Seth Stohs

One thing to watch for when Nick Blackburn takes the mound tonight against Luke Hochevar and the Kansas City Royas is how often he uses his cutter. When he first came up to the Twins in a September call up, he used the pitch and it was quite good. In recent years, he has gone away from the cutter. I'm not optimistic about Blackburn, but reportedly he and Bobby Cuellar did work on getting him to use the cutter more frequently. He had the success in AAA. Could incorporation of that pitch into his repertoire help him become at least bearable to watch? We shall see.

The reports I got were always that he could play center field if needed, but he isn't a burner, so much more of a RF. Has a good arm, and it's good to see after all the elbow problems last year. He's a "good" outfielder.

His strikeouts and historically, he has struggled against left-handers (and dominated righties), not an unusual thing though. I think Sano is 1 still. But between Arcia, Buxton, Hicks and Rosario, a case could be made for each of them at #2... and that's not giving up on Benson and Gibson and Hendriks and others as very good prospects.

The Royals traded Jonathan Sanchez to Colorado for Jeremy Guthrie in an exchange of struggling veteran starters.

A lot of people, pretty much any time he would hit a home run the rest of the year and in the playoffs.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?815-Thursday-Minor-League-Rundown

The Twins lost 4-3 to Baltimore to split a series with the Orioles. Tonight, they start a weekend series in Kansas City against the Royals. The Territory Train is packed full and heading to KC. I’m certain many other Twins fans will be following the team, watching some baseball, visiting the Negro League Baseball Museum and likely eating some really good BBQ. Yes, I’m jealous and need to get down to KC some day! Anyway, it was an interesting night in the Twins farm system. Rochester remains absolutely on fire thanks to a big come-from-behind win. New Britain and E-Town weren’t able to finish what they started, so they’l do that today. The Miracle were one hit away from a nice win. And, it was a great day for Beloit where they doubled their pleasure and fans got to witness Miguel Sano. What did he do on this night? Well, you’ll just have to continue reading to find that out and take a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from the Thursday games in the minor leagues. ROCHESTER 14, NORFOLK 8 Shairon Martis was promoted to Rochester to make this start. He gave up seven runs on eight hits and four walks in 3.2 innings. When he left the game, the Red Wings were behind 7-2. Fair to say, it was all Rochester at that point. Bobby Lanigan relieved Martis and gave up just one run on two hits and a walk over the next 2.2 innings. Dan Sattler gave up just one hit in 1.2 scoreless frames. Brendan Wise then struck out two in a perfect ninth. Brian Dinkelman led the offense. He went 3-4 with his fifth double and third triple. Evan Bigley went 3-4 with his second double and three RBI. He also stole his first base. Pedro Florimon was 3-4 with a wakl and his 12th double. Ray Chang was 2-5. Danny Lehmann went 2-3 with two walks and his first two AAA doubles of the season. Martis and Lehmann are the 49th and 50th players to play for the Red Wings this season. Martis is the 15th pitcher to make a start. The Red Wings are now 50-49 and above .500 for the first time since they were 9-8 early this season. The team is now 13-4 in July. NEW BRITAIN, NEW HAMPSHIRE (suspended in Top 3) After two scoreless innings, the Rock Cats scored four runs in the top of the third inning. Oswaldo Arcia hit a double and Joe Benson hit a two-run triple. Blake Martin threw two scoreless innings and dropped his season ERA below 4 (3.98). However, the game was suspended by rain during the third inning. FT. MYERS 3, LAKELAND 4 Matt Summers made his first start for the Miracle. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on eight hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five. Jose Gonzalez struck out two in two scoreless innings. Michael Tonkin struck out two in his inning. Levi Michael went 1-2 with a walk and was also hit by pitch twice. He came to bat in the bottom of the 9th with Danny Santana in scoring position. However, he grounded out to first base to end the game. GAME 1 – BELOIT 2, LANSING 1 Jason Wheeler won for the 11th time this season. He gave up just one run on five hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out six. Corey Williams recorded his 14th save of the year by striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning. Drew Leachman went 2-2 with a walk. Stephen Wickens went 2-3. He drove in both of the team’s runs with a two-run single in the 2nd inning. GAME 2 – BELOIT 7, LANSING 1 Miguel Sano led the offense in game two. He went 3-4 with his 20th home run of the season and drove in four runs. In his last eight games, he is 9-23 (.391) with a double, a triple, two home runs and eight RBI. He has also walked nine times and struck out just four times. Drew Leachman went 2-3 in game two. Steve Liddle went 2-3 with a walk and his 11th and 12th doubles. Cole Johnson made his first start for the Snappers. He struckout six (and walked one) in three no-hit innings. Mason Melotakis came in and threw two scoreless innings to record his first MWL win. Dallas Gallant gave up a run on no hits in his inning. He walked three and struck out two. Ryan O’Rourke struckout two in the final inning. ELIZABETHTON, JOHNSON CITY (suspended in 2nd innings) This game was suspended due to rain in the second inning. GCL TWINS 2, GCL RAYS 1 The Twins didn’t get much offense, but it was enough for the win. Joel Licon went 1-2 with two walks and his fourth stolen base. Sam Gibbons started. The Aussie went the first three innings and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks. Chris Mazza came in and struck out two over three one-hit innings. Melciades de la Cruz walked two and struck out two in two scoreless innings. Gonzalo Sanudo pitched the ninth and didn’t allow a run. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, July 19, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Brian Dinkelman [ATTACH=CONFIG]1602[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler [ATTACH=CONFIG]1603[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, July 17, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Durham – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain @ Harrisburg – Two Games Ft. Myers @ Lakeland – RHP Matt Hauser Beloit vs Lansing – LHP David Hurlbut Elizabethton @ Johnson City – TBD GCL Twins @ GCL Red Sox – 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!

