Seth Stohs

After weeks of writing about the MLB Draft, today is finally the tonight. Sometime shortly after 6:00 central time, the Houston Astros will make the first pick of the draft. The Twins will pick soon after. By night’s end, 73 picks will be made. The Minnesota Twins will make two picks. By the end of Saturday, the Twins will have made 40 selections. Over 1,200 players will have been drafted. That is a lot of draft day stories, and that’s what this article is. Below, you will find the draft day stories, in their words, of several players at various levels of the Twins farm system. I asked two questions. What was their draft day like, and when they found they had been drafted by the Twins, what was their reaction? [ATTACH=CONFIG]4346[/ATTACH] - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Niko Goodrum, Cedar Rapids Kernels, 2nd Round, 2010 [ATTACH=CONFIG]4347[/ATTACH]I remember my computer freezing up, so I decided to go to my room and relax. While it was frozen, I had been selected in the second round, 71st overall. I received a phone call from my scout, Jack Powell, telling me Congrats. I asked him, “For what?” He said, “We gotchya man! We drafted you!” So, I sprinted back to my computer, and it had unfrozen perfectly to be playing my highlight video. It was a great day for me and my family. Words couldn’t express the amount of joy and happiness that went through my body. Dalton Hicks, Cedar Rapids Kernels, 17th Round, 2012 It obviously was great seeing my name, specifically called by the Twins. They were the team I wanted to get drafted by after hearing so many good things about the organization. Draft day, for me, was just another day. We had end-of-the-year meetings with our college coaches. I was on campus, about to meet with my coaches, when I got the call from my family. The first thing I did was go to the mall and buy a shirt that said “Big League Swag” on it. I saw it a month before and said, when I get drafted, I’m getting this shirt. I still have it hanging up! Alex Wimmers, New Britain Rock Cats, 1st Round, 2010 I remember when I was drafted, there were so many happy emotions going through my mind. I always wanted to play professional baseball, and in the big leagues. And, on that day, my dream came true. I couldn’t be happier that all my hard work and dedication paid off. As far as getting drafted by the Twins, I was super excited to be a part of a wonderful organization that has the reputation of not only winning, but winning the right way. It’s such an honor and a great feeling knowing how much they believe in me to help out and carry on the tradition. Tyler Duffey, Ft. Myers Miracle, 5th Round, 2012 I really had no expectations. I had heard from maybe one or two teams. I was actually taking a makeup test at school and heard my name come up. I was beyond exciting just to be picked, let alone in the 5th round, and I couldn’t wait to get started. (It was) definitely an emotional day, to say the least. Oh, and I hadn’t really heard from the Twins much, but I knew that had taken (JT) Chargois in the 2nd round. Matt Hauser, New Britain Rock Cats, 7th Round, 2010 Well I was actually still in San Diego packing my stuff up after finishing my senior baseball season. We had gotten back from the ASU regional, and I was hanging out with a lot of my teammates I wouldn't really be seeing much of. We had a good amount of guys that we knew were getting drafted. I think it turned out to be 10 or 11 my senior year. So we were just kind of hanging out, thinking about the last couple years, how close we all got, and how much life was about to change for most of us. I had a pretty good idea I was getting drafted in the 6 or 7 round by a couple of teams. So I was basically just waiting for those rounds to come along. But nothing really prepares you to hearing your name on the draft board. It's a pretty amazing experience. The Twins called me earlier in the 7th round and asked if I was ready to get my pro career started. I told them, of course. And once my name got called, it was just pretty crazy. All my buddies started yelling. It wasn't really real until that point. The Twins called me back. I talked to them. They told me they would call back in a couple of days, and to enjoy the next couple of days with my family. I talked to my mom, dad and had a lot of texts and calls from my buddies. It was just exciting. I had always wanted to play professional baseball. I was just happy to be able to have a shot at one day playing in the big leagues. Not many guys get that opportunity. It's a special feeling. It still is. Luke Bard, Cedar Rapids Kernels, 1st Round, 2012 The draft was a really exciting time and something I will never forget. It was great to be able to spend that special moment with the people closest to me. I was thrilled when I heard the Twins call my name. I had heard nothing but great things about the Twins, and could not wait to begin my professional career with such a great organization. Kyle Gibson, Rochester Red Wings, 1st Round, 2009 [ATTACH=CONFIG]4348[/ATTACH] My draft day was a lot of fun! had a lot of people over at the house just grilling out and having a good time hanging out with friends and family. With my arm injury still a recent happening, it offered a bit of uncertainty with what was going to happen during the draft. 2) As each pick went by it was creating more and more anxiousness at the party, but as soon as Mr. Selig announced my name, there was a loud cheering and yelling that still gives me chills thinking about today. For more from when Gibson was drafted by the Twins, Gibson joined me on a podcast in early July. Click here (and then fast forward to about the 3 minute mark). And, you may recall, he also called into my podcast less than 90 minutes before the signing deadline, right before he signed with Twins. Thanks again to those players for their thoughtful responses. Best wishes to all of the players that get selected. Good luck the Twins whose scouts have been working tirelessly in an attempt to find the best players and the diamonds in the rough. To the cross-checkers, and to Deron Johnson. Draft day is a fun day, and Twins Daily will be covering it extensively, as we have the past few weeks. Please feel free to comment.

