Seth Stohs

As I was beginning my trek to Beloit last week, I realized that it was already into August. I have no idea where the entire month of July went, but it was already time to present awards for the minor league hitter, starting pitcher and relief pitcher of the month. To keep things brief, this is a little late, so I’m going to consolidate the reports. Along with the three “winners,” I’ll give a top five as well as post some honorable mentions, if appropriate. I apologize for the delay, but it is important for me to post this as there were a lot of strong performances. In fact, the player selected as the Eastern League Player of the Month finished third on this list. We’ll start with some honorable mentions, followed by choices five through two. It will then culminate with the July hitter of the month. We’ll start with the hitters before moving on to the pitchers.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] THE HITTERS Honorable Mention: Rochester Brian Dinkelman 27-81 (.333/.449/.580 – .965), 7-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 7-RBI Rochester Matt Carson 26-84 (.310/.370/.500 - .870) 1-2B, 0-3B, 5-HR, 14-RBI New Britain Chris Colabello 38-113 (.336/.400/.487 – 887), 11-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 20 RBI New Britain Deibinson Romero 33-104 (.317/.385/.500 - .885), 7-2B, 0-3B, 4-HR, 21-RBI Beloit Miguel Sano 21-76 (.276/.426/.461 - .886), 3-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 21-RBI Elizabethton Romy Jimenez 25-67 (.373/.475/.597 – 1.072), 9-2B, 0-3B, 2-HR, 22-RBI Elizabethton Candido Pimentel 36-88 (.409/.464/.523 - .987), 5-2B, 1-3B, 1-3B, 14-RBI Elizabethton Jorge Polanco 22-71 (.310/.417/.507 - .924), 9-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 9-RBI Elizabethton Adam Walker 30-101 (.297/.355/.564 - .919), 3-2B, 1-3B, 7-HR, 26-RBI #5 – New Britain Aaron Hicks 35-110 (.318/.433/.518 - .951), 7-2B, 3-3B, 3-HR, 11-RBI #4 – Ft. Myers Josmil Pinto 31-79 (.392/.437/.582 – 1.019), 4-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 10-RBI #3 – New Britain Oswaldo Arcia 34-96 (.354/.426/.583 – 1.009), 6-2B, 2-3B, 4-HR, 25-RBI #2 – Rochester Chris Parmelee 27-81 (.333/.449/.580 – 1.029), 5-2B, 0-3B, 5-HR, 17-RBI The July Minnesota Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month is... Elizabethton Twins – OF Max Kepler (32-96) .333/.439/.688 (1.126) with 7-2B, 3-3B, 7-HR, 28 RBI Kepler was signed by the Twins as a 16-year-old from Berlin, Germany, in July of 2009. He was immediately touted as the top prospect ever signed out of Europe. It has been a slow progression for the lefty-hitting outfielder. He posted a .689 OPS in the GCL in 210. Last year in Elizabethton, he hit .262 with 11 doubles, three triples and a homer. He produced solid numbers, but it made sense for such a toolsy player to go back to the Appalachian League. After a very slow start at the beginning of the E-Town season, Kepler started hitting very well in July, as you can see from the numbers above. At one point, he hit four home runs in five games and seven homers in 11 games. After four hits last night, he is now hitting .297 on the season with eight homers. He is 6-4 and 180 pounds and hopes to continue to fill out and add more power, but he is also a very speedy player. THE STARTING PITCHERS Honorable Mention: Rochester Esmerling Vasquez – 6 G, 4 GS, 2-1, 3.60 ERA, 25 IP, 20 H, 5 BB, 24 K #5 – Rochester Liam Hendriks – 5 GS, 2-2, 3.09 ERA, 32 IP, 29 H, 8 BB, 19 K #4 – New Britain BJ Hermsen – 5 GS, 4-1, 2.30 ERA, 31.1 IP, 29 H, 9 BB, 21 K #3 – Elizabethton Hudson Boyd – 5 GS, 2-1, 1.82 ERA, 24.2 IP, 22 H, 7 BB, 17 K #2 – Rochester Jeff Manship – 6 GS, 2-1, 1.67 ERA, 27 IP, 29 H, 12 BB, 20 K The July Minnesota Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month is... Beloit – LHP Jason Wheeler - 5 GS, 4-0, 2.03 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 31 IP, 26 H, 12 BB, 22 K For the second straight month, a left-handed starter for the Beloit Snappers is our choice for starting pitcher of the month. Last month, he was David Hurlbut. This month, it is 2011 8th round pick Jason Wheeler. Wheeler has been one of the more consistent starting pitchers in the organization. Overall, he is 12-5 with a 3.35 ERA. In 22 starts and 126.2 innings, he has allowed 133 hits, walked 35 