Seth Stohs

Every year, every MLB team fills out their 40 man roster. As that is happening, they are also adding minor league free agents and offering them nothing more than an invitation to big league spring training. That is enough to be seen, to get an opportunity. Generally speaking, news of these minor league signings is treated fairly ho-hum. However, the last few years, the Minnesota Twins have done a great job of adding veteran minor league talent. Usually, those players are guys who help the AA and AAA rosters by providing experience and to fill gaps in the minor league system. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] However, the Twins have had much success in recent years in the free agency realm. Consider in 2011, the Twins signed Caleb Thielbar as a minor league free agent in August. The story has become famous, but right before spring training that year, the Twins signed Andrew Albers. The Twins had a tremendous year of minor league signings prior to the 2012 season. Sure, there were a couple that didn't make it, but the Twins front office deserves credit for targeting some very good players. Here's a look at the Twins minor league signings for 2012: No Time With Twins Steve Pearce - The 1B/OF signed with the Twins, but he spent most of that spring training hurt and was let go before the end of spring training. He went on to spend time in the big leagues with the Orioles, Astros and Yankees. Brendan Wise - The right-handed pitcher from Australia had been terrific in AAA for the Tigers the two previous seasons, but he struggled with Rochester. JR Towles - The catcher who was a former top prospect caused some excitement when the Twins signed him. However, he did very little in AAA and was hurt for a large part of the season. Luke French - The former big league southpaw signed with the Twins and was tremendous early in New Britain. However, he was pretty poor in AAA and went back to the Rock Cats. Cups of Coffee Matt Carson - The 30+ outfielder had spent time in the big leagues with the A's. He was a very solid performer for the Red Wings, and when he was called up to the Twins late in the season, he got 66 at bats. Luis Perdomo - He had spent time with the Padres in 2009 and 2010. He was terrific for New Britain and Rochester in 2012 and earned his promotion to the Twins. However, with the Twins he had no control. He resigned with the Twins this spring but has been inconsistent in the Red Wings bullpen. Sean Burroughs - The former Little League World Series hero signed a minor league deal with the Twins and made the Opening Day roster. He got just 18 plate appearances before being DFAd and sent to Rochester where he spent he rest of the season. Wilkin Ramirez - The Twins actually signed Ramirez before the 2012 season. The former top prospect of the Tigers had spent big league time with Detroit and Atlanta. An injury in spring training meant his season started late, but he showed good power when healthy. This spring, he made the Twins roster out of spring training as an extra outfielder. He missed about two months due to a concussion and has just returned to the Twins. Chris Colabello - The story is well known. The Twins signed Colabello out of the Can-Am League before the 2012 season, and he hit well in New Britain. This spring, he played in the WBC and went to big league camp. He put up incredible numbers in Rochester this season and has been recalled to the Twins several times this season. Can he be part of the future? That will be determined, likely, over the next two months. Majors Contributors PJ Walters - He was signed by the Twins before the 2012 season. The former prospect pitched well enough in the spring and then in Rochester to get a call up. He pitched well until he was injured and then struggled in his return. The same thing happened this year. He went to Rochester and was summoned back to the Twins. In total, he has made 20 starts and pitched 101 innings for the Twins in the past two seasons. Sam Deduno - The enigmatic right-hander had spent time with the Rockies and the Padres in 2010 and 2011, respectively, before the Twins signed him before the 2012 season. Control had plagued him, but he pitched well enough, and the Twins' need was big enough that he got an opportunity. The Twins DFAd him after the season, but then resigned him to a minor league deal. This spring, he was a WBC hero for the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, he was injured and started the season late. Once he started pitching, it didn't take long for him to get moved up to the Twins. He has gone from walking 6.0 per nine to just 3.4 per nine. He has reduced his HR rate from 1.1 to 0.5. He is looking like a long-term middle of the rotation type. He's now made 29 starts for the Twins and worked 167 innings. Jared Burton - Burton was a very good reliever for the Reds when he was healthy. After missing the majority of two seasons, the Twins signed him to a minor league season. Last year, he was so good in a set up role that the Twins signed him to a two year extension. Although he struggled for a few weeks this season, he has again been very good. He has now pitched in 113 innings in 118 games for the Twins. Casey Fien - Fien had spent time with the Tigers before signing as a minor league free agent before the 2012 season. Though he started off slow at Rochester, he came on very strong for the Red Wings. He was promoted to the Twins and ever since he has been one of the best relievers in the league. In 90 games and 84.1 innings, he has posted a 2.56 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. I'd say that was a pretty strong minor league free agent class. The 2012 class includes Twins infielder Doug Bernier. At Rochester, Jeff Clement has hit in the middle of the order and Antoan Richardson has been a terrific leadoff hitter. Also consider that Josmil Pinto, Deibinson Romero and Edgar Ibarra all had the opportunity to become free agents last winter but chose to stay with the Twins. Obviously it is not an ideal situation to get so much big league playing time from free minor league free agents. Having three players with ties to independent league, along with a 33-year-old journeyman, and several DFA claims that have played a lot. However, these often are the best stories in baseball as we have seen with Albers, Colabello, Thielbar and others. However, minor league free agency can be an important part of roster building for major league teams. It is one area where the Twins have been quite successful.

