Seth Stohs

Parmelee hasn't play an inning in the outfield all year in Rochester. The situation was different 2 weeks ago... Parmelee was expected to primarily be a bench option, but he ended up starting because span was out for longer. Carson would not have been sent back to Rochester if not for Diamond throwing at Hamilton's head. At this point, Parmelee will likely play and he's only missing like 6 Rochester games instead of 22.

NATE ROBERTS is also on the Peoria roster. Good for him, on-base machine, and he may stay there until Benson is ready. Also on the Peoria team... Reds SB man Billy Hamilton!! that would be fun to watch!

Imagine if he has his wicked stuff... and he only walked 4 per nine innings instead of 8?

The Twins weren't going to wait until September 1 to add a bat. Chris Parmelee and his AAA domination have been recalled. Jeff Gray was (finally?) outrighted to Rochester. He's off the 40 man roster, which means we assume he (like Blackburn and Nishioka) will most likely not return to the Twins this season.

I believe last year was the first year that teams could send TWO guys from A ball. I guess I didn't look to see if it changed back. I don't think it says anything about Hermsen with the decision to send Darnell. I think that's more of an innings pitched thing, I would guess. Although it certainly makes his 40 man roster decision more difficult to predict.

Name one pitcher in big league history who has had any sustained success walking more than he strikes out, and not striking out very many. Just one, please.

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]2180[/ATTACH] For fans of the minor leagues, this time of year is pretty fun. The Elizabethton Twins will be starting their playoff run tonight. September call-ups can start happening on Friday. The minor league regular seasons come to an end on Labor Day and then more players get called up while those playoff runs start. As you know, Beloit will be in the Midwest League playoffs, and most likely, they will be the lone Twins full-season playoff team. Today, it is expected that the Arizona Fall League teams will be announced. So, who will represent the Twins in Arizona when the AFL begins on October 9? According to the Star-Tribune’s LaVelle E. Neal, the Twins will send six players to the AFL and also save one more spot for another player. Here is the list, which should become official today. Chris Herrmann – It isn’t usual for the Twins to send a player to the Arizona Fall League two consecutive years, but Herrmann will do just that. Last year, Herrmann made a name for himself on a more national scene with a strong showing in the AFL. He hit .380/.456/.620 in just 57 at bats. He returned to AA New Britain this season and has hit .268/.342/.385 with 23 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs and 55 RBI. The 24 year old has been the team’s primary catcher, but this year, he has returned to playing quite a bit of outfield. Evan Bigley – The 25 year old outfielder began the 2012 season back in New Britain where he had spent parts of the two previous seasons. In 88 games, he hit .268/.311/.444 with 19 doubles, three triples and 12 home runs. He was promoted to Rochester where, in 35 games, he is hitting .211/.241/.328 with six doubles and three homers. The Right Fielder has a good arm. Kyle Gibson – Of course, Gibson is the headliner on this roster. Gibson, the Twins 1st round pick in 2009 rocketed through the Twins farm system in 2010. He began 2011 in Rochester where he pitched well until arm issues derailed his season. He had Tommy John surgery last September, and his comeback this season has been going well to this point. He made his first start for the Red Wings in 2011 on Saturday. The goal is to get him as many innings as they can this fall so that he can go to spring training 2013 with a chance to impress. Logan Darnell – He was the Twins sixth round pick in 2010 out of Kentucky. In 2011, he pitched for Beloit, Ft. Myers and New Britain (5 starts, 5.58 ERA). This season, he has pitched exclusively for the Rock Cats. He has made 26 starts and thrown 145 innings already after throwing a combined 150.1 innings in 2011. He is 9-12 with a 5.21 ERA. He’s given up 181 hits (21 home runs), walked 44 and struckout just 94. Despite the pedestrian stats and the low strikeout numbers, he is said to have some really good stuff. Michael Tonkin – The Twins can have up to two players from the Ft. Myers roster compete in the AFL. Michael Tonkin will do that this year. He began the season by completely dominating the Midwest League. For Beloit, he went 3-0 with a 1.38 ERA in 22 games. He had six saves. In 39 innings, he walked just nine (gave up just one home run) and struckout 53. Opponents hit just .206 off of him. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where opponents are hitting just .202 off of him. He’s 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 20 games. In 28.1 innings, he has walked 11 and struck out 40. He has three good pitches, generally gets a lot of ground balls. Caleb Thielbar – Thielbar is a lefty from Randolph, MN, who signed with the Twins late last season, the first player the Twins had signed from the St. Paul Saints. Since then, he has been terrific and progressed swiftly up the Twins farm system. He started the season with seven games in Ft. Myers. In 12.1 innings, he gave up four hits, walked two and struck out 16. He moved up to New Britain and pitched in 16 games. In 25 innings ,he gave up 18 hits, walked three and struck out 26. Now, he’s pitched in 24 games for Rochester. In 37 innings, he has given up 40 hits, walked 15 and struckout 29. The Arizona Fall League will be a good challenge for him. Joe Benson – It’s been a lost season for the Twins talented outfield prospect. He struggled early, but he has had one injury after the next ever since. He had surgery on his hamate bone, he’s had some other minor injuries, and his season came to an end two weeks ago with a knee injury. He will have surgery on Monday. The rehab will likely take at least one month, so the Twins are holding a spot for him in the AFL. He just needs to find some at bats so that he can go into the 2013 season strong and hopefully ready to take that final step. The Twins players will play for the Peoria Javelinas with prospects from the Reds, Phillies, Mariners and Padres. They will be managed by Dusty Wathan. Be sure to check in with Twins Daily for updates on Twins minor leaguers in the Arizona Fall League, but also Twins minor leaguers playing Winter League ball anywhere. Several players will play in the Caribbean, be it in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico or Mexico. Several will also be playing in the Australian Baseball League.

