Seth Stohs

This blog has been promoted to an article. Please feel free to comment here. Day 2 in the Twins minor league system meant FIVE box scores to follow. In an unusual event, New Britain and Richmond had a scheduled double header. The Twins affiliates went 4-1 on the day. The Rochester Red Wings and New Britain Rock Cats are a combined 5-0 so far on the early season. As you will see every day throughout the season, here are the scores and highlights from the Twins minor league system. ROCHESTER 3, SYRACUSE 1Scott Diamond had a frustrating 2011 season with the Red Wings (and in several starts with the Twins). His 2012 got off to a terrific start. The lefty threw 6.1 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struckout three. Carlos Gutierrez finished the seventh inning and then struckout the first two batters of the 8th inning. A triple, followed by a double, ended his night as the Red Wings clung to a 2-1 lead. Anthony Slama came in and got a strikeout to end the eighth. He gave up one hit in the 9th frame, but he struckout pinch-hitter Mark Teahen to end the game and record his first save. Brian Dozier and Joe Benson each went 2-3 with a walk in the game. After a four-hit debut on Thursday, Matt Carson was 2-4 with his secod double in this game. Aaron Bates was 1-3 with a walk and a double. NEW BRITAIN 6, RICHMOND 2 (GAME 1)Steve Hirschfeld pitched well, but the story in this game was the bat of Evan Bigley. The right fielder went 2-3. He put the Rock Cats on the board with an RBI triple. A couple innings later, he broke things open with a grand slam to give him five RBI in the game. Like Bigley, Pedro Florimon was 2-3. He had a double. Hirschfeld went the first five innings and gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. He struck out four. Luis Perdomo came in and struckout four in two scoreless, hitless innings. NEW BRITAIN 4, RICHMOND 1 (GAME 2) Lefty Logan Darnell got the Game 2 start and pitched very well. In five innings, he gave up one run on just two hits. He walked one and struck out four. A couple of former starters made their bullpen debuts and did quite well. David Bromberg pitched a scoreless sixth inning, and Bobby Lanigan gets the save with a scoreless seventh. Chris Herrmann had the big hit in this game. He was 2-3 but his bases-clearing double gave the Rock Cats the lead they were able to hold on to. Deibinson Romero hit his second double of the day. Nate Hanson went 2-2 with a walk. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 2, CHARLOTTE 62011 was a frustrating season for Pat Dean, but he came through with a terrific debut to his 2012 season. The lefty gave up two runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out four without walking a single batter. Bruce Pugh came in gave up four runs (3 earned) on four hits, including a home run, in the seventh inning. Caleb Thielbar threw two scoreless innings. He gave up no hits or walks, but he did hit two batters. Danny Santana now has six hits in the season’s first two games after going 3-5 in this game. He also stole hit first base. Angel Morales was 1-3 with a walk. BELOIT 6, PEORIA 1 The Snappers got great pitching, but the story of this game came in the 7th inning. The game was still tied at one a piece when Miguel Sano stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He connected for his first Midwest League hit and his first Midwest League Home Run, a grand slam that gave the Snappers a lead they would hold on to. Tyler Grimes went 2-4 with a double. JD Williams was 1-3 with a walk and a double. Eddie Rosario was 1-2 with two walks. 2011 draft pick Steven Gruver started and gave up just one run on five hits in six innings. He struckout five without walking a batter. Michael Tonkin struckout four in two scoreless innings. Clinton Dempster struckout two in a scoreless ninth. --- Friday, April 6, 2012 Players of the Day Hitter of the Day – Evan Bigley [ATTACH=CONFIG]544[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Scott Diamond [ATTACH=CONFIG]545[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Saturday, April 7, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Syracuse – 3:05 (CST) – Daryl Thompson Richmond @ New Britain (12:35 CST) – Jason Marquis Charlotte @ Ft. Myers – 5:05 CST) – BJ Hermsen Peoria @ Beloit – 2:00 – ? --- 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!

Love This! Thank you for sharing!!

Not to be lost, Carl Pavano was very Carl Pavano-ish start. Solid. Jake Arrieta was just unhittable..

Yeah, I like to make an error or two every day just to keep readers on their toes... OK... it's just because. Ha! Good catch!

I don't think that it would cost much to get Lannan from Washington, but I would want them to eat about $4 million of his contract. Is he better than hendriks... maybe... is he better than Swarzak... certainly. I think it's a good idea to consider, but again, I wouldn't give up much for him. He's like Pavano, Marquis, Blackburn... except he's a lefty. Very consistently average.

