Seth Stohs

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2337[/ATTACH] Earlier in the week, we announced the Minor league Relief Pitcher of the Year and the Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year for the Twins. Today, it’s time to point out the hitters that performed very well in the Twins minor league system. There were a lot of great performances and performers that don’t even make the top six for various reasons, be it injury, big league time or simply playing in a short-season league. Here are three honorable mentions that I think will illustrate just how good the top 6 are! Honorable Mention Chris Parmelee – Rochester Red Wings – 77-228 - .338/.457/.645 (1.102) – 17-2B, 1-3B, 17-HR, 49-RBI, 45-R Nate Roberts – Beloit Snappers – 84-281 - .299/.433/.427 (.860) – 18-2B, 3-3B, 4-HR, 33-RBI, 60-R Max Kepler – Elizabethton Twins – 69-232 - .297/.387/.539 (.925) – 16-2B, 5-3B, 10-HR, 49-RBI, 40-R Hitter of the Year Nominees There were a lot more good hitters up for Hitter of the Year consideration, or at least mention, than there were #6 – Eddie Rosario – Beloit Snappers (123-411 - .299/.347/.499 (.846), with 35 doubles, 4 triples, 13 HR, 74 RBI, 62 R) Consider the numbers Rosario put up for the Snappers in 2012, and then remember that he missed about six weeks of the season after surgery on his mouth. What could he have done with another 120 plate appearances? After hitting 21 homers in E-Town in 2011, it is no surprise that he hit less home runs in the bigger ballparks, but he still hit for average and hit a lot of doubles. Rosario is so good at letting the ball get deep and uses the whole field well. And, his transition to 2B went well in year one, although there is still much room for improvement. #5 – Josmil Pinto – Ft. Myers Miracle / New Britain Rock Cats (117-396 - .295/.362/.482 (.844), with 26 doubles, 3 triples, 14 HR, 60 RBI, 53 R) One of the organization’s more interesting decisions when the offseason starts involves Pinto. The catcher had a tremendous 2012 season. After hitting .295 with 22 doubles and 12 homers in 93 games with the Miracle, he was promoted to New Britain to help them in their playoff push as their DH. He hit .298 with seven extra base hits (including two homers) in the final 12 games. The 23-year-old can become a six-year minor league free agent following the World Series. #4 – Chris Colabello – New Britain Rock Cats (141-496 - .284/.358/.478 (.836), with 37 doubles, 1 triple, 19 HR, 98 RBI, 78 R) A year ago at this time, Colabello was finishing another season, his seventh, with the Worcester Tornadoes of the independent Can-Am League. Baseball America would soon name him their Independent League Player of the Year. The Twins, needing another bat for New Britain, gave him an opportunity. He made the best of it! The 28-year-old who had never played a single game for an affiliated team was a very consistent producer in the middle of the Rock Cats lineup all season long. #3 – Aaron Hicks – New Britain Rock Cats (.286/.384/.460 (.844), with 21 doubles, 11 triples, 13 HR, 61 RBI, 100 R, 32 SB) When the Twins used the 14th pick in the 2008 draft, scouts loved it because Hicks is a great athlete with the potential to be a 5-tool player. As is normal for young players, Hicks struggled in Beloit for a season-and-a-half and last year in Ft. Myers. The Twins pushed him to the AFL last season where he put up very good numbers. They again pushed him to New Britain to start this season, and he responded. Following the All Star break, he hit .301/.409/.480. He did post an OPS of .881 against lefties. Very important, he posted a very good .828 OPS against right-handed pitchers, an area he needed to improve upon. Once Hicks was moved to the leadoff position, his patience at the plate worked to his advantage. He got on base, stole bases and scored a lot of runs. The well-rounded game of Hicks finally started filling up box scores and stat lines! #2 – Miguel Sano – Beloit Snappers (118-457 - .258/.373/.521 (893), with 28 doubles, 4 triples, 28 HR, 100 RBI, 75 R) Expectations were high for Sano when the 2012 season began. I think it’s safe to say that Sano met all expectations. He didn’t hit for much average, but he hit for a lot of power. He drove in runs. He struckout a ton (144 times), and he committed a lot of errors (42). He certainly showed improvement throughout the season. His first-half OPS was .841. After the All-Star break, his OPS was .955. He had less than half as many errors in the second half as in the first. He was named the MWL Prospect of the Year and the Snappers named him their co-MVP. It was a nice first full-season performance for the 19-year-old. Hitter of the Year – [ATTACH=CONFIG]2338[/ATTACH] Oswaldo Arcia – Ft. Myers Miracle / New Britain Rock Cats (150-469 - .320/.388/.539 (.925), with 36 doubles, 8 triples, 17 HR, 98 RBI, 76 R) Signed in July of 2007, Arcia was an easy choice to add to the Twins 40 man roster last offseason. In 2010, he was the Appy League Player of the Year when he hit .375 with an OPS of 1.096. In 2011, he spent a month in Beloit before elbow surgery. Upon his return, he went to Ft. Myers. That’s where he began the 2012 season. In 55 games, he hit .309 with 26 extra base hits. He played in the FSL All Star game and had a double off of Jameson Taillon in the Futures Game before being promoted to New Britain. That’s when his offensive game really took off. In 69 games with the Rock Cats, he hit .328 with 35 extra base hits. He was an RBI machine. He plays a very good outfield with a strong arm. Arcia will return to big league spring training in 2013, and depending upon offseason moves, he will get a chance to impress the coaching staff with his power. So there you have it. There were some really terrific offensively performances by Twins minor leaguers in 2012. It’s especially nice to see big years coming from some of the team’s top prospects. Feel free to discuss.