Yup, all of those moves were included in the minor league report and in the minor league transactions last night... My guess is there are more to come.

There's nothing wrong with writing about that side of the draft with the draft fast approaching. The draft is completely a crap shoot in many ways. If it wasn't, Mark Prior would still be dominating hitters. I enjoy lists like this. That Oelkers pick sure stands out. I'd say Moses and Garbe were both busts. I'd probably put David McCarty at the top of mine. Adam Johnson never really got a shot.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1841-Twins-Minor-League-Hitter-of-the-Month-May

In the past couple of days, as we are leading up to an exciting draft for the Minnesota Twins, we are also looking back at the top performers in the Twins farm system from the month of May. In the past two days, we have named Cole Johnson the Reliever of the Month and DJ Baxendale the repeat-winner of the Starting Pitcher of the Month. Today, we swing our attention (see what I did there?) to the bats. Although there wasn’t a battle at the top spot the way there was in April, there were still plenty of strong performances. The runner of this month, a member of the Ft. Myers Miracle, would win most months and I gave strong consideration to him as well, but the guy at the top put up some incredible numbers… and didn’t even spend the whole month as a minor leaguer. Let’s get to it. Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in May: Number 5 – Ft. Myers – Angel Morales - (27-87) .310/.381/.529 (.910) with four doubles, three triples, three home runs and 17 RBI. It’s been a difficult couple of seasons for the talented, athletic centerfielder of the Miracle. However, he has been on a pretty nice hot streak since the early part of May. First things first, his defense in center has never been a question. Really, his issue has been in strikeouts. Those numbers were still high, but Morales made up for it with ten extra base hits and a .310 batting average. Although he has lost quite a bit of time in past years due to injury, he is now in his fourth season with the Miracle. He’s played 270 games at the level. Now that he’s experiencing success, the time is now to push him to New Britain. Number 4 – New Britain – Josmil Pinto - (33-99) .308/.423/.495 (.936) with seven doubles, no triples, 3 home runs and 18 RBI. Pinto has now been in the top five each of the first two months of the season. Sure, his OPS dropped by about .050 points, but he still posted tremendous numbers, including the ten extra base hits. With Pinto, you don’t even need to add the “for a catcher” addition to the sentences. Because of that, he is a legit prospect as he can be a #3 (or #2) catcher and still feel OK about him DHing. Now, how will he respond as the season continues. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – Miguel Sano - (28-91) .333/.413/.538 (.962) with seven doubles, a triple, four home runs and 18 RBI. Speaking of guys who were on this list last month, Sano was at the top of the list for me. The Twins themselves went with Byron Buxton and I don’t think anyone would complain with that choice. Buxton post an OPS of .833 in May which is very good, but Sano again approached the 1.000 mark with his power. He also has become a stolen base threat with eight on the season. People continue to talk about his ever-improving defense, but it’s his offense that will carry him. He was named a Florida State League All Star recently, and conventional wisdom (and years of seeing how this works with the Twins) says that a promotion to New Britain will be coming shortly. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – Kennys Vargas - (30-96) .313/.407/.646 (1.053) with eight doubles, no triples, eight home runs and 30 RBI. Most months, Kennys Vargas, or anyone who put up these numbers, would be a pretty easy choice for hitter of the month. Unfortunately for Vargas, in May, it was good for #2. There are still some questions about his ability to hit a good fastball, but there should be no questions about his power, and his power potential. The FSL is not a hitters’ league and yet, Vargas had 16 extra base hits, including eight home runs. When I saw him last year in Beloit and watched him interact with teammates, watched him swing, watched him run the bases, watched him point to the sky after a home run, and yes, watched him around first base, the comparisons to David Ortiz are obvious. For Twins fans, that’s a lofty expectation, but there is plenty of reason for hope! The May Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... [ATTACH=CONFIG]4317[/ATTACH] Photo of Colabello's first MLB hit, by Rick Osentoski Rochester Red Wings 1B Chris Colabello (34-80) .425/.489/.800 (1.289) with 12 doubles, no triples, six home runs and 20 RBI. I struggled with this a bit. Colabello didn’t even play in a minor league game in May after May 21. Should I give him the #1 spot for the month? Should I factor in his 2-15 performance with the Twins? Does he have enough at bats to “qualify” for this ‘award’? Well, he’s got plenty of at bats, and his numbers are incredible. Didn’t play in the last 9-10 Red Wings games of the month and still accounted for 18 extra base hits. Also, his story is remarkable, and for it to culminate with his first big league promotion at the age of 29 after seven years in independent ball, it just adds to the reasoning. Look again at the month he had and remember that he had a very strong April. There is no reason to believe that Colabello can’t be a big league role player. We do know that he can mash AAA pitching, something he’ll be doing again here in June. There were several strong performances in May that weren’t included in the Top 5. Here are some Honorable Mentions: Aderlin Mejia (Miracle) – (28-74) .378/.440/.432 (.873) with four doubles and nine stolen bases. Also nine walks to go with just six strikeouts. Danny Santana (Rock Cats) – (39-115) .339/.353/.435 (.788) with seven doubles, two triples and seven steals. Byron Buxton (Kernels) – (35-119) .294/.380/.454 (.833) with six doubles, two triples, three homers and a remarkable 17 stolen bases. Adam Walker (Kernels) – (30-107) .280/.310/.523 (.833) with eight doubles, three triples, four home runs. It was another very solid month for Twins minor league hitting prospects. Hopefully through several promotions, there will continue to be plenty of options in June! Feel free to comment and discuss.

