Seth Stohs

Generally speaking, "Opt-Out" clauses are not made public on minor league contracts. Generally speaking, however, they occur on May 1 or June 1, so I'm assuming that the Twins didn't have any such players. Fien was on of several terrific minor league signings this offseason. The best, of course, was Jared Burton. However, Matt Carson, Wilkin Ramirez, Fien and a few others have played quite well.

My assumption is that by having as many 2nd round successes as they've had, the Twins would be slightly ahead of the pack. Baker and Crain are tremendous picks. Swazak has provided value. Benson and Goodrum still have tremendous upside.

He's on the 7 Day Disabled List with a right leg contusion. Hopefully he's not out more than 7-10 days, although they did put him on the DL immediately.

There's never been doubt about Bruce Pugh's "stuff." He's really talented and works really hard. IF he can throw strikes, he can be a future Twins late-inning reliever. 2011 was a harsh year for him.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?646-Sunday-Game-Notes

On Sunday afternoon, the Twins last the series finale to the Cubs by a score of 8-2. However, the Twins won yet another series. They will have another day off on Monday before hosting the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers this coming week. Francisco Liriano started on Sunday for the Twins and gave up four runs on four hits in 5.2 innings. He walked three and struck out six. Trevor Plouffe raised his average to .217 with a 2-4 day. Jamey Carroll was also 2-4. He hit a double and is now hitting .245 on the season. Ryan Dempster won for just the second time this season despite a 2.31 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Sunday: ROCHESTER 1, INDIANAPOLIS 8 Cole De Vries returned to the Red Wings and it’s fair to say that his first start didn’t go so well. De Vries lasted just two innings and gave up six runs on six hits. He walked none and struck out two. Carlos Gutierrez came in and gave up no runs in 2.2 innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and struck out three. Deolis Guerra came in and gave up two runs on two hits in two innings. He walked none and struck out … two. Tyler Robertson gave up one hit and walked none in 1.1 scoreless innings. Danny Valencia led the offense. He went 2-3 with a walk, his sixth doubled and first triple. Michael Hollimon went 2-4. JR Towles hit his tenth double. NEW BRITAIN 6, ERIE 0 BJ Hermsen continued his mastery of the Eastern League with another strong start on Sunday against Erie. He threw seven shutout innings. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out five. He improved to 4-2 with a 2.59 ERA. Luis Perdomo picked up his second save with two scoreless innings. He walked one and struckout one. Evan Bigley led the offense. He went 3-5 with his 12th double and seventh home run. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with his 14th and 15th doubles. James Beresford was 2-5. Deibinson Romero hit his ninth home run, a three-run blast that gave the Rock Cats the final run differential. FT. MYERS 8, PALM BEACH 5 Jairo Perez celebrated his 24th birthday on Sunday with a 2-5 game in which he hit his fourth home run. He drove in three runs on the game. Michael Gonzales went 2-4 with his fifth homer and two RBI. Danny Santana was 2-5. Lance Ray hit his seventh home run. Madison Boer took a step back on Sunday and yet, he won for the second straight game. In five innings, he gave up five runs (4 earned) on nine hits and three walks. He struck out two. Nelvin Fuentes threw a perfect sixth frame. Matt Hauser gave up a hit and two walks over two innings, but no runs. Dan Sattler recorded his first save in the organization. He gave up one hit and recorded one strikeout in the 9th inning. BELOIT 2, WISCONSIN 5 (10 Innings) It was another tough loss for the Snappers against the Timber Rattlers on Sunday. Wisconsin’s shortstop Yadiel Rivera hit a three-run walk-off homer in the 10th. David Hurlbut gave up two runs on nine hits and a walk in five innings during his first start of the season. He struck out two. Tim Atherton came in. He walked three but gave up no runs in 1.1 innings. Michael Tonkin came in and struck out three over 2.2 scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster came in and didn’t get an out in the 10th, allowing the three runs (2 of them earned). Jonathan Goncalves went 3-4. AJ Pettersen went 2-5. Drew Leachman hit his fourth double. Matt Koch drove in the two runs. --- Players of the Day for Sunday, June 10, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Evan Bigley [ATTACH=CONFIG]1200[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – BJ Hermsen [ATTACH=CONFIG]1201[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Monday, June 11, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – LHP Matt Maloney New Britain – No Game Scheduled Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – RHP Marty Popham Beloit @ Wisconsin – LHP Jason Wheeler --- 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!

probably just depends on if they DFA Gray or Option Manship. If Manship goes back to Rochester, he'd start and they probably woudln't need someone.

Thankfully the team doens't have to make that decision for another month! Too early to call which is saying something cuz most of us, myself included, were ready to trade off 6 weeks ago.

