Seth Stohs

You'll want to listen to the post-game show. AJ Pettersen will be their post-game guest. http://media4.aicmail.net:8080/MiLB/GameAudio/LiveStreamFlash/fsl_fort_myers_miracle

Bottom of the 4th. With two outs, Kennys Vargas hit a solo home run on an 0-2 pitch to tie the game at 1.

Jason Wheeler posted his first 1-2-3 inning in the fourth inning thanks, in part, to a great running catch by CF Angel Morales.

Andy Leer led off for the Miracle in the 3rd inning. Leer is from Williston, North Dakota, and was the Twins 25th round pick in 2010 out of the University of Mary, in Bismarck. Gotta love when guys from northern, small schools get an opportunity. Utility guy playing right field tonight. I believe he has played every position over the last year-plus in Ft. Myers.

Eddie Rosario ranges far to his right to make a terrific defensive play. As a reminder, he was a (very good) centerfielder two years ago in Elizabethton Last year, he transitioned to second base but played a little bit of center too. In the playoffs, Rosario played CF. Now, he's playing great defense exclusively at second base. Mets don't score in the top of the 3rd.

Kennys Vargas singled in the 2nd inning, but the Miracle did not score. After 2, Miracle 0, Mets 1.

Wheeler gives up two hits in the 2nd inning, but gets a tailor-made 6-4-3 double play to end the inning. I"m not saying this because he's 'one of us' (Minnesotan and Twins Daily writer), but if you ever get the chance to watch AJ Pettersen play shortstop, you really should. I haven't seen many play the position so smoothly.

Appropriate that Twins Daily's AJ Pettersen leads off for the Miracle on Blogopolooza Night for the Miracle. Pettersen flew out. Levi Michael struck out, and Eddie Rosario grounded out. After 1 inning, St. Lucie 1, Miracle 0.

Lefty Jason Wheeler got the first two batters out in the 1st inning, but he then walked the next two batters. The fifth batter doubled in a run to give St. Lucie a 1-0 lead. Wheeler got out of the inning, but the old 'walks will haunt' proved true in that inning. In 2012 in Beloit, Wheeler walked just 43 batters in 156 innings. That's 2.5 per nine innings.

Tonight, the Ft. Myers Miracle are celebrating Blogapalooza and hoping to bring lots of bloggers out to their stadium and find them outside of their market too. Join me here tonight to discuss the Miracle game against the St. Lucie Mets. We'll talk about the game, the players and more here, so please join us. Listen to the game here, if you can't be there. http://media4.aicmail.net:8080/MiLB/GameAudio/LiveStreamFlash/fsl_fort_myers_miracle Lineup: AJ Pettersen SS Levi Michael DH Eddie Rosario 2B Miguel Sano 3B Kennys Vargas 1B Angel Morales CF Kyle Knudson C Andy Leer RF Stephen Wickens LF Jason Wheeler SP

I always believe in drafting Best Available... but based on my little knowledge and trying to know some of the players last year, I wanted the Twins to take Kevin Gausman... Buxton's been amazing, but Gausman could be with the Orioles in a month.

I remember Law saying that, but I saw Sano play 6 games for Beloit, two in early June, four in early August. I never saw a lack of effort. I saw mistakes, sure, but not for lack of interest. Sano is confident, no question, and I don't think that's a bad time, but he does work. He's a kid. There were maturity issues earlier, but he's taken a step in that light too.

My opinion is that reliever ERA is really over-blown early in the season because of the low number of innings and how long it takes for an ERA to recover after one or two bad outings. I remember a lot of people saying that the Twins could just remove Thielbar from the 40 man roster and not worry about losing him. His 'stuff' is good. Now, he's striking out a ton at AAA, and if the Twins needed a lefty-reliever now (or wanted a 3rd lefty in the 'pen for a stretch), he would get the call.

Jeff Johnson is a terrific writer for The Gazette in Cedar Rapids. He did a story on Walker last week after his 2-homer game. I believe he wrote about the reasoning in there. His dad's name is obviously also Adam Walker, and it was a way for them to distinguish who they were talking to. I had the chance to meet his dad in Cedar Rapids. He works in Milwaukee and gets off of work at 4, so he's planning to get to a LOT of games this year. Seems like a real good guy.