Good point... I have had to cut back to make it only Twins Opening Day... I miss the old schedule!

Potato/Potato... Tomato/Tomato...

Thank you for putting this together... Very interesting look at where some of the Twins prospects are!!

Leaving work at noon... I haven't worked on the afternoon of Opening Day in my X years of being employed... Nothing better!

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?406-28-Players-28-Projections

Happy Twins Opening Day to all of you!! After a disappointing 2011 season, a long, cold offseason, here we are. Opening Day! It's a great feeling as a fan. I can only imagine what's going through the minds of the players who will be making their first Opening Day roster. Guys like Trevor Plouffe, Luke Hughes and Liam Hendriks have never experienced what they will today (or Monday at Target Field, for that matter). The Twins 25-man roster is set. Kyle Waldrop and Scott Baker are on the Disabled List, and Jason Marquis is in New Britain for a couple of starts. 28 Players. 28 Projections. If there is one over-riding theme for Opening Day, it's optimism. Or at least it should be. With that in mind, I'll give my predictions for each of the 28 players. Feel free to argue, dispute and add to this with thoughts, comments and predictions. The Pitchers: The key for any team is their pitching, so let's start there. It's impossible to predict wins and losses with any certainty, so I'll just give ERA, WHIP, and any other keys for a player. Carl Pavano: 4.55 ERA, 1.44 WHIP... 195 innings... 3.9 K/9... 1.9 BB/9 Francisco Liriano: 3.31 ERA, 1.19 WHIP... 193 innings... 9.1 K/9... 3.1 BB/9 Nick Blackburn: 4.29 ERA, 1.38 WHIP... 200 innings... 4.9 K/9... 1.9 BB/9 Liam Hendriks: 3.94 ERA, 1.26 WHIP... 7.2 K/9... 2.1 BB/9 Scott Baker: 5.15 ERA, 1.52 WHIP... 6.8 K/9... 3.4 BB/9 Jason Marquis: 4.61 ERA, 1.46 WHIP... 4.6 K/9... 3.1 BB/9 Matt Capps: 3.08 ERA, 1.11 WHIP... 6.8 K/9... 2.1 BB/9 (28 Saves) Glen Perkins: 2.42 ERA, 1.19 WHIP... 9.2 K/9... 2.6 BB/9 (8 Saves) Jared Burton: 3.12 ERA, 1.23 WHIP... 6.2 K/9... 3.8 BB/9 (3 Saves) Brian Duensing: 2.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP... 7.1 K/9...2.1 BB/9 Anthony Swarzak: 4.53 ERA, 1.39 WHIP... 5.1 K/9...3.1 BB/9 Jeff Gray: 4.10 ERA, 1.31 WHIP... 4.4 K/9... 3.6 BB/9 Matt Maloney: 3.40 ERA, 1.20 WHIP... 7.1 K/9...2.7 BB/9 Alex Burnett: If he gets to go to Rochester for 2-3 consecutive months, he can come back and be good. If he stays up all year, it could be scary again. Kyle Waldrop: 3.55 ERA, 1.30 WHIP... 5.5 K/9... 2.5 BB/9 The Hitters: Denard Span: .290/.375/.445 (.820) - 28 doubles, 8 triples, 6 HR, 50 RBI, 31 SB Jamey Carroll: .275/.345/.325 (.670) - 16 doubles, 3 triples, 0 HR, 30 RBI, 8 SB Joe Mauer: .320/.395/.490 (.885) - 38 doubles, 1 triple, 11 HR, 82 RBI Justin Morneau: .275/.340/.445 (.785) - 24 doubles, 0 triples, 17 HR, 71 RBI Josh Willingham: .255/.340/.465 (.805) - 23 doubles, 0 triples, 27 HR, 88 RBI Ryan Doumit: .270/.335/.420 (.755) - 18 doubles, 0 triples, 11 HR, 55 RBI Danny Valencia: .285/.335/.460 (.795) - 32 doubles, 0 triples, 19 HR, 75 RBI Chris Parmelee: .260/.330/.380 (.710) - 18 doubles, 0 triples, 9 HR, 48 RBI Alexi Casilla: .255/.310/.345 (.655) - 16 doubles, 2 triples, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 14 SB Trevor Plouffe: .260/.315/.450 (.765) - 19 doubles, 1 triple, 11 HR, 42 RBI Luke Hughes: .245/.305/.390 (.695) - 15 doubles, 1 triple, 8 HR, 33 RBI Ben Revere: .290/.335/.350 (.685) - 9 doubles, 7 triples, 1 HR, 27 SB Sean Burroughs: .270/.315/.350 (.665) - 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR So, what do you think? Get your predictions into the comments. Who am I too high on? Who am I too low on? We can check back at the end of the year and see how these look! [ATTACH=CONFIG]538[/ATTACH]

