Seth Stohs

The Buxton one is a situation that I personally don't understand, but it doesn't bother or annoy me terribly much because Joe Mauer spent his whole first full season in the Midwest League, and he turned out alright. That said, there's really only one thing I can think of. Yes, he's hitting around .340. How many of those hits have been fairly routine ground balls that he simply beat out with his speed? It's an elite tool, but as he moves up, how many of those will be outs? Take out the 3-4 infield hits he legs out each week, and what is he hitting? Since I only saw him play 3 games (and the TV game), I truly don't know. We all are smart enough to know that it has to be about more than just he numbers. I don't know why he hasn't been promoted. THere's likely a good reason. I'm just not going to pretend I'm smarter than the people who make these decisions.

His potential is right up there with Sano and Arcia... potential being the key word.

Roger, Thrylos is not joking. Any little thing to fire Mr. Ryan or Mr. Gardenhire, or anyone.

GCL numbers don't matter too much. When you start out something like 0-30, along with a very small sample size, the numbers won't look too good overall. But you don't draft a 17 year old and not give him a real chance. He's got tools.

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Friday marked the start of our daily minor league reports needing to cover six teams. The GCL Twins began their season with a matinee against the Red Sox in Ft. Myers. It wasn’t a great night for the affiliates, but there were still plenty of good performances worthy of noting. Kennys Vargas has been terrific all year, and it hasn’t slowed down at all since Miguel Sano moved up to New Britain. Sano added to his home run total. Chris Colabello continues to rake. What else happened? Keep reading to find out what happened in the Twins farm system on Friday: Rochester Red Wings 0, Louisville Bats 3 Box Score The Red Wings were beaten by former #3 overall pick Greg Reynolds. The team managed just two hits. That said, Chris Colabello went 1-2 with two walks. Cole De Vries gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out seven. His ERA went down to 8.82. Luis Perdomo came on and struck out three and walked just one in three scoreless, hitless innings. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Akron Aeros 13 Box Score It was a rough night for a couple of Rock Cats pitchers. Tom Stuifbergen started and gave up eight runs on eight hits and two walks in just 3.1 innings. BJ Hermsen came on and gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in just 1.2 innings. AJ Achter struck out two in his innings. Dakota Watts made his second appearance of the season and gave up just an unearned run on two hits in his inning. Bobby Lanigan gave up one hit in his inning. Danny Ortiz went 3-4 with his 19th double. Nate Hanson was 3-5. Reynaldo Rodriguez went 2-4 with his third triple and his 10th home run. Miguel Sano was 1-3 with his second Rock Cats home run. Danny Santana went 2-4. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4515[/ATTACH] Ft. Myers Miracle 3, Jupiter Hammerheads 8 Box Score The Miracle also did not get good pitching or defense. Tyler Duffey went the first 5.1 innings. He gave up six runs (5 earned) on nine hits and two walks. He struck out five. Chad Rodgers came on and gave up just two unearned runs in 3.2 innings. He gave up four hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Kennys Vargas’s hot streak continued as he went 2-3 with a walk. Matt Koch was 2-4 with his 12th double. Jon Murphy hit his sixth double. Mike Kvasnicka hit his first triple. Cedar Rapids Kernels 5, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 3 Box Score The Kernels replaced lefty Hein Robb in their six-man rotation with lefty Josue (pronounces Ho-sway) Montanez. He started on Friday night and gave up three runs on five hits and a walk in three innings. Tim Atherton came on and threw four shutout innings. He gave up two hits and struck out three. Kaleb Merck got the save. He gave up three hits in two innings. Byron Buxton went 1-3 with two walks and two stolen bases. That’s 31 on the year. Dalton Hicks went 2-5 with his 22nd double. Max Kepler went 1-4 with a walk. His first hit was a double. Tyler Grimes hit his fifth home run. Travis Harrison walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Elizabethton Twins 2, Bristol White Sox 4 Box Score In Game 2 of their season, the E-Twins managed just three hits. Jake Proctor had a triple. Kelvin Ortiz went 1-2 and was hit by a pitch twice. He also stole a base. Josh Burris started. After going 7-0 last year out of the Elizabethton bullpen, he took a loss in his first start of the 2013 season. He gave up three runs, but just one was earned. The error was his own throwing error. Kuo Hua Lo gave up four hits, but no runs, in three innings. Miguel Gonzalez gave up a hit and walked one in a scoreless inning. He struck out two. Carson Goldsmith came on and gave up one run on two hits and two walks in his inning. Andre Martinez pitched a perfect inning, striking out one. GCL Twins 6, GCL Red Sox 4 Box Score A five-run inning helped the GCL Twins to a win in their season opener. The big hit came off of the big bat of 17-year-old Amaurys Minier. The bonus baby came through with a big, three-run homer in his third at bat of the day. In his second at bat, he had already hit a double. In all, he was 2-4 on the day. Not a bad debut. Jorge Fernandez hit a triple. Engelb Vielma and Jonatan Hinojosa each walked twice and stole two bases. Australian Lewis Thorpe started and gave up two runs on five hits in four innings. He walked none and struck out four. Chih-Wei Hu came on and walked one and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Miguel Gonzalez gave up a hit and walked one in a scoreless inning. He struck out three. Markus Solbach gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits in one inning. He struck out two. Two players got into the game on rehab assignments. Madison Boer picked up the save. He gave up two hits, but he struck out two, in the ninth inning. Also, Lance Ray went 0-3 with a walk. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