Two starting pitchers that began the season in the Minnesota Twins starting rotation pitched very well in the minor leagues on Sunday. That’s probably a big part of the story of the Twins 2013 season. Scott Diamond pitched one whale of a game for the Red Wings while Cole De Vries pitched five very good innings in Ft. Myers. The Twins traded Jamey Carroll on Sunday, and one of the candidates to replace him on the roster had a big game for the Red Wings as well. Miguel Sano continued to mash. There were several firsts in Elizabethton on this night. Speaking of firsts, congratulations to Cedar Rapids’ Adam Walker who became the first player in minor league baseball to tally 100 RBI this season. See what else happened in the Twins farm system on Sunday. Rochester Red Wings 5, Norfolk Tides 0 BoxScore Scott Diamond was sent to AAA, and the hope would be that he would pitch well and quickly return. On Sunday, the lefty threw a complete game shutout. He needed just 106 pitches, and 73 of them were strikes. He gave up just five hits, walked none and struck out four. Eduardo Escobar apparently wants to return to the Twins. Theinfielder went 4-5 with his ninth and tenth doubles, and his fourth stolen base. Deibinson Romero went 2-3 with two walks and a triple. Eric Farris went 2-4 with his 21st stolen base. Ray Olmedo went 2-4. New Britain Rock Cats 5, Reading Fightin Phils 14 BoxScore The Miguel Sano Show just continues, but on this night, the offense was not enough to overcome some poor defense. Matt Summers made the start and went four innings. He gave up five runs on nine hits. He walked one, hit one and did not strike out any. Jose Gonzalez came on and gave up five runs, but just one was earned, in 0.2 innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and hit one. Matt Hauser came in and gave up a home run before getting the final out. Dan Sattler struck out two in his perfect inning. Blake Martin gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out four. Sano went 2-5 with his 11th double and 13th home run. It was his 29th combined homer. Dan Rohlfing went 3-5. Reynaldo Rodriguez hit his 18th home run. Jordan Parraz hit his 11thhomer. Ft. Myers Miracle 3, Jupiter Hammerheads 1 BoxScore The Miracle got two wins on the day. They finished a game started on June 28th. Steve Gruver went three innings, and then Chad Rodgers went the final 3.2 innings. Kennys Vargas led the offense by going 2-4. The regularly scheduled game became a seven-inning game.Cole De Vries got the start and went five shutout innings. He gave up just two hits, walked none and struck out four. Adrian Salcedo gets the save as he gave up an unearned run over the final two innings. He gave up two hits and walked one. Stephen Wickens went 2-4 with his 15th double. Dalton Hicks went 2-3 with his third double and two RBI. Cedar Rapids Kernels 8, Kane County Cougars 4 BoxScore If there was a race to 100 RBI in the entire minor leagues, the winner would be the Kernels’ Adam Walker. On Sunday, he went 2-4 with his seventh triple and his 26th home run. The homer went over the batter’s eye in centerfield, and drove in three runs. It accounted for his 100th, 101st, and 102nd RBI. Jorge Polanco went 2-4 with his 30thdouble. Travis Harrison went 2-5 with his 28th double. Jonathan Murphy went 2-5. Hudson Boyd returned to the starting rotation for the Kernels. He went 2.2 innings. He gave up just one run on two hits. He walked six batters and struck out two. Christian Powell came on and went the next 4.1 innings. He gave up three runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out four. Alex Muren recorded his second save. He struck out two over two one-hit innings. Elizabethton Twins 12,Burlington Royals 5 BoxScore Down 5-4 heading into the 7th inning, the E-Twins scored seven runs in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach. Stuart Turner went 2-4 with two walks, his fifth double and his first home run. Tanner Vavra went 2-4 with a walk. Zach Granite went 2-5 with a walk. Zach Larson went 2-5. Ryan Walker went 1-3 with three walks and his third and fourth stolen base. Rory Rhodes had just one hit, but his grand slam was the biggest hit of the game. Yorman Landa started and went the first four innings. He gave up five runs (3 earned) on seven hits and three walks. He struck out two. Tanner Mendonca got his first win. He came in in relief. He threw two scoreless innings and gave up one hit, walked one and struck out two. Aaron Slegers recorded his first save. He struck out three over three perfect innings. GCL Twins No Game Scheduled. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below.

The Minnesota Twins have announced the they have traded infielder Jamey Carroll to the Kansas City Royals. He gives the Royals depth in the middle infielder. The Twins will receive a Player to be Named Later or Cash. Carroll signed a two-year contract with the Twins in November of 2011. The 39 year old started his stint with the Twins as their shortstop before moving over to second base. This year, he has been a utility infielder and played in a limited basis.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I'm certain it is no coincidence that he has played quite a bit more in recent weeks, particularly at third base. Likely the Twins were trying to increase his value, maybe in an attempt to get an actually Player (to be named later) rather than just Cash. Trading within the division has become more commonplace for the Twins in recent years. Last year, they traded Francisco Liriano to the White Sox. Two years ago, the Twins traded Delmon Young to the Tigers. Three years ago, the Twins received Carl Pavano from Cleveland. The Twins have now traded the #1 and #5 players from the list I wrote at the July trade deadline of players most likely to be traded. This is a good situation for Carroll, a classy veteran who gets a chance to play on a competing team.