On Wednesday, the Cedar Rapids Kernels learned that eight of their players had been named to the Midwest League All Star team. The game will be played in Dayton, Ohio, on June 18th. Pitchers: Tyler Duffey, JO Berrios Hitters: Dalton Hicks, Byron Buxton, Adam Walker, Jorge Polanco, Travis Harrison, Niko Goodrum

Nope, it's not a 100% fair comparison. There is no 'degree of difficulty' factored into this at all. it's just looking at the monthly numbers from the level the player is at.

He's got a pulled muscle... likely out a day or two more.

From April's SP of the Month article: Ft. Myers – DJ Baxendale - 5 GS, 4-0, 1.84 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 29.1 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 25 K Baxendale was the top starter of the Arkansas Razorbacks team that advanced to the College World Series. During that season he set the Arkansas record with 20 starts. He went 8-5 with a 3.11 ERA. The Twins were thrilled to use their 10th round pick on the right-hander as they believed he had the talent to be selected much earlier. He began his pro career with the Elizabethton Twins but quickly moved up to Beloit. Combined, he walked just two and struck out 31 in 18.2 innings. He pitched out of the bullpen primarily because of the 107 innings he threw during the college season. The plan was for him to move to a starter's role this season, but it was somewhat surprising that he began the season with the Miracle. However, as Steil said, the things he’s done so well in April are the things that got him pushed to Ft. Myers. “He’s been locating well, keeping hitters off balance by changing speeds and keeping the ball down. Along with (those things), just his maturity and poise on the mound.” Take a look at the numbers: 4-0 with a sub-2.00 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP. He has limited long balls and walks. The Miracle were 21-4 in April, and Baxendale was a big part of it. So, what does he throw? A scouting report will tell you that he throws both a 2-seam and a 4-seam fastball that range from 87 to 92 mph. He has a big bending curveball in the low 70s, with downward break, which makes it a pitch that induces ground balls. He also has a very good, late-breaking slider in the 78 to 82 mph range. He has terrific control of it and when he spots it on the outside corner he can get hitters to chase. He also has good arm speed and sink on his changeup. What would Baxendale himself say? “I throw a four-seam fastball, sinker, change-up, curve ball and slider. I try to use the slider and curveball both as strikeout pitches in order to keep the hitters guessing what pitch I will come with ahead in the count.” Baxendale has great command and makeup. He has the ability to move the ball around the strike zone very well. He can pitch to all zones of the plate, up and down, inside and out. He gets a lot of swings and misses outside of the zone, in part, because he hides the ball well. He is competitive and wants to win at everything. He has a knack of getting out of jams, and has grittiness and intensity on the mound. Baxendale credits his pitching coach and his control for his success so far this year. “The biggest key to my success so far is throwing low, quality strikes with all of my pitches. I’ve been working hard with pitching coach Ivan Arteaga to be able to consistently repeat my mechanics which improves my command and control of all pitches.” It’s also been about making adjustments to the professional game. Baxendale explained, “The biggest adjustment I’ve made so far in pro ball is to be efficient in my innings and keep the pitch count down. I’ve done this by pitching to contact, throwing the ball down in the zone and getting outs in early counts.” For Baxendale to continue to develop and rise through the Twins system, he may need to get a little bigger and strong. By adding some weight and strength, he would likely see a little increased velocity. But for now, Baxendale is happy to be part of this tremendous Miracle team. “Being part of a talented team is always fun. We are all really competitive so we want to win. It’s pretty special to be a part of a team that is as talented as we are because every game is fun to watch.”

