Seth Stohs

In the last twenty-four hours, catcher Dan Rohlfing was promoted from Ft. Myers to New Britain. Former Gopher catcher Kyle Knudson was promoted from Beloit to Ft. Myers. Bart Carter was taken off of the Snappers’ Disabled List. As we are approaching the mid-point of the minor league seasons, the Twins typically make several promotions at each level. Many times, the Twins let players who make their league’s all star teams play in those games. Often, players are promoted following the all star games. Today, I wanted to provide some thoughts on several players that I think are worthy of a promotion. ROCHESTER to MINNESOTA? Liam Hendriks – There are the rumors that he will be starting for the Twins at Target Field against the Brewers. As of Monday, he had not heard anything official. But in seven starts since his demotion in late April, he is 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA. In 46.1 innings, he has given up 29 hits, walked 13 and struck out 42. And that includes on game in which he gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks in five innings. In other words, he has been tremendous and has made some adjustments. Lester Oliveros – Deolis Guerra has come back down to earth, and Anthony Slama is now on the Disabled List. Don’t worry about last night’s Oliveros outing, everyone has one of those. He is pitching very well, and if the Twins need a bullpen arm in the near future, he is currently the one to look to. NEW BRITAIN to ROCHESTER? Steve Hirschfeld – Last week, when the Red Wings needed a spot starter, Hirschfeld was the guy. He was sent back down the next day despite throwing 5 shutout innings. On the year, he is 4-4 with a 3.20 ERA. Hirschfeld has been in New Britain since 2010. He’s 26 years old. It’s just time for him to move up. (Then if they need a spot starter, BJ Hermsen who is pitching spectacularly.) FT. MYERS to NEW BRITAIN? Oswaldo Arcia – Finally, a hitter. Arcia has been as hot as any hitter in minor league baseball over the past five to six weeks. Overall, he’s hitting .318/.381/.530 with 15 doubles, three triples and seven home runs. His downfall is that he hasn’t been able to hit left-handed pitching (.591 OPS vs LHP - 1.054 OPS vs RHP). Hey, neither could Jason Kubel, who is a terrific comp for Arcia. Pat Dean – Dean has been the Miracle’s top starter all season. He is 4-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 13 games started. He strikes out (and walks) no one (33 K, 16 BB, in 73.1 IP). I expect him to struggle some in AA, as most college-drafted pitchers do because of it, but I do think he’s ready for that challenge. Ricky Bowen – Signed after the start of the 2011 season, the 24-year-old Bowen has been very good out of the Miracle bullpen. This year, he is 3-2 with a 2.89 ERA and five saves. In 37.1 innings, he has walked 11 and struck out 38. He’s been good, and frankly, he needs to move up. Matt Hauser can be the second reliever to move up, if needed. BELOIT to FT. MYERS? Michael Tonkin – I’ve mentioned this several times of late, but I simply cannot come up with a single reason that Tonkin is no up in Ft. Myers. He’s in his third season in Beloit, and he’s 3-0 with four saves and a 1.50 ERA. In 36 innings, he’s given up 29 hits, walked nine and struck out 44 batters. Generally, I can come up with some reason for holding a guy back. I can’t come up with one for Tonkin, unless poor body language is a reason? Eddie Rosario – As much as I believe that Miguel Sano needs to stay in Beloit, and I think the best thing for Rosario would be to remain in Beloit, if there is a position player in Beloit that could move up if needed, it would be Eddie Rosario. He has areas in which he can continue to improve, but offensively, he is a pretty advanced hitter for a 20 year old. His defense remains a work-in-progress, but he has greatly improved and can continue to work. (I think he could handle it alright, but I think the best thing for him would be to stay in Beloit at least another month.) So there you have it. You’ll want to check back to Twins Daily where we will attempt to keep up with any and all transactions in the Twins system. For instance, from Extended Spring Training, the Twins have released infielder Julio Torres and pitcher Tobias Streich. What do you think? Who should be promoted? [ATTACH=CONFIG]1215[/ATTACH]

Dan Rohlfing was promoted last night from Ft. Myers to New Britain as well.

