Seth Stohs

Also leads the league in walks AND strikeouts.

I just think he should stay in Beloit, at least until the 4th of July. Why? Because I have 2 trips planned to Beloit before then. Im going on the Territory Train trip the first week of June (i understand there are still seats available! (http://territorytrain.com/trips/minnesota-prospect-tour/)). I'm also heading there with Twins Minor League Weekly co-host Travis Aune the final weekend in June.

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?456-Friday-Night-Game-Notes-(Twins-Win-and-Sano-Shines!)

The Twins improved to 5-9 with a 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Denard Span, Jamey Carroll and Joe Mauer each had two hits, but it was again Josh Willingham who played hero in this game. With the Twins down 4-2 in the 7th, the bases were loaded with two outs and Willingham came to the plate. With two strikes, Willingham drilled a opposite-field doubles to drive in three and give the Twins the lead. It extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Matt Maloney, Jared Burton, Brian Duensing and then Matt Capps finished out the game very well. Liam Hendriks started and gave up just one run through five innings. However, in the 6th inning, he gave up three runs, culminated by an Evan Longoria home run. The Twins are playing some exciting baseball, and the excitement is trickling down to the minor leagues. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Friday: ROCHESTER 5, LEHIGH VALLEY 2 The Red Wings got a big win against the International League’s top team on Friday night. PJ Walters improved to 2-1 with a decent start. In 5.1 innings, he gave up two runs on six hits. (He gave up back to back home runs in the 3rd inning to Derrick Mitchell and Tuffy Gosewisch.) He walked two and struck out three. Then the bullpen took over. Tyler Robertson got the two outs of the sixth inning. Jeff Manship pitched two scoreless innings. Casey Fien recorded his third save with a scoreless ninth. The Red Wings tied a season-high with 11 hits in this game. Michael Hollimon was 3-4. Drew Butera was 2-3 with a double and two RBI (in the three-run fifth inning). The RBI were his first since Opening Day. Darin Mastroianni was 2-4. Matt Rozzotti was 2-4. It was his third multi-hit game in his past three games. The Red Wings win pushes them back to .500, at 8-8. NEW BRITAIN 7, NEW HAMPSHIRE 3 This Friday afternoon ball game was tied 3-3 when the Rock Cats came to bat in the bottom of the eighth. With an out, Evan Bigley and Chris Colabello hit back-to-back doubles that gave the team the lead. One out later, Deibinson Romero walked and Pedro Florimon hit a three-run homer that broke that game open. Earlier in the game, it was Romero that supplied the offense. He also knocked a three-run homer. It was Romero’s third homer of the year while Florimon hit his second in as many games. James Beresford went 2-3. Luke French made the start for the Rock Cats. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on three hits in five innings. He struck out three, but he walked an uncharacteristic six batters. Deolis Guerra struck out two in two scoreless innings. Daniel Turpen got the win as he struck out two in two innings. The Rock Cats improve to 11-5. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 3, BRADENTON 4 Adrian Salcedo and Gerrit Cole were matched up against each other in consecutive starts. Josmil Pinto hit a home run against Cole, and the Miracle scored all three of their runs against the talented right-hander who went the first five innings. Salcedo also went five innings. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on six hits and three walks. He struck out four. Jhon Garcia gave up one run over the next two innings, a solo home to Drew Maggi. Matt Hauser gave up a hit and two walks but no runs in the 8th inning. The Miracle bats continue to struggle. In this game, they had just six hits. Pinto hit his first homer. Jairo Perez and Anderson Hidalgo each hit a double. Lance Ray was 1-2 with a walk and a stolen base. The loss is the fourth in a row for the Miracle, who drop to 6-8. BELOIT 13, SOUTH BEND 3 Big innings are always helpful for a baseball team. The Snappers scored four runs in the 4th inning, the 7th inning and the 9th inning and pulled away in this game. The Snappers scored their 13 runs on 15 hits and eight walks, but let’s start with the pitching. Lefty Jason Wheeler got the start. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and three walks. He struck out four. AJ Achter was good again, throwing two scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster threw the ninth. He gave up a run on one hit and three walks in the inning. OK, to the offense. Miguel Sano came into the game with six homers and a triple, but no doubles. In this game, he went 4-5 with a walk and his first three doubles of the season. JD Williams was 3-6. Eddie Rosario went 2-5 with a walk. (Side Note – He also committed his fifth error.) Danny Ortiz had two hits. AJ Pettersen and Rory Rhodes each hit a double. Jhonathan Goncalves hit a triple. The Snappers jump back over .500 at 8-7. --- Players of the Day for Friday, April 20, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Miguel Sano [ATTACH=CONFIG]686[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Jason Wheeler [ATTACH=CONFIG]687[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, April 21, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley – LHP Scott Diamond New Britain vs New Hampshire – LHP Andrew Albers Ft. Myers @ Bradenton – RHP Marty Popham Beloit @ South Bend – 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!