Yes, this is good news and likely a relief for him and for the Twins brass. The first one was rough. Important to get back out there and see the success. Hopefully it will continue!

Aside from Darnell, I don't think there are any that need to move up to Rochester at this point.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1838-Twins-Minor-League-Starting-Pitcher-of-the-Month-May

Yesterday, we looked at the Top Relief Pitchers in May, and today, we’ll be taking a look at the top pitching performances of the month. There were some starters who put together very solid months, and that list includes more than just the following names. Andrew Albers posted a 2.48 ERA for the month and isn’t in the Top 5. Kyle Gibson threw a couple of shutouts during May and he falls on the outside of this list. Jason Wheeler went 3-0 with a 2.68 ERA and isn’t listed below. So hey, who made the final list? Here are the Top 5 Starting Pitchers for May: Number 5 – New Britain – Logan Darnell - 6 GS, 2-3, 2.38 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 41.2 IP, 40 H, 7 BB, 33 K Darnell is a 24-year-old left-hander who was the Twins 6th round draft pick in 2010 from Kentucky. He had a very good month in May. As important as any of the other numbers are his innings pitched. He averaged nearly seven innings per start which is huge for any team. Though he isn’t a huge strikeout pitcher, he knows how to pitch. Number 4 – Cedar Rapids – Jose (JO) Berrios - 5 GS, 2-2, 2.63 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 27.1 IP, 31 H, 6 BB, 31 K Last year’s supplemental 1st round pick, Berrios has impressed since signing. He has incredible control. Last year in the rookie leagues, he walked just four and struck out 49. This year, the young Puerto Rican righty has continued his ability to throw strikes and miss bats. He has given up some hits, but hasn’t hurt himself with free passes. His season started in late April due to his time in the World Baseball Classic, but he has been very good despite being nearly four years younger than the average player in the Midwest League. Number 3 – Cedar Rapids – Tyler Duffey - 5 GS, 0-1, 2.93 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 30.2 IP, 31 H, 3 BB, 26 K Duffey was in the Top 5 a month ago as well. He has been the Kernels most consistent starter. Like Berrios, Duffey has a strong control of the strike zone. He has the stuff to get strikeouts, but generally, he just gets really weak contact. He was the team’s 5th round pick out of Rice where he pitched in the bullpen. He has transitioned very smoothly to the role of starter. He is a sturdy young man and has some projection. For his performance in the first two months, Duffey will be making the trek from Cedar Rapids to Ft. Myers today where he will join the Miracle staff. Number 2 – Ft. Myers – Taylor Rogers – 5 G, 4 GS, 2-1, 1.00 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 31 H, 4 BB, 21 K Just look at the numbers that Rogers put up in May. Most months, those would make him an easy choice to win such an award. He made four starts and one relief appearance in the month. In the relief appearance was piggybacking with Cole De Vries who was making a rehab start. Rogers was the Twins 11th round pick last year. Like fellow lefties Albers and Darnell, he went to the University of Kentucky. He has a fastball in the low-90s and a very good slider that can be devastating to left-handed bats. And the Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is: [ATTACH=CONFIG]4308[/ATTACH] Photo by Greg Wagner/Fort Myers Miracle Ft. Myers/New Britain – DJ Baxendale - 5 GS, 3-1, 2.20 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 32.2 IP, 22 H, 7 BB, 25 K Baxendale had a rough start in his AA debut last week, and that shows in his numbers. However, when a guy starts a month with four starts and gives up just one earned run in 28 innings, that can’t be ignored. He didn’t give up hits. He didn’t walk batters. The way he dominated in Ft. Myers was like few have in recent years. He was the Twins tenth round pick last year from Arkansas. As I’ve noted, one year ago, he was preparing for the MLB Draft by playing in the College World Series. Now, he’s showing what he can do in AA, two promotions from the big leagues. For the second straight month, DJ Baxendale is our Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. There were a lot of very good performances by starting pitchers in April, and more could be written on each. Hopefully this helps show you who has been pitching well. As we know, Kyle Gibson is close. Tyler Duffey has been promoted to High-A. How will these and the rest of the pitchers perform at this point as the season starts to get a little long and their arms start to tire. That’s the fun part. We shall find out. We’ll be back tomorrow to discuss the top Hitters in the Twins system in May. Please feel free to comment and ask questions.

