Seth Stohs

This is seriously a tremendous article. I really enjoy how real it makes the draft and what things can look like. The names are there as proof. That said, the top pitchers drafted out of college who start the year with the Kernels could move up to Ft. Myers after a couple of good months... like Tyler Duffey...

Learned tonight: Tomorrow, Manuel Soliman and Tyler Duffey will be heading to Ft. Myers, promoted to the Miracle.

I think Sano is a given. Other than that, not any others (besides Angel Morales) that I think should absolutely move up.

THere is no explanation, and I"m told the Miracle are shocked. IF you look at the roster, there isn't even a 2B. Makes no sense.

According to a press release from the Miracle, seven players have made the Florida State League All Star team: RHP - Zack Jones LHP - Corey Williams LHP - Chad Rodgers 3B - Miguel Sano 1B - Kennys Vargas C - Matt Koch SP - DJ Baxendale (who obviously won't play in the game) No, no Rosario at this time.

link?

Thanks for mentioning him. Great to hear about baseball prospects from Minnesota!!

Just one guy's opinion. The top four will certainly go in the top 8, so it's not like there are massive surprises there. Mason Smith isn't a name I'm as familiar with. But no one knows for sure who will be the best out of the class. That can't be judged for probably 7-8 years. Maybe this guy will be right. I certainly don't know enough about any of them to know what the for sure answer is.

A nice story about how Jason would like to face his brother Ryan (big leaguer) in the big leagues someday. Also the article compares him to a former first round Twins pick. http://www.news-press.com/article/20130604/SPORTS/306040027/1010/Brothers-out-meet-majors?odyssey=nav|head

It's a shoulder impingement and he's likely out until the end of the month.

Yeah, that guy is crazy!!! And has probably never been on a podcast before... ever!

Just this morning, he said that he does have a little bit of a headache, but it's not too bad. He is really hoping (as you would expect) to join his teammates back on the field as soon as possible. He hopes that it is just a 7 day thing, but with such a talented young man, the Twins are wise to be as patient and conservative as they need.

I'm definitely still a Wimmers believer. He'll be added to the 40 man roster after the season (i assume) and hopefully be at 100% next year!

Keenan, thank you for the great update! I'll be sure to ask Jake what he does after an ejection.

At this point, he could be an injury away. There aren't a lot of other 40 man roster options in the bullpen, certainly not with his kind of stuff... It'd be nice to get him a full month in Rochester and see how it goes. Looked good last night though!

Well, thank you! And, I'm glad I can help in any way. HA! Starters and Hitters coming soon. Working those between draft articles this week.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1831-Twins-MLB-Draft-Profile-Minnesotans-to-Watch