First two doubles of his season tonight!

If Dozier was hitting better, maybe... but Valencia's been hitting better of late. Had a couple of big hits in New York. He'll be fine.

I personally think it's about time Morneau got a day off. I'm not saying he should only play 4 out of 5 or something, but 10-11 or 12-13 or whatever it is, he needs a day. In fact, I think Mauer needs a full day, even not catching or DH.

Brad is starting the season on Rochester's DL.

On last night's Twins Minor League Weekly, I said there is a definite comparison between Cole DeVries and Rule 5 pick Terry Doyle. They're pretty much the same pitcher.

There is zero question that Deolis Guerra will get some time with the Twins late this year.

yeah, I don't get where people think that Gardy is a big Butera guy. They like his defense... they've been very upfront about the offense. I'm not in favor of a 3rd catcher, but I am in favor of Doumit in the lineup every day, and again, there aren't a lot of changes made in the game, so playing with a 3 man bench and a 3rd catcher, not a big deal. And, if Butera was up the whole rest of the season, I can't imagine him getting more than an average of two plate appearances a week. That might be high. I think we're talking about late-inning defense and late game injury replacement. That puts him at like 60-70 plate appearances. Can't make much difference to a team's season in that few at bats. Last year was a weird year that Twins fans need to get over. He got that number of plate appearances because Mauer was hurt and there wasn't a Doumit on the roster. That wouldn't happen again.

He doesn't throw that hard. 88-92. His best pitch is a very good changeup and a still-improving curveball. I was glad he went back to start the season at AA just to kind of verify what he did last year out of the bullpen, and so far, so good. DeVries is too old to be considered a prospect at this point, but that doesn't mean he isn't or couldn't be a good pitcher. He dominated last year in the bullpen in AA and quickly moved up to Rochester and pitched well in all kinds of roles, short-relief, long-relief, spot starts. His big league role would be long reliever. I'd like to see him get a cup of coffee. Doesn't possess great stuff, relies on control. This is his last option year. Next year, he has to make the Twins roster or be put on waivers. Me. He was pretty solid last year, and he was very good in the Arizona Fall League. He's a veteran type now, so he's become a better pitcher. He's never really walked guys. it's encouraging to see the K's remain at 1 per inning. last year was the first time he had done that in the upper levels. He's been eligible for the Rule 5 draft the last two years. If the Twins do not add him to the 40 man roster following the season, he came become a six-year minor league free agent. That is likely. Of the 3, Manship has the best stuff, for sure. Guerra's got a long way to go before he's ready.

As if the Twins and Rays didn't play enough this spring, the Twins are headed to St. Pete for a three-game series tonight. Twins Lineup: Denard Span CF Jamey Carroll SS Joe Mauer DH Josh Willingham LF Danny Valencia 3B Ryan Doumit C Trevor Plouffe RF Chris Parmelee 1B Alexi Casilla 2B SP: Liam Hendriks

Well said, TwinsFanLV!

WPA uses like 80 years worth of data and every situation, and notes how frequently that score, runners on, etc has happened and what percentage of time that person had one. If a team has a 3 run lead with bases loaded and two outs in the top of the ninth, they have like a 99% chance of winning (based on all those years of historical data). If the next batter hits a grand slam, suddenly the other team's chance of winning jumps to like 95%. I'd say that's a scenario where the batter who hit the grand slam had a pretty strong affect on a team's Win Probability.

Rock Cats Lineup: Mark Dolenc LF Chris Herrmann C Evan Bigley RF Chris Colabello 1B Aaron Hicks CF Deibinson Romero 3B Pedro Florimon SS Nate Hanson DH Estarlin de Los Santos 2B SP: LHP Luke French SP for New Hampshire: RHP and Former Rock Cat Yohan Pino.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?454-Thursday-Night-Lights