http://www.beloitdailynews.com/sports/twins-satisfied-with-progress-of-prospects/article_56a05dea-fcef-11e1-bb15-0019bb2963f4.html Beloit Daily News writer Jeff Flickenger talked to Jim Rantz about some of the top prospects that played for the Snappers in 2012.

Jeff Flickenger of the Beloit Daily News talked to Matt Bosen, the GM of the Snappers, Jim Rantz and others on the Beloit situation. Definitely worth a read: http://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/snappers-unsure-of-team/article_6c7cc61c-fcea-11e1-a984-0019bb2963f4.html

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1033-Twins-Florida-Instructional-League-Roster

Every year following the long minor league season, the Twins invite many prospects and recent draft picks back to Ft. Myers for the Florida Instructional League. For the most part, this time is pretty self-explanatory. It is a place for extra instruction for young players. For 2012 draft picks, it is likely a preview of what to expect from minor league spring training next March. Sometimes, players go to “Instructs” to learn a new position or a secondary position. You’ll notice at least one position player doing that this year. It's also a place for players who missed time for whatever reason to get extra time. Along with the instruction, teams do play games. It is very similar to Extended Spring Training. The Red Sox, Orioles and Rays have nearby facilities, so there are games. We won’t get any official statistics, but occasionally we get some reports on how players are doing. With that introduction, here is a look at the players who will be participating in Florida Instructional League starting next week. PITCHERS DJ Baxendale, Jose (JO) Berrios, Hudson Boyd, Josh Burris, JT (Jon) Chargois, Tyler Duffey, Andrew Ferreira, Dallas Gallant, Tyler Jones, Zach Jones, Yorman Landa, Brett Lee, Austin Malinowski, Andre Martinez, Chris Mazza, Mason Melotakis, Kaleb Merck, Josue Montanez, Luis Nunez, Hein Robb, Gonzalo Sanudo. (note – Luke Bard will be there rehabbing) CATCHERS Kelly Cross, Jorge Fernandez, Tyler Grimes, Matt Koch, Bryan Santy INFIELDERS Niko Goodrum, Travis Harrison, DJ Hicks, Aderling Mejia, Levi Michael, German Minier, Jorge Polanco, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Daniel Santana, Kennys Vargas OUTFIELDERS Byron Buxton, Romy Jimenez, Max Kepler, Zach Larson, Jeremias Pineda, Jake Proctor, Dereck Rodriguez, Adam Walker When there are games, the team will be managed by Tommy Watkins with Henry Bonilla as his pitching coach. GCL manager Ramon Borrego , New Britain manager Jeff Smith and FT. Myers hitting coach Jim Dwyer will also be on the coaching staff. Pitching Coordinator Eric Rasmussen and Hitting Coordinator Bill Springman will work there. Paul Molitor will also be there as an instructor. This is a good opportunity for more instruction for young developing players. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2335[/ATTACH]

My first thought was "No Thanks. Maybe next year." My second thought was... "Well, if he's only looking for $6-7 million, that'd be fair and it would mean signing a 30+ HR guy for 3 years and $20-21 million." Then came then, "but he's already 33, he'll be 36, which doesn't bother me all that much... but what about Arcia, Hicks, Benson, Sano, etc.?" So, I'm back to, "No, thanks, but let's discuss it next year again."