and struck out 96 batters. He is listed at 6-8 and 265. He stands out on the field due to his height, but he appears to be in very good shape. He does not throw hard, touching 90, but he does have some very good off-speed pitches that keep batters off balance. It’s surprising to many that the 21 year old from Loyola Marymount has not yet been promoted to Ft. Myers. THE RELIEF PITCHERS Honorable Mention: #4 – New Britain Bruce Pugh – 9 G, 15 IP, 9 H, 7 BB, 13 K, 1-1, 1.20 ERA, 3 Saves #3 – Beloit Cole Johnson – 10 G, 17.1 IP, 9 H, 5 BB, 20 K, 1-1, 1.04 ERA #2 – Rochester Luis Perdomo – 9 G, 16.1 IP, 8 H, 2 BB, 16 K, 1-0, 0.55 ERA, 7 Saves The July Minnesota Twins Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Month is... Ft. Myers – AJ Achter – 9 G, 16.1 IP, 12 H, 1 BB, 18 K, 1-1, 0.55 ERA, 4 Saves Last month’s relief pitcher of the month, Michael Tonkin, moved up to Ft. Myers about two weeks before AJ Achter did. Achter was pitching very well in Beloit, striking out 49 and walking just 12 in 40 innings. He was promoted to Ft. Myers where he has been even better. Achter was the Twins 46th round pick in 2010 out of Michigan State. Last year at Beloit, he was used exclusively as a starter. This year, he has been much better in the bullpen and seems to have found a role suited well for him! There you have it. The top hitters and pitchers in the Twins system for the month of July. Now it’s time to debate. What do you think? Please feel free to discuss.

It was a big night for offense through most of the Twins farm system, but there were also some great pitching performances (seel below). Down 5-1 going through six innings, the Twins collected three unearned runs in the seventh inning. Cleveland’s All-Star closer Chris Perez came on and gave up three runs in the top of the 9th, two of them unearned. The Twins won 7-5 in unlikely fashion. Sam Deduno was back on the mound for the Twins. This time, he lasted just four innings and gave up four runs on five hits and five walks. He struck out three. Jeff Manship came on and gave up a run on two hits and two walks in his two innings. He struckout four. Tyler Robertson records his first major league win thanks to two scoreless innings, and Glen Perkins picked up his seventh save. Ryan Doumit led the offense with three hits, including two doubles. Ben Revere extended his hitting streak to 21 and is within one (maybe two) games of his .329 batting average being among league leaders.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Brian Dozier and Jamey Carroll each had two hits. Tsuyoshi Nishioka got the game-winning RBI on a sacrifice fly. It was a highlight-filled night in the Twins farm system as well. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Monday night of games in the minor leagues. ROCHESTER 1, EMPIRE STATE 3 (11 innings) Liam Hendriks was terrific again, but the Red Wings bats didn’t show up in this game. The Aussie right-hander went seven shutout innings. He gave up just three hits, walked two and struck out four. Kyle Waldrop came into the game for the eighth inning, but he gave up a run on two hits and a walk. Daniel Turpen pitched two scoreless frames. Bobby Lanigan gave up two unearned runs. He left with the bases loaded. Caleb Thielbar came in and gave up one hit that allowed the two inherited runners to score before getting the final two outs. The Red Wings managed just two hits. Brian Dinkelman singled and later scored on a Rene Rivera double. GAME 1 - NEW BRITAIN 8, BINGHAMTON 9 It was a good offensive day for the Rock Cats, but the pitching and defense cost them this close game. Steve Hirschfeld started and gave up four runs on five hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out four. Bruce Pugh came in for the sixth frame and gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. Jose Gonzalez came in for the seventh, but he gave up three runs (1 earned) on one hit and two walks. Dakota Watts got the final out on a fielder’s choice, but two runs scored. Rene Tosoni led the offense. He went 3-4 with his seventh and eighth doubles. Oswaldo Arcia was 2-4 with his 11th double. