Seth Stohs

A look at the Pirates stat page, and you can’t help but ask how they are doing it. Andrew McCutchen is hitting .325/.382/.541 (.923) with 11 doubles, three triple and 11 home runs. He also has 13 stolen bases, and is one of the best defensive centerfielders in baseball. No other Pirates hitter is batting over. 271. No other Pirates hitter has an OPS higher than .734. That hitter with a .734 OPS is a name that should be familiar to Twins fans. Garrett Jones is an everyday player and yet he hasn’t played the most innings for them at 1B or Right Field. In his four years with the Pirates, he has hit .256/.321/.457 (.769) with 94 doubles, four triples, 65 homers and 210 RBI. As a Super-2 arbitration-eligible player this offseason, he is playing for $2.25 million in 2012. It’s been a remarkable four-year run for Jones considering how his professional career began. The 6-4, 230 pound first baseman was drafted in the 14th round of the 1999 draft by the Atlanta Braves. He spent a year in the GCL. He then spent two seasons in the Appalachian League, playing in Danville. At the end of the 2001 season, the Braves released him. Someone in the Twins organization saw something in him (and I have a guess it would be his great size and power potential!) and the Twins signed him early in the 2002 season. Even then, it isn’t as though he had success. In 2002, he played for Quad Cities in the Midwest League. In 63 games, he hit just .202/.238/.372 (.610), but he did have eight doubles and ten home runs. He moved up to Ft. Myers in 2003, and although he hit just .220/.280/.408 (.688), he had 12 doubles, five triples and 18 home runs. He started the 2004 season in Ft. Myers again and despite unimpressive numbers in 19 games, he was promoted to AA New Britain. And that’s where his career took off. As a 23 year old, in 122 games, he hit .311/.356/.593 (.949) with 33 doubles, two triples and 30 home runs. He also stole ten bases. In reality, only a few Twins minor leaguers have come close to replicating those numbers in New Britain. Suddenly he was on people’s radars. He moved up to Rochester in 2005 and in 133 games, he hit .246/.299/.448 (.747) with 22 doubles, two triples and 24 home runs. He returned to the Red Wings in 2006 and hit .238/.302/.430 (.733) with 32 doubles, three triples and 21 home runs. In 2007, he hit .280/.334/.473 (.807) with 32 doubles, three triples and 13 home runs. He also made his major league debut in 2007 and in 31 games with the Twins, he hit .208/.262/.338 (.600) with two doubles, a triple and two home runs. He played some at first base, and some in the corner outfield spots. He did a good job of showing that his best position was clearly DH. He returned to the Red Wings in 2008 and hit .279/.337/.484 (.821) with 33 doubles, three triples and 23 homers. Following the season, the Twins allowed him to become a free agent. Why did he not really get an opportunity with the Twins? Think about he positions that he plays. First base was covered by an MVP caliber player in Justin Morneau. Jason Kubel was the Designated Hitter, and Joe Mauer got occasional at bats there too. Michael Cuddyer was in right field with Kubel getting time there. Delmon Young had just come to the Twins in a trade with the Rays. Although he disappointed, at the time, he was still considered a future right-handed power bat. Frankly, there wasn’t a spot for Garrett Jones. It is an actual case of someone just needing a change of scenery. The Twins gave Jones the opportunity to improve himself as player and prove his power, but in order to get a real shot at a big league gig, he needed to go elsewhere. I recall when I heard that he had signed a minor league contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. I thought it was a great opportunity for him. He could get some time at first base and in the outfield. With his doubles and home run history, playing in a small ballpark, he could put up some numbers too. Early in the 2009 season, he came up to the Pirates and played in 82 games. He played well enough that he received Rookie of the Year votes. He hit .293/.372/.567 (.938) with 21 doubles, a triple and 21 home runs. He had several two-homer games, and in general, surprised a lot of experts. He came into the 2010 season knowing he was a big league starter, and he played in 158 games. He hit .247/.306/.414 (.720) with 34 doubles, a triple and 21 homers. In 2011, he played 148 games and hit .243/.321/.433 (.753) with 30 doubles, a triple and 16 home runs. In 53 games this year, he is hitting .253/.273/.461 (.734) with nine doubles, a triple and seven home runs. Clearly he came to the NL and surprised a lot of people with a great performance. Clearly, there has been an adjustment made to him and he has proven to be a pretty average player overall. But for me, as a guy who has followed the Twins minor leagues since 2004, I can’t be more happy for a guy who put in a lot of work and a lot of time to try to reach a dream. He got a small chance with the Twins as a 26 year old, and then as a 28 year old, he got a better chance with the Pirates and took advantage of it. He took that strong 2009 season and has turned it into a pretty decent little career in Pittsburgh. Jones will turn 31 years old during this series. He has three years left of arbitration, although it’s hard to imagine that he would be tendered another contract by the Pirates if it means he’ll make $4 million or more. Jones is another reminder of how patient we need to be with minor leaguers, especially those drafted out of high school. It’s a great story of not giving up and continuing to work. I’ll continue to root for him to succeed. Just probably not so much over the next three days! [ATTACH=CONFIG]1290[/ATTACH]