Very interesting list, and it is certainly fun to think about this... In other words, if you ranked all 175 or so Twins minor leaguers, which would move up the most between now and mid-September 2013? Summers, Michaels and Walker are probably the three that might hit my Top 30. There are some very interesting names here. I like beyond Michaels and Summers the highest I ranked when I last did a top 50 (before the draft) was Lo. I ranked Wheeler, Tomshaw and Hurlbut as three of the top 6 minor league starters of the year, but I would likely have Jones ahead of all of them in prospect rankings. These are hard for me, because some might say that JD Williams could rise quickly next year, but I already have him in the mid-20s. If I had to pick one or two though, how about... 1.) Aderlin Mejia - went back to GCL and raked, even got to go to the Miracle after the season. 2a.) Angel Morales - Not sure he deserves a promotion to AA New Britain, although he did play great defense, but getting him out of the FSL may help him, and his tremendous athleticism, take off.

Yeah, even if Eduardo Escobar is "only" a 4-6 year utility guy for the Twins, it was the right thing to deal Liriano. Pedro Hernandez certainly has a chance to be a back-of-the-rotation starter as early as sometime next year.

Just to compare/contrast: Seth Cody #1 Achter Tonkin #2 Tonkin Achter #3 Thielbar Pugh #4 Pugh Thielbar #5 Perdomo Slama #6 Slama

Normally I'm quick to come up with reasons that a player stays back instead of getting pushed. I think that it was great for Kepler to stay in E-Town because he was mediocre the first year there and this year he was able to thrive. As for Walker, yes, he hit a lot of home runs, but he also struckout a ton. I'm not sure pushing him to Beloit would have made a lot of sense. Danny Ortiz was moved from Beloit to Ft. Myers after about a month this year. I also think that the Twins invested enough in Danny Rams that they needed to give him a shot. I can come up with reasons for about everything. I'm even completely good with the idea of letting players play in the playoffs with the team they've been with once it's into late July or early August. To me, that's fair. But I can't come up with one for Roberts. Once he showed he was healthy, he should have been moved up. (That was probably in about mid-June.) In my opinion. I mean to Ft. Myers... there really isn't a comparison between him and Eaton at this point because of the injuries.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1027-Twins-Daily-Minor-League-Starting-Pitcher-of-the-Year