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with his 32nd double. Nate Hanson was 2-3 with his fifth home run and four RBI. Aaron Hicks was 1-2 with a walk and his 12th home run. GAME 2 - NEW BRITAIN 8, BINGHAMTON 1 In the second game, Andrew Albers made his first appearance since June 17, and he was masterful. The lefty gave up just one hit in five innings to improve to 4-2. He walked none and struck out five. Matt Hauser came in and gave up only a solo home run over the final two innings. Aaron Hicks led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk and his 18th and 19th home runs. Chris Colabello was 2-4. Oswaldo Arcia had the big blast, a grand slam in the sixth inning. It was hit sixth Rock Cats home run. Deibinson Romero and Dan Rohlfing each doubled. FT. MYERS 22, JUPITER 5 Maybe it was the presence of Carl Pavano, but something got into the bats of the Miracle, particularly Lance Ray. The Miracle scored their 22 runs on 20 hits. Lance Ray led the way. The outfielder from Kentucky went 4-6 with his 18th double, his 12th and 13th home runs and seven RBI. Steve Liddle was 4-5 with his second double and three RBI. Josmil Pinto was 3-4 with two walks and his 18th double. Angel Morales went 3-6 with his seventh double and sixth home run. Anderson Hidalgo had two hits. Danny Rams walked twice and drilled his fifth home run of the season. He drove in four runs. Levi Michael was 1-3 and walked three times. Carl Pavano made the rehab start. He gave up one run on two hits (one was a solo home run) in two innings. He walked none and struck out one. Madison Boer went the next 4.1 innings. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on four hits and two walks. Nelvin Fuentes worked the final 2.2 innings, giving up no runs on two hits and striking out three. BELOIT 5, WISCONSIN 3 The Snappers bats were alive as well on Tuesday night. Nate Roberts led off and led the way with a 3-5 night in which he hit his 11th double, his second triple and stole his 18th base. Eddie Rosario was 2-3 with a walk and his eighth home run. JD Williams had two hits and stole his 17th base. Stephen Wickens went 2-4 with two stolen bases. Tyler Grimes was 2-3 with a walk. Miguel Sano hit his fourth triple. Tyler Jones made the start, and he went the first five innings for the Win. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on seven hits. He walked three and struck out three. Steven Gruver gave up a hit and a walk over two scoreless innings. Corey Kimes gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk. He struck out four. ELIZABETHTON 2, JOHNSON CITY 4 Max Kepler led the offense on this day with his eighth and ninth doubles. Candido Pimentel went 2-4 with a walk and his sixth double. Josh Hendricks was 1-3 with a walk and his eighth double. Travis Harrison was 1-3 with a walk and his eighth double, as well. Hein Robb started and gave up four runs (3 earned) on four hits in 2.1 innings. He walked three and struck out two. Chris Mazza came in and threw 2.2 scoreless innings, give up one hit and striking out two. Luis Nunez walked two in two scoreless innings. Christian Powell pitched a 1-2-3 inning. GCL TWINS 3, GCL RAYS 4 Kyle Gibson made what could be his final rehab start on Monday. He gave up one run on three hits in three innings. He walked one and struck out four. His first appearance came on July 10th, and he gets 30 days to rehab before needing to be activated. The assumption, from me, would be that he will be activated and pitch for the Ft. Myers Miracle. In nine rehab appearances, he pitched 14.2 innings. He gave up four runs on nine hits. He walked four and struck out 16. Andre Martinez came in and faced two batters. He gave up a hit and a walk before being replaced by Gonzalo Sanudo. The lefty went five innings and gave up only one hit. He struckout four. Melciades de la Cruz struck out two in the final inning to record his fourth save. Jeremias Pineda went 3-5 with his 16th stolen base. Bryan Santy went 3-4 with his fourth double. --- Players of the Day for Tuesday, August 7, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Lance Ray Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks --- A Look Ahead – Wednesday, August 8, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Empire State – RHP Shairon Martis New Britain @ Binghamton – TBD Ft. Myers vs Jupiter – LHP Pat Dean Beloit @ Quad Cities – LHP Matt Tomshaw Elizabethton @ Johnson City – LHP Brett Lee GCL Twins vs GCL Orioles – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!

