since Saturday. In the minor leagues, the Ft. Myers Miracle played and got another quality start from a guy who has done that all season. There was one scheduled day off and two teams were rained out. And due to the quiet Wednesday, it is going to a big schedule on Thursday. The Twins and Dodgers will play a day-night doubleheader. The two affiliates that were rained out Wednesday will also play two games on Thursday. We have reached the end of April, the end of the first month of the season. In the next couple days, I will be posting my choices for Twins minor league starting pitcher, relief pitcher and hitter of the month. RED WINGS REPORT The Rochester Red Wings had a scheduled off day. ROCK CATS REVIEW New Britain, Harrisburg The Rock Cats game in Harrisburg was postponed due to rain. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Bradenton 2 Box Score The Miracle got yet another quality start from Brett Lee in this one and got some big hits to capture the win. The southpaw from Florida worked the first seven innings. He gave up two runs on nine hits. He walked one and struck out five. Brian Gilbert came on for the 8th inning. Coming into the outing, he had just four strikeouts in 10.1 innings. In his two innings on Wednesday night, he gave up one hit, walked none and struck out five to record his fourth save. Max Kepler led the offense. He went 2-2 and walked twice. He hit a triple and drove in two runs. Niko Goodrum was 2-4. Levi Michael was 2-5 with a triple and two RBI. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids, Kane County The Kernels game against Kane County was rained out. They’ll play two games on Thursday. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Brett Lee, Ft. Myers Miracle Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Max Kepler, Ft. Myers Miracle MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Louisville @ Rochester (6:05 CST) – Trevor May (Listen) New Britain @ Harrisburg (2 games, 4:30 CST) – Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey (Listen) Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach (5:35 CST) – JO Berrios (Listen) Kane County @ Cedar Rapids (5:00 CST) – Josue Montanez, Kohl Stewart (Listen) Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday game.

When Alex Meyer was asked, at Twins Fest, when he would like to make his big league debut with the Twins, he was pretty honest yet realistic. “I hope the first day, the first game of the season. Realistically, it’s nothing I can control. I’m just trying to make it tough for them.” And yet, he does have some control over it. He can perform. On Monday night, in front of Twins assistant GM Rob Antony, Meyer did a great job of making the decision to keep Meyer at AAA much more difficult. Facing Charlotte, the AAA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, Meyer went six shutout innings and earned his first AAA win. He gave up two hits, walked three and struck out 11. In his previous start, at Pawtucket, he gave up three hits and walked three batters in 6.2 scoreless innings. He struck out 11 batters in that game, too. Just so you don’t have to do the math yourself, that is 12.2 innings, five hits, six walks and 22 strikeouts over two starts. He is making it tough on the Twins front office. Fans see those back-to-back shutouts in the box score. They’ve heard his name. They’ve read about the fastball that touches 100 mph (and the slider, and this new changeup grip taught to him by Red Wings teammates Yohan Pino and Deolis Guerra). They know that the Twins gave up Denard Span for him. Oh, and Twins fans have watched the current starting staff of the Twins post an ERA of 6.04, second worst in baseball. There are legitimate reasons to keep Meyer down for a little longer: First, we have to remember that he was limited to just 70 regular season innings last season because of a shoulder injury that cost him two months of his season. He threw more, and very well, in the Arizona Fall League, but overall, he worked fewer than 100 innings in 2012 so they do need to be supremely cautious with him. Second, although he has generally had pretty good control through his minor league career, he does have 11 walks in 26.2 innings on the season. He had 10 walks over his last three starts (16.1 innings). That is concerning since big league hitters are more patient and will be able to better determine which pitch he is throwing. As Twins hitters have shown this year, the “Walks Will Haunt” cliché is true. He has been using his new changeup grip for two starts now and the results have been quite favorable. However, having that pitch be a consistent pitch is really important. A third dominant pitch could make him an All-Star. It would not hurt at all to