We'll re-open the Adopt-a-Prospect on Thursday and someone will be able to adopt Buxton and be sure to post the link to this article in there as well... Thanks for finding and sharing.

Yeah, he had a rough year... or, maybe it's supposed to be just 19 hits. Ha! I'll edit it. Thanks!

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?679-Monday-in-the-Minors

The Twins had another off day on Monday, following the long Father’s Day afternoon at Target Field on Sunday. On Monday afternoon, the team flew to Pittsburgh where they will play three inter-league games against the Pirates before heading to Cincinnati for three games against the Reds. In the minor leagues, Monday was the first game for the GCL Twins and Tuesday will be the first game for Elizabethton. The Florida State League returned to action on Monday following its All Star break. Meanwhile the Midwest League started its All Star break. We saw a couple of player transactions on Monday, and will likely hear of more on Wednesday morning following the MWL All Star game. All season, you have been getting reports on up to four Twins minor league affiliates. Today, there are reports on five teams. Tomorrow, there will be notes on all six Twins domestic affiliates. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Monday: ROCHESTER 1, DURHAM 6 The highlight for the Red Wings in this game came in the first inning. Rays All-Star 3B Evan Longoria, who is with Durham on a rehab assignment, hit a line drive down the 3B line. Danny Valencia dove, made the play, got up quickly and threw out Longoria at 1B. Longoria removed himself from the lineup before his next at bat due to a setback. Steve Hirschfeld was brought back up from New Britain to take this spot in the rotation. He gave up six runs on 13 hits in just four innings. He didn’t walk any and struck out just one. Carlos Gutierrez struck out three in two perfect innings. Lester Oliveros gave up two hits and struck out two in a scoreless inning. Tyler Robertson and Brendan Wise each threw one scoreless frame. The Red Wings had five hits. Sean Burroughs was 2-4. Danny Valencia hit his ninth double. Rene Rivera hit his fourth home run. NEW BRITAIN – No Game Scheduled The Rock Cats had a day off. In some sad news, Mark Dolenc was released on Sunday. I’ve heard some reports that he is close to signing with another organization, but not yet. FT. MYERS 1, JUPITER 2 The second half started for the Miracle on Monday with the news that top hitter Oswaldo Arcia and recently-signed reliever Dan Sattler had been promoted to New Britain. Cole Nelson made the start for the Miracle. The lanky lefty gave up two runs on five hits in 6.2 innings. He walked four and struck out four. Miguel Munoz came in and got two outs, although he gave up a hit and walked two. Matt Hauser got the final two outs. The offense managed just two hits in the game, singles by Danny Santana and Andy Leer. Santana stole his seventh base of the year. Levi Michael walked two times. BELOIT – All Star Break Eight Snappers players were named to the Midwest League All Star team. However, Eddie Rosario will not play. The game is on Tuesday night. GCL Twins 3, GCL Orioles 5 The Gulf Coast League got started on Monday. Kuo Hua Lo got the start for the Twins. In four innings, he gave up one run on three hits. He walked none and struck out five. Gonzalo Sanudo came in and gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. Felix Jorge pitched the final two innings and gave up two runs on four hits and a walk. The offense managed just four hits. The first two runs came in the fifth inning. Logan Wade tripled, and it was followed by an RBI double from Javier Pimentel. Two batters later, Aderling Mejia doubles in the second run. The Twins did have six stolen bases including two each for John Murphy and Kelvin Ortiz. It was a tough professional debut for Bryan Haar who struckout in all four of his at bats. Note – 1500 ESPN’s Patrick Reusse spoke with Jim Rantz who said that 1st round pick Byron Buxton would likely not play for four or five days. First, he just got to Ft. Myers a week earlier, and second they want him to get acclimated to the GCL and wood bats, etc. --- Players of the Day for Monday, June 18, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Carlos Gutierrez [ATTACH=CONFIG]1285[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Rene Rivera [ATTACH=CONFIG]1286[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, June 19, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs Durham – LHP Luke French New Britain @ Altoona – TBD Ft. Myers @ Jupiter – RHP Tom Stuifbergen Beloit – Midwest League All Star Game Elizabethton @ Danville – RHP Hudson Boyd GCL Twins @ GCL Orioles – LHP Austin Malinowski --- 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!