Working on a story on this topic...

Kyle has never told me that. He was on with Reusse and Mackey 3-4 weeks ago and indicated to them that when he was optioned during spring training, TR and Gardy told him to just go out and pitch. They said nothing of an innings limit other than to say that would be evaluated as the season goes along. 130-140 is the number that's out there, but I sense it'll be higher than that, assuming he feels good.

These daily reports are not at all designed to only highlight the top prospects. 25-35 players from each affiliate is working hard. They're putting in time, and they absolutely deserve to be noticed. This site is not just for the top prospects. Those guys get stories written about them frequently. There are forums dedicated to them. This daily report will highlight all minor leaguers. And, I'm proud of that. They deserve it!

JT Chargois and Luke Bard are on throwing programs, but they're not close yet. Also, Nate Roberts likely out the rest of the year. He came back for the one game and had swelling in his knee... Had another surgery. Poor guy!

I've talked to several people involved who said he started in the LCF gap and it was a tailing liner to the corner that there's no way he could have caught.

The only reason he isn't on mine is because I've got a criteria that says that have to have played at least in the GCL to be included. he's definitely a top 10 though.

To some degree, yes. But a guy like Buxton last year played pretty much every day once he started playing. But, catchers will split time fairly equally and maybe get some extra at bats as a DH (like Brian Navarretto today) or play some 1B (like Jorge Fernandez today). Likely won't see a pitcher throw more than about 4 innings in the GCL. More in Elizabethton.

You meant he flyout to CF in his first at bat??? No? Oh, the double in his second at bat, and maybe the 3-run homer in his third at bat? Yeah, tha'ts a pretty impressive start.

That is a great name! Ha!

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1932-Twins-Gulf-Coast-League-Preview-and-Roster