A ten run second inning was more than enough run support for Scott Diamond who won for the 10th time this season. The left-hander worked the first seven innings and gave up three runs (2 earned). Jeff Gray and Luis Perdomo each threw a scoreless inning. It was the offense in this game. In that ten-run inning, Josh Willingham hit his 29th home run. The next batter was Justin Morneau, who hit his 14th home run. The entire team batted around again, and #6 hitter Ryan Doumit also homered in the same inning. Later, Justin Morneau hit his second home run of the year, his 15th homer of the season, and the 200th of his career. Ben Revere went 4-5 to extend his hitting streak to 20 games. Joe Mauer had three more hits, including two doubles. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from a quiet Monday night of games in the minor leagues. ROCHESTER 2, EMPIRE STATE 9[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] After playing 19 innings on Monday night, the one thing that the Red Wings needed was a quality, lengthy start. Left-hander Pedro Hernandez, who came to the organization in the Francisco Liriano trade, made his first start for the Red Wings. It didn’t go so well. The 23-year-old went just two innings and gave up six runs on ten hits. He walked none and struck out two. David Bromberg, who was promoted to the Red Wings for such an occurrence came on and gave the team four good innings. He gave up one run on two hits and three walks while striking out four. Eric Hurley, pitching on a bullpen day, struck out two in the 7th inning. Then things got interesting. Matt Carson, who started the game in right field, came in to pitch the 8th inning. He gave up two runs on one hit and two walks. He gave up a home run. For Carson, it was the first time he pitched in a game since 2009… when he pitched six innings over six games for AAA Sacramento. Then, catcher Rene Rivera pitched the ninth inning. The hard-thrower needed just ten pitches to complete a perfect inning. He struck out one batter, and all ten pitches he threw were strikes. He had not pitched in a game in his career. The last Red Wings position player to pitch in a game was Toby Gardenhire, who worked a scoreless inning in July of 2011. There was not much offense for the Rock Cats on this night. Wilkin Ramirez went 2-4. Ray Chang drove in both Red Wings runs with his seventh double. The loss ended a seven-game win streak for the Red Wings. Also, Chris Parmelee, who was named the International League Hitter of the Week, went 0-3 (with a walk) to end his 15 game hitting streak. NEW BRITAIN ROCK CATS New Britain did not have a game scheduled on Tuesday. FT. MYERS MIRACLE There were no games scheduled in the Florida State League. BELOIT 5, WISCONSIN 3 The Snappers played another very well-rounded game on Monday. 2012 pick, LHP Taylor Rogers started and provided the team with another quality start. He gave up three runs on six hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out seven. Corey Williams came in and gave up two hits and a walk, but no runs, in 1.2 innings. Zack Jones came in and got the final four outs to record his third save. He struck out two. Nate Roberts again did a great job of setting the table for the Snappers. He went 2-3 with a walk, his tenth double and 17th stolen base. AJ Pettersen hit his 10th double. Eddie Rosario drove in two runs and hit his 24th double. Stephen Wickens went 1-2 with two walks and his third stolen base. Miguel Sano hit his 23rd home run. ELIZABETHTON, DANVILLE They just can’t seem to get the rain to stop in the mountains of Tennessee. These teams were supposed to play a doubleheader on Tuesday night, but due to more inclement weather, these two games have been cancelled. GCL TWINS 3, GCL RAYS 4 Kuo-Hua Lo started for the Twins. He threw four shutout innings and gave up just one hit. He walked none and struck out four. Anthony Slama came in and made his first appearance since breaking his fibula. He gave up one run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. He struck out three. Yorman Landa came in and gave up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and three walks in 2.1 innings. He struck out two. The Twins bats managed just six hits. John Murphy hit his eighth double. In his first game in the Twins organization, Jeremias Pineda went 1-4 with his 15th stolen base. He is now hitting .416. --- Players of the Day for Wednesday, August 6, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Nate Roberts Left: Timothy Dalton in the late-70s mini-series Centennial. Right: Nate Roberts walking in from stretching. Pitcher of the Day – Kuo-Hua Lo --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, August 7, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Empire State – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain @ Binghampton (2 games) – TBD Ft. Myers vs Jupiter – RHP Madison Boer Beloit vs Wisconsin – RHP Tyler Jones Elizabethton @ Johnson City – LHP Hein Robb GCL Twins vs GCL Rays – TBD --- If you have any questions or comments on the Twins minor league system, players, teams, etc., leave them in the Comments and I’ll try to answer them!