green - you realize that every single organization in baseball signs veterans and minor league veterans, right?

After going 0-2 with a walk in Game 1 of the Snappers double-header tonight, Sano went 3-4 with his 20th home run and four RBI in game 2. In his last 8 games, he is 9-23 (.391) with a double, a triple, two HR and 9 RBI. In that span, he has also walked nine times and struck out four times.

If I'm not mistaken, this was his first start (after a couple of bullpen outings) since missing over a month with a shoulder injury. So, 83 pitches was likely a limit. Also, if aplayer from the 32nd round gets to the big leagues and becomes Anthony Swarzak, that's a huge thing.

Yahoo's Tim Brown reports via Twitter: "Very cool: Son of Twins scout Ken Compton -- Brian, a catcher -- has signed with the Twins. Brian played at Cal State L.A. Joins GCL Twins." Gotta admit, I love stuff like this. I know it annoys some, but it hurts no one, and you just never know.

I don't think that the Twins would start the season with Gibson in the rotation. I do think that he will be close to ready and could still be the first to be promoted.

He's disappointed, but looking at it the right way. He said that it was what had to be done, and once it's done (tomorrow), he will be focused completely on 2013.

This is certainly an interesting look at the 2012 draft picks. For future versions, maybe add their age and team they're playing for. I know that doesn't affect your rankings, but it would just be interesting added information. Also, Melotakis and Jones were already promoted to Beloit, so that would be fun to note.

Tosoni is in the New Britain lineup tonight. Love that four OF mix of Hicks, Arcia, Benson and Tosoni for the four positions (including DH)...

That's what they did with Benson too.

As of yesterday, both are still rehabbing... Rodriguez has been out a bit longer with a hamstring injury as well.