I prefer Doumit's bat in the lineup, but catchers need full days off. Just have to pick days, so it isn't a big deal.

I agree... I was hoping he'd be pounding on the door to Rochester by now, but he hasn't at all. That said, I'm no less high on him being in a Ryan Doumit type role for the Twins as early as the middle of next year. HE's a much better athlete and actually pretty solid at those other positions. Defensively, he's just fine as well. But you're right, he hasn't made it obvious that a move should come... I still think he'll get a September call-up since he has to be added to the 40 man roster after the season, and I would think that would be an easy decision still.

Tyler JOnes was drafted in the 11th round or so last year and got into a couple of games with ETown. He went to LSU. Didn't pitch a ton for them last year. He can throw hard, 92-94, good slider. Changeup probably his worst pitch, but he's got some stuff, for sure.

I never have a problem seeing guys get into the All Star game or at least being discussed for it, and Diamond has done that. What he has really done is put his name into the AL Rookie of the Year discussion. If it weren't for that Mike Trout guy, I would likely be the favorite.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?641-Saturday-in-the-Park

On Saturday afternoon, the Twins offense jumped all over Jeff Samardzija, scoring eight runs in the first four innings. Joe Mauer returned to the lineup after missing four games with a sprained thumb. He was 3-4 with his 13th double. Trevor Plouffe went 2-4 with his sixth double and ninth home run. He drove in four runs. Justin Morneau, Denard Span and Ben Revere each had two hits in the game, as the Twins beat the Cubs 11-3, and won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. Scott Diamond improved to 5-1 and reduced his ERA to 1.61 with six scoreless innings. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday: ROCHESTER 2, INDIANAPOLIS 0 When Liam Hendriks was sent down to Rochester at the end of April, it was because he was showing a lack of confidence and getting hit pretty hard. Since his return to the minor leagues, Hendriks has regained that confidence, and continued to improve his stuff. The hard-worker has had one rough start, and on Saturday night, he was at his best. Facing Indianapolis, Hendriks improved to 5-0. He went 8.2 innings (on out shy of a complete game) and gave up no runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out ten. His ERA dropped to 1.94. Lester Oliveros, who would clearly be the next reliever in line to come up to the Twins when there is a need, recorded the final out for his fourth Rochester save. As you would expect by the score, the Red Wings bats were pretty quiet too. They scored their two runs in the top of the 7th inning. The inning began with walks to Danny Valencia and Wilkin Ramirez. Then Matt Carson was hit by a pitch. Valencia scored on a ground out t to first base by Clete Thomas. Next, Ramirez scored on a single by Rene Rivera. That was the offense. Thomas was 2-4 with atriple. Valencia was 1-3 with a walk. Ramirez was 1-2 with two walks. NEW BRITAIN 6, ERIE 0 The Rock Cats bats scored six runs on 16 hits, but when a team throws a shutout, we are going to start with the pitching. Andrew Albers improved to 3-1 with six shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out four. Bruce Pugh came in and walked two in a scoreless inning. Caleb Thielbar struck out three over the final two innings. Chris Herrmann led the offense by going 4-5 on the day with his 15th double. Evan Bigley was 3-5 with his 10th and 11th walks. Chris Colabello was 3-4 and provided the big blast, a three-run homer in the eighth inning that gave the bullpen some extra insurance. Nathan Hanson was 2-4 with his sixth double. James Beresford was 2-5. FT. MYERS 2, PALM BEACH 3 After being unable to play thanks to rain since Wednesday, the Miracle finally just moved on, to Palm Beach, and played a solid game. Pat Dean started for the Miracle and threw four innings of shutout baseball. He gave up two hits and walked and struck out none. Then Tom Stuifbergen came in for his first appearance due to shoulder issues. In the fifth inning, he got the first two batters out. However, four straight singles later, the game was tied at two. He recorded the first out of the sixth inning, but then next batter drilled a line drive off of his leg. He left the game at that point. He was charged with that run, which scored later. Jose Gonzalez recorded four outs. Then Dakota Watts got the final four outs. He struck out two. The Miracle managed just five hits. Oswaldo Arcia was 1-2 with a walk and his 15th double. Josmil Pinto hit his first triple. Angel Moracles was 1-3 with a walk and a stolen base. BELOIT 0, WISCONSIN 4 In games against these two teams, the top two teams in the Midwest League West division, the Timber Rattlers have now won three out of four to take the division lead. The Snappers had just five hits in the game. Nate Roberts and Drew Leachman were each 2-4. Leachman hit his third double. Milwaukee native Tyler Jones started for Beloit. He gave up three runs on four hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Ryan O’Rourke gave up only an unearned run in two innings. He gave up three hits and an intentional walk, and he struck out three. --- Players of the Day for Saturday, June 9, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks Hitter of the Day – Chris Herrmann --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, June 10, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Cole De Vries New Britain @ Erie – RHP BJ Hermsen Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – LHP David Hurlbut Beloit @ Wisconsin – 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!