Absolutely a true story.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1657-Twins-Minor-League-Hitter-of-the-Month-April

It hardly seems like it has been a month. Maybe it was the cold weather, some postponements and several doubleheaders. But just because the weather was cold does not mean that there weren’t some very hot bats in the Twins farm system. The Twins had the top two teams in the minor leagues in the month of April. The Ft. Myers Miracle went 21-4. The Cedar Rapids Kernels were right behind at 18-5. Miguel Sano or Byron Buxton? Byron Buxton or Miguel Sano? They are two of the two prospects in all of baseball, and in April, both of them put up remarkable numbers. Sano has dominated the Florida State League despite being the youngest player in the league. Buxton is one of the youngest players in the Midwest League and he is easily the league’s top prospect. A very strong case could be made for each of them being the Twins top prospect. In April, a strong case could be made for both of them to be the Twins minor league hitter of the month for April. Below, I’ll highlight the Top 5 minor league hitters in the month, and yes, I will pick Sano or Buxton at #1. As is the case when making a Twins prospect list, if you like, you can consider them 1a and 1b. [ATTACH=CONFIG]3967[/ATTACH] Photo by Greg Wagner Here are my selections for the Top 5 Twins Minor League hitters in April: Number 5 – Cedar Rapids – Adam Brett Walker - (23-81) .284/.356/.593 (.948) with three doubles, two triples, six home runs and 26 RBI. Walker was the Twins third round pick in 2012 out of Jacksonville U. The first two weeks of the season were a struggle for 6-4, 225 pound slugger, but in the final week of the month, Walker was on fire and named the Midwest League Hitter of the Month. Five of his home runs came over a four-game stretch from April 22nd to April 27th. According to the Kernels hitting coach Tommy Watkins, “It’s about getting a good pitch to hit. It’s about having a rhythm, and knowing what pitches he can drive.” Most say that the 21-year-old’s power potential is as great as any player in the organization, including Miguel Sano. Number 4 – Ft. Myers – Eddie Rosario - (36-104) .346/.386/.538 (.924) with seven doubles, two triples, 3 home runs and 19 RBI. 2013 has been an incredible year for the Twins 4th round pick from 2010. It began by him playing well in the Puerto Rico Winter League. He earned a spot on the Puerto Rican WBC team and played well in the tournament. He got an opportunity and hit well in Twins big league camp. And now he has had a terrific first month with the Miracle. He continues to hit for average while showing plenty of extra base power. He has solidified himself as a top prospect. His ability to play second base has been a question since he just switched to the position a year ago. The 21-year-old has made great improvements and is statistically the best defensive second baseman in the Florida State League. Number 3 - New Britain – Josmil Pinto - (32-96) .333/.413/.563 (.975) with five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 21 RBI. Pinto had an opportunity to become a free agent after the 2012 season (as a 6-year minor league free agent). Instead, he signed back quickly with the Twins. Soon after, the Twins put him on their 40 man roster. The catcher is off to a fast start with the bat. He has shown that 2012 was not a fluke and that he can hit for average and for power. He is 24 years old and could be called up if the Twins did have a catching need. It took some time for him to develop, but Pinto is on the cusp. Number 2 – Cedar Rapids – Byron Buxton - (31-79) .392/.510/.684 (1.194) with five doubles, three triples, four home runs and 21 RBI. When you’re the #2 overall pick in the draft, expectations are going to be high. To say that Buxton has exceeded expectations to this point is probably an understatement. There was some question about whether he would start the season with Kernels or stay in Ft. Myers in Extended Spring Training. I asked his hitting coach Tommy Watkins who a good comp would be for Buxton. “Mike Trout. When he comes to the plate, he has a presence. He can hurt you in so many ways, with power and with his speed.” Buxton has all the tools. He has incredible power. Three of his four home runs on the season have exited the stadium in Cedar Rapids. He also has great speed and the ability to beat out many infield hits. He plays great defense and has a very strong arm. He also has a tool that not every young player has. He already has great plate discipline as shown by his on-base percentage being over .500. He has been on base at