Seth Stohs

When it comes to blame for what has happened the last two-plus seasons, I'd put Gardy at about 10% of the blame, if that. However, at this point, if they made a change, I wouldn't be outraged by any means. With these rosters, no manager would have this team winning more than 81 games. As Phil Mackey tweeted shortly ago: No. People forget, Joe Torre was not considered a 'great' manager until he went to the Yankees and had that roster. But again, if it happened, I wouldn't complain. In fact, I might be happy for him.

Hendriks had his elbow cleaned up, just like Worley, Diamond, etc. It's amazing to m how so many seem to have given up on him when he's still just 24 years old. With how well he's pitching, he should be the next one to come up when needed.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2061-Trade-Talk-Arizona-Diamondbacks

Buyers or Sellers They’re buyers. The Diamondbacks currently hold a 2.5 game lead in the National League Western Division over the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, their 47 victories is the lowest of any division leader at this time. They’ll want to hold off the Dodgers, but the Rockies are just 4.5 games back, and giving up on the Giants (who are 6.5 games back) would probably not be wise either. What They Need Heath Bell is their closer. The 35-year-old veteran has 15 saves this year, but he also has a 4.59 ERA and a WHIP of 1.50. David Hernandez was a terrific set up man last year for the D-Backs, but this year, he has a 4.58 ERA. Veteran lefty Tony Sipp has an ERA of 4.10 ERA and a WHIP of 1.44. It doesn’t look like the Diamondbacks would need to make a move for a starting bat, though they may be interested in more depth. The three starters with the lowest OPS are catcher Miguel Montero, 3B Martin Prado and outfielder Jason Kubel. I think each of them will continue to play as they are veterans who have performed in the past. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4779[/ATTACH] What Might Work The Diamondbacks biggest needs are in the bullpen. Could they be a player for Glen Perkins? Most likely not as the Diamondbacks may not have many high-end prospects that they would be willing to deal for anyone. They aren’t likely to trade lefty Tyler Skaggs. Archie Bradley is certainly not available in any deal. Would the D-Backs see guys like Jared Burton or Brian Duensing as bullpen arms that could help them down the stretch? Both are also under team control for at least one more year. Sleeper Targets Jake Barrett –RHP – AA – 21 years old Barrett will turn 22 years old this month. The relief pitcher was the team’s third round pick in 2012 out of Arizona State. He began the season in Hi-A and was moved up to AA at the end of June. Overall, he is 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in 33 relief appearances. In 32.2 innings, he has given up 23 hits, walked ten and struck out 38. His fastball is clocked at 93-96 mph, but he has even touched 98 at times. Kevin Munson – RHP – AA – 24 years old Another reliever, Munson was promoted to AAA at the end of June. He was the AA closer and limited opponents to just a .157 batting average. Overall, he is 2-3 with a 3.35 ERA. In 37.2 innings, he has given up 22 hits, walked 17 and struck out 47. He does that with a fastball that runs at 91-95 mph. Chris Owings – SS – AAA – 22 years old This shortstop is almost allergic to walking, but he is young and putting up impressive numbers, albeit in the Pacific Coast League. The former (2009) supplemental 1st round pick is hitting .354/.375/.506 (.881) with 23 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs and 64 RBI. He also has 15 stolen bases. Of course, he has walked just 13 times all season, but he is at least intriguing. Dream Target Tyler Skaggs – LHP – MLB –22 years old Yes, this is absolutely a pipe dream. However, if the Twins are going to consider trading closer Glen Perkins (and his immensely team-friendly contract), and if the Diamondbacks really want an improvement at the back of the bullpen, the Twins should be asking for Skaggs. At AAA Reno, he went 6-6 with a 4.26 ERA. However, in 76 innings, he gave up just 76 hits, walked 28 and struck out 87. He has made five starts for the Diamondbacks this season and is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA. He also has 25 strikeouts in 29 innings. Skaggs throws a fastball in the low-90s, but is able to touch 94. He also is said to have a terrific 12-6 curveball and a still-improving but potentially very good changeup. At 6-4 and just 195 pounds, he still can grow and gain velocity.

Regarding Beresford, I have been very impressed with him since the first time I saw him in person in Beloit in 2010. He's smooth with the glove. I think he can handle both middle infield positions. Good range. Good arm. Those that have been around awhile know that the only issue with him was that he was rail-thin and had no power. He has worked really hard over the last 2-3 years and has now added some weight. He was a minor league free agent after last season, but he stayed. He's been around a long time and yet, he's still young (24, I believe). He's never going to hit for a lot of power, but he takes good at bats and it would be cool to see him get a chance. I don't know, but I'd think he could be just as good as Florimon with better ability to make contact (I understand that's not a great compliment, but I just mean it in that I'd like to see him get an opportunity).

Larson was the 20th round pick a year ago. He was committed to State College of Florida. The Twins signed him late for well over the $100,000 max when they had some extra money under their allotment.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2054-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(7-9)-Eades-Debuts