On Saturday afternoon, the Twins offense jumped all over Jeff Samardzija, scoring eight runs in the first four innings. Joe Mauer returned to the lineup after missing four games with a sprained thumb. He was 3-4 with his 13th double. Trevor Plouffe went 2-4 with his sixth double and ninth home run. He drove in four runs. Justin Morneau, Denard Span and Ben Revere each had two hits in the game, as the Twins beat the Cubs 11-3, and won for the ninth time in their last 11 games. Scott Diamond improved to 5-1 and reduced his ERA to 1.61 with six scoreless innings. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday: ROCHESTER 2, INDIANAPOLIS 0 When Liam Hendriks was sent down to Rochester at the end of April, it was because he was showing a lack of confidence and getting hit pretty hard. Since his return to the minor leagues, Hendriks has regained that confidence, and continued to improve his stuff. The hard-worker has had one rough start, and on Saturday night, he was at his best. Facing Indianapolis, Hendriks improved to 5-0. He went 8.2 innings (on out shy of a complete game) and gave up no runs on three hits. He walked two and struck out ten. His ERA dropped to 1.94. Lester Oliveros, who would clearly be the next reliever in line to come up to the Twins when there is a need, recorded the final out for his fourth Rochester save. As you would expect by the score, the Red Wings bats were pretty quiet too. They scored their two runs in the top of the 7th inning. The inning began with walks to Danny Valencia and Wilkin Ramirez. Then Matt Carson was hit by a pitch. Valencia scored on a ground out t to first base by Clete Thomas. Next, Ramirez scored on a single by Rene Rivera. That was the offense. Thomas was 2-4 with atriple. Valencia was 1-3 with a walk. Ramirez was 1-2 with two walks. NEW BRITAIN 6, ERIE 0 The Rock Cats bats scored six runs on 16 hits, but when a team throws a shutout, we are going to start with the pitching. Andrew Albers improved to 3-1 with six shutout innings. He gave up five hits, walked none and struck out four. Bruce Pugh came in and walked two in a scoreless inning. Caleb Thielbar struck out three over the final two innings. Chris Herrmann led the offense by going 4-5 on the day with his 15th double. Evan Bigley was 3-5 with his 10th and 11th walks. Chris Colabello was 3-4 and provided the big blast, a three-run homer in the eighth inning that gave the bullpen some extra insurance. Nathan Hanson was 2-4 with his sixth double. James Beresford was 2-5. FT. MYERS 2, PALM BEACH 3 After being unable to play thanks to rain since Wednesday, the Miracle finally just moved on, to Palm Beach, and played a solid game. Pat Dean started for the Miracle and threw four innings of shutout baseball. He gave up two hits and walked and struck out none. Then Tom Stuifbergen came in for his first appearance due to shoulder issues. In the fifth inning, he got the first two batters out. However, four straight singles later, the game was tied at two. He recorded the first out of the sixth inning, but then next batter drilled a line drive off of his leg. He left the game at that point. He was charged with that run, which scored later. Jose Gonzalez recorded four outs. Then Dakota Watts got the final four outs. He struck out two. The Miracle managed just five hits. Oswaldo Arcia was 1-2 with a walk and his 15th double. Josmil Pinto hit his first triple. Angel Moracles was 1-3 with a walk and a stolen base. BELOIT 0, WISCONSIN 4 In games against these two teams, the top two teams in the Midwest League West division, the Timber Rattlers have now won three out of four to take the division lead. The Snappers had just five hits in the game. Nate Roberts and Drew Leachman were each 2-4. Leachman hit his third double. Milwaukee native Tyler Jones started for Beloit. He gave up three runs on four hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out nine. Ryan O’Rourke gave up only an unearned run in two innings. He gave up three hits and an intentional walk, and he struck out three. --- Players of the Day for Saturday, June 9, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Liam Hendriks Hitter of the Day – Chris Herrmann --- A Look Ahead – Sunday, June 10, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Cole De Vries New Britain @ Erie – RHP BJ Hermsen Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – LHP David Hurlbut Beloit @ Wisconsin – 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!