least once in every game this season. He is especially proficient as a two-strike hitter. As Watkins told me, “Two strikes doesn’t scare him at all. A lot of young hitters are afraid to hit with two strikes. They start swinging at everything. Buxton’s not afraid at all. He rarely hacks at the first pitch.” Despite being incredibly gifted as an athlete, Buxton is said to have a tremendous attitude. Watkins concurred, “He is very coachable. He listens. He wants to get better!” The April Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Ft. Myers Miracle 3B Miguel Sano (35-95) .368/.435/.747 (1.183) with seven doubles, a triple, nine home runs and 24 RBI. The Florida State League is a very difficult place for hitters to succeed. Really, it is. At least, it’s supposed to be. Apparently Miguel Sano did not get the memo. Deemed one of baseball’s top prospects, Sano had an impressive showing in his first month in the league. His nine home runs are best in all of minor league baseball. Tommy Watkins was his hitting coach a year ago in Beloit. Is he surprised at what Sano has been able to do in Ft. Myers? “No. We all know his potential. He has tremendous power.” What was the biggest area of improvement for Sano? “He really improved his plate discipline. We knew after his first month last year that he wouldn’t get anything to hit. If they wanted to spin the ball, he needed to lay off the tough ones. It looks like he’s doing that. He knows what he can do, and what pitches he can handle.” Sano has a chance to move up pretty quickly. Reports indicate that his defense and footwork have been greatly improved. But it is his bat that will help him move up the ladder and become a star. No question. Sano will find some struggles in the Florida State League, and how he handles those moments may best determine just how quickly he will be with the Twins. For now, and certainly for April, Sano is putting up the numbers to deserve recognition. There were several strong performances in April that weren’t included in the Top 5. Here are some Honorable Mentions who, in most months, would easily be in the Top 5. Clete Thomas only had 58 at bats in April, but he hit .362/.456/.621 (1.077) with three doubles, four homers and 13 RBI. Chris Colabello continued to impress and show he belongs. In April, he hit .302/.358/.542 (.899) with five doubles, six homers and 19 RBI. Travis Harrison hit .291/.341/.519 (.860) with nine doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI. Dalton Hicks hit .274/.351/.512 (.863) with eight doubles, four homers and 19 RBI. Jorge Polanco hit .341/.379/.489 (.868) with six doubles, two triples, one home run and 19 RBI. JD Williams hit .250/.446/.522 (.946) with four doubles, three homers and nine home runs. He walked 19 times and stole six bases. It was a terrific month for Twins minor league hitting prospects, especially in Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids. You can tell me that I should have picked Buxton, and I won’t disagree with you too much at all. Hopefully May will bring some similar statistics. Feel free to comment and discuss.

I stayed at the Roadway in. It was really cheap, like $39 a night or something. When I went there, a new ownership had just taken over on April 1st. It wasn't fancy, but the room was clean, the staff was nice, there was a continental breakfast that was pretty decent. At that time, the pool wasn't available, so you might want to call on that. It's about 5 minutes from the ballpark and kind of out of the way from other hotels. But, thats just me, and it was three good nights there, so I'm sure others have other thoughts.

Somewhat surprised that he wouldn't start out with a rehab in Ft. Myers. But it's not like he was throwing real hard before either. My assumption is that this was part of his agreement to remain in the organization.

Expect to read a bunch more here on Baxendale and several other of the top performers from April. There were a lot. Great month in the organization. I agree, Cap'n, that the talent in CR is incredible!

I really like Escobar... for what he is. That is, he's a very solid utility guy, who as I've said before, could be the next in the solid line of utility infielders (Newman, Reboulet, Hocking, Punto). I don't think he'll be an every day player. I think if he was, he could be a good glove, minimal hit guy. I'm thinking a .650 OPS type (which wouldn't be terrible). I think that long-reliever and utility infielders are the two roles on a team that are largely under-appreciated.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=1651-Twins-Minor-League-Report-(4-30)-Amazing-April-in-A-Ball