This afternoon, the Twins Gulf Coast League team will be playing its first game of the season. As is typical, this is a group with players from all around the world. It is a group of players from the Dominican, Venezuela, Germany, Taiwan, and Australia getting an opportunity. There are several players on this roster who have spent time in the Dominican Summer League. There are young players drafted the last year or two. There are some college picks who are more raw and there just isn’t room on the Elizabethton roster. It is a mixed bag. Right now, there are just a couple of names to know, to pay special attention to. Amaurys Minier and Kohl Stewart are the big names. However, over the course of the season, we’ll get to know more about several other players and most likely, there will be a few more players that we will be excited about. PITCHERS (18) The first six pitchers will begin the season as the starters. Lewis Thorpe – Thorpe is a left-handed pitcher signed by the Twins last July. Still just 17 years old, Thorpe has a fastball in the upper 80s that touches 91-92. Sam Gibbons – The 19-year-old right-hander was signed out of Australia in July of 2011. Last year with the GCL Twins, he was 4-1 with a 2.29 ERA. In 35.1 innings, he walked eight and struck out 22. Fernando Romero – Romero signed out of the Dominican Republic in November of 2011. The 18-year-old went 1-4 with a 4.65 ERA last year in the Dominican Summer League. In 31 innings, he walked 14 and struck out 28. Damian Defrank – Another Dominican right-hander, Defrank signed in April of 2012. He went 0-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 14 starts in the DSL last year. In 53 innings, he walked 16 and struck out 27. He is still 18 years old. Leonel Zazueta – Zazueta signed last August from Mexico. He is an 18 year old who already throws in the mid-90s. This is definitely one prospect to watch. Kohl Stewart – Stewart, as you know, just signed a contract that came with a $4.5+ million bonus. He throws hard and has (at least) four pitches. His future is remarkably bright, but the work starts now. Brandon Easton – The Twins 24th round pick this month out of Lakeland Community College, he also played first base in school. But, at 6-6 with a big fastball, he struck out 78 in 59.2 innings this spring. Stephen Gonsalves – Like Stewart, Gonsalves was the Twins 4th round pick and signed for an over-slot value this week. The long lefty throws in the upper 80s and is very projectable. He’s got a long ways to go, but he has big potential. Derrick Penilla – The 21 year old lefty was the Twins 15th round pick this year out of Mount San Antonio College where he struck out more than a batter per inning. Reyson Zoquiel – The 19-year-old lefty signed with the Twins in July of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year in the DSL, he went 0-3 with a 6.34 Era in 32.2 innings over 23 games. He struck out 37, but he walked 35. The year before, he walked 15 and struck out 11 in 18 innings. Jose Abreu – Signed from the Dominican Republic in September of 2010, the 20-year-old right-hander went 1-2 with a 2.25 ERA last year in the DSL. In 40 innings, he walked nine and struck out 23. A year earlier, he was 3-1 with a 1.30 ERA in 41.2 innings. He had walked 12 and struck out 29. Miguel Gonzalez – An 18-year-old right-hander from the Dominican, he signed in July of 2011. Last year in the DSL, he went 1-4 with a 2.01 ERA. In 44.2 innings, he walked 20 and struck out 35. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4506[/ATTACH] Josh Guyer – The Twins signed Guyer from Australia last August. He is a hard-throwing 19-year-old who will debut this week. Zach Hayden – The 21-year-old is a right-hander from the University of South Carolina in Aiken. He was the 23rd round pick of the Twins this month after striking out 43 batters in 21 innings. Of course, he also walked 23 batters. Chih-Wei Hu – Signed from Taiwan last August for $220,000, the 19-year-old righty is 6-1 and 210 pounds. He throws in the low-90s already. Markus Solbach – Solbach signed with the Twins out of Germany in February of 2011. This will be his third season with the GCL Twins. In 2011, he went 3-3 with a 1.91 ERA in 15 games in relief. Last year, he was 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA in 11 games, though he walked just one and struck out 14 in 17 innings. He is 6-5 and 195 pounds. Tyler Stirewalt – The Twins 21st round pick this month out of Fresno State, Stirewalt is the definition of a project. He is 22 and 2012 was his first year of baseball in college. He played football at the college before switching to baseball. He is a great athlete and has been clocked at 94 mph. Jared Wilson – The