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2319[/ATTACH] Yesterday, we named AJ Achter the 2012 Twins Daily Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. He was the best among a very strong cast of Twins minor league relievers. Today, we will name the Twins Daily 2012 Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year. Starting Pitching was clearly a huge issue at the big league level for the Twins. The Rochester Red Wings had a .500 season despite losing starter after starter to the Twins. There were some very solid performances by Twins starters in 2012. However, there are very few starters who have the ability to strike out many batters. You will see that with the below list of starters, but it is true throughout the organization. 2012 saw the return of Kyle Gibson from Tommy John surgery, but it was also a tough year for several starters. Alex Wimmers made just one start, rehabbed and then had midseason Tommy John surgery. Adrian Salcedo uncharacteristically struggled, got hit in the nose with a one-hopper, had elbow problems, came back and his season ended with shoulder issues. Tom Stuifbergen missed the first couple of months. It was a tough season for Twins starting pitchers throughout the organization. But that should not take away from the success that several Twins minor league starters did have, and today, we recognize them. Feel free to debate them, or ask any questions: Starting Pitcher of the Year #6 – Matt Tomshaw – Beloit Snappers (4-6, 2.92 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 89.1 IP, 87 H, 17 BB, 67 K) Tomshaw was the Twins 42nd round pick in 2011 out of Jacksonville Universit. After making 11 appearances for the GCL Twins, he moved across the parking lot in Ft. Myers and pitched in seven games for the Miracle. In 25.1 innings, he posted a 2.13 ERA. For his first full season, the Twins sent Tomshaw to the Snappers where he started the season in the bullpen. It wasn’t long before he started working out of the rotation. Blessed with a six-pitch mix, he also does a great job of mixing speeds. He has terrific control. In only one month this season (July), did Tomshaw have an ERA over 3.26. #5 – David Hurlbut – Beloit Snappers (6-6, 2.76 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 111 IP, 105 H, 25 BB, 85 K) Hurlbut was drafted by the Twins in the 35th round in 2009, but instead he decided to go to Cal-State Fullerton. In 2011, the Twins selected him again, this time in the 28th round. He pitched out of the bullpen in college, but in his two minor league seasons, he has primarily started. He posted a 1.35 ERA in ten games (20 innings) out of the bullpen in 2012. He walked two and struckout 20. As a starter (15 starts), he posted a 3.07 ERA. In 91 innings, he walked 23 and struckout 65. His future may be in the bullpen, but he did a nice job for the Snappers rotation in 2012. #4 – Esmerling Vasquez – Rochester Red Wings (9-6, 2.78 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 100 IP, 74 H, 39 BB, 98 K) In his two big league starts, Vasquez has been plagued with the same issue he had during his three years with the Diamondbacks, control. Vasquez made just eight starts with the Red Wings, and his season long outing came in a game PJ Walters started on a rehab. Vasquez came in with two outs in the first and didn’t leave until the ninth inning. As a starter, he was 4-2 with a 2.93 ERA. In 43 innings, he struck out 48 and walked just 14. From the bullpen, he threw 57.1 innings and walked 25 batters while striking out 50. Overall, opponents hit just .210 off of him and he was the most consistent performer, regardless of role, for the Red Wings. I couldn’t really put him any higher on a list of starting pitchers, and he wasn’t listed among the top relievers. However, don’t be surprised if the Twins name him as their minor league pitcher of the year. #3 – Jason Wheeler – Beloit Snappers (14-6, 3.45 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 156 IP, 170 H, 43 BB, 115 K) The former Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year was the Twins 8th round pick in 2011 out of Loyola Marymount. He didn’t sign until the deadline so his professional debut officially came in 2012 with the Beloit Snappers. He began by going 3-0 in April and followed it by going 3-1 in May. He did go through a rough patch in June, but he returned to form in July when he went 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA and was the pitcher of the month. At 6-8 and 250 pounds, Wheeler can throw the ball on a downward plane. At this point, he tops out at 90 mph, but he mixes his pitches very well. He’ll give up some hits, but he knows how to pitch. However, only one pitcher in the Twins farm system threw more innings than the lefty did in 2012. #2 – Liam Hendriks – Rochester Red Wings (9-3, 2.20 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 106 IP, 76 H, 28 BB, 82 K) Hendriks won this award each of the past two seasons and a strong case could be made for him against in 2012. However, because of his regular stints with the Twins throughout the season, Hendriks only made 16 starts. However, he has little to prove in AAA after dominating the level this year. Coming into the season, he had only a handful of AAA starts before being thrust into the big leagues last September. In Rochester, Hendriks gave up few hits, and only five of those hits were home runs. Hendriks has nothing more to prove in AAA, and soon will need to turn the corner with the Twins. He has the pitches and the control. He just needs to get win number one! Starting Pitcher of the Year – BJ Hermsen – Ft. Myers Miracle / New Britain Rock Cats (12-6, 2.82 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 162 IP, 161 H, 30 BB, 87 K) Liam Hendriks was my choice for Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2010 and 2011. BJ Hermsen finished in second in 2011. Hendriks was good again in the minors in 2012, but Hermsen was very good and threw 50 more innings. Hermsen was the pitcher of the month in April when he went 1-0 with a 0.78 ERA in four starts with Ft. Myers. He moved up to New Britain and was again the pitcher of the month in May pitching for the Rock Cats. He struggled in June, but he was 4-1 in July and 3-1 in August. He was remarkably consistent, posting a 3.27 in the first half and a 3.16 ERA in the second half. Although he struckout just 4.8 per nine innings, he struck out three for every batter he walked. The 6-6 right-hander will be an interesting case. Will the Twins add him to the 40 man roster or subject him to the Rule 5 draft? [ATTACH=CONFIG]2318[/ATTACH] --- Twins Daily had the chance to catch up with BJ Hermsen over the weekend and ask a couple of questions: What does being named the 2012 Twins Daily Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year mean to you? BJ Hermsen: “I would say this is more of a team award for me than it is an individual award. I’ve said many times before that I’m a guy that depends on my defense quite a bit and it makes it easier when you have lots of trust in your defense. That was obviously the case again this year. The rest of the guys that you had listed were very much worthy of winning this award as well. I appreciate it very much.” What did he work on or develop that helped him in 2012? BJ Hermsen: “I think adding the cutter last offseason helped quite a bit. It’s another pitch that hitters have to worry about. I'm always trying to learn more and more about the game and how to go about hitters.” Talk a little about the 2012 New Britain Rock Cats who still had a chance to make the playoffs on the season’s final day. BJ Hermsen: “I thought being around those guys was an absolute blast. We had a bit of a rough stretch there with about 3 weeks to go in the season, but the way we responded the last couple weeks was nice to see. We put ourselves in a position to force a playoff game that last day and did we had to do, but it just didn’t work out. The chemistry was great and being able to go to the park every day was always fun knowing these guys were there.” Feel free to discuss.