Obviously there are two empty spots now, but that's easy to change.

http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/08/28/12/One-good-eye-enough-to-make-Vavra-a-hit/landing_twins.html?blockID=781703&feedID=5930 Here is a must-read story about the son of Twins hitting coach Joe Vavra, Tanner, who plays Division I baseball and is partially blind. He doesn't just play, he's a starter, hit over .300, played great in the Northwoods League and has a tremendous attitude!

He can still win it. if he's 5 plate appearances short, they would give him an 0-5 and if he's still leading, he still wins the title. I think Tony Gwynn won once that way.

I don't think 'service time' plays into any of this... some fans like to throw it out there, but it's not the case. Just last year they called up Hendriks, Parmelee and Benson. They didn't worry about their service time. But they all played. the service time is not at all an issue in the call ups.

How about Deibinson Romero? The 26-year-old 3B had another solid season in New Britain. He hit .264/.355/466 with 21 doubles, 18 homers and 74 RBI. He also can (again) become a minor league free agent after the season. Last year he stayed with the Twins. Might he look elsewhere next year if the Twins don't add him to the 40 man roster?

Yeah, that's why I don't think Hicks will come up. He'll play Winter ball, and he'll get added to the 40 man roster in November, and he'll come to spring training. The Twins know what they have with him. Arcia is a guy who I think could come up and be Ok with the bat. Then again, the if you have Span and Revere and Willingham, those guys are going to play a lot. I get that you can move them around, give guys days off, but you also have Carson (maybe) and Mastroianni to fill in there too. it becomes a numbers game.

Josmil Pinto was promoted to New Britain late last week, but it didn't stop him from being named to the Florida State League's post season all star team. The Catcher/DH batted .295 with 12 home runs and 51 RBIs in 93 games with the Miracle before being promoted. He was also a mid-season All Star. Pinto can be a 6-year minor league free agent after the season, so the Twins will need to decide if they will add him to the 40 man roster, or if he will become a free agent.

I 100% agree that Colabello deserves the September call-up, and I hope he gets it. Also note that Escobar has done about as much as Dozier in the last month, so you can't say that one deserves it and the other 'hasn't earned it.' Of course, two weeks isn't enough time to evaluate anything... which of course, should be the theme for September and spring training.

Vargas isn't exactly a 'cheap' option. The soft-tosser is projected to make $8.1 million in 2013 according to MLB Trade Rumors. I'm not saying he's not worth it, and he would likely be the Twins top starter today, but I think I'd rather go the free agent way since it wouldn't require giving up anything in return.