Over the past couple of weeks here at Twins Daily, we have been profiling a player each day who may be available when the Minnesota Twins make their first round draft selection on Thursday night, the fourth overall pick. Today, we are going to do something a little bit different. This is a Minnesota Twins blog, but it’s also important to recognize and support some local players who are likely to hear their names called in the early rounds of the MLB Draft. Today, we’ll briefly discuss three college players and three high school players with Minnesota ties. It’s always fun to keep track of local players as they begin their professional careers. The Gophers Two players on the Minnesota Gophers roster have a chance of being drafted early in the draft. TOM WINDLE Windle is a 6-4, 215 pound left-hander who went 6-4 with a 2.14 ERA for the Gophers this season. He came to the University from Osseo High School where he was runner-up in the Mr. Baseball voting. He was the 2010 Metro Player of the Year. He was drafted in the 28th round of the 2010 draft. He worked 41. 1 innings as a freshman. He worked 41. Innings as a sophomore. He played in the Cape Cod League last summer and made a name for himself. The southpaw has good command of a fastball that generally sits between 88 and 92 mph. He has a very good changeup in the low 80s. He also has a good slider. He profiles as a likely back-of-the-rotation starter. Early in the year, he was believed to be a potential first round pick. Now, it looks like he could sneak into the second round. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4292[/ATTACH] DJ SNELTEN Snelten is actually from Illinois, but he came to the University of Minnesota despite being drafted in the 30th round by the Padres. He is listed at 6-7 and 230 pounds and throws left-handed, so there is plenty of projection in him. He has been clocked as high as 95 mph with his fastball, and some rave about a very good changeup. He has also been working to add a slider. He went 5-2 with a 2.15 ERA in in 58.2 innings this year. As a sophomore, he went 4-4 with a 3.24 ERA. Snelton just turned 21 years old. He could be taken as early as the third round. PREP STARS There are lots of high school baseball players who have Division I scholarships, but three of them appear to stand out as potential early-round selections. RYAN BOLDT The 6-1, 185 pound 18-year old oufielder from Red Wing certainly has had an interesting run the last year or so. Last summer, he played for Team USA in the Junior AAA/18 U World Championships in South Korea. He was also named the MVP of the Perfect Game All-American Game when he went 2-3 with a triple. [ATTACH=CONFIG]4293[/ATTACH] His name grew among scouts last summer as a potential five-tool player. He is a tremendous athlete with great speed. He has run a 6.5 60 and most believe that he has the range and instincts to remain a center fielder. He also has a very strong arm, which is an incredible story. When he was ten, he hurt his left arm, his throwing arm. He had two surgeries on his left arm and was told he probably shouldn’t play baseball. That wasn’t an option, so he tought himself to throw right-handed. He’s had two more surgeries on his left arm in recent years, but his right arm is now a tool that has made scouts believe that he can play center, but also has the arm to play right field. He can hit for average and has good on-base skills. The one tool that remains in question is whether he’ll add power, but he certainly has the frame to do it. He committed to the University of Nebraska and was looking forward to a big senior season for Red Wing high school. Unfortunately, in the first game this spring, he tore his meniscus which required surgery. He has not played this spring. So scouts will have to determine his draft status based primarily on 2012. There was talk that he could be a mid-1st round pick, but it is now possible that he could be available when the Twins pick in the 2nd round. MAX KNUTSON Knutson is a left-handed pitcher from Mounds View who also has committed to play for Darin Erstad at the University of Nebraska. The 6-2, 190 pound pitcher/outfielder touches 92 on his fastball. As you would imagine, his secondary pitches will need plenty of development. He has also played defenseman on the hockey team. HE is another great athlete who can hit and play the outfield quite well. He has great speed and the size to develop some power. However, if he is drafted (believed to be possible in the 4th to 8th rounds), it will be as a pitcher. LOGAN SHORE At 6-2 and 205 pounds, Logan Shore’s name has been known for several years already. After posting a 0.80 ERA during his junior year, the right-hander from Coon Rapids committed to play his college ball at the University of Florida. Shore throws hard, hitting 92-93 with his fastball. But he is said to have a good curveball and a developing, but encouraging changeup. He is also a shortstop and very good hitter. There is a chance he could go as early as the supplemental first round, though he could land in the 2nd or third rounds too. ONE MORE CHRIS ANDERSON Chris Anderson was Mr. Baseball in Minnesota in 2010 (edging out Windle in the voting) when he played for Centennial High School. He was the 35th round pick of the Cubs that year, but he went on to Jacksonville University where he has teamed with current Twins minor leaguers Matt Tomshaw and Adam Walker. Still just 20 years old, Anderson came into the season as a potential early-round pick after flashing a 96 mph fastball and a very good slider in the Cape Cod League last summer. Early in the season, he was dominant and his name surfaced as a top ten pick. He went 6-5 with a 3.05 ERA this year. In 85.2 innings, he walked 24 and struck out 85. However, throughout the season, he was quite inconsistent. He still could go as early as the mid-first round, though it is also possible (not likely) that he will still be available when the Twins make their second selection. OTHERS There are several other area players who will likely get drafted. Along with Boldt and Knutson, Erstad also has Forest Lake catcher Beau Fandel and Totino Grace infielder Matt Leuty going to Nebraska. St. Paul Academy’s Matt Fiedler is a right-handed pitcher who has committed to stay in-state and play for the Gophers. There are other college players in the region who have made a name for themselves and will likely be selected in the later rounds. One regional name to watch is Layne Somsen, a right-handed pitcher from Yankton, South Dakota, who was the Summit League Pitcher of the Year this year. He led the Jackrabbits to their first NCAA Regional. In their first game against #1 seed Oregon, Somsen held the Ducks to just two hits over seven innings. He is considered a mid-round (15-20th rounds) pick, though that kind of performance with that kind of exposure may move him up a few rounds. It’s always fun seeing who the Twins first pick will be, but its’ also fun to get to know and start to follow some of the local players as well. Check out the other Twins Daily MLB Draft Player Profiles or follow the latest national mock drafts in our forum. Be sure to listen to a short, Twins draft preview podcast as well. Monday, May 20-- Sean Manaea, SP Tuesday, May 21-- Austin Meadows, OF Wednesday, May 22-- Trey Ball, OF Thursday, May 23-- Ryan Stanek, RHP Friday, May 24-- Clint Frazier, OF Tuesday, May 28-- Reese McGuire, C Wednesday, May 29—Braden Shipley, RHP Thursday, May 30 -- Kohl Stewart, RHP Friday, May 31 – Kris Bryant, 3B/1B For MLB Draft Day Coverage, make sure you follow @TwinsDaily on Twitter!