As Nick Nelson wrote in my Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook 2012: Hardcopy: http://www.lulu.com/shop/seth-stohs/minnesota-twins-prospect-handbook-2012/paperback/product-18828149.html E-Book: http://www.lulu.com/shop/seth-stohs/minnesota-twins-prospect-handbook-2012/ebook/product-18839347.html Tom Stuifbergen – RHP – (9/26/88) Acquired: Signed as F/A in Aug. 2006 from The Netherlands 2011 Team(s): Ft. Myers Miracle, Rochester Red Wings 2011 Stats: 6-9, 4.29 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 121.2 IP, 19 BB, 80 K The 2011 season was a good one for Stuifbergen in that he took the next step up the ladder, graduating from Beloit to Ft. Myers, and set a career high in innings by racking up 121.2 over 24 appearances (23 starts). He even got a taste of Triple-A competition, making one emergency start for Rochester late in the year. The 6-3 Dutch right-hander didn’t post overwhelming numbers, but he flashed excellent control, allowing only 19 walks on the year. That’s sure to ingratiate him with a Twins organization that loves hurlers who can keep the ball over the plate. His arsenal includes four-seam and two-seam fastballs as well as a curveball and changeup. His secondary stuff generates plenty of ground balls, especially against same-sided hitters. Following the 2011 season, he pitched for Team Netherland in the World Cup tournament in Panama. In total, he worked in three games and went 2-0 with a save. Netherlands won the championship with a win over Cuba. Stuifbergen tossed 17 shutout innings in the tournament and was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher. Weeks later, Stuifbergen was knighted in his homeland. So, if you like, you can refer to him as “Sir” Tom Stuifbergen. (NN)

I would agree that Rosario is pretty close to ready for a promotion. I would disagree that Sano is pretty close to a promotion.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?640-Friday-Night-Lights

On Friday night, the Twins needed an extra inning to top the Cubs 8-7. It may not have been pretty game, but a win is a win, and the Twins have been playing much better baseball the last month. Ryan Doumit had two hits, including his sixth home run. Trevor Plouffe was 2-3 with a walk, his fifth double and his eighth home run. Ben Revere had three hits, a walk and two stolen bases. Jamey Carroll and Darin Mastroianni each had two hits. Josh Willingham had two hits including a walk-off single that scored Mastroianni with the winning run in the 10th. On Saturday, Joe Mauer and Denard Span return to the Twins lineup, and Scott Diamond looks to continue his 2012 success. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday: ROCHESTER 9, NORFOLK 6 Esmerling Vasquez became the 14th starting pitcher for the Red Wings in 2012. The hard-throwing right-hander gave up just one run on three hits and a walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out six. Brendan Wise came in and in 2.1 innings gave up one run on three hits and a walk. Carlos Gutierrez gave up three runs on three hits in one inning. Kyle Waldrop gave up a run on two hits in his inning. Sean Burroughs led the offensive attack by going 4-5 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Rene Rivera went 2-2 with two walks, his fourth double and three RBI. Matt Carson went 2-3 with a walk, his 16th double and his fifth stolen base. Brian Dinkelman returned to the lineup and went 2-4 with his first double. Clete Thomas hit his second home run. NEW BRITAIN 7, ERIE 9 James Beresford continues to play well. His batting average is now up to .289 with a three-hit game on Friday night. He had a single, his third double and his second triple in this game. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk and his 13th double. He drove in three runs. Deibinson Romero hit his eighth home run. Mark Dolenc hit his first of the season. Aaron Thompson was back on the mound for the Rock Cats. In 4.2 innings, he gave up seven runs (6 earned) on eight hits and three walks. He struck out just one. Bobby Lanigan gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits in 1.2 innings. Blake Martin got the final five outs. FT. MYERS, TAMPA There was more rain in southwest Florida, and no game played. These two teams are still trying to finish a game that was started on Wednesday night. The regularly scheduled game for Friday night has been cancelled. BELOIT 7, BURLINGTON 0 The Snappers offense showed up again in this game, but when a team gets a shutout, we have to start with the pitching. Left-hander Steven Gruver has been terrific of late and on Friday night, the story was the same. He gave up no runs on three hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out three. Corey Williams gets his seventh save by throwing three one-hit innings and striking out two. Tyler Grimes went 2-3 with a walk. Adam Bryant and Jairo Rodriguez were each 2-4. Wang-Wei Lin was 2-5. Eddie Rosario and Miguel Sano each hit a double. It was Sano’s 14th and Rosario’s 20th. --- Players of the Day for Friday, June 8, 2012 Pitcher of the Day – Steve Gruver [ATTACH=CONFIG]1188[/ATTACH] Hitter of the Day – Sean Burroughs [ATTACH=CONFIG]1189[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, June 9, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Indianapolis – RHP Liam Hendriks New Britain @ Erie - TBD Ft. Myers @ Palm Beach – RHP Marty Popham Beloit @ Wisconsin – RHP Tyler Jones

Twins Lineup: Denard Span CF Ben Revere RF Joe Mauer C Josh Willingham LF Justin Morneau 1B Ryan Doumit DH Trevor Plouffe 3B Brian Dozier SS Jamey Carroll 2B SP: Scott Diamond