Be sure to check out the newest episode of the (Ft. Myers) Miracle Insider Show. Adam MacDonald profiles the five Miracle players who will be representing the Miracle in the Florida State League All-Star game. Then, Dennis Haskins made an appearance at Hammonds Stadium. You may recall, he was Mr. Belding on the show Saved by the Bell. He met players with the Miracle, front office and more. Very entertaining! Then, they follow some players into the Ft. Myers community where they got to play with kids, read, etc. Go to MiracleBaseball.com, or click here to watch.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?651-Former-Twins-Pitcher-Dave-Boswell-Passes-Away-at-67

Dave Boswell won 20 games for the Minnesota Twins in 1969, but he is likely remembered for something else that happened to him that year. Last night, Bert Blyleven tweeted, "Just heard the sad news about the passing of Twins great Dave Boswell. Everyone that knew him will remember his love for his wife Lou & life." Dave Boswell was born in Maryland in January of 1945. He passed away yesterday at the age of 67. Boswell signed with the Twins as an 18 year old in 1963 for $15,000. In September of 1964, he made four starts for the Twins. In the Twins 1965 season, he pitched 106 innings for the Twins, making 12 starts and 15 appearances out of the bullpen. He worked 2.2 innings out of the bullpen for the Twins in the 1965 World Series. The next four seasons (1966-1969), Boswell was remarkably consistent. His ERAs were between 3.14 and 3.32. His WHIP was between 1.09 and 1.24. Combined those seasons, he went 56-42 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. It culminated with his 1969 season in which he went 20-12 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. As a 24 year old that season, he threw 256.1 innings. He took the loss in his one start in the 1969 ALCS. In that game, he gave up one run in 10.2 innings. However, he is best known for getting punched by his manager, Billy Martin, outside a bar in Detroit. Whether is was that event, or the 256.1 innings, Boswell never was the same afterwards. He threw just 68.2 innings in 1970 (and walked 44 and struck out 45) for the Twins and went 3-7. Following the season, the Twins released him. He signed with the Tigers in April of 1971 and pitched in just three games before being released. The Orioles signed him quickly, but he walked 15 and struck out 14 in 24.2 innings. Following the season, the O's released Boswell, and he didn't play in the big leagues again. [ATTACH=CONFIG]1213[/ATTACH]

Another one I had forgotten about... During Harmon Killebrew's Memorial service at Target Field in 2011, Thome participated by sitting in the seat about where Killebrew's long home run was hit. He later came down to the field, but I thought that was a great moment too.

For me, it was easily that walk-off against the White Sox. Capps had blown a save and given up a homer to Alexei Ramirez. The Twins were down. Delmon got on, and on the first pitch to Thome, Thornton made him look silly. But on that second pitch, it happened so fast. Thornton threw, Thome swung, the ball flew picturesque through the night sky and the crowd all stood. I was sitting in Row 5 that night, right along side the Twins dugout. The Great Khalid El-Amin was two rows in front of me. I even got a high-5 from him! The crowd went wild. Sitting down that low, it's amazing how the roar of the crowd all pushes down on the field. What a moment!! Here's what I wrote that night! http://talkintwinsbb.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/hes-unbelievable-thome-to-me/

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?650-Monday-in-the-Minors

The Twins had another off day on Monday. Justin Morneau’s Casino Night was on Sunday night. On Monday night, many players worked the bar at Toby Keith’s for Hang with the Majors. These events and some that are less publicized are all a part of Hope Week in which the Twins are quite visible around the community, raising funds for the Twins Community Fund. The Twins do a lot of great things in communities around the state thanks to these types of events. They return to the field on Tuesday when they will take on Jim Thome and the Philadelphia Phillies for three games before the next Border Battle against the Brewers. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Monday: ROCHESTER 0, INDIANAPOLIS 16 I’m not sure how much you want to read about this game after just looking at the score in the heading. Matt Maloney started and went just two innings. He gave up six runs (4 earned) on five hits. He walked none and struck out none. Brendan Wise went the next three innings and gave up two runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out three. Casey Fien gave up two runs on three hits and (an intentional) walk. Lester Oliveros gave up five runs on three hits and two walks and he recorded just two outs (both on strikeouts). Tyler Robertson got the final four outs. He gave up one run on two hits. The Red Wings managed just four hits. Pedro Florimon had two of them. Wilkin Ramirez hit his fifth double. NEW BRITAIN The Rock Cats had a day off on Monday before starting a series at home against Akron. FT. MYERS 8, PALM BEACH 4 Tied 4-4 going into the 9th, the Miracle got RBI singles from Levi Michael and Danny Santana followed by Sacrifice Flies by Jairo Perez and Oswaldo Arcia. Santana led the offense by going 3-5 with three RBI. He is hitting .310. Danny Rams was 2-3 with his first and second doubles of the season. Jairo Perez had three RBI in the game, but he was also 2-4. Marty Popham started and gave up one run on seven hits in five innings. He walked one and struck out five. Edgar Ibarra came in and was charged with three unearned runs on one hit and one walk in two innings. He struck out three. Ricky Bowen walked three over the last two innings but did not allow a run, so he was credited with the win. BELOIT 7, WISCONSIN 8 For the second straight day, Timber Rattler shortstop Yadiel Rivera came to the plate with the score tied and the winning run on base. For the second straight day, Rivera came through for his team. In Monday afternoon’s series finale, the walk-off hit may not have been as dramatic as Sunday night’s three-run homer, but a walk-off single got the job done for Wisconsin. Jason Wheeler made the start for the Snappers. He gave up four runs on six hits in 5.2 innings. He walked none and struck out six. AJ Achter came in and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in one inning. He struck out three. Corey Williams came in and gave up the final run. In 1.2 innings, he gave up the run on three hits and a walk. He struck out two. The Snappers grabbed the lead thanks to a six-run fifth inning. The key blow in that game came off the bat of Miguel Sano who hit his 15th home run of the season, a grand slam. He was 2-5 in the game. Jairo Rodriguez was 3-4. Nate Roberts was 3-5. Jhonathan Goncalves went 1-3 with a walk and his second home run. Matt Koch went 2-4. --- Players of the Day for Monday, June 11, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano [ATTACH=CONFIG]1207[/ATTACH] (photo courtesy of Rinaldi Photos) Pitcher of the Day – Marty Popham [ATTACH=CONFIG]1208[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Tuesday, June 12, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Sam Deduno New Britain vs Akron – TBD Ft. Myers vs Bradenton – LHP Cole Nelson Beloit vs Peoria – RHP Matt Summers --- 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!