You should know that in our testing, we are trying different methods of sound and such, so let us know what you think. We'll work through it all after we get opinions on the various methods so that in the end, we do it right. But, also discuss the content. Is the length of 'show' enough. Are the topics appropriate? Thanks!

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1837-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(6-4)-Gibson-and-Baxendale-make-their-pitches

It was a big day for a couple of the Twins pitching prospects, and one of their top offensive prospects added to his organization-leading home run total. It was also a day in which there were several transactions. Twins Daily has learned the following (though there could be more coming): RHP Tom Stuifbergen has been promoted from Ft. Myers to AA New Britain. Meanwhile, RHPs Tyler Duffey and Manuel Soliman will move up to the Miracle. Finally, 2012 8th round pick RHP Christian Powell will join the Cedar Rapids Kernels from Extended Spring Training. Also, a second pitcher will be joining the Kernels. The pitcher was released by another organization a week ago and signed by the Twins. Check out the Minor League Movement forum for more. ‘Tis the season for transactions!! With that, check out what happened in the Twins minor league system on Tuesday: Rochester Red Wings 4, Gwinnett Braves 3 Box Score Kyle Gibson was back on the mound for the Red Wings. The lanky right-hander gave up some base runners but really put together a nice game. He went six innings and did not allow a run in the first five. He gave up two in the sixth frame. Overall, he went six innings and gave up two runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out four. He left with a 4-2 lead. Luis Perdomo came in for the seventh inning and got just two outs. He gave up one run thanks to three walks. Aaron Thompson got the save by getting the final seven outs. He gave up just one hit, walked one and struck out two. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4306[/ATTACH] Eric Fryer went 2-4. He had the game’s biggest hit, a bases-clearing double. Antoan Richardson was 2-5 with his seventh and eighth stolen bases. Doug Bernier was 2-3 with a walk. Chris Colabello was 1-3 with two walks and his 18th double. He also stole his first base of the year. New Britain Rock Cats 4, Richmond Flying Squirrels 1 Box Score DJ Baxendale had a rough first appearance in Double-A last week. The beauty of baseball can be that you get a chance to redeem yourself. Baxendale did just that on Tuesday night. The right-hander gave up one run on three hits and two walks in seven innings. He struck out seven. Bobby Lanigan came on and got just one out. He gave up a walk and a hit. Edgar Ibarra came on and got the final two outs without the inherited runners scoring. Matt Hauser came on for the ninth inning and recorded his first Rock Cats save. The Rock Cats got three hits from Danny Santana. They scored two runs in the first inning on ground balls by Josmil Pinto and Danny Ortiz. In the second frame, they scored runs on a sacrifice fly by Mark Sobolewski and on a ground out by James Beresford. Ft. Myers Miracle 2, Brevard County Manatees 3 Box Score The Miracle bats were kept quiet most of this game. Jason Wheeler started for the Miracle. He gave up three runs on nine hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out six. Ryan O’Rourke was brought in, and he struck out two in two scoreless innings. Zack Jones pitched a perfect ninth and struck out one. The Miracle had seven hits and walked five times. However, only Matt Koch had more than one hit. He was 2-4. Miguel Sano knocked his 14th homer run and stole his eighth base. Cedar Rapids Kernels The Kernels had a scheduled day off. Please feel free to comment or ask questions below.

Correct! I was asked a bout this earlier today. Sano's performance screams that he should be promoted. Other than that, I don't really see anyone else. I think Stuifbergen (who was promoted today) and Angel Morales should be promoted due to solid performance and that they have been in Ft. Myers a long time already. Rosario's been very good, and that .335 batting average is great. His .900ish OPS is remarkable for the Florida State League. I'd be perfectly fine if they move him up, but I'd also be OK with them keeping him down.

Getting chances? Please explain. What Chances has he been given? He's always put up good numbers in Ft. Myers. He got a game in Rochester in 2011 and did well. Just needs a spot.