Could mention DJ Baxendale or the incredible numbers of Tyler Duffey, but it's just 15-20 innings, so that doesn't compare to 50-75 innings.

Kepler is immensely talented, no question, and for me, he'll be in the top ten. He's already back in Europe, playing in the European Cup for Germany. Several Twins prospects/minor leaguers are there including: Germany - Kepler and Markus Solbach Italy - Chris Colabello Netherlands - Tom Stuifbergen, Shairon Martis Feel like I'm missing one or two.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2012/9/10/3305489/prospect-retrospective-career-profile-brad-radke-minnesota-twins

These are probably two guys who could now be fast tracked. I think how they were handled in 2012 was right, but maybe now with the success and the adjustments they've made/learned this year will allow them to move more quickly next spring.

Loved the K-Rates of Tonkin and Slama, but Achter's K-Rate was still 10.6 per nine. To me, Achter was pretty easy choice among a lot of very good relievers.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?1021-Twins-Daily-Minor-League-Relief-Pitcher-of-the-Year

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2302[/ATTACH] The Beloit Snappers’ season is now complete, and that marks the end of the season for each of the Twins minor league affiliates. Several Twins minor leaguers are currently playing in the European Cup in The Netherlands. October marks the beginning of the Arizona Fall League and soon winter leagues in the Caribbean will start. Before thinking about that, it’s time for Twins Daily to hand out some minor league awards! In coming days, I’ll be presenting my choices for Twins minor league hitter of the month and starting pitcher of the month. Today, I’ll present for you my choices for the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. There were a lot of terrific seasons put in by relievers throughout the Twins minor leagues. For instance, Corey Williams, who led the organization with 17 saves, did not make the below list. Dakota Watts had a nice season, but he missed the first couple of months with injury. Matt Hauser was again very good out of the bullpen and also made a half-dozen starts. Some of the most exciting bullpen guys are the ones drafted by the Twins in the 2012 draft. The Twins have made an effort in recent drafts and with minor league free agents to add some power arms. The six players mentioned below are a good mix of arms. Feel free to debate them, or ask any questions you may have. Relief Pitcher of the Year #6 – Anthony Slama – Rochester Red Wings (1-0, 14 saves, 1.24 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 36.1 IP, 26 H, 18 BB, 56 K) That Slama is on this list is no surprise to anyone who has followed his entire career and particularly his AAA career. The only thing that kept him from likely being at the top of this list (and probably from the big leagues) is that he missed nearly two months with a broken leg, suffered when Norfolk’s Miguel Tejada hit a line drive back at him in a game. #5 – Luis Perdomo – New Britain Rock Cats / Rochester Red Wings (8-5, 9 saves, 2.60 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 72.2 IP, 54 H, 22 BB, 68 K) Perdomo was signed by the Twins this past offseason after spending the previous three seasons in the Padres organization. San Diego had drafted him in the Rule 5 draft in December 2008 and he pitched 35 games for them in 2009 (55 strikeouts in 60 innings). He pitched one game for the Padres in 2011, but the rest of the time he’s pitched in AAA. The Twins had him begin this season in AA New Britain. In 26 games, he went 4-4 with 2 saves and a 2.75 ERA. In 39.1 innings, he struckout 43 in 39.1 innings. He advanced to AAA Rochester where he was 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA and 7 saves. In 33.1 innings, he walked just six and struckout 25. He was promoted to the Twins in early August and was also a September call-up. #4 – Bruce Pugh – Ft. Myers Miracle / New Britain Rock Cats (5-5, 14 saves, 1.94 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 69.2 IP, 55 H, 31 BB, 72 K) Pugh was the Twins 19th round pick in 2008 out of community college. The 24-year-old, hard-throwing right-hander really struggled in 2011, including in the Arizona Fall League. However, he came back in 2012 to show that he has a chance to be a back-of-the-bullpen guy for the Twins in the near future. The Twins decided to have him starting in Ft. Myers where he went 1-3 with a 2.60 ERA and 5 saves. He moved up to New Britain and went 4-2 with a 1.50 ERA. In 42 innings, he struckout 48 batters. He still needs to walk less batters, but he could get a 40 man roster spot this offseason. #3 – Caleb Thielbar – Ft. Myers Miracle / New Britain Rock Cats / Rochester