His pitches had so much movement when he was with the Twins that he couldn't control it. If he was able to temper that movement and throw strikes, he's got a long career of success in the National League where he can also hit.

not too long ago. I'm not surprised. He has really struggled since hitting great as a 16 year old in the DSL. things just have not gone smoothly for him since coming to the States. And with Harrison and Pimentel and some others, it makes some sense.

Call it a guess, maybe an educated guess, but I suspect Cole Johnson will be pitching for Beloit by Friday when they return from their All Star break. Kennys Vargas still has 32 games of his 50 game suspension to wait. So, he could be playing in a little over a month. Tobias Streich, Wander Guillen and Julio Torres were just recently released. Derek Christensen is pitching for Amarillo in the American Association.

Alright, I told you there would be a Phase II to the Adopt-a-Prospect following the draft and as the short seasons begin... Let me take the next two days to clean up the current "Adoptees." I'll put together a list of who is adopted by whom. I need to go through and see who isn't keep up with updating at least every other week. Then we'll set it up to start on Thursday again. At that time, any players who are playing the Twins farm system will be eligible, and people can adopt a second player (third, if they have a player with the Twins).

He was released.

I would just note that the Midwest League All-Star game is on Tuesday (I think), and at least one of those players will most likely be advancing to Ft. Myers (I mean, how can Tonkin not!) following the game. I'd also note that there is at least one player not on the E-Town Roster or the GCL Roster who is still inthe organization and could take a spot in Beloit... So, there will certainly be more moves following the MWL All-Star game.

I've had some tremendous reports on Lo this spring. I guess there was some talk about him going to ET, but that was before the draft. Throws hard, young, good secondary.

I wouldn't say 'Likely', but it is 'possible' that we could see Arcia, Hicks, Herrmann and Hermsen get September call-ups straight from AA. Arcia's on the 40 man already, and the other three would need to be added this offseason anyway. They'd have to play well to earn it though.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?676-2012-Gulf-Coast-League-Twins-Season-Preview