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]2168[/ATTACH] It’s August 28th, just a handful of days remaining until September 1st. At that time, Major League rosters can expand to 40. Of course, no team is going to have all 40 members of their 40 man roster on their big league roster. Generally speaking, the Twins say they want to bring up an infielder, an outfielder, maybe an extra catcher, and a couple of arms. Also, the minor league seasons finish on Labor Day, so most of the call-ups will not happen until after that date. Today, I’m going to take a look at 16 players that could be considered for a September call-up and try to handi-cap their likelihood of being called up. There are various reasons for a player to be called up. When the big league team is in contention, it has more to do with a role, something they can add to the current roster. That could be a pinch runner, a pinch hitter, or just some extra arms to only pitch in blowouts. For a team like the Twins this year, they have a lot of players that they will want to see and evaluate over the final month. Some players may be out of options next spring. The Twins will need to add some players to the 40 man roster in November. Some may get added for September. Others may depend on how some fringe players perform in September. With that background, here are some of the players who could potentially be called up in September. I believe there are 16 names here, and most likely the Twins will call up between five and seven players. Here is my list and percentages. Feel free to discuss. --- CHRIS PARMELEE (100%) – I think it’s pretty safe to assume that Parmelee will be up with the Twins in September again. He has simply crushed International League pitching all year to the tune of a .344/.463/.661 (1.124) line, including 17 doubles, a triple, 17 homers and 48 RBI. He even had more walks than strikeouts. Many wanted him called up to play in the outfield for the past month, but if the Twins thought he could play in the outfield, he might have played some there in Rochester. He has not played a single inning in the outfield for the Red Wings. He may see some time out there with the Twins. 40 Man Roster – Yes. BRIAN DOZIER (95%) – He was sent down to Rochester for the final two weeks. He proceeded to have just three hits in his first 44 at bats with the Red Wings. He has played well the last two games, but the manager loves him and he will get some more time in September. Now, I also think that the Twins love the glove of Pedro Florimon at shortstop, so don’t be surprised to see Dozier spending some time at second base. Again, you would think they’d start doing that a little in Rochester first. 40 Man Roster – Yes. JEFF MANSHIP (85%) – He’s out of options next season, so I would think that the Twins would want to see more of him and determine whether to bring him to spring training in 2013. With the Red Wings this year, he is 6-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 20 games. 40 Man Roster – Yes. ESMERLING VASQUEZ (84%) – The hard-throwing right-hander has been terrific this season with the Red Wings, both out of the bullpen and over eight starts late in the season. Overall, he is 9-6 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He has 98 strikeouts in 100.1 innings. 40 Man Roster – No. MATT CARSON (82%) – The outfielder put on a nice show of what he could be (at his best) in his week-long stint with the Twins on the west coast. Since the 32 year old was only “optioned” to Rochester, my assumption is that he will come back up in September (and then be DFAd after the season). 40 Man Roster – Yes. ANTHONY SLAMA (75%) – if he was anyone else putting up the numbers he is this year (not to mention over his entire minor league career, particularly the years in AAA), I would have this percentage at 100% However, this is the Twins and this is Anthony Slama, so who knows what the Twins will choose to do. If I was in charge, he would have been up a long time ago. 40 Man Roster – No. EDUARDO ESCOBAR (71%) – The utility infielder came to the Twins in the Francisco Liriano trade. He hasn’t hit much in his four weeks with the Red Wings, but he’s been good with the glove all around the infield. I’m not worried about his bat because he rotted on the White Sox bench all season, and it appears, based on his role in Rochester, that he will be the Twins next long-term utility player (which makes Alexi Casilla’s non-tendering case even stronger). 40 Man Roster – Yes. LUIS PERDOMO (68%) – It’s strange how much Perdomo struggled to throw strikes during his short stint with the Twins. In 28.1 innings with Rochester this year, he has just four walks to go with 24 strikeouts. His promotion would depend upon how many arms the Twins want to see in September. 40 Man Roster – Yes. OSWALDO ARCIA (50%) – This 21 year old can flat-out hit. He was the Appy League hitter of the year in 2010. He needed just one month in Beloit last year before moving up to Ft. Myers. He spent a couple of months with the Miracle this year, doubled in the Futures Game, and has crushed Eastern League (AA) pitching. Between the two teams, he is hitting .317/.388/.539 (.917) with 36 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs and 90 RBI. He will play in Venezuela in the winter. 