Red Wings (6-2, 6 saves, 2.43 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 77.2 IP, 64 H, 21 BB, 74 K) The 25-year-old lefty from Minnesota became the first player that the Twins signed from the St. Paul Saints when he signed in August of 2011. Thielbar started this season in Ft. Myers where he walked two and struckout 16 in 12.1 innings. He moved up to New Britain where he walked three and struckout 26 batters in 25 innings. By midseason, he was pitching in AAA where he did meet some struggles but still held his own, posting a 3.57 ERA in 40.1 innings. He will continue his 2012 in the Arizona Fall League. #2 – Michael Tonkin – Beloit Snappers / Ft. Myers Miracle (4-1, 12 saves, 2.08 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 69.1 IP, 53 H, 20 BB, 97 K) Eyes were raised by some when Michael Tonkin returned to the Beloit Snappers for the third straight year. The first year, he came up as a starter who touched the low-90s and had a decent curveball. When I saw Tonkin throw in early June for the Snappers, he was a hard-throwing right-hander who threw with sink and had a terrific slider. He looked so much better than he had a year earlier. At Beloit, he was 3-0 with six saves, a 1.38 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. In 39 innings, he walked nine and struckout 53. Following the Midwest League All Star game, he was promoted to Ft. Myers where he logged late-innings again. He went 1-1 with a 2.97 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP. In 30.1 innings, he walked 11 and struckout 44. Instead of throwing a low-90s fastball, Tonkin’s fastball now sits in the mid-90s and touches 96. Tonkin will also be playing in the Arizona Fall League this fall. Will he be added to the 40 man roster? [ATTACH=CONFIG]2303[/ATTACH]Relief Pitcher of the Year – AJ Achter – Beloit Snappers / Ft. Myers Miracle (5-2, 6 saves, 1.70 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 94.1 IP, 54 H, 15 BB, 86 K) In 2010, AJ Achter was the Twins 46th round draft pick out of Michigan State. He didn’t sign right away, choosing instead to play in the Cape Cod League. He was terrific and before the deadline, he agreed to terms with the Twins. He started 2011 in EST, but moved up to Beloit where he made 19 starts for the Snappers. He returned to Beloit in 2012 but in a new role, pitching out of the bullpen. In 40 innings, he posted a 2.48 ERA. He walked 12 and struckout 49 hitters. After 18 games with the Snappers, he moved up and pitched 18 more games with the Miracle. He was markedly better. In 34.1 innings, he gave up just 21 hits, walked three and struckout 37 batters. The 24-year-old righty has a very solid three-pitch mix. He has terrific control and struckout well more than a batter per inning. Although he didn’t get as many saves as others, it was an easy choice to make AJ Achter the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year. ---- So, what was Achter’s response to hearing he had been named by Twins Daily as the Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Years? AJ Achter: (I am) “very honored and privileged to be chosen for this award. There were some other guys who had fantastic seasons who very easily could've been chosen. I can attribute almost all of this past season’s success to hard work and my coaches. It was a thrill for me to get the ball late in games and have the success that I had. ” So what was the secret to his 2012 success? What was he able to work on and improve between 2011 and 2012? AJ Achter: “The thing that I improved on most was throwing more quality strikes and just attacking hitters. Coming out of the pen, I just tried to force the action with hitters early in the count and let the defense make plays behind me. The defense made some unbelievable plays behind me and I worked so well with our catchers on coming up with a pitch plan to get guys out. I was able to go out and execute that plan most nights.” What does Achter throw, and what is his thinking out on the mound? AJ Achter: “My repertoire is fastball, slider, changeup. One of the biggest things that helped me out of the pen was being able to throw all three pitches for strikes, especially the changeup behind in counts. I don't think much changed from last year as far as in if my stuff got better, but I executed my pitches very well this season. I used the slider as a strikeout pitch to righties a lot, but besides that I just tried not letting guys get free bases and making them put the ball in play.” Congratulations again to AJ Achter and all of these relief pitchers who had some terrific seasons of the bullpen in the Twins farm system. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2304[/ATTACH] We’ll be back tomorrow with the Twins Daily Minor League Start Pitcher of the Year.