Thank you! The players deserve recognition, so I'm happy to do it!

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1828-Twins-Minor-League-Relief-Pitcher-of-the-Month-May

It’s hard to believe that we are already nearly two months through the minor league season. However, it is time to hand out some awards. Today, I’ll name the choice for Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the month of May. There are less candidates this month, yet there were a couple of tremendous performances by relievers in May. The two at the top of the list actually ended the month with a promotion to the next step on their journey up the ladder. Let's get to the Top 4 Relief Pitchers in May Number 4 – New Britain – AJ Achter – 1.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 9 K Achter was my choice in 2012 as Twins Minor League relief pitcher of the year. He split the year, pretty evenly, between Beloit and Ft. Myers. This year, he began the season in New Britain. The former 46th round draft choice from Michigan State started the season slow, but came on very well in May. On the season, he has now given up 21 hits in 27.2 innings while striking out 26 batters. When Michael Tonkin was promoted to Rochester last week, Achter took over the closer job for the Rock Cats. Number 3 – Ft. Myers – Zack Jones – 0.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 11.0 IP, 3 H, 11 BB, 16 K Zack Jones was the winner of this “award” last month. His numbers were pretty close to identical. He throws gas, and he’s still working on a hard slider. He is really hard to hit. I mean, 98 mph heat is tough to square up. He doesn’t give up hits and he gets strikeouts. However, the difference between April and May for Jones was the walks. Likely the reason he remains with the Miracle is to continue to work on the slider and his control of the strike zone. Number 2 – New Britain/Rochester – Michael Tonkin – 0.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 12.1 IP, 12 H, 3 BB, 20 K Tonkin is the brother-in-law of former Twins OF/DH Jason Kubel, but in the past 12 months, he has certainly made a name for himself. He split 2012 between Beloit and Ft. Myers. He was runner-up to Achter in my reliever of the year balloting. He moved up to New Britain and after not allowing an earned run all month, he earned a promotion to Triple-A for the end of the month. He came into two games for the Red Wings. In the first, he threw one pitch and gave up an RBI single before leaving. In his second AAA game, he came on and threw two pitches before giving up a game-winning single to Gordon Beckham. Tonkin is a very good bullpen prospect. He throws hard and gets a bunch of sink on his pitches. He gets ground balls and strikeouts. That’s exactly what you’re looking for in a reliever. Not bad for a 30th round draft pick. And the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is: [ATTACH=CONFIG]4286[/ATTACH] Photo by Greg Wagner/Fort Myers Miracle Ft. Myers/New Britain – Cole Johnson – 0.68 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 11 H, 3 BB, 14 K Johnson was born in Wisconsin and went to college at Notre Dame. He was the Twins 44th round pick in 2011. One year ago, he was still waiting for an assignment in Extended Spring Training. It was not until the short-season teams started that Johnson was assigned to the Beloit Snappers. He pitched well and actually was one of their starters in the playoffs. He was assigned to Ft. Myers this spring where he has been overshadowed, but has been nothing short of remarkable. In fact, despite nothing having as much publicity as others in the Miracle bullpen, it was John that was promoted to AA first this year. He was charged with one run in his final update of the month, but he’s shown that he can pitch. Again, we wonder how the Ft. Myers Miracle has been so good this year. They have the hitting prospects in Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and Kennys Vargas surrounded by solid players. But they also have good starting pitching and a dominant bullpen. While Zack Jones and Corey Williams get a lot of the credit, Johnson has been steady and consistent all season. Matt Hauser started the season on the DL, but he pitched well in his return and has joined the Rock Cats. Hopefully June will be a very good month for the relievers in the Twins minor league affiliates. As always, please feel free to ask any questions you may have.