40 Man Roster – Yes. CHRIS HERRMANN (40%) – I can see the Twins calling up the versatile Herrmann to play a role very similar to what Ryan Doumit is playing right now. Herrmann can catch and has improved greatly behind the plate. Since the Twins extended Doumit for the next two seasons, Herrmann has returned to playing a lot of left field, where he is known as a terrific outfielder. For the Rock Cats this year, he is hitting .268/.342/.385 (.727) with 23 doubles, ten homers and 55 RBI. He could take Drew Butera’s spot as one of three catchers, but he can provide more bat and even more bench versatility. 40 Man Roster – No (needs to be added). CHRIS COLABELLO (35%) – I think the fact that Matt Carson will likely be called up makes it more unlikely that Colabello is promoted. The lanky right-handed bat has been incredible this year in his first year in affiliated baseball. He was the 2011 Independent League Player of the Year and signed with the Twins before spring training this year. He has responded by hitting .291/.358/.494 (.852) with 37 doubles, 19 homers and 95 RBI so far. The 28 year old could be a decent right-handed bench bat option. 40 Man Roster – No. AARON HICKS (30%) – The 2008 first-round pick is finally putting together the stats that so many had hoped for, and so many fans had given up on him being able to produce. He finally has been able to turn all of his tools into skills. With New Britain, he is hitting .287/.385/.450 (.835) with 20 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs, 56 RBI and 31 stolen bases. He is hitting lefties and righties well this year. He is showing that he can hit, hit for some power, run, play great defense and has a very strong arm. He also has the sixth tool, very good plate discipline. 40 Man Roster – No (But he needs to be added). DEOLIS GUERRA (25%) – This is Guerra’s final season of options. He started out great with New Britain, and when he moved up to Rochester, that success continued… for a while. Hitters started waiting for his changeup and pounding it. Then, he missed about a month with injury, and he has struggled. The Twins may want to bring him up in September and just see what he can do. Or, they could bring him to spring training next year and give him a job. This is one situation that will be interesting to watch this offseason. 40 Man Roster – Yes. WILKIN RAMIREZ (10%) – Signed as a minor league free agent before the season, Ramirez was once a big-time prospect of the Detroit Tigers. Still just 26 years old, Ramirez has some potential. He has shown it recently in Rochester. In his last 15 games with the Red Wings, he has hit .426 (23-54) with six doubles, seven homers and 17 RBI. A terrific athlete, he is another outfielder. 40 Man Roster – No. CALEB THIELBAR (6%) – It would sure be a nice story if Thielbar got a September cup of coffee with the Twins. The left-hander from Randolph, Minnesota, was signed at about this time one year ago from the St. Paul Saints. This year, he began with Ft. Myers, where he dominated. He moved up to New Britain, where he continued to be dominant. He advanced to AAA Rochester, and although he has not been dominant, he is left-handed, throws the ball well, and can miss a few bats. It may not happen this September, but he has put himself into the discussion. 40 Man Roster – No. KYLE GIBSON (1%) – The Twins and all around the Gibson situation continue to say that the Twins will NOT promoted Gibson when the rosters expand in September. Instead, he’ll finish out the season with the Red Wings, then go to instructional league and then pitch in the Arizona Fall League. If all goes well, he will go to spring training 2013 with an opportunity to make the big league roster. Of course, I want to leave my projection at 1% just because he’s worked hard to return from his September 6, 2012, Tommy John surgery. 40 Man Roster – No (but he needs to be added). 0% Chance – Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Nick Blackburn and Rene Tosoni – All three have been removed from the Twins 40 man roster within the past two weeks, and it is unlikely they would add any of them back for September (although, I guess, Blackburn is always an option). 0% Chance (due to injury) – Joe Benson’s had a rough year that likely just ended with a knee surgery. Sean Burroughs started the season with the Twins but was quickly DFAd and spent the year with the Red Wings. He hasn’t played in six weeks due to some lower back pain. Lester Oliveros had some elbow issues and was shut down. Pedro Hernandez suffered a lat injury and was shut down for the season. My Prediction for September Call-Ups – Parmelee, Dozier, Escobar, Carson, Arcia, Vasquez, Manship, Slama. (That’s eight promotions and 32 players on the roster, not counting PJ Walters who could return shortly as well. That likely means that at least one or two of my picks are not going to be promoted. So, with this information, who do you think will receive September call-ups for the Twins?

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