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?405-Twins-Minor-League-Opening-Day-Recap

Minor League Opening Day has come and gone, and all is good in the world! As we ever-so patiently await today’s Twins opener, we were able to peruse the box scores of four Twins affiliates. Opening Day is a sign of hope, especially for the guys who had good games. If players had rough games, hey, it’s just one of 144 games! But it is box scores and games that count. Which prospects will rise, and which will fall? Will any of the teams make the playoffs? They are questions that no one knows the answer to, but each of those answers start on Opening Day. Below you’ll find the results of each of the Twins minor league games as well as some of the highlights. ROCHESTER 7, SYRACUSE 4Matt Carson’s debut with the Red Wings was a successful one. The eldest player on the Rochester had hits in his first four at bats. He was 4-5 with a double and a triple. Brian Dozier doubles in his first AAA at bat and singled in his second. He was 2-4 with a walk. Aaron Bates went 2-3 with two walks. Drew Butera went 2-3 with a sac fly, a double and a two-run home run that bounced off the foul pole. PJ Walters started and threw four scoreless innings. He gave up two hits and walked two while striking out four. Jeff Manship and pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings. Tyler Robertson then gave up three runs (2 earned) on one hit and a walk in an inning. Brendan Wise replaced him and gave up a run on two hits and a walk in 1.2 innings. Casey Fien recorded the Save with a perfect 1-2-3 ninth frame. Behind the Box Score – Tyler Robertson’s stats may not look good at the end of the day, but he had Key Moment #1 of the game. With the Red Wings leading 2-0 in the 6th inning, Bryce Harper came to the plate as the potential tying run. Robertson came in to replace Manship. He struckout Harper and then got veteran Jason Michaels to pop out to end the inning. It was a key moment at the time. Brian Dinkelman was just 1-4 in the game, but after Robertson’s key moment, Dinkelman gave the team Key Moment #2. His bases-clearing triple off of the right field wall gave the Red Wings a 5-0 lead. NEW BRITAIN 3, RICHMOND 2Luke French has made 25 big league starts, yet the 26-year-old lefty finds himself starting in Double-A. In this game, he threw five shutout innings, allowing two hits. He walked two and struckout four. Deolis Guerra came in and continued the dominance he displayed after his transition to the bullpen last season. He threw two perfect innings and struckout three. Daniel Turpen, acquired for Kevin Slowey, threw a scoreless eighth inning. He came out for the ninth inning, holding a three-run lead. He recorded two outs, but allowed two runs on four hits. Lester Oliveros came in and struckout the one batter he faced for the save. Mark Dolenc and James Beresford were each 2-3. Chris Herrmann was 2-4 with an RBI. Evan Bigley notched a double. FT. MYERS MIRACLE 8, CHARLOTTE 6The Miracle nearly completed a miraculous comeback, but it fell short. However, the big news in this game was that Scott Baker made the start but lasted just three batters and 11 pitches. He left the field complaining that he just could not get warmed up. Edgar Ibarra came in and the lefty pitched well. He gave up three hits and a walk but no runs in 2.2 innings. Jose Gonzalez came in for the 4th inning and gave up three runs on three hits. He did strikeout three. Ricky Bowen came in and gave up one run on four hits in three innings. He walked none and struckout three. Matt Hauser pitched the final inning and gave up two runs on three hits and a walk. Danny Santana had a nice Florida State League debut. He went 3-4 with a walk and two doubles. Angel Morales went 3-4 with a stolen base. Oswaldo Arcia singled his first time up. Then he walked three straight times. He added a stolen base. BELOIT 2, PEORIA 5Eden Prairie’s Madison Boer threw two scoreless innings to start the game. In the third inning, he gave up four runs (3 earned). He gave up another unearned run in the fourth inning. Matt Tomshaw came in and threw two perfect innings, striking out three. Matt Summers struckout the side in the 7th inning. Nelvin Fuentes threw a scoreless 8th inning despite giving up a hit and two walks. Bart Carter struckout two in the ninth. The Snappers offense didn’t show up on Opening night. The team managed just five hits. Jhonathan Goncalves had two of them. Eddie Rosario and Danny Ortiz each had a double. Of course, they each also had an error. Miguel was 0-3 in his MWL debut. He was hit by a pitch in his first plate appearance and then stole second base. --- For much more on the Twins Minor League system, be sure to listen to last night’s Twins Minor League Weekly episode. Travis Aune and I discussed all four games and many of the players. --- Thursday, April 5, 2012 Players of the Day Hitter of the Day – Matt Carson [ATTACH=CONFIG]525[/ATTACH] Pitcher of the Day – Luke French [ATTACH=CONFIG]526[/ATTACH] --- A Look Ahead – Friday, April 6, 2012 Schedule Rochester @ Syracuse – 3:00 (CST) – Scott Diamond Richmond @ New Britain (Doubleheader, Game 1 @ 3:35 CST) – Steve Hirschfeld, Logan Darnell Charlotte @ Ft. Myers – Pat Dean (6:05 CST) Peoria @ Beloit – 6:30 – ? --- 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!