Fair question... it's semi-free content, and I linked to it... That said, I'll have to give it consideration...

According to LaVelle E. Neal, the Twins and Byron Buxton have reached an agreement, pending physical (that story has its own thread here in the Forum). According to Neal, the Twins have agreements with several other draft picks, pending physicals:

No surprise, but according to LaVelle E Neal of the Star Tribune, the Twins have reached an agreement with 1st round pick (2nd overall) Byron Buxton, pending his physical tomorrow. The recommended slot dollars for the #2 overall pick is $6.2 million. It will be so nice to have the earlier signing date so we will be able to see more of these draft picks play. Buxton will head to the GCL, most likely.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?648-Favorite-Jim-Thome-Twins-Moment

Be sure to read John's tremendous article on Jim Thome and his long-awaited arrival in Minnesota, in a Twins uniform. He spent just over a year and a half wearing the Twins pinstripes, and yet, he provided Twins fans with many memorable moments. Often, the question "What was your favorite Player X moment?" is asked when a player of little significance is demoted or released. However, I ask you today, What Was Your Favorite Jim Thome (in a Twins uniform) Moment? Be sure to vote in the attached poll, but there are just six things I came up with off the top of my head. I'm sure you can come up with more. And some of you may even have some personal stories of Thome. Please use this thread to discuss Jim Thome moments. 7/3/2010 - Thome 574th Home Run Jim Thome homered for the 574th time in his big league career, passing Twins legend Harmon Killebrew on the all-time list. Killebrew congratulates him on the big screen at Target Field. 8/20/2010 - Thome Walks-Off versus White Sox Down by a run in the bottom of the 10th, Thome came to the plate against his former teammates. Facing lefty Matt Thornton with a runner on 1st base, Thome connected for the first walk-off home run in Target Field History. [video=youtube;F7O-w1CAo8g]http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7O-w1CAo8g 9/2010 - Thome hits one off the Flag pole! It was tremendous clout. Thome got all of it, and when it hit the top of the flag pole in right-center field, Orlando Hudson was shown mouthing words from the dugout showing how impressed he was!! April 2011 - Thome's Twins Commercial "Deep in Twins Territory, there's a legendary story, 'bout a man with an ox in the batter's box..." Classic commercial! 8/15/2011 - Thome Hits 600th Home Run He came into the game needing two home runs. He hit #599, and then in the 7th inning, his next at bat, he his #600 in Detroit off of lefty Daniel Schlereth. [video=youtube;th1gqiDp6H8]http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=th1gqiDp6H8&feature=fvwrel Always - Thome's Class Like Killebrew before him, I can't help but wonder if people will forget how incredible of a baseball player Thome was because he is even a better man, always classy. What was your favorite Jim Thome with the Twins Moment?

Listening now.

Players who were in the organization before the draft can be "adopted" at any time by anyone who 1.) does not have a prospect adopted, or 2.) has had a prospect reach the major leagues (means they can have a second). We will likely do another Adopt-a-Prospect for signed players sometime around when the short-seasons begin.

Sano today ripped his 15th home run of the year. It was a grand slam in the Snappers' six-run fifth inning today. Sano was 2-5 in the game to raise his average to .243.

I always enjoy these types of things. Thanks Jeremy, and Thanks Will!