Today is the day, and a lot of Twins prospects are pretty excited about their first Opening Day today. The GCL Twins will begin play on Monday at noon (eastern time). Ramon Borrego will manage the team for the third straight year. Former Twins minor leaguer Henry Bonilla will take over pitching coach duties. Milt Cuyler is back for his tenth season with the GCL Twins as hitting (…and outfield, base running and more) coach. Here is a look at the 2012 GCL Twins roster as the season starts. Since most of these names are new to Twins fans, I thought a quick note on each player would be an appropriate preview. Of course, I do welcome any questions you may have. THE PITCHERS RHP J.O. Berrios (SP-18) is the name right now. The Twins first supplemental first round pick earlier this month signed for $1.55 million and begins in the GCL. RHP Hung Yi Chen (19) signed from Taiwan in June of 2010. He pitched in the GCL last year. He made ten starts (and two relief appearances). In 35.1 innings, he gave up 45 hits, walked just five and struck out 38. He was 0-4 with a 4.33 ERA. Melciades De La Cruz (19) signed with the Twins in September 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year, he pitched in the DSL and went 1-1 with a 2.29 ERA. In 39.1 innings, he gave up 30 hits, walked 13 and struck out 38. RHP Sam Gibbons (SP-18) signed with the Twins in July of 2011 from Australia. He is tall and lanky. RHP Trent Higginbotham (SP-20) was the Twins 26th round pick in the 2011 draft. He signed on the last day and did not pitch until Instructs. Felix Jorge (18) signed with the Twins in February 2011 from the Dominican Republic. He pitched 27 innings last year in the DSL and went 2-1 with a 2.67 ERA. He gave up 119 hits, walked nine and struck out 26. Yorman Landa (SP-18) signed in September 2010 from Venezuela. Last year, he was 2-2 with a 2.38 ERA in the DSL. In 32 innings, he gave up 19 hits, walked 26 and struck out 31. He also hit nine batters. RHP Kuo Hua Lo (SP-19) signed from Taiwan in April of 2011 and did not pitch last year. He is not a big man but he is said to throw quite hard, touching 94-95. LHP Austin Malinowski (SP-19) was Mr. Baseball in Minnesota in 2011 at Centennial High School. The lefty was committed to pitch at Arizona but on the final signing day, he signed with the Twins. He didn’t pitch until Instructs. RHP Chris Mazza (22) was the Twins 27th round pick in 2011 and did not sign until late so he didn’t pitch until Instructs. LHP Josue Montanez (20) was the Twins 15th round pick a year ago out of Puerto Rico. In the GCL last year, he pitched in 12 innings over eight games. He gave up 15 hits, walked four and struck out 14. Alex Muren (20) was the Twins 12th round pick in 2012 out of Cal State-Northridge. Gerardo Ramirez (18) signed in March of 2011 from Mexico. Last year in the GCL, he threw 17.1 innings in ten games. He gave up 15 hits, walked six and struck out 12. Randy Rosario (18) signed in August of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. He threw 35 innings in the DSL and gave up 28 hits, walked 19 and struck out 26. Gonzalo Sanudo (18) signed the same day as Ramirez in March 2011 from Mexico. Last year in the GCL, he threw 20.2 innings. He gave up 19 hits, walked seven and struck out 22. Markus Solbach (20) signed from Germany in February of 2011. He pitched in 15 games for the GCL Twins last year. In 28.1 innings, he gave up 26 hits, walked eight and struck out 17. CATCHERS Kelly Cross (20) was the Twins 26th round pick in 2010 and got a couple of at bats that season in the GCL. Last year, he hit .129/.250/.151 (12-93) with two doubles. Jorge Fernandez (18) was the Twins 7th round pick in 2012 out of Puerto Rico. Bryant Santy (22) was the Twins 30th round pick in 2012 out of the University of Washington. INFIELDERS Bryan Haar (22) was the Twins 34th round pick out of the University of San Diego. Will Hurt (18) was the Twins 16th round pick out of Lexington Catholic high school in Kentucky, the same high school that the Twins drafted Ben Revere from. It was thought that Hurt would be a tough sign, but he signed quickly and passed up a scholarship to Coastal Carolina. Joel Licon (21) was the Twins 25th round pick out of Orange Coast College. There was some belief that he would be a difficult sign. Aderling Mejia (20) signed in February 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year, he hit .210/.291/.218 (25-119) with a double in the GCL. Javier Pimentel (18) was a big signing for the Twins in November of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year, he split time between the DSL and the GCL. In the GCL, he hit .167/.227/.284 (17-102) with five doubles, two triples and a home run. Jose Ramirez (20) signed with the Twins in April of 2010 from the Dominican Republic. Last year in the DSL, he hit .256/.410/.280 (42-164) with two doubles and a triple. Logan Wade (20) signed last September from Australia. He will be making his US debut. Jacob Younis (18) signed out of Australia in May of 2010. Last year in the GCL, he hit .219/.300/.238 (23-105) with two doubles. He has also spent a lot of time behind the plate and could see some time at catcher this year. OUTFIELDERS Byron Buxton (18) was the #2 overall pick earlier this month, and it’s great to see that he has signed already (for $6 million). We are all excited to see his development, but I would caution people from expecting too much in his first season. John Murphy (22) was the Twins 19th round pick this year out of Jacksonville U. His brother, David, plays for the Mets. Kelvin Ortiz (20) was signed by the Twins in September of 2008. Last year in the GCL, he hit .189/.286/.333 (21-111) with seven doubles and three home runs. Dereck Rodriguez (20) was the Twins 6th round pick in 2011. Last year in the GCL, he hit .156/.216/.200 (14-90) with four doubles. He is the son of Ivan Rodriguez. Although he is not huge, reports from Ft. Myers said he is showing great power to all fields. DL – Jonathan Proctor (21) was the Twins 14th round pick in 2012 out of the University of Cincinnati. SUMMARY It is impossible to know how this team will play in terms of wins and losses. There is certainly a strong group of terrific athletes such as Buxton, Rodriguez, and Hurt. There are also a few guys who have some experience in this league while now being a year older which should mean some improvements. There are also some big arms who throw hard. There is also a lot of youth. So, who knows how the team will play. It is also important not to look at the stats. The further away from the big leagues, the less important the stats tend to be. Remember how much Niko Goodrum struggled in the GCL in 2010? Then he played very well at Elizabethton last year. Game 1 starts this morning! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask. 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Nice work, Parker!!

I just learned this morning that Mark Dolenc has been release. With the good news comes some bad news. Dolenc wasn't playing much this year, so it makes sense. But he's a terrific guy and it sounds like he may be close to signing with another organization already.

I didn't think it looked dirty at all at the time, still don't.