The Twins lost another "offensive" game to Curtis Granderson and the Yankees on Thursday night by a score of 8-7. The close loss was something that all four of the Twins minor league affiliates suffered as well on Thursday as the organization went 0-5 on the day. But worry not, there were still plenty of positives to talk about. Here is a look at the Twins minor league scores and highlights from Wednesday, and for much more on the players on each team, specifically who’s hot and who’s not for each team, be sure to listen to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly podcast. ROCHESTER 3, EMPIRE STATE 5 The Red Wings took a tough loss to split the series on the road (but at home) against the team formerly known as Scranton/Wilkes Barre. Sam Deduno was good early, but that is hidden in his pitching line. In five innings, he gave up four runs (3 earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out six. Esmerling Vasquez gave up one run on two hits and three walks in three innings. Brian Dozier hit his sixth double. Darin Mastroianni went 2-4. Ben Revere was 2-5. Michael Hollimon was 2-4 with a triple and his second home run. The homer was the first by a Red Wings player since Friday, when Hollimon homered. It had been 58 innings in between. The Red Wings fall to 7-8. NEW BRITAIN 5, NEW HAMPSHIRE 6 Logan Darnell came into the game 2-0 with a 0.90 ERA. The lefty gave up four runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked three and struck out five. He didn’t help himself by committing two errors. Bret Jacobson gave up a run on two hits and walk in two innings. Lester Oliveros gave up a run in the ninth to take the loss. Aaron Hicks went 1-3 with two walks. Estarlin de Los Santos was 2-5. Evan Bigley went 2-4 with a walk and his second triple. Chris Colabello went 2-4 with a walk. The Rock Cats fall to 10-5. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 1, BRADENTON 2 (10 innings) It was the rematch of last week’s BJ Hermsen/Jameson Taillon matchup and both were on their games. Hermsen gave up one run on five hits and a walk in seven innings. He struck out six. Edgar Ibarra dropped his ERA to 0.90 with two perfect innings. Bruce Pugh gave up a run on a hit and a walk in the tenth to take the loss. The Miracle have really been struggling with the bats of late. Dan Rohlfing, however, was 3-4 in this game and is 9 of his last 19. Jairo Perez, Lance Ray and Anderson Hidalgo each had a double in this game. The Miracle drop to 6-7. BELOIT 10, SOUTH BEND 12 This was a crazy game, but it got off to a fun start as Miguel Sano hit his sixth home run in the first frame. Tim Shibuya was terrific through three innings. However, his fourth inning began with an error on Miguel Sano. The next ball was a grounder to second base that Eddie Rosario fielded and threw to the base, but Tyler Grimes dropped the ball. Eight runs later, the inning finished. However, the Miracle came back with three in the 5th inning and six runs in the 6th inning to reclaim the lead. However, South Bend tied it up in the eighth and then grabbed two more runs in the ninth to take the 12-10 win. Shibuya gave up eight runs (2 earned) on seven hits in 3.1 innings. He walked none and struck out two. Michael Tonkin gave up one run on five hits in 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Bart Carter gave up one run on two hits in two innings, while striking out two. Corey Williams gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in one inning. There was plenty of offense! Adam Bryant went 2-4 for the second straight day during which time he raised his batting average from .250 to .300. Eddie Rosario and Matthew Koch were each 2-5. AJ Pettersen went 2-3 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt. Miguel Sano was 2-4 with a walk and his sixth home run. It was his third home run in his last five games. Danny Ortiz went 3-5. The Snappers fall to 7-7. --- Players of the Day for Thursday, April 19, 2012 Hitter of the Day – Dan Rohlfing [ATTACH=CONFIG]681[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – B J Hermsen [ATTACH=CONFIG]680[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Friday, April 20, 2012 Schedule Rochester vs. Lehigh Valley – RHP PJ Walters New Britain vs New Hampshire – LHP Luke French Ft. Myers @ Bradenton – RHP Adrian Salcedo (rematch versus Gerrit Cole) Beloit @ South Bend – 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!

Find out what is going on throughout the Twins farm system as Seth and TravisTwinsTalk discuss each affiliate, who is hot, who is not, fact or fiction and more. Participate by signing up and asking questions in the chat room. Twins Minor League Weekly goes live at 10:00 CST, so listen live if you can, or listen later. Either way, click here to listen.

Maybe not a great comment, but Gardy absolutely should have a large say in the roster... Ryan can over-ride some of that based on business decisions... If you've got flexibility, they can go with 13 pitchers for a little while... and what that will show is that they can also go to a 3rd catcher, not worry about Doumit or Mauer DHing, and have that spot.

At 27 or 28, DeVries is what he is, and he's a very solid AAA pitcher who just hasn't been given a shot with the Twins. He's a solid pitcher, and who knows how he would do in the big leagues. To be honest, right now, he'd certainly be behind Scott Diamond on the depth chart and probably PJ Walters as well. I'd love to see the Eden Prairie native get a chance.