The biggest thing that the Twins want from teh county in Ft. Myers is some dormitories so that the players in minor league camp, in extended spring, with the Miracle, etc., can stay there instead of a hotel. Gotta admit, I'm a little surprised the Twins re-upped with New Britain.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?813-Trade-Target-Team-Profile-St-Louis-Cardinals

The Big Picture The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are currently 47-45, 4.5 games behind both the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are also 4.5 games behind those two teams in the Wild Card race, but just three games back of the Atlanta Braves and 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for the second Wild Card. The team traditionally is not afraid to make a splash at the trade deadline. Last year, it was a deadline deal that is often credited for propelling the team to the playoffs late in the season. They won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on another deal this July. Carlos Beltran is playing like an MVP. Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman continue to rake. David Freese became a household name in the playoffs last year and has broken out for real this season. This is a good, deep team that frankly, should not be outside of the current playoff picture looking in. Why They Will Trade With the Twins The Cardinals are blessed with one of baseball’s best offenses. Their pitching is pretty middle-of-the-pack, and their bullpen could use some proven, quality arms. The Red Birds are 12th in baseball with a 3.89 ERA, 15th in WHIP at 1.31, and 22nd in opponent batting average, at .260. Their starters have generally been just find, providing the team with 55 Quality Starts, which ranks sixth in the game. Adam Wainright (7-10, 4.42, 1.29), Kyle Lohse (9-2, 2.80, 1.10), Lance Lynn (11-4, 3.27, 1.21), and Jake Westbrook (7-8, 3.82, 1.33) make up four-fifths of the starting rotation. Jaime Garcia is most likely out until at least mid-August. He had an elbow injury in May and is now out with a shoulder injury. Just last week, ace Chris Carpenter had shoulder surgery and is out for the year. Joe Kelly has stepped in and is 1-2 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP, but I am certain that the Cardinals would be on the lookout for an impact starter. In fact, they are rumored to be kicking the tires on Mariners LHP Jason Vargas. Considering that several of the other big name pitchers who are likely on the trade block are from the NL Central (Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza of the Cubs, and Zach Greinke and Shawn Marcum of the Brewers), it certainly helps make a case for the Cardinals and Twins having some in-depth conversations surrounding lefty Francisco Liriano. Liriano has been pitching as well as anyone in baseball of late. He could also balance out their rotation a little bit by giving them a left-handed starting pitcher. The Cardinals bullpen after Jason Motte and righty Mitchell Boggs is kind of a mess. If the Twins are willing to deal the likes of Glen Perkins or Jared Burton, they could get back quite a haul at this time. That said, someone like Casey Fien, who has come up recently as a minor league veteran and pitched very well and shown a lot of life on his pitches, might be someone of interest in a much more minor deal. Why They Won't Trade With the Twins Tom Brunansky for Tommy Herr. OK, that deal was horrible, but it was made 24 years ago, so I think we should be able to move past it by now. The Cardinals offense is very strong. They rank 2nd in MLB in batting average (.274), 2nd in on-base percentage (.340), 7th in slugging percentage (.478) and 5th in runs