Kyle Gibson was back on the mound for the Minnesota Twins in Tampa on Tuesday night. On Tuesday afternoon, Michael Tonkin got the news that he would be promoted to the Twins as lefty Caleb Thielbar went on the bereavement list. Best wishes to the Thielbar family. It was also a tough day for a couple of Twins minor leaguers. Kaleb Merck (Kernels) and Luis Nunez (E-Twins) were both given their releases by the Twins. At the same time, one of the Twins high draftees made his professional debut. And, I’m sure you’ll be shocked, Chris Colabello makes an appearance in this report after another big game. Rochester 7, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 8 Box Score On Tuesday afternoon, the Red Wings fell behind and tried to come back, but they came up one run short. Pedro Hernandez gave up seven runs on ten hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out five. Michael Tonkin gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning. Shairon Martis went the final 1.2 innings. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk while striking out two. Chris Colabello again was the hitting star. He went 3-4 with his 22nd homer, tying Miguel Sano for the organizational lead. James Beresford was also 3-4 with his first stolen base. He is now hitting .323 in 21 games with the Red Wings after hitting .316 in New Britain earlier in the season. Ray Olmedo hit his 10th double and his first home run in the game. Eric Farris also had two hits. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4764[/ATTACH] New Britain The Rock Cats and the rest of the Eastern League are currently on their All Star break. Ft. Myers 5, Jupiter 2 Box Score Tyler Duffey won for the second straight start. He gave up two runs on five hits and a walk in six innings. He struck out five. Jose Gonzalez came on and worked two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and struck out four. Corey Williams gave up a hit and struck one out to record his 10th save of the year. Lance Ray went 2-3 with his first home run of the season. He hit 13 for the Miracle last year and 16 for Beloit two years ago. He was in his 22nd game with the Miracle this year because he has been hurt. Byron Buxton was 1-3 with a triple and his second stolen base. Stephen Wickens was 1-3 with his fourth and fifth stolen bases. Kennys Vargas hit his 25th double. Cedar Rapids The Kernels had a scheduled off day. Elizabethton 4, Burlington 5 Box Score The Elizabethton Twins came up a run short in this loss. Rory Rhodes went 2-5 with his seventh double. Ryan Walker was 2-4 with his second double. Bryan Haar added two hits. Dereck Rodriguez went 1-1 with two walks and his first home run of the season. Tanner Mendonca made this start. He gave up two runs on three hits in four innings. He walked four and struck out two. Tim Shibuya came on and gave up three runs (2 earned) on four hits over three innings. He walked two and struck out four. Twins 2013 second-round pick Ryan Eades came in for his professional debut. He worked one inning and gave up two hits, but no runs. He struck out one. Kuo Hua Lo struck out two in his perfect inning of relief. GCL Twins 2, GCL Rays 3 Box Score The GCL Twins had a couple of good offensive performances, but they were unable to get enough runs across home plate and lost. Zach Larson went 2-2 with two walks, his third double and his third stolen base. Jason Kanzler went 1-2 with three walks, his first home run and his third stolen base. Fernando Romero started and gave up two runs in four innings. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out three. Dan Sattler continues his road to recovery. He struck out two in two scoreless innings. Leonel Zazueta gave up one run on three hits and a walk in 2.1 innings. He struck out three. Miguel Gonzalez came on and got one out. Thanks for checking out today’s Twins minor league report. Please feel free to discuss, comment or ask questions.

Radcliff just loves Berrios. He's very high on him.

Luis Nunez was released by the Twins. He had been pitching with the Elizabethton Twins again this year.

Kaleb Merck has been released by the Twins. He had pitched in six games for the Kernels.

Also, best wishes to the Thielbar family.

This doesn't signal a trade or anything else. He's getting a chance and told if he does well, he could stick. Of course, over 3 days, he'll pitch once, maybe twice.

I think it's fairly safe to assume that Jeremy wrote that with his tongue pretty securely in his cheek.

Nobody is questioning that. He's shown good power. But, if he can clean up the K-Rate, it's crazy how good he can be. And again, tha'ts (hopefully) just a matter of time.

In his last 9 games, he is hitting .111/.200/.185 (.385) with two doubles, 3 walks and 12 strikeouts. My concern rate is like 0.5%, but it is one of the worst slumps of his career. My concern is low because of his age and because he has shown in the past that he can make adjustments. My assumption is that within a short time, he'll go on a strong run again and be just fine.

Sano has been struggling of late, and the strikeouts are concerning. I get that his OPS is still pretty high because when he does make contact, he hits that ball really hard and often really far. But, strikeouts are not new to Sano, and it will be an issue with him. Should be no surprise that he is striking out at a greater percentage now. Older, better pitches will take advantage of his flaws, and he will need to adjust. I would argue that "results" are not all that matters in the minor leagues. Not at that age and level, at least. He is where he should be, and he will just need to make adjustments. In my mind, that is the key in the minor leagues. If he is able to make those adjustments, then he should be better than Delmon Young. If not, then he may not be better than Brandon Wood. That is the reality of prospects, even Top 5 or Top 10 prospects. Fair or not, prospect ranking set up some major expectations that only rarely are met. There is no certainty in any prospect.

Seeing Kepler in 2 games and batting practice, and SDBuhr may agree... Kepler is incredibly impressive. Size, good speed, decent defense. Incredibly quick, powerful bat! Jake Mauer glowed about him. The only question is how big he will get and what position he will play.

The funny thing about that line of thinking is that, even if his skills start eroding some at age 32, that's still two or three years. Teams sign free agents for 1-3 years and hope. Why not take a chance on a guy like Colabello? That said, I wouldn't do so at the expense of Parmelee.

Sano is a strikeout guy. As he moves up, there will continue to be struggles and his future will be dependent upon whether or not he is able to adjust. Yes, the power numbers are still good, but (and I brought this up on one of my articles today), Brandon Wood hit for a lot of power throughout the minors and his inability to make contact made him a guy who never made it. As is pointed out, he is so young relative to the competition that there is no reason to be at all concerned. He's shown the ability to adjust quickly. I'd say that mid-May is still the most realistic time frame for him to arrive still.

He won't be in Cedar Rapids until, well, at least next summer, maybe April. His first appearance was in the GCL. No report on his velocity readings.