TravisTwinsTalk and myself will spend at least an hour talking about an exciting Opening Day of minor league action among the Twins affiliates. We'll break down the rosters, discuss several topics, and most importantly, we will answer your questions in the chat room. Of course, you can always call in as well... Listen Live to the first regular season episode of Twins Minor League Weekly!

Is this a fair translation? Gave up a double and a triple in his first 11 pitches... called it a day?? Frustrating!

can't be good... Not to go too negative, but sounds like Dr. James Andrews might be getting a call. Not good. Hopefully not!

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php?402-Twins-Minor-League-Predictions-The-Pitchers

Happy Minor League Opening Day to all of you again!! One Twins affiliate already has a win under its belt as the Rochester Red Wings topped Syracuse 7-4. Three more games tonight! Earlier this morning, we looked at the Twins minor league hitters and made some predictions for the 2012 season. Now we’re back and we will be looking at some predictions for Twins minor league pitchers in 2012. The purpose of this is strictly for fun and we encourage you to participate and make your predictions too. Again, our panel includes some other Twins bloggers who talk about the Twins minor leagues. Our categories are “Breakout” and “Best” Pitcher for three levels. The Upper Levels includes Rochester and New Britain. The Lower Levels includes Ft. Myers and Beloit. And of course, the EST category covers those players who are starting their 2012 campaign in Extended Spring Training. What is your definition of “Breakout,” and what will it take for you to characterize a pitcher as “Best.” Let’s find out! Once again, thank you to our other guest predictors: Andrew from Twins Fran from Afar, Roger Dehring from Twinkie Town, Paul Pleiss from Puckett’s Pond, Cody Christie (the Nodak Twins Fan), and Travis Aune, my co-host on Twins Minor League Weekly every Thursday night (starting tonight at 9:00 central!). So, let’s get started, and again, please feel free to get your predictions in below!! Breakout Pitcher (Upper Levels): Seth: Logan Darnell – He pitched at three levels last year, but I don’t think many know who Darnell is. The lefty has very good stuff, and he should spend the full year with one team and continue to improve. Andrew: Tyler Robertson. Earned a promotion to AAA after a good season in New Britain. Roger: Cole DeVries, I don't know if he qualifies as he was awfully good in 2011. Look for him to stay in the Red Wings starting rotation and get a September call-up to the Twins. Paul: Tyler Robertson. Robertson will be back in Rochester for the first time since getting moved to the bullpen at the beginning of 2011. Although Robertson doesn't have any pitch that is outstanding, he commands his pitches well and I look forward to the lefty making big strides in his second full season working out of the pen. Cody: Alex Wimmers: The Twins need more starting pitching in the upper levels and Wimmers has to be that guy. Travis: Scott Diamond- Last year was an anomaly and will come back to his career norm with a much better season. Best Pitcher (Upper Levels): Seth: PJ Walters – He gets the Opening Day nod for the Red Wings today, but he’s been a very good prospect for several years. It hasn’t turned to a lot of big league success… at least not yet. Andrew: Andrew Albers. Maybe not the "best," but playing in an organization that lacks good relievers, if Albers puts together a 2012 as solid as his 2011, he'll be on a fast track for Target Field. Roger: Assuming that Liam Hendriks isn't in Rochester much this summer, my selection is Alex Wimmers. He will begin in New Britain and force a move to Rochester by the end of June. Paul: Alex Wimmers who moves up to AA New Britain this year after a season at Ft. Myers hopes to build off of the late season success from 2011. Wimmers who started 2011 by walking six batters is hoping that his control issues from last season remain in the past. Wimmers only pitched 40.2 innings in A+ last season in addition to the added competition of AA, Wimmers will need to log a bunch of innings. If Wimmers can get back to his 2010 form it's not unreasonable to expect him to move up to AAA by the end of