scored. With Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran playing the corner outfield spots, and John Joy posting an OBP around .360, they are one team that doesn’t need to go after an outfielder. The only players among their regulars that are currently posting sub-.700 OPS are 2B Daniel Descalso and All Star SS Rafael Furcal (.699). Frankly, the Twins don’t have a better option for them at that position. Conclusion The Cardinals are used to being in the playoffs and the teams they are chasing may not have better teams on paper. This team may just need to infuse one piece to go on a run. They may also see the Joey Votto injury and think that now is the time to go for it. They will never say it, but I’m sure that Mike Matheny and his ball players would love to get back to the playoffs and show that they can do it without manager Tony LaRussa or all-time great Albert Pujols. ~~~ Possible Trade Targets Shelby Miller - RHP The assumption would be (and probably still should be) that Miller is not available in pretty much any trade. The 21-year-old right-hander has a fastball that sits in the mid-to-high 90s with good movement. He also throws a curveball and a changeup. He entered the season as Baseball America’s #8 prospect in baseball. He is now pitching in AAA (in the Pacific Coast League). For the first time, he is struggling. He is 4-8 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He’s given up 91 hits and walked 46 in 82.1 innings. However, he has still struck out 94 batters. Carlos Martinez - RHP Martinez is on the upward moving track. He is a right-hander with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and frequently hits 100 on the gun. His curveball and his changeup are works-in-progress and their development will determine whether he is a high-end starter or a high-leverage late-inning reliever. He began the year at Hi-A where he made seven starts, and now he is at AA where he is 2-2 after six starts. Tyrell Jenkins - RHP Jenkins was the 50th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of high school. He throws in the low 90s and touches 95-96 mph despite being just 20 and very skinny. In other words, there is room for growth and velocity. He throws a breaking ball and he is working on a changeup. At Quad Cities this year, he is 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA in 13 starts. He has 54 strikeouts (and 28 walks) in 58 innings. (Note – These top three prospects would not have been in the discussion had Francisco Liriano not been so incredible over the past two-and-a-half months. Now, I think it’s fair to at least start negotiations with some of these names. Jenkins’ name has been rumored in the Jason Vargas talks, so excuse me for being hopeful! At least I didn’t bring up 20 year old OF Oscar Taveras who hit .386 in the MWL last year and jumped to AA this year where he’s posting a .971 OPS.) Trevor Rosenthal - RHP Rosenthal was a 21st round pick of the Cardinals in 2009 out of a small community college in Kansas. He throws 90-95 with a lot of sink and a strong slider. A changeup will be big for him as a change-of-pace pitch. At AA this year, he is 8-6 with a 2.78 ERA in 17 games. He is striking out 7.9 per nine innings. Last year in Low-A, he struck out 9.9 per nine. Kolten Wong – 2B The Twins drafted Wong in the mid-rounds out of high school, but he chose to go to the University of Hawaii. It panned out for him as, well, 1.) he got to hang out in Hawaii for 3 years playing baseball, and 2.) he played well enough that he jumped into the middle of the first round last year. The 21-year-old is currently hitting .298/.372/.419 (.791) in 84 games at AA. Please add your thoughts and trade ideas (and other names the Twins could pursue) in the comments below!