Twins drafted Wilson a year earlier, but he went back to UC Santa Barbara for his senior season. He was their 19th round pick this year. He has very good velocity on his fastball and a good curveball, he just has poor control. He’s also already 23. CATCHERS (4) Jorge Fernandez – Fernandez was the Twins 7th round pick a year ago out of Puerto Rico. He played 30 games for the GCL Twins last year and hit .263/.288/.283 with two doubles. He is 6-3 and 190 pounds, a switch hitter and does have a high ceiling. Joel Polanco – The 20-year-old signed out of the Dominican in December of 2010. In 44 DSL games in 2011, he hit .205/.366/.283 with eight doubles. Last year, in 39 games, he hit .254/.369/.381 with 15 doubles. Brian Navaretto – The Twins 6th round pick this year out of high school in Florida. He is 6-3 and 220 pounds already. However, he’s a very good athlete but very raw, as you would expect from an 18-year-old. Alex Swim – The Twins 22nd round pick this year, Swim is 22 years old. He caught all 46 games this spring for Elon University. INFIELDERS (5) Jonatan Ynojosa – Signed by the Twins in 2009, the 20 year old has played 119 games in the DSL over the past three seasons. Combined, he has hit .171/.297/.217. Will Hurt – The Twins 16th round pick last year from Lexington Catholic (Ben Revere’s alma mater), he got off to a slow start last year. He hit just .141/.221/.141 in 27 games. He is very fast. Nelson Molina – The 18-year-old was the Twins 11th round pick this year from Puerto Rico. He is already 6-3 and 170 pounds, so he’s got some room to grow. Scouts believe that he can stick at shortstop. Engelb Vielma – Vielma will turn 19 tomorrow. Last year in the DSL, he hit .268/.354/.331 in 44 DSL games. He added four doubles and three triples. Amaurys Minier – Minier is the player to watch on this roster. Signed last July for $1.4 million, he is already moving to third base in the GCL. He is 6-2 and 200 pounds, but he has great strength and bat speed. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4507[/ATTACH] OUTFIELDERS (6) Chad Christensen – The Twins 25th round pick this month out of the University of Nebraska, he was the Huskers shortstop his first two years and played in the outfield the last two years. Jason Kanzler – The fifth-year senior has a very nice power-speed combination. The 22-year-old was the Twins 20th round pick this year out of Buffalo. Zack Larson – The Twins drafted Larson last year in the 20th round out of high school in Florida. The Twins had some bonus money to use and were able to use it to sign this talented player. He is 6-2 and 185 pounds. Lsat year in 15 GCL games, he hit .250/.318/.325 with a double, a triple and three stolen bases. Adonis Pacheco – Last year in the DSL, Pacheco hit .322/.408/.536 with nine doubles, 12 triples, four homers and 34 RBI. He also stole 18 bases in 23 attempts. He was signed by the Twins in September of 2009, and last year was the 21 year old’s third season in the DSL. Rick Schwarz – The Twins signed the 18 year old in May of 2012 from Australia. He was an infielder there, but is a great athlete and has some upside. Ryan Tufts – Tufts was signed recently out of a tryout camp in Florida. The last he played was at Palm Beach State Junior College. He is a very good athlete that the organization thought was worth signing and giving an opportunity. There is the roster. Let the games begin! It’ll be fun to get to know more about these players.

I can't say I understand the Buxton one... My only guess is that it must be something other than the numbers. Obviously at those lower levels, the stats are just a part of the story. I only could wish I understood the whole story. But, they certainly have their reasons. Like I've said, I could justify the Gibson thing six weeks ago and even 2-3 weeks ago, but he should be up as well.

Thanks Roger... been getting a lot of agreement from players near the situation too. As for Jorge, there was a rain delay at that point in the game. Not sure how long it lasted, but was at least 30-45 minutes. That's why he came out. Very cool that you got to Cedar Rapids! Do you plan to see any more games there? I'm trying to figure out when I can get there next. I hope soon!

I'm not saying Gibson shouldn't be up or that he isn't better than a couple of the guys up there right now... I would say that 6 weeks ago, when the Twins said the "Inconsistent" comment about Gibson, it was very true. Thankfully, Gibson has responded since that time and been very good six of his last seven starts. Now, he's ready... That's my point. Gibson has made some adjustments, been successful and made himself a better pitcher. That's the key for guys that are in the long-term plans.