the season. Cody: Alex Wimmers: The best hope for the Twins is that his control problems are behind him. Travis: Liam Hendriks- Hendriks is probably ready for MLB and will take it out on the International League. Breakout Pitcher (Lower Levels): Seth: Matt Summers – Last year’s 4th round pick, the lefty gets less notoriety than the three college players drafted ahead of him. But a lefty that throws hard with good secondary pitches is exciting. Andrew: BJ Hermsen. I like the potential of this Masonville, Iowa youngster. Roger: Corey Williams, he has nasty stuff and will challenge Salcedo and Wimmers for best in the organization. Paul: Madison Boer. Boer is a hometown kid from Eden Prairie, MN and will be given a chance to start in Beloit this season and with a solid defense behind him and an offense that will impress Boer should put up some eye-popping numbers in his first full season in Beloit. Cody: Madison Boer: A collegiate pitcher who could move up the ladder quickly if he finds success. Travis: Madison Boer- The second round pick will dominate in Beloit. Best Pitcher (Lower Levels): Seth: Pat Dean – He appears to be healthy for the first time since signing with the Twins. The talented lefty from BC has three good pitches and profiles as a mix of Glen Perkins and Brian Duensing. Andrew: Adrian Salcedo. Great control, hopefully will add a little more velocity. Roger: Adrian Salcedo, will be the Miracle's top pitcher as he finally reaches Ace status! Paul: Adrian Salcedo. Salcedo was outstanding last year and although he's moving up from Beloit to Ft Myers this season I look for him to continue to be a shining star in the lower levels of the Twins organization. Unlike most "classic" Twins style pitchers Salcedo is not a pitch to contact control guy, and while his control is above average, he also misses a lot of bats, striking out 281 while only giving up 56 walks since singing late in 2007. Cody: Miguel Sano: Adrian Salcedo: One of the best arms in the lower levels and he should continue to be a workhorse. Travis: Adrian Salcedo- Salcedo will develop the consistency that he has lacked and dominate the FSL. Breakout Pitcher (EST): Seth: Josh Burris – Incredible athlete played 2B and OF last year in college, as well as pitching out of the bullpen. He throws hard, and has a killer curveball. Control is the issue, but he is certainly one to watch. Andrew: Hudson Boyd. Let's see what he can do! Roger: Hung-Yi Chen, was solid as a rookie in the GCL last year and will dominate the Appy League this year. Paul: Hudson Boyd. Boyd was drafted out of HS last season and signed late so he'll make his professional debut this season in EST. As a high school pitcher he is a raw talent, but he throws hard and has good control. If he can stay healthy and keep his weight under control he should put up good numbers in 2012. Cody: Matthew Summers: His time with the E-Twins was good last year and he looks to do more of the same. Travis: Hudson Boyd- Boyd will dominate the GCL throwing nothing but gas the key is picking up a second pitch. Best Pitcher (EST): Seth: Trent Higginbotham – He has a long name, but he has a big fastball. Higginbotham signed late last year for big money despite being a lower draft pick. He could start, or he could dominate as a closer. It might be time to start working on proper spelling of his name because Twins fans will be hearing it for years to come. Andrew: Hudson Boyd. He's not yet 20 and throws a mid-90s fastball. Enough said. Roger: Hudson Boyd, 29 other teams will be wondering why they didn't draft this kid! Paul: Steven Evans was drafted in the 13th round last year, signed quickly and put up eye popping numbers after he reported to Elizabethon. Coming back for a full season Evans will continue to impress against hitters in the Appy League. Already with an impressive arsenal of pitches, 2012 should be a successful season for the young lefty. Cody: Matthew Summers: EST is full of last year's draft class but his age and collegiate experience should help him. Travis: Angel Mata- Mata will continue to develop and cut down on his walk rate and keep his strikeout rate very high. So there you have it, our picks for the 2012 season. Now it is your turn. Make your picks. We’ll be back later in the day to discuss the pitchers.