The Big Picture The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals are currently 47-45, 4.5 games behind both the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are also 4.5 games behind those two teams in the Wild Card race, but just three games back of the Atlanta Braves and 1.5 games behind the Dodgers for the second Wild Card. The team traditionally is not afraid to make a splash at the trade deadline. Last year, it was a deadline deal that is often credited for propelling the team to the playoffs late in the season. They won’t be afraid to pull the trigger on another deal this July. Carlos Beltran is playing like an MVP. Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman continue to rake. David Freese became a household name in the playoffs last year and has broken out for real this season. This is a good, deep team that frankly, should not be outside of the current playoff picture looking in. Why They Will Trade With the Twins The Cardinals are blessed with one of baseball’s best offenses. Their pitching is pretty middle-of-the-pack, and their bullpen could use some proven, quality arms. The Red Birds are 12th in baseball with a 3.89 ERA, 15th in WHIP at 1.31, and 22nd in opponent batting average, at .260. Their starters have generally been just find, providing the team with 55 Quality Starts, which ranks sixth in the game. Adam Wainright (7-10, 4.42, 1.29), Kyle Lohse (9-2, 2.80, 1.10), Lance Lynn (11-4, 3.27, 1.21), and Jake Westbrook (7-8, 3.82, 1.33) make up four-fifths of the starting rotation. Jaime Garcia is most likely out until at least mid-August. He had an elbow injury in May and is now out with a shoulder injury. Just last week, ace Chris Carpenter had shoulder surgery and is out for the year. Joe Kelly has stepped in and is 1-2 with a 2.75 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP, but I am certain that the Cardinals would be on the lookout for an impact starter. In fact, they are rumored to be kicking the tires on Mariners LHP Jason Vargas. Considering that several of the other big name pitchers who are likely on the trade block are from the NL Central (Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza of the Cubs, and Zach Greinke and Shawn Marcum of the Brewers), it certainly helps make a case for the Cardinals and Twins having some in-depth conversations surrounding lefty Francisco Liriano. Liriano has been pitching as well as anyone in baseball of late. He could also balance out their rotation a little bit by giving them a left-handed starting pitcher. The Cardinals bullpen after Jason Motte and righty Mitchell Boggs is kind of a mess. If the Twins are willing to deal the likes of Glen Perkins or Jared Burton, they could get back quite a haul at this time. That said, someone like Casey Fien, who has come up recently as a minor league veteran and pitched very well and shown a lot of life on his pitches, might be someone of interest in a much more minor deal. Why They Won't Trade With the Twins Tom Brunansky for Tommy Herr. OK, that deal was horrible, but it was made 24 years ago, so I think we should be able to move past it by now. The Cardinals offense is very strong. They rank 2nd in MLB in batting average (.274), 2nd in on-base percentage (.340), 7th in slugging percentage (.478) and 5th in runs scored. With Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran playing the corner outfield spots, and John Joy posting an OBP around .360, they are one team that doesn’t need to go after an outfielder. The only players among their regulars that are currently posting sub-.700 OPS are 2B Daniel Descalso and All Star SS Rafael Furcal (.699). Frankly, the Twins don’t have a better option for them at that position. Conclusion The Cardinals are used to being in the playoffs and the teams they are chasing may not have better teams on paper. This team may just need to infuse one piece to go on a run. They may also see the Joey Votto injury and think that now is the time to go for it. They will never say it, but I’m sure that Mike Matheny and his ball players would love to get back to the playoffs and show that they can do it without manager Tony LaRussa or all-time great Albert Pujols. ~~~ Possible Trade Targets Shelby Miller - RHP The assumption would be (and probably still should be) that Miller is not available in pretty much any trade. The 21-year-old right-hander has a fastball that sits in the mid-to-high 90s with good movement. He also throws a curveball and a changeup. He entered the season as Baseball America’s #8 prospect in baseball. He is now pitching in AAA (in the Pacific Coast League). For the first time, he is struggling. He is 4-8 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He’s given up 91 hits and walked 46 in 82.1 innings. However, he has still struck out 94 batters. Carlos Martinez - RHP Martinez is on the upward moving track. He is a right-hander with a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and frequently hits 100 on the gun. His curveball and his changeup are works-in-progress and their development will determine whether he is a high-end starter or a high-leverage late-inning reliever. He began the year at Hi-A where he made seven starts, and now he is at AA where he is 2-2 after six starts. Tyrell Jenkins - RHP Jenkins was the 50th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of high school. He throws in the low 90s and touches 95-96 mph despite being just 20 and very skinny. In other words, there is room for growth and velocity. He throws a breaking ball and he is working on a changeup. At Quad Cities this year, he is 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA in 13 starts. He has 54 strikeouts (and 28 walks) in 58 innings. (Note – These top three prospects would not have been in the discussion had Francisco Liriano not been so incredible over the past two-and-a-half months. Now, I think it’s fair to at least start negotiations with some of these names. Jenkins’ name has been rumored in the Jason Vargas talks, so excuse me for being hopeful! At least I didn’t bring up 20 year old OF Oscar Taveras who hit .386 in the MWL last year and jumped to AA this year where he’s posting a .971 OPS.) Trevor Rosenthal - RHP Rosenthal was a 21st round pick of the Cardinals in 2009 out of a small community college in Kansas. He throws 90-95 with a lot of sink and a strong slider. A changeup will be big for him as a change-of-pace pitch. At AA this year, he is 8-6 with a 2.78 ERA in 17 games. He is striking out 7.9 per nine innings. Last year in Low-A, he struck out 9.9 per nine. Kolten Wong – 2B The Twins drafted Wong in the mid-rounds out of high school, but he chose to go to the University of Hawaii. It panned out for him as, well, 1.) he got to hang out in Hawaii for 3 years playing baseball, and 2.) he played well enough that he jumped into the middle of the first round last year. The 21-year-old is currently hitting .298/.372/.419 (.791) in 84 games at AA. Please add your thoughts and trade ideas (and other names the Twins could pursue) in the comments below!

Ha Ha!! now that's awesome!