let him work on that pitch for another two or three starts. Of course, there is the business side of the game of baseball as well. That said, if the Twins called up Alex Meyer to make his major league debut on Sunday against the Orioles, he would be a four-year arbitration guy, but the Twins would control him for an extra season. Of course, the Twins have proven over and over in the past that they don’t often make decisions based on service time. However, Alex Meyer’s agent is Scott Boras, who generally is against long term deals before free agency, so it has to come in to play. To keep him away from arbitration for an extra year, the Twins would have to wait until early-to-mid June. Meyer is not on the 40-man roster. The Twins are currently at 40 men on the roster, so someone would either need to be designated for assignment or traded (the market for the trade-worthy options is quite limited). There are plenty of options to be DFA'ed on the 40-man roster, so this is a pretty minor inconvenience. Lefties Kris Johnson and Logan Darnell are both pitching well in Rochester as well, and they are on the 40-man roster. Darnell's season ERA is just 1.69 and he has 21 strikeouts (and just seven walks) in 21.1 innings. Johnson has a 2.86 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 22 innings. More importantly, you want to make sure Meyer is ready and doesn’t need to be sent down. You would want him to stay with the big league club and not use up an option to send him down. Again, this is hopefully a minor concern as you hope he would not need options in 2015 or 2016 or beyond anyway. Now, for the reasons why Alex Meyer should be promoted to the Twins. These are much more fun. Reason Number One… have you seen the Minnesota Twins starting rotation so far this spring? Kyle Gibson has made three (of four) solid starts. Phil Hughes' last two starts have been good. Ricky Nolasco has had one good start. However, the Twins starting rotation has an ERA greater than six, which is just awful. Kevin Correia is reminding Twins fans that although he was quite solid in 2013, we never understood that second season on his contract. Mike Pelfrey has been awful, and Twins fans are wondering loudly why he was signed at all, much less to the two year contract he did receive. The strikeouts are something we have seen very little of from a starting pitcher since about 2006 when Johan Santana and a rookie Francisco Liriano were dominating the league. The rotation is averaging an MLB-worst 5.12 K/9. Alex Meyer may walk too many when called up initially, but he will also miss a lot of bats. He is a guy who, even right now, could likely strike out eight batters per nine innings. Alex Meyer is going to be 24 years old through this season. He’s not a 19 year old kid. Meyer is very mature and credits his time at the University of Kentucky for helping him with that. There is no question that Will Middlebrooks was right to question whether there were actually five starters in Minnesota better than Alex Meyer. As I’ve pointed out before, I honestly don’t think there is even one starting pitcher in the Twins rotation who is better than Meyer right now. His upside is Justin Verlander. He is a potential Cy Young-caliber talent. Those guys are good to have in a big league rotation. This should NOT be a reason to call him up, but when he makes his big league debut, Target Field will be electric. He’s one of those players who will bring people in and fans can really be excited about. As easy as we like to think the decision to call up Alex Meyer right now is, it’s not. A lot has to go into it. The most important things that have to be considered when talking about whether Meyer should be called up now or in a month is what is best for Alex Meyer and the Twins. What is going to make Alex Meyer the best he can be? Is he going to be hurt by making three to five more AAA starts? Of course not. There is no negative to it. Would it hurt his long-term development if he is called up too early? I don’t know. No one knows. That’s why there is no “right” answer to this situation. With top pitching prospects, teams have used different strategies for when to call them up. Both sides of the argument have had successes and failures. It has to be a decision dependent on the individual. One thing I do know is that I personally can’t wait until Alex Meyer is in the Twins starting rotation. I think most of us can agree on that. Also at Twins Fest, Meyer said, “I want to show that whenever they’re ready for somebody, I’m just hoping that I’m the guy that is ready to come up.” At the very least, he’s done that! Feel free to discuss, and make your projection for when Alex Meyer is promoted to the Minnesota Twins. I'll say... June 6.